Read Online Sweet Harmonies by Melanie Shawn - Free Book Online Page B

although he had
been excited to experience a different place and get to know
another corner of the universe, he had wondered if any other place
in the world aside from his beloved big sky country would ever
truly feel like home.
    Sue Ann must have anticipated this feeling,
because she had created a perfect space for him, one that he had
felt at home in, the instant he stepped into it, even though it was
the first time he had ever seen it.
    Sue Ann walked over to the big, overstuffed
armchair that sat in the corner of the living room near the
fireplace and settled into it, taking the chenille throw from the
back and tucking it in around her legs.
    “ Let's see,” Ryan said, walking over to
the kitchen cabinets and opening them, “I'm not sure if I have hot
chocolate or not.”
    “ You do,” Sue Ann replied
confidently.
    Ryan smiled to himself. Of course, since this
apartment was above her cafe, and in a building that she owned, and
she had overseen the redecorating effort – she had a set of keys to
his door. And, although for the life of him he could not figure out
when she did it, he knew she must still use them from time to time,
because his pantry was always mysteriously fully stocked.
    He had never protested this, because she
never did anything less benign than making sure his fridge and
cupboards were never bare, and he rather liked that. It was sweet.
And it was not as if she would ever barge in when he was there, or
snoop when he wasn't.
    As Ryan busied himself with making the hot
chocolate and Sue Ann sat contentedly watching him, he thought
about how to broach the question that was on his mind. Luckily,
that awkward segue was taken out of his hands when Sue Ann said, in
a slightly sing-songy tone, “Soooo...? How did you and Karina get
along...?”
    Ryan smiled, “Well, Granny, you definitely
have good taste, I'll say that for you.”
    She smiled knowingly. “So, I take it you
liked her then?”
    “ What's not to like?” he said
carefully, noncommittally.
    “ Exactly!” Sue Ann chirped happily, “I
knew you two would get along!”
    Ryan said, “Well, that's the thing, Granny. I
like her. Of course I like her. The whole world likes her. But what
I don't understand is why you thought that she would like me.”
    Sue Ann looked at him, puzzled. “Why wouldn't
she like you? You're a wonderful young man!”
    Ryan chuckled indulgently, “Well, yes, you're
my grandmother, of course you think I'm great. But, I guess what I
don't get, Granny, is why didn't you tell me that she's a big
star?”
    Sue Ann looked even more confused, “What do
you mean?”
    “ Why didn't you tell me that she was
Karina Black?”
    “ Oh, no, honey,” Sue Ann corrected him
kindly, “Karina's last name is Blackstone. But that's an easy
mistake.”
    “ No, Granny,” Ryan said, shaking his
head, “Karina Black is her stage name.”
    Sue Ann shrugged, “OK, if you say so.”
    “ Well, it's not just that I say so,”
Ryan said insistently, “The whole world says so.”
    Sue Ann sighed as if this topic was beginning
to bore her, and shrugged again. “OK,” she agreed amiably.
    Ryan sighed, but his sigh was not out of
boredom, but rather out of frustration at his inability to get his
point across.
    “ OK, Granny,” he started again, trying
a different angle this time, “Here's the thing...do you not
actually realize how famous she really is?”
    Sue Ann shrugged, “I know Renata said that
she was doing well with her music, but I took it with a grain of
salt. You know how grandmothers can tend to exaggerate about how
great their own grandchildren are.”
    Ryan snorted at the irony, “I've never run
into that, can you give me an example?”
    Sue Ann ignored him, continuing, “I'm glad
for her that it's true, that she's had some success. She's a gem of
a girl. She deserves for nice things to happen to her.”
    Ryan laughed, “You don't understand, Granny.
She hasn't had 'some' success. She is world-famous. She's a
household