Say You're Mine (The Gallaghers Book 1) Layla Hagen (the unexpected everything .txt) 📖

together in the large one. We also had a state-of-the-art recording studio. The official album recordings took place in the label’s studio, but we liked to play around at the cottage as well. The best way for us to judge a song was to record it and then listen to it; while performing, we were too lost in playing to see the bigger picture.

Today was a day for practicing. Since we’d already recorded the album, we were preparing for the upcoming concert tour. I also had a surprise for the guys.

“I have something new,” I announced once we’d finished rehearsing for the day.

“Come on, man. We barely finished recording and you want us to work on something new already?” Harvey asked, running a hand through his hair.

Lars wasn’t saying much, which just meant he hadn’t had enough coffee yet. He was very opinionated. Thomas stretched out a hand to me. I took out the crumpled paper from my back pocket, handing it to him.

“I like the lines,” he said slowly. “But, man, you’ve got to improve your drawing skills or finally use score paper.” He squinted at the page. “I can’t make out anything.”

Harvey snatched it out of his hand, inspecting it. He was much better at interpreting my scribblings. Placing the note on the holder in front of him, he started strumming the guitar. My mind immediately went into a creative space. I could practically hear the missing lyrics in my mind, see the chords I couldn’t figure out at home, as if they were floating right in front of my eyes and all I had to do was write them down.

Thomas held out a score paper for me, and I immediately wrote down the chords and the lyrics. Harvey played until he ran out of material, then started all over, knowing I needed to keep hearing the song to stay in this creative mood. It was how I ticked.

I had no idea how much time passed by the time I finished, but my fingers were numb from pressing too hard on the pen, my wrist a bit stiff. I rotated it, straightening up.

Lars reached out for the note. “The lyrics are good. Very good. How did you—”

A knock at the door interrupted us. Sasha opened it, poking her head in.

“Boys, Isabelle’s here,” she exclaimed.

I glanced at the group once, cocking a brow.

Lars held up his hands in defense. “We’re good with Sasha’s strategy, okay? And Isabelle’s cool.” His acceptance of her skyrocketed since I lost so spectacularly at bowling.

We went downstairs to the main living room. The space was so huge that it probably used to be a ballroom. Isabelle was waiting for us on the couch in the corner.

She averted her gaze as soon as I made eye contact. Good. That meant I wasn’t the only one feeling this insane energy between us.

“I can’t believe you call this place the cottage. It’s a mansion.”

I grinned. “Yeah, we thought it would be fun to give it a nickname. So, what’s the plan?”

“It’s simple,” she said. “I’ll talk to each of you separately about things you like and don’t, and then I’ll recommend some things you could talk about in Facebook live videos and other social media. I looked at older videos on YouTube and read the comments, made note of what people reacted to and what they wanted more of. I’ve outlined some statistics based on those comments so we can focus on what works.”

“Isabelle, I like you,” Lars stated. “You’re on point. I was afraid you were going to waste hours of our life with this.”

“Are you always this sarcastic?”

“Yes,” Lars declared stoically.

Isabelle narrowed her eyes at him. “No, you just like me because you think Brayden lost because of me.”

Lars grinned. “That’s the primary reason, true. Which reminds me, I’m hosting a party here tomorrow evening. It’s my birthday. The opportunity to play some games might arise. Care to join us and help Brayden lose again?”

Isabelle laughed softly, looking around the group. Still avoiding my gaze.

“Maybe I’ll cheer you on this time, Lars,” she teased.

“Ha! No. Don’t even suggest it, or I’ll uninvite you.”

“Aha! It’s too late for that. Okay, back to business. I suggest I talk to each of you one-on-one. Brayden came by my office already, and we went through all the questions. Lars, you want to be the first one?”

“Sure, why not?”

I went back to the rehearsal room with Harvey and Thomas while we waited. Once Lars finished, he joined us, and Harvey spoke to Isabelle. Thomas was last. Usually, I had no problems focusing 100 percent on the music, but now I kept thinking about Isabelle. I didn’t want to risk her leaving without my knowing, so I went down when Thomas texted me that his interview was over.

Thomas patted my back as he went back up to the guys. Isabelle was alone in the living room, sitting on the couch and tapping on her iPad.

She glanced over her shoulder and immediately straightened up when she noticed me. Smiling, she returned her focus to the iPad.

“Are you going to avoid looking at me the whole time? It’s going to make for an awkward party.”

She sighed. “No, but it’s easier to resist all those sexy vibes you’re giving off if I don’t make eye contact. Otherwise, I might get carried away and succumb to this insane attraction.”

She was killing me. I loved that she pulled no punches and always spoke her mind.

I sat on the armrest right next to her. “Maybe that’s what I want.”

She looked up, shaking her head. “I need a tour of the cottage. Am I right thinking you’ll volunteer?”

I leaned in even closer. “You bet I will.”

Clearing her throat, she rose to her feet. “Okay, let’s get moving.”

I stood slowly, smiling. “You think if we’re on the move I can’t flirt with you?”

Shaking her head, she elbowed me lightly. “You’re welcome to flirt as much as you want, Mr. Rock Star. My panties will stay firmly in place. Not