Matchmakers Box Set: Matchmakers, Encore, Finding Hope (43 page)

And just as the violinist’s bow hit a note that made the entire ensemble stop and Pablo rise from his seat, throwing music in the air, she realized it had been that rejection that she’d always feared. It had stopped her from ever dreaming of grander things because what if she’d failed?

Carissa straightened her back as Pablo called for them to start from the beginning. That’s what she needed. A new beginning for herself. A new start to her life where she wasn’t afraid of rejection, but saw it as a new challenge.

It was time for her to shine.

She pulled her bow across the strings, thinking of what a wonderful opportunity it would be for her and for the school. She and Thomas could showcase their accomplishments in Rome under the tutelage of Pablo DiAngelo. She finished the song with a note of pure beauty that had Pablo beaming at her, and she herself feeling dizzy from the excitement of bigger and better things. The thought warmed her throughout, but then when it settled, it stung.

Thomas wasn’t part of her dreams anymore. She had to remember that. Their relationship was like a cord that was played flat.

He’d walked out on her like others before him. He’d promised he wouldn’t, but he had. He was just another piece of music she had memorized and never performed.

She took a deep breath and looked at her music as Pablo moved into position after yet another argument with Pierre. It was time for her to play. It was time for her to shine. And dammit, when she returned to the States, it was her time to move on.

The air in the car felt thick as Thomas tried to suck in as much of it as he could to calm his nerves. It wasn’t working.

He’d parked out front of the school, but Carissa’s car wasn’t there. Perhaps she’d parked out back.

His palms were damp, his heart raced, and his head spun. He’d never been so nervous in his entire life. He reached across the car and grabbed the bouquet of flowers that sat on the passenger seat. Balancing the flowers in the crook of his arm, he raked his fingers through his hair, climbed out of the rental car, and closed the door with his hip.

There was a bell on the front door of the school now. It rang as the door shut behind him.

“Thomas!” Sophia’s eyes grew wide with her smile as she approached him from the back. “You came back.”

“Yes.” It was all he could say because the sinking feeling in his gut was that he should have taken Carissa with him to meet his family. It shouldn’t have been just him walking through that door. It should have been them. She should have been part of that joyous occasion, but he’d left her out—left her just as she’d feared he would. The thought made him dizzy.

He tried to refocus by taking in the new look of the school. It had come together in the short amount of time that he was gone. Walls were up, and the floor was finished. The rooms had doors. Carissa had to be so proud.

Sophia hugged him. “Did you bring me flowers?”

Thomas looked down at the flowers still in the crook of his arm, which Sophia had pressed between them when she’d hugged him. He’d nearly forgotten he was holding them, but he was grateful he had them. They hid his shaking hands.

Sophia was staring up at him, studying him the way a dear friend did when she knew something was wrong.

She laughed. “Thomas, I’m kidding. I know they’re not for me. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, um, is Carissa here?” He looked down the hall Sophia had come from. “Maybe you could just give these to her. I’m sure she doesn’t want to see me.” He pushed the flowers toward her, but she didn’t take them. The concern in her eyes made guilt twist his stomach.

“Are you okay?” She reached for his arm.

“No. I’m not okay. I messed everything up, and I know she’s going to kick me to the curb.”

“Then you don’t know my daughter very well at all.” She took him by the arm and sat him down in one of the chairs in the parents’ area. “I’m going to get you some water.”

“I’m really not thirsty. I should go.” He started to stand, but Sophia placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Sit. Take some deep breaths. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Sophia walked to the back of the school, where she would get Thomas a glass of water, but also where she could speak with her husband. David stood on a ladder, hanging the last of the shelves Carissa had asked him to put up while she was gone.

“Delivery?” He looked down at her.

“Of sorts.” She filled the glass and turned to him with a smile. “He came back,” she whispered.

“Who? The delivery man?”

“No.” She laughed. “Thomas.”

David shot down the ladder, his brows furrowed and his lips pursed. Sophia reached for his arm, and he stopped.

