Dance with Me

by Mary Manners

  “Never.” Ryne shook his head. “Not much opportunity while I was working my regular beat with the police force.”

  “Thought so.” She beckoned him toward the table. “Well, you’re about to get broken in real good.”

  He laughed. “I thought it was real well.”

  “Not today. Today it’s strap yourself in and hang on—this roller coaster is about to go into motion.”

  Ryne groaned and dumped a spoonful of sugar into his coffee. “What have I gotten myself into?”

  “No worries, cowboy. I’ll help you ride this one out.” Kaci winked at him. “But first we have to fortify ourselves with a little breakfast. How do you like your eggs?”

  ****

  The time flew by. Ryne couldn’t believe it when the cuckoo clock in Kaci’s living room chimed noon. Actually, it didn’t chime. Instead, a little bird popped its head from a tiny door a dozen times, chirping in succession.

  “Cute clock. It’s…unique.”

  “It belonged to my grandmother. It’s from Germany.”

  “Well, it says we’ve worked long enough for one Saturday.” Ryne stood and stretched. “I think we put a pretty good dent in the planning. How about you?”

  “It’s great. Now we have a poster and ticket design, leads on a disc jockey and decorations, and—most importantly—a theme.”

  “Love s in the Air…it’s corny, but catchy.” Ryne smirked and drained his coffee cup. “The kids will like it.”

  “I like it, too.” Kaci stood as well, stretching like a ballerina who’d had lots of practice. “I have a few students in mind who’d probably like to lend us a hand with the decorating. I’ll talk with them on Monday.”

  “And I can ask Kyle in the computer lab to print the tickets and posters,” Ryne added.

  “Kyle Roberts?” Kaci nodded. “Sure, he’ll be glad to do that.” She rolled her neck, working out the kinks, and her curls tumbled to caress her shoulders.

  “Were you a dancer?” Ryne asked. “I mean…a ballerina?”

  She paused in her stretching to glance at him, and Ryne thought he’d never laid eyes on a prettier woman.

  “I’ve taken my share of lessons.”

  “I can tell.” His gaze swept her. “You’re so…graceful.”

  “Thanks.” Kaci straightened and took their mugs from the table to rinse them and place them in the dishwasher. “I spent a half-dozen school years dancing with a junior company. It kept me busy—and out of trouble.”

  “I can hardly picture you in trouble of any kind.”

  “Oh, I’ve been in my fair share of pickles.” She shrugged. “So far, I’ve been able to land on my feet.”

  “I’ll bet you had guys falling all over you in college…a dancer as pretty and talented as you.”

  “Only one that I cared about.” A hint of crimson eased across her cheeks like a slow wave, and he noted the falter in her voice. “But in the end it didn’t work out, and he broke my heart. So I’m done with dating—and men—for good.”

  6

  No way was Kaci planning to tell him the whole humiliating story. Even now, the memories seemed like a horrible outtake from someone else’s life. Still, there was something in the way Ryne looked at her, the way he seemed to truly care, that made her give sharing with him a second thought.

  “You OK?” Ryne slid a hand across the table to tap her fingers. His touch soothed the wasps that swarmed her belly.

  “Oh, yeah.” Kaci shook her head to clear it. “Sorry.”

  “You went away for a minute.” Ryne’s gaze locked with hers as she caught her lower lip between her teeth. “Where did you go?”

  “Just…remembering.” Kaci squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as she felt the tears begin to come. She swiped a hand across her face and leapt from the chair, turning from the table—and Ryne—so he couldn’t see her face. “Would you like more coffee?”

  “No, thanks.” His chair legs scraped as he stood. “Kace, why are you crying?”

  “I’m not crying.” She shook her head again. “I’m…misting.”

  He chuckled. “Those look like real tears to me.”

  “Yeah, well…” What more was there to say? She was a complete failure in the dating department. And forget about marriage. The wedding dress she’d burned—actually burned in a bonfire last March—was proof of her failure at that. Kaci busied her hands by turning off the coffeepot and dumping what was left of the brew down the sink. She filled the basin with a squirt of dish soap and hot water and then dipped the frying pan to soak.

