as some women would be.”
Despite the aching hole in his heart, he smiled. “Gee, thanks.”
“I live to be helpful. What else?”
The next one was hard to admit. He sucked in a breath. “Do you know who she is? She’s famous and rich. I’m a contractor. I do well. I have a successful business, but what do I have to offer her that she can’t buy herself?”
Nicole slugged him in the arm. She didn’t come close to hurting him, but she’d never hit him before.
“What?” he asked.
“It’s not about stuff, you idiot. It’s never about stuff. Why can’t guys get that? Stuff is usually a substitute we accept when we can’t get what we really want.”
“What do you really want?”
He noticed she didn’t have to think about the answer. Were women born knowing this kind of thing, or did they come up with it as they got older?
“We want to matter,” she said. “We want to be the most important part of your world. We want to know you’d be lost without us, that you ache when we’re gone and count the hours until we’re back. We’ll give you forever, if you just make us believe that.”
That was a lot, Wyatt thought. More than a simple “I love you.” It was about giving of himself, opening up to the possibility of handing her everything and still having her walk away. It scared the crap out of him.
“Is it too late?” he asked, not wanting to hear the answer, but knowing he had to.
Nicole sighed. “I should tell you it is, because you handled most of this pretty badly. But Claire loves you and I love her, so I’ll tell you the truth. No, it’s not. You can still win her. But don’t expect me to tell you how. I’ve already given too much away.”
Amy ran into the room. She saw Nicole and squealed with delight. “You’re here!” They embraced, then his daughter slid onto his lap and hugged him. “Hi, Daddy,” she signed.
There was so much affection and trust in her eyes. He could still pick her up and toss her in the air and she only laughed. It never occurred to her he could drop her or hurt her in any way. Because he never had and he never would. He would give his life for hers a thousand times over. She was his world.
Which is exactly what Claire wanted. To be his world. His everything. The woman of his dreams.
She was that and more. The problem was going to be convincing her.
CLAIRE ADJUSTED the headphones she wore before every performance. She did her best to get lost in the music, lost in the sounds and nuances of the piece. All around her, stagehands spoke into walkie-talkies, making sure the lighting was perfect, the stage cleared of everything but her piano, the curtains ready to open. Someone yelled that it was three minutes. She heard that much, then tuned out the rest of it.
She felt the presence of others. Lisa hovered in the background, ready to take the headphones from her, trying not to look nervous. While the performance was for charity, it was a big deal for both of them. It would be the first time Claire had played in public since she’d totally lost it in the early spring and had to be helped off the stage.
Clair opened her eyes. She could see the piano from where she stood. She imagined herself there, the crowd beyond.
Some had come to support the cause. Others were there because they’d heard what had happened before and wanted to know if she had lost it. But most wanted to hear her play. They wanted the gift that flowed from her freak hands.
She looked at her fingers and smiled, knowing she wouldn’t change anything about herself, even if she could. She was exactly what she needed to be.
“Are you all right?” Lisa asked. “Should I not say anything?”
Claire took off the headphones and handed them to her. “I’m fine. Nervous, but in a good way. It’s anticipation, not fear.”
Which was almost the truth. Fear was there, nibbling on the edges of her consciousness, but she ignored it. She knew the music. That was easy. She’d survived the morning rush at the Keyes Bakery. Now
She heard the announcer begin to speak and touched Lisa’s arm. “Thanks for not giving up on me.”
“How could I?”
Life was nothing if not ironic. She and her manager had finally become friends, just when they were going to be working less together.
Claire waited until the curtain began to lift, then she walked to the edge of the stage and out to the center. She paused in front of the piano and faced the large crowd.
There were more people than she’d expected…a sea of expectant faces. The applause washed over her.
She drew in a deep breath, then another. She was nervous, but in a way that would give her an edge to help her do her best. There was no terror, no chest-crushing fear. A sense of contentment, of pride, filled her.
She was about to turn to sit when she saw someone wave at her. She stared into the crowd and recognized Amy. To the girl’s left stood Wyatt. Their eyes met and he smiled at her.
She felt her heart stumble a beat. Her breath got stuck and her whole body trembled. Wyatt? Here?
He was tall and handsome in a black tux, looking as polished as the rest of the crowd. As if he belonged in the city instead of back home in Seattle.
What was he doing here? Had he come to hear her play? Why hadn’t he called?
She wanted to rush into the audience and have him hold her. She wanted him to sweep her away and never let her go. She wanted to know why he’d come to her performance.
Then she remembered the other four hundred plus people who had paid to hear her play. She bowed once and walked to the piano, then sat down.
The concert hall went still. She could feel the expectation filling the space. She put her hands on the keys and began to play.
The music was familiar-an old friend who greeted her with a perfect combination of notes. The ebb and flow of the piece filled her body, then spilled out, transporting her to another plane where there was only amazing beauty in the form of sound.
She forgot about the crowd, she forgot to be nervous. She had found herself again, in this place. It was as it had always been.
No, it was different, she thought in a small corner of her mind. Better. More connected. It was as if by loving, by opening herself to the possibilities, the pain and the hope, she’d become one with the universe.
She was aware of Wyatt, of his watchful attention. She felt only support, though, and it gave her energy and focus. She moved her body as she played, allowing herself to give everything, and when she touched that very last key, she was drained as she had never been before.
There was silence at the end, as there had been at the beginning, but this was different. She looked up and saw amazement in their faces. It was as if she’d managed to stun even the most seasoned patron. As one, the audience rose to their feet and applauded. They screamed her name. A few wiped away tears.
She stood, her exhausted legs trembling to keep her upright. Satisfaction and pride filled her. She smiled and bowed.
As she rose, she met Wyatt’s gaze and saw something there. Need. Maybe even hope and she allowed herself to believe anything was possible.
“OH, MY GOD!” LISA CRIED as the curtains closed for the fourth and final time. “That was amazing. I’ve never heard you play like that. People are going to be talking about this performance for weeks. Whatever you did out there in Seattle worked.”
Claire smiled. “Apparently I really needed a vacation.”
“It’s more than that. You’ve changed as an artist. You’re more…” Her manager frowned. “I want to say mature, but that’s not the right word. You’ve found something inside of yourself that was never there before. You’re one with the music.”
“Thank you.”
Lisa sighed. “Ah, they come. Your adoring public. I’ll do my best to keep away the crazies.”
Claire turned to greet those who had the inside track to getting backstage. She remembered enough names to make a good impression and appreciated all the kind words, but her attention was elsewhere, wondering when she
