Chasing the Music: For the Love of Music Book 0.5 Read Free Page B

details of refinishing the wood, of strengthening the neck of the guitars, finding the perfect strings to give the guitar the richest sound… His fingers itched to play, but again, he couldn’t cure insomnia by staying up and playing all night. He just got less sleep.
    Griffin’s phone vibrating on the nightstand snapped him from his thoughts. He sat up and tentatively tried to reach over Stacy to the small table. No luck.
    Crap. Now what? He really didn’t want to wake her.
    He moved to his hands and knees, leaned over, and snatched up his phone.
    RYKER.
    “Hey asshole,” he croaked. “It’s three a.m.”
    “And you’re not here yet.” No hesitation. No pause. No ‘I’m sorry for calling in the middle of the night.’
    Griffin sighed. His brother was always into something new. Half of his schemes worked out like his gig with Lita and the other half landed him in jail or the wrong side of a pissed-off ex-boyfriend’s fist, or boyfriend’s fist...
    “No. I’m not there.” Griffin hated that his life was so boring that he let his brother talk at three in the morning. He shifted away from Stacy. “I leave in three days.”
    “Griff, just get on a plane. Come on. I can show you LA while we’re getting ready to leave.”
    “I’m coming when Dave said to come,” Griffin hissed. “He’s the tour manager.”
    “Griffin.” Ryker slurred his name just enough for Griffin to know his brother had been drinking. Not surprising. Just annoying. “You really need to learn how to have fun.”
    “Grow up, Ryker.” He sighed, rubbing his eyes. No way would he be able to sleep after this.
    Ryker snorted. “You’re such a douche, Griff.”
    “I’ll call you tomorrow. Or I’ll just see you in a few days,” Griffin mumbled. “Stop calling me in the middle of the night. I do work a day job.”
    “Boring.”
    “Asshole.”
    Griffin stared at his phone for a moment longer before hitting end.
    Since he first started playing guitar at eleven, he’d wanted to chase the music—whether it was following a favorite band around the country, actually working on the tour, or just going from city to city to see musicians. He’d never cared if it were him on stage or not. Just wanted to be there.
    His heart sped as he slowly slipped out of bed, picked up a guitar from the floor stand and headed outside.
    The trailer steps creaked as he tiptoed onto the clay driveway and he once again sat on the back of his car.
    His fingers easily picked out the riff of Lita’s first big hit, Under My Skin, and he wondered what she might be like in real life.
    He’d talk to Stacy tomorrow. Until then, he had to decide if it would help cure the stagnant way he’d been feeling, or just make it worse.
     
     
    Darren’s scratching on the guitar grated on every nerve Griffin had. If the kid would actually practice between lessons, he’d get a lot further.
    “That’s a G,” Griffin said. “You missed the G.” The third chord he’d taught him.
    “Oh.” He tossed his sloppy hair off his face. “Right.”
    Stacy stopped just outside the practice room door and held up her phone so he could see through the small window. “Is this for real?”
    “What?” he mouthed knowing she wouldn’t be able to hear unless he really yelled.
    “This.” She pointed and he shrugged, having no idea what she was talking about.
    Finally she just pushed open the door. “Hey, Darren.” She glanced at Griffin’s student. Small town. Everyone knew everyone. “We’ll just be a sec.”
    “Can’t it wait?” Griffin asked.
    Stacy frowned. “No.”
    Griffin sighed.
    “Is this Lita James thing for real?”
    The Lita James thing. THE Lita James thing… After staying up all night thinking about how to tell her, he’d still chickened out that morning.
    “How did you find out about that?” he asked.
    She rolled her eyes as she leaned against the side of the soundproof door. “Your brother’s words were - Griff is too pussy-whipped to ask