“Ick, you’re all wet,” she said, stepping back.
He giggled.
“Come on back and you can have some milk and cookies and I’ll dry your shirt in the dryer.”
It was bittersweet watching him practice for the last time. She’d never thought she’d enjoy teaching so much. She was as proud of him as she would have been of her own mastering of a difficult piece.
Teresa Ann showed up and the two children squabbled and practiced and both asked her to stay and never go away.
Angelica hugged them both when they left, promising to meet them at the festival. She and Teresa Ann were going to be backstage when Sam played.
Kirk came over after the children left. She was going to miss him even more than the children. She didn’t want to think about that. Despite her earlier assertion, she’d fallen big time for this man.
And he’d never even hinted she should stay.
“Want to go for a ride?” he asked.
“Sure.”
The last few days were hard to live through. She was saving up memories like mad. She didn’t want to forget a single moment of her wonderful summer.
A short time later they were flying along the quiet country road, wind seeping beneath the helmet, warm and humid. Clouds built in the west. Another storm? Or would it blow north of them? The green trees sped by, and the air was fragrant, rich and moist.
Angelica hugged Kirk, relishing the feel of him against her, wishing they could ride like this forever.
She’d never forget her summer in Smoky Hollow.
Would she come back?
It might be too hard to see Kirk again once she was used to not being with him. Better for her state of mind to focus on where to go next and not yearn for the impossible.
She had the tour in Europe, another season with the symphony. Other concerts.
Somehow the future didn’t look as exciting as it once had.
It was dusk when they returned. Rumblings in the distance signaled the storm was heading their way. Would they lose power like the last time?
He drove up to his house and stopped.
“Come in and eat with me,” he invited. “Or we could go to the diner.”
“Don’t you think it’s going to rain soon? Probably safer to stay here.”
They prepared the meal together, she making the salad and setting the table, Kirk grilling two steaks and corn on the cob. From time to time, Angelica stopped working to look at him. Once he turned his head and caught her gaze.
He cocked an eyebrow in silent question, but she merely shook her head and resumed her task, not wanting him to know she was memorizing every move he made to remember forever.
“Nervous about tomorrow?” he asked when they were eating.
“Not so much. I’ve done this a lot. Not this song or to this audience. I’m more concerned about Sam. He’s practiced so hard. I want him to do well.”
“He’ll do fine. No one will expect virtuoso level from him. This is his first time and he’s only eight.”
However they would expect a virtuoso level from her. She sometimes wished she played for fun and not as a career. Could she enjoy it more, be more forgiving of mistakes?
“When are you leaving?” Kirk asked, studying the iced tea in his glass.
She waited until he raised his gaze to hers.
