“Have you lost your mind?” Eddie stormed across the dressing room and plopped down onto the leather couch. “I can’t ‘do’ a deaf girl. The media would eat me alive. They would accuse me of taking advantage of someone with special needs. I’d be labeled a monster!”

Even he thought he sounded crass. The look on Jimmy’s face said he thought the same thing. “Which is why you aren’t going to ‘do’ her.”

“You know I didn’t mean it like that.” He sighed audibly. “Why did you bring her back here?”

“First of all, I didn’t realize she was… special.” Jimmy calmly explained. “You heard her, though. The girl can sing... and she wants to do it. Not that we would take her out on the road or anything, but we could definitely use her for some backup. In fact, we’ve got a few days to spare. I’ll look into renting a studio for a few hours. Then… BAM! Instant hits.”

Eddie sized up his manager. Realizing what the man was getting at, he groaned. “I don’t know. I mean, she’s got the chops and all. Do you really think it’s a good idea, though?”

“Eddie…. Eddie.” Jimmy patted the rocker’s face like a kid who had yet to wise up to the way of the world. “Have I ever steered you wrong? I mean, think about it for a minute. Okay? You want to make it to the top, right? What better way than with a deaf girl who can sing? Seriously, you heard her. She’s got an amazing set of pipes. With your music and her voice, you could record a couple of amazing tracks. It would be dynamite. Add to that the fact that she can’t hear… man, the public will eat that up! You’d go from ‘Eager Eddie’ to some bleeding heart overnight. It’d be sensational.”

Jimmy raised his hands overhead and wiggled his fingers as if trying to conjure some magical vision from above. Eddie watched, his head laying against the back of the sofa to stare at the ceiling. What if Jimmy was right? What if this Rachel girl was his ticket to the top? After all, she really could sing. She was a looker, too. Even a blind man could see—

He frowned. He would have to learn how to be a little more considerate about what he said and did with someone like Rachel around – not only because she was… different… but because she could potentially learn a lot more about his life than anyone else ever did. Well, anyone other than his manager. Jimmy kept quiet about his personal narrative – the childhood he had survived, the ladies he liked to entertain, and so much more. But the money was good, so Jimmy was too. Who knew what Rachel’s expectations would be, though?

Then again…

He thought back to when he first opened the dressing room door and caught her standing there, shocked into silence. She hadn’t been staring at his lips this time – an obvious faux pas he made while on stage. He cringed at the thought that she had only been focusing on the words he spoke. Surely, he wasn’t losing his charm. Was he? He could still seduce any woman he wanted to – including her. Not that he did, of course. Right? The media would have a field day with a story like that. Maybe helping out some poor soul could work in his advantage, though. Plus, her eerie vocals paired with his really would be astonishing. A few carefully arranged songs would climb the charts in no time.

“Hello? Earth to Eddie. So what do you say?”

Eddie sat back up and squinted at Jimmy. “You really think this is a good idea?”

“Are you kidding, man? Abso-freaking-lutely. Your songs are gonna rock the music world. That is, if we play this right. Rather, if you play this right. No putting the moves on this one. Okay? I know she’s cute and all, but find someone else to play footsie with. Alright? We’re only in town for a week, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”

Jimmy was right. The two of them were equally motivated. Money moved his manager and Eddie was inspired by… How could he put it? The search for the “right fit.” Whether it was the perfect woman, perfect place, or perfect circumstance, he couldn’t quite say. It was what kept him going, though. He needed to adopt Jimmy’s outlook this time around, though. That would steer him down the right path, and straight up the charts.

“Okay, man. Bring her in.”

Jimmy jumped up and raced over to the door. He opened it, called out, and then slapped his forehead. Wearing a sheepish look, he glanced back at Eddie. “Oops, I forgot. Hold on while I get her.”

He rushed out the door and returned a minute later with Rachel in tow. Eddie stood to greet her.

“Sorry about earlier,” he said. “Ol’ Jimmy and I had to work out the details about you and me.”

Rachel’s brows pinched together. “You and me?”

“Yeah. You know… the details about us working together.”

“Oh, right.” She laughed nervously. “Of course, that ‘you and me.’”

