Read ENCORE PERFORMANCE (THE MATCHMAKER TRILOGY) Online
Authors: Bernadette Marie
He emerged an hour later from the mall salon looking
well groomed, he thought. His nerves were still shaky and
his jaw hurt from grinding his teeth when he thought of the
man. He didn’t want to go back to the house in that state of
mind, so he decided to walk around the mall to kill time
before he returned.
He’d been only a moment from pounding his fist into
the face of the man who’d made him so angry. The beergut-and-bar-fight build of the barber guaranteed he’d have
beaten Thomas down, but it didn’t matter. No one deserved
to have children when he treated them like that.
He walked down the mall, looking in windows. He
gave it some thought. Only someone who couldn’t control
his anger would think of sticking his nose where it didn’t
belong and hitting a man over his own family business. He
sucked in a breath. It was only proof that he was no better
than his father. But the cycle would stop with him. He’d
never have a child that he could pass on such a trait to. No,
the anger and abuse stopped with him. It was the least he
could do for humanity.
He continued his walk through the mall. Things had
changed a lot in the eighteen years that he’d been away
from the States. The mall crowd seemed so much younger
than he’d remembered. When had he gotten so old?
There’d been a time he and Sophia would talk about
what they’d missed stateside while living in Europe. There
were stores, restaurants, scenic spots. She’d always kept a
place in Seattle, but he’d never had one except for in Rome.
After a while they didn’t miss anything. Well, she
missed David, he decided. Eventually she left everything to
return to him, as she should have done much earlier in her
career.
He stopped at the food court and bought a hot dog and
soda. Even those standbys tasted so different from the ones
in Rome.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d sat in the food court
watching people pass by him, but it amused him. Everyone
had their own agenda. He recognized the men who were
being dragged through the mall by the woman that was
three steps ahead of them. He recognized the woman on a
mission. He’d seen that same expression on his mother’s
face a time or two. Then there were the teenage girls that
were there to be seen and heard. He wondered if that was
once Carissa.
Thomas tried to imagine her childhood.
He knew she’d showed up on David and Sophia’s
doorstep when she was very young. Sophia left to play with
Pablo after that. He really didn’t know about Carissa at all.
He took a sip of his soda, which had gone flat, and
decided he’d been there longer than he’d thought. He
tossed his trash in the bin and walked down the mall.
He was tempted to buy something to make his room at
Katie’s homey. However, doing so would say he was
laying down roots and he wasn’t sure he could commit to
that. Sure, when Sophia had first called and offered him the
chance to help start the school he’d have bought land and
built a house. Now, after spending a few days with Carissa,
he couldn’t make that kind of statement. Eventually he was
going to break her heart and hurt her. He just hoped he
could convince her to move on from any feelings he knew
she was having before he did just that. Even worse, he was
afraid he’d physically hurt her and that had his stomach tied
in knots, especially after the incident at the barbershop.
He stopped outside a store window because he had to
squeeze his eyes shut. In all his life, he’d never raised his
hand to another human being. More than enough times,
he’d been on the receiving end of it all, but never the
giving. Yet. How far did that have to travel in your blood
before you did it? After all, he’d turned into a raging
alcoholic and almost killed one of his dearest friends.
He sucked in another deep breath and opened his eyes.
Pablo had destroyed his career in Rome for what he’d done
to Pierre, and who could blame him? Sophia’s call had
come at the right time. He’d been without work for a long
time and without Pablo’s support in the music community,
Thomas was just a washed-up pianist. If Pablo could, he
would bury Thomas’s career completely.
“Thomas?” He heard his name called from behind him
and he snapped around to see Sophia and Katie slowly
walking toward him. He adjusted his attitude and put on his
best smile.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Sophia said as she
approached him. “You looked deep in thought.”
“I suppose I was.”
“Are you doing some shopping?”
“Just killing time. Carissa is working, so she loaned me
her car.”
“All the better. She hates being interrupted when she
works. Let’s just say there’s a Jekyll and Hyde personality
that comes out.”
Thomas smiled. He knew others like that. Sophia, for
one.
“So what are your plans for the rest of the day?” she
continued.
“I think I’ll drive around town and get acquainted a bit.
Maybe you could give me directions to the school and I
could stop by and help David.”
Sophia nodded and began to look through her purse for
a pen and a piece of paper.
“I think Carissa and I are going to go to dinner
tonight.” He said it as nonchalantly as he could, but
Sophia’s head snapped up.
