The Stars That Tremble Read Online Free PDF

better go.”
    “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mike.”
    “Yes. Definitely.”

Four

     
    M IKE suspected an ulterior motive but wasn’t disappointed to find Gio already seated when he got to the restaurant. He’d even taken the time to change clothes so he wouldn’t be sitting down to a nice lunch in his old jeans and ratty T-shirt. So, wearing one of his nicer shirts and a crisply clean pair of jeans, he sat across from the man and smiled.
    Gio smiled. “I’m glad you could make it. How are you?”
    His voice had a rhythmic cadence to it, even with the rasp. Something about the Italian accent and that rough quality to Gio’s speech was incredibly sexy.
    “I’m good,” Mike managed to say. He was distracted by how good Gio looked. He was wearing a dark-green shirt that looked great against his olive skin and had a shadow of dark scruff against his jaw. He had really incredible eyes, Mike noticed for the first time; they looked almost green in the dim lighting of the cafe. To keep from staring, Mike knew he had to say something. “How are you? I assume the workshop is going well, since that’s all Emma has been talking about for the past week. Do you teach other classes too?”
    “College voice classes at the Olcott School during the regular school year. I also teach a seminar on the history of opera in the spring. Every now and then I teach a couple of Young Musicians Program students. That’s the after-school program for high school students.”
    “Okay.” Mike felt a bit at sea. “That’s… that’s good. So, um, you wanted to talk about Emma?”
    Gio smiled. “Your daughter is extraordinarily talented.”
    “Thanks. I think so too.”
    Mike knew he was squirming. He had a hard time accepting compliments on Emma’s behalf. He rubbed his hands on his thighs and tried to calm down. He had no reason to be nervous, even if he was sitting across from a devastatingly attractive man.
    Emma. They were here to talk about Emma.
    “And you don’t really sing much,” Gio said. “Sometimes it does skip generations, as they say, but it’s unusual for a girl this disciplined to come from a family with no musical experience.”
    Mike felt like his skin itched everywhere. He shifted his weight on the chair. “Well, I used to sing her little nursery rhymes and things when she was a baby. We always had music playing at home. The opera, though… I have no idea where that comes from. When she first started showing an interest, I managed to get some tickets to the Met. We were way up in that top mezzanine, the one that’s about three miles from the stage, but she was in love. I’ve never seen such amazement on her face.” Mike laughed to himself, trying to calm down. “As for skipping generations, well, her parents could be the most musically gifted people on the planet, but I wouldn’t know. She was adopted.”
    “Oh.” Gio tilted his head as if this confused him. “Interesting. I never would have expected.”
    “I get that a lot. But any resemblance is coincidental.”
    “I suppose genetics don’t matter as much as care and love and those things.”
    Mike felt like he was being patronized a little. Mildly annoyed, he looked over the menu. “Did you invite me here just to praise Emma or my parenting?”
    “Not exactly, and before you ask, no, I don’t do this with all the parents.” Gio shook his head and stared, unfocused, at something on the table. “I should be frank, then. I do think Emma is a rarity. I’ve been running this workshop for six years now and I’ve seen maybe three singers like her in all that time. Honestly, it would give me great joy to continue to work with her after this workshop is over.”
    “Are you serious?” Mike wanted to laugh at the absurdity of a world-renowned singer wanting to work with his little girl. “Well, I’ll be frank too, and tell you that I had to scrape together the money for this class. I’m not sure I can afford—”
    “We don’t have to decide