Page 14 of Crescendo

“I know C Major.”

“Great start.”

I shook my head. It really wasn’t. Was it an American thing to just sound so sincere and enthusiastic all the time? I couldn’t bear to think how this conversation would have gone if I’d been having it with Eliza. Although, that was probably more about Eliza than where she was from.

Lydia smiled wide enough for me to see it in my peripheral vision. “Was your application piece in C Major?”

“Nope.”

“How’d you know?”

“It had a… minor tonality.”

“But you don’t know which minor key?”

“Nope.” I winced.

“You have to let me listen to it. Immediately,” she said, getting up.

Heat flashed through my entire body. Lydia listening to my music would be horrifying at any time but especially now. Her friend had wanted her to be a teacher in this programme. Sheshouldhave been a teacher in it. Hell, she could be the one who taught actual, career composers.

But, this whole thing was about getting back to music, getting better at it. I was trying to be alive and real again. What was more alive than letting myself fully experienceallof theemotions my body could muster? Embarrassment wouldn’t have been my first pick of where to start, but now that I was here…

“Ella,” Lydia said and the excitement in her voice was both terrifying and encouraging. “Let’s listen. I’m so excited.”

Who was I to deny Lydia Howard Fox what she wanted? I didn’t think even a bulldozer could move that woman when she set her mind on something.

And, hey, maybe that kind of energy would be good for me.

Chapter 5

Lydia

“I think that’s enough,” Ella said with her voice tight as she shut the lid on the piano, and I raised my eyebrows at her.

“We’ve only just started.”

She smiled politely at me. “You flew here all the way from LA, and worse still, you had to meet Eliza and Hannah. I’m sure you’re exhausted and want nothing more than to crash.”

I knew British culture well enough to know when something was a polite excuse to tell me to go away. I couldn’t puzzle it out—she’d been so enthusiastic about learning, and then as soon as she got her fingers on the keyboard and I started showing her how chords were formed and what they meant in the context of given keys, she shut down, just nodding along when I talked and giving monosyllabic responses whenever I asked a question. I hadn’t even progressed to D Major before she stopped suddenly enough to cut me off, shutting the lid and mentally checking out, eyes looking just past me instead of at me.

I was no stranger to people ducking out of lessons early. I knew when to push and when not to. I stood up, putting my disappointment somewhere else for the time being. “Well, I hearwe’ve got a big breakfast tomorrow,” I said. “But good work with your first lesson today. We’ll make a proper composer out of you yet.”

“You do know you’re a student, right?” she laughed. “As I recall the story, you explicitly chose to be a student instead of a teacher…”

“Out of spite. And I’m teaching you out of spite. I told you, I’m a very spiteful person. Now, let’s get to sleep. Flying takes it out of me.”

So I said, but once I’d taken a shower and gotten changed into my pajamas and tucked up in bed, I couldn’t get my mind off of Ella, and the lesson, and the song, so I ended up on the phone, Melinda picking up cheerily.

“Cheers, guvna,” she said.

“Mm-hm. That’s what everyone sounds like here.”

“How’s your posh life? It’s nighttime there, right?”

“Just past eleven…” I paused. “It’s the middle of the workday there. I just realized. Should I leave you to it and brag about my posh life tomorrow?”

“I’m working from home right now… trying to pound out a written plan for the team. And my brain’s deep-fried right now, so I could use a break. Talk to me, superstar. How’s student life?”

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