They all knew who she was and what she did for a living. Perhaps that's why Kate had brought the information up.
But the women were kind and gracious and did not push.
"We probably should get back to the book. We're not doing it justice. I was definitely convicted over the prayer, and I do believe that's probably the most powerful moment in the book, but the half haircut made me chuckle for a really long time." Grace was grateful to Aunt Vivian for changing the subject. She wasn’t ready to put herself out there again just yet.
The other ladies started to laugh. "I can imagine my husband walking out of the barbershop with half his hair chopped off. That was hilarious."
"The romance was really sweet too. It wasn't too much, but it was just enough to make your heart flutter a little."
The ladies kept talking, and Grace listened in. But, in the back of her head, she was still thinking. Could she? Could she get the kids together and attempt having a concert?
She'd never done anything like that. She'd participated in plenty of them, and she had taken classes on conducting. She could probably get music. She had connections, and she also had her own abilities. She could rewrite music to make it simpler if necessary. Or transpose according to the instruments they had.
But she didn't say anything, and the book club broke up after two hours.
"If you don't mind, I'm gonna take a quick walk," Grace said to Aunt Vivian after they had cleared the living room and done the dishes.
"I don't mind at all. I was on my way to take a shower, but I'll be back down in the living room in a little while."
"I'll meet you there." They smiled at each other, and Grace again got the idea that Aunt Vivian was lonely. She seemed happy for the company anyway.
Putting her coat on and pulling her purple hat down over her forehead and ears, she shoved her hands in her mittens, wrapped her scarf around her neck, and walked outside.
It wasn't as bitterly cold as she'd expected, even though the sun had gone down, taking its minimal warmth with it.
She walked along the street, thinking, trying to keep her mind off of the idea of the band concert, but she found herself crossing the street and heading over to the music shop. She wanted to be like a child and stick her nose on the glass and peek inside, but she didn't. Instead, she stood there, and in the quiet, she heard the most beautiful violin music drifting through the cool night air.
It wasn't anything she recognized, although there were plenty of symphonies where she didn't know every single part of every single instrument. Still, this sounded like a melody, and one she should know, except she didn't.
As her eyes got used to the dark, she realized Noah stood inside, his back toward her, a small light behind the counter casting a glow up on his face that she'd missed because of the glare on the window from the Christmas lights behind her.
It was even more obvious when he stopped playing, bent over, jotted something down, and then began to play again. He played with so much beauty and emotion, his tone so clear and pure, but he was clearly playing for himself and not for any kind of performance. But... When he stopped again and jotted something else down, and then went in a different direction, she had to wonder...was he writing his own music?
Almost as though he finally felt her eyes on him, he turned, still playing, and looked out the window.
For a brief, frozen second, their eyes met. His music stopped mid-note, and he was obviously embarrassed.
Grace was embarrassed to have embarrassed him and to have been caught staring and putting her nose in his business.
She mouthed "sorry" before she jerked back away from the window and hurried away.
For the first time since she'd come to town, she prayed for God to show her what He wanted from her, instead of her begging God to do what she wanted.
Lord, is there a reason for me being here? Is there a reason for everything that I'm experiencing? Do you have some kind of plan that I'm not aware of? Is it for those children who need a band concert instructor?She paused, and then she gathered herself and said, "Please, Lord, show me what you want, and then give me the courage to do it."
Chapter 10
Tuesday morning, Noah sat behind the counter, his laptop open, inventory up, when the bell over the door rang, and a man he did not recognize walked in.
As a music store in Mistletoe Meadows, he occasionally got people from the surrounding countryside who were looking for a music store but didn't want to make the two-hour drive to a larger city, and would stop in here first.
Whatever he didn't have, he could order, but usually what they wanted was advice and his thoughts. After all, whatever they wanted, they could also order now. It didn't used to be that way, and while it was better for the consumer, most likely, it had certainly hit his pocketbook hard.
Still, he dispensed his advice as liberally as he could, hoping that he was giving the best advice possible.
But this man... There was something about him that made Noah think that he wasn't here to purchase anything or to ask for advice.
"Noah Parker, I presume?" the man said, holding out his hand.
