by Doreen Alsen
Curious, Dave made a circuit around the lunchroom and down the hall of the performing arts wing of the school to the music room. He peeked through the window of the door to see Ruark laughing at something Andi said.
Well, that was good, wasn’t it?
“Hey, you checking out my woman?” Mike appeared out of nowhere and punched Dave in the arm.
Dave chuckled. “You wouldn’t have had a chance with her if I’d turned on the charm.”
Rubbing his jaw, Mike snorted. “Ah, the notorious Mason charm. Heard you were turning it on big time in the break room at The End Zone.”
“News travels fast.” Dave knew exactly who was spreading the word—Chelsea Adams. “Never thought you’d be gossiping with your student teacher.”
“You know I never gossip. She was telling the other student teacher, and made sure she talked loud enough for me to hear.” Mike shook his head. “What the hell were you doing playing tonsil hockey with Ainslie Logan?”
“None of your damn business.”
“Just two weeks ago, the sight of her made you crazy, and by crazy I mean the bad kind.”
“Two weeks ago, I didn’t know a thing about her. Now I do, and I want to know more.”
“She’s not your usual type. For one thing, she’s older. Then, there’s the kids.”
“Bite me,” Dave said, “I happen to like kids.”
“Apparently. Well, you should probably find another place to hook up, one that’s not Bobby’s break room. Not a whole lot of privacy there, bro.”
“Good point.”
Mike went into the music room.
After one last glance to check how Ruark was doing, Dave went back to patrol the cafeteria. Why did falling in love have to be so complicated?
****
Ainslie pondered over Ruark and his problems all afternoon. Her head hurt from thinking about it. It clouded over her thoughts nearly as much as remembering kissing Dave Mason the night before.
What in the world had she been thinking?
Clearly, she was letting her hormones do the thinking for her. That was never a wise choice.
She busied herself with filling saltshakers. It made for an interesting task, as she couldn’t help but hear the conversations at tables nearby.
She dearly hoped Dave Mason didn’t show up at the bar tonight, although she wanted to hear about Ruark’s day in school.
Speaking of which, one of the nearby tables was filled with Dave’s friends, Gina and Ian Ross, as well as Andi Kelly. Maybe she could get info about Ruark from her.
“Hey, Ainslie!” Gina smiled at her. “How’s it going?”
“Pretty good.” She screwed the top off the saltshaker.
Andi and Ian were engrossed in a conversation. Well, at least Andi was. Ian took notes while she talked.
“Don’t mind them.” Gina waved a hand. “They’re brainstorming ideas for this year’s Ballet Guild fundraiser.
“Really?” Ainslie felt a smile grow across her face. In her old life, she was the queen of organizing fundraisers.
Andi glanced at her, brows furrowed across her forehead. “Hi, Ainslie.” She blew out a breath. “We want to do something different this year, but nothing really tickles my fancy.”
“What do you have?” Ainslie nodded to Ian’s list.
Ian handed it to her. “It’s pretty pitiful. We usually have a gala dinner dance with an auction, but we’ve noticed a drop in attendance.”
“You could just tweak that idea a little. I was on the board of the Charleston Opera Theater, and we had great success with what we called the ‘Mirror, Mirror on the Wall Ball.’”
“Ooh,” Andi crooned. “What was that?”
“We put out a call for local artists to design one of kind mirrors and put them up on the walls. We made it a fairy tale theme, because there’re so many operas based on fairy tales. People came dressed as their favorite fairy tale or mythological character.” Ainslie had gone as Cinderella’s fairy godmother. She’d had so much fun.
Bobby Lee had gone as the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood. It had fit him to a “T.” “As people mingled, they bid silently on the mirrors on the wall. We made a mint.”
“Omigod!” Gina grinned. “This sounds like something I’d have fun at.” She pointed at Ian. “Make it happen.”
Ian took his glasses off and cleaned them with his tie. “It sounds intriguing.”
“Oh, pooh. It sounds great, doesn’t it Andi?” Gina turned to a higher power.
