She hung up the phone and looked at Sean. Was that accusation he saw in her gaze? Or perhaps resignation. Or maybe, he was just being paranoid.
“We would like it if you stayed. If you get your things I can show you where the guestroom is and you can get settled.”
“Libby, are you okay?” He hated that Mase asked him about her behavior then went right ahead and lectured her. She obviously figured out he told on her. Why the fuck would he do that? Talk about awkward situations.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean your hands—”
“Oh.” She looked down at her hands again much like she had when on the phone with Mase. “Sometimes…” She shook her head. “It’s something I do when I’m nervous. Mason gets upset, but it’s like I feel myself going somewhere I don’t want to go and I need to, I don’t know, bring myself back, force myself to feel that I’m still here. Please don’t tell him.”
Too late. Hadn’t Mase told her he knew? Sean was sure that was why she looked so guilty before she said goodbye to him. “I…what did he say to you before he hung up?” He had no right to ask, but really wanted to know.
Libby smiled and her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. She lowered her lashes and admitted, “He asked if I was being a good girl and told me I was to take good care of his baby girl while he was gone. Mason is very protective of me and worries. He asked if I would do that for him and then told me he loved me. I should have told him, but I knew he was getting paged and I didn’t want him to be distracted when a patient needed him.” She then looked up at him and steadfastly said, “I’ll tell him the truth tomorrow. I promise. But right now he needs to work.”
The bizarre faith Sean had in her honesty surprised him. There was something quite genuine about Liberty. Perhaps it was in her eyes, or the tone she used when giving him her word. Either way, Sean believed her for some reason—believed she would tell Mason what she’d done—which astounded him since he usually didn’t trust anyone to keep their promises.
This woman was a lot of things, but definitely not Rain Man. She was smart and nurturing and he could already tell she had a heart that was built for loving others with a fierceness that was meant to be treasured.
The next few hours passed without incident. If Sean hadn’t witnessed the entire episode that had unwound in the kitchen he would never think there was anything quirky about Libby. She showed him his room and then said she had to go finish doing something with shoes.
The shower he took refreshed him enough to wait up for Mase. When he did finally sleep, he had no doubt he was going to sleep like the dead. His bones were already aching for rest. It was only his unsettled mind and desire to see Mason that kept him upright.
Libby told him which room was ‘the entertainment room’. He supposed that was what rich folk called the living room. He expected they’d watch some TV there or something, but when he came out of his room the chiming echo of the piano filled the home once more. It was a different song from earlier, but equally beautiful.
He followed the sound of music down the stairs and just before the first landing he realized where the music was coming from. Across the foyer was a large open room with nothing but a white piano set before the large window. He stared in awe as Libby’s fingers worked over the keys. Her eyes were closed and what she was doing wasn’t what he would describe as simply playing an instrument. No. It was too natural, too meant to be. It was as if she and that large piano were one. She was a woman making love to the instrument and she was breathtaking.
He sat on the step in the foyer for over an hour just listening to her play. He didn’t want to be anywhere but there. When the front door softly clicked open he turned, forgetting where he was. His heart seized when his eyes met the dark brown stare he had gazed at a million times before. How was it that Mason still looked exactly the same? If anything he had gotten more handsome.
Mase smiled. “Hey you.”
“Hey,” Sean said in a hoarse whisper, his voice and confidence escaping him.
Mase tilted his head toward the other room. “How long has she been playing?”
“Pretty much since after she hung up with you.”
“Good. You look good. How’s life been?”
“Fuckin’ sucks.”
“That why you’re here?” So like Mase to be out in the open in every way possible.