Page 35 of Two Hearts' Christmas Homecoming

“I think I can handle a job,” Lex admitted. “I can actually choose something I’d like to do?”

“Of course,” Harry replied, giving Lex a punch in the arm. “I told you that you’d be happy here. You’re always so hard to convince.”

“It isn’t that,” Lex muttered, suddenly aware that Gabe seemed to understand. If he’d heard him playing the piano, he’d probably overheard the conversation he’d had with Amy that first night when he’d confessed that he was worried about something else.

“Can you play something for us, Lex?” Zane looked puzzled, scratching his head. “I don’t get why you never told me you were into music.”

“It’s more like music was in me,” Lex admitted. “I just sat down and started playing one night, without even understanding how I knew the notes. It’s like the first time I heard your voice when we were being held down at the farm. I knew you were better than just good.”

Lucy pursed her lips. “You were probably taught when you were very young. And maybe you were forced to play all the time.”

“It does feel like it’s mechanical when I do it. I don’t feel especially talented, but it seems to relax me,” Lex replied.

“Well,Ithink he’s really good,” Amy said, looking stubborn as she stuck out her chin. “Are you too nervous to play with everyone here listening?”

“I really don’t know.” Lex shrugged, sitting at the bench. “It’s worth a try.”

Closing his eyes, he started feeling for the keys, adjusting to the difference in pianos. He seemed to play the Christmas songs the best, so the first thing he played wasAway In A Manger.

When he finished, Zane was looking at him in astonishment. “You got every single note right. I can’t say you played it with feeling, but you’re right. It kind of sounds mechanical, doesn’t it?” Zane pursed his lips. “I have an idea. Let me go get some sheet music.”

“There’s some on the shelves in your room, Zane,” Izzy called out.

A moment later, Zane was back, and he rested some music in front of Lex. “How many songs have you been able to play from memory?”

“So far?” Lex thought about it for a minute. “About fifteen, I guess.”

“That’s a lot,” Zane replied. “Let’s see if you can read music. Just study the notes for a minute and see what happens.”

Much to Lex’s surprise, sheet music seemed very familiar to him, and after a moment, he began plugging away, apparently choosing the right notes.

“That’s amazing,” Eve said in a hushed voice. “I never heard of anyone being able to do something like this before.”

Lex shrugged again. “I wouldn’t want to play for a bunch of other people like the two of you are going to do.”

“Lex?” Gabe said suddenly. “I just remembered something odd I noticed the other day when we were going over the alphabet and you were stringing together words.”

Lex turned, raising a brow as Gabe brought out a notebook from the desk.

“Come sit over here for a minute, will you?” Gabe asked.

Lex went over and sat at his new desk, looking over the few words that Gabe had just written.

“Can you read this at all?”

“I remember from the other day.” Lex answered, grinning. “It saysMy name is Lex.”

Gabe smiled. “That’s good that you remembered. Now I’m going to take that piece of paper away from in front of you. See if you can write down the words from memory. You’re doing pretty well with your letters.”

It took Lex a few minutes, but soon he’d written down the words as he remembered them from the paper.

Gabe huffed out a breath. “Wow.”

Lex’s look was quizzical.

“I’m not going to say too much right now in case I’m mistaken. I’m going to have Doc Donnelly do a few other tests, Lex.”

Lucy looked concerned.

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