Eddie gave her one of his award-winning smiles – the ones he saved for the women he wished to woo. Rachel’s eyes grew wide and he almost wished she was there for something more than singing. Desirous thoughts began to creep into his mind. However, Jimmy clearing his throat quickly brought him to his senses. He silently chastised himself for allowing his mind to so easily wander and focused on the task at hand. “So do you think it’s something you would be interested in?”

She nodded vigorously. “Oh, yes. Very much.”

“Good. Then why don’t you have a seat and we’ll chat a bit. Something kind of like an interview, because it might be good to get to know one another a little bit if we’re going to be working together. Don’t you think?”

“Definitely,” she said and glanced around the room. “Wow. It’s different than I thought it would be.”

Eddie followed her line of sight. “Yeah, my dressing room is a little more modest than most.” He pointed to various spots around them. “There’s the mirror and makeup stand – yes, Ol’ Jimmy forces me to wear makeup—”

“Gotta’ keep you looking good, boss.”

“—and over there is the couch to kick back and a table,” Eddie walked over to the sofa, sat, and lifted his feet. He placed them on the smooth glass top in front of him, “for tired soles after grueling performances.”

He had tried to sound dramatic, but she looked less than impressed. Instead, she stared at his black combat boots with one brow raised and he suddenly felt very conscious – like a small boy caught doing something naughty. He quickly sat back up, pulling his feet off the table to pat the dark leather cushion beside him. “Why don’t you have a seat right here and we can get to know one another? Jimmy will scratch us up some grub.”

Jimmy turned to leave. “You got it, boss.”

“I just snacked on some of the food outside,” Rachel stated. “Met some of the guys you played with tonight, too, but they said they were only here for this gig.”

“Right. We tend to hire local talent wherever we go. Works out better that way because it keeps costs down and keeps things fresh,” Jimmy explained. “The public stays interested, wondering what new face they’re going to see with Eddie. It’s a good deal for the talent we hire, too. They have the chance to earn a little extra cash and build up their C.V.”

“That’s good, I guess.” Rachel smiled tentatively.

“Sure is, sweetheart.” Eddie leaned back, his arm stretching out along the back of the couch and behind Rachel’s shoulders. He glanced up. Noticing Jimmy’s frown, he quickly pulled his arm back.

Old habits die hard.

Eddie cleared his throat. “Okay, so no food. We can get you something to drink, though. Maybe a glass of wine?”

“I don’t drink.”

Both men stared at her like some foreign creature that had crawled out of an abyss of abstractions. Who was this wisp of a woman? She couldn’t hear, but could sing like an angel. She wanted to be a singer, but didn’t desire the life of one.

Or did she?

“Oye, amor. I thought you wanted to be a singer.”

“I do.”

Eddie measured her words and then carefully spoke. “Do you know what kind of life you would be living if you became one?”

Rachel nodded. “Yes, sir. I would be living a life that includes singing.”

Eddie sighed. “You know all that stuff you hear about on T.V. and read in magazines – the stuff about sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll?”

Rachel nodded.

“There’s some truth to that.”

A look of disdain marred her features? “Why? Do you do drugs?”

Eddie squirmed at the idea. “No,” he admitted. “There are plenty around in a person wants them, though.”

“Well, I don’t.” She stared at him for a long moment and then straightened up to her full height. “I believe we all choose the path we wish to live. I can have the life of a singer without living precariously – just like you.”

Her response teased out a small smile. With all the women he had met in this business, he wasn’t exactly a saint. “If you say so, amor.”

“I do, sir.”

Eddie waved off the formal response. “Mira. You don’t have to call me ‘sir.’ Eddie is fine.”

Rachel’s eyes narrowed. “And you may call me Rachel.”

He picked up the unspoken message. He could keep pet names like “amor” to himself. She was there to sing and nothing more. “Very well, Rachel. I’m glad we have an understanding. Now, if you don’t mind that interview, I would love to get to know you better.”

Rachel hesitated only a moment before nodding for him to go ahead with his questions. “What is it you would like to know?”

Eddie pursed his lips, wondering the best way to ask the question pressing him the most. Deciding there was no simple way to ask, he shrugged and went straight to the heart of the matter.

“How is it you can sing when you can’t even hear?”