“I’ll call you later,” Keira said to Susan, who scrambled back behind the perfume counter. When she looked back, Mr. Seever had already disappeared into the racks of belts and purses.
“Sorry, Keira,” Susan whispered.
Keira shrugged. “No, I’m sorry. You’re the one who’s stuck working for the asshole. And hey, there are other jobs, right?” She forced herself to smile. “In the meantime, I’ll have more time to practice. That’s always a good thing.”
Susan gave her a knowing look. As in—she knew how badly Keira needed the money.
Keira’s hands trembled as she waved good-bye and headed for the office. She pulled on her jacket and stuffed the check in her bag, with the twenty-three dollars in cash that represented her current life-savings.
With a last glance around the office, Keira headed for the parking lot, praying that her car would start.
Chapter Two
KEIRA DROVE TOWARD HER house, past the run-down strip malls and fast-food restaurants. She wanted to get back to her piano, but in the deepening gloom of the afternoon the lights of Take Note—the independent music store where she spent most of her money—glowed temptingly as she waited at the last stoplight on her drive.
It was like seeing a cup of hot chocolate on a snowy day. She couldn’t resist, especially not with her paycheck tucked into the front pocket of her book bag.
Thank God for my college fund, she thought. Without the money her uncle Pike had left her when he died, she’d be worried about paying for college and not thinking of buying new music.
Her car practically drove itself into the parking lot.
A fine mist sifted down from the sky as Keira hurried into the store. The droplets tangled in her eyelashes, giving the dusty store a diamond shimmer as she blinked the moisture away.
The musty warmth of the store pulled her in, as familiar as an old friend. The cash register sat untended, and the sound of boxes being shuffled around drifted from the store’s tiny back room.
Keira strode over to the bins of sheet music and began to flip through the scores. She wanted something that would suit her uneasy mood. She flicked past one book after another, but all the music she found was either too easy or she already owned it. Finally, she found a Beethoven piano sonata that she’d never played, “The Tempest.” Scanning the music, she could tell that it would be emotional and intense—and also hard as hell.
Which will totally take my mind off this screwed-up afternoon. Perfect.
Besides, she wasn’t really happy with the Brahms piece she’d been working on for her Juilliard audition, and a Beethoven sonata would fulfill the same requirement. She set the music off to one side, reaching for the reject pile of scores she’d left on the edge of the bin.
“Are you looking for something special?” The rich baritone voice made her jump, and she whirled around, knocking the stack of music to the floor. With a shushing sound, it fanned into a hopeless mess. She only had a moment to register the long, lanky body and shock of dark hair before a streak of embarrassment burned through her.
Keira bent to grab the music. The guy at her side reached for the scores at the same time and their heads cracked together, Keira’s red hair tangling momentarily in his crow-black corkscrew curls.
“Ow!” She backed away as he straightened, rubbing his forehead, his eyes squeezed shut.
“Sorry,” he apologized. “I guess that’s what happens when I try to be polite.” He had an accent that Keira couldn’t quite place. One of those English-Australian-South African accents that guaranteed a wrong guess.
With a final wince, he let go of his head and looked at her. His iron-colored eyes widened. “Oh. Hi.”
All of Keira’s carefully hardened edges began to melt. Thick lashes fringed his eyes, and the cleft in his chin drew her attention straight to his full lips. He was gorgeous. And she was staring. It was like he’d sucked all the light out of the store and the only thing she could still see was him.
“Hi. I was just . . . ” The words faltered in her mouth.
He quirked an eyebrow at her, and Keira felt herself flush. Her coat was suddenly too warm, her leggings suddenly too revealing. “I was just browsing. But thanks.” She turned to stack the music back in the bin.
“Here.” He reached out. “I’ll do that. I might as well earn my money for once, right?”
Keira’s lips parted, surprised. “Wait—you work here?”
“Just started.” His smile was like a bolt of lightning—sudden and glowing. “I’m Walker, by the way. It doesn’t seem fair for me to give you a concussion without at least introducing myself.” He paused, his gaze flicking up to the ceiling. “There are lots of good ways I can think of to meet a beautiful girl, but knocking her nearly unconscious is not on the list.” He brought his gaze back down to Keira. His eyes were mesmerizing—like watching the gray sheets of rain working their way in from the Atlantic.
God, he was cute.