The Christmas Violin by Buffy Andrews Read Free Book Online Page B

seat, he spotted the woman from the cemetery. She was headed right toward him.
    His heart skipped a few beats. What the hell was she doing here? And what were the chances he’d see her in the Tampa airport? Maybe it wasn’t her, he thought. Maybe it was her twin. She wore a tan dress and Peter couldn’t help but notice her shapely legs, which seemed to go on forever. A black bag hung on her shoulder and she carried a tan blazer that matched her dress.
    He held his breath. Would she see him? Would she recognize him? No, of course not. They hadn’t even talked in the cemetery. It was a brief moment, the kind so fleeting that if you don’t coddle it you lose it.
    He watched as she looked at her wristwatch and then straight ahead – into his eyes.
    Willow
    Willow’s heart danced when she saw him. It was the guy from the cemetery, the one who watched as she played for Luke. What was he doing here? She didn’t even know his name. It would be rude not to acknowledge him, she thought. Rude not to say hi. Maybe she should at least introduce herself.
    When she first realized he had been watching her in the cemetery, she was a bit resentful. Her daily cemetery playing was for Luke – no one else. And when she saw him standing there, next to a gray granite grave, she almost felt like he was intruding. Of course, the cemetery was a public place. He wasn’t any more an intruder than she was.
    She stopped in front of Peter and smiled. “I saw you. Yesterday. At the cemetery.”
    Peter nodded and held out his right hand. “Yes. I’m Peter. Peter St John.”
    Willow shook his hand. “Hi, Peter. I’m Willow Channing.”
    Peter smiled. “I enjoyed your music. You play well.”
    “Thank you,” said Willow, realizing he had no idea who she was. “You’re heading back?”
    “Yes,” Peter said. “I was here on business. You?”
    “Visiting my parents,” said Willow, checking her watch. “I should go. It was nice meeting you.”
    Peter nodded. “Nice meeting you, too.”
    Willow headed for the restroom and then to get her bags and the car she had rented. By the time she got on the road, she was famished and went through a drive-thru for a burger and fries. She never ate fast food, but she didn’t want to take the time to get something healthier. Besides, the burger and fries reminded her of when she was little and her dad would take her on daddy/daughter date nights. They’d always get a burger and fries at McDonald’s and then they’d go to the movies or the park or wherever Willow wanted to go. Willow smiled. She had loved their date nights. And she especially loved the way her dad made her feel like she was the most important person in the world.
    Willow headed down Interstate 75 toward Fort Myers. She turned on the radio and found a classic rock station. Stevie Nicks blared from the radio, singing “Landslide,” one of Willow’s favorite Nicks songs.
    Willow bit her lip, trying to barricade the tears. She felt like she was caught in her own landslide, that everything around her was crashing down. And, like Nicks, she wondered if she could handle the seasons of her life. She wasn’t sure.
    The Old Woman
    The old woman’s eyes were the size of half dollars when she saw the shiny metal cart and the fuzzy brown blanket. She turned in a circle, checking to see if anyone was watching. She figured they were from the caretaker. He was the only one who knew the shed was her home. And, the only person who seemed to know what she needed most. More than once she thought he might be Jesus. And, if he was Jesus, she hoped he wouldn’t hold her accountable for what the voices inside her head said. They were bad voices. She hated them.
    Her cracked lips trembled. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had done something so nice that it made her cry. A tear escaped from the corner of her left eye and slid down her wrinkled cheek. She wiped her baggy eye with her tattered knit glove. Why was the man so kind? She