Page 30 of Sweet Music
“He’s such a nice boy,” Cash said softly. “You’re doing an amazing job with him.”
Bella scowled at him, but he had a feeling that she was probably just trying not to smile. Now that he had met the boy, he honestly kind of liked how fiercely Bella protected him.
Cody was back a second later, looking more relaxed just having the guitar in his hands. Cash felt a pang of sympathy. He had been the same at Cody’s age—honestly, he was still more comfortable with a guitar between him and the world.
The instrument itself was a cheap but serviceable, entry-level acoustic. Cash made a mental note to bring over some good strings for the boy to use on it while he looked around for an ideal replacement guitar for him.
The moment Cody sat again, his foot started tapping and he started noodling around, tuning the thing and just sort of having fun with it at the same time. It made Cash smile to see the playful relationship the boy had with his instrument.
This isn’t some kid who was forced to take lessons. He would be playing no matter what.
Though he could tell by Cody’s fingering technique that someone was clearly teaching him. He stole a glance over at Bella, who was smiling proudly at her young charge.
“He takes lessons?” he asked quietly.
“In Burlington, twice a week,” she said, nodding.
“It shows,” he told her, nodding appreciatively.
His respect for her was growing by the minute. She was a single, working woman and a new guardian to this boy, yet she still made time to drive him to Burlington twice a week to followhis passion.
As the guitar slipped into tune, Cody’s fooling around melted into the chord progression for “City Boy Blues.”
“Yesssss,”Cash said, tapping his foot along with the rhythm.
Cody grinned, eyes still on the guitar, and Cash suddenly heard the missing harmonies in his mind. He wished like anything that he had his guitar with him so they could jam.
Well, he had the next best thing. Cash almost always had a harmonica or two on him at all times, even if he rarely got a chance to play one these days. He pulled his trusty blues harp out of his pocket and held it up. It matched the key Cody was already playing in, which Cash took as a sign.
“Okay for me to join you?” he asked.
The chrome of the harmonica winked in the light, and Cody’s eyes lit up and he nodded, looking pleased.
Cash grabbed the empty wooden crate he’d brought with him, flipped it over on the floor, and then sat on it. As Cody led into the song, Cash held the harp with one hand, and drummed along to the beat on the crate with the other.
The kid was even more dynamic in person than in the video. Cash watched and listened through one verse and the chorus before adding the harmonica’s notes to the song when Cody started the second verse.
Cody seemed to light up from within the moment they were playing together, and Cash felt his heart throb helplessly.
We’re just the same,he thought to himself.I can’t believe I missed the first fifteen years of this.
When they hit the chorus again, Cash leapt to his feet just as Cody did the same and the two of them riffed off the progression, the guitar calling and the harmonica answering for a long time before Cody finally closed out the song with a fluttering strum ending with a hard slap on the guitar’s body.
There was an instant of silence, and then they were both laughing, and Bella was on her feet applauding.
“That was so cool,” Cody said.
“Chills,” Bella said, rolling up the sleeve of her sweater. “I literally have chills.”
“Can we do one of yours now?” Cody asked excitedly, turning to Cash.
No matter what else happened, Cash knew that as long as he lived, he would treasure the memory of the light in the boy’s eyes in that moment.
“Of course,” Cash told him. “Which one do you want to do first?”
They had playedfor what felt like five minutes, but had to be at least an hour or two before Bella took a frozen pizza out of the oven and they took a break to eat.
During the quiet time, there was a tentative knock on the door and Bella opened it to reveal an older couple.
