Now & Forever 3 - Blind love by Jean C. Joachim Read Free Book Online Page B

a
favor.”
    She stepped back as if she had been slapped across the face.
    “That was uncalled for,” she breathed.
    “Sorry if it was harsh, but you asked.” Peter moved to the
front door.
    “But we had fun. Perhaps we could have fun again…” She
followed him.
    “You’re joking, right? What about Henry? I don’t want to have
sex with a married woman and pretend it’s love. You have what you want. I have to
get what I want. Thank you for lunch,” Peter said, pulling the door open. “Time
for me to move on.”
    “I’m sorry to end things like this,” she said, as a hungry
look swept across her face.
    “It’s okay. I’m free now.”
    “You sure do look great. I’m sure you’ll attract your Miss
Right before long,” Bianca said, desire and regret in her eyes.
    She took Peter by the lapel of his jacket and kissed him
slowly. He kissed her back. Then they broke.
    “We still have the magic, Peter,” Bianca said, her eyes
closed.
    “Go have your magic with Henry.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Peter drove home from Bianca’s house in a daze. All this time
she was his gold standard, his ideal, the one he compared all women
against…others who always came up wanting. But today, Bianca’s image crumbled
like stale bread.
    He had never known her. He loved an image, an illusion. Peter
was devastated. He got home about five thirty to find his father in the living
room.
    “Where were you?” Sam asked.
    “To see Bianca.”
    “And?”
    “Nothing. Never was, never will be.”
    He pulled out the sheet music for Liebesträume No. 3 by Franz Liszt, sat down at the piano, and
played it for the first time in eight years.
    Peter, totally immersed in the music, noticed, out of the
corner of his eye, a young woman, standing nearby. A quick glance told him
there were tears streaming down her face.
    “Keith,” she sighed.
    When Peter finished he took a deep breath, closed the lid on
the piano and put his head in his hands, blinking back tears. The young woman
reached out, feeling for a chair. She knocked into a lamp, almost sending it
tumbling over, lost her balance and fell to the floor. The sound drew Peter’s
attention. He rushed to her side.
    “Are you hurt?” He helped the sobbing girl up. Sam reached
out to stop Peter from touching her, but Lara didn’t shrink from Peter. She
shook her head. Peter took her in his arms and held her. She buried her face in
his chest, trying to catch her breath.
    “What happened?” Sam asked.
    “Keith. Our song,” she choked out.
    Peter helped her into a chair.
    Lara was wearing a T-shirt and shorts. Peter stared baldly at
her face, neck and thighs. The bruises were obviously old, turning different
colors before they disappeared, but they were still evident. He stared, unable
to look away.
    “Thank you. Who is the other man here?” she asked, her light
brown eyes vacant.
    With the realization she was blind and the sound of her voice,
came the understanding she was the bitch from next door. Peter froze.
    “This is my son, Peter. Peter, Lara Stewart. She lives next
door.”
    “He’s staring at me, isn’t he?” she asked, turning to where
she last heard Sam’s voice.
    “Guilty as charged. Sorry. What was that all about?”
    “The Liebesträume No. 3 ?
Keith, my partner in the Metropolitan Ballet…that was our song. We danced a
duet to it for five years. He was my best friend. Last year, he died of AIDS,”
she said, “I haven’t heard that lovely piece since.”
    “I haven’t played it in…a long time.”
    “You played it beautifully,” she said, standing up. “I’m so
sorry I burst into your house…very rude of me. I must go, Fran will be in a
snit if I’m late for dinner. Sam, could you please direct me to our front
porch?”
    “Of course,” Sam said, pushing to his feet.
    “Wait. I’m sorry, Peter, for being so nasty about your
playing. Please keep playing. I promise I won’t scream at you anymore. I miss
having classical music in my life. Especially the