Page 104 of The Sound of Harmony

“Yes, I’m choosing Kendrick!” Emma shifted the keyboard in her arms but wasn’t willing to put it down. “You’re wrong about him. He’s not like Jonah. He’s not like anyone I’ve ever met. He’s kind and he’s exciting and he listens to me. Even when I don’t tell him things, he understands me. It’s like our hearts are beating the same rhythm. Kendrick has never made me unhappy. Not for one moment. The only thing that’s making me unhappy is trying to be without him. And maybe he’s going to hate my song. Maybe he hates me. Maybe I’m going to get my heart broken all over again. But I’m strong enough to risk that.”

Emma gulped in air. She clamped her teeth together to stop more words from flying out.

Gwendolyn stared at her. Voices passed in the hallway and faded. An apartment door slammed. The neighbor’s dog barked twice and then was silent.

Gwendolyn nodded slowly as tension seeped out of her shoulders and her expression softened. “You really want this,” she said.

“More than I’ve ever wanted anything.” Emma hugged the keyboard. “You’ve always watched out for me, and it’s my favorite thing about you, but you can’t protect me from this. I don’t want you to.”

Gwendolyn took a tentative step toward her. She stood with arms open. “So…” She paused, gathered herself, and continued. “You wrote a song in your car? How does that work?”

Emma let a gust of breath escape her. Her stomach unwound its knot. “Lots of humming,” she said. “I’m going to need some staff paper if I’m going to get it down.”

“And it’s a good song?”

Emma nodded. “So good.”

“I’ll bet it is.” Gwendolyn stepped closer and touched her shoulder. “Who will play this masterpiece of yours? You’re a great songwriter but you haven’t had a piano lesson since eighth grade.”

“I don’t know.” Emma was too excited to think that far ahead. “I’ll cross that bridge later.”

Gwendolyn held up both hands and wiggled her fingers. “You’ve already crossed it and you’re on the other side.”

Emma gasped. “You’d do that for me? You’d play my song?”

“Yes.” Gwendolyn nodded, too fast and too hard, as if convincing herself. “Yes, if you need me to, I will. These last few months you’ve been so grounded and so content. You’re living your best life, and it’s not complete without Kendrick in it. And if you want to write songs again, I think you should.”

“I don’t know about songs, plural,” Emma said. “But I need to write this one.”

“Please write something I can play.”

Emma laughed. Gwendolyn could play anything. “You’re going to love it.”

“I know I am.” Gwendolyn steered her out the door by her shoulders. “Go! Go finish your song. Send it to me when you’re done.”

“Thank you.” Emma gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Love you, weirdo.”

“I’d tell you to make good choices,” Gwendolyn said. “But you already are.”