Matchmakers Box Set: Matchmakers, Encore, Finding Hope (32 page)

He’d probably left, just like he had when they’d fought at her parents’ house. He wasn’t up to the battle—or the confrontation. It would be his loss. She wasn’t stewing anymore. She could handle what he had to say now. Wasn’t it just like him to… When she turned the corner into the kitchen, her mother was sitting with Thomas at the table. Each held a mug of coffee with one hand, and their other hands grasped together in the center of the table. Smiles permeated their lips. They were so comfortable together. Wouldn’t that be nice? To fall in love with a man her mother was so fond of.

She shook the thought from her head. Fall in love—that wasn’t even an option at the moment.

Thomas gazed up at her. “That was beautiful.”

“Thank you. I thought you were going to come get me.” She moved toward the coffeepot and poured a cup.

“I was too busy listening.” His eyes were soft, like they’d been when she’d lain in his arms.

Sophia laughed. “He was so busy listening to you, he burned breakfast.”

Thomas shrugged. “Sophia saved me.” He lifted his coffee mug to toast her.

“I’ll make you some breakfast.” She stood and began to busy herself making breakfast for Carissa. “I was talking to Principal Parsons the other day. They’ve just replaced the piano in the school, and I asked him if there was anything wrong with the other. His answer was, “Mrs. Murphy.” She looked over at Thomas. “She’s the music teacher, and she’s horrible. But he said he’d sell us the piano for a good price.”

Carissa’s mouth gaped open. “Mom, that would be great. I was afraid we’d have to take the one from the study.”

“No. That’s Millie’s, and it stays here.” Sophia added sternly, and Carissa nodded.

“I’d be happy to have a look at it if you’d like.” Thomas offered.

Sophia set the eggs on the counter. “I think that would be wonderful.” She cracked an egg into the skillet and let it sizzle a moment before cracking another. “Thomas, I was thinking it would be really nice if you could go with Carissa to Chicago, too.”

Carissa watched him think about the proposition too hard. He bit his lip, and his eyes shifted to his coffee. The anger from before reappeared, and she set her jaw.

“Really, if there’s a problem…”

“No.” He looked up at her. “No problem.” He lifted his mug to his lips, but it didn’t hide his eyes. Carissa knew Chicago had something to do with the nightmare he’d had last night.

Whatever had happened to Thomas, it had happened in Chicago.

Carissa backed the car out of the driveway and started down the street toward the school.

Thomas adjusted in his seat and turned toward her.

“Does your mother come around like that often?”

With a smile, Carissa nodded. “Yes, on Monday mornings she usually stops by and has coffee with Katie and me.” The words began to catch in her throat when she realized Katie hadn’t been there to be part of it this morning.

Thomas laid his hand on hers as it rested on the gearshift.

“She’s going to be okay.”

“I know.” She sniffed back her tears. “It’s just not the same without her in the house. My whole life has been taking care of her and Millie.”

The tears weren’t stopping. She pulled the car to the side of the road with a jerking stop.

Thomas lifted her hand to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss. “Why did you choose that?”

“What?” She wiped at her eyes.

“Why would a young woman choose to stay and take care of two elderly women instead of auditioning for the symphony, or touring, or recording?”

“You sound like you’re accusing me.” Though she wasn’t sure of what exactly.

“Well, maybe I am. Why didn’t you do more with your life?”

“I do plenty with my life.” The tears were beginning to dry up, and anger was beginning to stir in her.

“What have you done?”

“Who are you to ask me?”

“I’m the man whose arms you woke up in this morning,” he said as if she needed reminding.

She gasped. Was that enough to make demands on her? He seemed to think so. “I’ll have you know I went to college.”

“Okay, where did you live when you went to college?” He’d crossed his arms over his chest, and the smug look on his face pissed her off.

“I went to Missouri State.”

“That wasn’t my question. Where did you live, Carissa?”

“What does it matter?”

“It’s the question at hand.”

“Fine. I lived on campus for one semester then I lived with Millie and Katie.”

His lips thinned into a smile, and she felt hers tighten. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You are afraid of moving on.” His smile widened.

