Chapter 24 Danielle
Danielle
Arpeggios floated on the air from behind the practice room door in the back of the local music shop, while Danielle sat on one of the chairs in the acoustic guitar showcase room.
It rarely received much customer traffic, and when it did, Danielle always ceded the space for however long they were in there.
The room had the added bonus of being quiet. Quiet enough to read their book club selection while Lila was in her piano lesson.
Danielle had the room to herself today and a few minutes left before Lila’s lesson finished. She turned the page to begin a new chapter, but couldn’t bring herself to start it.
This book was hitting a little too close to home.
The next chapter was a wedding. One of the main character’s brothers was marrying the best friend of the other main character. There was a lot of buildup to this point in the story, and this next chapter seemed like it was going to be a pivotal moment for the pair.
There was just enough similarity to Danielle’s own situation with Morgan to send her down a path she’d been trying not to obsess over.
Danielle closed the book and held it over her lap as she stared at the wall of acoustic guitars. She tried to think about the wood grain. The strings. The sounds they must make.
Anything but Morgan.
But it was futile. She’d been thinking about Morgan for the past two days. Ever since she visited while Danielle was sick.
Ever since Danielle had agreed to go to the rehearsal with Morgan.
But that wasn’t even the biggest surprise of that day. It had filled her heart watching Morgan with Lila. She couldn’t believe how much that moment had burrowed itself into her heart. And Lila seemed to enjoy the interaction, too. Almost as much as Morgan appeared to.
Another surprising point.
Morgan had made it clear she didn’t want a relationship, yet she’d shown up with soup and tutored Danielle’s daughter. All while seemingly happy to do so.
It was all so confusing.
No, it wasn’t. Morgan had been honest and upfront about her relationship stance. And she was just being kind on Sunday. Danielle was reading too much into the gestures.
But Morgan had invited her to the rehearsal and dinner. That had to mean something. Didn’t it?
It sure meant something to Danielle. Whether she wanted it to or not.
Her stomach had been doing backflips when Morgan asked.
Well, when Danielle reminded her she’d asked.
Another evening with Morgan was another evening before all of this disappeared.
Once this wedding was over and Danielle was done helping Morgan out, there would be no reason for them to be together anymore.
Be together.
The thought sent warmth rushing through her. The thought that had no chance of becoming a reality.
She heard the door open from around the corner, and she stood from her chair and left the room to meet Lila and her piano teacher.
Lila walked out, still in her school uniform, with her piano books tucked under one arm.
Behind her was her teacher, a short brunette about Danielle’s age with big, soft waves, looking as professional as always in a breezy dark blue sleeveless top and fitted khaki pants.
Lila stood beside Danielle, her face shining as it always did after a lesson. Her teacher, Ms. Venable, pointed at the books Lila held.
“I can tell she’s been practicing. She’s doing excellent with the new song.”
“Good to hear,” Danielle said, smiling down at Lila. “She’s been working on it every evening.”
It had been good to see Lila interested in something other than soccer. Not that there was anything wrong with soccer. It had just been nice to have a little keyboard music around the house, too.
Her mother had always played the piano on the weekends.
Sometimes she’d play something they could all sing along to.
Sometimes she just played alone, enjoying her solitude as she let herself get lost in a tune.
It was one of the fondest memories Danielle had of her childhood. One she clung to after her mother died.
“Oh, that’s a good one.” Ms. Venable said, nodding at the copy of Finding Georgia in Danielle’s hand. “That ending. Phew. So good. You’re going to love it.”
“I’m loving it already,” Danielle said. “You read a lot?”
Ms. Venable grinned. “I go through a book a week, usually.”
“Oh, wow. I usually get through about one a month. Depending on how busy things are.”
“I’ve been reading a lot lately. I’ve got more time now, since…” Her gaze shifted to Lila, then back to Danielle. “Well, I’ve just had more time lately.”
That’s right. She’d separated from her wife a few months ago. Or at least, it seemed that way.
Danielle met her wife at a recital last year.
Then, sometime after the new year, they’d walked in on her crying in the practice room.
She’d insisted she was fine, but ever since that day, she never wore her wedding ring again.
And it was easy to notice. It was a gorgeous platinum ring with the most elegant etchings. And then it was gone.
But Danielle didn’t have a partner either, and she was still impressed with that amount of reading.
Wait.
Ms. Venable might just be a good fit for their group. And Melanie had already told her it would be okay to ask anyone she thought might enjoy it.
“Hey, would you be interested in joining a book club I’m in?”
Ms. Venable fought to hide a grimace. “I, um, I don’t know. Maybe?”
She looked about as hesitant as Danielle had felt when Melanie first broached the subject last month.
“It’s a sapphic book club,” she added. “Sapphics reading sapphics. This is our first book.”
The tinge of fear evaporated from the woman’s soft face. “That sounds absolutely lovely.”
“It really is. Do you want me to text you the details when we have our next meeting?”
“Sure. Sounds great.”
They all said their goodbyes, and Danielle followed Lila to their car. It was toasty inside, heated from the March warm front that had blown through the area.
“Mom, can Morgan come over again? Like… tonight? I’ve got a history test tomorrow, and she helped last time, so… do you think she could?”
Danielle juggled the keys as her shaky hands tried to reach the ignition. Once she turned the car on, she addressed the question.
Although it was less a question than a setup. Danielle could spot a setup from much farther than her passenger seat.
“That was a onetime thing because she happened to already be at our apartment. And there are no plans for her to stop by again.” Danielle scanned behind her car before she began inching out of her spot, trying to focus on the maneuver instead of the subject.
“Besides, I’m sure she has to work this evening. ”
“Oh. Well, I have another science test Monday. What about this weekend?”
Danielle sighed and shifted the car into drive. “Whatever you’re trying to make happen that doesn’t involve your education is not happening.”
The pain in her gut as she said those words confirmed what she’d been trying to deny all week. What she’d been trying to deny for the past couple of weeks, if she was being honest. She wanted exactly what Lila was asking for. It just wasn’t possible.
“But you like her, right? I saw how you looked at her. You don’t look at Aunt Melanie or Aunt Kim or Aunt Gerri like that.”
“I don’t know what you think you saw, but Morgan and I are just friends.”
For now.
She couldn’t believe her brain had formed those words. Did she really want to make this happen? Morgan had said she wasn’t interested in a relationship, but so had Danielle. Maybe Morgan had changed her mind, too. Maybe this was a conversation they needed to have.
“Well, can she come help me this weekend, anyway? Like Sunday. After the wedding. Please?”
“We’ll see,” Danielle said, wondering if that would even be possible after the conversation she wanted to have. Morgan may never want to speak to her again after that. “For now, you’re stuck with me and your history notes.”
“Fine,” Lila said with a huff. “But for the record, I’d rather have Morgan here. She’s better than you at this.”
Danielle ignored the last part and allowed her brain to focus on the first half. She’d rather have Morgan there, too.
It felt like everything had changed. All with a bowl of soup.
It really was a conversation they needed to have.
Maybe even this weekend.