One Hit Wonder by Denyse Cohen Read Free Book Online Page B

it’s supposedly huge on American Art. Do you want to go check it out?”
    She was caught off guard. It was the first time he’d asked her to do anything. “Yeah, sure.”
    “It opens at noon. We can take a cab.”
    “Okay.”
    They rode in silence to the Westervelt. The drive was scenic and calm, but her mind was racing. Unable to decode her thoughts into a coherent explanation, she overheated like an overloaded CPU.
    The museum was a beautiful stone mansion that sat on a hill surrounded by trees. Inside, the surroundings were as warm and rich as a log cabin, with high ceilings and walnut paneled walls. Works of art were spread all over rooms which resembled more a large house than a museum.
    “Look, Durand’s Progress .” John pointed to a large landscape painting with a baroque gold frame hanging on a corner.
    “Wow.” Audrey approached the painting. It was breathtaking, with its vast lavender sky, bathed in golden rays of sun that seemed to emanate out of the canvas. “How did you know?”
    “I’ve taken some art classes.”
    “Did you?” Her voice was soft, wavering between incredulity and joy.
    “I thought they went well with my music major.” He glanced at her, then returned his gaze to the painting. “Durant said, ‘Let the artist scrupulously accept whatever nature presents him until he shall, in a degree, have become intimate with her infinity.’ I tend to think of nature as life.” He smiled at her and walked to the next painting.
    “How did you start with music?”
    “My mother. She died when I was younger.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “It’s okay, It was a long time ago. She loved music. She played several instruments. She gave me my acoustic guitar.”
    “The one — ” Audrey lifted a finger over her shoulder and gestured toward the direction they’d come from.
    “Yes. I always have it with me.”
    “Aw,” she murmured. It was the saddest, sweetest thing she’d ever heard. Staring at him surveying the art, she bit her lower lip and braced herself to fight the urge to step closer and hug him.
    • • •
    “Audrey? Earth to Audrey … .” Matt’s voice sounded distant, even though he was sitting next to her at the pub. “Is everything okay?” He asked when she looked at him.
    “Yes. Why?”
    “I don’t know. You look worried.”
    “I’m okay.” She grasped the back of her hair with both hands and twisted it in a makeshift pony tail, letting its long strands fall over her right shoulder.
    This cannot be happening to me . She squeezed her beer bottle and pretended not to watch John at the bar talking to the pub owner.
    When Audrey and John had arrived back from the museum in the afternoon, Matt, Tyler, and Kevin were throwing a football in the hotel parking lot. They all played for a while, but Audrey wanted to be alone. Her head had been spinning ever since the incident in Columbia. She was glad John had finally stopped avoiding her, but now she felt her insides melt when he was near. It was nauseating.
    “Where’s Rob?” John said.
    “He took the bus to the mechanic,” Matt said.
    It was ironic how they always referred to the decrepit Winnebago as the bus, for tour bus.
    “Where have you two been?” Kevin threw the ball to Audrey.
    “At a museum.” She caught it without difficulty.
    “Nice catch,” Tyler said.
    “My father wanted a son.” She threw the ball at Tyler in a perfect spiral.
    When they knocked on her room door and invited her to go hang out at the pub where they were going to perform the next day, she almost said no, but figured staying alone ruminating on her feelings was worse. She needed distraction.
    “From Gary.” A waiter placed Jägermeister shots on the table. They looked over at the bar and Gary, the pub owner, waved at them. They’d met him the night before, the first time they went to the pub to introduce themselves and check out the place. After the high-tech company Gary had worked for went under, he bought the bar and moved from