"What does she do?"
"She’s a dance teacher."
"Oh."
Ignoring how he’d fudged Dana’s profession to Susan, he helped the group split into teams, and Joe took his place at center forward for the green shirts. He lost himself in the play, which was good. They had just enough members, so the first break he got was at the quarter. He checked on the girls. They said they were fine watching him. Huh! Dana would probably have been fine, too.
Near the end of the game, Joe dribbled the ball down the field, keeping control of it, avoiding the defenders. Just as he got near the goal, he saw Susan sneak up on the left side. Hell, she was wide open. He shot her the ball, she trapped it between her feet and booted it into the goal to the left side of the goalie.
The whistle blew. His team had won. Several people rushed him. Two women jumped on him and he whirled them around. Pats on the back from the guys. Then Susan planted a big one on his mouth. Adrenaline spiked affectionate behavior, and it was fun.
He headed back to Kara and Kaelyn smiling, but when he reached them, he noticed his older daughter was frowning. "What’s wrong, baby?"
"Those girls all jumped on you, Dad."
"Honey, that’s normal jock stuff."
"One kissed you right on the mouth."
"Kara, what are you getting at?"
"Miss Dana wouldn’t like that."
"I wasn’t thinking about Miss Dana out there, honey. It’s no big deal."
"I think it is. She would, too."
"Okay, I’ll remember what you said. Let’s drop it."
"Dad, I—"
"I said drop it, Kara." His tone was sharp and Kara recoiled. He rarely raised his voice to his girls.
"Fine," she said, stalking away toward the car.
"Fuck," he said under his breath.
Kaelyn, who’d watched it all, came down the bleachers. "She’s right, Daddy," she said and ran after her sister.
Suddenly, Joe felt like shit. Jesus, what the hell had happened here?
***
"DANA, I NEED to talk to you about something." Ruth rose from her desk and Dana swiveled around from her computer. She’d been working on a new curriculum for advanced students and wanted to get it done before she had to teach tonight. After work, she was meeting Joe at his house for the first time. "Will it take long?"
"No. We have to start thinking about getting that space next door." Ruth held up a thick stack of papers. "These are new applications." Setting them down, she picked up an even larger pile. "And these are out-of-state applications for our summer workshops, a whole year away."
Dana eyed the papers. "Wow, all that from those articles in the newspaper?"
"And the National Board’s website. The interview with you was a big draw, apparently."
"I’m glad." For so long, the studio had been her reason for living. "I guess we could check into renting the space."
"It’s up for sale, too."
Dana glanced at the window and stared out at the parking lot for a moment. "I’ve been thinking about the expansion, Ruth. I’m…not sure this is the right time." She couldn’t believe the words came out of her mouth since she’d been considering growing the studio for a long time, even before the most recent publicity. But in the last few weeks, her life had changed dramatically. Joe Moretti was taking up much of her free time now.
Ruth’s brows shot up. "Really, why?"
"Mostly because it’ll demand a ton of our time. Remodeling next door into classrooms, hiring more staff and training them. We’ll be spending our free hours on that as well as keeping a very busy schedule here."
A small smile spread across Ruth’s face. "And you don’t want to do that?"
"You know, I’m not sure. We’re both busy these days. Have we spent one night together this week?"
"No, we haven’t." A gleam came into her friend’s eye. "I’ve been with Jeremy and I believe you’re tangling the sheets with JoeyD." Ruth had come to Dana’s every morning before work for her range-of-motion exercises and leg-muscle massages. But Joe took over the other kinds of massages. Dana hadn’t been this happy or looked forward to what came next in life in twelve years. It was a heady feeling and she didn’t want to overbook herself at the studio.
"Methinks you’re doing some tangling of your own, Ms. Cosgrove."
Ruth giggled. "Yes, I have." She shook her head in disbelief. "I thought that part of my life was over, Dana."
Dana said, meaningfully, "So did I, Ruth."
"I know you did, sweetie. We’re pretty lucky, don’t you think?"
