Page 52 of Passion’s Song

“Linsey, do you mind sticking around for just a bit?” April asked.

Once the class had cleared out, April took the girl by the hand and sat her down in one of the chairs that had just been vacated.

“How confident are you in your abilities?” April asked her.

The teen hunched her shoulders. “I don’t know. I think I do okay.”

Just as April suspected. She wasn’t confident at all.

“Well, I think you have the potential to be an excellent cellist,” April said. “And, because of that, I’d like you to perform a solo in the piece that we play for the groundbreaking.”

“But we don’t even know what we’re going to perform yet.”

“Don’t worry,” April said. “I’m going to make sure it’s something with a solo.” She looked the young girl in the eyes, hoping that if she saw the conviction in April’s gaze it would instill some confidence in her. “You have potential. And you have a fire in you. It’s the same kind of fire I used to see in myself. I don’t want you to lose that.”

Linsey shook her head. “I won’t.”

“Now, if you’re going to perform a solo that means you’ll have to practice even more than the others will. You’ll have to practice at home.”

Linsey’s eyes narrowed with confusion. “But I thought we couldn’t take the instruments home?”

“No, you can’t take these instruments,” April said. “But I have an extra cello.”

Her eyes grew saucer-wide. “You’re going to let me have your cello?”

“Borrow,” April said with a laugh. “Yes, I will let you borrow my cello. I’ll bring it to your house this weekend.”

“Thank you!” Linsey said with more enthusiasm than April had ever witnessed from her. She leaned forward as if she was going to hug her, but then pulled back.

“Thank you,” Linsey said again. “Really, thanks a lot.”

“You’re welcome,” April answered. Her throat grew tight as she watched the girl walk out of the classroom. She could only hope that she would come to believe in herself as much as April believed in her.

As she straightened up the classroom, her cell phone rang. Damien’s name popped up on the screen.

“Hi,” April answered. “I thought you had an all-day meeting?”

“I do,” he said. “But I need a huge favor. I need you to come somewhere with me tonight.”

April shook her head, even though he couldn’t see her through the phone. “I can’t tonight,” she said.

“April, please, this is important.”

“I can’t. I have a job tonight,” she said. “I’m playing for a gala at the New Orleans Museum of Art.”

Damien’s relieved chuckle came through the phone.

“That’s perfect,” he said. “The gala at NOMA is where I wanted to take you.”

“Seriously?” She laughed. “How lucky can one guy get?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. Maybe we’ll get an answer to that one tonight.”

April’s skin flushed. Thank goodness they weren’t using video chat.

“Tonight is a work night for me,” she reminded him.

“The work portion won’t last all night,” he said. “What time do you have to get to the museum?”