Once More From the Top (The Women of Willow Bay) (2 page)

TWO

Liam
Reilly zipped the empty suitcase and set it in the passageway outside his stateroom. He’d take it down to the hold later. For now, he fell back on the bed and heaved a sigh. God, it was good to finally be settled for the summer—good and settled with three whole months in which to do anything he chose. No rehearsals or galas, no long plane rides, no hotel rooms or lousy room service suppers. Instead long days on the
Allegro
, cruising the Great Lakes with his friends Will and Tony. Just the guys, fishing, swimming, drinking beer, and being tourists for a change instead of the main attraction.

The past year had been a bear. He loved conducting, but it had been a long season.
His agent Marty had overbooked him—
again
—even though Liam begged him to limit the tour to ten or twelve European cities. Twelve stops meant two to three weeks of rehearsals with each orchestra, at least three performances, sometimes four or five if they did matinees. Marty had booked sixteen cities that included a whirlwind of rehearsals, opening night galas, parties, and performances.

He’d
been plenty pissed when Liam reminded him that he was taking time off for a few months. Marty had already started booking the summer concert tour in the States. Three missed calls and four texts proved he was still upset, but Liam didn’t care. He was sick and tired of fighting with Marty about his career, particularly when the real argument was
whose
career it actually was.

Marty showed no signs of giving up. The last text he’d sent reminded Liam that he had a standing date at Tanglewood at the end of July to conduct part of the Pops series. He’d been their big summer draw for the last ten years. Did he really want to disappoint all those patrons? But Liam knew what Marty was actually asking was,
Do you really want to give up all that money?

He didn’t want to disappoint anyone
; he simply needed a break. A vacation. Something he hadn’t had in years. Screw the money. He’d earned more than he’d ever use in his lifetime, and his friend and accountant, Will Brody, had invested it so well he could step off the podium tomorrow and never look back.

But Marty wanted more. Liam had been a hell of a gravy train and his
agent clearly hated for it stop, even for a short while.

Stretching
his arms above his head, he rose and wandered to the window to stare out at Lake Michigan shimmering in the morning sun. His mind drifted back to the bar and the music and Carrie. He hadn’t intended to go into the bar when he passed through the hotel lobby. Frankly, all he’d wanted was a hot shower, a minibar, and cool sheets after the long drive from Chicago to Traverse City. But the music drew him in. Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia on My Mind” drifted out over the chatter of the patrons and the clink of glasses. He stood in the open doorway, his eyes locked on the shapely brunette at the piano.

He knew her. Her dark curls were short now, but her shoulders still appeared soft and freckled in a strapless dress that emphasized her luscious, womanly curves. But that wasn’t how he knew it was her.

No. What he recognized was the way she played—leaning into the piano, her slender fingers dancing lightly across the keyboard, emotion caressing each and every note. Only one person in the world played with such passion and effortless grace.

He’d sent the request up with the bartender on a whim, then sat stunned by her dismay when she read his request. Her eyes had widened in panic as she gazed out into the audience. Then she’d played it so exquisitely she stole his breath away, exactly as she had the very first time he
heard her play it in Montreal. He hadn’t been ready for that, and he’d bolted rather than face her again.

Chicken shit.

He scowled as he watched a freighter chug into the harbor, his mind awash with memories of Carrie Halligan. She wasn’t the only woman he’d ever loved, but she was the first to break his heart, and he’d never forgotten her.

Even after all these years, the pain of her rejection still stung. Liam didn’t want to admit how often he thought about her or how much she’d affected every relationship. Oh, he’d moved on after Carrie dumped him, and his career
had skyrocketed. He was in demand to conduct orchestras all over the world. There was plenty of work, plenty of money, more than enough celebrity, and always lots of women.

The classical conductor whose sex appeal is bringing a new, younger audience to the
symphony hall
—Marty Justice had done his job well, and Liam went along without protest. He loved drawing the music from an orchestra, working with musicians all over the world, and teaching seminars and workshops, but he was tired.

