Flesh & Bone: An Inspirational Contemporary Romance (A Guitar Girl Romance Book 2)

by Hope Franke

  “Pass the butter, please, Eva,” Papa said. Eva pinned her smile on and handed the dish to her father. Her eyes grazed over Gabriele and Lennon who’d joined them for the occasion. Lennon was a handsome attraction to the family. And a nice guy, Eva thought. Gabriele was the luckiest girl on earth. She didn’t have to worry about Lennon lying and keeping huge secrets from her.

  “How’s work?” Papa asked him while passing the basket of buns.

  Lennon worked at a small IT company. He was pretty tight-lipped about it, saying no more than it was boring computer work, so no one was exactly sure what it was he did there.

  “Good,” Lennon said. He selected a bun covered with poppy seeds. After a short lull in the conversation he offered, “I’m grateful for steady work in this economy.”

  “Don’t you miss England, though?” Eva asked. “Do you think you and Gabriele will move there one day?”

  Lennon shook his head. “There’s nothing left for me there.” He patted Gabriele on the knee. “Everything important to me now is here in Germany.”

  “Are you still enjoying your studies?” Lennon asked Eva, changing the subject.

  Eva nodded, smile firmly in place. “Oh, yes.”

  A flash of concern swept over Gabriele’s face before she returned Eva’s smile. “We’re so glad things have worked out for you. And that song—”

  Eva flicked her hand, her eyes widening slightly as she rushed to stop her sister from going there. “It’s nothing. My life is so full of other things. Terrific other things.”

  She heard her mother clear her throat. The new Eva was an improved Eva. Mama made sure no one rocked the boat. “How’s your job search going, Gabi?” Mama asked.

  Gabriele’s English and International Studies degree had yet to land her a job. “I have an interview on Tuesday.” Eva smiled and showed concern in all the right places.

  “Eva,” Papa said, “Can you play for the soup kitchen service on Sunday?”

  Papa always asked and Eva always agreed. “Of course.”

  Eva helped with cleaning up and made pleasant conversation when it was necessary. She was determined to be the perfect daughter, the perfect sister.

  Also, the perfect student. “I have a lot of studying to do,” she said lightly. “Good night, everyone.”

  She disappeared down the hall and into the room she no longer had to share. She eased onto her bed, propping the pillows up behind her back and let out a thick breath. Keeping up her cheerful, carefree façade was exhausting. A knock on the door forced her to snap back to the happy child. Gabriele stuck her head in.

  “Hey.”

  Eva cocked her head. “Hey?”

  “Is everything all right? You just seem…”

  Eva kept her expression soft. “Seem?”

  “Different.”

  “I thought that was what you wanted.” Eva didn’t bother reminding Gabriele of all the times she lectured her to face her fears and get on with her life. That was what she was doing.

  Gabriele’s shoulders sagged. “I want you to be happy, Eva. That’s all.”

  “I am happy, Gabi.”

  “You’d tell me if anything was wrong.”

  Eva pushed back her discomfort. Gabriele was too discerning and Eva had to be more careful around her. Eva smiled brighter. “Of course.” She brushed imaginary lint off her arm while adding, “And I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

  Sebastian had been escorted to his flat at 23:00 in order to avoid public attention. He managed to stay under the media radar for three days before a small contingent began camping outside his door. The warehouse was outside of his permitted six-block radius so the band had to meet at his flat. Tonight would be the first time they would be gathered together in one spot since his arrest.

  Sebastian tidied the place up. Washed dishes. Swept the floor. It was odd to be home. After six months of never being alone, he appreciated the quiet. But he also felt lonely. He glanced out the window again and watched the small group of fans. It was cold outside, which limited the size. Not many had the stamina to wait more than an hour at a time and Sebastian was glad for that.

  “Just go away,” he muttered. Fortunately, there was a back way out of his building, through the courtyard, and if Sebastian waited until after dark he could make it to the corner store or pizza place to get food when he was hungry. He wore a pair of reading glasses and a wool cap along with a thick winter coat to further his disguise. So far it had worked. He hadn’t been recognized.

