Page 36 of Echoes of a Silent Song

“Morning, Blair.”Callum strode into the office, a smile on his face and his own Teddy’s coffee cup in hand.

Callum.

Cal.

“Morning.”She held up her coffee.“Is this ...did you ...are you Cal?”

He grimaced.“I’ve never gone by Cal, not once in my life, nor will I ever.Teddy’s was busy this morning, so the girl behind the counter must not have heard me correctly.”

“But this is ...”

“Your standard morning order?Yes.Joy told me what you like.”He pulled out his desk chair, looking very pleased with himself.

Joy told him?Did Joy volunteer that information?Did she put Callum up to this in an effort to get Blair to like him?Or had heaskedher?And if he had, why?

“Thank you,” she said.“Truly.I didn’t sleep well last night, so this is very, very necessary.”She took her first sip and closed her eyes in bliss.“And delicious.”

“Glad you like it.”His voice had gone soft.“Plus, I figured I owed you one from a few weeks back.”

She lowered the cup and smiled at him.“Oh, that was just ...it was nothing.”

“Maybe not.”He met her gaze and matched her smile.“But it was something to me.”

Blair settled into her chair and took another sip.“You’re in an alarmingly good mood this morning.You have been for ...several mornings, actually.”

“That idea I got a couple weeks ago actually turned into something.”

“So that composer’s block is a thing of the past now?”

He angled his chair toward hers and leaned back.“I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I will say that this is the furthest I’ve gotten since ...well, since Rayne died.Feels good to make progress.”

Genuine happiness bloomed in her heart.“I’ll bet it does.I’m glad for you.”

“Thanks.My agent will be too, when I tell him.”Callum’s smile widened.“Glad for himself too, of course.”

Her happiness vanished as quickly as it had come.The man who currently shared the office wasn’t really a teacher.She had to remind herself of that.Oh sure, he had a teaching certificate and an education degree, but his heart lay elsewhere.He’d only come here to get back on his feet, and once he did that, he’d vanish in a puff of smoke, just like all the others had.

But this impending departure hit different.It felt less like irritation, less like the resignation of having to start over yet again with the umpteenth new director, and more like ...sadness.Genuine sadness.

Was she actually going to misshim?

Oh, surely not.

“And I have you to thank for it,” Callum was saying.

She blinked.“Me?”

“My idea came when you were saying goodbye to the kids that day.”He leaned forward in his chair, his words tumbling out in a rush of enthusiasm.“They’re crazy about you, Blair.They adore you.And I—I could feel it.I envied it, frankly.And that love you all share turned into a melody, and that melody turned into more.”

Those green eyes stared into hers so deeply she wondered if he could see her soul.She felt exposed, but not in an unpleasant way.He’d seen beyond her piano skills to her passion for the job, and not only had he admired that, he’d also been inspired by it.

Had she ever inspired anyone to do anything before?

“Wow.”She sounded breathy, like a teen girl staring at her crush.She cleared her throat.“Really?”

“Really.”His voice was a caress, almost as though he’d reached out and covered the scant few feet between them.She felt the same as if he’d touched her ...but what would it be like if he actually did?If one of those strong, capable hands brushed her arm?Her shoulder?

And gah, he was still watching her, but now he seemed curious—amused, even—and she had to say something.