The Joining Tree

by Claire Fogel

  I took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. “No, I don’t.”

  He nodded. No smile this time. “Then it isn’t. I just like company when I eat dinner. And I did tell you we were entitled to a little celebration. Okay?”

  “Okay.” Intuition told me my answer had disappointed him.

  Nevertheless, I didn’t want our relationship to get complicated. It would be like the situation with Sean, all over again. I really liked Aidan Fox, and I would have had to be made of stone not to be attracted to him, but I already knew that wouldn’t be enough.

  We had a wonderful dinner. The mood lightened considerably as we enjoyed the best veal parmesan I’d ever had and sipped an Italian wine I wasn’t really supposed to have. Aidan winked at me when he ordered it for us.

  When he took me home, I thanked him for the fantastic celebration dinner, and he hugged me at my front door, wishing me luck at school the next day.

  Over the next few days, the rest of the student body arrived back on campus. My group had grown smaller. Lily and Freddy had both graduated. I’d already received email from Lily wishing me luck in my last year at Barrett. Joel was back since he had enrolled in a four-year program; this would be his last year too. Paula and Tim were both in their third and last year. Occasionally Ginger would join our table when she wasn’t on duty in the kitchen. But without Lily, we were a much quieter group. As annoying as she could be at times, I kind of missed her this year.

  Paula had already been on campus for the past few days and, of course, wanted to know why my house had been surrounded by the Syracuse police the previous morning.

  Naturally, the whole crew wanted the entire story. They wouldn’t accept my “I don’t really want to talk about it.” They were horrified when they heard how I’d heard a strange man in my bedroom and woke up to find him dead on the floor next to my bed.

  “Amazing how Gavin came back at just the right time, Cara. I hope he’s not in any trouble.” Paula looked worried.

  “No, I think my father’s ready to pin a medal on him. Lieutenant Fox looked suitably impressed when he walked in after it was all over. No one’s filing any charges against Gavin. After all, he saved my life.”

  Paula asked, “So are you still going to see the handsome Lieutenant?”

  “I guess so. He took me out to dinner last night.”

  She laughed. “I knew it. The way he looks at you, Cara, is a dead giveaway.”

  “No, no, it’s not like that. We’re friends, that’s all.”

  She giggled. “Sure you are. It must be a terrible hardship, you poor girl.”

  Joel rolled his eyes as Tim laughed at Paula’s teasing.

  I just shook my head and went to the counter to get another helping of spaghetti.

  There were a few new classes I was required to take this year: Photography and Graphic Art. I didn’t see either one in my professional future, but they were fun. Rather than investing in an expensive camera, as our instructor recommended, I simply updated my smart phone and got one with a better camera. I had fun experimenting with photos of Aidan Fox, who was incredibly photogenic. He continued to bring over pizza for dinner every so often. He seemed to accept the fact that we were just friends.

  On the weekends, my parents had to get used to having their pictures taken as well. I thought my photographic skills were improving with practice, but with such good-looking subjects, it would have been difficult to take bad pictures.

  I’d also been invited to exhibit my artwork in three different galleries during this school year, so most of my time had to be devoted to drawing and painting. Other than having dinner at the Café, or occasionally with Aidan, my social life was non-existent. During my weekends at home, Amy accused me of being a workaholic but my artwork had become my life. I didn’t see anything wrong with that. After all, what were my other choices?

  Amy answered that question with “boyfriends, dating, parties! Cara, you’re turning into a hermit on the weekends. You know what all work and no play makes you, right?”

  I had to laugh. “Yeah, rich! I’ll have enough soon to open that art gallery here in Thornewood. Everyone needs a goal, you know.”

  Amy was still dating Gavin, and occasionally they’d drag me out of my studio to join them at The Grille for cheeseburgers and milkshakes. That was the extent of what passed for my “social life” in Thornewood.

  Sean and I still emailed occasionally. He always made sure to let me know he was still waiting for me. I tried to discourage him, but he wasn’t ready to give up. Which I knew was a mistake.

