These Foolish Things

by Thatcher, Susan

Liz smiled. “Thanks for the vote of confidence but this won’t take long, I promise.” She ran upstairs to finish getting dressed and to force her heart into a slower rhythm.

  Liz was good for her word and was back downstairs within 5 minutes. Beanie had jumped onto a bookcase and rolled on to his back. Ty was scratching his chest and belly. Beanie had wrapped his paws around Ty’s hand and was guiding it to the best spots. Judging by the smile and murmured “Oh, there but not there, huh?,” Ty was enjoying it, too. He turned when he heard Liz approach and smiled even more broadly. “I think I have a new friend,” he said. Then he added “Wow” in a soft voice, eyes riveted on Liz. “You look incredible.”

  Liz was flustered and managed to stammer, “Thanks. Am I within the dress code?” She was wearing a sleeveless raw silk dress in a soft purplish-blue shade. She noticed that Ty was dressed rather casually, jacket but no necktie. “I can change in a jiffy if you want.”

  Ty shook his head. “No need and I’d change reservations before I’d make you change that dress.” He grinned and added, “It matches your eye.”

  Beanie made another grab for Ty’s hand, rolling over and guiding it to his fluffy white belly. Ty obliged and began scratching again. He tried to withdraw his hand, but Beanie pulled it back, licking his fingers. “Hey, Fella, I’ve gotta go.”

  Liz said one word. “Beanie.”

  He stopped at the sound of Liz’s voice and released Ty’s hand. He looked at the two humans and wagged his tail, purring loudly. Ty took Liz by the arm and guided her forward.

  Ty’s touch was warm and firm. Liz could feel tingling where his fingers rested on her arm. She paused to collect purse and keys from a table by the front door. Beanie had scrambled down from the bookshelf and run for the door. He stood there, tail wagging, waiting for his opportunity.

  “Beanie, don’t even think about it. Get away from that door and nobody gets hurt, especially the cat.” Hearing the stern tone, he obediently trotted back to the living room. Ty was smiling as he opened the doors. Both Ty and Liz watched to make sure there were no further escape attempts. There weren’t.

  “Here.” He took her arm again and showed Liz to a large late model Mercedes. Again, Liz reminded herself that this was probably how he treated all his dates and not to read too much into it. Liz reached for the door handle but Ty stopped her. “Let me get that for you.”

  He opened the door, handed her into the car and closed the door when he was satisfied that she was settled. Memories of previous dates flashed through her mind, ones where she was lucky if said date remembered to unlock her door, let alone open it for her.

  “Where are we going?” Liz asked after Ty got in.

  He started the car and gave her a mysterious look. “You’ll see,” he said with a comical evil laugh.

  They drove in silence for a few minutes while Ty navigated his way out of the Salem labyrinth. “Why do you live so far from Boston?” he asked. “I mean, this is a pretty good hike.”

  “The rents in and around Boston are ridiculous. If I wanted to live in something bigger than a shoebox, I could only afford to eat Jell-O.” Liz replied. Ty smiled. “Here, I own my own home and a few rental properties.”

  She continued. “I like Salem. I like being near the water. I like the people, I like the mix of centuries among the buildings. I really feel at home on the North Shore.”

  “What did you do before you went to law school?” Ty asked. “I looked you up in Martindale-Hubbell and you haven’t been practicing very long.” He glanced at Liz. “Sorry, but I had to make sure you weren’t…”

  “…some kind of whack job?” Liz finished with a smile, “About the craziest thing I do is hope the Bruins will make a comeback. Don’t worry, I’m not offended. I worked for an investment house here in town doing customer service. I hated every minute of it,” her voice became tight with remembered anger, “It was especially hateful when I’d be instructed to deny something to a customer only to have the boss who gave me the instruction give the same customer what he wanted when the man got angry and demanded my supervisor.” She shook off the bitterness. “That’s the past. I don’t have that problem anymore. My word is law.”

  Ty laughed at the joke. “Have you always been like this?”

  “Like what?”

  “Funny. Very quick with the one-liners. Why don’t you have your own sitcom?”