“I think it sounds fabulous!” Andi chuffed a laugh. “We could even use the fairy tale theme, because there are lots of ballets built on fairy tales. Maybe expand it to include legendary lovers, or something like that.” She looked at Ainslie. “Can we steal it?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t even mind helping planning it, if you wanted help.” Ainslie mentally crossed her fingers. She so missed her charitable work.
“The rest of the Board will have to vote on this.” Ian tapped a finger on the table.
Gina laughed as she punched him in the shoulder. “You just don’t want to have to wear a costume. It’s beneath your dignity and all that stiff upper lippiness you put on.”
“I just don’t enjoy a fancy dress ball,” Ian bristled.
“Oh, you’re so cute when you’re pompous.” She leaned over and gave him a brief kiss on his mouth. “We have to fix that.” She snapped her fingers. “I know! You can go as Grumpy the Dwarf.”
“I am not dressing up like a dwarf,” he grumbled.
“No?” she asked. “How about going in drag as Little Red Riding Hood?”
“Not on your best day.” Ian said, but his eyes twinkled.
Ainslie listen to them chatter and tease each other. Left out, even though the Mirror Ball idea came from her, she went off to fill more saltshakers. An acidy little sphere of dejectedness churned and rolled around in her stomach. She bit her lip.
A cool hand touched her shoulder. Andi Kelly smiled at her. “Are you sure you want to be on the planning committee?”
More than almost anything in the world. “Of course.” That scratchy ol’ ball in her belly unraveled.
“It’s a great idea,” Andi said. “Thanks for being willing to be on the committee. May I e-mail you to give you planning meeting dates and such?”
“Absolutely,” Ainslie said. “I’m glad I can help.” She smiled at Andi.
“We’ve been needing a shot in the arm. The committee has blinders on when it comes to thinking outside the box. You’ll be a great addition to the group.”
“Well, I don’t know about that.” Ainslie shrugged and put the salt carton back in the wait station. “I’ll be glad to meet new people and do some good.” That was so true.
“Trust me,” Andi snorted gently. “You’re going to be just what the ballet board needs.”
The acid ball started to whirl again. “I don’t think I can join the board. I don’t have the wherewithal to donate anything but time.”
“No worries. Your time and ideas are worth more than a monetary donation.” Andi looked at her watch. “I’ve got to go. Here, let me give you my card. Can you write your e-mail on the back of it?”
“Sure.” Ainslie took the crisp rectangle from her and pulled a pencil from her apron pocket.
Andi took it back from her and smiled. “I’ve got to go so I’m not late for a rehearsal. You’ll be hearing from me!” With a quick wave, she was gone, leaving Ainslie staring at the door.
Finally! A bright spot in this twilight zone her life had become. A chance to claim some of her old life back. One thing she could do is plan events that made a lot of money.
She wondered if Dave Mason had anything to do with the ballet. Probably not. She really needed to stop thinking about the man.
What she couldn’t figure out was whether Dave Mason was a bright spot or just one more complication to drag her down.
She placed her finger tips on her mouth. He definitely brought one part of her back to the land of
the living. The man sure could kiss.
She wanted to kiss him again, to run her hands over his sure-to-be excellent body and explore every muscle and ridge up close and personal.
Shivering, she shoved those delicious, scandalous thoughts to the back of her mind. She was not a too young, too naïve Miss South Carolina, fooled by a handsome face and a hot body.
No matter how tempted she was.
Chapter Ten
“Mm-mm. I am so going to get a piece of that.” Alden Bradford, a.k.a. Butt-munch, let his intentions known to his buddies about his next victim, his voice set to creepy. “She is prime.”
Ruark did his best to ignore Bradford and his buddies. It was especially hard, since his locker was in the Phys. Ed wing.
The way to the gym was full of kids dressed all up in school spirit crap. Pep rallies were mandatory. It would be the first one he’d ever gone to.
Rah-rah.
The football team wore its team jerseys, though they looked a little small without the shoulder pads, sort of like what his sister looked like back in the day when she was dressing up in their mom’s clothes. The cheerleaders also wore their uniforms, and other kids had decked themselves out in green and white, some with the Addington Minute Men logo on them.
