“Thanks. I really hope so, too.” Her tone was optimistic, even with the weight of her concern and uncertainty swirling through her head like a whirlpool. Her wordless appreciation met his unspoken understanding in the momentary quiet; Sav responded with a small, genuine smile.
It brightened when Harding’s admiration for his brother continued to show. “Oh, I definitely believe he’s a legend. If there’s not a tapestry to be seen or some tales of yore to be heard, we’re going to have to make it our mission to fix that.” Sav was a fangirl by nature, which totally started with her family, so she was definitely onboard with familial pride and enthusiasm. Which became very apparent when he asked about hers. Pointing at him, she waved her fingers playfully. “Sister,” she cheerfully corrected. “Courtney is the CEO of her own cosmetics company. She’s incredible. She used to be a model, which you’ll understand if you ever see her, because she basically looks like a Norwegian sun goddess, and she’s really smart, so she used her experience to do her own thing.” Her sister had a lot of really impressive achievements.
“But it sounds like you have a really awesome family. Artists, entrepreneurs, really great conversationalists, obviously. I look forward to meeting your daughter.” If she was as friendly as her dad, Sav had definitely lucked out in the neighbors department. Or even if she wasn’t! Brooding and standoffish could be its own kind of charming. “I have a younger brother, actually. It’s just the three of us. He’s not in the country right now; he works for the government. He travels a lot.”
When Harding talked about his businesses and how he got his start, she didn’t find it boring at all. Ironic as it was for a panther to think so, Sav had never been very brave about making big leaps in her life. She had, sometimes, but even then, there hadn’t been much risk involved. There was always a safety net nearby. She enjoyed hearing about people’s successes; she thought it was extremely interesting how Harding had turned something uncertain into a series of accomplishments. Shaking her head with a smile, she was sincere when she said, “I think that’s so impressive. It’s really hard to bore me, so please, try anytime. I should give you Courtney’s number – she’s been talking about branching out into fashion. Maybe down the road you guys could collaborate on some kind of sportswear line.”
Sav loved projects. She loved them. Whether or not she was actually involved, she liked planting seeds and watching them grow.
She laughed with surprise when he asked what she did for a living. “Oh. I’m a sound engineer. You know those people you see in front of big sound boards when a musician is recording something? That’s me. Sometimes. There’s a lot more to it, but… I’ve worked for record labels and broadcasting stations. I’ve done some freelancing for movies. I like that it’s both technical and artistic, you know? Even setting up sound equipment gives me the opportunity to work with my hands. I actually haven’t met anyone from the company in person, yet, but as long as nothing’s changed, I should be starting at Evermore Records soon.”
Her focus on getting the couch upstairs without taking out the railing didn’t deter her rambling, but her attention was keen on him when she asked for advice on what to do with the couch next. Nodding vigorously at his suggestion, she said, “Sure. Let’s do it. Off with the legs.”