Page 47 of Chocolate Cherry Cabin

“Mom radar works on grown-up kids, too.”

“Well, to be fair, I didn’t know about the no-meddle rule.”

She waved the coffee cup he’d given her. “You’re not going to let me enjoy this in peace, are you?”

He shook his head and took a step closer, so she backed into the house. “Go put some clothes on. And maybe bring a raincoat. Might sprinkle on us.”

She sighed in defeat. “Fine. Give me a minute. I have to walk Obi-Wan anyway. We are walking, right?”

Louis shook his head. “Driving. But Obi can come and he can run around off-leash.”

Hannah hesitated, then with a “fine” hurried farther inside the house. She returned moments later wearing faded jeans and a sweatshirt, her light brown hair wrangled into a high ponytail.

“Where are we going?” she asked, locking her door and passing him a dog leash.

“Trust me?”

She just laughed. He was going to have to keep working on that.

* * *

As Louis parked outside the community barn, Hannah knew that whatever his surprise was had to do with the piano.

“Calvin promised to deal with the piano,” she said, as they made their way to the doors, a hint of rain in the air. Louis didn’t need to know that her ex had given up already.

Louis unlocked the door, and Obi stood with his nose in the crack, ready to go in first, which he did as soon as it was open enough to shoulder his way in. Louis stepped inside and hit the light switches while the dog zigzagged along the wide plank floors that made up the dance floor, then beelined to the piano bench, giving it a thorough snuffling before moving on with his tour.

The piano was in shadow, not quite under one of the bright overhead lights. Hannah turned on the string of patio lights that crisscrossed the rafters above, deciding she’d better move the piano or bring a lamp on Christmas Eve.

Louis flipped up the piano keys’ cover, then gestured for her to sit. “I was watching some YouTube videos last night.”

Ha! So he hadn’t had a perfect night’s rest, either, even though she’d seen him zip out in a tuxedo only an hour or two after their fight. Somehow the idea that he hadn’t slept much made her feel better.

She’d spent a lot of time fuming at him last night. First for being bossy, then for being right, and even—most infuriating—for him being so dang striking in his tuxedo when she couldn’t get closer than her window to get a satisfying eyeful of him.

“I still don’t have all the tools or pieces I need, but see if this is any better.”

Hannah hesitated, then slowly eased onto the bench. “You tuned the piano?”

“You be the judge of that.”

How did he have time to fight with her, feed her, coach an NHL team and learn how to fix a piano? The man had some sort of time machine that gave him more hours in a day than anyone else.

Hannah poised her fingers over the keys, not sure what to expect other than disappointment. She inhaled, then let out the breath as she began playing a carol she’d soon be performing on Christmas Eve.

When she finished, she ran her fingers up the keys once again, noting that the dead one was still silent.

“I ordered a new key,” Louis said. His arms were crossed over the top of the piano as he watched her, his shirt bunching at the shoulders as it curved around his muscles. “Did you know that they have piano graveyards, kind of like a wrecker for cars? You can order used parts.”

“I didn’t.” The piano sounded surprisingly better. Was that because she had been expecting it to be awful, or had Louis actually improved its quality?

“What do you think?” he asked, when she continued to play.

“It’s definitely better.” She paused and tapped the silent key thoughtfully, then glanced up at him, startled by the intensity of his gaze. “Do you think the part will arrive in time?”

He shrugged. “Nobody will notice if you miss a note or play an octave or two higher or lower than usual.”

Other than her poor singers, as they unconsciously tried to match the pitch. But she had to give Louis points for trying.

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