by Strauss, Lee
He nodded to Leah. “See you later.”
“Bye, lovebirds.”
“That was awkward,” Sebastian said once out of earshot.
“Your sister’s nice,” Eva said.
Sebastian chuckled. “My mother’s a tough nut to crack. It’ll take time to warm up to her. But my papa… has changed.” He slowed to catch her eye. “It means a lot to me that you got to meet him.”
“I’m glad I came.” She was. Another fear—hospitals—faced and conquered.
They rode a taxi back into the Neustadt. “Do you want to do something tonight?” Sebastian asked. He gazed down on her like he was afraid he was asking too much. Eva had made it clear that they needed to take things slow and already in just a few short days, she’d met the family.
But she wanted to see him again. She wasn’t ready to say good-bye for the day. “Okay.”
Sebastian let out a breath like he was surprised, but he didn’t want to scare her by showing it. “What do you feel like doing?”
“Let’s go to the Blue Note.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Now he stood in their living room conversing comfortably with her parents and Eva had to shake her head and grin. She never thought she’d see the day when her mama and papa would approve of her dating Sebastian Weiss.
He was still on house arrest, which meant they couldn’t go far, but the Blue Note was within range and in walking distance. She hadn’t been there in forever. Plus, she had a surprise.
Sebastian rested his arm over her shoulder and opened an umbrella over their heads. Eva leaned into him, carefully navigating the damp sidewalk with her cane.
Sebastian shook the rain off the umbrella before collapsing it as they entered the pub. Maurice greeted them with a hearty hello.
“Thanks again for letting Hollow Fellows rehearse here,” Sebastian said as he shook his hand.
“Hey, it’s not being used in the mornings anyway, so why not.”
He pointed to an empty table in the corner and winked at Eva as she walked by. “So good to see you smiling again, ma Cherie.”
They ordered beer and appetizers and watched as the house band played.
“They’re not bad,” Sebastian said.
“They’d probably die if they could see that you were in the house.”
“Best if I keep in the shadows. It’s been nice being out of the spotlight for a while. I hope to make that last as long as possible.”
The band ended their song and Eva and Sebastian looked up to see Maurice at the mic.
“It’s not open mic night, but the band has agreed to do me a personal favor and allow a friend of mind to come up to do one song. Please welcome Eva Baumann.”
Sebastian gave Eva a confused look.
“Just wait,” is all she said.
The crowd applauded politely as she made her way to the front. She had planned ahead and had her papa deliver her Duncan Africa for her earlier that evening.
“Hello, everyone,” she said as she strapped on her guitar. “Thanks to the band for letting me hi-jack their set. Yes, give it up for the band.” She waved her arm and the audience erupted in appreciative applause.
“This is a new song,” Eva continued. “I hope you like it.”
She stared at the dark corner where she knew Sebastian sat. “This is for you.”
You went out of your way
I went out of my head
I shut you out
You pursued me instead
It took some time
But you knew from the start
I’d open the door
And you’d go straight into my heart
She was tempted to close her eyes, but she kept them steadied on the corner shadow. Pressing through her nerves, she sang out:
Your love is sweet
Just what I need
You have won me over
To my surprise
I realized
You had won me over
You have won me over
Heart to heart
A good head start
And it flew from there
You took me where I’d never been before
Truth for truth
That’s when I fell for you
Love came down
And took me higher
Than I’d been before
Your love is sweet
Just what I need
You have won me over
To my surprise
I realized
You had won me over
You have won me over
The song ended, and a surprised crowd watched Sebastian Weiss jump on stage, carefully remove Eva’s guitar and spin her around.
Eva squealed. “Does that mean you like it?”
He smiled. “I love it. And I love you.” He kissed her, and the room around her disappeared into the brightness of the lights. Somewhere in the peripheral, the audience cheered.
“That’s Sebastian Weiss! Hey, Sebastian!”
She pulled back and laughed. “Your cover’s blown.”
“This…” He kissed her again. “Is worth it.”
Lee Strauss is the author of the Minstrel Series (contemporary romance), the Perception Series (young adult dystopian) and young adult historical fiction. She also writes younger YA fantasy as Elle Strauss.
To hear about new releases, including the Minstrel Series next book Heart & Soul, sign up for Lee’s newsletter.
Find out more at www.leestraussbooks.com.
If you enjoyed reading Flesh & Bone, please consider leaving a review. Reviews are very helpful to Indie authors.