For a moment, Dana stilled. Lucky was not something she’d have called herself for the last twelve years, before she met Joe. "If we are, maybe we should put our personal lives first rather than growing the business right now."
When Ruth didn’t respond, Dana studied her and caught sight of tears in her friend’s eyes. "What is, Ruth?"
"I…I just, I just never thought I’d hear those words come out of your mouth. For so long, Devlin Dance has been the center of our lives."
"Well," Dana said, feeling young and happy and buoyed by this decision, "It’s time to change that, don’t you think?"
***
JOE NAILED THE last of the wood into place, stood and looked over at Spence. They were both sweating in the warm September air common to upstate New York. "Thanks for helping with this."
"You’re welcome." His brother scowled down at the newly built ramp, and Joe knew what that expression meant. He tried to avoid discussions about Dana with Spence, but it was obvious what his brother was thinking. And he was still pissed off at himself that he’d let slip Spence had objected to his dating Dana, because the notion had upset her.
"Don’t, Spence."
He held up his hands palms out. "I didn’t say anything."
"You were mentally dissing my relationship with Dana."
Spence pointed to the ground. "Putting in this ramp brings it to the forefront. A commitment if I ever saw one."
"I know. But Spence, I’m happy." Which was mostly true. There were still twinges of guilt at his daughter’s reaction to him on the soccer field earlier today and his mother’s insinuations. Shit, why wasn’t anything easy?
His brother smiled. "Okay, I promised Annie not to push you about this, anyway. Let me just say I have your welfare at heart, Joey. That’s all. I don’t want to see you get hurt, or Dana, for that matter."
"I know."
They picked up the spare lumber and hauled it out back, where Joe stored it under the deck. At least the exit from the dinette to the deck was level. It was amazing, even after living with his dad, how much Joe didn’t realize what had to be considered for wheelchair-bound people. He wondered briefly if the need to be attentive to those details would ever wear thin, or if he’d just see it as a part of life.
"Want to stay for lunch?"
Spence glanced at his watch. "Nope, Annie and I are taking the kids to the movies in an hour." He dragged his keys from his pocket and punched Joey in the arm. "Have a good night. I mean it."
After Spence left, Joe refused to think about Spence’s concerns, though one misgiving about his home surfaced. His bathroom did not accommodate a wheelchair. He’d widen the doorway as soon as he could, but tonight, it would be a problem. Once she got inside the john, she’d be okay because he’d fastened on a simple elevated toilet seat, but he’d have to carry her into the room. He hadn’t told her about that, though, figuring he’d already taken her to the john once, so she wouldn’t mind.
He was glad it was still nice enough to grill outside. He marinated steak and salmon, scrubbed potatoes to bake and made the dressing for his Caesar salad. Then he went to his bedroom and tidied up because she was staying overnight. An hour before she arrived, he took a long hot shower and dressed in gray pants and a silk T-shirt that Dana had said she liked on him.
He was waiting for her on a bench in front when her van pulled into the driveway. He watched as she lowered herself to the blackto
p. Out of nowhere, a powerful emotion swept through him. Why had such an awful thing happened to such a lovely woman? She was so kind and sensitive, and though she needed to be drawn out of her shell, she was sweet and fun-loving when she let go. The sudden anger at her accident was shocking because he thought he’d dealt with his emotions around the issue.
Grabbing a box from inside the van, she placed it in her lap and looked up at him from the chair. Framed by the trees and sky, she was so beautiful, he felt his heart stutter. "Hi, handsome."
He crossed to her and leaning over, he took her lips with more enthusiasm than he’d intended. "Hi, there."
Her brows raised when he pulled back. "That’s quite a greeting."
"I’m so glad you’re here." He couldn’t tell her how the sudden swell of sympathy for her had overcome him. She’d be embarrassed, maybe upset.
She cocked her head. "I can see that." She indicated the ramp. "This wasn’t here the time I dropped you off, when we first met."
"Nope. Spence and I put it in today."
A frown, which he didn’t expect.
