“Okay, good. We’re going to start with a few warm up exercises.” Alaina straightened her posture and they started to sing together. Jackie was a fast learner, and she copied Alaina’s voice right down to the vibrato width and speed.
Alaina checked the time, wanting to stay, but she had rehearsal in thirty minutes, and she didn’t want to cut it as close as last time. “Work on those exercises and I’ll see you next week for your next lesson, okay?”
Jackie nodded. She picked up her backpack and walked to the door. As Alaina packed up, the girl turned back around. “Why are you doing this?” Suspicion weighed her voice, as though she thought Alaina was dishing out pity lessons to fulfill some sort of volunteer obligation.
Guilt pricked the hairs on Alaina’s neck. She had started this job because Altez had forced her to, but now she enjoyed it. These lessons were not part of her original contract. She’d decided to put in the extra time on her own.
Alaina met her gaze. “Because I believe in you.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Pearl
Brett stood on the steps of the Met feeling as though he’d shed his disguise. Dressed in a brown pull over sweater and jeans, he looked more like his true self and less like the man he was supposed to be. What else would you wear to a mountain lodge? Certainly not the tux that lay in the garment bag across his suitcase on the sidewalk- another gift from Mrs. DeBarr. He’d brought it just in case they went to a formal dinner.
“Lance DeBarr? I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Brett turned around and silently cursed. Bianca stood a step above him smiling like she’d caught him with his pants down. Maybe meeting at the Met was a bad idea.
She looked him up and down. “You certainly didn’t come from the office.”
“I had today off.” Why did she look so suspicious? Had she overheard his conversation by the elevator? Or seen him on the construction site? As much as he tried to convince himself otherwise, she still reminded him of a cat with a mouse between its paws.
“You lucky man.” She stepped down to the same level. “What brings you to my neck of the woods?”
Ironically, there were no “woods” to speak of anywhere near the building. “I’m meeting Alaina.”
A sour look passed her face before she wiped it off. “Oh how sweet. Are you two going on another date?”
That was none of her business. But, the truth might shoe her away. “As a matter of fact, we are.”
Another sour look crossed her face, this one even worse, like she’d drunk sewage water. “What did she have to pay this time?”
“Absolutely nothing at all.” Alaina climbed the steps to meet them. She looked stunning in black skinny jeans and a red blazer the color of her hair. She reached Brett and threaded her arm through his. The faint scent of roses aroused his senses.
Brett breathed in relief, although standing between the two of them wasn’t much better then standing alone with Bianca. The air turned tense as they shot daggers at one another with their eyes.
“I didn’t think we had a rehearsal today.” Alaina gave Bianca a suspicious look.
Bianca put her hand on her hip. “We didn’t. I was just meeting with a few members of the cast to go over some harmonies.”
Alaina tensed, her grip squeezing Brett’s arm. “I wasn’t invited.”
“I know.” Bianca smiled. “We didn’t need you. Besides, aren’t you doing charity work during the day, blessing kids with your presence?”
“I teach them music.” Alaina’s voice had a growly edge to it.
“I bet you do.” Bianca turned to Brett. “I’m thinking of investing some money in the stock market, and I know you’d be the best person to turn to. Let me know when you have some free time.”
Brett resisted the urge to squirm. “I’m sure I can help you sometime.”
“Good.” Bianca started down the steps. “You two have fun.”
Once she was out of earshot, Brett turned to Alaina. “For a minute there, I thought she was coming with us!”
Alaina laughed. “Not in a million years.”
Below them, Bianca got into a cab and drove off. Brett wasn’t sorry to see her leave, and he wasn’t the only one. “What’s the problem between you two?”
Alaina winced. “You noticed?”
“It’s hard not to.”
She sighed. “Honestly, I have no idea. She didn’t seem to like me from the start. Back in our Julliard days, I beat her in a few singing competitions and I guess she never got over it. She didn’t think I deserved to win.”
“Why not?”
Alaina shrugged, looking sexy in her red blazer as the wind played with strands of her hair. “Because I was rich and had everything she wanted? I don’t know.”
“You should talk to her about it.” Brett couldn’t help but step in. People always danced in circles around the truth, and it drove him nuts. Why not just say what you’re thinking and be done with it?
Thick, sticky guilt rolled over him. Take some of your own advice, man.
Alaina glanced away toward where Bianca’s cab had disappeared. “I’d never thought of that. Do you always take the straightforward approach?”
He scratched his head, feeling like the biggest hypocrite to ever walk those steps. “I try.” If only he could in this case. But, if he did, would he be standing here taking a tour of the opera house, or would she have passed him by on the street without a second look?
He changed the subject. “You look lovely.”
“Thanks. You’re looking very outdoorsy. I like it.”
“More than the tux?”
Alaina sucked her lower lip as she thought about her answer. She nodded slowly, examining him as though he were a fine painting. “I think I do. For some reason, this look seems more natural to you. You’re less tense.”
“Good.” A ray of hope shone through his heart. That’s what he normally looked like. Maybe she’d like the real him after all.
