didn’t take long for her to realize that Thibault not only could play, but was obviously an accomplished musician. Once he’d warmed up, he made very few errors, though it helped that the chosen musical pieces weren’t terribly challenging. After rehearsal, when the pastor showed up, he was walked through the service so he’d know exactly what to expect.
Nana, meanwhile, alternately beamed at Thibault and chattered away with her friends, explaining that Thibault worked at the kennel and was spending time with Beth. Thibault could feel the gazes of the women sweep over him with more than a little interest and, for the most part, approval.
On their way out the door, Nana looped her arm through his. “You were better than a duck on a stick,” she said.
“Thanks,” he said, mystified.
“Are you up for a little drive?”
“Where?”
“Wilmington. If we go now, I think I can have you back in time to take Beth to dinner. I’ll watch Ben.”
“What am I going to buy?”
“A sport jacket and chinos. A dressier shirt. I don’t mind you in jeans, but if you’re going to play the piano at the service on Sunday, you’re going to need to dress up.”
“Ah,” he said, recognizing at once that he had no choice in the matter.
That evening, while dining at Cantina, the only Mexican restaurant downtown, Elizabeth stared over her margarita at Thibault.
“You know you’re in like Flynn now,” she said.
“With Nana?”
“She couldn’t stop talking about how good you were, and how polite you were to her friends, and how respectful you sounded when the pastor showed up.”
“You make it sound like she expected me to be a troglodyte.”
She laughed. “Maybe she did. I heard you were covered in mud before you went.”
“I showered and changed.”
“I know. She told me that, too.”
“What didn’t she tell you?”
“That the other women in the choir were swooning.”
“She said that?”
“No. She didn’t have to, but I could see it in her face. They were. It’s not every day a young and handsome stranger comes into their church and dazzles them on the piano. How could they not swoon?”
“I think you’re probably overstating things.”
“I think,” she said, dabbing her finger on the rim of her glass and tasting the salt, “that you still have a lot to learn about living in a small southern town. This is big news. Abigail has played for fifteen years.”
“I’m not going to take her spot. This is temporary.”
“Even better. It’ll give people a chance to pick sides. They’ll talk about it for years.”
“This is what people do here?”
“Absolutely,” she said. “And by the way, there’s no faster way to get accepted around here.”
“I don’t need to be accepted by anyone but you.”
“Always the sweet talker.” She smiled. “Okay, how about this? It’ll drive Keith crazy.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s a member of the church. In fact, Ben will be with him when he sees you. It’ll kill him to see how much everyone appreciates the way you pitched in to help.”
“I’m not sure I want him any angrier. I’m already worried about what he’s going to do.”
“He can’t do anything. I know what he’s been up to.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Thibault cautioned.
“Why do you say that?”
Thibault noted the crowded tables surrounding them. She seemed to read his mind and slid out from her side of the booth to sit beside him. “You know something you’re not telling me,” she whispered. “What is it?”
Thibault took a sip of his beer. When he put the bottle back on the table, he described his encounters with her ex. As he told the story, her expression changed from disgusted to amused, finally settling into something resembling concern.
“You should have told me earlier,” she said, frowning.
“I didn’t get concerned until he broke into my house.”
“And you really think he’s capable of setting you up?”
“You know him better than I do.”
She realized she wasn’t hungry anymore. “I thought I did.”
Because Ben was with his father—a situation that felt somewhat surreal to both of them considering the circumstances—Thibault and Elizabeth went to Raleigh on Saturday, which made it easy to avoid dwelling on what Keith Clayton might or might not do. In the afternoon, they had lunch at a sidewalk café downtown and visited the Museum of Natural History; on Saturday evening, they made their way to Chapel Hill. North Carolina was playing Clemson, and the game was being broadcast on ESPN. Though the game was in South Carolina, the bars downtown were packed, full of students watching it on giant flat-screen televisions. As Thibault