I sit there eating my delicious chicken salad, feeling sorry for myself and loser-ish—when a tray drops onto the space in front of me. I look up.
It’s Dean.
My mouth drops open. Dean ignores my surprise and climbs into the seat across from me. He casually begins to eat burger. I am too confused to say anything to him.
We sit there in silence, eating our lunches. Our eyes meet once, and I give him a grateful smile. He smiles back, and we go back to eating and not talking.
It’s weird, but sometimes I think our enjoy our silences than most of the conversations I’ve had in my life.
Saturday—the day of the talent show at the Town Center mall. Dean’s helping me transport the dance props from the rec to the mall. We’ve just loaded up his truck when Eileen Worth calls me in tears.
“I hadn’t checked my e-mail in a few days,” she says in a confusing jumble of words. “Then, just this morning I went on and—and I saw the message from Teri, the events coordinator at the mall. They’re canceling the show because not enough people signed up!”
“Oh, no!” I cry, clapping a hand over my mouth. “The kids are going to be so disappointed!”
“I know! I’ve really messed up! There has to be something we can do. Maybe…” Eileen trails off, sniffling.
Think, Juliet!
“You know what—I’m my way over to the mall right now,” I say, glancing at Dean, who is watching me intently. “Maybe I can talk to her, and explain our situation. Don’t call anyone yet until you talk to me!”
“Okay, good luck!”
I hang up with Eileen, and quickly relay the problem to Dean. Seconds later, we’re racing to the mall. I’m biting my nails the whole way there. I can’t let the kids down—they’ve been working so hard for this, and they’re so excited about performing in front of a big audience. I’m prepared to beg, plead, and offer up my first born if I have to.
I vent out loud, and Dean offers support in that silent Dean way of his. We get to the mall in record time, and he pulls up in front of the entrance. I jump out of the truck, and turn back to him. “You aren’t coming in?”
Dean’s got his phone out. Looking down at it, he says distractedly, “You go ahead. I’ll work on a backup plan.”
Backup plan? What kind of plan can he put together in—oh, my god—two and a half hours?! Crap!
I go skidding into the mall’s office. The events coordinator lady isn’t there, but I talk to a sympathetic older woman who’s manning the office. I let the tears fall, but the woman continues to shake her head.
“I’m so sorry, sweetie, but they’re holding a blood drive in that space right now. It’s supposed to last all day.”
My hopes plummet down to my toes. “Okay, well, is there another place that you know of that we could use? Please, please, please! These kids have worked so hard, for months! They won’t understand if—”
“Even if we did have a space available, I would have to have it cleared at least a day in advance. I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do.”
I stand there for ten more minutes, pleading with her, but she’s immovable. Finally, I have to concede defeat. I trudge out of the office, my shoulders slumped. So much for pulling a miracle out of my ass.
Maybe we could hold it at the rec. No, we don’t have a room big enough, and it has to be somewhere where we can make it fairly dark. I’d better call Eileen, and see if she can come up with any ideas.
We brainstorm over the next few minutes. Eileen teaches at a dance studio, but of course they have recitals all day. We discuss alternate venues—maybe another studio—but we’ll probably have to end up postponing it to different day. We agree to call everywhere until we find a place. Right after I hang up with her, I get a text from Dean asking me to meet him out front.
“Hey,” he says when I climb into the passenger seat. “Do you think you can move the time to three? I have a place, but we need to set it up.”
“What?!” I swivel my whole body around to face him. “Are you serious? Where?”
“Barton Creek Country Club. My father’s a member.” Dean grins faintly at me. “Call Eileen, and let her know. The address is 442 Country Club Way. Drive to the Main Gate—tell them to say they’re with the Youngblood party.”
“Seriously? God, Dean, thank you so much,” I mumble as I swipe the screen of my phone to dial Eileen.
I tell her the good news, and even Dean can hear her whoops of joy. He chuckles quietly, and keeps his eyes on the road. I have her write down all the information, and she promises to call all the parents right away to let them know about the changes.
