Page 4 of Sweet Music
“This is my nephew, Cody,” Bella said right away. “Harper Wood’s son.”
“Oh wow,” Mrs. Rogers said with a smile. “He’s a dead ringer for one of the Lawrence boys when theywere younger.”
Bella wasn’t sure how to react to that. The most obvious issue aside, the Lawrence boys had always been known for their good looks. So it was a compliment, but maybe not an appropriate one for a fifteen-year-old boy.
She glanced at Cody and saw that the corner of his mouth was tucked up slightly, so he clearly didn’t mind some kindergartener’s mom basically saying he was handsome.
Thank you,Bella prayed silently in relief.
“Time for guitar,” Cody said.
When their eyes met, his said so much more—that the Lawrence thing had been a close one, and that they shared a secret.
She felt a little burst of happiness. Bella was grateful every time she broke down his walls and got a chance to bond with him a bit, no matter the reason why.
“Definitely,” Bella told him. “Are you ready?”
He nodded, and they headed out to the library entrance, where the big glass windows were hung with snowflakes, and the walls were covered in decorations made by the kids, celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, and all the other winter holidays.
Outside, snowflakes were swirling down lazily. It wasn’t enough to stick, but it sure was pretty. The two of them grabbed their coats from the rack by the door, and pulled them on as they headed outside. The breeze that met them was freezing-cold and almost sweet.
Cody seemed to perk up a little as he took in the fresh air and the winter weather. His slumped posture straightened up, and she noticed again how tall he was getting.
It was so hard not to let herself get lost in wishing Harper could be here to see him.
I’m going to make sure he has a wonderful Christmas,she told her cousin inwardly.No matter what.
2
BELLA
Bella couldn’t help smiling as she headed up the stairs to the apartment that night, with Cody trailing behind her.
His guitar lesson had apparently been a really good one. He had talked to her about it in the car all the way home, his hands dancing in the air, reminding Bella so much of his mom, back when she would share stories about some amazing new band she’d discovered.
The days that ended with guitar lessons were long for both of them, but moments like this one made it worth it. It was clear that playing wasn’t just something that brought Cody joy. Bella suspected that it was therapeutic for the grieving boy.
Less isn’t more,his mother used to say. More is more.And Bella figured she might just as well have been talking about busy days like this one, where they flew from school and work through a quick snack, then into the car to Burlington for a lesson, finally ending their dayfeeling happier than before, in spite of all the rushing around.
She opened the door to the apartment and stepped inside, taking a deep breath of the delicious scent of their dinner in the slow cooker.
“So, what do you think?” Cody asked, picking back up on the conversation about social media he’d started in the car. “Should I do it?”
“Do you want to?” she asked him.
“I’ve never posted anything before,” he said.
“You haven’t?” she asked, stunned. It seemed to Bella that Cody was endlessly scrolling through little videos and photos on his phone, or tapping out his own thoughts.
“Nah,” he said. “I’m just on there to see what everyone else posts.”
“Wow,” she said. “So, you can go on there and not even say anything?”
Bella wasn’t a big fan of social media, at least not since she was much younger. But it was an interesting idea.
“It’s calledlurking,” Cody told her with a grin. “I can’t believe you don’t know this. It’s like you’re a hundred years old sometimes.”
“Well, I don’t feel a day over ninety-five,” she teased back, winking at him before she pulled off her coat and headed to the kitchenette to check on supper.
