“No problem.” Adam went for the door and Peter followed.
As Peter passed Garrett, he paused. “This is your one chance. Listen to her. Don’t be an idiot and screw this up.”
Riley leaned against the edge of the control board with her arms crossed, waiting for him to speak.
“So you’ve decided to record after all. How’d you suddenly come to that decision?”
“I had the chance to think about what was important to me and what I wanted to do with my life. A smart person once told me that chances like this only come around once. I figured maybe I should give it my best shot.”
“And why are my brothers here?”
“I don’t want any old studio musicians. I want the best.” She arched an eyebrow and leveled a determined stare at him.
“And who put you in charge?”
“The owner of the studio asked me what my dream scenario would be and I told him.”
“And you wanted me?”
“Very much.” The corner of her mouth turned up in a delicious smile.
“But I told you I can’t mix business and personal.”
She took a step toward him. “And I don’t care what you said.”
“But my dad was right when he said—”
“Your dad was a very good businessman, but I’m not going to let him dictate who I can fall in love with.”
He cocked his head. “Those are pretty strong words.”
“Well, I’m a pretty strong girl. I’ve decided to go after the things I want.”
“You know, I’m used to being in control.”
“How’s it feel to have someone turn the tables on you?” She took another step closer.
“How did you know I’d go for this?”
“I didn’t know.” She kept coming. “Sometimes you have to play big to win big.”
“But what if we don’t work out and you come to hate me?”
“I’m sure we’ll knock heads. Trust me, yours is thick as a brick. If we don’t work out, I can survive that. But not even trying? That I could never live with.”
“Sounds like you’ve given this a lot of thought.”
She stood before him, beautiful and perfect. His heart pounded.
“I have. And imagine if we do make it? How fun would that be?” She slipped her arms around his waist. His breath hitched.
“That would be fun.” He wrapped his arms around her, looking at her pert nose and devilish mouth.
“You know we’ll fight,” she said.
“That’s true.”
“But we have to stay on track. We have a tour to get ready for.”
He startled. “What tour is that?”
“The one Jason Edgette offered me when I was thirteen. He said I could be his opening act. It starts in a month.”
“You’ve been very busy. You’ll have to quit your job here and get straight to work.”
“I already quit.”
He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Is there anything you didn’t think of?”
“Probably, but that’s why you’re here, to make sure we do this right.”
“I’m glad I’m good for something.”
“Oh, you’re good for a few things.” She ran her finger across his jawline. “One of which is playing on the album.”
“But I told you, I’m here to produce.”
“I’m not making the album without you playing on it. That’s my deal, take it or leave it.”
“And you come along with the package?”
“Yes, I do. So are you going to kiss me or argue with me?”
He lowered his mouth to quiet any more demands she might make.
Acknowledgments
A huge shout-out to all the readers who begged for Garrett’s story. He is the character you all loved to hate in previous books. I hope you feel I gave him his due.
Many people helped out with the creation of Under the Spotlight, from research to critique partners to beta readers. Thank you and big squishy hugs to Mary Kay Adams-Edgette, Sue Balthazar, Deb Barkelar, Kris Hebel, Amanda Hensen, Arianna Pajtash, Linda Schmalz, Scott Singletary, Kristi Tyler, and Margo Zimmerman, and not to be forgotten, the constant love and support from my family.
Thank you to my lovely agent, Jane Dystel, and everyone at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. You are an awesome team of professionals.
To the Madison Media Institute, Ron Dettwiler, Jonathon Schaub, and Audrey Martinovich for allowing me to observe classes in the recording studio and learn about your industry, as well as answering so many of my questions.
And also to the extraordinary James Dylan, who shared his knowledge of the ins and outs of recording studios, musicians, and touring.
Thanks to Emily Becker for sharing stories of life as a police officer and helping make this book more authentic.
Huge thanks to Joanna Hinsey and Judy Bryan, who saved me in the eleventh hour when I got stuck. You’re a writer’s best friend.
And finally, a warm hug of gratitude to Rosemary Brosnan for discovering Rock and a Hard Place. Your kindness will never be forgotten. And a special thank-you to Karen Chaplin and my team at HarperTeen for your hard work and dedication.
About the Author
PHOTO BY MARCIA HANSEN
ANGIE STANTON never planned on writing books—she wanted to be a Rockette. However, growing up in rural America with her brothers’ 4-H pigs as pets, she found that dance didn’t quite work out. Instead, she became an avid daydreamer. After years of perfecting stories in her head, she began to write them down, and the rest is history. When not writing, she loves watching natural disaster movies, going to Broadway musicals, and dipping French fries in chocolate shakes. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin. You can visit her online at www.angiestanton.com.
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Books by Angie Stanton
rock and a hard place:
A Jamieson Brothers Novel
snapshot:
A Jamieson Brothers Novel
under the spotlight:
A Jamieson Brothers Novel
royally lost
Credits
Cover art © 2015 by Justin Pumfrey/Getty Images
Cover design by K. Lauren
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Copyright
HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT. Copyright © 2015 by Angie Stanton. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2014955503
ISBN 978-0-06-227260-7 (pbk.)
EPub Edition © April 2015 ISBN 9780062272614
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Under the Spotlight Page 26