So much gratitude and cheer goes to the team! My beta readers, Angelika and Juanita; my online writing community without whom I’d be toast in a major way including The Indelibles, Dauntless Authors, Club Indie and my Street Team; my editor Marie Jaskulka, my cover designer Steven Novak and my formatter Ali Cross; the musical artists who so graciously jumped on board for this project, Trisha Robins, Andrew Smith, Bryan Steeksma and Joel Strauss; my husband and musician/music producer, Norm Strauss whose talent and proximity to me make The Minstrel Series possible; to the Noble Girls for your ongoing prayer and support, to my parents for holding down the Canadian fort, my kids for being just plain awesome, and to God who carries me through all things.
The Water Song (remake) by Trisha Robins
The Water Song by Andrew Smith
Flesh & Bone (remake) by Trisha Robins and Bryan Steeksma
Beyond My Flesh & Bone by Joel Strauss
Sun & Moon (remake) by Bryan Steeksma
Sun & Moon by Joel Strauss
Won Me Over (remake) by Trisha Robins
Won Me Over (original) by Trisha Robins
Listen to all the songs from The Minstrel Series on Bandcamp
Scan the QR code to hear the songs featured in Sun & Moon as recorded by Canadian Music artists
Trisha Robins and Bryan Steeksma
Want more info and features about The Minstrel Series? Visit TheMinstrelSeries.blogspot.com
Trisha Robins
Andrew Smith
Bryan Steeksma
CDBaby | Facebook
Joel Strauss
www.joelstrauss.com | BandCamp
Young Adult
The Perception Trilogy
Ambition (short story prequel)
Perception (book 1)
Volition (book 2)
Contrition (book 3)
Jars of Clay
Jars of Clay (vol. 1)
Broken Vessels (vol. 2)
Contemporary Romance
East of Eden
The Minstrel Series
Sun & Moon (#1)
Flesh & Bone (#2)
Heart & Soul (#3 – coming soon)
Want more of the Minstrel Series?
Heart & Soul is coming summer of 2014!
She's heartbroken. He's heartless.
Gabriele Baumann-Smith is deliriously in love with her young hu
sband, Lennon.
Except, as it turns out, Lennon Smith isn’t his real name. In fact, he’s full of secrets: a cottage in a southern coastal town of England, an old girlfriend… an identical twin brother.
Callum Jones—not his real name—can’t believe his brother’s widow came to England. He’d warned Mick—Lennon—that an inheritance could put the girl’s life in danger, and he was right.
“Mrs. Smith” is the last thing he needs to worry about right now. She’s beautiful, sure, takes his breath away at times. But when she looks at him who does she see?
Gabriele's heart is battered and bruised. Can one brother fix what the other left behind? And will they live long enough to find out?
Can’t wait to read Heart & Soul?
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Table of Contents
One: The Scars They See
Two: One Year Later
Three: A Shadow and an Echo
Four: Falling Too Deeply
Five: Falling Too Deeply
Six: Heavy Water Pushing Down
Seven: Weightless, Breathless
Eight: Now I am Drowning
Nine: Do Something
Ten: Achingly Beautiful
Eleven: The Water Song
Twelve: The Pull Here Beneath
Thirteen: Someone Like Her
Fourteen: Pretend I’m Not Here
Fifteen: Gabriele's Shadow
Sixteen: Shadows Moving Transience
Seventeen: Bringing Everything I Have
Eighteen: The Certain Uncertainty
Nineteen: It’s Not a Date
Twenty: The Reason I Awakened
Twenty-One: Mystery Girl
Twenty-Two: All I Want To Do Is Find
Twenty-Three: Oh My Heart!
Twenty-Four: Building the Gallows
Twenty-Five: Is It a Good Time to Call?
Twenty-Six: Better Than Great
Twenty-Seven: Reach to the Sky
Twenty-Eight: English Lessons
Twenty-Nine: This is My Boyfriend
Thirty: Falling For Her
Thirty-One: You Scared Me
Thirty-Two: Heart to Heart
Thirty-Three: Truth For Truth
Thirty-Four: The First Test
Thirty-Five: Rumors
Thirty-Six: Come With Me
Thirty-Seven: Suffocation
Thirty-Eight: Just One Word
Thirty-Nine: True Story
Forty: Salzburg
Forty-One: The Roomf
Forty-Two: What Really Happened
Forty-Three: Unremembered Memory
Forty-Four: Six Months Later
Forty-Five: On Campus
Forty-Six: Herr Winkle
Forty-Seven: Imaginary Lint
Forty-Eight: House Arrest
Forty-Nine: Stupid Bad Luck
Fifty: Community Service
Fifty-One: Judas’s Kiss
Fifty-Two: It's Over
Fifty-Three: Black As Winter
Fifty-Four: Forgiveness
Fifty-Five: Straight to My Heart
Fifty-Six: Your Love is Sweet
Fifty-Seven: Your Love is Sweet
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Song Links
Artist Links
Books by Lee Strauss
Want more of the Minstrel Series?