Page 41 of To Believe In You
At the surprise of Lina’s voice from the door of the practice room, Matt’s hands froze. He hadn’t seen her rise from her desk or come up the hall, despite the view the glass afforded and the fact that he’d left the door open because he’d expected his next student. At some point, Bailey, Samantha, and the babysitter had left, and the waiting room sat empty. The lesson across the hall continued, though, so less than half an hour had passed.
Twenty minutes, maybe?
The time must’ve felt like an eternity to Lina as she’d listened to him playing.
“Sorry. Am I bothering you?”
“Your student’s a no-show. I emailed her dad. You don’t need to stay.”
Right. Of course. He rested his hand on the body of the bass. The one he had at Tim’s, he’d scored at a garage sale. He’d been driving back from a landscaping job when he spotted the electric bass propped up against an old dresser in the driveway. For the instrument and an amp that crackled worse than a bowl of cereal, he’d paid all the cash in his wallet—which hadn’t been much. Before he’d moved to Lakeshore, he’d also had access to the old keyboard in his parents’ basement. Nothing fancy, but enough to write “Whirlwinds” with.
He’d called the song a fluke, but his poor setup might’ve been at least partly to blame for his inability to create more, because inspiration flowed here.
Having someone to bounce ideas off of would almost guarantee another song.
He eyed Lina. “Do you play anything besides, like, flute?”
“No.”
“So you don’t want to jam with me.”
Her dry expression glimmered with a hint of humor. “Paxton’s lesson wraps up in ten minutes. We could see if he’s interested.”
“Funny.” The soundproofing prevented him from hearing, but the look on Fred’s face suggested little Paxton had some work to do. Fred, the guitar instructor, seemed like a nice enough guy who might be game, but the front door opened, and in walked the next guitar student. With a sigh, Matt set the bass on its stand. “All right. I’ll get out of your hair.”
She half-frowned but didn’t object as she stepped back from the doorway.
“You ought to change your number or block his calls.”
She winced. “I told you I’m not out to make him jealous.”
“And he has no reason to be. For all he knows, I’m some guy you grabbed off the street to answer for you because he crossed the boundary you set.”
“I wish you’d let me stand up for myself, then. I ought to be able to fight my own battles.”
Guilty as charged. But … “Would you have?”
“Not answering is an answer in itself, isn’t it?” She sighed. “Besides, there’s no harm in him apologizing on my voicemail.”
“There is harm. His calls upset you.” Matt also suspected Shane had hurt her physically at least once.
With an unconvincing nod, she stepped back as though to leave, then braced a hand on the doorframe. “Thanks, though. For trying to help.”
Trying, indeed. Why didn’t she treat Shane like the scum he was? Why hedge and push away help? She wouldn’t receive Matt’s frustration kindly. Or, if she did, it’d be just another example of her bowing to someone else’s will instead of standing up for her convictions. Instead of pushing, he said, “You’re welcome.”
She returned to her desk.
Matt scratched his cheek and peered over at the bass guitar. For a while there, music had helped him escape his frustration about Shane. He’d only played around with the bass today, but the classroom stocked all the instruments he could want to write music—the bass, two guitars, and a keyboard. Tim’s idea of making money selling songs might have the added benefit of keeping him sane and sober.
Music, which had been part of his demise, could also be part of his redemption.
Provided he could stick with it long enough to write something worth hearing.
Thankfully, Shane’s pursuit of Lina and Matt’s own unrequited crush on her ought to provide plenty of angst to keep driving him back to one of the few healthy outlets he had.
12
Lina had worked with Awestruck for years, but her stomach did a nervous flip when Gannon and John came through the front door of Key of Hope. They must’ve come from the airport, fresh off a plane from California. Gannon seemed on the verge of greeting her when he spotted Adeline, and his warm smile broadened.
