Hidden In Plain Sight

Hidden Smile

And that's a wrap!" Mary held his forefinger on the talkback button on the mixing desk and smiled broadly. "We are finished! You nailed it, Jay! Well done!" 

Sadie exhaled and stretched. She couldn't believe the recording session was over. It was already past midnight. The day was a complete whirlwind and she felt exhausted but wired.

"You okay?" Mary asked her as he leaned back and relaxed his posture. He didn't look remotely tired.

"Hell yeah! That was incredible. Thanks so much, Mary!"

"You're welcome. You did brilliantly. Best assistant ever! Thank you!"

Sadie blushed and Jay stepped into the control room. "Thanks so much, Mary and Sarah! Is that us completely done?" 

"You were excellent, man! We have absolutely everything we need." Mary looked at the production checklist, full of checks, scribbles, and doodles.

"Can't wait to hear it mixed! The lads have pizzas ordered. We have beers. Are you guys gonna hang out for a bit? Let's party!"

Mary glanced at Sadie. "What do you think, Sadie? Do you want to party or will I drop you home?"

"I'll stay if you're staying! Pizza sounds good!"

"The lady has spoken! Thanks, man, let us tidy this shit up and make a backup of today's session before we unwind!"

Jay clapped Mary on the back. "Nice one, dude! We'll let you two do what you need to do! We are setting up outside! Join us when you're ready." He stepped out leaving Mary and Sadie alone for the first time in twelve hours.

"Will you just check the vocal booth and make sure he didn't leave anything behind him, please? I'll backup the Pro Tools session folder. You don't need to tear down anything, just flick the switch on the microphone."

"Sure!" Sadie diligently rose off her studio chair beside Mary.

"You rock" he purred, casually touching her arm. "Are you sure you're not too tired? You can go home if you want?"

"I'm wired, Mary! Besides, I am going to demolish whatever food they offer!"

Mary laughed. "Okay, I'm with you on that!"

Sadie went into the small vocal recording booth and flicked the switch Mary asked. She couldn't believe she had spent all day with him. She felt she got to know him a lot better and she liked him more than ever. She also felt the tension growing between them. She noticed the way he looked at her from time to time and she loved when he spoke to her softly while recording: he seemed to value her opinion.

She learned a lot about running a studio session and dealing with a whole band. It was intense but fun. Mary made sure he explained everything he did and he encouraged her to operate Pro Tools as he sat back and listened critically to the music being recorded. He let her have full control and she really enjoyed it.

She nipped to the bathroom and freshened up, dabbing a little more perfume on her wrists and neck. She ran her compact brush through her hair.

You look good still! Go out there and enjoy the party! This is your moment.

A few minutes later, she joined Mary and the band outside in the garden beside the studio. Some of them were smoking and they were all chatting. Sadie felt relief from the fresh cool night air on her face. The band had lit a fire in the pit near the picnic table and they were listening to a Spotify playlist on a cellphone. It was definitely a party atmosphere: private and relaxed.