“If you need me—”

“I know.” She smiled to let him know she understood his protective instincts and then started back toward the parents’ area. David fell back and waited.

“Here,” she said, handing Thomas the glass. His hand shook as he took it, and she tucked her lips between her teeth to keep her excitement from surfacing.

Thomas sipped at the water and then let out a breath. “Thank you.”

“Now, do you want to tell me where you’ve been?” She raised her eyebrows and waited for his answer.

“I went home.”

“To your family?” Her voice now shook, and she sat down next to him and inched her chair closer to him. “You saw your family?”

He took another sip of water. “I’ve been staying with my mother for the past few days. Her and her husband and their daughter.”

“You have a sister?” Her tone softened, and she reached for his hand.

Thomas nodded. “She’s the spitting image of Sarah. Her name is Madison.”

“Oh, Thomas.” She covered her mouth to stop the sob that tightened in her chest and moved up through her throat. It threatened to burst out when she thought of him having a family. His family.

“Anyway, I thought if my mother could piece her life back together, so could I.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black box. He handed it to Sophia. “My mother gave me this to give to Carissa. I want to be more than just a teacher in her school, Sophia. I want to put my life back together, and I want her to be part of it.”

She opened it, and the tears she’d held back released.

“Are you asking my wife to marry you?” David stood just beyond them watching.

“Oh, no sir.” Thomas shot out of his seat.

“I’m kidding, Thomas.” He stood next to his wife and looked down at the antique setting in her hand. “What is this?”

“It was my grandmother’s wedding set. I’d like to give it to Carissa and ask her to marry me.”

David ran his tongue over his teeth and studied Thomas. He nodded. “And you want my blessing?”

“It sure would make things smoother if I had it. I’m not sure I’ll even have Carissa’s blessing.”

“I’m not sure you will either.”

“David.” Sophia looked up at him then back to Thomas. “I’ve known you for a long time, Thomas. I think Carissa would be lucky to have you.”

“Thank you.” He shifted his eyes to David. “Would it be okay if I asked your daughter to marry me?”

“You planned to do that anyway, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes, I did, but…”

“Well, when you do, you can tell her you have my blessing.”

“Well, I guess there is only one more person to ask.”

Sophia exchanged a concerned look with David, well aware that Thomas knew something was wrong.

Thomas cleared his throat. “Where is Carissa?”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Carissa stood in front of the mirror in her dressing room. The dress Pablo had chosen for her was exquisite. She’d never looked so beautiful. He’d sent her roses. Beautiful, long-stemmed, red buds that felt like silk under her fingertips as she lifted one to her nose to smell its fragrance. He’d made it clear he wouldn’t see her and the other members of the ensemble until moments before they stood together to perform.

When the door opened, she looked up to see Pierre slowly make his way into the room, his eyes shielded by dark glasses, his hands extended to help lead him to her.

“Ah, I smell the sweet perfume of roses.”

Carissa stood and moved to him. His extended hands were an invitation for her to take them so he could embrace her, and he pulled her into his arms.

“He will never tell you, so I thought I would. He couldn’t have been more pleased that you came with him. He really wanted Sophia, but he thinks you are as talented, if not more so,” he added, moving back from her as though to study her face. “But I will deny that if you repeat it.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said, smiling at her new friend.

The door opened again, and to her surprise, Sophia stuck her head around the door. Pride swelled in Carissa’s chest. Her mother had refused the invitation to play the venue she’d lost, choosing her role as a wife and mother over restarting her career, but she’d come to share it with her.

“Mom!” She let go of Pierre’s hands and ran to her mother’s waiting arms. “You’re here.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. After all, you took my place,” she teased.

“Is that my beauty?” Pierre turned and waited for Sophia to come to him.

“Pierre, oh Pierre.” She went to him, his arms open to her. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“Enough to have visited me in the past eight years?” he asked with a straight face.

Sophia sighed and bowed her head.