"What’s wrong?"
"It’s, um, a pretty big step, isn’t it, Joey?"
"No, Dana," he said curtly. "It’s just a few boards nailed together. Easy to put up, and if it makes you uncomfortable, easy to take down."
"I’m sorry. The remark was ungrateful. Thank you for thinking of it."
He sighed. "We’ll go out back through the house. We’re having drinks on the patio. It’s accessible," he said easily.
When she wheeled inside, he showed her around the downstairs briefly, steering clear of the bathroom just yet. There was a small den she took interest in. On the shelves and walls were all his trophies, pictures his mom had collected and framed, and other sports accolades from some triathlons he’d won as an adult. They ranged from his youth to the present day.
"Wow," she said as she checked out each and every one of them. "You need a whole room for these."
"Is it narcissistic?"
"No, not at all. It’s you." She studied the pictures, picked up the trophies and read some of the articles. When she wheeled around, the expression on her face was odd. "I had no idea sports were so…big to you."
"Were being the operative word."
She waved to one area. "No, Joe, there are a lot of adult competitions and wins up there."
"Mom framed the newspaper stuff and I had to put it up so she wouldn’t feel bad." He was hoping Dana wasn’t going to go there again, about his being athletic and that she couldn’t participate in those things with him. He hated when they took two steps forward and one back.
"You should put it all up. It’s wonderful."
Again, he leaned over and kissed her. "If you had a wall, your wins would far outshine mine, I’ll bet."
She smiled. "Maybe." She held his neck, kissed him again. "It makes me wonder, is all, about us. The jock stuff is still so much of your life."
Damn. "Yep, and I’m going to keep doing it. But you, sweetheart, can be a part of it. The marathon?"
"Wheeled right into that one, didn’t I?"
He didn’t get it at first. When he did, he laughed. "You are so special, Dana Devlin. Come on, let’s go enjoy the sunset."
They sat outside, talking about Kara and her dance, about how glad he was to be back at work and how the studio was overflowing with applications.
"Is it fun to get this recognition?"
"You know, it is. Ruth thinks we should expand next door."
"I say, go for it."
"Maybe."
"Is there a problem with that?"
"No, it’d take up a lot of my time."
"You have to follow your dreams, Dana."
"I guess."
He stood. "I’m gonna cook. Steak for me and salmon for you."
"You remembered I don’t eat red meat."
"Of course I remember, silly." He kissed her forehead. "I remember everything about you."
Dinner passed pleasantly and when he rose to clear dishes, she said, "I can do some, but not all the cleanup, Joe."
"So help with what you can," he said easily.
Afterward, she wheeled close to him in the kitchen and tipped her chin. "Want dessert?"
"Yeah, sure, what did you make?"
"Pineapple upside-down cake. But that’s not what I meant." She gestured to the bedroom. "Dessert of a different kind?"
His grin was genuine. "You don’t have to ask me twice." He hesitated, though, then squatted in front of her. "Honey, the bathroom doorway isn’t wide enough for you to get through."
"What? I just assumed it was or you would have told me beforehand. Why didn’t you?"
"I thought maybe you wouldn’t come to my home. I can help you like I did that morning."
"Joe, I hate surprises like this. I hate even more that you didn’t give me a heads up."
He stepped back. Lifted his hands. "I’m sorry."
She stared at him for a moment, then she shrugged. "All right, I won’t let this spoil tonight, what’s to come. I’ve been thinking about being with you all day."
"You have? Oh, God, me too."
Quietly, they made their way to his bedroom, leaving complaints and doubts outside.
***
DANA SAT ON the bed while he undressed her. Everything hadn’t gone smoothly tonight—the wall of accolades, the ramp, the bathroom. But she told herself that they’d crossed those hurtles with kindness and compromise. And she half believed it. In any case, she couldn’t wait to be close physically.
"You are so beautiful," he said, sitting next to her. "I can’t believe I get to touch you." His hands went to the buttons of the silk blouse she wore. He undid them slowly, kissing the skin he bared. By the time it was off, she was practically squirming.
