Page 32 of Stolen Harmony

“Hey, Sofia,” he said, pulling up a chair next to her. “How are you doing?”

“I don't think I'm very good at this,” she said quietly.

“You haven't tried yet. How can you know if you're good at it?”

“The other kids already know how to play chords. I don't know anything.”

Elias was quiet for a moment, then set his guitar aside and held out his hand. “Can I see your guitar for a second?”

Sofia handed it over reluctantly. Elias turned it around so he was holding it backwards, the neck pointing away from him, strings facing the floor.

“Now I'm going to try to play you a song,” he said solemnly.

He started strumming, producing a sound like someonetorturing a cat. The other kids started giggling, and even Sofia cracked a smile.

“Hmm,” Elias said, frowning at the guitar like it was malfunctioning. “That doesn't sound right. Maybe if I try this way?”

He flipped the guitar upside down and tried again, creating an even worse noise. Now all the kids were laughing, including Sofia.

“I think your guitar might be broken,” he told her seriously. “Unless... wait a minute.”

He turned the guitar around the right way and played a simple, pretty melody. “There we go. I think the problem was user error.”

“You were holding it wrong on purpose,” Sofia said, grinning now.

“Maybe. But the point is, everybody starts somewhere. And everybody sounds terrible at first. Even me.” He handed the guitar back to her. “Want to try holding it the right way and see what happens?”

Sofia nodded, positioning the guitar the way she'd watched the other kids do it. Elias showed her where to put her fingers for a simple chord, then sat back while she tried it.

The sound was rough, her fingers not quite in the right position, but she'd made music. Her face lit up like she'd just discovered fire.

“That was perfect,” Elias said. “Want to try it again?”

For the next twenty minutes, I watched him work with each kid individually while somehow keeping the whole group engaged. He was patient in a way that seemed effortless, encouraging without being condescending, and genuinely excited about every small breakthrough. When Emma finally managed to switch between two chords without stopping,he high-fived her like she'd just won a Grammy. When Mark played through an entire progression without a mistake, Elias whooped loud enough to make the other kids applaud.

And when Sofia, the quiet girl who'd been afraid to try, managed to strum along with the group for a simple song, the smile on Elias's face was so pure and proud that it hit me like a physical force.

This was who he was when he wasn't being careful around me. When he wasn't measuring every word and worrying about overstepping boundaries or saying the wrong thing. This was Elias in his element, doing what he loved, being exactly the person my mother had fallen in love with.

And fuck me, but I was starting to understand why.

The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. This wasn't just about recognizing that he was a good guy, or appreciating that he'd made my mother happy. This was attraction. Real, honest, physical attraction to a man who was kind and talented and patient and who smelled like coffee and something that was uniquely him.

A man who had been married to my mother.

My stomach lurched, but not entirely from guilt. There was want there too, sitting heavy and warm in my chest, and that was almost worse than the guilt.

“Alright, everyone,” Elias said, glancing at the clock on the wall. “We've got about ten more minutes. Anyone want to play the dinosaur song?”

The kids cheered, and Elias launched into a simple, silly song about a T-Rex who couldn't play guitar because his arms were too short. The kids joined in on the chorus, their voices high and enthusiastic, not caring that they weren't all in the same key.

I should leave. I should go back to the gym, finishmy workout, and get out of here before he noticed me lurking in the hallway like some kind of stalker.

But then Emma, the little girl he'd been helping with her chord changes, raised her hand.

“Mr. Grant? Are you going to play at the talent show?”

“I wasn't planning on it,” Elias said. “The talent show is for you guys to show off what you've learned.”