They walked into the lobby. The decorations from the cocktail party had been taken down, but the place didn’t seem any less grand. The chandeliers dangled above them in golden starbursts of light, and the red carpets reminded him of the glamor of Hollywood. How she could get up on stage and sing her heart out in a place like this, he had no idea. Alaina had guts.
“This you’ve already seen.” She smiled as if thinking back to their first meeting.
He nodded. How could he forget? He’d met her over by the red carpeted staircase. Never had tea sounded so good.
“But what you haven’t seen is the best part.” She took his arm and led him into the main theater.
Brett craned his neck, surrounded by balcony after balcony of red seats separated by gold railings. He had the same feeling of vastness that came over him when he stood at the bottom of a great valley, looking up at the highest mountain peaks. The majesty made him feel small in a good way, like there was more to life than paving sidewalks.
Alaina twirled around and spread her arms. Her love for the opera house shone in her sparkling green eyes. It was like seeing someone inside their dream. “It contains three thousand eight hundred seats and one hundred and seventy-five standing room places.”
“Very impressive.” Brett rested his hand on the top of one of the seats. “Have you always wanted to sing here?”
“Have I wanted anything else?” She walked down the rows of chairs toward the stage. I first sat in this audience when I was twelve. My parents took me to see The Marriage of Figaro.” She pointed up to the farthest balcony. “We sat all the way up there.”
Brett moved closer to her and leaned in, trying to see where she pointed to. “Must have made quite an impression.”
Alaina’s gaze grew distant, as if she was thinking back. “One of the sopranos stood beneath me on the edge of the stage wearing a beautiful gown in the style of the eighteenth century- you know the ones with the frilly sleeves?”
Brett shrugged. He was not an expert on any women’s apparel in an
y century.
“Anyway, her voice was so strong and so pure. It called to me like nothing else had. I felt the pain and joy even though I didn’t understand the words. I wanted to be her, standing on that stage and giving people the experience of the story.”
Brett pictured the little girl Alaina in the balcony, dreaming about the future. He pulled her toward him, impressed she saw her dream all the way through. “And here you are today.”
Alaina glanced away, suddenly shy. “I had a lot of help from my parents and my teachers.”
“Yes, but it’s you that has to stand up there and sing.” He laughed to himself. “I’d rather crawl in sewage water than sing in public. It takes guts.”
Alaina ran her finger down his cheek to his chin. “It takes guts to work in the stock market. Give me music over numbers any day.”
Brett pulled away. She admired him for something he didn’t even do. If only he could tell her the truth. Every time he lied, a dagger stuck deeper into his gut.
Alaina followed him. “Are you living your dream as well?”
He turned and froze. This time he would tell her the truth, even if it didn’t fit in his Lance persona. He braced himself on a seat, placing both hands on the rim. “I was until the fire took everything away.”
Compassion crossed her beautiful face. “You mean the cabin in the woods?”
Brett nodded, agony crashing through him as he tightened his grip.
She touched his arm. “I’m so sorry.”
He shrugged, pushing away the pain threatening to overwhelm him. Why had he brought this up? “What’s done is done.”
Alaina stepped toward him and caught his gaze. “You should build another cabin.” She spoke with such certainty, as though it were the only way to heal.
“I hadn’t thought of that before.” He couldn’t bring his parents back. But, could he rebuild in their memory? What good would it do? The cabin would never have his mother’s embroidery on the windowsills, or his father’s wood sculptures on the walls.
“I could help you.” She smiled sheepishly, looking too cute for him to be angry at her suggestion. “If you need it, of course. I don’t know much about architecture, but I could help design the inside.”
Brett imagined building another cabin, this time with Alaina’s help. It was a ridiculous offer. They hardly knew each other, yet here she was looking like she meant every word of it.
He tried to wrap his mind around the idea. Build another cabin? Nothing could recapture what he’d had. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t find another home with someone else. Maybe. Even though a year had gone by, the ache was still raw in his heart. When he dug deeper, a sliver of hope glimmered there as well, like a pearl that had survived the fire; one single white orb in dark ash and soot.
He met Alaina’s gaze. “Someday I might take you up on your offer.”
“I hope you do.” She stared right back at him, unmoving. The air between them thickened with unspoken promises.
The door to the theater opened behind them, and a young woman dressed as a flamingo jogged down the aisle.
Brett blinked in surprise. “What the…?”
“She’s from the production.” Alaina smiled and took his arm. “Come on, our limo is waiting.”
***
Alaina buckled herself in and watched the mob of people walking on the sidewalk as the limo pulled away from the Met. Sightseers with cameras around their necks, businessmen in crisp suits, old ladies walking their white, fluffy dogs, and teenagers dressed in hoodies and frayed jeans hurried down the street. So many people, and in this chaotic mess she’d found Lance.
He’d grown silent after their conversation about his cabin. He’d opened up more than he’d done on their first date, and she’d finally learned a kernel of truth about the real Lance. Something about that cabin claimed his heart, and if she wanted to be in there somewhere, than she’d have to find out what exactly it was.
But not right now. She’d pressed a little too far when she’d offered to help him build a new cabin. The words had flown from her mouth without thought, straight from her heart. All she’d wanted to do was help him, but you can’t always replace something lost with a shiny brand new one.