I’m too overwhelmed to say much of anything. I can’t believe Dean’s coming to the rescue again. The Barton Creek Country Club! I’ve never been there before, but I’ve heard it’s super ritzy! I wonder what kind of strings he had to pull to get a room there, especially on such notice?
I bite my lip. “Whatever this costs, I can—”
Dean glances at me. “Don’t worry about it.”
“But I have—”
“I said don’t worry about it.”
His tone is final, and I keep my mouth shut. There has to be a way I can pay him back for everything he’s done for me so far. I’ll worry about it later. Right now, I’ve got to focus on pulling off a last minute talent show at a country club, of all places.
Please let this work.
Dean stops to speak to the security personnel at the main gate, making sure they know he’s expecting several guests in a couple of hours. After he confirms with them, we’re cleared to go down a long winding road lined with palm trees. We drive by several people on the perfectly manicured golf course, and I wonder if anyone’s ever accidentally hit a passing car with a golf ball. I also wonder how I can join when I catch sight of the magnificent building that is the BCCC. Dang, it looks like a palace. That ornate fountain surrounded by a riot of colorful flowers—I want to put it in my backyard and swim in it every day.
I follow Dean into the foyer, which is all marble floors and pillars, tasteful furniture, and elegant lighting. He moves fast so I don’t get to gawk much, trailing after him when he turns sharply down a hallway. The woman behind the desk doesn’t even look up. I guess it’s okay to go back there then?
Dean holds a door open for me and gestures for me to go through. I enter a large circular room with a stage in the front and chandeliers that look like giant glowing pearl necklaces.
The room is mostly empty except for—oh! Johnny, Mack, Lorena, and Nick are here! They’re hard at work, setting up fold up chairs in rows facing the stage.
“You guys!” I shriek, running forward to give them each a hug. “How…?”
“You needed us, we’re here,” Johnny says with a grin, holding me in his arms for a lingering few seconds.
“Thank you so much! This is amazing!” Oh, my god, how am I ever going to repay everyone?
Dean and Johnny leave to get the boxes from his truck, so I grab a few more chairs that are piled up on the side. The room is huge, and there are at least fifty chairs set up.
“I think this should do it,” I say, straightening out the row I’m in. “There’s not going to be a whole lot of people coming—just family and friends.”
“That’s what you think,” Mack says with a grin, placing two folded-out chairs in his row. “Dean called in a bunch of favors. This room is gonna be packed. So get to work, woman.” He playfully swats Lorena’s ass. She looks up from her phone, pretending to scowl at him.
Uh…what did Dean do? He couldn’t possibly have called that many people in the short amount of time he had…right? I glance at the fancy clock on the wall, and run to grab more chairs.
Eileen shows up, along with some of the kids whose parents are going to be in the dance. The kids are super-excited, and they look so cute in their dark hoodies and sweatpants! I leave the chair set up to my friends so I can help Eileen with the kids. Sierra sticks to me, making it almost impossible to do anything, but I
know she’s feeling anxious and shy, so I do the best I can with her hanging on to me.
I’m so busy making sure all the kids have their glow sticks firmly attached to their clothes that I don’t even realize just how many people are in the room right now. Not just family members of the kids, but people from school, as well. I spot Tanya’s curls bobbing around in the crowd, and we wave frantically at each other. Jason and Ryan are here, as well as most of the football team. I also spot a few cheerleaders standing in a group, chattering away. And there’s Bobo! What’s he doing here?
“Where did all these people come from?” Eileen whispers to me, looking around nervously.
I shrug helplessly. “My friends…I guess they wanted to make sure we had a big audience.”
“Well, it’s amazing—all of it. Your friends are wonderful—you’re very lucky to have them.”
“Yeah,” I agree fervently. “Uh…I just hope the kids don’t freak when we turn off the lights.”
Eileen chuckles, patting my arm. “Have faith. Come on, it’s almost time.”
