Page 42 of The Mouse and the Maestro

“I don’t have a Facebook account,” she reminded him.

“And why is that again? I can’t remember,” he said, kissing her palm as he feigned ignorance.

“Aren’t we going to be late for supper?” she asked, easing her arms around his waist.

“Yes, but something tells me it’s going to be worth it.” She tipped her face to his as he bent to kiss her.

“Blue!” his mother yelled.

Blue broke away. “That’s the ‘I’m running out of patience’ yell. We have to respond to that one.” He opened the door for her and allowed her to precede him through. Everyone was already seated at the loaded table when they arrived.

“Sorry,” Blue murmured, as they took their seats at the table.

“I don’t think I’ve been introduced,” Blue’s father said. He was a combination of his two sons—as tall as Blue but as solidly built as Tad, a hulking barrel of a man—but his voice was quiet and soft, his manner gentle. Jane wondered if he was as quiet and soft spoken as his wife was not.

“This is Jane, my, er, coworker,” Blue stumbled again. “Jane, my dad, Will Bishop.”

“Hi, Mr. Bishop, thank you for having me, it’s nice to meet you,” Jane said, trying hard not to mumble or stutter orsay anything outlandishly odd. She could usually get through the preliminary greetings okay. It was everything after that scrambled somewhere between her brain and lips. In her mind, she was a witty and gifted conversationalist. In reality, she was often…not.

Under the table, Blue’s hand rested on her leg, soothing her with soft, gentle passes.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jane. You’re very welcome to be here,” Will said. “And thank you for complying with our odd eating schedule.”

Jane had no idea what he was talking about until she glanced at the clock and saw it was only three in the afternoon.

“Dad and Tad are firefighters,” Blue explained. “They’re always coming and going on odd and different schedules. We eat when we can.”

“I hadn’t actually noticed the time,” Jane admitted.

“You must have been wonderfully preoccupied,” Tad said, and Jane felt her cheeks flush pink. Blue squeezed her leg and let it go as the food began to pass.

When his mother was certain everyone had received each dish of food, she began to talk again, the incessant chatter of someone who has no idea they’re monopolizing the conversation. The men at the table seemed so used to it they hardly paid attention. Jane was thankful for it because it meant the pressure was off her to speak. She was safe to sit back, relax, and make her observations about the family.

She found it interesting Blue chose a profession so very far from that of his father and brother. Not much was as opposite from firefighting as hacking. On the other hand, they were all public servants. Blue had sacrificed what could potentially be a high six-figure annual salary to work for the government. And they seemed to think no less of him for it. There was no teasing, no one-upmanship. Of course there also wasn’t much chance toget any of that in with their mother’s unending stream of one-sided conversation.

“Blue, how’s Maggie?” she asked about a half hour in and actually seemed to want an answer. She paused, regarding him with a thoughtful stare.

“She’s fine, Mom,” Blue said, shifting uncomfortably. “Still happily married.”

Jane studied Blue’s profile, wondering over his sudden discomfort. He steadily avoided her gaze, focusing instead on his nearly empty plate.

His mother clucked her tongue with what sounded like disapproval. “I still say you should have told her how you felt before she got married.”

“Mom, I really don’t want to talk about it,” Blue said.

“All I’m saying is that when you’re in love with someone you tell them. At the very least, you’ll have a definitive answer,” his mother said.

“I think the fact that she married another man was a definitive answer,” Tad said.

“But that’s only because she didn’t know Blue’s in love with her. Personally I think they would have been a good match. They have more in common than she and Ridge do. I’ve given this a lot of thought.”

“Mom, I’d really like to move on from this conversation,” Blue said.

“Why?” His mother asked. “You never want to talk about personal things. We have no idea what’s going on with you unless we check social media. What’s so wrong with talking about your problems with your family?”

Blue gave Jane a significant look, one his mother couldn’t help but notice.

“What? You said you two are friends. Does your friend not know you’re in love with Maggie?” his mother questioned.

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