  Liz twisted in her seat so that she could see Ty. God, even his profile set off a reaction in her. “As for how long, I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I had to learn how to talk first. No sitcom for me. I’d be unconscious from stage fright. I took an acting class in college and dropped out. I couldn’t stop stuttering.”

  “That’s too bad. You’re funny. How’d you do in writing?” Ty was smiling.

  “Solid B+ and astonishment.” Liz waited for him to ask. She was enjoying her role as raconteur. Ty obliged.

  “Astonishment?”

  “Yeah. We had to type or write a descriptive paragraph on mimeograph paper so the professor could run off copies for the class,”

  She saw the eyebrows go up again. “Yes, I said mimeograph paper. This was the dark ages before a PC in every dorm room.” Ty nodded, chuckling. “Anyway,” Liz continued, “I was late to class that day. The previous class, I had forgotten to bring my contribution and had to run back to my room to get it. This time, I had typed up the thing on the wrong side of the paper. My prof, a sweet Southern lady and said, ‘Well, Liz, Ah guess you just fucked up again.’” Liz noticed that Ty was laughing softly. “Nobody had ever talked to me like that, so naturally I was astonished to hear it coming from not only a lady, but a teacher as well. Since then, I’ve had reason to hear that phrase quite a few times for different reasons.”

  “How’d she grade your paragraph?” He was still smiling.

  Liz chuckled. “After all that, it got ripped apart. I don’t think anyone liked the way I’d put even two words together. But I thought it was good and that they were morons.”

  “Atta Girl,” The comment from Ty surprised Liz. “Were they morons?”

  “Let’s see, one of them’s been writing for Rolling Stone since graduation and another just got a $3 million check for film rights to a book. I still say they were morons.”

  “Successful morons,” Ty added supportively.

  The lower deck of the Expressway was slower than usual, owing to late traffic headed for Cape Cod and the local combination of a sold-out concert on Boston’s waterfront and a Red Sox-Yankees game at Fenway. “We’re going to be sitting here for a while,” said Ty. “How about some music?” He snapped on the car’s sound system as Liz nodded. Within seconds, Miles Davis’ trumpet softly filled the background. Liz smiled. “Kind of Blue” was a favorite album of hers.

  “Good choice.”

  Ty was playing anxious host. “You know, I have other stuff if you prefer.”

  Liz shook her head. “This is classic stuff. Of course, I usually prefer Dave Brubeck myself, but Miles is great.”

  Ty chuckled. “Is there no end to your surprises?” He pushed a button and instead of trumpet, the car was filled with the Brubeck Quartet working their magic with “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Liz laughed. “You have a few surprises of your own. Most people, if they think about Brubeck at all, begin and end with ‘Take Five.”

  Ty spoke as he eased the car into an opening in the traffic. “Most of the women I know never heard of Dave Brubeck. They’re more interested in dance and pop.” The car moved forward and stopped. “To tell you the truth, I get bored with that stuff pretty quickly, but they get bored with this even faster.”

  Liz blurted out without thinking, “Maybe you should try dating women who don’t have to be home by 10 on a school night.”

  She could have cheerfully bitten off her tongue. This was a one-time event and being catty was only going to hurt matters.

  Liz saw Ty stiffen slightly and knew she had overstepped the boundaries. He said nothing.

  “I’m sorry, Ty,
that was uncalled-for and none of my business. You’re not here by choice and I’m sorry if I just made things intolerable,” Liz offered.

  Ty still said nothing. His face was expressionless.

  “If you saw my high school yearbook, you’d see I wasn’t a great beauty. The photographer didn’t have to beg me to shut up for my senior picture only because I had a mouthful of braces.” Ty glanced at her. He said nothing. Great, thought Liz, I’ve blown the entire evening already. I’ll be lucky if we don’t end up at Denny’s. Liz jumped when Ty spoke.

  “That must have been awkward,” he glanced at Liz, “having braces at that age.”

  “It’s not as if I was the prom queen or head cheerleader,” Liz said philosophically, “It’s just that our town didn’t have a decent orthodontist until then.”

  “He did a good job. You have a great smile.” Ty pulled onto Storrow Drive.

  “Thank you,” was all Liz could manage.

