“All right, little man.” Liam positioned the worn guitar on his knee. He seemed to search for what to play. His long fingers curved around the neck of the guitar. The first notes filled the air. They seemed to float effortlessly from one to the next, weaving together to create something breathtakingly beautiful.
The first softly sung words of James Taylor’sFire and Rainhad shivers shooting down my spine. Liam’s voice. God, his voice. It was perfectly imperfect, with a rasp to it that felt like sandpaper lightly scraping against my skin. But the tone…that was rich and deep and full of emotion.
Liam’s eyes were closed as he sang, as though the lyrics were searing his soul. Then his lids lifted. His gaze landed right on me. I knew I should look away, but I couldn’t. His focus and the magic he wove with his music held me captive.
He continued to sing—right to me. I don’t think I even blinked. As the last notes of the song sounded, Noah leapt up from his seat, clapping wildly and breaking the spell.
I immediately stepped back, out of sight and out of range of the powerful weapon the room held. I shook my head, forcing a small laugh and swiping the hair out of my face. No wonder the man had sold millions of records and who knew how many concert tickets. He was lethal with a guitar in his hands.
I turned to grab my bag and came face-to-face with Sarah. She seemed to have been studying me the same way I’d been watching Liam. She gave me a soft smile. “There are times when you remind me so much of a friend I had growing up.”
I froze. Sarah shook her head, a wistful look on her face. “It’s your mannerisms. They are so similar to hers. And the eyes. She had those same gorgeous violet eyes.” Sarah studied my face. “But she had blonde hair.”
“What was her name?” My words came out as a croak.
Sarah’s soft smile grew. “Anne.” I stopped breathing. “She didn’t grow up in Sutter Lake, but her grandparents used to live here, and she spent the summers with them. When they passed away, she stopped coming. Eventually, we lost touch.”
Sarah seemed to lose herself in a memory. “I hate that. She was a sister of my heart. I wonder if I could find her now.” She tapped a finger to her lips and then seemed to come back to herself. “Sorry about that. Lost in memories.”
“That’s okay.” My voice still wasn’t totally normal. “I’m glad I remind you of someone you loved.” It took everything I had to hold myself back from asking five million questions. To see if Sarah had any photos. To ask her to recount every memory she had of Anne in as much detail as possible. Because Anne was my mother.
10
Liam
The second Tessa disappeared from the doorway, I stood. I didn’t want to lose the moment, the spark that had flamed as she watched me play.
A small hand tugged on my larger one. “That was AWESOME!” Noah shouted the last word, and I couldn’t help the grin that overtook my face. “I think maybe I don’t want to be a fighter pilot anymore. I think I might want to be a rock star.”
I stifled my chuckle with a cough. “I think either would be pretty awesome.”
Noah’s face took on a thoughtful look. “I wonder if I could do both.”
I ruffled his hair. “If anyone could, it would be you.”
He looked up at me with wide eyes. “You think so?”
“I do.”
Noah’s gaze went to his shoes as he started to fidget. “Do, uh, do you think maybe you could teach me? You know, some of the guitar stuff? It’s okay if you’re too busy.”
My chest warmed. “I’d love to teach you some stuff. We just have to ask your mom first.”
His head snapped up, eyes shooting to mine. “Let’s go ask her right now.”
Before I could respond, Noah started tugging me out of the room. He almost ran smack into Sarah and Tessa. “Guess what, Grandma? Liam’s gonna teach me how to play the guitar. I’m gonna be a rock star!” He shot his little fist up into the air on the last word, and I bit my lip to keep from laughing.
Sarah smiled indulgently at her grandson and then looked at me. “Is that so?”
I took a step forward. “If it’s all right with Jensen.” I couldn’t help that my eyes seemed to seek out Tessa. When they found her, my body seemed to go on alert. Her face was full of wonder, but…Are those tears in her eyes?
Tessa ducked her head and slid her purse over her shoulder. “I better get going. Thank you so much for having me, Sarah.”
Sarah pulled her in for a hug, an action that seemed to cause Tessa to stiffen the slightest bit before relaxing. “You know you’re welcome anytime. I wish you’d come over more.”
Tessa gave her a small smile as she pulled back. I wondered what she’d look like if a real one of those ever touched her lips. I had a feeling the effect would be devastating. “I’ll see you soon.” She leaned down. “Bye, Noah.”
Noah released my hand and threw his arms around her legs. “Bye, Tessa.”
