Playing the Maestro by Aubrie Dionne Page B

it…
    …
    “Mel-D.” Violet ran up and tugged on her sleeve. Somehow the show had ended and Melody had been too shocked from finding out Wolf was a good guy to notice.
    “Did you have fun?”
    “Yeah. Look what I got.” She twirled around with her new sparkly baton. Her turtle pajamas weren’t too different from Melody’s night stars.
    “I see that. What did you think of the music?”
    Violet gave her a thumbs-up.
    “Come on, let’s go tell Mommy about the show.” Before she could usher her niece from the room, though, Wolf stood before them like a UPS employee awaiting a signature. “Good to see you here, Miss Mires.”
    Wolf still wore the Mozart-esque long coat and floppy wig. In those clothes, he reminded her of the man from her dreams. You’re going to have to kiss me . Melody suppressed a tremble as she fumbled for words. “It was a…surprising show.”
    His lips curled into a sly smile. “No sour expressions this time?”
    Melody wanted to dart from the room before a clever response came to her. Thank goodness she still had some of that sass. “No. But there weren’t any tuning notes.”
    Wolf’s brow raised as if she had the brightest idea in the world. “I’ll have to add those next time. You need to give them the full experience, eh?”
    Melody stood speechless. The German conductor had a sense of humor.
    Wolf glanced at Violet. “I’m assuming this is your niece?”
    “Uh-huh.” Violet nodded empathetically.
    He crouched to her level and smiled. “Melody told me you like turtles.”
    Violet whirled around to Melody with suspicion and awe shining in her little brown eyes. “You know Mozart?”
    “Sort of.” Melody smoothed Violet’s bed-head hair, thinking they should have combed it before they came down. She didn’t want to think of her own unwashed dark curls. Or the fact that she was still in her pajamas. Did he think she wore them all day?
    “Miss Mires plays in the orchestra I conduct.” Wolf spoke to Violet as if she was a business partner, which made Melody like him even more. Anyone who treated a kid as an equal had to have a big heart.
    “You two should go out,” Violet blurted, sticking her baton down her pajama shirt.
    Melody covered her face with her hands. Leave it to Violet to say the one thing she shouldn’t. Had she inherited the dreaded Mires family outspokenness as well? Melody grabbed the end of the baton and pulled it back out. “No, honey. Don’t put that down there.”
    “Go out?” Wolf persisted, his eyes straying to Melody.
    “Yeah, like on a date.” Violet laughed, pulling on his wig. “Like Mr. Shell and Mrs. Shell.”
    Melody knelt next to her niece and put both hands on her arms, pulling her away from Wolf. “Violet, hon. Mozart is very busy, and we need to let him pack up his piano.”
    Wolf’s voice changed from cheerful to smoldering. “I do need help with research on potential donors and advertisers for our program book. How about six o’clock tonight? I’ll pick you up in front of Wallsworth Hall.”
    Melody froze. Was he asking her on a date? Because of a five-year-old? How completely twisted was that? She turned around, utterly speechless.
    He pointed to Violet, looking so confident it made her swoon. “Your niece suggested it. And you can’t say no to a cute face like that.”
    That was so wrong in so many ways. Going out with the conductor, her boss. Taking orders from a five-year-old. Breaking her oath and dating another musician. “Yes, I know my niece suggested it, but do you listen to everything a five-year-old says?”
    His lips curled slyly. “In fact, I do.”
    Every logical, rational thought told her to say no, and every crazy, hormone-induced craving screamed at her to say yes.
    The craving won.
    Melody met his eyes, put her hand on her hip, and challenged him. Maybe she could get this infatuation over with once and for all. One date and that was it. Then, she could focus on the important things, like the concerto