Page 16 of A First Sight

A coincidence, of course, that the mysterious sender had chosen those flowers, but I was thankful Dale didn’t know they were actually my favorite.

THIRTEEN

DRAKE

She was stunning,just as she had been during her performance five days ago. A trifle paler, I realized a few minutes after she first came onstage, but it could be the lighting that was different.

I had flowers sent to her backstage. I only hoped my attempt to show appreciation for her talent wouldn’t come across as…creepy?

I should’ve signed my name. That would have been the best way to go.

But, with my name, she would know who I was. She could find me. And I didn’t want that.

Did I?

I had thought about it, of course. Since the first time I saw Maggie, I had thought about what it would be like to speak with her. To hear her voice clearly and find out if she sounded like Belle, as I imagined.

The idea also petrified me.

I understood the difference between fantasy and reality, what ‘the grass is always greener’ really meant. Chances were, if I met her, I would be disillusioned. Experience taught me all too well that life was more likely to hand down disappointment than anything real.

Except, as I watched her, I wondered if that would be the case with Maggie McCrae. She seemed pretty extraordinary on paper.

“Drake, there you are, lad.”

I turned in time to see Stellan follow Uncle Ben through the curtain. I jumped to my feet, my head spinning. “Uncle Ben! Stellan! What are you doing here?”

“Well, you raved about the performance you went to last week, so it inspired Stellan and I to join you.” Uncle Ben beamed at me and came forward to hug me. “Thanks to some people I know, we found the box you were sitting in. An entire box to yourself, really? You don’t mind us joining you, do you?”

Normally, I would’ve been thrilled to have them join me. But could I keep them from noticing Maggie, her likeness to Belle, and when they did, how would I explain? I could lie, try to convince them I didn’t see the bizarre resemblance, but there was no way I could pull that off.

“You know,” Stellan said, “I’ve never actually been to see the Philharmonic.”

“Stellan’s always been more of a Broadway fan,” Uncle Ben said.

“And once you retire, we will have time to go to both,” Stellan said with a smile.

Uncle Ben put his arm around Stellan’s shoulders. “Sure, and we’ll come back once a week if you enjoy yourself tonight.”

They moved into their seats, and after taking a deep breath, I followed. Should I tell them about Maggie, or let them see her either in the program or on stage? Before I could decide, Stellan opened the program.

I sat next to him and waited. It didn’t take long, and I didn’t need to guess when he arrived on the right page. He sucked in a breath and went stiff.

“What’s wrong?” Uncle Ben said. He leaned over. A moment later, the color drained from his face. “Drake…?”

“Aye,” I mumbled. “I know.”

“Who...who is she?” Stellan sounded like he’d been punched in the gut, a feeling I understood all too well.

“Maggie McCrae,” I answered, even though the information was in front of him. “The first time I saw her, I thought I was seeing a ghost.”

“Thefirsttime you saw her?” Uncle Ben gave me a look so sharp I could feel it. “At the performance last week? Why didn’t you say anything? And why would you come back?”

“Because the first time I saw her was actually at a restaurant last week.” I closed my eyes, the memory as clear as the event. “Tuscany Grill.”

Stellan made a pained sound.

“She was there with her boyfriend, Dale Leighton. He’s a violinist too.”

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