This Changes Everything Read Free Page B

said.
    “Well, see you.” He turned on the grin again. “Boy, I’m wiped out.” Shaking his head, he pulled the door shut between them.
    Cleo stood in place, listening for the sound of his departing footsteps but not hearing anything other than the hum of her cheap refrigerator. Her apartment building’s hallways were carpeted. She wouldn’t be able to hear anybody’s footsteps. Nevertheless, she walked to the door and, feeling ridiculous, looked out the peephole.
    He was gone.
    Of course he was.
    Laughing at herself, she finished the cleaning up and got ready for bed, wondering if she’d imagined it but knowing she hadn’t.
    Thank God he was finally taking a vacation. The strain of working too hard had obviously gotten to him.

3
    C leo woke early most mornings to work on her own compositions. She hooked up her laptop to her keyboard and lost herself in her music, with noise-canceling earphones embracing her head in a cocoon of sound. Her latest work was just for fun, mostly Europop with a hint of her new ukulele. It probably wouldn’t be her biggest seller—she had a small income from selling her work online—but she didn’t care. Teaching was her day job. This was for her.
    She hadn’t talked to Sly since he’d been over to her place the previous Thursday. She hoped he was feeling better. Stress could break the strongest of men.
    Her thoughts didn’t linger on him for long, however, preferring the stimulation and satisfaction of music. Knowing this about herself, she’d set three timers on her computer to go off in sequence to remind her she had lessons scheduled all afternoon, mostly with elementary school kids at their own homes. One timer wouldn’t be enough to break through her state of hyperfocus. Past experience had proven that she could ignore one, even two alerts. A third, however, artfully timed to go off ten minutes after the first two, usually broke through her fixation.
    In fact, one of them seemed to be beeping right now. She’d been ignoring it for several rings already.
    She looked up from her laptop and took off her headphones. It wasn’t a timer. It was her phone.
    The number was unfamiliar. “Hello?”
    “Is this Cleopatra Holt?”
    Telemarketer. “Sorry, I’m not int—”
    “My name is Trixie Johnson. I got your number from Sly.”
    “Sly?”
    “Sylvester Minguez? Some people call him Sylly, but I think he’s grown tired of that, don’t you?”
    Cleo had no idea why Trixie would be calling her. Her head was still wrapped up in her work, and she hated being taken away from it. But something about the woman made her smile. “I think he has too,” she said. “By the way, how’s your dog?”
    “Pitiful. She’s milking her cone of shame for all it’s worth. Thank you so much for asking.”
    “I’ve been thinking about her. I’m glad to hear she’s home.”
    “Didn’t Sly tell you? He played doggie ambulance for us. I sat in the back and made a fool of myself blubbering all over her. Sly was so nice not to fuss over the tears on his nice leather seats. Well, and worse. The accident has made Luna a little incontinent, but Hugo thinks that should clear up.”
    Her concentration on her music completely shattered now, Cleo saved her work and closed her laptop. It was time to get dressed anyway. “He can just buy another car. Don’t worry. He’ll be glad for the excuse.”
    Trixie’s laughter was light and girlish. “You’re just as nice as I thought you’d be. Most people would’ve hung up on me by now. Or at least demanded to know why I was calling.”
    “I am a little curious.”
    “Of course. But it’s nothing too surprising for you, I’m sure. I’m looking for a piano teacher.”
    “Oh,” Cleo said, relaxing. Sly’s comment about her being a matchmaker had made her worried about the woman’s motives. “Great.”
    “You do teach piano?”
    “I do. Usually to kids, but I love working with adults. Have you ever played before?”
    “Here and there. I