Take Me Home Tonight by Erika Kelly

of a flour-dusted hand. “Your dad brought me a crate full of the dreaded green matter.”
    Terrence laughed, pulling a bright yellow squash out of the crate. “She’s either color blind or she’s not giving me a chance here.”
    Mimi lifted a thinly sliced wedge of eggplant. “Oh, we’re doing it. Lunch
and
dinner.” She tried again to push that piece of hair off her face. “But I’m making Terrence stay so when the guys come gunning for me, he’ll take the brunt of the blows.”
    â€œViolent group you got here.” His dad’s big grin was infectious.
    And goddamn, it felt good to see him happy like that.
    Raised voices outside had them all looking out the window.In the middle of the yard, the band stood in a semicircle facing Dak and Sam. The conversation grew heated.
    â€œLooks like things’re coming to a head,” his dad said quietly. “You talk to ’em?”
    â€œYeah.”
    His dad clapped him on the shoulder to show his approval.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” Mimi asked.
    Sam broke from the group, jogging back to the studio. It’d taken months to convert the old barn into a state-of-the-art facility—and Slater had spared no expense. He wasn’t just a rock star—he was a musician. He’d be making music the rest of his life.
    And that was one of the best things about these guys—it was all about the music for them. Not the fame or rock star lifestyle. Calix hadn’t worked with many bands that got it the way these guys did.
    â€œThings aren’t working out with Dak,” Calix said.
    â€œSo why aren’t you out there with them?” Mimi asked.
    Because he couldn’t get more involved. He wrote and arranged songs, played with them . . . He practically lived with them. He had to draw the line somewhere.
    He could feel his dad’s smile but refused to look. “Not my place.”
    She made a sound of exasperation. “You’ve worked with them a long time. They think the world of your talent. Of course it’s your place.”
    He stepped closer to her, counting on his size to quash her attitude. “Not my band.”
    Didn’t work on this one, though. Mimi tipped her chin to look at him. “They need you.” That hair slid forward again, and she blew out the side of her mouth to push it away.
    He tucked the hair behind her ear, stroking it a few times to secure it. Her eyes widened, her lips softened, parted.
    â€œI said my piece.” He spoke quietly. “They’ll work it out.” She was so fucking beautiful. His body hummed with a desire that was growing harder to tamp down.
    â€œLooks like they’re coming in,” his dad said.
    Stepping back to the counter, Mimi dredged the eggplant in the flour mixture, then dropped it in a skillet of hot oil.“Better get this in the oven. They’ll probably want to eat lunch earlier. How long will it take to cook?”
    â€œForty minutes,” his dad said.
    â€œOh, that’s perfect. I’ll put some snacks out in the meantime.”
    â€œThey’re not coming in to eat,” Calix said as the door banged open and the whole group stomped inside.
    â€œThat’s just bullshit, man,” Ben said. “It’s our fuckin’ music.”
    â€œYou haven’t even heard the tracks yet.” Sam sounded exasperated. “You know, you’re not the first band he’s worked with that thinks they know better than him. But until you listen to what he’s doing, you really don’t know.”
    â€œHe’s trying to change us,” Cooper said.
    Sam kept her cool. “He’s trying to turn good songs into hits. That’s what he does. You have to trust him to do that. And before you roll your eyes, why don’t you guys give it a listen?” She held up a thumb drive. “Play this, and you’ll get it.”
    â€œWe’ll listen,” Coop