“Go to hell, Thomas.”

“Whatever, but you are so afraid of letting go of what you have here that it’s only held you back.”

“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!” She shifted in her seat, checked her mirrors, and shifted the car into drive.

“Oh, I know plenty.” He leaned back against the seat, his arms still crossed over his chest.

He’d run away when it had all gotten too hard for him. She, on the other hand, chose the comforts of home, and it had probably cost her what could have been a very nice career as a professional musician. He didn’t belittle what she did. Teaching others music was wonderful, and he, himself, would be doing that same thing come four o’clock. But he’d been a professional musician playing to sold-out crowds, and he knew talent. Carissa Kendal had more talent than most of the performers he knew. He’d almost venture to say she rivaled Sophia and, with the right venue, would surpass her.

There wasn’t another word until they stopped in front of the school. Carissa took the keys from the ignition and turned to him. “What about this?” She pointed out the window. “What about the school? Do you think that’s doing nothing?”

“No.”

“After all, big, professional musician, where are you working? Why did you move halfway across the world to come here and work?”

“I’ve made a name for myself, Carissa.”

“Sure, then why aren’t you in Europe now?” She watched him shift his gaze out the window, and his tongue skimmed over his teeth. He was uncomfortable talking about it. It was painfully obvious. “There’s something there. Don’t sit here and accuse me when you have a secret you’re holding on to.”

“Why do you think that?” He turned his head back to her with a snap.

“You wouldn’t talk about your dream. You haven’t told me why you were so anxious to move back to the States and give up all that professionalism. And this morning when my mother mentioned you going to Chicago with me, I thought you were going to run.”

“Well, you’ve done a lot of observation in the past few days too, haven’t you?”

“You said you wanted to get to know me. I guess I want to get to know you, too.”

“Fair enough.” He let the air simmer between them. “Let’s take it one day at a time. You give me a little, and I’ll give you a little.” Which was a lot, he decided.

How long could he remain in her good graces before she kicked him to the curb when she found out about his father, his sister, and his nearly killing Pierre?

CHAPTER SEVEN

The drive home from visiting Katie at the hospital was silent. Katie hadn’t been too talkative, and Thomas knew that Katie’s weakened state was wearing on Carissa. Katie was nervous about moving into an assisted living home, though she thought by being so damn pleasant about it all she wasn’t letting on. Katie wasn’t the only one pretending. He’d spent almost twenty minutes alone with Katie when Carissa had gone to find the restroom, and when Carissa returned, Thomas was sure she’d been crying.

Carissa laid her purse by the stairs when they walked through the front door of the house. “I’m going to take a shower. My first student will be here at three thirty and yours at three forty-five.” She sucked in a ragged breath and rubbed her eyes, tired and red from the crying she’d eminently denied. “I can teach in the living room, and you can use the study. Tomorrow we’ll move the piano.”

She turned and walked up the stairs, leaving him alone watching her disappear down the hall. Sophia had said Carissa was afraid of losing people. Millie had died, and that had done its part of scaring her away from doing more adventurous things than teaching out of the study of her house. He knew what it was like to lose someone so important to you. If he could only tap into his own feelings, he could share with her what he knew of living for the moment and then moving on. But that was the coward in him that had him running to Italy in the first place. He’d never dealt with the loss of his sister, or his family. How could he help prepare Carissa and give her any kind of emotional support when he couldn’t even face talking about his family?

By three fifteen, Carissa had moved her few items into the living room to begin her lesson. Thomas walked into the room with a bouquet of daises in his hands, and a smile crossed her lips when she saw him. “Mr. Samuel, what are you doing?”

“Well, Ms. Kendal, it appeared to me that you could use a little pick-me-up. My mother always liked daises for that.” He moved toward her and she stood, taking the daises in her arms.

“They’re beautiful, Thomas.” She shifted her eyes to his.

He brought his hand to her cheek and caressed it gently. “You deserve to always be happy.”

She wanted to speak. She wanted to say something witty and charming, but all of her words were stuck behind the lump in her throat and the tears that were stinging her eyes.

