Page 15 of A First Sight

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“Miss McCrae?”

I jumped in my dressing room chair as the voice startled me from my thoughts about tonight’s concert. Pressing a hand to my heart, I turned.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” The young woman gave me a tentative smile.

“It’s all right.” I smiled back. “Leyla, right?”

“Yes, ma’am.” She held out a bouquet. “These came for you.”

Blinking in surprise, I took them. “Who are they from?”

Leyla shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you.” I looked at the elegant white roses. Half a dozen, with little sprigs of baby’s breath in between. A simple bouquet, but absolutely lovely. I bent my head to breathe in the scent.

“Who are those from?”

Chelsey’s voice made my smile freeze. I lost myself for a moment, forgetting I wasn’t the only person in the room.

“I don’t know,” I said as I carefully looked between the flowers. “There’s no note or card.”

“Is that so?” Dale asked.

For a wild moment, I thought they were from him, a romantic gesture of apology for being such an ass, lately.

Then I saw the fury in his eyes, and I went cold. No, he didn’t send them.

“They’re probably from Carson or London,” I blurted. “I saw them Sunday, and they know we have a concert tonight. I’m sure they just forgot to send a card.”

I forced myself to keep calm. We were surrounded by people, about to go on stage.

“Tonight’s not a special occasion,” Dale pointed out as he moved closer. “They’ve never randomly sent them before.”

He had a point.

“Since there’s no card, it could’ve been a mistake,” I suggested. I set the flowers on a nearby table. “Whoever sent them probably meant them to go to Irene. She is the concertmaster, after all.”

My gaze slid to her, but I didn’t see her eyes.

“I think everyone here knows the difference between you and Irene,” he said. He was only a foot or so from me now. “Do you honestly think it was a mistake?”

I shrugged. “Could be. She’s the one who usually gets the flowers, after all.”

“But that doesn’t mean no one’s noticed you,” he said. “Maybe someone’s trying to get your attention. Some new…fan.”

I swallowed hard and hoped that my nerves didn’t show on my face. “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t talked to anyone.”

The corners of Dale’s mouth tightened.

Shit.

Ignoring the pang in my heart, I picked up the flowers and tossed them in the trash can.

“If I find out who sent them, I’ll let you know.” I smiled at him and then moved to reach for my violin. “Besides, I’ve never liked white roses much. Anyone who knows me knows that.”

A blatant lie. I hoped it would ease his suspicions. Dale had no idea what flowers I liked. The few times he bought me any, they’d been carnations and daisies with lots of ribbons. I appreciated the gift, but I would’ve preferred a single white rose over something meant to be showy.

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