  The touch of Ryne’s hand on her shoulder startled her. “Let me.” He eased her out of the way and bellied up to the sink, dipping his hands into the soapy water. He scrubbed each dish, setting them one by one into the dish drain. Then he tackled the frying pan.

  “You don’t have to do that.” Kaci picked up a dish towel to dry.

  “Of course I do.” Ryne glanced at her, and she had to laugh at the bubbles that clung to his forearms. “You cooked, and you shouldn’t have to clean, too.”

  “Well…thank you.” She slipped him a sidelong glance. “I’m…pleasantly surprised.”

  “That’s me…just full of surprises.” He worked a scouring pad along remnants of scrambled eggs. “You grab your jacket while I finish here. We’ll go for a walk, OK? The fresh air will clear our heads.”

  “OK.” Kaci brushed a tear from her cheek and smiled. “I like walking with you, Ryne.”

  ****

  The weather was perfect for a stroll along the greenway. Sunlight warmed Ryne’s back through his navy cotton T-shirt as he fell in step beside Kaci. She’d gathered her curls into a ponytail and slathered on a bit of lip gloss. The berry scent drifted on the breeze.

  “It was pretty bad, wasn’t it?” he asked. “I mean, what happened with the guy who broke your heart.”

  “To put it mildly.” Kaci shrugged. “But it was more embarrassing than anything.”

  “Want to share?” He tucked his hands into his pockets to keep from reaching for one of Kaci’s…and scaring her away. “I’m all ears.”

  She glanced at him. “What do you want to know?”

  “I want to know about you, Kace. What makes you laugh and what makes you cry—everything.”

  She paused and turned to face him full-on. “Why?”

  Ryne laughed. “Are you interrogating me?”

  “I don’t mean too.” The breeze lifted wisps of her hair so they caressed her pinked cheeks. “It’s just…I’ve tried so hard to forget about it.”

  “Yeah, I know how that goes. You stuff something away, in here.” He tapped his chest. “And hope it’ll just fade away. But it doesn’t, not really, until you let it out and examine it, kick it around a bit and then just let it go. I tried the old stuff-it-away-and-pretend-to-forget-it technique, too, and learned the hard way you can’t find peace like that.”

  “I don’t know, Ryne…” She lifted her face to the sun and the spattering of freckles across her cheekbones danced in the light. “Who wants to examine heartache? But I guess you’re right.”

  “So…?”

  Kaci turned and began walking again. Ryne fell in step beside her. For a moment they were both quiet, and Ryne thought she’d let his question slide. Then she heaved a sigh and began, her voice soft as cotton on the breeze. “I was engaged to be married…almost a year ago. Everything was set, down to the start of the ceremony. The afternoon was just gorgeous, one of those sunny, clear days with no humidity and a light breeze that seems to go on forever. My heart fluttered with the thought of marriage. It was a dream come true. And I thought I’d chosen the right man—that we’d chosen each other. At the time, there were no red flags that I noticed. But now, looking back…” She quickened her pace. “Do you really want to hear this?”

  “Yes.” He nodded. “Yes, I want to hear all of it.”

  “You’re a glutton for punishment.” Kaci sighed, but then continued in a quiet voice. “The church was filled with people—
my family, his—and the scent of gardenias was like a blanket of hope. Candles flickered from the altar and soft music drifted from a grand piano. I wore the wedding gown of my dreams, and I felt like a princess. Everything was perfect—everything, that is, except the groom. You see, he failed to show.” She slipped a finger into her mouth, gnawing a fingernail. “At first I agonized…maybe there’d been an accident. What other explanation could there be? I pictured him lying in a crumpled car, bleeding. His mother and I began to make calls—his cell, the police, then area hospitals. I was frantic. No word. Nothing.”

  “That’s awful, Kace. You had to be…beside yourself.”

  “I was, until he finally sent a text almost two hours later. He was sorry, but he was on the highway…speeding away. He didn’t want to get married, after all. He told me he never really wanted to get married. He just didn’t know how to get out of it…so running was the only way.”

