Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83340 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83340 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
When the kids reached him, Hutch jerked his attention away from me. His smile reached his eyes, bright in a way I wasn’t sure I’d seen from him before. But maybe I’d forgotten. It had been five years and all.
He teased and joked while I watched like a voyeur. His hair was cut a little shorter than it used to be. I noticed he kept touching it, running a hand through it, squeezing the back of his neck as he alternated between talking to the kids and his gaze darting toward me.
They spoke for a minute, and then Luke turned to me. “Ryder, Hutch is gonna play the piano. He’s really good. Layla likes it too. He gives her lessons.”
The little girl blushed.
“Come listen,” Luke added.
“I should probably…”
The word go died before it left my lips when Luke said, “Please? Don’t go yet.” I didn’t know his story, but it was obvious he longed for attention, and…I understood that, connected with it in a strange way, and didn’t want to let him down.
I cleared my throat. “Yeah, sure, okay.”
“Hutch, this is our new friend Ryder. Ryder, this is Hutch,” Luke introduced us.
I wasn’t sure how to act, what to say, but Hutch gave a small nod and said, “Ryder,” which clued me in that we were pretending we didn’t know each other.
“Hey, man,” I replied.
The group of us walked over to the upright piano in the corner. Layla and Hutch sat on the bench. There wasn’t any sheet music in front of him, but he didn’t seem to need it because he placed his hands on the keys and immediately began to play. I didn’t know the song. Layla turned to the side and looked up at him as if the sun rose and set on Grant Hutchinson the Third.
He looked at her and smirked, his tune slowing down before he gave her a nod. Layla placed her hands on the keys, pressing notes that danced in unison with Hutch’s. This was something they’d done before, something he’d taught her. Damned if I didn’t almost choke up watching him, watching them.
I’d forgotten Hutch played, or hell, maybe I hadn’t and it was just not something I thought about much. It wasn’t as if I sat around thinking about him all the time. I remembered when he’d stopped, though. He’d been a teenager, maybe seventeen. His father hadn’t been happy about it. I’d heard their argument, Grant telling Hutch he didn’t take anything seriously and quit everything.
We listened to three songs, played mostly by Hutch, but Layla had spots where she joined in. It made my fingers tingle to play the guitar. I’d started when I’d moved to LA and had fallen in love instantly. I wasn’t great, but I did okay. It was just something I enjoyed doing, which was what mattered to me. For some reason, I thought about my doctor. When he’d asked what I did for fun, I’d forgotten to tell him about the guitar.
When the third song ended, Gabby announced it was time for the patients to head back to their rooms or go home. I forced my attention away from Hutch, partly so I didn’t look like a creeper, but also because I worried about what his gaze would say—what he thought of me after everything that had gone down with Mads five years earlier.
Luke had his hands in his pockets, his eyes tilted down, an air of insecurity about him that hadn’t been there before.
“Hey,” I said, “I’m planning on coming back next week, and I wondered if you’d want to hang out again? We can work on our puzzle, or…you seemed to like the music. I play guitar, so I could bring that.”
His head shot up, eyes wide with excitement. “Really?”
“Yeah, man. Absolutely.”
“Cool! I can’t wait.”
We headed over to put our puzzle away, chatting the whole time. When I turned to look, Hutch was watching me, Layla holding his hand again. He didn’t avert his eyes, didn’t try to pretend he wasn’t watching, just…openly stared, curiosity in his gaze despite the obvious tic in his jaw.
Layla tugged his hand. He grinned at her, then bent to hug her. She went for the door afterward, stopping again to wave at him before she disappeared.
This time, Hutch didn’t look back at me, instead just walking out.
Luke and I headed for the hallway together. “I’ll see you next week, Luke.”
“Bet. Thanks, Ryder!” He gave me a smile before he was gone.
It was then I noticed Hutch there, leaning against the wall, waiting for me. With a sigh, I walked over. Might as well get this over with. It wasn’t as if I could avoid the Hutchinsons forever.
“Long time no see,” I said when I reached him.
“Been a while, yeah.” Hutch nodded toward the elevator. “Grab a coffee with me downstairs?”