Page 63 of Echoes of a Silent Song

Chapter Twenty-Five

HOW DIDthe concert go?”

The slam of Blair’s car door perfectly punctuated Joy’s question as the two prepared to walk into school together the next morning.

Blair answered with an indecipherable noise.

Joy chuckled.“That good, huh?”

“Well, it wasn’t a total disaster.”Blair clicked the button on her remote to lock her car.“But I wouldn’t call it a success.I screwed up the introduction of the first piece—seriously, I have never missed that before, ever.The whole thing went downhill from there.”

Joy patted Blair’s shoulder.“So you screwed up a measure or two.So what?The rest of the mistakes aren’t your fault.”

“Oh, I’m not blaming myself.Not entirely.”

Joy gave Blair a sidelong glance.“It’s not Callum’s fault either.”

The very mention of the name jolted Blair.It had bounced around her skull most of the night, accompanied by memories of that catastrophe of a concert and that catastrophe of an entirely different sort on the same stage moments later.

She’d kissed him.She’d actually kissed him.

What on earth had she been thinking?

“Everything was under-rehearsed and underprepared because, bottom line, Callum’s repertoire selections were too hard for the kids—which I told him on the first day.And he chose to ignore my advice.So, yes, it is his fault.”

“Maybe he’s stretching them,” Joy said mildly, lifting her tumbler to her lips.

“You’re on his side now?”

Joy gave a flick of her pierced eyebrow.“I’m your best friend, but that doesn’t mean I always have to be on your side.Especially when you’re being closed-minded, stubborn, and unreasonable.”

“I am not being unreasonable,” Blair shot back.“Those kids were terrified onstage.That’s not how concerts are supposed to be.”

“Only if you’ve been singing boring Disney medleys and bad pop mash-ups for the last five years.Which is basically what they’ve been doing.”

Blair whirled to face her friend.“Did Callum get to you before I did this morning?”

“Seriously, Blair, what is up with you?I know you don’t like the guy, but ...”Joy stopped, then her eyes sparkled with mischief.“Except you totally do.”

Yes.She did.Thanks to her uncharacteristic display of throwing caution to the wind last night, Callum knew it too.And now Joy knew.Which meant pretty soon all of Peterson would know, and—

Joy squealed and clapped her hands.“Yay!You finally figured it out!”

“Do not make that noise.And do not smile that smile.Yes, I figured it out, but nothing’s going to happen.”

“Oh, really?Then why are you blushing?”

“Because it’s cold out.”

“It’s not that cold.”Joy’s eyes narrowed, and Blair’s stomach plunged to the sidewalk.“Blair Marie Emerson.Did something already happen with him?”

Blair sighed.“We got in a fight after the concert.And then we wound up kissing.”

“Kissing!”Joy’s cheeks dimpled and turned pink.“So how was it?”“Awful.”

“Nope.Not buying it.There is no way a man who looks like that is a bad kisser.”

“I never said he was a bad kisser.”Bad kisser was the furthest thing from it.He was a great kisser.An amazing kisser.His kissing talent rivaled his talent in everything else, and in a split second she was right back there onstage, with his hands in her hair and his mouth on hers andher body pinned between him and the piano, and that one kiss wasn’t enough, and she wanted more, except she couldn’t allow that, because he was leaving at the end of the year and she’d be right back where she was after Derek.