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“I don’t know if that’s necessarily true,” he countered. “People aren’t rude to Nash Hardwin. But if they didn’t know who I was—” He broke off as he looked down at his outfit. “You know what? Let’s try an experiment.”
Before she had any idea what he intended to do, he approached a man busking in the garden and spoke with him. The next thing she knew, the man had handed Nash his guitar.
What on earth was Nash doing? If he played one of his songs live in the garden, he would surely blow his cover, regardless of his disguise.
But when he stepped up to the busker’s microphone, which was attached to a small speaker, and began to play the guitar, though Ashley recognized the song, it wasn’t because Nash had written it. It was a song her father had loved to sing to her when she was growing up: Simon & Garfunkel’s “Scarborough Fair.”
Nash’s guitar playing was beautiful. And when he began to sing, his voice was so mesmerizing that a thrill ran through her from head to toe. Soon, people drifted closer, drawn in by his incredible voice and talent. Nash managed to infuse every word and every note of the song with emotion. Enough emotion to bring tears to her eyes.
Though she remained worried he might blow his cover if someone recognized his voice—causing pandemonium to erupt in the palace gardens, just as it had outside Brandon’s hotel—she decided it would be worth it for this chance to hear him play “Scarborough Fair” in such a beautiful setting. She would never forget this one perfect moment in time.
By the time he finished, there must have been fifty people gathered around him. They applauded loudly, digging into their pockets for both coins and bills to throw into the open guitar case in front of him. They begged him to play another song, but he simply shook his head and handed the guitar back to the busker. He remained in conversation with the other man until everyone in the crowd had drifted away, and she could tell from Nash’s body language that he was insisting the busker keep the small fortune in tips.
When Nash at last returned to Ashley’s side, she told him, “That was beautiful.”
“Thanks.” He had a new spring in his step. “It felt good to be a random guy with a guitar standing in front of a microphone again.”
“And you definitely proved that people want to listen to you because you’re amazingly talented, not just because you’re famous.”
He shrugged as though he still wasn’t quite convinced, then said, “Are you ready to head into Schönbrunn now?”
Though she appreciated his modesty, she hoped he understood just how special he, and his gift, really were.
“Actually,” she replied, “I wouldn’t mind getting a drink and hanging out in the garden for a while longer.”
Though they hadn’t yet entered the palace, she was enjoying being outside in the rose garden with Nash too much to continue rushing through her tourist list.
They collected two cups of steaming Viennese coffee and had just found seats in the waning sunlight when her phone rang with her son’s ringtone. “It’s Kevin,” she told Nash before picking up.
“Hi, honey! I’m so glad you called.” She was grinning from ear to ear. “What have you been up to with Grandma and Grandpa?”
“It’s been off the hook,” Kevin replied. “Grandpa took me to the skate park, and then we got pizza, and then I showed him how to play Minecraft. We’re a wicked good team.”
“Sounds super fun. I miss you.”
“Miss you, too, Mom. Have you bought me any presents yet?”
She laughed. “I sure have.”
“What is it?”
“Something small, but I have a feeling you’re going to love it.”
“I can’t wait to see what it is! But I gotta go now,” Kevin told her. “Grandma says breakfast is ready, and then I have my soccer game.”
“Love you, honey. Have a great game.”
“Love you too.”
And then he was gone. Her heart squeezed from missing him, but she also knew that spending time with his grandpa without her always hovering around was good for him.
“Sounds like he’s having a good time,” Nash noted with a smile.
“He is. I still wish he could have come to Vienna with me, but the truth is he’s probably having a way better time eating pizza and going to the skate park and playing video games with Grandpa than he would walking through some old buildings.”
“Your dad sounds pretty cool, doing all that stuff with his grandson.”
“That’s because my dad still thinks he’s a kid sometimes.”
“Is your whole family like you and Brandon?”
“What do you mean?”
“Smart. Successful. Friendly.”
It was an incredibly nice compliment. “Well, it’s true that all my siblings have done well. And I’ve always liked working in the family business.”
“Are you all in the hotel business?”
