Page 41 of The Payback Adventure
As the music continued to play, so did she. Not once did she open her eyes. She sat with such grace. Her elbows up and out, her thumbs up, and her fingers curved. Her feet pressed make-believe pedals. He wondered what she thought about, what she imagined as she played.
The song ended.
Elisabeth rose from the couch and bowed.
Henry clapped. A little too enthusiastically before he caught himself.
Too late.
The light on the end table next to her turned on.
Whoa. He’d forgotten about the clapper.
Elisabeth’s eyelids sprang open. Her eyes sparkled. Her cheeks flushed. “What are you doing up?”
“I couldn’t sleep.” He climbed down the rest of the stairs. “I heard music and wanted to see what was going on.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. It was worth getting up to see you play.”
“I wasn’t playing, only pretending.” She sounded embarrassed.
“Or practicing?” he offered.
The color on her cheeks deepened. She sat on the couch.
He sat next to her. “I didn’t know you were a musician.”
“I’m not,” she said quickly. “I mean, I used to be. But not any longer.”
“You seem to enjoy it.”
“It’s okay.” She clasped her hands together. “I started playing when I was six. An older woman in town asked my father if she could teach me. I think she felt sorry for us because my mother had died.”
“Why did you stop playing?”
“No time. Plus, no reason to keep at it. Berry Patch doesn’t have an orchestra. There are weddings and wineries, but it’s easier to use a folk harp for those gigs. You could do it with a pedal harp, too, but it’s not as easy to cart around.”
Her answers sounded too rehearsed. Too much like excuses. Had she used them to justify not playing the harp? He would hate it if that were true.
“Where’s your harp?” he asked.
A muscle clenched in her jaw. “I…I sold it.”
“Why?”
“We needed the money.” She sighed. “The Deere broke down right before harvest two years ago. The Suburban needed an overhaul. A hundred other things.” The light in her eyes dimmed.
Henry wanted to bring it back. “Elisabeth—”
“It’s no big deal. Really.” She spoke quickly as if trying to convince herself. “It’s not as if I was going to make a career out of playing the harp and travel the world performing with all the great orchestras.”
“Was that your dream?”
“Yes. I mean, once it was.” She tilted her chin. “Not now.”
She might think so, but Henry wasn’t convinced. “There’s nothing wrong with dreams.”
