Chapter 11
Cleo
Sophie was saying something, and Cleo knew she should give her niece her complete attention, but there was something about the blonde-haired woman at the door earlier that distracted her. That hadn’t happened in a long time. Longer than Cleo was willing to admit. Even to herself.
She could still feel tingles on her forearm where the woman’s hand had held on. That was new. That had definitely never happened before.
“Auntie Cleo, look!” Sophie’s excitement broke her out of her daze. Following Sophie’s eyeline, Cleo turned to see the woman approaching their table carrying a tray laden with their order.
“Hi,” the woman said softly, and Cleo noticed the blush on her neck and cheeks for the second time.
“I really am so sorry about earlier. Mollie is one of our regulars and she was in here studying and forgot her scarf, and I just really wanted to return it to her. I didn’t even look before pulling the door open, which I never do!
I just, well, anyway, I’m sorry. Again.”
Cleo was drawn into the woman’s green eyes. She cleared her throat, remembering to acknowledge the woman’s comments, “It’s really alright. Honestly. We’re both fine,” she turned to Sophie, “aren’t we kid?”
“Yup, we’re good Auntie Cleo.” Sophie’s eyes were glued to her mug of hot chocolate.
“Well anyway, this is on me, the door was entirely my fault, and I know Toni said you refused to take my gesture, but please do. It would make me feel better if you did,” the woman said as she sat the tray down on the table and started to place the items in front of Cleo and Sophie.
Cleo took a minute to look into the woman’s eyes again.
She could lose herself in those eyes if she weren’t careful.
Not being careful was what got her here in the first place.
“I wasn’t looking where I was going either, so how about we split it?
I really don’t feel comfortable with you paying for it all when I wasn’t looking at the door before pushing it open.
Is that a compromise you can live with.. . I’m sorry, I don’t know your name?”
“OK, that seems fair. Oh, and Ivy. My name is Ivy.” She smiled warmly.
Beautiful. Cleo found herself all but mesmerized as Ivy walk back over to the counter.
Twenty-five minutes later and Sophie finally convinced Cleo to leave the coffee shop and continue their weekend of fun. Cleo made her way over to the counter to pay her half of the bill before heading back out to the shops.
“Was everything OK for you?” Ivy asked them both as they approached the counter, despite there being a small queue of customers waiting to be served. She then leaned over the counter to speak directly to Sophie, “Was the hot chocolate good?”
“It was the best EVER!” Sophie nearly burst with her sugar rush after finishing her entire hot chocolate which had been topped with cream, chocolate sprinkles and a side of four marshmallows.
Ivy’s smile lit up the whole shop, dimples and all, before she turned to Cleo, a small smattering of red flushing up her neck, “and yours?”
Cleo smiled and found herself blushing slightly as she echoed her niece’s response: “Best ever.”
“We’re going shopping now. But I don’t know where, Auntie Cleo won’t tell me. She says I can’t keep secrets.” Sophie said almost entirely in one breath.
Cleo laughed “That’s because you can’t. But, what if I told you we’re going to the music shop?”
“Really?! Yey!! I’ve always wanted to see musical instruments up close!” Her niece answered excitedly. “Kerry Watson in my class gets violin lessons, and Jacob Conroy is learning the guitar. Even my teacher can play piano.”
Cleo laughed at Sophie’s reaction, “OK, well how about we go and let Ivy get back to work. She looks really busy. Say thank you for your hot chocolate.”
“OK, thank you for the hot chocolate, bye Ivy!” Sophie waved as she picked up her metal detector and fixed the straps on her backpack of treasure before making her way over to the door. “C’mon Auntie Cleo, let’s gooooooo.”
Cleo blushed and looked back at Ivy, “I’d better go.”
“Yeah, you heard the boss.” Ivy let out a small chuckle. “Bye Cleo, maybe next time I’ll let you come through the door without any help?”
“I look forward to it. Bye Ivy.”
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 is not the 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.