Mostly everyone is seated, and the Jubilee kids are huddled together at the front, costumes on and ready to go. Eileen strolls onto the stage, and warmly welcomes everyone to the one-act show. She tells the audience a little bit about the Jubilee program, and how excited the kids are to show off their skills. After enthusiastic applause, she nods to me, and I help get the kids ready, lining them up by the stage steps.
Someone dims all the lights so it’s very nearly pitch black. We hustle the kids up the stage, and position them, turning them around so they’re facing away from the audience. Micah, overcome by excitement, lets out a lot whoop, and everyone chuckles in response. We’re all in place now, and wait for our cue.
The music starts up. We chose a mash-up of popular songs, and as the first one plays, the kids turn around one by one, visible only as neon stick figures, thanks to the dark and the glow sticks. Everyone cheers wildly.
It goes even better than I imagined. Even the mistakes are awesome! Someone drops a neon-lit ball while trying to dunk it through a hula hoop, and it bounces off the stage—where it’s quickly snatched up, and people start tossing it around the room, turning it into crowd volleyball. Maryanne tries to run off the stage, and her dad—one of the performers—catches her, and manages to make it look part of the dance.
For the finale, the adults in the back pull the kids through the hula hoops. And cue the thunderous applause and cheers. The lights come back on to show the beaming faces of all the kids. Well, all except for Jameson, who’s in tears. Why is he crying? Oh, one of his glow sticks fell off!
Eileen comes back on the microphone, thanking everyone once more, and to my embarrassment she singles me out.
“Everyone please give it up for my assistant, Juliet Somers! She choreographed the whole routine, and this day likely wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for her and her awesome friends. So, take a bow, Juliet!”
Embarrassed, I manage a dorky little wave. Someone—Mack, maybe—shouts my name, and there are a few whistles. I spot a familiar red-blonde head in the back row. Heather! I try to catch her eye, but she’s not looking at me. I can’t believe she came!
Eileen goes on to announce that she hopes everyone stays and enjoys the refreshments provided by me and my friends. Uh…what? Then I see the long tables set up in the back. Ben and Arianna are putting out napkins and paper plates. Where did all that food come from? It looks like they raided a deli: there are little sandwiches, big bowls of pasta salads, and platters of beautifully arranged fruit. Ben sees me looking, and gives me a cocky salute. I am too stunned to do much more than blink at him.
Oh, my god, this is freaking incredible. I’m going to have to bake a huge thank you cake. Forget that—if one of them ever needs a kidney, I am so there.
I try to look for Heather afterwards, but she’s gone. I think about calling her—but there’s someone I have to find first.
Dean is talking to a couple of guys from the JV football team. I smile at the them as I approach. The two guys get the hint and drift toward the food table, leaving me and Dean alone.
I am suddenly inexplicably nervous. “Hey,” I say—just for something to say.
He looks amused. “Hey, yourself.”
“Um…crap, where do I start?” I stare down at the floor for inspiration, before staring earnestly up at him. “This—what you did…it’s so amazing. Seriously, I don’t think you know how much this means to me—and Eileen, and the—the kids. I don’t even know how you pulled it off, but…thank you, Dean. Thank you a million times! I can’t even…”
I start to choke up. Dean looks uncomfortable, and slightly alarmed. “Don’t mention it, Juliet. Really.”
“But...not just for today, but for always being there for me…” I fumble with my words. “You’ve been such a great friend to me, and I just wanted you to know—thank you. For everything.”
I lightly place my palm on his chest—and gasp at the zing of electricity that shoots through my arm to my suddenly pounding heart. What the hell was that?!
Dean seems to freeze under my touch. I wouldn’t even be able to tell he was breathing if I couldn’t feel his chest moving. He stares at me with an intensity that burns me from head to toe. My hand drops away in a dead faint.
Um. I don’t think he likes me touching him. I clear my throat, and start backing away from him.
“S-sorry,” I apologize, my face flaming with mortification.
Turning on my heel, I make my escape. What was that about? I’m so embarrassed. Why did I have to touch him? What if he thought I was hitting on him, or something? Way to make things awkward, Juliet, you big dummy.
