With or Without Him by Barbara Elsborg

privileged to occasionally hear you sing in the shower and thought—what a voice. With a reasonable amount of training, it might actually be a voice I could listen to for more than a few minutes without getting a migraine. And now an instrument. It will be a delight to listen to you practice as I lie in bed directly underneath that room. Oh the joy.”
    Haris smothered his smile. “Would a grand fit through the door?”
    Wilson didn’t bother hiding his. “Probably not, sir. What a shame.”
    “Find one that will and get it delivered today. Budget of five thousand.”
    “Yes, sir.” Then came the long suffering sigh that Haris knew so well.
     
     
    As Haris had anticipated, Kevin Flowers’s hopes for a big check for the music college ensured whatever else he’d been doing that morning could wait.
    “I very much enjoyed the concert last night,” Haris said, hoping he wasn’t quizzed on who’d played after Tyler.
    Flowers beamed. “I was hoping we’d have a chance to talk after at the reception.”
    “I had another engagement.” Haris put the check on the desk. “I don’t wish my name to be linked to the donation. Anon is fine.”
    Flowers’s jaw dropped when he looked at the amount. “Most generous.”
    “I like the sound of your plans to involve the community with the college and the way you encourage your students to go into local schools. You should be able to buy a few instruments with that.”
    “Absolutely.”
    “Any chance of showing me round the college while it’s in operation? I don’t want to disturb anyone, but…”
    “No problem at all.” Flowers pushed to his feet.
    Haris picked his moment as they headed out into the corridor. “I thought the young man who played the Liszt was very good.”
    “Tyler Bellamy. Hmm. He likes to be different. The students know full well they have to wear tuxes.”
    “Is this his final year?”
    “Yes, thank goodness.”
    The hairs bristled on Haris’s arms. “What’s he done?”
    “He’s difficult.” Flowers sighed. “A bright young man but… He’ll probably go far in the music world. Well, he would if he could settle on one instrument.”
    Haris wanted to hear more about Tyler but knew it was unwise to look too interested. “How many hours are students expected to practice?”
    “As many as they can fit in. Some of the practice rooms are along this corridor.”
    As if Haris hadn’t been able to tell from the jumble of sounds coming from more instruments than he could identify. It would be too much to hope he’d bump into Tyler, and it made him wonder what the hell he was doing. If he did see him, he’d probably freak him out. Haris hurried Flowers through the rest of the tour, stopped asking questions and didn’t hide his impatience to get out of there.
    When they turned a corner and Haris saw Tyler strolling toward them, he felt old and pathetic. He could have engineered a more convincing chance encounter than this. Tyler’s eyes widened when he spotted him. Haris’s feet appeared to be lodged in treacle. The guy was even more appealing in daylight.
    “Talk of the devil,” Flowers said.
    An appealing devil.
    “Tyler, this is Haris Evans. He was at the concert last night and just telling me he enjoyed your performance.”
    Tyler tightened his mouth into a scowl and his beautiful dark eyes went even blacker.
    “Though you played La Campanella prestissimo rather than allegro ,” Flowers said. “It wasn’t a race.”
    “I like to play it fast,” Tyler muttered.
    “Could I hear you play it again?” Stupid, stupid. Haris wanted the words back. Blood roared in his ears and he felt nauseous. His voice didn’t even sound like his. What the hell am I doing? Think of something fast. “I’m arranging a corporate event and trying to come up with some entertainment.” That might have fooled Flowers, but not Tyler whose raised eyebrows almost made Haris laugh.
    “Find an empty room and prove you can play La Campanella at the right