about.”
Gwen showed her to a room at the back where there was a battered upright and a Goth girl leaning on the keys, looking bored.
KT stifled a groan. “Is that Ashley?”
“She’s actually a sweet girl.” Gwen wrinkled her nose. “Underneath all the black eyeliner and the dog collar.”
She nodded, not convinced. It wasn’t the nose ring or dog collar, which was kind of cool actually, or the all-black wardrobe. It was the look on her face, all teenage disdain, and the way she started sullenly jabbing A-minor over and over the moment she saw them approaching.
Next to her, Gwen sighed. Then her smile brightened determinedly and she said, “Ashley, this is your piano teacher, KT.”
The girl looked up, her scowl fierce.
KT pulled a stool alongside the piano. No way was she sitting on the bench with the little viper. Gesturing to Gwen that she had this, she waited until the woman was gone before leaning toward the girl and lowering her voice. “First of all, cut out the act. I know that tactic. I use it all the time. You’re not going to scare me away.”
The girl looked at her disdainfully and hit the key harder. “Whatev.”
She put her hand over the girl’s to stop the noise. “I can tell you don’t really want to be here so let’s just get something straight, Ashley.”
The girl lifted her elfin chin. “Call me Spike.”
KT rolled her eyes. “Fine, Spike . I don’t care whatever you did to land you here. I need to pretend to teach you music, and you need to pretend to learn, so suck it up and let’s get on with this.”
Ashley glared at her. “You’re not touchy-feely like the other adults here.”
“No, I’m not.” She sat back and crossed her arms. “So you want to learn how to play or not?”
“Not.” The girl mimicked her pose, sitting back and glaring.
“Fine.” KT just stared at her steadily.
She thought that Ashley would lower her gaze after a while, but she was impressed that the girl kept up the staring match. It went on the whole time they were supposed to be learning scales. At the end of the hour she watched Ashley huff off.
“Interesting teaching method,” Gwen said from the doorway with a smile on her face.
“Stay tuned for next time when I show her how to not read notes.”
“It’s hard sometimes at first, but she’ll come around. She wants this.”
That she found hard to believe. “If you say so.”
Gwen laughed. “See you here on Friday.”
“Unfortunately.”
Still chuckling, the woman wandered away.
KT liked Gwen. She shouldn’t have been surprised—Bijou was a good judge of character, except for that jerk she’d dated, Brice Bryland. But he’d been a blip on the screen. KT supposed everyone, even Bijou, showed a lapse of judgment sometime.
On her way home, she checked her messages. One from Bijou trying to get her to go to a therapist and three from her mother about trying on dresses for the concert.
Like hell.
Afraid that they’d be lying in wait for her at her cottage, she had the cab driver drop her off at the Carrington-Wright’s. She let herself in through the kitchen, smiling when she saw that Celeste, their cook, had left out a plate of cookies for her. Chocolate chip, of course.
She grabbed two cookies and headed to the spare bedroom where she normally hid. It had a big, comfy bed in the sun for naps and the largest TV known to mankind with a million cable stations. Her parents didn’t believe in TV, so they didn’t have any. KT always thought about getting one, but she never got around to shopping for it.
The door to her room was closed. Strange. She shrugged and opened it, plopping on the bed straight away as she munched on a cookie. She reached for the remote on the bedside table.
Her fingers landed on a watch. A man’s watch.
Frowning, she sat up and looked around the room. The room wasn’t as tidy as usual. Men’s clothing piled on a chair and one Nike running shoe forgotten in the middle of the room.
Someone
Gwen showed her to a room at the back where there was a battered upright and a Goth girl leaning on the keys, looking bored.
KT stifled a groan. “Is that Ashley?”
“She’s actually a sweet girl.” Gwen wrinkled her nose. “Underneath all the black eyeliner and the dog collar.”
She nodded, not convinced. It wasn’t the nose ring or dog collar, which was kind of cool actually, or the all-black wardrobe. It was the look on her face, all teenage disdain, and the way she started sullenly jabbing A-minor over and over the moment she saw them approaching.
Next to her, Gwen sighed. Then her smile brightened determinedly and she said, “Ashley, this is your piano teacher, KT.”
The girl looked up, her scowl fierce.
KT pulled a stool alongside the piano. No way was she sitting on the bench with the little viper. Gesturing to Gwen that she had this, she waited until the woman was gone before leaning toward the girl and lowering her voice. “First of all, cut out the act. I know that tactic. I use it all the time. You’re not going to scare me away.”
The girl looked at her disdainfully and hit the key harder. “Whatev.”
She put her hand over the girl’s to stop the noise. “I can tell you don’t really want to be here so let’s just get something straight, Ashley.”
The girl lifted her elfin chin. “Call me Spike.”
KT rolled her eyes. “Fine, Spike . I don’t care whatever you did to land you here. I need to pretend to teach you music, and you need to pretend to learn, so suck it up and let’s get on with this.”
Ashley glared at her. “You’re not touchy-feely like the other adults here.”
“No, I’m not.” She sat back and crossed her arms. “So you want to learn how to play or not?”
“Not.” The girl mimicked her pose, sitting back and glaring.
“Fine.” KT just stared at her steadily.
She thought that Ashley would lower her gaze after a while, but she was impressed that the girl kept up the staring match. It went on the whole time they were supposed to be learning scales. At the end of the hour she watched Ashley huff off.
“Interesting teaching method,” Gwen said from the doorway with a smile on her face.
“Stay tuned for next time when I show her how to not read notes.”
“It’s hard sometimes at first, but she’ll come around. She wants this.”
That she found hard to believe. “If you say so.”
Gwen laughed. “See you here on Friday.”
“Unfortunately.”
Still chuckling, the woman wandered away.
KT liked Gwen. She shouldn’t have been surprised—Bijou was a good judge of character, except for that jerk she’d dated, Brice Bryland. But he’d been a blip on the screen. KT supposed everyone, even Bijou, showed a lapse of judgment sometime.
On her way home, she checked her messages. One from Bijou trying to get her to go to a therapist and three from her mother about trying on dresses for the concert.
Like hell.
Afraid that they’d be lying in wait for her at her cottage, she had the cab driver drop her off at the Carrington-Wright’s. She let herself in through the kitchen, smiling when she saw that Celeste, their cook, had left out a plate of cookies for her. Chocolate chip, of course.
She grabbed two cookies and headed to the spare bedroom where she normally hid. It had a big, comfy bed in the sun for naps and the largest TV known to mankind with a million cable stations. Her parents didn’t believe in TV, so they didn’t have any. KT always thought about getting one, but she never got around to shopping for it.
The door to her room was closed. Strange. She shrugged and opened it, plopping on the bed straight away as she munched on a cookie. She reached for the remote on the bedside table.
Her fingers landed on a watch. A man’s watch.
Frowning, she sat up and looked around the room. The room wasn’t as tidy as usual. Men’s clothing piled on a chair and one Nike running shoe forgotten in the middle of the room.
Someone
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