Chapter 9 - The New Score
Spring arrived in Seattle with an explosion of cherry blossoms along the waterfront and brilliant green foliage unfurling across Pioneer Square.
My life had expanded in ways I never could have imagined during those dark, suffocating months following my anniversary dinner. The youth music program I had championed was now fully funded and thriving, operating out of a newly renovated community center just three blocks from my workshop. Twice a week, I spent my afternoons teaching local kids how to care for their instruments, showing them that even when something was dented, warped, or cracked, patience and steady hands could always bring its music back.
Marcus Vance stopped by on a sunny Friday afternoon, carrying two artisanal iced coffees from the cafe down the street.
"Newsflash from the federal courthouse downtown," Marcus said, leaning against my workbench and handing me a cup. "Kent Monroe's plea deal was finalized this morning. He received a four-year sentence at a federal correctional facility in Sheridan, Oregon. And his legal team's motion to appeal the asset forfeiture was thrown out by the judge in record time."
I took a slow sip of my coffee, feeling a quiet, grounded sense of closure wash over me. "And Lacy?"
"Lacy completed her community service hours in Spokane and is currently enrolled in a paralegal certification program at the community college there. Word is, she's sworn off older men in tailored suits for good."
I smiled, shaking my head. "Good for her. Some lessons take longer to learn than others."
"What about you, Sylvia?" Marcus asked, looking around the bright, bustling workshop. "You've got your business booming, your foundation programs running, and half the classical musicians in the Pacific Northwest lined up outside your door. Any room in that busy schedule for romance?"
I laughed, walking over to my workbench and picking up a delicate viola scroll I was in the middle carving.
May you like
"Romance can wait, Marcus," I said, my voice light and steady. "Right now, I'm composing my own score. And for the first time in my life, I'm playing every single note myself."
Marcus smiled, raising his coffee cup in a silent toast. "Here's to the solo acts, then. They always make the best music."
