Unraveling Isobel by Eileen Cook Read Free Book Online Page A

wandered down a random hallway of the Louvre.
    I thought Dick was joking about there being a ballroom, but apparently not. The next room was huge and had a bank of windows along one wall. The curtains were a robin’s egg–blue velvet, although there were dark splotches of what could be mold along the bottom of the fabric. I looked up. The ceiling had been painted white at one point but currently was sporting a serious case of yellow water spots like acne. At the far end of the room, next to a piano, was a riser, which must have been a platform for a live band. In the corner of the room there were a few pieces of furniture draped with dusty sheets.
    I slid across the floor and jumped onto the stage. I looked over the empty room. It was irresistible. I broke out into song and added some killer dance moves.
    When I finished the song, I flung my arms up before giving a bow. “Thank you, Seattle!”
    I danced back across the floor, topping it off with a long slide into the gallery. That’s when I heard clapping.
    Oh shit.
    Across the hall, a door was open. I took a few steps forward and peeked in. Unlike the rest of the wing, this room looked lived in. This had to be the library. The room was two stories tall and had floor-to-ceiling bookcases complete with a ladder that rolled around on a rail hung on the wall. There were a few leather club chairs scattered around. From where Nathaniel was sitting he could see out the door and across the hall, into the ballroom. He clapped slowly. My face flushed and suddenly theroom didn’t seem cold anymore. It felt like my ears were going to burst into flames.
    â€œIt’s rude to spy on people. Why didn’t you say anything?” My voice came out screechy.
    â€œYou wouldn’t have heard me over your singing. I have to say, what you lack in talent you make up for with enthusiasm.” He smiled.
    â€œI didn’t think anyone was home.” The words squeezed out between my clenched teeth.
    â€œI figured.” He looked at my face and then stood up. “Don’t be mad. I’m not making fun of you.”
    â€œReally?” I crossed my arms over my chest and cocked my head so that he could pick up on the sarcasm in my voice. I might not be able to sing, but I could smell mockery a mile away.
    â€œOkay, fair enough. You’re embarrassed and I made it worse. Do you want me to do something embarrassing to even the score? You want me to sing?”
    Was he serious? The idea of him singing to me was surprisingly enticing. Unless he was up to something sneaky to make me feel even more humiliated. “Is this where you sing in an effort to make me feel better, but it turns out that you actually sing really well, so instead of feeling better, I actually feel worse?” I guessed.
    He must have heard the skepticism in my voice, because he gave me a half smile. “I promise I’m a bad singer.”
    â€œHorrid or merely bad?”
    He seemed to think it over. “I’m not sure. I’ve never sung for anyone else before.”
    That surprised me a little. “No church choir?”
    â€œWe were never a big churchgoing family.”
    â€œAnd you’re willing to sing for me just to even the score?” Nathaniel was getting more intriguing by the minute.
    â€œI feel like we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot.” He looked down at his shoes. “Part of that might have been my fault.”
    â€œMight have been?” That was an understatement. He’d given me the impression he preferred we stay out of each other’s way as much as possible until I left for college.
    â€œCompletely my fault.” His eyes met mine, and I swallowed hard, aware suddenly of how blue his eyes were. I think I would have forgiven him for anything in that moment. Almost as if he’d read my mind, he broke the tension with a smile. “In fact, it’s probably also my fault there’s global warming and a shortage