Read Online Vision by Lisa Amowitz - Free Book Online Page A

prodigy extraordinaire?”
    Bobby shook his head, feeling like he’d missed something. When Mr. Cooper talked, he managed to drop more names than the waiters at the Grill dropped plates.
    Bobby cleared his throat, glad at least that the topic was not him. “Can’t say I have.”
    Gabe had that fidgety look again, like she was about to bolt. “Look, it will all come out in the wash. I should get back to work myself.”
    She darted away, out of the bar, but Mr. Cooper still had him by the sleeve, his fingers now pressing into flesh. “That’s her . Gabriella Sorensen. She made her Carnegie Hall debut at age nine. Her mother is Annelise Sorensen. Surely you’ve heard of the famous opera singer?”
    “What? Her name is Gabriella Friend.”
    Mr. Cooper relaxed his grip slightly and whispered conspiratorially. “Well, it is. But that’s not the name she’s known by.”
    “Known?”
    Releasing Bobby’s arm, Mr. Cooper drained his glass and rested it on the bar. The brunette had started chatting up someone else, but Kenny Cooper didn’t seem to notice. “ Known , as in international superstar? Do you know what kind of connection she is?”
    “Connection for what?”
    Mr. Cooper exhaled a sigh and shook his head. “We really have a lot of to work to do on you, Bobby Pendell.”
    Bobby caught a glimpse of Max Friend’s eyes boring into him from the bar entrance. He apologized to Mr. Cooper and scooted into the dining room where the dirty plates had begun to accumulate.
    The special Max Friend advertised had worked. The place was packed solid with diners. Bobby had never seen it this busy on a Monday night. Glad he was too busy to stop moving, another half-hour passed in which he successfully managed to avoid bumping into Gabe or getting scolded by Max. He was baffled by what Mr. Cooper had said. The man was drunk and probably mistaken. At least it had stopped him from harping on what was wrong with Bobby.
    Mr. Cooper paid his tab, waved to Bobby, and left with the brunette. Bobby speed-walked through the hall that connected the kitchen to the dining room, his mind now fully focused on gathering more dirty plates and depositing them in the sink, when someone grabbed him and pulled him into the supply room behind the maroon velvet curtains.
    “Shh,” said Gabe, her face stern.
    “Hey! Your dad will kill me if…”
    Gabe’s lower lip jutted out ever so slightly. Bobby bristled. It was the least attractive expression he’d seen her make.
    “ I will kill you if you breathe a word of what your teacher just told you.”
    “Huh? It’s true? I thought it was another of his wild brags. Once, he claimed to know the Queen of England.”
    “It is,” she said, her eyes wide, her mouth tight. “But no one in Graxton had a clue and that’s the way I liked it. Until your idiot teacher showed up tonight and outed me.”
    “Hey,” Bobby countered, indignant, “Mr. Cooper is no idiot, he’s…”
    “Whatever,” Gabe cut him off. “Promise you’ll keep your lips sealed.”
    At the mention of lips, Bobby couldn’t help but stare at hers. And damn him if she didn’t notice. Her voice softening, Gabe leaned in closer to him, close enough to smell the musky tang of her perfume. Sweat popped out on his forehead as he choked out a lame joke. “So, you’re in the witness protection program?”
    “Very funny. It will be our little secret, Bobby Robert. Can you keep a secret?”
    “I’m pretty good at that, actually,” he said, composing himself.
    “I sure hope that’s true.” Gabe stared at him a beat, then whirled out of the supply closet.
    How on earth was he going to survive this ?
    Taking deep breaths, Bobby peered out from behind the curtains and stepped out. The dining room had completely cleared out. Max Friend walked over to him and patted him on the back. “Great job tonight, Bobby. I had my eye on you the whole time. You were working at hyper-speed. Since it’s slowing down, this might be a good time to