  In October, I was scheduled to exhibit at a gallery on Long Island. Miss Galen had advised me to bring only four paintings this time. “If there’s more demand and a smaller supply, I can set the prices higher, Cara.” Which she did. I was shocked when I saw the price stickers on each of my watercolors.

  My father had accompanied me again. I think he really enjoyed being at these art shows with me, and he seemed to love traveling. Apparently, Harry Callahan had always done the traveling my father’s business required. I was fairly sure that was about to change.

  My Elven father was becoming more comfortable in our twenty-first century world.

  By the end of the show, all four of my watercolors had sold. Even my father was shocked when he saw the prices being paid for my work. He whispered in my ear, “Cara, I think your dream of an art gallery in Thornewood will become a reality very soon!”

  Mr. Goldman, who had helped me struggle through my Life Drawing class the previous year, was my Oil Painting instructor this year. I was relieved that I wouldn’t be required to paint any nudes this time. I’d always felt that painting a nude model was a terrible invasion of their privacy. When I admitted this to Mr. Goldman, he chuckled and said, “You’ve obviously led a sheltered life, Cara.”

  I was happily working on a painting of some maple trees on campus. They were flaunting their glorious fall colors while a student sat on a bench beneath them, wrapped up in a book.

  Mr. Goldman watched over my shoulder for a few minutes, finally commenting, “Your style is evolving beautifully, Cara. You’re maturing and that’s reflected in your painting. And you’re more comfortable with oil paints now, aren’t you?”

  I nodded. “I’m hoping I’ll get as good with oils as I’ve gotten with watercolors.”

  He smiled. “I think you already have.”

  I’d been working hard both at school and at home on the weekends, so when Thanksgiving weekend came around, I decided I was ready for a break. The night before I was planning to drive home, Aidan Fox called and invited me to have dinner with him.

  Aidan took me to Bella’s again, much to my delight. The smells of Italian cooking hit me as soon as we walked through the door, and I was immediately starving.

  Aidan laughed at the hungry look on my face. “I didn’t think you’d mind coming back here. At last count, you’ve made me about twenty Sunrise Specials. Consider this payback.”

  Over glasses of wine and my favorite veal parmesan, we talked about my classes and art shows, his job with the Syracuse Police, and both of our rather pathetic social lives.

  “Aidan, please don’t tell me your entire social life consists of an occasional dinner with me. You’re much too good looking to have to settle for a teenage disaster magnet.”

  He laughed. “And you’re much too pretty to have to settle for an aging cop.”

  We were both laughing as we finished our wine. And then I asked a question I had always wondered about.

  “Seriously, Aidan, you’re such a great guy. Why don’t you have a girlfriend?”

  He chuckled. “My sister says it’s because I’m too picky. But really, who am I going to date? Another cop? No way. The kind of people I meet when I’m working? Absolutely no way!”

  He hesitated for a minute. “Seriously, Cara, you’re the first girl I’ve met in the past couple of years that I’ve really liked. But you don’t want to consider me a date, or at least you didn’t the last time
I asked. Why is that?”

  His light blue eyes pierced me. He’d been such a good friend to me. I decided that he deserved an answer.

  “Okay, true confession time. When I was sixteen I had a bodyguard. We became close friends, and I fell in love with him. Then one day he was gone, just packed up and left. I haven’t heard a word from him. Unfortunately, I’m still in love with him. I’m afraid I always will be. I have nothing to offer someone else. And that’s why I don’t date.”

  His attention was totally riveted on me, as though he couldn’t quite believe what I’d just told him.

  “You made a decision that definite at sixteen?”

  “Yeah, I did. I may be young, Aidan, but I know my own heart.”

  He nodded, looking serious. “Maybe you do. But do you really plan to spend the rest of your life alone if he never returns?”

  “Yes. Would you want to go through life knowing you were second best? I can’t do that to someone else.”