“I’m kidding, my beauty. You got the man you loved, the most talented daughter, and had a baby waiting for you when you got home. Oh, Sophia, what a wonderful life you’ve been given.”

“It has been wonderful. It has.” She gave Carissa a grand smile then she turned her attention back to Pierre. “What about you? Pablo told me you’d been in an accident. I didn’t know about it. I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head. “Oh, he blames…well, it’s not important. Truth is, we’d had too many drinks, the streets were slick, and the press was after us. I hate that press. We were trying to outrun them. It wasn’t his fault. Pablo did what he could to shift the attention of the press away from us. I’m not surprised you didn’t hear.”

“Your sight?”

“It’s going. It’s going quickly, but my ears are fine. And I hear music, I don’t see it.”

Sophia kissed him on the cheek. “You are still amazing. Do you know that?”

“Of course I do.” He laughed.

“Well, I’d better get to my seat,” she said, turning back toward Carissa.

Carissa took her mother’s hands in hers. “Dad?”

“He’s here, and so is Hope. Pablo pulled some strings,” she admitted.

“I’m so happy he did. This is the best surprise ever.” She kissed her mother’s cheeks. “I’m going to do my best. This is so much more than first chair. This really should be you.”

“No, it was meant to be for you.” She touched Carissa’s face. “We’ll meet you back at the hotel when you’re done. I’m sure the evening will only get better.” She kissed her daughter and left the room.

Pierre excused himself, and Carissa sat alone.

She held her cello between her legs, leaning into the instrument, holding it against her like a child needing to be comforted. She ran her fingers over the strings running the first song through her mind. When the door opened again, Pablo walked through in his black tuxedo.

She rose to him, surprised that he would have stepped into her room after having made it perfectly clear he would not see his ensemble.

She could see why the world loved him. Aside from his beautiful voice, he was, simply put, one of the most gorgeous men to walk the planet. His dark, mysterious looks, his deep chocolate eyes, and the build of a god. He was pure pleasure on the eyes.

“Bella, are you ready to make history.”

“I’m sick,” she said with a hand on her stomach, and that caused him to laugh.

“Your mother threw up on my shoes once. You will not.”

“No, I will not.” She stood and held the neck of the instrument. “Thank you for bringing my family.”

“My pleasure.” He took her hand and kissed it. “Sophia had to be here, even if she didn’t play.”

“I really appreciate it.”

“They will come for your cello in a moment. You will meet me down the hall with the rest in five minutes,” he instructed, and she nodded.

Pablo kissed each of her cheeks. “You’ve been quite an asset to my ensemble. I would like you to think about giving up your school and staying in Rome.”

“Pablo, I don’t know what to say. I—”

“You say nothing. You think about it.” He turned and strode out of the room.

A few moments later, a young man came for her cello, to set it on stage, and she met the ensemble down the hall as instructed. Pierre gathered with them while Pablo finished his preparations.

“As soon as this evening is over, we will be escorted by car to the hotel. You will change and have one hour before Pablo expects you for celebration drinks.”

They all nodded as the instructions were given. There wasn’t a member of the ensemble that didn’t fully understand the impact of what was about to happen.

Carissa stood at the edge of the stage with the others. The pianist wiggled his fingers, warming them up. The violinist’s head swayed back and forth, her eyes closed, and Carissa knew she heard music in her mind. The flutist fixed his shirt cuffs.

She knew they all had their own ways of preparing for their performance. She, however, couldn’t move past the sounds around her.

The murmur of the crowd, speaking in Italian, resonated through the theater. Not one voice more dominant than the other. The many conversations blended together in their own symphony.

A man in red robes passed by them and out to the stage. She heard his shoes click on the stage, and the audience quieted down.

The sickness in her stomach rose into her throat, and she closed her eyes and breathed deeply as the man onstage welcomed the audience and introduced the pope.

Carissa’s eyes shot open, and the quick glances between the members of the ensemble made her realize that each of them was as panicked as she was. The pope had summoned them to play for him, and he was there to listen.