“Really?” Her eyes opened wide and a smile slid
across her lips. “I heard she dragged you out for a run to
The Spot for breakfast too.”
“That she did. She runs faster than you ever did.”
Sophia laughed and went back to writing out directions
to the school on the back of a receipt.
“Okay, here are directions from the mall and then
directions back home.”
“You know me too well, dear friend.”
“I hope so.”
Thomas took his instructions, said his good-byes, and
headed back down the mall toward the parking lot.
Katie scanned her granddaughter’s face.
“Sophia, what are you doing?”
“Nothing, Grandma.”
Katie smiled with a shake of her head. “Well, at least I
“I agree. Carissa’s smarter than I am and has a stronger
will. He’ll be either in or out, but by the sounds of it he’s
in.”
“I raised a hopeless romantic.” Katie began pushing
her walker down the mall and Sophia followed, laughing.
“No, Grandma, I’m a hopeful romantic.”
David walked out of the building toting a two-by-four
as Carissa’s car pulled up in front and parked. He was sure
she was there to check up on his progress. She’d already
called three times. When he saw Thomas climb from the
driver’s seat and Carissa wasn’t with him, mild
apprehension rose in his belly.
“Hey.” He gave Thomas a nod as he headed to the
chop saw set up just outside the door and set the board on
the saw’s table. He pulled the pencil from behind his ear
and darkened the line he’d made inside earlier. “Did you
come to offer a hand?”
“Well, I’ll be the first to admit I’m not much of a
handy kind of guy, but I thought I’d come by and see what
I could help out with. Carissa has students all day. I’d just
be in her way.”
David chewed on the inside of his cheek and
considered him with a nod.
“Cutting that board or taking a break?” Jeremy walked
outside and stopped, scanning a look over Thomas. “Oh,
hi.”
“Jeremy, this is Thomas.” David lined up the blade
with the pencil mark.
Jeremy stuck his hand out and Thomas shook it. “So,
are you here to help this loser build this wall?”
“Loser?” David smirked and nodded in Jeremy’s
direction. “You do see the man here covered in saw dust.
He must be a loser too.”
Jeremy gave Thomas a slap on the back. “C’mon
inside. We’ll put you to work.”
David followed them with the board he’d just cut.
Thomas’s voice carried from the back.
“I’m trying to convince her that we need a classroom
for theory.”
David walked to the back of the school where the two
men stood looking at the empty space.
Jeremy’s eyebrows drew together. “Theory?”
David laughed. “Those little black dots on the paper.”
“Smart ass.” Jeremy looked at Thomas. “Notes. I know
what the hell notes are.” He shook his head at David. “Why
does she need a room for that? Aren’t they just learning
how to play?”
“Dear God you have no idea.” David patted Jeremy on
the back. “You’d better stop while you’re ahead.” He
shifted his glance toward Thomas. “As soon as she says she
wants a room for theory, I’ll build it for her.” But not a
second sooner, he thought.
By the time they decided to stop for the day, they’d
erected the partition wall that would separate the parents’
area from the rest of the school. Though Thomas had been
correct about not being handy, David was grateful for the
extra set of hands.
“Thanks for your help,” he called with a wave as he
locked the front door and Thomas climbed into Carissa’s
car and drove away.
Jeremy tossed his tool belt into the back of his pickup.
“So that was Thomas?”
“Yep.”
“Mary Alice talked about him for an hour last night.”
David secured the tailgate of the pickup and let his grip
linger on the metal.
“What did she have to say?”
“Just that they had eyes for each other.”
“Eyes?” His voice shot up in pitch.
“Yep.” He nodded. “Said they didn’t take their eyes off
each other. Laughed easily. Touched.”
“Touched?”
“Christ, you pansy. She’s twenty-five.” Jeremy
laughed as he walked toward the driver’s door and pulled it
open. “Left her alone in that house with that man, and
you’re scatterbrained if you think they’re just smiling at
each other.” Jeremy laughed and David backed away from
the back of the truck as he pulled away.
David walked to his car and thought of them earlier
that morning at breakfast. They did look very comfortable
together. He shook his head. He wasn’t quite ready to think
about his little girl getting involved with anyone. Especially
the man she was living with, as Jeremy had so thoughtfully
reminded him. He knew too well that those rooms weren’t
quite far enough apart in the house once had been a
boarding house with rules, but was now just a home shared
by a healthy young man, David’s attractive daughter, and
an old woman who had done her share of matchmaking.
