Free Flesh & Bone - a contemporary romance: The Minstrel Series #2 by Lee Strauss, Elle Strauss Page A

mineral water and the apple juice. Papa had already delivered the bread and quickly finished slicing a cucumber and tomato. This was a job Mama normally did, but Papa said she worked hard enough in the soup kitchen on soup days, and so he would oversee Abendbrot on those days.
    Papa sat at his usual place at the head of the table with Mama at the spot to his right. Gabriele sat at the foot of the table and Eva beside her across from her mama. Papa cleared his throat, the sign that he was about to pray, and everyone closed their eyes and bowed their heads.
    After the amen Mama lifted the bun basket and passed it around. “How are the wedding plans going?” she asked Gabriele.
    “Good.” Gabriele sliced her bun and topped it with meat. “Papa, did you secure the Three Kings Church?”
    He nodded. “I walked over this afternoon and settled things with the administration.”
    So that was where he went while Eva was with Sebastian. Her papa stared at her, like he was just remembering the occasion as well. She looked down and picked at the seeds on the top of her bun, but her papa wasn’t thwarted.
    “Who was that boy who came to see you today?”
    “No one. Just a friend.”
    Gabriele scoffed. “Just a friend? That was Sebastian Weiss, Papa. He’s gotten really big recently. On TV and the radio even. Eva’s got a poster of him on the wall of our room.”
    “Gabi!” Eva hissed. What a traitor. She softened her expression and turned back to her parents. “He’s not even a friend. Just a musician I met at the Blue Note.”
    Mama frowned and turned to her husband. “I knew it was a bad idea to let her go to a pub.”
    Eva muttered, “Oh my God.”
    Mama swung back to her. “Eva!”
    “Sorry, Mama.” Her mother felt that God’s name should only be invoked if one were praying. “Oh my heart . But really, I’m not a child.”
    Mama clucked. “We know that, but, you still need to use wisdom. Is this boy even a Christian?”
    Eva dropped her knife. “We’re not dating for goodness sake. He just wanted to hear my song.”
    “And see your Duncan Africa,” her sister added
    Eva seared her with a glare. Gabriele had the decency to flash her a look of remorse.
    Papa raised a bushy eyebrow. “The boy was here? In our flat?”
    Eva couldn’t control the panic that was rising in her stomach. Her gaze cut back to Gabriele. Help.
    “I was here, too, Papa,” she jumped in. “They weren’t alone or anything, and I brought the guitar to the living room. Who knows, maybe he’ll buy one. Help support the Ugandans.”
    Gabriele’s lie was a successful deflection. Papa resumed eating in a relaxed fashion as if Eva’s encounter with Sebastian as purely a promotion for a greater cause made more sense. Eva scowled. Of course Papa would find comfort in that thought. A guy like Sebastian Weiss couldn’t possibly be interested in someone like his handicapped daughter.

 
     
     
     
     

     
     
    Sebastian reluctantly checked his phone for messages. Five missed from Dirk. Nothing from Yvonne.
    He felt strangely disconnected from that. Yesterday he hated her. Today he felt nothing. In fact, he couldn’t seem to get Eva Baumann out of his head. What was it about her that intrigued him so much?
    Sure she was talented, but there were a lot of talented young women in the world. Maybe it was the fact that she wasn’t chasing a dream. Probably because of her leg. But if she wanted to and had the right public relations people behind her, she could use that in her favor. It made her different in a way that tattoos, piercings and dressing like a tart didn’t.
    She certainly was pretty enough—not like her sister who obviously spent more than a few minutes in front of a mirror to pull off that look. He actually couldn’t believe those two girls were related. Not only were they drastically different in looks and style, but their personalities couldn’t be more unlike.
    Normally, he would’ve gone for the outgoing, made-up one,