“May I ask what brought you here today? I understood that the guests were special event vendors.”
“Yes. I do chair covers, up in Coos Bay.” The blond shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Those are the coverings that slip over folding chairs to make them fancier for parties.”
“I’m familiar with the term.” Maybe the woman was legit. A true music lover, not someone with a devious motive. Assuming the worst about people had never been her style in the old days. What would it hurt to give her the benefit of the doubt—while keeping a safe distance, of course? “I’m glad you enjoyed my playing.”
“It made me wish I could take it up again. Just for myself, though. Not to play in public, like you do. I bet you’re booked solid.”
Was this visitor to Edgecliff really unaware of her identity?
Perhaps. There was no trace of guile in her demeanor.
Rose took a small step back toward the piano. “No. I don’t perform. Today was an exception.”
Shock flattened the woman’s features. “Seriously? But you seem so professional.”
“I was once. Long ago.”
“You could be again.”
“That’s not in my plans. I was doing a favor for someone today.”
“Lucky them. And lucky us, who got to hear you play.” The woman pulled a card from her purse and held it out. “I’m Mindy Jackson, by the way.”
After a brief hesitation, Rose crossed the room and took the card. If this woman was an imposter, she’d gone to a great deal of trouble. The card appeared to be legit. “It’s nice to meet you.” But she didn’t offer her name in return. “If you enjoy playing so much, why don’t you go back to it?”
“I wish I could, but I don’t have five minutes to call my own these days, what with trying to establish my business and raising a teenage daughter alone. Plus, I don’t have a piano anymore.” She gave Allison an appreciative scan. “That one’s a beauty.”
“It’s been in this house for many years.” Rose studied her. Was she a widow? Divorcée? And why didn’t she have a piano anymore? Since it would be impolite to ask any of those questions, she settled for one less personal. “What piano did you have?”
“A Baldwin. My parents gave it to us for a wedding present.”
“Did your daughter play too?”
“No. She was more into ballet, until the lessons got too expensive. Now she does sports at school, and she seems okay with that. But I miss the piano.” Mindy gave the antique upright another longing look.
Sounded like she and her daughter had fallen on hard times.
“I hope you can get back to it one day.”
“Thank you. As rusty as I am, though, I’d need brush-up lessons. And those definitely aren’t in the budget.”
“Life can be difficult if finances are tight.” A fact she could appreciate in principle if not in practice, thanks to the trust fund money from Grandfather and Papa’s bequest, which had provided a cushion until Lucy Lynn came along.
But this woman obviously didn’t have a safety net.
“Yes.” Mindy tucked her hair behind her ear, distress tightening her features. “And it’s harder when someone you trusted is the reason.”
A quiver of shock rippled through Rose.
Had this woman also been betrayed by her husband?
“I know what that’s like.” Rose reached out and touched her arm. “I’ve been there.”
As the admission spilled out, her pulse stuttered.
Why on earth would she share such a private piece of information with this stranger?
Mindy’s eyes began to shimmer, and her breath hitched. “Was it . . . did your husband . . . did he lie to you too?”
At the broken question, a host of painful memories stirred to life in a dark corner of her heart. “Yes.”
“That’s how it was with Frank. I had no idea he had a gambling addiction. Before I realized what was going on, he’d lost all of our savings, and his credit cards were maxed out. The house and cars were repossessed, and we had to sell everything. Including the piano.”
A story of broken dreams and disillusionment almost as sad as her own.
“I’m so sorry, my dear.”
“Thank you.” Mindy sniffed and pulled a tissue from the pocket of her slacks. Dabbed at her lashes. “I did give him a chance to undo the damage. I said if he got help, we could try to start over. He agreed, but within a month he was gambling again. I couldn’t put my daughter through any more upheaval, so I . . . I divorced him.”
“I can understand that. Does he stay in touch with her?”
“No. Two months after the divorce became final, he was killed in a car accident.” Her eyes began to shimmer. “He’d never been much of a drinker, but his BAC was way over the limit. On top of everything else, I also had to deal with a boatload of guilt. I’ll always wonder if it was the divorce that drove him to alcohol and led to his death.”
“You’re being too hard on yourself. He created the mess by the bad choices he made.”
“I know that in theory, but some days it’s hard to convince myself of that.” She sniffed and swiped at her lashes. “Anyway, at that point, I decided to move to Coos Bay for a new beginning. With my daughter ready to start high school, the timing was good to relocate.”
“How long ago did all this happen?”
“Almost three years. And launching a new career after being a stay-at-home mom has been tough. But if my business keeps growing, someday I may be able to afford another piano.”
Rose wove her fingers together. Tight. After years of playing it safe, of staying away from strangers, it could be a mistake to let this woman infiltrate her defenses.
But she’d taken a risk with Ashley, and all the outcomes up to this point had been positive.
Why couldn’t they be again?
Without further second-guessing, she freed her fingers and unlatched the velvet rope that blocked access to the room, clearing the path for Mindy to enter. “Would you like to play a piece on this one?”
Her fellow music lover looked at Allison, yearning and hesitation mingling in her eyes. “My skills are awfully rusty. And I’m a rank amateur next to you. Besides, the owner may not appreciate a stranger playing it.”