ENCORE PERFORMANCE (THE MATCHMAKER TRILOGY) (11 page)

She batted back tears that wanted to fall. She believed
him, even though she didn’t want to. At that moment, it
would be easier to just walk away and pretend none of it
meant anything. But that would be a lie.

Oh, who was she kidding? She had wanted to sleep
with him since the moment their eyes locked that first time.
She took out her cello and arranged herself in the chair.
She closed her eyes and began to play and drown the world
and its truths away for a while.
When she emerged from the study she could smell
breakfast, but he hadn’t come to get her. She felt the anger
brewing in her belly again.
He’d probably left, just like he had when they’d fought
at her parents’ house. He wasn’t up to the battle, or the
confrontation. It would be his loss. She wasn’t stewing
anymore. She could handle what he had to say now. Wasn’t
it just like him to . . .
When she turned the corner into the kitchen, her
mother was sitting with Thomas at the table. Each held a
mug of coffee with one hand, and their other hands grasped
together in the center of the table. Smiles permeated their
lips. They were so comfortable together. Wouldn’t that be
nice? To fall in love with a man her mother was so fond of.
She shook the thought from her head. Fall in love—
that wasn’t even an option at the moment.
Thomas gazed up at her.
“That was beautiful.”
“Thank you. I thought you were going to come get
me.” She moved toward the coffeepot and poured a cup.
“I was too busy listening.” His eyes were soft, like
they’d been when she’d lain in his arms.
Sophia laughed. “He was so busy listening to you, he
burned breakfast.”
Thomas shrugged. “Sophia saved me.” He lifted his
coffee mug to toast her.
“I’ll make you some breakfast.” She stood and began
to busy herself making breakfast for Carissa. “I was talking
to Principal Parsons the other day. They’ve just replaced
the piano in the school and I asked him if there was
anything wrong with the other. His answer was, ‘Mrs.
Murphy.’” She looked over at Thomas. “She’s the music
teacher and she’s horrible. But he said he’d sell us the
piano for a good price.”
Carissa’s mouth gaped open.
“Mom, that would be great. I was afraid we’d have to
take the one from the study.”
“No. That’s Millie’s and it stays here.” Sophia added
sternly and Carissa nodded.
“I’d be happy to have a look at it if you’d like.”
Thomas offered.
Sophia set the eggs on the counter. “I think that would
be wonderful.” She cracked an egg into the skillet and let it
sizzle a moment before cracking another. “Thomas, I was
thinking it would be really nice if you could go with
Carissa to Chicago too.”
Carissa watched him think about the proposition too
hard. He bit his lip and his eyes shifted to his coffee. The
anger from before reappeared and she set her jaw.
“Really, if there’s a problem . . .”
“No.” He looked up at her. “No problem.” He lifted his
mug to his lips, but it didn't hide his eyes. Carissa knew
Chicago had something to do with the nightmare he’d had
last night.
Whatever had happened to Thomas, it had happened in
Chicago.

Carissa backed the car out of the driveway and started
down the street toward the school.
Thomas adjusted in his seat and turned toward her.
“Does your mother come around like that often?”
With a smile, Carissa nodded. “Yes, on Monday
mornings she usually stops by and has coffee with Katie
and me.” The words began to catch in her throat when she
realized Katie hadn’t been there to be part of it this
morning.
Thomas laid his hand on hers as it rested on the
gearshift.
“She’s going to be okay.”
“I know.” She sniffed back her tears. “It’s just not the
same without her in the house. My whole life has been
taking care of her and Millie.”
The tears weren’t stopping. She pulled the car to the
side of the road with a jerking stop.
Thomas lifted her hand to his lips and gave it a gentle
kiss.
“Why did you choose that?”
“What?” She wiped at her eyes.
“Why would a young woman choose to stay and take
care of two elderly women instead of auditioning for the
symphony or touring or recording?”
“You sound like you’re accusing me.” Though she
wasn’t sure of what exactly.
“Well, maybe I am. Why didn’t you do more with your
life?”
“I do plenty with my life.” The tears were beginning to
dry up and anger was beginning to stir in her.
“What have you done?”
“Who are you to ask me?”
“I’m the man whose arms you woke up in this
morning,” he said as if she needed reminding.
She gasped. Was that enough to make demands on
her? He seemed to think so.
“I’ll have you know I went to college.”
“Okay, where did you live when you went to college?”
He’d crossed his arms over his chest, and the smug look on
his face pissed her off.
“I went to Missouri State.”
“That wasn’t my question. Where did you live,
Carissa?”
“What does it matter?”
“It’s the question at hand.”
“Fine. I lived on campus for one semester then I lived
with Millie and Katie.”
His lips thinned into a smile and she felt hers tighten.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You are afraid of moving on.” His smile widened.
“Go to hell, Thomas.”
“Whatever, but you are so afraid of letting go of what
you have here it’s only held you back.”
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!”
She shifted in her seat, checked her mirrors, and shifted the
car into drive.
“Oh, I know plenty.” He leaned back against the seat,
his arms still crossed over his chest.