  He spent most of his time alone playing his guitar. He hadn’t played since the summer and he was rusty. The tips of his fingers were soft and pink like a baby’s. He pushed through the discomfort. He had to get back in shape.

  The buzzer sounded, and he let the boys in. There was an awkward reunion of handshaking and back-patting. Karl cautiously extended his hand and Sebastian gave it a quick, professional shake.

  “It’s good to see you in a friendlier environment,” Dirk said.

  “It’s good to be home,” Sebastian admitted.

  He offered beer and put out a bowl of chips. “So,” he began. “What’d I miss?”

  “We’ve been doing small venues without you,” Karl said. He kept his expression flat, but Sebastian suspected that he had enjoyed not having to share the spotlight.

  “Great,” Sebastian offered.

  “We know you can’t leave the Neustadt, but hey,” Dirk said with a grin, “the Neustadt is the best place to play anyway. I can book a concert in a different venue every other week. I guarantee it will sell out each time because it’s the only place your fans can come to see you. Plus, everyone is dying of curiosity.”

  Sebastian shrugged. “I suppose. The fans have been great. Who am I to deprive them of what they want? The only thing is I’m outta practice. And we can’t rehearse here. My neighbors would complain. Loudly.”

  “Dirk’s already looked after that,” Markus said. “The Blue Note.”

  “Maurice will let us rehearse there?” Sebastian asked. “Isn’t he busy running a business?”

  Dirk answered with a grin. “The Blue Note is closed in the mornings. You can meet from eight to ten.”

  Nothing like jumping back into the raging river feet first. “Fine. But I have community service from eleven to five, five days a week. Starting tomorrow.

  Dirk reached over and slapped him on the back. “You’ll be a busy boy.”

  Sebastian nodded. “That I will.” He was glad of it. It would make his sentence go by faster and give him less time to think and stew.

  Now that the business end of things was worked out, an uncomfortable break in conversation settled in the room. Markus answered a call on his phone. Dirk messed around with his tablet, supposedly updating their calendar and responding to emails.

  Karl tapped his knees with his fingers. “I should probably tell you that Yvonne and I broke up.”

  “Oh.” Good. Now he didn’t have to worry about dealing with her. She’d tried to visit him when he was in prison, but he’d declined her request.

  “And I want to say sorry,” Karl continued. “I was a jerk.”

  “Yeah, you were,” Sebastian said. Then he smiled. No sense hanging on to grudges. Karl had actually done him a favor, even if he was a selfish idiot. “Hey, it’s the past. Let’s move on.”

  The next day’s rehearsal just proved that they needed to keep rehearsing, but it felt really good to be back at music and to play hard and loud. Sebastian hadn’t lost himself in anything like that in ages, and he almost lost track of time.

  “Man!” Sebastian unstrapped his guitar. “I have to get going.”

  “Go,” Karl said. “We’ll clean up.”

  Sebastian threw on his heavy black jacket and matching wool cap. He wrapped his grey, knit scarf around his neck, covering half his face. It made for a good disguise along with its practical usefulness to block the bitter wind. He broke into a jog, dodging other pedestrians in a hurry to get to their destinations and out of the win
tery weather. The crisp air froze his lungs and focused his mind, not on where he was going, but on the fact that he needed to get there on time.

  With only a minute to spare he turned the corner onto Alaunstrasse, almost slipping on a patch of ice, and arrived, just as the graffiti-covered metal outer blinds were rising. Herr Baumann stared at him with a solemn expression from the other side of the glass.

  Sebastian figured the guy regretted agreeing to this assignment, but it was too late now for either of them to change their minds. Sebastian would be working at the soup kitchen for the next three months.

  Herr Baumann opened the door and growled, “Come in before you freeze to death.”

  Sebastian entered, clicking the door shut and the cold with it. He pulled off his gloves and cap and waited. Herr Baumann pointed to a closet at the end of the hall. “You can hang your things here.”