Shaking his head, he left his stateroom and pulled out his phone to send a simple text message to Marty. No, he wouldn’t be doing Tanglewood this summer. The only orchestra he intended to conduct in the next few months was the Traverse Symphony Orchestra.

“Company!” Tony called down to him as he was shoving his suitcase into a rack in the hold.

Company? Maybe it was her
…

Liam took the companionway stairs two at a time, hurrying to get up on deck, where he found Eliot Raines coming up the short gangplank.

“Welcome to Michigan, laddie.” The old man’s handshake was still firm, even though he was nearing eighty.

“Eliot, so glad to see you.” Liam was pleased to see his former teacher looking so spry. “Come sit down for a while. Sorry I can’t offer you any coffee, but I’ve got water and soft drinks.
Maybe tea. We just tied up and need to hit the grocery store.”

“Thanks, but I can’t stay.” Eliot seemed a little jumpy as he laid a large manila envelope on the table next to the railing. “Just dropped by to bring you the paperwork for the benefit. I think you’ll like this marina. Noah and Margie Dixon have a fine operation here. Been on the bay for years.”

“It’s a beautiful harbor and they’ve been very hospitable.” Liam attributed the awkwardness between them to the fact they hadn’t seen each other in years—until Eliot’s next comment.

“Hope you found the hotel I suggested comfortable.” Eliot’s gaze wandered out across the wide expanse of water before coming back to meet Liam’s.

Liam was certain that particular hotel recommendation had been deliberate. Folding his arms over his chest, he gave him a wry smile. “It was fine. I, um, enjoyed the entertainment in the bar.”

“Did you?” Eliot raised one bushy white brow and smirked.

“Does she live in Traverse City?” He couldn’t have stopped the question if his life depended on it.

Eliot
shook his head. “She lives right here in Willow Bay.” Turning, he pointed to an apartment above a big white boathouse about a hundred yards away. “She’s the Dixons’ niece.”

Liam’s stomach flipped over as he stared up
at the boathouse gleaming in the sun that peeked through the pines behind it. When he glanced back at Eliot, the old guy wore a rather self-satisfied expression. “What are you up to?”

Eliot shrugged. “Just trying to keep Lawson Music Camp afloat. I can’t thank you enough for taking this on, especially while you’re on vacation.” He patted Liam’s shoulder.
“Gotta run. Oh, hey, if you need a cup of coffee, I’d recommend you walk up to the village. The Daily Grind on Main makes great coffee and scones. Perry Graham, the owner, is a platinum-level supporter of the TSO.”

“Eliot—” Liam began, but Eliot was already halfway down the gangplank.
He moved damn fast for a man approaching eighty.

“We’ll catch up later, my boy,” he called over his shoulder as he hurried up the dock.

Liam shook his head and smiled. It wasn’t exactly an admission he’d been set up, but Eliot Raines could’ve gotten any conductor for this gig—Palmer, Dudamel, even another former student like Raymond Curry. Any one of them would’ve signed on for a cause like Lawson Music Camp. The old man may or may not have had an ulterior motive when he invited him to conduct, but Liam’s curiosity was piqued.

Remembering the flare of heat as he watched Carrie play last night, he thought,
Why not?
Looking up an old lover suddenly made the idea of spending time in Willow Bay even more appealing.

* * * *

Carrie rubbed the back of her neck and shifted her purse from one shoulder to the other as she waited in line for coffee. She’d barely slept last night. The house was so quiet without Jack—and then there was Maestro Liam Reilly. She’d deliberately left the house early to avoid a conversation with Eliot. It didn’t matter what he had to say. Liam was here, and although she’d gotten Jack away before Liam discovered his existence, she still had to face him sooner or later. Anyone who stood in the same room for longer than thirty seconds with Jack and Liam would figure out the truth.