He’d run away when it had all gotten too hard for him.
She, on the other hand, chose the comforts of home and it
had probably cost her what could have been a very nice
career as a professional musician. He didn’t belittle what
she did. Teaching others music was wonderful and he
himself would be doing that same thing come four o’clock.
But he’d been a professional musician playing to sold-out
crowds and he knew talent. Carissa Kendal had more talent
than most of the performers he knew. He’d almost venture
to say she rivaled Sophia and with the right venue would
surpass her.

There wasn’t another word until they stopped in front
of the school. Carissa took the keys from the ignition and
turned to him.

“What about this?” She pointed out the window.
“What about the school? Do you think that’s doing
nothing?”

“No.”
“After all, big, professional musician, where are you
working? Why did you move halfway across the world to
come
here
and work?”
“I’ve made a name for myself, Carissa.”
“Sure, then why aren’t you in Europe now?” She
watched him shift his gaze out the window and his tongue
skimmed over his teeth. He was uncomfortable talking
about it. It was painfully obvious. “There’s something
there. Don’t sit here and accuse me when you have a secret
you’re holding on to.”
“Why do you think that?” He turned his head back to
her with a snap.
“You wouldn’t talk about your dream. You haven’t
told me why you were so anxious to move back to the
States, giving up all that
professionalism.
And this morning
when my mother mentioned you going to Chicago with me,
I thought you were going to run.”
“Well, you’ve done a lot of observation in the past few
days too, haven’t you?”
“You said you wanted to get to know me. I guess I
want to get to know you too.”
“Fair enough.” He let the air simmer between them.
“Let’s take it one day at a time. You give me a little and I’ll
give you a little.” Which was a lot, he decided.
How long could he remain in her good graces before
she kicked him to the curb when she found out about his
father, his sister, and his nearly killing Pierre?

The drive home from visiting Katie at the hospital was
silent. Katie hadn’t been too talkative and Thomas knew
that Katie’s weakened state was wearing on Carissa. Katie
was nervous about moving into an assisted living home,
though she thought by being so damn pleasant about it all
she wasn’t letting on. Katie wasn’t the only one pretending.
He’d spent almost twenty minutes alone with her when
Carissa had gone to find the restroom; when she’d returned,
Thomas was sure she’d been crying.

Carissa laid her purse by the stairs when they walked
through the front door of the house.
“I’m going to take a shower. My first student will be
here at three thirty and yours at three forty-five.” She
sucked in a ragged breath and rubbed her eyes, tired and
red from the crying she’d eminently denied. “I can teach in
the living room and you can use the study. Tomorrow we’ll
move the piano.”
She turned and walked up the stairs, leaving him alone
watching her disappear down the hall. Sophia had said
Carissa was afraid of losing people. Millie had died and
that had done its part of scaring her away from doing more
adventurous things than teaching out of the study of her
house. He knew what it was to lose someone so important
to you. If he could only tap into his own feelings, he could
share with her what he knew of living for the moment and
then moving on. But that was the coward in him that had
him running to Italy in the first place. He’d never dealt with
the loss of his sister, or his family. How could he help
prepare Carissa and give her any kind of emotional support
when he couldn’t even face talking about his family?