For a moment, she leaned her forehead against his. "I love how your hands feel on me."
He kissed her neck, the hollow of her shoulder. Made a tiny trail of them over her chest, then her breasts while he removed the bra.
"I want to touch you more," she whispered.
"You can, just not yet. Lean back."
Resting against the pillow, she let him kiss and caress her whole torso. It was torture. Wonderful torture. But when his hands slid to her feet, she stiffened. She wore specially ordered, delicate shoes that covered most of the skin there.
"Shh. Don’t ruin the mood. Let me take them off, please."
She swallowed hard saw him focus intently on her. She wanted to go further, she really did, but it was so hard.
"Just your feet tonight," he coaxed. "Then more, later."
"All right."
Sliding to the end of the bed, he removed her shoes. She didn’t look, but knew her feet were bony and withered from lack of use. They were exercised regularly, but still…
"I’m going to look now, honey."
"O-okay."
He picked up a foot and she watched his face. "They aren’t dancer’s feet. From what I hear, those are totally ugly."
Slowly, he leaned over and kissed one.
And Dana felt a tear slip from her eye.
When he noticed, he let go of her foot and moved up to her again, kissed away the moisture, said, "See that wasn’t so bad," stood and gave her his back so she could slip off her slacks.
As she did, and pulled up the sheet, she wondered if, even before the accident, any man had ever treated her so tenderly, so gently, so considerately.
The answer, of course, was no. And she realized in that moment she was in love with JoeyD.
***
COLE HAD COME out to the track to clear his head; the woman who often babysat Ellie was staying with her so he could have a morning free. He was perilously close to telling a lie to Beth Montgomery--going on his site and pretending he was over forty to get to know her. All would break his code of ethics, and he didn’t like the obsession that was urging him to do so. He was halfway around the first lap when someone came onto the track. She waved at him. At first, he didn�
�t recognize her, then he realized she was Barbara Swanson, a teacher from the elementary school, who he dated occasionally. She jogged over to him. "Fancy meeting you here." She smiled up at him, her face completely unlined, her skin flawless. She had short dark hair pulled back with a head band and wore a pink sweat suit which highlighted her eyes.
"Hey, Barbara." He leaned over and kissed her briefly. "Good to see you again."
Setting her foot on the bleachers, she stretched her calves. "Is it? I was wondering why you haven’t called. Returned my calls, actually."
"Man, I’ve been swamped. This is the first chance I’ve had to get away."
"Is it?"
He felt like a shit, but they’d never said they were together, whatever the hell that meant. "Want to get some breakfast after we run?"
"I’d like that if you would."
It was fun circling the track with someone, talking when they could. After they’d finished and were heading to the parking lot, Cole watched a van pull in. He was surprised to see his brother clamber out of it and circle the hood to the driver’s side. The door opened and Cole got a glimpse of Dana.
And was smacked in the face with the lies she’d told Joe and how it had really complicated his brother’s life. He glanced over at Barbara, suddenly glad he’d invited her to breakfast. Lies weren’t good and he needed to remember that.
***
JOE WATCHED DANA exit the van, smiling. Her happiness was good to see. Things were going so well between them, he was grinning, too, more content than he’d been in a long time. Apparently, so was she. Before he could ask what he could do for her, he heard behind him, "Hey, bro, fancy meeting you here."
Turning, he saw his brother with a woman he didn’t recognize. She was young, healthy, vibrant with the glow she likely got after a run. "Cole, hi. I’ve never seen you here before."
"Yeah, I know. But you said you liked this track and it’s close to my house. Hi, Dana. Joey, Dana, this is my friend Barbara Swanson."
After greetings were over, Cole and Barbara left, and Joe saw Dana staring after them. He wondered if she was thinking about Barbara’s abilities, ones she didn’t have. Whatever it was, she shook it off and turned to him with a great smile. "Can you get the other wheelchair out for me?"
Wounded Heroes Boxed Set Page 38
