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Alex hadn’t seen or heard the coming or the going of a piano tuner. Marie’s innocent look indicated that she’d probably kept that activity well away from his notice.
‘What are you going to do with it?’
Alex supposed it might make a nice piece of furniture for the café. Marie had added a few things in there to make the clean lines into a more welcoming area.
‘Well, we could always play it. We’ve got some people coming to sing this afternoon; I thought it might help break down a few barriers.’
‘So that’s where you and Zack disappeared off to the other evening. Auditions?’
Marie nodded. ‘I’ve got an a capella group. A few of them are backing singers for other bands, and they look and sound marvellous.’
‘Great.’ Alex had no doubt he’d approve of her choice.
‘Why don’t you try it out?’
She opened the lid that covered the piano keys and Alex reluctantly jabbed a couple of notes with his finger.
‘Sounds as if it has a good tone.’
Marie rolled her eyes. ‘Come on, Alex, I know you can play.’
Long hours at the piano when he was a child had seen to that. But Alex didn’t play any more. Apart from just that one time...
‘I don’t think Christmas carols are going to be appropriate for today.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘I don’t know all that much about music, but I know that anyone who can play Christmas carols with the kind of tempo that gets a whole ward full of kids singing along can play pretty much anything.’
That had been a good evening. A Father Christmas had turned up from a local charity, but no one had admitted to being able to play the piano that had stood in the corner of the family room on the children’s ward. Alex had sat down, and the kids’ faces had made him forget for a while that all the piano meant to him was rapped knuckles.
‘I haven’t played for years.’
She flashed him an imploring smile. ‘It’s like riding a bike, isn’t it? Do you know this one?’
She started to sing, her voice wavering up and down, somehow managing to hit every note but the right one. He grinned. Marie had never been able to carry a tune, and it was yet another thing that was perfect about her. But he could recognise which song she meant from the words and he picked it out with one finger.
‘That’s the one.’ She gave him a thumbs-up.
He’d do anything to make Marie happy—even this. So Alex sat down, trying a few chords and then moving down a key. That was better. He was rusty, but he could still play.
Alex operated the volume pedal and added a little oomph to the tune, gratified at the way she smiled, moving to the music. He improvised, adding a few extra choruses. He was enjoying watching her.
When he’d finished, a muffled round of applause came from the kitchen.
Marie shot him an I-told-you-so look. ‘That’s great. I wish you’d play more.’
Alex was almost tempted. But in a world where everything seemed to be changing he had to hang on to a few of the rules he’d made for himself when he’d left home.
‘I don’t have good memories of playing the piano. You wouldn’t either if you’d been at one of my father’s music evenings. Twenty adults, all staring at you, just waiting for you to make a slip.’
‘It sounds awful, Alex. But you love music—you always have. You have a talent, and you can’t let anything take that away from you. And...well, the a capella band did tell me they have a couple of numbers that they usually sing with backing tracks...’
‘Even if I wanted to, I can’t just sit down and play for them. There’s such a thing as rehearsal.’
Marie shrugged awkwardly. ‘They’ll be here soon to set up their equipment. There’s plenty of time before we open the gates to the public.’
Alex sighed. ‘Have I just been set up?’
She capitulated so suddenly that he almost hugged her. Marie was the one person he couldn’t resist, and her transparency made her all the more seductive.