Not exactly rocket science…

“Hey, kiddo.”

She started at the light touch on her shoulder and glanced back to see her best friend Julie Miles cutting in line behind her. “Hey, Jules.”

“What are you doing here? I thought Jack had to be up at Lawson at nine.” Julie waved away the protests of the other patrons in the queue. “I’m not getting coffee, I’m just here to chat.” That perfect grin and shapely body bought her a lot of good will from the men she’d moved aside.

Carrie shook her head. “I took him up yesterday.”

“Why? I thought you guys were going to do one last day together.”

“He really wanted to go up when Max did, so I caved.” Carrie kept her tone casual as she met her friend’s curious gaze.

“You okay?”

“Yep.” There was no hiding anything from Jules, so it was best to keep her answers succinct. She could be relentless as a terrier and Carrie wasn’t in the mood to be grilled.

Kelly, the barista, gave her a nod and Carrie placed her order. With a raised brow at Jules, she pointed to the counter. “You want anything?”

“
I’d better not.” Jules shook her head, making her long blonde hair shimmer in the sunlight streaming that streamed in the window. “Don’t make a liar out of me.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, just order her a venti white chocolate mocha and get it over with.” Ben, the
owner of the hardware store, grinned good-naturedly from his place in line.

“Yeah and put her damn bran muffin in the microwave, Kelly
,” Al, the barber, added from the doorway. “Whose turn is it to pay?”

“I think I’m up.” This from Gary, who owned the bookstore next door.

Julie held up her wallet. “Not necessary, guys. I actually remembered my money today. Coffee’s on me.” She nudged Carrie to one side. “Hey Perry, run me a tab for these guys, okay?”

A cheer went up from the men in line and Carrie rolled her eyes. At fifty, Julie was still a knockout and her career as a catalogue model made her a celebrity in Willow Bay. But it was her sense of fun and vivacious personality that
made most of the men in town lust after her. Alas, she was hopelessly devoted to her husband.

“Let’s find a table.”
Scanning the room, Carrie spotted one near the back window.

“I can’t stay more than ten minutes. I’ve got a mani-pedi at nine.” Julie set her coffee
and muffin down and plopped into the chair across from Carrie. “Was it as tough as you thought it would be? Leaving him for the whole summer?”

“Worse. I lost it. He stood by the car and patted my head like I was the kid and he was the parent. So in addition to being painful, it was also embarrassing.” She shrugged. “But I know this is the best thing for him.”

“It is. He needs to feel free to explore where he’s going and what he’s about. You were right to ship him up there.” Julie added a packet of raw sugar to her latte as Carrie cringed. Julie’s sweet tooth was notorious in the village. “And hell, don’t apologize for crying. I’m still a mess when I leave the twins at school, and they’re in college. Why do you think they asked Charlie to take them back Ann Arbor for summer session today? They know their dad won’t lose it. They hate it when I cry during goodbyes, but it’s a mom thing. We’re allowed.”

Julie had been Carrie’s dear friend for ten years
and was one of her first customers. When she brought her twins in for portraits, the two women clicked immediately despite the fact that their lives, and their personalities, couldn’t have been more different. Julie was bubbly and flamboyant, adored Elvis and Brooks & Dunn, and had three grown kids and a successful surgeon husband, Charlie Miles. Life at Julie and Charlie’s house was chaotic and noisy and hectic.

Carrie was quiet, private, and settled into a routine. She adored Jack, her photography studio, and her orderly apartment above the boathouse at Dixon’s Marina.
Her life was low-key and modest. But she and Jack shared a love of music, movies, swimming, and sailing on Willow Bay. She worked hard to keep life simple and full of love.

That life was about to get very complicated, and she wanted to spill the whole story of Liam’s reappearance to Jules, but she couldn’t do it in five minutes
at the coffee shop. They’d need a quiet place to talk, several bottles of wine, and chocolate.