Grace ran up the stairs from the pharmacy, determined to shower before Evan got home. The air-conditioning in the store had been no match for the oppressive temperature, and she felt disgusting after the long day in the swampy heat. On the way upstairs, she noticed the motorcycle parked under the stairs and groaned.

“Hope he doesn’t get too close,” she muttered as she opened the door and stepped into their place, where she found him sitting on the bed, head in his hands. Forgetting all about how she might smell, Grace dropped her bag and keys on the floor and went directly to him. “Evan.”

He looked up, seeming startled to see her there. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“What’s wrong?”

Shaking his head, he held out a hand to her. “Nothing, honey.”

She sat next to him. “Please don’t lie to me. Whatever is wrong, we’ll figure it out, but if you lie to me, we have a much bigger problem.”

He leaned his chin on their joined hands. “Apparently, Buddy Longstreet has managed to wrestle my album from the Starlight bankruptcy proceedings.”

“Wait. So what does that mean?”

“It means it’s going to be released under the Long Road Records label.”

“Oh.” An astounding array of implications cycled through her mind in about thirty seconds of stunned silence. “When did you hear about this?”

“First heard it might happen last night, and Jack called today to confirm it’s a done deal. The judge ruled today that Buddy can take ownership of the album by paying the court for the rights.”

“You’ll have to promote it.”

“Probably.”

“Which means you’ll be gone for weeks at a time.”

“Possibly.”

“What about the studio?”

“I don’t know. That’s one of many things I’m sitting here trying to figure out, when I should be heading for the marina to meet Owen.”

Grace noticed his guitar cases lined up like soldiers next to the wall by the door. He’d brought them home from the studio for the gig tonight. What would her home be like without him and his guitars and his oversized shoes all over the place? Her stomach ached and her chest felt tight as she tried to get air to her lungs. “This is really good news, Ev. You worked so hard on it, and for no one to ever get to hear it would be horrible.”

With his head still propped on his hand, he glanced at her, smiling. “You always see the bright side, don’t you?”

“What’s the point of seeing any other side? It’s happening, so we have to deal with it.”

Evan caressed her face. “You’re amazing. My amazing Grace.”

She knew he’d written a song with that title, but he hadn’t played it for her yet. He’d said he was saving it for a special occasion.