Chapters (15)
She felt mildly threatened, thoroughly intrigued, and uncomfortably attracted to him. She’d never been skydiving, but she thought it must feel like this. Accelerated heart rate, light stomach, rush of adrenaline, heady exhilaration, and, at the same time, a grim determination not to crash and die.
He was in love, Dave decided. Flat out in love. And he didn’t know what to do about it. He jumped when an alarm went off. “Now what?”
“Damn.” Kate whirled off to the kitchen and thumped her hand down on the clock. “I have a rehearsal. I belong to a chamber music group, and we have a performance this afternoon.”
“You keep busy.”
“This is nothing. I also give lessons. I coach a youth orchestra. I have performances four nights a week. And then I take exercise classes—”
“Sounds like a lot.”
“Behind my back they call me the Formidable Finn. I’m a driven person.”
Dave rocked back on his heels with his hands in his pockets. “Do you like that?”
“Of course I like it. Music is my life. I eat, sleep, and breathe music.”
“Yeah, well, if you don’t do something about a bed, you’re going to be sleeping music on the floor again. With Elsie.”
The upstairs alarm rang out and both of them grimaced.
“Damn! I hate that alarm,” Kate shouted.
Dave sighed. “Listen, you go ahead to your rehearsal. I can take care of this bed stuff.”
“That’s really sweet of you, and I appreciate it—” She was already halfway up the stairs.
“But?”
“But it’s not your problem. I’d feel like I was taking advantage of your friendship.” She slammed the bedroom door. “I have to get dressed!”
He stood in the hallway and stared at the closed door. “So what are you going to do with Elsie?”
“She’ll have to spend one more night in the old people’s home.” There was a full minute of silence. Kate opened the door. “On second thought…”
Dave grinned down at her. “You aren’t afraid of Elsie, are you?”
“Of course I’m afraid of Elsie. Aren’t you?”
“Maybe a little.”
She was back in the gray sweats and powder blue jogging shoes. “I’ll be done in about two hours. We can go shopping then.”
“What time’s your concert?”
“Four,” she shouted, going out the door. When she reached the bottom step, she turned around and ran back into the house.
“Forgot my cello!”