The Billionaire Band Director

Chapter 12

Martha

    Martha couldn’t believe it.  She just couldn’t believe it.  THIS was Landry LeBlanc?  The stuffy old music teacher in her head was actually the hot gardener from Starbucks?  No, she corrected herself, not a gardener.  A music teacher.

    Martha did not know band directors could be so attractive.  Of course, she had never given the subject much thought.  Why couldn’t band directors be hot?  It’s a profession, just like any other profession, right?  Martha thought about how she would have imagined a band director an hour ago, and the first thought that came to her head was a bow tie.  Suddenly, she was picturing Landry LeBlanc in a bow tie- in ONLY a bow tie.  Stop it! Martha ordered herself.  This is definitely not the time and place for thoughts like that.

    “Martha?  Martha James?”

    He said “Martha” without the “th.”  How did he know?

    “Hello, Mr. LeBlanc,” she responded. 

    Focus, she forced herself.  Josie is right here.  Josie was clearly aware of her cousin’s flustered state.  From Josie’s knowing smile, Martha was certain that Josie remembered Mr. LeBlanc from their brief interaction outside the restaurant.  At the least, Josie could see that Mr. LeBlanc was gorgeous, and that Martha was well aware of the fact as well.

    “Hello, Mr. LeBlanc,” Josie echoed.  “I am Josie.”

    Thank you, Josie, thought Martha.  Mr. LeBlanc redirected his attention to Josie.

    “Josie!” he exclaimed.  “I am so happy to meet you!”

    He seemed like he really meant it. 

    “Come in, come in!” he said, inviting them further into the room.

    Martha noticed a wide array of instruments arranged throughout the room.  Josie’s eyes went wide looking at all of them.  Although Josie’s dream was to be a singer, she loved music in general.  This was like a playground to her.

    “Josie, is it?” he asked.  “Not Josefina?”

    “Josie,” affirmed Josie.

    “Well then, Josie, let’s get started” he said excitedly.   “What made you decide to join band?”

    Landry LeBlanc focused on Josie while she talked about her love of music.  After his initial shock when Martha walked in, he seemed to be ignoring her.  That’s appropriate, she told herself.  We’re here for Josie, not me.  He seemed earnestly engrossed in what Josie was saying.  The more Josie talked, the wider he smiled.  Martha was glad he was focused on Josie.  There was no denying that he gave her butterflies, and if he had been focused on her she would undoubtedly embarrass herself.  Maybe, thought Martha, he feels the same way.  Maybe he feels the same electric pull I do, so to remain composed he has to ignore me completely.

    No, not completely, she noticed.  While his interested in what Josie was saying seemed genuine, Martha noticed him sneaking glances her way.  Yes, he was clearly pleased by whatever Josie was saying, but some of those little smiles were for Martha. 

    “Well, Josie,” he said when Josie stopped.  “I think you are going to love band.  I know you see yourself as a singer, but trust me- this is the place for you.  You were right to start with band.  This is where you will build your musical foundation.”

    Josie smiled proudly.  She clearly liked having this handsome older man tell her she had made a good decision.

    Landry continued, “I already know what you should play.”

    “How could you possibly know?” laughed Josie.  “I haven’t touched a single instrument.”

    “When you know, you know” he said simply, his eyes focused on Martha.

    That was definitely directed at me, thought Martha.  But what does he know?  That I’m flustered?  That I’ve been thinking about him? That he’s making me feel damp between the legs?

    “I’d like you to look around the room,” he told Josie.  “Touch any of the instruments you want.  Play them, if you want to.  They’ve all been sanitized.  I know what you should play, but I want you to discover it for yourself.  I’ll stay back and let you explore for as long as you want.  Take your time.”

    With that, Landry LeBlanc approached Martha.  He gestured towards some of the band chairs that filled the floor.

    “Please, Ms. James.  Have a seat.”

    Martha sat down, keeping her eyes on him.  He sat one chair over, spinning in his seat so he was facing her.  He smiled, seemingly waiting for Martha to say something.  So she did.

    “Do you really know what you want her to play already?”

    Landry shook his head.  “No,” he said.  “It’s not about what I want.  It’s about what she SHOULD play.”

    Martha thought his answer seemed cocky.  It didn’t jive well with the vision of him that she had as a humble, down-to-Earth man.  It actually made her feel a little bit at ease with him.  See? Martha told herself.  He’s not perfect.  That was a hella arrogant thing to say.

    “That’s a lot of pressure, isn’t it?  You’ve already decided on an instrument, and now, without guidance, she has to find the same one?”

    There was no question that Martha was attracted to Landry LaBlanc, but Josie came first.  Always.  If he was doing something to mess with Josie’s head there was no way that Martha was going to keep quiet about it.

    “She’s an impressive kid” he responded.  “There’s something special about her.  But, of course, you already know that.  You are her guardian.”