By three fifteen Carissa had moved her few items into
the living room to begin her lesson. Thomas walked into
the room with a bouquet of daises in his hands and a smile
crossed her lips when she saw him.

“Mr. Samuel, what are you doing?”
“Well, Ms. Kendal, it appeared to me that you could
use a little pick-me-up. My mother always liked daises for
that.” He moved toward her and she stood, taking the daises
in her arms.
“They’re beautiful, Thomas.” She shifted her eyes to
his.
He brought his hand to her cheek and caressed it
gently. “You deserve to always be happy.”
She wanted to speak. She wanted to say something
witty and charming, but all of her words were stuck behind
the lump in her throat and the tears that were stinging her
eyes.
He lingered his gaze and then shifted it to the window.
“Well, I see your student just pulled up. Let me put
those in water and they’ll be waiting for you.”
“Thank you, Thomas.” Her words finally found their
way out.
He stared out of the room and then turned back to her.
“Oh, I wanted to ask, does this student of mine have any
playing experience?”
She tucked her lips between her teeth to keep her smile
from taking over. “She just chose her instrument, but she
does have a lot of theory under her belt. That should please
you.” He smiled with a nod. “I think you’ll be amazed at
what she knows when she gets here.”
He nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.
Thomas made quick work of the lesson plans that
Carissa kept for the piano. He knew where he would start
and he knew just how to proceed. He could hear the sharp
and flat notes of a whining violin from the other room.
Normally the sound would’ve made him wince. But
knowing Carissa was just out of view, sharing her love of
music with a child gave the unmelodious tones a poignancy
that made him smile.
He heard tapping at the door and hurried to answer it
before it disrupted Carissa and her young student.
A little face, framed in blonde hair, smiled up at him.
He chuckled. “Miss Hope Kendal, are you my student?”
“Yep. Mom let me choose the piano as my
instrument,” she said, holding Sophia’s hand and absolutely
beaming.
“Okay, then. Go wash your hands and dry them well.
Then meet me in the study,” he instructed.
“Wash my hands?” She was on her way to the
bathroom as she looked back at him.
“You never touch a beautiful piano with dirty hands.”
He watched Sophia turn to compose herself as she coughed
back a laugh.
“Thank you, Thomas. I don’t know why she changed
her mind. She kept telling me she was going to play the
cello too, but then you arrived and now it’s the piano.”
“She might change her mind again,” he assured her in
a whisper as he closed the door.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll stay during her lesson, but in
Katie’s room. I need to pack up some of her things to take
to the center so she feels more at home.”
He touched her arm gently. “I think that would mean a
lot to her.”
Hope bounded back down the hall. “Okay, I’m ready.”
She flexed her fingers, causing Thomas to laugh as he laid
a finger to his lips to remind her to be quiet while Carissa
was teaching.
Hope nodded. “Are you staying, Mom?” she
whispered.
“I’ll be in Katie’s room. I know the rules. No parents
allowed.”

She gave them a wave and walked toward the kitchen
to get a glass of water before diving into her grandmother’s
things.

When Sophia walked into the kitchen, she saw the
daisies and smiled. He was falling in love with her
daughter. She could feel it. Warmth spread through her.
She’d known when she’d called him that it was the right
choice. Thomas Samuel would never hurt someone he
loved. He’d fight every battle to keep her safe and happy.
Carissa still needed that. She needed someone to make her
feel welcome, wanted, and loved. She’d been hopeful that
someone would be Thomas.

Sophia filled her glass and sipped slowly. Even after
all the years she’d been blessed to be Carissa’s mother, she
knew her daughter still strived to keep hold of everything
and everyone she held dear. Sophia shook her head,
thinking about what the first seven years of her life must
have been like while Mandy still had custody of her. She
was in and out of strangers’ houses while her mother was
stoned and passed out somewhere. To not know where your
mother was half the time and to have her lie to you about
your own father was unconceivable to Sophia.

It hadn’t been easy to win Carissa’s love. She was a
threat to Carissa and always had been. There were so many
times she’d wished she’d stayed and asked questions, but
her damn pride had kept her away for ten years—missing
the man she loved and losing out on Carissa’s childhood.