Page 35 of Van Cort
“The music room can be fun. We promise,” West encouraged, offering her a half smile.
“I can’t play anything.”
“You’ll learn.” Everett grinned at his brother, as if sharing an inside joke. “Mrs Avery can teach you anything.”
“I’m not sure. What if your dad doesn’t like that I’m here? Or Mrs Avery?”
“He won’t know. He never comes to the music room. He’s away anyway.”
So, with more courage than before, she nodded and followed the boys across the grassy expanse. They led her up to a set of double glass doors and across a huge hallway, heading right for a wooden door. One of the boys barged right in, throwing the door open.
A thrill ran up Lara’s spine as she wavered on the threshold, nervous about taking a step inside the music room.
“Oh, and who’s this?” A sharp voice from inside sounded, but she couldn’t make out who it came from.
West pointed with both hands to the sofa at the end of the room, hidden from view, set before a small fire. “We have a friend who’d like to join. We said you’d be happy to teach her.”
“What can you do, girl?”
“Um, I don’t play an instrument.” Lara could spend hours out in the woods by herself but felt utterly inadequate answering the woman’s question. Not because of the answer, but because the twins’ eyes were on her. Assessing her.
“Huh. Very well. Don’t stand there all day and close the door.” Embarrassment heated her cheeks as she stepped inside, and Everett, she thought, closed the door behind her, trapping her inside.
“West, the piano. Scales,” Mrs Avery snapped from her seat.
Lara’s eyes skirted around, surveying the room, before she finally saw Mrs Avery. She was a tall, thin woman. Wizened features and a tight bun in her greying hair.
“Follow the scale, West,” she snapped.
Lara watched as the twin who smiled slightly more than his brother took a seat at the enormous black piano. Everett hung back, and there was something in her that wanted to keep her eyes on him.
“Listen and hum along, girl.”
She did as she was told, listening to the notes that West played, and humming along.
And before she realised it, she was singing the notes as he ran them up and down, like they were tugged from her chest.
She didn’t know she could sing.
CHAPTER TWELVE
RIVER
Everett’s been true to his word, and after our dinner, he did contact me. There was still an air of formality, of stiffness, and I couldn’t work out if that was because of me or just his natural state. But I’ve seen a fraction of something else on our weekend coffee trip and in the hallway. If he’d not shown me that, perhaps I wouldn’t stay hung up on it.
He did, though.
Either way, I’ll have to wait to see him again. One of the drawbacks of dating him, apparently, is the multitude of business trips and obligations.
If we get to the point where he takes me along, then I’ll worry about fitting in then. That’s tomorrow’s problem and nottoday’s. Today’s will involve avoiding Antony at work and make it home for the weekend.
***
My run on Saturday morning clears my head, and I think about how to occupy my time without the distraction of Mr Van Cort this weekend.
I pick over my sandwich for lunch and scroll through some market analysis in preparation for next week, keeping an eye on a few options to build the plan in my head. I’m distracted as I answer the door and have to shield my instinctual reaction to the man standing behind it.
“No flowers this time.”I tilt my head and smile at him, surprised that he’s standing there.