David moved in behind Sophia as she folded the sheets
from the basket of laundry perched on the kitchen table and
placed a kiss on her neck. She leaned in against him with a
sigh.
“Carissa just called. They’ll both be here tomorrow for
dinner.”
“How’s Thomas settling in?”
“Pretty well. She said they were going to dinner
tonight. I think she’s taken him under her wing already.
And I do believe they’re a little smitten with each other.”
She confirmed what Jeremy had said to him with a wide
smile.
“Sophie, I don’t know about this. I don’t even know
this guy.” In an attempt to keep his composure and his
hands calm, he reached into the basket, pulled out a
pillowcase, and folded it.
“David, I wouldn’t have called him if I thought he’d
bring harm to Carissa or wasn’t good for the school. I want
this to succeed for her. It’s what she’s always wanted.”
“I just don’t like you putting my daughter out there
like this.” He saw her wince and wished he could retract the
words.
“
Our
daughter,” she corrected him with narrowed eyes.
She might as well have punched him in the gut. “And I
wouldn’t have done anything to harm her in any way. You
should know that better than anyone.”
David laid the pillowcase on the table and walked back
around behind his wife. He slipped his arms around her
waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.
“I know. It’s just that when Carissa takes on a project
she dives in. She doesn’t take her time to see things through
and to be patient.”
“You think she’ll fall in love too fast?”
“Fall in love?” His temper was rising as he moved
away from his wife and paced the kitchen. “You
did
plan
this out.” He wiped his sweating hands on the sides of his
pants. “You already have her married off.” He flung his
hands into the air. “What the hell happens if she falls in
love with him and he doesn’t with her? What then? They
still have to work together. You moved the man over here
from Rome and he has nothing. If this doesn’t work out
maybe you’ve ruined
his
life.”
Sophia stood before him, her jaw dropped. “I don’t
want her to waste years of her life. I wasted three years
thinking your proposal was enough, but not accepting it. I
wasted another ten trying to figure out my life and here you
were waiting.”
“I wasn’t waiting. I was raising Carissa,” he reminded
her.
“Then you should know she’s smarter than both of us.”
She dropped the folded sheets into the basket. “I love them
both. Carissa
is
my daughter. Thomas
is
my friend. They
are two of the most talented people on this planet and by
God if they’ve already found each other that’s great. If
they’re not interested, they won’t think a thing about it.
Dammit, David, don’t shut the door on her. She’s been in
love before and had it fall apart. She’s not going to break.
“So I introduced her to a wonderful man who I think
the world of. What’s wrong with that? I knew two old
ladies that did the same thing once. Imagine that
conversation. ‘I have a granddaughter . . . I have a
nephew
.
’” She blew out her breath as he watched her
gather her composure and the basket of laundry. Without
another word she walked out of the kitchen.
Carissa spun into the kitchen, making a grand entrance.
She’d wiggled into a pair of dark jeans and accented them
with a pair of high heels. The low-cut red blouse
immediately had Thomas’s attention, she noticed. She’d
fastened the Saint Nicholas pendent her mother had given
her around her neck and it dangled between her breasts.
“I’m ready.”
“You look beautiful.” He stood from his seat at the
table, making a visible effort not to let his gaze dip lower
than her face.
“Thank you.” She slipped on her jacket. “Katie, will
you be all right? Do you need anything?”
“Just for the two of you to get out of here so I can turn
on the television and enjoy my peaceful night.”
“We’ll be home around ten. Call my cell phone if you
need anything.”
“Go. You hover more than your father, do you know
that?” Katie stood and reached for her walker.
“Yeah, well, I was taught by the best.”
“Yes you were, now go.”
Carissa led the way out the back door and Thomas
pulled the door shut behind them.
“She doesn’t like to be fussed over, does she?”
“Yes she does, she just doesn’t want you to think she
does. If she didn’t like it, she would have moved to a
retirement home years ago and gone chasing some old man.
As it is she was glad to have Aunt Millie around and now
she’s glad to have me around.”
Thomas opened the door for her. His cologne tickled
her feminine senses. He was cleanly shaven, well dressed,
and God, he was handsome. The shorter haircut made him
look even more virile, if that were possible.
Carissa stood there a moment and looked into his eyes.
“You know what would start this
date
off right?”
“What would that be?”
She reached her hand behind his neck and brought his
head toward her. “If we start with a kiss.”