  Sebastian did as instructed and followed the quiet man to the kitchen. So there’d be no small talk. No welcome speech. Not that Sebastian expected any of that. Frau Baumann was there when they entered, with her hands in a deep, stainless steel sink. She glanced at Sebastian and frowned, then turned her attention back to the sink, like the dirty pots soaking in it held immense fascination.

  “Thanks for agreeing to have me,” Sebastian offered.

  Herr Baumann grunted. “Don’t give us a reason to regret it.” He pointed to his wife. “You can start by relieving Frau Baumann of dish duty. Everything but the larger pots can be run through the dishwasher. I’ll instruct you on how to do that later. You do know how to wash pots?”

  Sebastian nodded. He’d done his fair share of kitchen work at the prison.

  Frau Baumann dried her reddened hands on a tea towel and made room for Sebastian. He rolled up his sleeves and thrust his hands into the hot, sudsy water.

  Sebastian heard Frau Baumann say in a low voice behind him. “This is a mistake.”

  “Perhaps, perhaps not,” Herr Baumann mumbled back. “Time will tell.”

  Sebastian wondered why they had agreed to this situation if they were both so obviously uncertain about his working there. Maybe Eva had convinced them to take him on? The thought that she’d rallied in his favor gave him hope, and he returned to his task with vigor.

  Another woman joined them as they prepared the soup. Frau Vogel was a stout, red-faced woman in her fifties. She glared at Sebastian when she spotted him and rolled her eyes. Sebastian certainly didn’t have any fans here. He could only hope to win their good graces by working hard. He scrubbed potatoes and carrots, peeled and cubed them and added them to the pot of broth. He chopped onions until his eyes burned and tears dribbled down his face. He wiped down the tables and chairs and welcomed the hungry indoors from the cold with a friendly hello.

  He noticed Herr Baumann watching him and thought he caught a hint of approval in his eyes. Progress.

  Sebastian wondered if Eva would arrive in time to play guitar, but he was disappointed when a middle-aged man Herr Baumann called Jörg took a spot on the small stage and picked up the instrument. The room was now full of what Sebastian imagined were homeless or at least unemployed—men, women and a couple of children. They waited respectfully as the man played, and not that well, Sebastian couldn’t help but notice. Most of them joined in, familiar with the words of the songs that were meant for God’s ears. They didn’t seem to care that the guy’s playing and singing were below par.

  Herr Baumann took a few minutes to share from the Bible. Interestingly, his theme of the day was forgiveness. “Reading from Matthew 18:21-22,” Herr Baumann began. “Then Peter came and said to Him, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’”

  Sebastian studied the man as he read. His full face was tense, his eyelids heavy, his lips tugged down. His eyes darted briefly to Sebastian and back to the open book in his hand. He sighed. “I don’t think I need to elaborate,” Herr Baumann said. He lowered his head and said grace for the meal to come.

  No one there seemed to put it together that it was alternative-rock sensation Sebastian Weiss of Hollow Fellows who worked quietly around them. This would be the last place people would expect a guy like him to be. He kept his gaze averted most of the time, just in case.

  Afterward, when everyone had cleared out, Sebastian cleared tables and ran dirty dishes through the washer according to Herr Baumann’s clipped instructions. The words spoken in the kitchen between Sebastian and the others were few, but at least by the end of the shift, the animosity toward him had tempered.

  The last task of the day was to sweep the floors. His back was turned to the door when he felt a whoosh of cold air come with the person who entered.

  He turned and the girl froze, her mouth falling open.

  Eva.

  Sebastian had longed to see her for over half a year and now here she was only meters away. Her hair was longer, hanging loosely under a winter hat. She wore tights under a knee-length dress and high tie-up boots Her cheeks and nose were rosy from the cold. Sebastian’s heart flipped. She was adorable and vulnerable and it took everything in him not to drop the broom, throw himself at her and kiss her face.

  “Hello,” he said softly.

  Eva’s eyelashes flickered. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m working off my community service.”

  “H-here?” she stammered.

  “You didn’t know?”

