Page 44 of Echoes of a Silent Song
She had to hand it to Callum.He knew his stuff.His methods were still sometimes questionable, but they were paying off, and the kids had noticed.Zara walked by Callum on her way up to the student section of bleachers.Smiling, he leaned in to say something to her.She beamed, said something back, and practically skipped toward the stands.
Oh, crap.They were connecting with Callum.They were starting tolikehim.They were getting attached.
And he was leaving after this year.They didn’t know that, but Blair did.And now she hated the temporary nature of Callum’s presence in Peterson even more.Because his departure wouldn’t just hurt the choir from a musical standpoint.It would be a personal loss for the kids.
Her warm, fuzzy feelings gone as quickly as they’d come, she stood and drained the last of her lukewarm cocoa.“I’m going for more hot chocolate.Want anything?”
“I’m good.”Joy turned her attention back to the football game.“Thank you, though.”
Blair descended the stadium steps, rounded the corner, and almost ran straight into Callum.
“Whoa.”He reached out to steady her, his hands lightly grasping her elbows, then met her eyes.“Blair.Hi.”
“Hi.”His eyes were extra green tonight.Maybe it was the deep emerald of his jacket.Or the stadium lights.“They, uh—the choir—they sounded amazing.Best I’ve heard them sound in a long time.”
Callum smiled and his eyes gleamed.“Thank you.Couldn’t have done it without you.”
Standard conductor throwing the pianist a bone.She waved a hand.
“No, Blair, I mean it.”He sought her gaze.“I truly could not have done this without you.And I’m not just talking about your collaborative piano skills.”
Her eyes widened at his use of her preferred term for her job.
“These kids haven’t had much they can count on the last few years,” he said.“But they’ve had you.Thank you for being there for them.”
The compliment struck her with almost physical force, landing exactly where she needed it most.“You’re welcome.”Wow, those eyes were green.They could see through to the depths of her, to the insecurities she tried so hard to hide, to the fear that everyone she loved would eventually get sick of her, that she was both too much and not enough.In a single moment, his expression provided the reassurance that—in his mind, anyway—she was the exact right amount.
“Hey,” he said.“I was about to head to concessions.Want to come with me?I had something I wanted to ask you about.”
“Sure.”She yanked her head out of the clouds and shook off the stardust.“I need some more hot chocolate anyway.”
They started walking, Callum to her right, their feet crunching across the gravel between the football field and the concession stand.
“I just talked with Vic,” he said.“Asked him about Iris again.He said the two of them dated briefly but weren’t serious.”
Blair raised an eyebrow.“That’s a little bit different than ‘I didn’t know her at all.’”
“That’s what I thought.”
She tossed her empty cup in a nearby trash can.“Do you think Vic’s lying?”
“That’s what I wanted to ask you.”
“I don’t know why he would.Unless Iris is just too painful for him to talk about.”
“It’s still difficult for me to talk about Rayne sometimes.”The hint of a shadow passed over his features.“I certainly wouldn’t deny knowing her, though.She’s a big part of who I am.”
“But you and Rayne were together for quite a while, weren’t you?”And why did she find the idea of Callum looking at anyone else the way he’d just looked at her so bothersome?
Callum nodded.“Three years.”
“So maybe Vic truly did only have a couple of dates with Iris.Maybe he really didn’t know her all that well.”
“But don’t you remember the guys you had even one or two dates with?”Callum pressed.“Especially in a town like Peterson, where you probably knew them at least a little bit beforehand?”
“There weren’t that many.Especially not in high school.”She glanced up at Callum.“Do you?”
“Remember the girls I only had a couple dates with?Yeah.I do.”