  Silence fell between them again, but it was not filled with tension like the previous one. They turned onto Boylston Street and Ty pulled the car over in front of the Prudential Center. “Wait here for a couple of minutes while I park. I don’t think you want to start out the evening in a parking garage.”

  As Liz began to get out, she felt Ty’s hand on hers. Again, it caused a warm wave of feeling to go through her. Liz turned towards Ty. His eyes were mischievous. He squeezed her hand slightly as he said, “Now don’t run off. I’ve seen the inside of the Charles Street jail. I’d rather do time with you.” He released her hand and Liz got out of the car. As she stood up, Liz had the urge to kiss him.

  She found herself standing in front of a very pricey, very chic jewelry store. Their merchandise was still on display, although closing time was near. Liz looked at the artfully displayed treasures. Half of her brain was focused on the view, the other half was racing with nervous anticipation.

  “Good, you’re still here.” Ty glanced over her shoulder into the window. “Engagement rings? A little premature, don’t you think?”

  Liz started to protest when she saw the glint in his eyes. “Well, I don’t know,” she said slowly, “What if McCafferty decides to make it a life sentence?” They both laughed.

  “Seriously,” said Liz, “Millie and I have this game we call ‘Rock Hunt’ for window shopping at a jeweler’s. You identify the biggest, the most expensive and the tackiest pieces in the window. Sometimes, one stone wins all three.”

  Ty chuckled. “I see. Show me the winners.”

  As he turned to face the window, Ty moved to put his arm around Liz’s waist, but stopped when she stiffened. He looked at her curiously, but said nothing.

  “Um, let’s see.” Liz pointed to a large solitaire. “That’s the biggest. There’s the tackiest, which is kind of hard to find in a shop like this,” she pointed to a gaudy, multi-stone cocktail ring.

  “I can think of two or three women who’d disagree as to it being tacky, but I think you’re right. Most expensive?” asked Ty.

  Liz scanned the display. “The tags are hidden, so peeking is out of the question…”

  Her voice trailed off as she focused on one particular ring. It was the most beautiful she’d ever seen and she’d never seen one like it. The center stone was some kind of rich blue, emerald cut stone with two smaller emerald cut diamonds on either side of it, all set in platinum. To Liz, the whole effect was timeless elegance. “Hey.” Ty combined the single word with a gentle shake that roused Liz from her reverie. “You still with me?”

  Liz blinked. “I’m sorry. One of the rings caught my eye.” She pointed to it.

  Ty leaned in for a better look. “That is gorgeous and very unusual,” Ty commented, “What’s that stone in the middle? It doesn’t look like a sapphire.” A clerk had begun to remove the displayed jewelry. Liz waved to get his attention. She pointed to the ring and mouthed, “What’s the stone?”

  The clerk mouthed back, “Blue diamond.” He held up the ring so that she and Ty could see it better.

  “Wow, I’ve never seen one before,” Liz said. The clerk looked at her, then Ty, then back to Liz. She saw the question on his face and shook her head with a smile. The man nodded and smiled, then went back to emptying the window.

  “What was that all about?” Ty asked as he guided Liz away.

  “Oh, he assumed we were a couple shopping for an engagement ring and I just straightened him out.” Liz was nonchalant.

  “Should we be going?” Ty glanced at his watch. “Hmm. Time to head upstairs. You’re not afraid of heights, are you?” Motioning for Liz to precede him, Ty guided her towards the Prudential Center and its elevators. Liz knew they were going to the Top of the Hub with that question. She remembered a group dinner from her previous career when two of the cockiest brokers had had to sit with their backs to the window in order to keep from passing out from fear. They had stayed marble white throughout the meal and only been able to walk by the windows again due to the large amount of beer they had to drink with their meals. Liz, on the other hand, had relished seeing Boston and Cambridge laid out before her.

  They arrived on time for their reservation. The maitre d’ greeted them warmly until he got a good look at Liz’s eye. He looked twice at it, then at Ty with a disgusted expression. “Really. Didn’t your mother tell you not to hit girls?” he asked haughtily. Without allowing an answer, he led them to a window table on the northern side of the restaurant and cut Ty off from seating Liz, doing it himself.

