Free Playing the Maestro by Aubrie Dionne

classics.”
    His hands tensed on the steering wheel, and she could feel the car accelerate slightly. They passed an old sky blue 1980s Chevrolet that had been sputtering along in the lane beside them for the last ten minutes. He licked his lips and swallowed before he spoke. “I wanted a fresh start.”
    Curiosity ate at Melody’s self-control. She didn’t know if she should inquire further or let it go. Perhaps the first date was too early for button pushers. “I know how that feels. I’ve lived in this area my whole life, and sometimes I wonder what it would be like to move somewhere far away where no one knew who I was and start over. But then I remember my family, and I know I’d miss them. Especially my sister, Laini. Besides Carly, she’s my best friend.”
    Wolf relaxed, leaning back in his seat. His fingers loosened around the wheel and the car slowed. The Chevrolet passed them again, and the old man driving while smoking a cigar gave Melody a curious look.
    “That’s great you have such a strong relationship with your sister.” Wolf sighed. “I do miss my family. I guess the difference between us is that my brother, Johann, has his own life. His family and his law office keep him busy.”
    There! Something personal. Melody ate it up like a chocolate-covered strawberry. So he has a brother… She tried to think of another nonintrusive personal question. “Is anyone else in your family a musician?”
    Wolf shook his head. “Sadly not. Although my parents have a great appreciation for the classics. They named their kids after composers, after all.”
    “So you really are named after Mozart?”
    “You bet. My brother is named after Johannes Brahms.”
    “Another great choice.” Melody smiled thinking of the famous, swooning flute solo in Brahms four—one of her all-time favorites. “I like your parents already.”
    She mentally rolled her eyes. Stupid, stupid. Don’t go mentioning the folks on a first date . If it was a date…
    Wolf didn’t seem to mind. “And they’d like you, too. They always wanted me to find a fellow musician.”
    Find a fellow musician ? Bingo! That could only mean one thing: it was a date. Melody felt the heat rise in the car despite the air-conditioning spewing through the vents. Parents’ stamp of approval, huh? She had to remind herself he was just making conversation. He hadn’t asked her to marry him or anything. Jeez, they hadn’t even kissed yet. Yet? “That’s funny, because my family wants the opposite for me.”
    She winced. Why’d she blurt that out loud? She hadn’t told anyone except for Laini. Wolf’s charm had broken through her defenses in record time.
    He glanced over at her with amusement in his eyes. “Why is that?”
    Melody searched for a nicer way to say all male musicians are jerks with batons, violin bows, and percussion sticks stuck up their asses . “Oh, it just never worked out with the other musicians I dated.” Please, please, please don’t ask about Blake. It had been one date, and they didn’t even hold hands. She couldn’t imagine what Wolf would think of her.
    “You just haven’t found the right one yet.”
    Hope blossomed in her chest. If he could think of her as a companion for someone, then surely, she wasn’t cursed in the musician department. “You think the right one is out there?”
    Wolf only gave her a mysterious smile.
    Boston came into view, and the familiar silhouette of the skyscrapers always gave Melody a shivery sense of excitement. She’d had so many auditions, concerts, and classes in this city, and she couldn’t help but think whenever she was there, she was in the musical capital of the world, the place to be.
    They crossed the Zakim Bridge and passed under the numerous cables supporting the massive archways. The Bunker Hill monument rose from their left and the waters of the bay rippled to the right.
    “I know this wasn’t the quickest route, but we had some extra time, and I thought it was the most