Page 42 of To Believe In You
His fiancée flew into his arms.
John shut the front door and nodded a greeting to Lina.
“You guys just got in?” she asked.
He nodded and hiked a thumb toward the happy couple’s reunion kiss. “What gave it away?”
“The time in the studio went well?”
“Bittersweet, but it was a good last hoorah with Philip.” His focus landed on one of the practice rooms.
Chris wouldn’t arrive for half an hour, and Matt had closed himself in the unused space. Since the day he’d entertained himself during a student’s missed lesson, he had made a habit of using the room when it was available, even if it meant stopping by Key of Hope for twenty- or thirty-minute stretches. Judging by the various outfits he showed up in—khakis and a blue polo, as required by the home improvement store, jeans and a tacky shirt with a pizza maker caricature, or old black work pants and a T-shirt labeled with the name of a janitorial company—finding open slots at Key of Hope around his other jobs was a scheduling feat.
But he kept showing up, closing himself in a room, and focusing on music as if he didn’t have an audience in whoever happened to be in the waiting area.
Currently, he stood with his back to the glass, oblivious as usual. His head and shoulders moved with a beat that only faintly carried into the office area.
Lina leaned her elbows on her desk and focused on John. “Don’t you have a bride to get home to?”
“She spent last week with us.” He lifted his chin, pointing her attention back to Matt. “How’s he been?”
That was a loaded question. He’d been handsome. Even-keeled. Willing to stand up for her. At the thought of mentioning any of his attractive qualities, flutters went off in her stomach. Was she blushing? She really hoped not.
“He’s been working hard.” Adeline’s voice came soft and thoughtful from behind Lina.
She glanced back to see Lakeshore’s favorite couple standing arm-in-arm, apparently ready to acknowledge the existence of others.
“On what?” John asked.
“I meant teaching, but I think he might also be songwriting. He’s been using the guitar quite a bit.”
The rooms each held a selection of instruments. Not a musician herself, Lina hadn’t noticed Matt working with the electric guitar instead of the electric bass until now, when Adeline pointed it out.
“Have you heard it?” Gannon kept an arm around Adeline, but he studied Matt.
What would Matt think if he turned around and found this gallery of spectators?
Probably keep doing what he was doing—or leave, since he never seemed to act like a normal person.
“I haven’t,” Adeline answered.
Lina had heard him once, but a year of choir marked her only musical training. She hadn’t even noticed him switch instruments. Her opinion wouldn’t add to the conversation. Yet, she caught Gannon’s questioning glance and took a stab at it. “I heard something early on. It sounded catchy, but I’m no expert.”
John shifted a foot forward, as though his interest in his former bandmate was growing. “He’s spent a lot of time working like this?”
“Twenty or thirty minutes a day.” Not that Lina was tracking.
“That we see,” Adeline added. “I gave him a key. He’s been coming in during off-hours too.”
Oh. She hadn’t known. Matt must’ve been keeping odd hours for her not to have seen him. He might’ve been avoiding her, but she suspected the more likely explanation was that he had to sacrifice sleep to find time around his jobs.
In his own world, Matt half-turned to the table in the practice room and made a note before again focusing on the guitar.
The heavy front door pushed open, and Chris stepped in. Without noting who stood in his way, he leaned to see around John for a clear view of Matt’s practice room. Spotting his idol, he smiled. Next he cast a wave toward the desk. “Hi, Miss Lina.”
“Hi, Chris.”
He gave no sign of hearing her as his eyes sparked and his mouth fell open. Must’ve focused long enough to recognize the person who’d blocked his view.
