Flesh & Bone - a contemporary romance: The Minstrel Series #2 Read Free

dark hair combed back behind his ears, and he had a slight shadow on his chin. He was average height standing eye to eye with Gabriele when she wore high heels. Eva always considered Lennon to be handsome, the only kind of guy that would fit beside her sister, but tonight he was really handsome. And he’d brought her flowers.
    Gabriele accepted them, and then they spent long moments taking each other in, their eyes bright with affection. Eva couldn’t keep from staring. What must it be like to be in love like that?
    “Wow.” Lennon shook his head subtly like he couldn’t believe his good fortune. “You look gorgeous.”
    Gabriele blushed and giggled. Papa cleared his throat.
    “Herr Baumann,” Lennon said, looking up. “Good evening. And to you, too, Frau Baumann.”
    They engaged in polite banter while Gabriele put her flowers in a vase. Then the pretty couple left, and it was like a vacuum had sucked the sunshine out of the room.
    “So, Eva,” Papa finally said. “You can do the music for the lunch service on Sunday?”
    Eva sighed. “I always do it. Why can’t Gabriele?” Her sister was also an accomplished guitar player and a great singer. Unfortunately. For a while, Eva thought she might have one thing that set her apart from the sister who had everything, but soon after Eva started playing the guitar seriously, Gabriele decided she would, too, and quickly demonstrated that they had both inherited musical genes from their mother’s side.
    “Ah, Schatz,” Papa started. “You know Gabriele.”
    That was all he said. Gabriele had made it clear that, though she respected their parents’ call into the ministry, she had no interest in the street church. Mama could play the keyboard and sing like an angel, but she spent her time overseeing the kitchen, so the task of providing music had landed on Eva. There were others who could do it, and sometimes Eva asked for help, but the truth was, she didn’t really mind. It just bothered her that Gabriele had so much, and yet so little was required of her.
    “Okay, I’ll do it.”
    Papa grunted as he lifted himself from his chair. “I’m going to review my sermon notes,” he said as he left for his office. Mama had already retreated to her room where she liked to spend the evenings reading. Eva turned on the TV, flipped through the channels, then yelped.
    Sebastian Weiss was on TV! She pulled her robe tighter and leaned forward. He was with his band, Hollow Fellows, playing live in Hamburg.
    Eva’s heart rattled in her chest as the camera zoomed in on Sebastian’s face. His eyes were closed and he belted out the words with such emotion and intensity. Then he opened them and stared into the camera. It was like his warm hazel eyes were looking right at her!
    She couldn’t believe she’d once sat in the same room as him. A year ago at the Blue Note before he was famous. She’d been fascinated with him ever since, nursing a schoolgirl-type crush that only she and God knew about, and she had followed his rise to stardom with dedication.
    He lived here, in the Neustadt area of Dresden. They were practically neighbors! It’d become a habit for her to stay alert to a possible Sebastian Weiss sighting when he was off tour. She hadn’t seen him since that fateful open mic night, though she had spotted the girl he was with once. Eva wondered if they were still together.
    Not that it mattered. In real life Eva didn’t exist. She was a shadow. An echo.
    But in her dreams she was… well, she was Gabriele. And Lennon was Sebastian Weiss.

 
     
     
     
     

     
     
    The Hamburg gig was a hit, and Hollow Fellows’ first televised concert sent the station's ratings soaring. They partied long into the night afterward, celebrating. Sebastian indulged in one too many beers, but he stayed clear of the women. This was one of the many things he and Yvonne argued over. She was convinced his fame would go to his head and he’d cheat on her. Successful guys were renowned for