When she was seven, her cat, Issy became sick, and her father had to take him to the vet to ‘go to sleep.’ She’d said goodbye, kissing his furry head with tears running down her cheeks. She couldn’t eat anything the whole day, and at night, she stared at his empty bed, some of his hairs still there.
The next week, her dad brought home a tiny kitten with the same mottled brown and black hair. At first, she hated it. That kitten couldn’t replace Issy. She wouldn’t let it sleep in Issy’s bed, and her parents had to buy a new one. It took Alaina months to grow to love it in a different way.
That was exactly what she’d done to Lance. She’d offered him a replacement kitten. He seemed to take it better than she had at seven years old, but still, she could see the battle clashing in his stormy dark eyes.
And his suggestion about talking with Bianca? That had smacked her right in the face. She’d never thought of confronting her. But, the idea grew on her the more she considered it. Lance wasn’t the type of guy to dance around issues. He didn’t waste time, and he got things done. Maybe that’s what she needed to do with Bianca to put a stop to her sabotage.
“Have you ever been to northern New Hampshire?” Lance had shifted in his seat so his back was turned toward the window and his full attention fell on her.
“No. It’s not exactly a bustling cultural center.”
He laughed. “Is that your prerogative for visiting cities?”
“It was.” She made a point to sound serious. “I think I’ve been a little bit of a snob. But I’m realizing there’s more to a place than its opera house. I like trying new things with you.”
“I like that.” He smiled for the first time since he’d seen her on the steps. “It means a lot to me.”
“Me, too.” Alaina reached across the seat and placed her hand over his. This guy was too good to be true. Not only was he sexy, smart, and laid back, he also spoke his mind. Besides his butt, she liked his blunt honesty the most.
The scenery changed from paved city streets to endless forest stretching out in all directions. Gold, red, burnt amber, and yellow leaves caught the rays of the setting sun. It was hard to think that the serenity of these places existed just hours outside of the bustle of New York.
When they reached New Hampshire, they passed quaint towns with white chapels, golden fields and classic old barns. A year ago, she’d thumb her nose at a drive through Nowhere-Ville. But, now, she couldn’t think of being anywhere else.
The limo pulled off the highway for gas and they drove by a few old, colonial homes with covered porches and shuttered windows. Red wood peeked through the foliage. At first she thought it was another barn, but the wood hung suspended above thin air.
“Is that a covered bridge?” Alaina pointed out the window as the limo pulled up to a gas station.
“It is.” Lance unbuckled his seat belt. “Come on, let’s check it out.”
Before she could protest, he’d circled the vehicle and opened her door.
Alaina stepped out hesitantly. “But, I don’t think the driver means to be here long.”
Lance took her hand. “Trust me. He won’t leave without us.”
Hand in hand, they jogged across the main road to a smaller dirt road leading to the bridge. A brook weaved through a valley, separating a copse of trees from a field with a rusting, antique Chevrolet covered in yellow leaves.
Just hours ago, she stood on the steps of the Met, and now here she was in the middle of nowhere, on a covered bridge with Lance.
Wooden beams crisscrossed above them as their steps echoed on the suspended wood. The planks were uneven, each one beautiful in a unique way with the swirly patterns of the aging wood. Nail heads as thick as quarters held the planks together.
Lance walked to the middle of t
he bridge and spread his arms. “What do you think?”
She shook her head, feeling as though she finally noticed and appreciated things that surrounded her all her life. “I can’t believe I never thought to leave the city and go exploring. I guess I didn’t think it was worth my time.”
Lance’s face grew serious. “And is it now?”
She walked toward the edge and gazed out the crisscrossing weave work where the brook trailed off in the distance. She ran her fingertips over the rough wood. “I always felt like the city was everything. If you wanted to be someone, then that’s where you had to stay. If I left New York, even for a few days, all my hard work and sacrifice would slip through my fingers.”
She turned back to Lance. The fading sunset trickling through the cracks in the wood brought out the chestnut highlights in his dark hair. He looked gorgeous.
The truth hit Alaina in the gut. “Right now I can’t think of being anywhere else.”
Lance closed the distance between them in three bold steps. He placed his hand under her chin and brought his face down to hers. He kissed her without hesitation, his lips pressed firmly against hers in unabashed passion.
Alaina kissed him back, smoothing her hands around the back of his head and his neck. His boldness awakened desire deep within her. She loved a man who knew what he wanted, and he made her feel like no man had ever wanted her more.
He pulled back and gasped for breath before kissing her again and again on her top lip, her bottom lip, the side of her mouth.
Want surged inside her. She needed to be closer. They had too many layers of clothes.
“Ah-hem.”
They broke the kiss, turning toward the opening of the bridge. The limo driver stood with his hands on his hips, an admonishing look on his face.
Alaina cringed back, embarrassed. Her own driver would have waited patiently by the limo. Firing him back in Italy was the worst decision she’d ever made.
The driver checked his watch. “I take it you want to reach the hotel by nightfall?”
“Of course.” Lance threaded his arm through hers. He turned toward her as if they’d just ended a pleasant conversation. “Shall we?”
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