“You’ll need to play that piano for me,” she said behind him.
“Sure. Why don’t you stay up here and I’ll go get the food. We’ll eat and then I’ll play for you.”
“Awesome,” she gushed as he made his way quickly downstairs.
After paying the delivery guy and grabbing two more water bottles, Tate made his way up the stairs, thinking things were going well between them. After last night and this morning, he was nervous that Audrey’s walls would be firmly back in place, but she seemed okay. He just hoped she stayed that way. Back upstairs, he entered the room to see her sitting on his piano bench, moving her fingers along the keys.
“It’s so pretty,” she said as she stood.
She came over to him to help with the bags as he nodded. “Thanks, it’s been passed down through my family for years. If I didn’t play, Matilda would have gotten it.”
And if she hadn’t died.
“Matilda?” she asked, dropping down to the ground and crossing her legs before unpacking the bags.
Tate dropped down beside her, looking at the food she had placed in front of him. “Yeah, my sister.”
“Oh! I didn’t know you had a sister. How old is she?”
“Um, she’s, uh …” His heart was in his throat. He didn’t want to talk about Matilda’s death, or his parents’. He didn’t want Audrey to see that side of him yet. It was dark, and scary. “Seventeen.”
“Cool! Does she look like you?”
Tate nodded. “Yeah, but she’s gorgeous.”
And Matilda had been. Long, long blond hair, big ocean blue eyes, big puffy red lips, and pink-dusted cheeks. She was the most beautiful girl ever, just like his mother.
“That’s so sweet,” Audrey said with a grin, before munching on her taco.
Tate sat for a minute staring down at his food. He wasn’t hungry anymore. His stomach was in knots and he wanted nothing more than to tell Audrey about his family, but he couldn’t. Not yet, not when his heart felt like it was ripping apart. He had no doubt that he was strong, but when it came to talking about family deaths, the grief took over. He knew that breaking down in front of the girl he wanted to be with was not a good way to convince her he was a strong man. So he would keep that to himself for now. Wait for the right moment to tell her. When that moment would come, he had no clue, but hopefully soon.
“What does your dad do?”
Tate looked up and swallowed before answering. “He was a doll maker.”
“A doll maker?” she asked, confused.
Tate smiled. “Yeah, he made these beautiful little dolls that my sister adored. You remind me a lot of them with your big bright eyes and plump cheeks. I think that’s what drew me to you that night.”
Audrey made a face, eyeing him before saying, “Because I look like a doll?”
“Hey, these dolls were beautiful. You should take that as a compliment.”
She laughed as she nodded. “Okay.”
Not wanting to eat, Tate got up and went to the piano. Before moving his fingers to the keys, he glanced down at Audrey. She was looking up at him, a taco halfway to her mouth. “You aren’t going to eat?”
“No, I want to play.”
Audrey nodded. “Well please, don’t let me keep you. Play on, Mr. Oooooder.”
Chuckling, Tate began to move his fingers quickly across the keys. He was playing “We Found Love” by Boyce Avenue. The song was about finding love in a hopeless place, and with the way he was feeling, it fit. He didn’t think he could ever find love after Elsa’s leaving him and losing his family, but he hadn’t factored in Audrey Parker. He didn’t think he was in love yet, but he felt something for her. She was everything he needed, and he just needed her to figure out that he was something she needed too.
He glanced over to find her watching his fingers move, her knees pulled up under her chin, her eyes glossy. When he was done, he put his hands above his head and took a deep breath.
“I wish I could be like you.”