Maeve's Symphony by Marianne Evans Read Free Book Online Page B

watching birds circle above. By now, he needed motion, and warmth. He stood and laced his fingers through hers, smoothing a caress against the back of her hand. “Let’s head back to town. I’ll treat you to a latte.”
    They trotted down the stairs to ground level and each footstep produced a hollow ring that echoed through the air in tandem with the memories and ghosts, the longings that swirled all around him. Josh kept his pace steady and even while they retraced their path to the car. There was a rock on the path before him. He tapped it into a fast, skittering roll with the toe of his shoe.
    He unlocked the vehicle with a double blip from his key fob and crossed to the passenger side so he could open the door for Maeve. Tucking a guiding hand beneath her elbow, he assisted her inside.
    But before he let go, he caught her gaze. “This was wonderful. It feels like old times.”
    Very carefully, she edged her elbow from his grasp. Shadows crossed her face, darkness slid across her eyes. “Maybe…for a few minutes…but we’ve changed, Josh. After…after…high school…we had to. There was no other choice.”
    Nope, there was no mistaking the way Maeve stumbled over her words, no doubting the layers of emotion that twisted and tangled and stretched between them.
    “Maybe not then. What about now?”
    Her chest rose and fell; she lowered her lashes and fastened her safety belt. Diversion. Discomfort. He knew what prompted part of her mood—an ambush. The rest of it he’d figure out. The curves ahead didn’t bother Josh.
    He was on a mission.
     
     
     
     

3
     
    Not for one day in her life had Maeve Callahan been referred to as a morning person. That characteristic, paired with the fact that she had spent the entire night tossing and turning promised to make today’s nine o’clock meeting at Liam’s office a real joy bringer.
    OK, in truth she had nabbed maybe an hour or two of fitful sleep, but all the while, a solitary, compelling specter haunted her every thought, her every breath, and every curling wisp of encroaching sleep.
    Josh.
    Josh Andrews.
    Josh Andrews was most definitely back.
    The words transformed to an unending drum beat, a rhythm that wreaked havoc on her spirit. She had been so busy living moment to moment from the instant she saw him that, until last night, until her tired mind tried to go quiet, she hadn’t let the ramifications of his arrival set in. Sinking into the soothing cadence of ritual prayers had eased her for a short time, but she awoke this morning with no ready answers, no epiphanies.
    Maeve convened with the rest of the Sisters team at the office they jokingly referred to as Zion’s Peak-Upstate due to its location hours away from the label’s true HQ in New York City. Today they tasked themselves with the objective of choosing songs for the Goal to Go benefit. Josh would arrive shortly so they could officially ink and affirm the plan to perform at Lincoln Center.
    “So…” Aileen’s voice cut into the silence. When no one responded to the prompt, Maeve looked up and realized Aileen’s gaze was pinned right on her, eager and expectant.
    “So, what?” Foreboding crawled in a chilling path up her back, across her shoulders, down her arms…
    “So, fill us in! How was the reunion with Josh? Was it awesome? I swear, watching the two of you walk out of here yesterday, his guiding hand tucked all snug and sweet against your back, your cheeks all rosy pink, it was totally adorbs.”
    “A ten out of ten, chica!” Kassidy sighed. “Wasn’t it the best? Spill!”
    Maeve gulped. “Ah, guys—”
    “PS? You owe us major points for restraint.” Two-stepping around Maeve’s discomfort, Siobhan weighed in, chin propped on her hand, already dreamy-eyed at the prospect of reviewing a romantic escapade. “Notice we didn’t encroach, or text, or call, even though we’re dying for details.”
    Maeve fought off an agitated growl. This wasn’t their fault.
    Despite that