He lingered his gaze and then shifted it to the window.

“Well, I see your student just pulled up. Let me put those in water, and they’ll be waiting for you.”

“Thank you, Thomas.” Her words finally found their way out.

He stared out of the room and then turned back to her. “Oh, I wanted to ask, does this student of mine have any playing experience?”

She tucked her lips between her teeth to keep her smile from taking over. “She just chose her instrument, but she does have a lot of theory under her belt. That should please you.” He smiled with a nod. “I think you’ll be amazed at what she knows when she gets here.”

He nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.

Thomas made quick work of the lesson plans that Carissa kept for the piano. He knew where he would start, and he knew just how to proceed. He could hear the sharp and flat notes of a whining violin from the other room. Normally the sound would’ve made him wince. But knowing Carissa was just out of view, sharing her love of music with a child, gave the unmelodious tones a poignancy that made him smile.

He heard tapping at the door and hurried to answer it before it disrupted Carissa and her young student.

A little face, framed in blonde hair, smiled up at him. He chuckled. “Miss Hope Kendal, are you my student?”

“Yep. Mom let me choose the piano as my instrument,” she said, holding Sophia’s hand and absolutely beaming.

“Okay, then, go wash your hands and dry them well. Then meet me in the study,” he instructed.

“Wash my hands?” She was on her way to the bathroom as she looked back at him.

“You never touch a beautiful piano with dirty hands.” He watched Sophia turn to compose herself as she coughed back a laugh.

“Thank you, Thomas. I don’t know why she changed her mind. She kept telling me she was going to play the cello too, but then you arrived and now it’s the piano.”

“She might change her mind again,” he assured her in a whisper as he closed the door.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll stay during her lesson, but in Katie’s room. I need to pack up some of her things to take to the center so she feels more at home.”

He touched her arm gently. “I think that would mean a lot to her.”

Hope bounded back down the hall. “Okay, I’m ready.” She flexed her fingers, causing Thomas to laugh as he laid a finger to his lips to remind her to be quiet while Carissa was teaching.

Hope nodded. “Are you staying, Mom?” she whispered.

“I’ll be in Katie’s room. I know the rules. No parents allowed.”

She gave them a wave and walked toward the kitchen to get a glass of water before diving into her grandmother’s things.

When Sophia walked into the kitchen, she saw the daisies and smiled. He was falling in love with her daughter. She could feel it. Warmth spread through her. She’d known when she’d called him that it was the right choice. Thomas Samuel would never hurt someone he loved. He’d fight every battle to keep her safe and happy. Carissa still needed that. She needed someone to make her feel welcome, wanted, and loved. She’d been hopeful that someone would be Thomas.

Sophia filled her glass and sipped slowly. Even after all the years she’d been blessed to be Carissa’s mother, she knew her daughter still strived to keep hold of everything and everyone she held dear. Sophia shook her head, thinking about what the first seven years of her life must have been like while Mandy, Carissa’s mother, still had custody of her. She was in and out of strangers’ houses while her mother was stoned and passed out somewhere. To not know where your mother was half the time and to have her lie to you about your own father was unconceivable to Sophia.

It hadn’t been easy to win Carissa’s love. She was a threat to Carissa and always had been. There were so many times she’d wished she’d stayed and asked questions, but her damn pride had kept her away for ten years—missing the man she loved and losing out on Carissa’s childhood.

But, she decided, had she not run, she’d never have met Thomas. And it seemed to be Thomas who might actually capture her daughter’s heart. Thomas who might make her realize that love is strong, and with it, she would never have to be alone again.

The first faint notes from the study snapped her from her daze. Hope was making music.

Thomas was impressed with Hope’s musical knowledge. She knew her bass clef from her treble clef. She knew the notes of the scales. She was familiar with a half note, whole note, and even knew what a rest was. She could put her fingers in the right place at middle C and even humored him with her rendition of “Hot Crossed Buns.” In half an hour, she’d flown through what would have been a beginner’s first four lessons. However, he could see he’d have his work cut out for him with Hope.