  Ty sat in his chair looking bewildered and a little amused. “Why does everyone look at us and assume that I’ve been beating you?” he asked, genuinely confused.

  Liz shrugged. “I guess it’s easier to believe than the truth. Look at the two of us. Who’d believe I got the better of you at anything?”

  She looked around at the view. The sun would be setting in about an hour. Right now, the city was bathed in the long, low rays of midsummer, very beautiful, but in them, reminders of the shortened daylight and falling temperatures to come.

  “I guess you’re not afraid of heights,” Ty remarked as he watched her take in the sights. A one-man rowing shell made its way upriver, the rower maintaining a perfect rhythm. The sun caught the water on the oars, flashing in time with the strokes.

  “I used to do that,” Ty murmured, half to himself. “It’s so quiet out there. You lose yourself in the rhythm and the movement. I started when I was a teenager. Got me out of the house and away from…” His voice trailed off as his eyes followed the shell. “I miss it.” Liz heard the regret in his voice.

  “Did you race?” she asked.

  Ty smiled. “Won my class in Head of the Charles twice.”

  “I’m impressed,” said Liz. She searched his face and asked quietly, “If you loved it so, why did you give it up?” She wanted to touch his hand, but didn’t dare. Liz settled for leaving it on the table near his.

  “I was building a practice and there wasn’t time. Things took off for me and I started getting bigger cases, which meant more work.” He looked at her. “You may have figured out that I don’t get a lot of down time. But, success demands sacrifice. My father always said that. He knew.” His voice had a bitter edge to it. He looked again out the window, silent.

  Liz wanted to jump out of her seat and hold him. “Well,” she ventured, “you must be doing something to stay in shape.”

  Ty’s gaze stayed fixed on the view. “A bunch of us play hoops a couple of times a week.”

  “You and your friends?”

  Ty looked back at her. “I don’t have a lot of friends, but I play with the younger attorneys from my firm.” He smiled ruefully. “Lately, they’ve been running my ass off. How about you?”

  “How about me what?”

  “How do you keep those legs so beautiful?”

  Liz laughed, a little embarrassed. “Lot of walking but my legs aren’t…”

  Ty interrupted her, “Yes, they are. Trust me, I’m a connoisseur.”

  She ducked he
r head and blushed. “Thank you.”

  Ty looked at her oddly. “People don’t tell you you’re beautiful, do they?”

  Liz looked back at him, eyes on his, “Why should they?”

  “There are women who know they’re beautiful because everybody tells them so,” he said, “and they expect the world to acknowledge it. You can see it in their faces.” Here, his voice became softer, “But a woman who is unaware of her glory puts them to shame.”

  Liz shook her head. “That’s poetic. And very kind. But, the mirror doesn’t lie. I’m not beautiful.”

  Ty opened his mouth to say something when the waiter approached, “I’m Marc and I’ll be your server tonight. May I start you with a cocktail?” He didn’t say anything about the eye or its possible cause, but Liz detected hostility towards Ty. She’d have felt sorrier for him if it hadn’t been so damned funny.

  They ordered drinks, wine for Liz and Scotch for Ty. Silence fell as they waited. The silence was broken by an electronic version of “Take Five” coming from Ty’s jacket pocket. Sheepishly, he pulled out his cell.

  “I’m sorry. Gotta do some business.” He rose to take the call at a more secluded area. Liz took the opportunity to head for the ladies room and a pause to gather her strength.

  The cell tone had reminded Liz that this was not a real date. The caller was probably the girl she’d seen him with. She felt an almost physical pain at the thought of him with another woman and quickly stuffed the jealousy pangs down.

  As Liz stood in front of the mirror over the sink, she didn’t see her reflection due to the racing of her mind. What was going to happen? Did he expect a kiss at the end of the evening? Or more? Something in her hoped he did at the same time something else registered alarm at the possibility. Liz was aware of a vaguely electric feeling throughout her body, a warm, pleasant excitement that she’d never felt. She couldn’t put a name to it, but she liked it.

  No, you’re done with all that stuff, she thought. You made your decision. This man is here under obligation and you should absolutely, positively not entertain thoughts of anything more than this evening with him. It’s not going to happen.