Love Evolution by Michelle Mankin Read Free Book Online Page B

was there to greet them in the foyer.
    “ Thanks, Ray. ”
    “ Sure, boss. ” He set down the guitar case he ’ d held. Avery had insisted she carry the other one. “ Just call me when you are ready for me to take him back. ”  
    Marcus nodded and turned to Avery. “ How ’ d it go this morning? ”
    “ Great, ” she answered, filling him in on the details.
    Avery was one of only a handful of people who had been up to Marcus ’ apartment in the few months since he ’ d moved back to Vancouver. For the past ten years, he ’ d made LA his home, at least nominally. In reality, it had only been a base of operations for when he wasn ’ t on the road, which hadn ’ t been very often. Sober, he no longer fit in with the fast lane group of so-called friends he ’ d had in the land of the pretenders. He told himself it didn ’ t matter. Native Canadians didn ’ t belong in tropical climates like LA, and  he was glad to be back in his old stomping grounds.
    Marcus noticed that Avery seemed nervous, standing in the foyer, doing that fidgety stuff. His right leg was shaking like he needed to go to the bathroom, and he hadn ’ t put down his guitar case yet. They ’ d never work effectively together if the dude didn ’ t loosen up around him.  Wanting to break the ice, Marcus asked, “ Would you like something to eat or drink? ”
    “ You wouldn ’ t have any hot tea, would you? ” Avery blew on her cold hands. “ Vancouver feels colder than New York. ”
    “ Yes actually, I do. Do you like Roibos ? 
    “ I love it. I have a Kenyan friend, Sangeeta , back in New York who introduced me to it.  What about you? ”
    “ Oh, I guess I ’ ve always liked hot tea. They say it ’ s good for the vocal cords. Roibos is supposed to be a really healthy one, antioxidants and all that crap. ” He headed back to the modern galley style kitchen just off the living room. “ Make yourself at home. I ’ ll be right back. ”  
    Avery stepped into the living area while she waited, feeling completely out of place. The layout was vast, probably taking up half the square footage on this floor. The apartment was masculine, ultramodern, and expensively furnished. Not a second hand thing in sight. A huge black leather sectional took up most of the main living area. The matching upholstered pieces were gray with complementary accent pillows in various shades of beige. All together it looked like something out of a Cantoni furniture showroom. 
    “ Wow! ” she exclaimed, noticing for the first time that the entire wall in front of her was made of glass. She moved closer to check out the panoramic ocean view. Looking slightly to the left, she could see Stanley Park and to the far right the iconic sail sculptures of Canada Place. 
    “ Yeah, ” Marcus said sheepishly as he came back into the room with tea. “ That ’ s how most people react when they see the view from up here. It ’ s what made me buy the apartment. ” He handed her one of the steaming mugs. “ Wanna see the studio? ”
    His excitement reminded her of a kid showing off his newest toy. “ Of course, ” Avery smiled. “ I still can ’ t believe you have an actual studio in your apartment. That is so cool. ”
    She followed Marcus down a long hallway, passing a guest bathroom. The second door led into a huge soundproofed studio, as big as the one at Black Cat, filled with state of the art technology. Of all the gadgets, he seemed to be especially fond of his Korg Kronos 88 keyboard synthesizer.
    Demonstrating some of the sounds it could produce, Marcus explained, “ I really like how it can  integrate multiple tracks and effects. ”  
    As he pulled a custom Martin acoustic off its stand and slung a guitar strap over his broad shoulders, Avery found herself admiring both the guitar and the handsome man in the form fitting grey t-shirt and worn jeans who was getting ready to play it. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she looked around for an amp to