  “He was a fool.” Ryne saw the flash of emotions cross Kaci’s eyes—disbelief…worry….anger…hurt—and his heart ached for her. “And selfish for putting you through that. He didn’t deserve you.”

  “But, maybe I deserved what he did…at least a little bit.”

  “No. Don’t say that.”

  “Just hear me out, Ryne.” She sucked a breath and brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. “I only say that because, looking back, I realize that maybe I wasn’t getting married for the right reasons. Sure, I loved him…or thought I did, at least. But I loved the dress, too. And the invitations, and the sense of belonging to someone—finally. I got swept up in all of it, and I forgot the real reason for getting married.”

  “And what do you think is the real reason?”

  “To share life, to have a family. My focus was in the wrong place. What does that say about me, Ryne?”

  “It says you made a mistake. We all make mistakes, Kaci. That doesn’t mean we’re bad people. It just means we’re human.”

  “You can put any spin on it you’d like. It doesn’t change things, at least not for me.” She smoothed the curls from her ponytail with one graceful hand. “Funny thing, though. He met someone else not long after that and they tied the knot within a few months. So it had to be me, Ryne. I had to be the reason he didn’t want to get married—not the idea of marriage itself.”

  “It’s not you, Kace.” Ryne slowed and turned to face her again, nudging her chin with his knuckle. “You’re…amazing.”

  “Explain that to everyone who gathered in the church that day, expecting to witness a wedding.” Kaci lowered her gaze, shaking her head as if the motion would brush the thought away for good. “Instead, what they got was fodder for one of those graphic talk shows. I had to tell them all to go home—the wedding was off. He wasn’t coming. I had to return all the gifts. It was…embarrassing, to say the least.”

  “I’m sorry, Kace.” Ryne slipped his fingers into hers. “But would you really want to marry someone who would leave you hanging like that? Someone who’d bail on you at the first opportunity? Someone who didn’t truly love you?”

  “It hurt, Ryne.”

  “Maybe. But I think his cowardice—the fact that he took off when he did—saved you from an even bigger hurt down the road, don’t you?”

  “Sure…if I stay single. I failed once, Ryne. I won’t take the chance on failing again—not ever. I never plan to get engaged—or married—again.”

  7

  Ryne sifted through files as he sipped coffee at his kitchen table. No worries about the caffeine—he wouldn’t sleep tonight anyway. Thoughts of Kaci plagued him…the hurt in her eyes, the tremble in her voice as she shared her deepest pain. And he felt a bite of anger, as well. What kind of guy would leave her stranded at the altar in front of family and friends?

  Not him…no way. A woman like Kaci was one-in-a-million. He’d been around the block enough to know. Now, how would he ever convince her to give him a chance?

  A dog-eared copy of the Angel Falls Trumpet peeked at him from the counter beside the coffeemaker. Since he’d read the “Love’s Lessons” column last week, he was hooked. He enjoyed the embedded analogies accompanied by a touch of humor. He wondered who did the writing. There was something about the tone that seemed so familiar that it piqued his detective’s brain. He’d questioned Gabe, who seemed to know a bit more about the column, but apparently the identity of the “Love’s Lessons” advisor was the best-kept secret in Angel Falls. Ryne conceded maybe there was something to the advice, after all. At least he’d gotten Kaci to open up a little.

  Perhaps he should send off another letter—ask for more advice. He was at a loss of where to go—what to do—next. What could a second letter hurt?

  Ryne gathered a sheet of copy paper from the printer at his computer desk and found a pen. Quickly, he scribbled a note and then folded the paper into an envelope, adding the “Love’s Lessons” address. He’d slip it into the mailbox tonight for tomorrow morning’s pick-up. If he was lucky, he might find a reply in the paper by Wednesday.

  Ryne hurried out the front door and down the cobblestone path to the mailboxes. The night air was unseasonably warm, and the sky twinkled with a blanket of stars. The light reminded him of a game he used to play as a kid, one with colored translucent pegs that lit up to form a picture when he poked them into a sheet of black paper settled on pegboard against a light bulb. He’d hung onto the game even when he’d outgrown it, storing it in his closet, until he handed it down to his sister’s son just a few months ago.