  He shook his head and looked away, motioning to the waiter for our check.

  Nothing more was said as we left the restaurant and he drove me home. When he parked in front of the yellow house on Birch Street, he turned off the ignition and sat back, staring through the windshield.

  Finally he turned to me. “Don’t you think you should at least find out if you can love someone else?”

  “Aidan, I have tried. My high school boyfriend is a great guy, like you, and I really care about him, but I’m not in love with him. I’ve often wished I was.”

  He shook his head and sighed. “I can’t help thinking that you may be wasting the best years of your life, Cara.”

  “You may be right, but I don’t think there’s anything I can do about it.”

  He looked at me sadly. “Come on. I’ll walk you to your door.”

  He held my hand as he walked me in. As soon as I’d unlocked the front door, he put one arm around me, leaned forward and kissed me gently. I wasn’t expecting it.

  “Have a good Thanksgiving, Cara. Call me whenever you need me.”

  “I will. Thanks, Aidan.”

  I went inside and watched him jog to his car and drive away. I was about to close the door when I saw that green van drive by slowly, heading in the same direction. I smiled to myself, strangely glad the green van owner was still around.

  It was too early to go to bed, so I curled up on my couch. My date with Aidan tonight had given me a lot to think about. I hadn’t even been out with Sean since the holidays last year. Which meant I hadn’t been kissed since then either.

  Maybe I was wasting the best years of my life.

  Any girl would consider Aidan Fox a great catch. He was handsome, intelligent, devoted to his job with the police and devoted to his family. Maybe his sister was right. Maybe he was too picky. We made quite a pair.

  Then I thought about his kiss. Being close to Aidan was really nice, but the ground beneath my feet didn’t move. It hadn’t been like kissing Adam—something I’d tried extremely hard not to think about.

  With a deep sigh, I turned on the TV only to see a rerun of “New Moon,” the second Twilight movie where Edward had left Bella in an effort to save her human life, resulting in a deep, heartbreaking depression for Bella.

  I groaned and went to bed.

  Taking a break over the Thanksgiving weekend was just what I needed. I stuck to my guns and didn’t touch a pen or a brush for four whole days. I helped Mom in the kitchen, even learning how to make gravy. I did a ton of laundry, only entering my studio to dust and sweep the floor, and went out with friends one night. That was something I hadn’t done in a long time. And it was fun.

  Amy left Gavin home the first night I was home, and the two of us went to The Grille where we ran into several of our high school classmates, including Sandy, Danny, Matt, and Dion.

  It was so great seeing everyone, Dion invited us all to his house for a last-minute party. “When will we all be together again anyway? Let’s make the most of this,” he said with a big grin.

  He glanced at me with a smile and pulled out his cell phone. “I’m just going to leave a message for another member of the group who hasn’t made it home yet.” I nodded with a smile. Sean was the only one missing.

  Dion’s parents greeted all of us with smiles and hugs, and we trooped downstairs to their huge family room. That room was so big, Dion threw a bunch of cushions on the floor in a circle and invited us all to sit down.

  “I want to hear from all of you, what you’ve been up to, what your plans are, don’t leave anything out!” He looked a little nostalgic. “We haven’t done this in years, you guys. I’d hate to lose touch with any of you.”

  Mrs. Washington brought down sodas and snacks for us, but when she’d gone back upstairs, Dion said softly, “There’s beer in the fridge down here for anyone who wants one.”

  Naturally, Danny and Matt got up and went straight to the beer. The rest of us enjoyed the sodas.

  We were all gabbing and laughing when the late arrival came down the stairs. Everyone got up to greet Sean who was all smiles, genuinely delighted to see everyone. Dion got Sean a beer and he sat down on the floor next to me. We grinned at each other as he threw one arm around me, leaning over to give me a kiss. Danny and Matt immediately started hooting and making other rude noises as Sandy and Amy rolled their eyes.

