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“Allegro Music and Instruments. How can I help you?”
Silence.
“Can I help you?”
The light inhale and exhale of someone breathing in my ear raised the hair on the back of my head.
Yanking the phone from my ear, I stared at it, the distraction of my pounding heart making it take longer than it should have for me to realize this phone didn’t have a screen on it to see if the call was dropped.
Rolling my eyes at myself, I ended the call and dropped the phone back on the counter.
Just as I settled myself on the floor again, my casted leg stretched out and sheet music covering my lap, the phone rang again.
I let out a loud, “Ugh,” and sat there debating if I really even needed to answer it.
My luck, it would be my manager calling to check in, and when I didn’t answer, she’d get worried and come over here. Then I’d get in trouble for ignoring the phone and potential customers.
The sheet music fluttered off my lap and onto the floor when I shoved up again to grab the phone.
“Allegro Music and Instruments. How can I help you?”
Silence.
“Hello?”
The line disconnected with a click in my ear.
This time, I set the phone on the floor beside me when I got back to work. Not five minutes later, the phone went off again, and my heart leaped into my throat.
Adrenaline punched through my veins, making my lungs shudder. Despite the warmth flooding my face, an ominous chill tingled the rest of me, and suddenly, the creep factor of this place didn’t seem that fun.
“If a flute starts playing somewhere, I’m quitting,” I told no one, my voice echoing into the vaulted ceiling.
“Allegro Music and Instruments. This is Jessica. How can I help you?”
An ear-splitting shriek came from the line, so loud that it rang my ears. “Dieee!”
Just kidding.
There was silence.
I think you might be as gullible as Ben.
Okay, so there wasn’t complete silence. We were back to the heavy mouth breathing. My stomach coiled, icy fingers clamping tighter around the phone, as I listened to whoever it was consuming air.
Suddenly, I had a greater understanding of the irrational, nerve-pinching, gut-punching rage that Matt must feel hearing certain sounds.
“Hello!” I called into the line.
Silence.
“Hello!”
Someone answered. “Hello!”
The phone fell out of my hand when I jerked back, the sheet music ripping and crinkling under my sudden movements. The phone hit the side of the cabinet and then clattered unceremoniously onto the floor. Chest heaving, pulse erratic, I popped up from behind the desk just enough to see over it.
“Ah, there you are,” a woman with short dark hair and a long coat exclaimed. “My gods, I thought I was losing my mind hearing someone greet me and then not appear.”