  As Ryne tucked the letter into the mailbox and lifted the flag for pick-up, he saw Kaci’s box was stuffed with envelopes, the flap ajar. He thought about gathering the small pile of letters and taking them to her when he was distracted by a hearty bout of laughter on the breeze. He turned to find Andrew Hart pacing the courtyard near the barbecue pit. One quick glance told him the elderly man was talking to his angels again. Ryne shouted a greeting and waved, and Mr. Hart nodded in reply.

  “How’s the puzzle coming along?” Mr. Hart called. “Figuring out how to put all the pieces together?”

  “The puzzle?” Ryne took a few steps toward the courtyard.

  “Yes. I see you’ve connected the edges. Now it’s time to fill in the middle—bring it all together.”

  The middle…how does he know about the puzzle analogy from “Love’s Lessons”?

  “I’m not sure I get your meaning, Mr. Hart.” Ryne shook his head.

  “Oh, but you will, son.” Mr. Hart winked as a cackle ripped from his belly. “And sooner, better than later.”

  Ryne turned away, scratching his head. Did Andrew Hart read “Love’s Lessons”? Even if he did, he couldn’t possibly know the snippet of advice in last week’s column was meant for Ryne. Mr. Hart was a mystery; that was for sure.

  Ryne started back up the walk. He saw a light on in Kaci’s apartment and grinned to himself. Seemed she was having a bit of trouble sleeping, too. She was probably knee-deep in essays. He imagined she had those cute wire-framed glasses propped on her nose, obscuring the adorable splash of freckles. Oh, how he loved those glasses.

  Maybe he’d head to his kitchen and pack a little lunch to share with her tomorrow…return the favor she’d treated him to last week. She’d told him what sandwich she liked most from that new deli, too, and he was sure he could concoct a decent replica if he tried hard enough.

  ****

  “I need your help.” Kaci slipped into Ryne’s office to find him pulling on a reflective rain jacket. She knew part of his duties as the resource officer at Angel Falls High included directing traffic from the school parking lot at the end of the day, and the dismissal bell was due to ring in just a few minutes. Soon, chattering students would converge like ants on a sugar cube at the front of the building, anxious to rush into the next phase of their day.

  “I don’t know…” Ryne cocked an eyebrow. “Last time you said that I got roped into planning a dance.”

  “This has nothing to do with the dance. And besides, I brought
rations.” Kaci offered him a handful of dark chocolate candy Kisses.

  “You know my weakness.” Ryne took the candy and unwrapped a piece before tossing the chocolate into his mouth. The rest of the pieces went into a candy dish on his file cabinet. He grabbed his hat from the shelf behind his desk. “What’s on your mind?”

  “I’m worried about a student.”

  “Walk with me?” Ryne switched off his computer and gathered the papers strewn across his desk, stuffing them into a folder. “I should get outside a little bit early today. This storm is a bear.”

  Kaci glanced out the small office window and frowned at the ominous gray veil of clouds that loomed. “And to think it was so warm and sunny just yesterday.”

  Beyond the building, the wind howled and rain washed in torrents to slap the window. The black-topped parking lot was covered in puddles and the sky threatened with thick, charcoal-gray clouds. Kaci grimaced; Ryne was going to get soaked.

  “You don’t really have to go out in this, do you?” she asked as they started toward the hallway.

  “Yes, I do.” He shrugged. “It’s just a little rain, Kace. I’m not going to melt.”

  “No, but you might catch pneumonia if you stand outside too long. The rain looks cold…and wet.”

  “Wet?” Ryne laughed and placed the hat on his head. The brim shaded his eyes, turning them from blue to gray. “Are you worried about me, Kace…just a little bit?”

  She nodded. “Maybe…”

  He brushed a knuckle down her cheek. “I have to admit, I like it.”

  “OK…I’ll walk with you to the front doors.” She was thankful to finish the day with a planning period, so she could walk with him, instead of being responsible for a class. “I’ll talk fast.”

  “What’s on your mind?” Ryne strode into the hall, and Kaci followed, falling in step beside him.