Page 32 of My UnTrue Love
“Oh, it’s not abigsecret. I just…” she blushed, “IlikeBill. You know? Iwanthim to figure that out, but I don’t want to scare him off in the process.”
“‘Cause he’s so shy.” The kid recalled in a grave tone.
“Right! I have to entice him. That’s why I’m a little dressed up today. I’m hoping to nudge him into noticing me, in a gentle kinda way.”
“The ‘nudge’ he feels won’t be gentle. Pretty sure.”
She opened her mouth to ask what hehonestlythought of her shoes, but the kid kept talking.
“You’re not what I thought you’d be.”
Clem blinked. “You thought I’d be something?”
“I figured you’d be like every other girl I ever saw hooked up with a coyote. But most of them already know it’s a shit idea.They just do it anyhow, for money, or thrills, or because they don’t have nothin’ better.” He slowly shook his head. “But you don’t know any of that, do ya?”
Clementine was flummoxed for a response.
The kid sighed. “Youreallyshouldn’t be here.” He reiterated in a slightly less guarded way. “Not near any of our kind. Coyotes don’t have women of our own for a reason: Because we don’tdeservethem.”
“That’s just not true. Everyone deserves love.”
The boy returned to his first question. For someone who didn’t seem thrilled with discussions, he sure was good at dominating them. “What do you want, lady?”
Clementine decided to be more direct. “I heard you playing the fiddle through the wall and you need a better bow. Yours lacks flexibility. That affects the quality of your sound.”
It was the kid’s turn to blink.
She pushed a little harder. “Have you considered upgrading your bow? Because you really should upgrade.”
“Are you selling violin bows door-to-door? That it?” A lot of his snarky, defensive comments were disguised as questions. It made conversation difficult.
“No, butsomeoneshould sell you one. It’ll make a world of difference to your playing, …um….” She trailed off awkwardly, because she’d been about to call him by name, but she didn’t know his name. “You never introduced yourself, by the way.”
He ignored the prompting. “So you want me to get a new bow?”
“For starters, yes. But you also need professional training. Don’t listen to any charlatans around this town, either, who promise to lend you money for lessons for a cut of your future earnings.” She rolled her eyes. “Red River Valley is filled with swindlers.”
“Maybe I’ll fit in good, then. Maybe I am one.”
She looked into his face and liked what she saw. “No.” She shook her head. “I’ve been dealing with sleazy music people all my life and you’re not one of them.”
The kid’s jaw tightened.
“So about your professional training?” Clem persisted. “I think an academic setting would be best. You’re so young and there’s a classical nuance to your music. You should be working to craft it and find your voice as an artist. Have you applied to any colleges?”
“I dropped out of high school.”
“Well, you’ll have to restart it then and graduate as soon as possible. We need to get your music conservatory applications in. The Westland’s Performing Art Academy is the most prestigious, of course…”
He cut her off, his silvery eyebrows slamming down like he suspected she was making fun of him. “No place called an ‘academy’ is gonna let in a damn coyote.”
“Of course they’ll let you in! You have anincrediblenatural talent. The Westlands Performing Arts Academy will hear it, just like I do.” Clementine would make sure of it. She was really excelling at assertiveness. “Backup schools will obviously be a wise idea, just in case. But Westlands should be your goal. I can help you with the applications.”
The boy looked more suspicious by the second. “What do youactuallywant?” He challenged, apparently convinced she was up to something nefarious.
“To encourage you about your musical career. You have such a bright future!”
He shut the door in her face.