Someone hand him a barf bag. Please.
Sports were supposed to build character, right? Not give cretins carte blanche to disrespect women and girls.
“Hey, Shanna,” Alden said.
Shanna? Shanna? As in Ruark’s twin sister Shanna? That jerk better not be going after her.
“Hey, Alden.”
Ruark heard a very familiar voice. Damn. He knew Shanna’s voice better than anyone else’s in this world. Dread radiated through him, from the tips of his toes to the tips of his ears.
A realization reached out and whomped Ruark upside the head. Shanna was the girl Alden hoped to get a piece of.
Not if Ruark had anything to say about it. He pushed his locker door shut. “Hey, Shanna.”
She turned to look at him, murder in her eyes. “Ruark. What?”
“Am I picking up Patsy, or are you?”
Shanna rolled her eyes. “You are.” The word doofus was implied. “You can’t bail on me, not today.”
“I wasn’t going to bail.” Although he would if it would get her away from Alden, he’d bail, big time.
Alden threw his arm over Shanna’s shoulders and hauled her close to him. “Shanna,” he said with a smirk, “want to tell your brother who’s the lucky guy taking you to the Homecoming Dance?”
No freakin’ way. No, no, no, no, no. He was not letting his sister go anywhere with Alden Bradford.
“Hey, Ruark!” Cecily bounced up to him. She was just as perky as Shanna was, decked out in her Minuteman cheering uniform, just as cute.
Just as air-headed. Just as clueless.
“Hey, Cecily,” Ruark answered as a plan took shape in his mind. “I’ve been trying to run into you. Has anyone asked you to the Dance yet?”
“No.” Her voice held a hint of breathlessness, her face turned a pretty shade of pink.
Ruark grimaced inside. He would do whatever he had to, to keep Shanna out of Alden Bradford’s slimy grasp. “Would you like to go to the dance with me?”
“I’d love to!” Cecily just vibrated with excitement.
What did he just do?
Glancing at Shanna, he saw her grin. She should smile. He did what she’d been begging him to do for awhile.
It was worth it to see the look on Bradford’s face. Choke on it, butt-face. “Maybe we can all go together.”
Shanna and Cecily squealed. “That would be so much fun!”
Alden grunted. It wasn’t a pretty sound.
Shanna just glowed with happiness.
The things Ruark’d do for his sister.
“We can get ready at my house,” Cecily trilled. “My mother came back from a Manhattan business trip and brought me some fun new make up from Sephora.”
Ruark watched a little panic come from his sister. No one else would have seen her reaction.
But he knew. Shanna loved Sephora. She’d made her stash last as long as she could, because there’d be no replacing it once it was gone. A lot of it was getting dried out. Shanna was not a “maybe it’s Maybelline” type of girl.
Another cheerleader came up to them. Raurk couldn’t be bothered to learn her name. Except for Shanna, they all looked alike. “Hey! Where have you been? Coach wants us down in the gym now.”
“See you later.” Shanna waved as she and Cecily bopped off with the other girl.
Raurk watched them go, a feeling of relief because his sister was safe for the moment. At least she was until he told her what he’d overheard. She’d see reason. Maybe.
“Think you’re all that, asshole?” Alden sure didn’t sound like a very happy camper.
Which made Ruark feel all warm and toasty inside. “No,” Uh, yes, that would be a ten-four, buddy.
Alden got all up in Ruark’s face. “Better watch your back.”
He watched Alden and his no-neck buddies lumber off, one of them flipping Ruark off as he went.
Burn! Except, not so much.
What he had to do was get Shanna to see the light.
Sh’yeah. Easier said than done. She was more stubborn than a pit bull.
****
“Hey, Dave,” Spike greeted him with a smile. “What can I getcha for? Sam Adams?”
Dave slid onto a barstool while he tossed his keys next to a bowl of pretzels. “Yeah, thanks.” He popped some of the salty goodness into his mouth. “Ainslie around?”
Spike opened Dave’s beer and put it on the bar in front of him. She raised and lowered her eyebrows. “Ainslie, huh?”
“Yep.” He knew Spike. The less he said, the better off he’d be.