Confused, elated, and extremely self-conscious, I shake the incident out of my head. Hoping for a distraction, I find Arianna and try to hug her in gratitude. She reacts like I’ve thrown a spider in her face. Hm, maybe I shouldn’t try to touch people anymore. Clearly, I’m disgusting.
Never mind. Here come a bunch of people who love it when I give hugs. I open my arms wide for the herd of Jubilee kids coming at me.
“Zool!”
Damn it. They stole my shoe again.
******
Chapter 37
Dean, Johnny, and their parents are vacationing in Aspen over Christmas. While they’re gone, I enlist Lorena, Mack, and Ryan’s help transporting Dean’s present to his room. It’s a huge pain! We have to drain most of the water out of the tank, and put the livestock in buckets—but the hardest part is moving the tank itself. It’s huge, and takes all four of us to get it safely up the stairs.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to just fill the tank up here, rather than lugging all these buckets?” Ryan grunts, red and sweaty from trudging up and down the steps.
“It would, but then we’d have to wait four to six weeks before we could put anything in the aquarium,” I explain, out of breath myself. “I started the tank last month. For a saltwater aquarium, you have to cycle the water and establish good bacteria. You can’t just add everything at once, you have to…”
I trail off when I notice Ryan’s eyes starting to glaze over. He escapes back downstairs, and I go back to setting things up. With Dean’s room being so bare, it’s easy to find the perfect spot for the aquarium, away from the windows.
“This must’ve cost you a fortune,” Lorena says to me, watching me check the heaters.
“Actually, my dad bought the tank and most of the equipment for me not too long ago. He was gonna help me set it up, but we could never find the time—he lives in Hidden Cove.” I shrug. “I figure why let all this go to waste, right?”
“You think Dean will like it?”
“I hope so. I mean, it’s a lot of work—you have to check the water every week. But I could come over and do it for him until he got the hang of it. And I know he’s leaving for college soon, but—what?”
I stop when I notice the weird smirk on her face. When I raise my eyebrows at her, she just shakes her head, and walks aw
ay. Okay…
It takes hours to put the aquarium back together. Ryan, Lorena, and Mack go home after the heavy lifting is done, but I hang around to inspect the finished product. It looks good. I mean, there’s only a few small wrasse fish in there right now—but I think the colorful rocks and coral more than make up for it. I hope Dean likes it. It can be a huge pain to maintain—we had a saltwater aquarium when Dad was living with us—but I liked doing it. I hope Dean feels the same way.
Everything’s done, but I don’t leave yet. I want to keep an eye on the tank for a few hours. Also, I have a little more decorating to do. I’ve ordered a couple of star kits online to stick on the ceiling—not the super-cheesy ones that you’d find in a kid’s bedroom. These are self-adhesive little dots that actually give the illusion of a night sky. At least, according to the pictures I saw on the website. Hm, they don’t look like much now.
I have to ask Jelena, the live-in housekeeper, for a stepladder to reach the ceiling—and it takes me over three hours to put up all the stars. An hour into it, my arms feel ready to fall off, and I start second-guessing myself. What if Dean hates all of it? I could donate the tank to the rec, or something (I don’t want to think about moving that sucker again!), and the stars—what if he thinks they’re childish? I’d have to come back here and scrape them off his ceiling. Ugh.
I should’ve asked him before making these major changes to his bedroom. How presumptuous of me. Oh, well. I’m not stopping now. If he doesn’t like it, he doesn’t like it. And I’ll find a deep dark cave to hide in for a couple of months.
It’s dark by the time I’m done. I pull the drapes over the windows and the sliding glass door so that the only light in the room comes from the peacefully lit tank, and the glowing dots on the ceiling. I lie on my back on the floor, pleased with the new ambience. Not bad. Really not bad. I should get on Dean’s bed to get the whole experience, but I’ve never seen a bed that precisely made before, and I’m a little scared of it.
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