Condemned by Barbara Huffert Read Free Book Online

got her piano. Not that I ever doubted she would.
Jordan tends to be a little indulgent when it comes to his wife,” Brett
explained to Tish.
    “What he means is that I’m trying to spoil her every way I
can,” Jordan admitted. “She’s the most kindhearted woman and rarely wants
anything for herself. When she mentioned that she always wished she had taken
piano lessons as a kid I couldn’t help myself. There’s no reason she can’t have
them now and the look on her face when the piano was delivered is one I’ll
never forget.”
    “You’re a glutton for punishment, Jordan.” Alyssa rolled her
eyes. “Listen to that. It’s not going to get much better for months.”
    “So what? If Kiley’s happy, I’m willing to listen to
anything,” Jordan responded. “And I don’t think you are exactly in a position
to criticize us. I seem to recall a certain brother of mine ripping out a
perfectly good bathroom so he could install the whirlpool tub his wife noticed
at a display in the middle of the mall. Shall I continue with the fancy shower
that was added too?”
    “All right. That’s enough.” Alyssa held up her hands.
“What’s Tish going to think of us if we keep sniping at each other like this?”
    “What I think is that you’re just teasing because you’re all
so comfortable with each other,” Tish rephrased what Brett had told her of the
people they’d be visiting. “Don’t let me affect the way you act. It’s
refreshing to see couples who get along with their extended families so well.”
    “Now what are they doing?” Shane asked when he heard Charlie
giggling.
    “She’d better not be learning any new obscenities,” Alyssa
declared.
    “I don’t think that’s the case.” Shane headed for the family
room. “I’m sure Flynn’s still cringing over her last one.”
     
    “When I was just a little older than you are,” Andie told
Charlie as she held her on her lap in front of the piano, “My Uncle Hank would
sit with me like this for as long as I wanted. I loved to visit him and my Aunt
Sadie because he made the piano fun. My regular teacher was nice enough but she
wasn’t like my uncle. He always asked me to play for him so he could see the
progress I was making. He’s the one that got me interested in the first place.”
    Brett grabbed the nearest sketchpad. Since he was always
doodling, as he called it, Jordan made sure there was a tablet handy. He sat
down in the chair near the piano and whispered for Andie to keep talking to
Charlie. The expression on the child’s face was one of pure joy. It was
mirrored on the faces of Kiley and Andie. All three were clearly having fun
with their impromptu lesson.
    “What’s he doing?” Tish asked quietly.
    “Capturing a very special event,” Jordan supplied. “Haven’t
you seen this before?”
    “Um, no,” Tish admitted.
    “Brett’s done this for as long as I’ve known him,” Jordan
told her. “He sees something being shared and puts it on paper. Look at them. I
bet they each get a sketch of this. They’ll all be from a slightly different
perspective but each will show the happiness they’re feeling right now. I’m
sure I’ll frame Kiley’s for her and hang it right there, above the piano.”
    “Oh,” Tish murmured as she glanced around the room, surely
realizing that the other drawings must have been done by Brett as well.
    “Don’t you wish you had your camera?” Tish asked Alyssa.
    “I’d never get what Brett is getting. Cameras can be very
distracting. If I were moving around them, I’d ruin it, even though Charlie and
Kiley are used to me,” Alyssa explained.
    Charlie suddenly hopped off Andie’s lap and flung herself at
Shane, who was closer than Alyssa. “Did you hear, Daddy? I played the piano.
Andie’s gonna come and Aunt Kiley’s gonna do lessons. Can I too? Please, Daddy.
I like the piano. Aunt Kiley telled me I can do it here but I wanna do it at
home too.”
    “You play beautifully.” Shane swung her