“She’s not on tonight. Do you want any food to go with that beer?”
“Sure.” He tapped his finger on the bar, a rapid beat that reflected the rhythm of his heart. He was thirty-four, not twelve. He had no reason to feel so nervous about a woman. “A Daveburger sounds good.”
“Coming up.” Spike grinned at him. “Rumor has it you asked Ainslie to the Homecoming Dance. That’s so cute! Are you gonna get your dad to give you the keys to the car?”
Aww, crap. Cute. That’s all he needed. “Very funny. I needed another chaperone for the dance, she wants to meet the kids her kids are hanging out with.” He shrugged. “It’s a win-win.”
She laughed. “Yeah, and you didn’t ask her so you could spend time with her. That would have nothing to do with how much time you’re spending here.” She rapped her knuckles three times on the bar and shook her head. “The Tooth Fairy will be right out with your food, Sunshine.” She loped off to the kitchen.
Okay, he was spending a lot of extra time at The End Zone. It had nothing to do with seeing Ainslie. Nope! He loved the food and didn’t have much time to use his kitchen skills.
Although if this kept up, his cholesterol was going to be off the charts. He needed to dial back on the fried food.
Spike came back, still chuckling. “Ready for another beer?”
Picking up the bottle and swirling the inside contents, he shook his head. “Not yet. I’m good. Hey!” He might as well put it all out there. “Do you think you could let me know what her nights off are?”
Spike frowned. “I don’t know. Her nights with her kids are real sacred to her.”
“Please?” he wheedled. “I’d really like to get to know her, you know, take her out, stuff like that.”
Spike stared at him. “Stuff, huh?” She so wasn’t going to let him off the hook. “What girl in her right mind would give up the chance to go do stuff with you?” She laughed. “’Kay, Prince Charming. Be right back.”
It didn’t take long for Spike to come skipping back with information and Dave’s burger in her hands. “She’s off on Wednesday. Other than that, the only other night she’s got open is the night of the dance.” She dropp
ed the burger in front of Dave, then pulled out ketchup and mustard bottles which she slapped down in front of him. “Whatcha gonna do?”
Dave cleared his throat while he opened the ketchup bottle. “I thought dinner would be a good place to start.”
“Works for me. Where to?”
“Aren’t we nosy tonight?”
“Yeppers! I want all the gory details.” Spike laughed. “Take her to Hope Monahan’s and ask to sit in the tavern. It’s all romantic-like in there, especially if you can get a table near the fireplace.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Dave saluted. Spike was right. The tavern at Hope’s was as romantic a place as you could want. He tweaked Spike’s nose. “When did you go all mushy?”
“When the big guy back there in the kitchen finally opened his eyes and saw the best thing that’d ever happened to him.” Spike had a big thing going on with Bobby. It made both of them way more mellow, now that they’d hooked up. She looked real hard at Dave. “Here’s her land-line number. Why don’t you call her now?”
“Like this minute?” Dave felt a slight hitch in his breathing.
“No, twenty years from now when you’re both old and decrepit and think a fierce game of Bingo is just barely more exciting than checking out the early bird specials at Friendly’s™.” She shook her head. “If you don’t have your phone on you, you can use our landline.” She pulled a phone out from under the counter. “No time like the present.” She leaned against the bar, put her elbows on it, and cradled her chin in her palms.
****
“I got it,” Patsy yelled as she sprinted from her spot in front of the TV to the phone in the kitchen.
“Turn a little to the right,” Ainslie murmured as she punched another straight pin into the hem of Shanna’s Homecoming Dance dress. Fortunately, for all concerned, Shanna loved the dress from Sweet Dreams. It just needed a little bit of hemming. Ainslie had conceded to Shanna’s desire to have the dress a little bit shorter. A half inch made all the difference. Short enough to make Shanna happy, long enough to make Momma happy.
“Mo-omma! Phone’s for you!” Patsy bellowed from the other room.
Ainslie frowned. “Who is it?” Dread pooled in her stomach. She never got phone calls unless there was an emergency. Please don’t let it be Bobby Lee calling from prison.
