Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Michelle parked her jeep along one of Coral Sands’ busiest streets and sighed.
She felt tired, more tired than she had even after cleaning the mansion for nine hours straight—something she’d done when the Sutton women had first started battling the longstanding dust that had gathered in the upper rooms of the house.
I know Dad coming into town shouldn’t bother me this much, but it does, she thought, shaking her head. Mom seems like she’s always on edge, and I keep catching Grandma looking at her like she’s worried. I wish I knew how to solve this.
She sighed again, reflecting that it was the uncertainty that was probably the most tiring aspect of the situation for her.
If she’d known what to do about her father’s return to town, she could have just gone ahead and done it.
As it was, she kept brooding over the situation and feeling the emotional weight of knowing how upset her mother was.
She climbed out of her jeep, determined to stop thinking about it for the rest of the day. She started along the sidewalk toward The Brick Oven, her spirits immediately lifted by the appetizing smells of garlic and marinara sauce that were wafting out of the Italian restaurant.
Since all of the Sutton women were feeling exhausted that night, she’d suggested that they order takeout from The Brick Oven instead of cooking a meal together.
The only meal they could have made based on the ingredients they still had left from the grocery store would have been lasagna, and none of them felt up for something that involved.
Audrey had suggested that they eat breakfast for dinner, but then they would have been in danger of running low on breakfast supplies for their guests the following morning.
Elaine had offered to go to the grocery store, but Audrey and Michelle had seen immediately that she was exhausted and they’d insisted that she stay home.
Michelle felt a cool night breeze brush against her face, and she inhaled, feeling more relaxed. The Brick Oven made absolutely delicious food, and she was excited about bringing home pizzas for dinner.
We’re going to have a good night, she thought. We’ll eat our dinner and maybe put on a movie and make some milkshakes in the blender. I’m determined to cheer Mom and Grandma up—and if I’m being honest, I could use some cheering up too.
She’d had to park a few doors down from the restaurant, since Coral Sands was busy that evening, but it was only a short walk from her car to The Brick Oven.
Once she was inside, she picked up her order of a meat lover’s pizza and a spinach alfredo pizza pie.
The smell of the food made her stomach growl loudly, and she couldn’t wait to get home and eat it with her mother and grandmother.
She hurried back toward her car, wanting to get home to the mansion before the food got cold. When she was halfway to her jeep, however, she heard a sound that made her pause in her tracks.
It was the sound of music coming from the Coral Sands’ music studio.
Being able to hear music coming from the studio certainly wasn’t unusual, since children and adults had lessons there most evenings of the week, and various music groups rehearsed there as well.
It was the specific sound of the music, though, that had caused Michelle to stop and pay attention.
Is that… is this Theo’s band? she wondered, feeling immediately curious. It sounds like them.
She paused and peered at the music studio.
The lights were shining brightly in the upper rooms, but she could tell that the music she was hearing was coming from the main floor.
The lights there were dim, and the view of the room through the windows was half-obscured by curtains.
The door was open, however, and she knew that if she took a few steps back and peered inside, she’d be able to see if it was really Theo’s band or not.
Feeling sheepish, she took a few steps back. The sound of the music seemed to be drawing her in like a magnet. She took a few steps closer to the studio, listening intently and trying to peek inside.
Yup. There he was. That was definitely Theo, standing in the corner and strumming his guitar like some kind of long-fingered cowboy magician.
The door must have been left open to let the refreshing autumn breeze waft in, and it also allowed the strumming sounds of Theo’s guitar to drift out.
Michelle froze to the spot, listening intently.
She felt amazed by Theo’s skill, and the melody of the song was a haunting, beautiful piece of music that stirred her heart.
Theo kept playing, and she felt confident he hadn’t noticed that she was there.
It was fairly dark outside, after all, even with the streetlamps glowing.
She took a few steps closer to the doorway, listening with all her might.
After a few more seconds, she got so swept up in the music that she stepped closer to the doorway without thinking about whether or not Theo might be able to see her.
The song ended, and she held her breath, hoping the next one would be just as beautiful.
She’d forgotten all about the pizzas she was holding, even though they were still releasing delicious smells and she’d wanted to get them home before they got cold.
She stared at the ground, expectantly waiting for the next song to start.
“Hey, guys,” Theo said. “We’ve got an intruder.”
She gasped and looked up, her cheeks flaming when she saw that he was staring right at her with an impish grin on his face.
“Hey, Michelle,” he said. “Don’t you know that eavesdropping on a band before show day is as rude as eavesdropping on a conversation not meant for your ears?”
Michelle cleared her throat, hoping that Theo couldn’t see her blushing in the dim light.
She scolded herself inwardly—getting close enough to the doorway for Theo to be able to see her was dumb!
She’d let herself get too distracted, pulled in by the music and the fascinating sight of Theo’s skillful, fast-flying fingers.
“I was just walking past and wondering why on earth someone had left this door open,” she said, shaking her head and adjusting the way she was holding the pizza boxes. All of a sudden, she realized how heavy they were. “You might get little creatures trying to come in from the cold.”
“Are you a little creature trying to come in from the cold?” Theo teased, his grin merciless. One of his bandmates guffawed.
Michelle stood up straighter. “Certainly not. I’m just trying to see who was making that racket.”
Theo chuckled. “Was our music disturbing you? Sorry it’s so bad.”
Michelle shook her head. “It’s actually better than I would have expected. You play, um, decently.”
“Yeah?” Theo’s grin was radiant now. “I saw the way you listened during the show the other night. I’d say we were better than decent, because you really seemed to be enjoying yourself.”
“Hardly.” Michelle lifted her chin defiantly, while at the same time wondering why she couldn’t just be honest with this man and tell him how she really felt about his playing. And him. “Don’t flatter yourself too much.”
Theo shrugged as a couple of his friends whistled. “You’re a hard woman to impress.”
Michelle tossed her hair. “Good thing you aren’t trying to impress me, then,” she said, and turned on her heel and started back toward her car.
Theo’s band didn’t start playing again until she’d reached her jeep.
She tugged open the passenger door and put the pizzas inside, then hurried around to the driver’s door and clambered in.
She checked her reflection in the mirror and was mortified to see that she was still blushing an exotic shade of pink.
She shook her head, wanting to kick herself for letting herself get so visibly rattled in front of Theo and his friends.
Why did I have to act so jumpy and defensive? she thought with a groan. It’s normal to want to stop and listen to music. I could have just admitted I was doing that. And why on earth did I have to start blushing so hard?
She shut her eyes, hoping that Theo hadn’t been able to see the shade of pink that her face had been in the dim light. She tutted, wishing that her body hadn’t betrayed her like that. If she wasn’t careful, Theo was going to think she had an absolutely massive crush on him or something.