Page 12 of Trust Fall
And with that, Cleo dipped her head slightly and moved toward the door to catch up with Sophie, and together they stepped out onto the street.
“Bend that finger a tiny bit more, just like that. Now, with this hand, gently strum your fingers down the strings.” The owner of the music shop instructed Sophie.
“Auntie Cleo, look! I’m doing it! I’m really playing the guitar!” The look of joy and wonder on Sophie’s face was so pure that Cleo couldn’t help but smile widely back at her.
“You’re doing great Soph, maybe you could try another few instruments and see how you get on with those too?” Cleo suggested. She watched as Sophie strummed the guitar a few more times before moving around the shop and trying a keyboard.
Cleo wanted to introduce her niece to music without adding pressure to Evan to try and fit in any lessons for Sophie. Maybe she could see which one Sophie was drawn to and they could learn together on the weekends.
Cleo watched as Sophie jumped from the keyboard, to a drum kit, and over to the violins. She turned and looked out of the music shop’s window and noticed the view across the street. She could see the coffee counter through the glass door, and more notably the barista who was working behind said counter.
What was it about this woman that caught Cleo’s eye? She hadn’t noticed another woman in years, but somehow, this one had made her not only look up from the fog she’d been living in for the past six years but also made her not want to look away.
A high-pitched screech cause Cleo to cringe and turn back around to look into the shop. As suspected, her niece was trying the violin.
“Maybe try the keyboard again? It’s a great steppingstone to piano,” she suggested to her niece.
“Maybe, I just know violin isnotthe one for me,” Sophie stated as she handed it back to the laughing music shop owner.
“You know,” the elderly man who owned the shop said to Cleo softly, “if you’re looking to progress to piano eventually, this keyboard has weighted keys to help with the transition. It comes with a beginner's book included and has a CD with instructions to play along with. You can also scan the QR code on the inside of the book for a website with additional resources. Just in case you’re interested.”
Cleo thanked him as she watched Sophie play with a few different keyboards on display along the back wall for another few minutes before it was time to leave.
Chapter 12
Ivy
The days that followed flew by for Ivy. She was on Cloud Nine.
No, physically crashing into someone wasn’t exactly the ideal way to make a first impression.
But even so, she felt that even though she blacked out during some parts of their interactions, overall, she handled the entire situation really well and didn’t make acompletefool of herself.
Most importantly, however: yes, she felt that maybe, just maybe, she could very possibly have a shot with Cleo.
This thought alone had carried her through the week of jibes and torment from Toni, Oliver, and most of all, Lucas and Gabby.
While Toni and Oliver made jokes, they knew there were limits given they only saw each other in a public space surrounded by customers. Lucas and Gabby, on the other hand, had free reign at movie night on Wednesday.
For once, Ivy didn’t even care.
Ivy stood at the kitchen island helping to grate cheese while Gabby dished up the makings of fajitas into various bowls. Lucas wasn’t a cook by any stretch of the imagination, so he was on drinks: mocktail mojitos all around.
“If it’s taken you three years to learn her name, does that set the standard?” Lucas asked, “like, will it then be a three more years before you get her number? After that, another three years for each milestone? Ivy, you could be past retirement age before you move in together!” Tears streamed down Lucas’s cheeks from laughing at his own jokes.
Ivy turned to Gabby, “Go on, take your shots, I know you’ve beendyingfor this moment to arrive.” Ivy sat the block of cheese down and turned to face Gabby, lifting her hand and curling her fingers in a “bring it on” motion.
“Well,” Gabby began as she sat the hot pan down onto a cold ring on the cooker top, “all I’m going to say is this: if you think she’s worth the wait, then the past three years of living like a nun have been justified and I wish you all the best.”
Ivy’s jaw dropped in shock at being let off the hook so easily. “That’s it?!”
What seemed like hours, but was most likely a handful of seconds, passed before Gabby continued.
“However,” Gabby continued with a small smirk playing on her lips.
“Here we go,” Lucas chuckled.
“If it turns out that the wait has not in fact been worth it, she turns out to be a horrible human being who doesn’t like pizza, or 80s movies, or fun in general, and you either chicken out or crash and burn after two dates: I reserve the right to mock you for at least the next year, as well as set you up with the next eligible woman I deem suitable for you for a blind date, and insist you watch my favorite movie of all time at least four more times in the next six months with watermelon drinks included and no moaning.”