    There was a hint of question in what he said.  His raised eyebrow was clearly inviting some sort of explanation of their relationship, but Martha was not sure she was ready to give it.

    “Yes,” she said.  “She is special.  I trust her to make the right decision, all the time.”

    Did he understand her implication?  She thought she was clear.  This was Josie’s decision.  No band director, no matter how sexy, was going to play mind games with Josie.  If Landry did understand her, it did not offend him.  He gave Martha a knowing smile and stood up.  He walked to a desk in the back of the room.  Martha’s eyes followed him closely.  He leaned over, wrote something down, then picked up the paper and carefully folded it in half.  He walked back to where Martha was sitting and sat back down.

    “You’re right,” he said.  “I trust her to make the right decision too.  And just to prove it, I’ve written down what her decision will be.”

    Martha raised an eyebrow at him.

    “You wrote down what she’s going to pick?”

    “That’s right,” he said.

    “Of all the instruments in this room, you wrote down the exact instrument she is going to pick.  Guaranteed.”  Martha said incredulously. 

    Landry seemed confident.  “That’s right,” he repeated.  “Guaranteed.  Josie is a smart kid.  A special kid.  I know what she should play, and I already know that she’s smart enough to figure it out for herself.”

    Martha couldn’t believe his arrogance.

    “You’ve known her for ten minutes!” she cried.

    “When you know, you know,” he said smiling. 

    Exactly what he said before, she noted. 

    “Look, I know you don’t believe me,” he said.  “How about we make this interesting?”

    Martha stared at him, waiting for him to explain.

    “You don’t want me to upset her, right?  You’re worried that she’s going to pick something and I’m going to tell her she’s wrong.” he said.

    Martha nodded.

    “Take this paper, but don’t look at it yet,” he said, handing Martha the folded up paper. “If she picks anything other than what I wrote down, she’ll never know.  I’ll tell her she made an excellent choice and teach her to play whatever instrument she wants.  You and I will be the only ones to ever know that her choice was wrong.”

    “Different,” Martha corrected.

    “Wrong.” Landry repeated.  “But if she picks the instrument that I wrote down, then I win.  And if I win, you have to go on a date with me.  Tonight.”

    Martha’s jaw dropped.

    “Just a date” added Landry quickly.  “We’ll go to dinner.  We’ll talk.  Nothing more than that is expected.”

    Martha just stared at him.

    “Do we have a deal?” he asked.

    Martha looked at the folded up paper in her hand, then looked to Josie, examining a trumpet across the room.  Of all the instruments in the room, what were the chances that the one he wrote down was the one she would pick?  He’d just met her, after all.  Odds were that he would be wrong.  Of course, thought a voice deep inside Martha, it’s win-win.  If he’s wrong, Josie’s feelings are spared.  If he’s right… well, don’t you want to see if some of those fantasies can come true?  Wouldn’t you like to take him back to Dahlia House so he can bend you over the railing of the loft and…

    “Yes,” said Martha. “We have a deal.”

    “Uh, Mr. LeBlanc?” came a timid voice from across the room. 

    Landry jumped up and walked over to Josie.  Martha followed.

    “Yes, Josie?  Have you decided?” he asked.

    Josie looked at the ground, embarrassed.

    “I tried, Mr. LeBlanc.  I really wanted to find just the right instrument, the one you think I should play, but I’m just not sure.” she stammered.  “I narrowed it down to a few but I just can’t pick.”

    Landry smiled at her reassuringly.

    “I’m sure we can figure this out together.  Why don’t you show me the instruments you like?” he said.

    “I really like this,” she said, standing in front of what looked like a xylophone on steroids.  “I love the mellow sound it makes and it seems like it would be really fun to play.”

    “The marimba,” said Landry, his face not giving away what he thought of first choice.

    Josie walked over to some drums.

    “These seem fun too,” she said. “When Martha drives me crazy it would give me something to hit.”

    Josie smirked at Martha, but went on to the next instrument, a set of giant drums arranged in a semicircle. 

    “This one might be my favorite, but I’m just not sure.  I like that they’re drums, but when I move the pedal the pitch changes, which is pretty cool.”

    Landry looked please with himself.

    “Josie, you have done an excellent job,” he said.  “These instruments actually all go together.  They’re called percussion, because they all make noise when you strike them.  The musicians who study percussion learn to play all these instruments and more.”

    Josie smiled.

    “Did I make the right choice?” she asked shyly.

    Landry smiled back. “Josie, you made exactly the right choice.  I knew you were meant to be a percussionist.”

    Martha fiddled with the piece of paper in her hand.  Had he really known?  They had a deal.  If he had guessed “flute” or “tuba” or anything else, he would have to still tell Josie she made the right choice.  The smile on his face, however, did not look to Martha like the smile of a man who had just lost a bet.  Stepping back so Josie wouldn’t notice, Martha opened the piece of paper and read what it said:

    Percussion.  I’ll pick you up at 6.