Page 65 (1/2)

"I thought you said none of your students were part of the recital"

"They weren’t," she said, sirl, the one who played so beautifully, wasn’t soe

"She’s so to nize her, but apparently not"

Sanize her? "I know her?" he asked

"Sa at him, her eyes were full of love "This is the Christirl with that gift for hter, Luci"

The shock of her words hit him with such force it caused him to stumble back two steps It felt like a two-by-four had been slammed into his midsection He was too stunned to breathe, and when he was able to gasp a breath it was followed by blinding pain

"Are you surprised?" Beth asked, hat he could only guess was expectation

"How …?" Getting out that one word past the blinding pain tightening his chest was all he was able to e

"How did I find her?" Beth supplied the rest of the question for hi When you told hter, I asked Nichole about Trish That relationship was before she knew Rocco, but he’d shared Trish’s last nas with otherabout our most talented students When one of ured it out frohter"

Sam realized Beth had no clue what she’d done No clue whatsoever When his chest relaxed enough for hi toward the car Beth had to scurry to catch up with hiain, still two or three steps behind him "It ht yourself to play the guitar, and, Saot that talent froifted," Beth continued "My friend told me about her and how hard she practices She’s shy but when she sits down at the piano she feels completely at ease You sahen she performed, didn’t you? I did The ained all the confidence she needed It was a beautiful sight Don’t you think so?"

When he reached the car, Saainst the hood while e wildfire He had to blot out Beth and her words

"Sa?" For the first time she sounded unsure

"Get in the car," he demanded

"But …"

"Get In The Car"

She blinked hard He’d never spoken to her in this way Still, she hesitated but eventually did as he asked

Saht drizzle He leaned his back against the side of the vehicle and dug the heels of his hands into his eyes Beth thought she’d given hiht as well have taken a scalpel and dug out his heart

For the first tiood Just when it seemed that he could move beyond the pain of Trish’s betrayal, he was hit in the face with it Just when he felt he was able to put the past behind him, she thrust it at him like a fast-pitch baseball No more than a fes in front of him was the woman he had loved and the child he had lost, and Beth assureat favor This was his Christift she was excited to share with him? Was the woman that insensitive? That oblivious?

He heard the door creak open and Beth cliain "Sam," she whispered, and placed her hand on his shoulder "Please say soht … I hoped Oh Sam, please believe me I didn’t do this to hurt you"

"Don’t Just don’t Get back in the car and stay there before I say soret"

She slid back inside the car and closed the door once again Sam paced the area for several more minutes until he felt he could talk Even then, the band of pain around his chest had loosened only enough for him to feel liot into the car and started the engine

"Sahter I didn’t do this to hurt you," Beth said, her voice low and tight with concern "Did I?"