Chapter 39

"That was great, Lily. Let's take a break," the man said from the sound booth. "It sounded great." Lily shook her head and took off the headphones, then walked out of the small booth and over to Owen. He was sitting in his wheelchair, grinning.

"You look like the cat who ate the canary," she said jokingly to him.

"You sounded great. You're going to be the latest sensation, Lily," he said.

Owen had taken the money Sylvia had given him and hired a producer and studio to record Lily's album. He was having a hard time finding someone to produce her, but when videos of her performance had gone viral, the offers started coming to them.

She was hesitant, but he told her he would be with her every step of the way. "I'm in a wheelchair Lily; I'm not dead. I won't let anyone take advantage of us, of you. You're finally on your way, and no one will stop us this time. I promise," he said.

They'd decided to work with a small, independent label. Lily's music would come out in a few months. There were talks of tours, club dates, TV appearances, and concerts. It was all happening so fast. Lily was glad to have Owen with her. He'd always been that shoulder she could lean on.

He rented a small house for the two of them and left with a nursing home. He felt as if he had a reason to live. He was alive again. The excitement of Lily's raising success gave him a spark and jolt of life.

The day You & Me hit the newsstands, Lily and Owen had been in the studio, recording, when the producer told them to take a break.

"Why are you grinning like that, Owen? What's going on?" she said.

He handed her a copy of You & Me. She gasped when she saw her face on the cover. She turned and looked and him, then back at the magazine.

"What? This is me!" she said.

He nodded.

"This is me!" she said again

Again, he nodded. She put her hand over her mouth, then turned her head toward him. "This is me!" she said.

"We've already had this conversation, darlin'. I think you should read the story. That Tallulah really did you justice. Hell, she even mentioned me," he said.

Lily quickly opened to Tallulah's story. Her eyes darted across the page as she read. There was a picture of her singing at the open mic. She didn't even realize the photographer was taking pictures.

He watched her as she read. He hadn't felt this good in years. He'd even called his daughter and told her he'd moved out of the nursing home. He told her he was back in the music business and not to come around asking for money.

She finished the article. There were tears rolling down her cheeks. "I don't know what to say. I never thought I would ever see my face on the cover of a fashion magazine."

"Well," he said, "I think we were both due for some luck. Hell, Lily, I was stuck in a fucking nursing home, and you were living on the street. Look at us now. You singing again, me back in a studio. I may be old, but I ain't dead. We get to live our lives now."

She smiled. The producer walked over to both of them. "Okay, Lily, we're ready. You sound great. I'd like to record the song you did, you know, the one on YouTube."

Lily shook her head. "It doesn't have a title, and I never wrote music for it," she said. "I think I can help with that."

The producer, Owen, and Lily spent the rest of the day in the studio, recording. She was finally living her dream. She was a singer.

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