  When everyone stopped laughing, Dion said, “It’s time to get serious. I want to hear your plans for the future, all of you. Let’s start with Amy.”

  Everyone knew that Amy was running the catering department at her family’s bakery. With a smile, she announced that she’d be able to start culinary school the following year, something she’d had to put off when the bakery closed two years ago. I was thrilled for her. She hadn’t said a word to me about it.

  Matt said he was working at the Post Office while he waited for acceptance to the Police Academy. I think Matt was the last person we thought would ever want to be a cop. He took a lot of good-natured teasing on that subject.

  Danny told us, “I’ll never be out of a job as long as people’s heat and air-conditioning keep breaking down. I’m good for life,” he admitted with a grin.

  Sandy was in her third year at SUNY, majoring in Science and planning on teaching high school. “Just think, I’ll have to deal with characters just like you in a few more years.”

  We all sympathized along with a lot of laughter.

  Then, with a big smile, she added, “Danny and I will be getting married as soon as I graduate.” That brought on more hoots and a lot of applause. They’d been a couple since eighth grade. Danny’s face was red as he accepted congratulations from all of us.

  Amy said, “You really don’t deserve her, you know.”

  Danny grinned. “I know.”

  Sean was next. “I’m playing a lot of football, which is why I have to get back to school Friday. No long weekend for me, I’m afraid. We have a game on Saturday. I’m majoring in Communications. If I don’t play pro ball, and I’m not sure I want to, then maybe I can get a job in the sports department at one of the TV networks.”

  Sandy said, “You’d be great at that, Sean. Just think! We’ll be seeing your face on TV in a few years.” I think we all knew that was a distinct possibility. With his looks, intelligence, and personality, Sean McKay was made for TV.

  Dion said, “How about our resident artist? Cara, I hear your artwork has been shown at several major galleries already.”

  I nodded. “Yes, I’ve been incredibly lucky. A nationally known artist has sponsored me, so I now have an agent, and that’s opened a lot of doors. I want to open an Art Gallery here in Thornewood. This could happen as soon as next year.”

  That got a round of applause and congratulations from everyone.

  That left Dion. He’d been our class president as well as a great basketball player.

  We all knew he was destined for success.

  “You all know I’m studying to be a lawyer. I haven’t decided what I want to spe
cialize in, but someday I’d like to go into politics.”

  There were a few catcalls, and Sandy said, “That’s such a corrupt field, Dion.”

  He smiled. “It doesn’t have to be. Maybe I can do some good there.”

  For the rest of the evening, we sat around talking, munching on snacks, and playing “Remember when . . .” until some of us had to call it a night.

  Sean walked outside with Amy and me. I had my car, and he had his. He hugged both of us, and after Amy got into my car, Sean asked if he could come over after Thanksgiving dinner the following night.

  “I have to drive back to school Friday morning, and I’d like to spend a little time with you before then. It’s been quite a while, Cara.”

  It had been. We hadn’t spent much time together since last Thanksgiving, and Sean hadn’t been home the previous summer.

  “Okay. Why don’t you come over around six.”

  He grinned. “It’s a date. We should talk.”

  I got into my car and drove Amy home.

  “What’s going on, Cara? I didn’t think you were still seeing Sean.”

  I shrugged. “It’s just been emails this past year. He says he wants to talk, so he’s coming over tomorrow night.” I sighed. “Maybe he’s finally met someone.”

  “Would that bother you?”

  “Probably, but I think it would be for the best.”

  Thanksgiving with my folks was great. Kevin hadn’t made it home but we invited his dad, Kelly O’Rourke, along with Gavin, Conor and Arlynn, to join us for turkey and everything that traditionally went with it. I did what I could to help Mom put our feast together, slicing and dicing at the breakfast bar, mixing up whatever she needed. She decided to trust me with the gravy this year, and since all I had to do was stir it on the stovetop, even I couldn’t mess it up.

  Arlynn brought bread she’d just baked that morning, and the smells drifting through the house were heavenly.