  Her mouth flattened into a straight line and she leaned on her cane as she walked purposefully to the kitchen at the back. “Papa!” she called.

  Sebastian rubbed the back of his neck. Eva was obviously surprised by his presence. And unhappy about it.

  Eva stood in front of the mirror in one of the many campus washrooms. She washed her hands while watching Annette apply peach-colored lipstick.

  “Are you going to wash your hands right off?” Annette asked Eva’s reflection.

  Eva paused and turned off the tap. She found it difficult to concentrate on the simplest tasks. “I just can’t believe he’s working in the soup kitchen.” She shook her head sharply. “My father knew he was coming and didn’t say anything to me.”

  “You’ve mentioned.”

  “He could do his community service anywhere. Why did the judge appoint him to us? Stupid bad luck? Did he think it a form of poetic justice?”

  “My bet is on Sebastian.”

  “Shh!” Eva didn’t permit Annette to speak his name.

  “Eva, really. I’m sorry it upsets you, but maybe it’s time you cut the guy some slack.”

  Eva’s mouth dropped open, and she considered her friend with disbelief. “Look at me.” Eva waved her cane in the air with one hand and swept the other along her body. “He did this to me.”

  “Eva, it was an accident. And he panicked. It could’ve happened to anyone.”

  “Well, it didn’t happen to anyone,” she said sharply. “It happened to me.”

  Eva squeezed her eyes closed, wishing she could just make this whole thing go away. She wished she’d never met Sebastian Weiss. Despite the act she put on, she wasn’t over him and she hadn’t spent one second truly free of him. He dominated her dreams at night and lingered on the edge of her consciousness during the day. He was always there when she tried to write music. The very act of playing guitar with a pen in reach thrust her back to their writing sessions together. To her first kiss.

  It wasn’t fair.

  “You don’t know what it’s like,” she whispered, barely concealing the anger that constantly simmered under the surface. “You don’t know what it’s like to have something taken from you. To cope with chronic pain. You don’t know what it’s like to be truly afraid.”

  “Maybe I don’t, Eva. But my life isn’t perfect, either. And there are a lot of people in the world who have it harder than you. I just think it’s time you stopped playing the victim.”

  Annette’s ac
cusations were a slap in the face. And for the first time since Eva’s return to the university, Annette left her alone to fend for herself. Eva gripped the edge of the counter and breathed in deeply, pushing back the jagged pain of betrayal she felt. The chatter from a group of girls entering the room interrupted her, and she carefully attached her smile before turning to them.

  “Hi, Eva,” they said, looking stunned to catch the object of so much gossip alone.

  Eva nodded hello and gripped her cane as she reached for the door. One of the girls held it open for her.

  “Thanks,” Eva said. She headed down the busy hallway to her next class, working hard at minimizing her limp, pushing down at the pain.

  She almost made it without bumping into anyone. Her shoulder pressed into a toned chest. “I’m sorry,” she said, looking up.

  Xavier grinned down at her with straight white teeth. His eyes sparkled as he took her in. “No, it was me. I wasn’t paying attention.”

  Eva couldn’t help but return a smile. Annette was right. Xavier was very attractive. “Not a problem.” She heard the flirtatious lilt in her voice as she cocked her head and stared back brazenly. “At all.”

  Each day at the soup kitchen for Sebastian was pretty much a copy of his first day, with the exception of Eva’s appearance. Sebastian hadn’t caught a glimpse of her once since she’d been surprised by his assignment. She obviously despised him. Her rejection settled in his chest like a soggy sandbag. But, even if Eva wouldn’t forgive him, he would still try to make amends with her parents. He’d put them through hell as well, and though he couldn’t change what he’d done, he could make sure they knew he was sorry for it.

  At the moment, he focused on cleaning and chopping up the five-kilo bag of carrots in front of him. Frau Baumann and Frau Vogel chatted in a friendly manner on the opposite side of the kitchen. They’d either gotten used to him being around or had decided to just act like he wasn’t there. Either way, Sebastian was fine with it. At least they weren’t stabbing him with sharp glares anymore.