by Tamie Dearen
“Pretty good. I’m developing a little pooch.” She stretched her shirt around her belly. Emily studied it, cocking her head to the side.
“That’s great, Mom. I’m sure you’ll start actually showing soon.”
“Yes, I’m certain I’ll be showing. Eventually, no one will doubt I’m pregnant.” She laughed. “I almost wanted to wear a fake belly when I spoke at the fundraiser on Saturday.”
“Oh, I forgot you did that. How did it go? Were you petrified?”
“Not at all.” Steven’s eyes crinkled in a satisfied smile. “I teased her so much about not being believable because she didn’t look pregnant, she waltzed right through her speech.”
“I can’t believe I fell for it. He suggested multiple times I shouldn’t even speak because people would think I was faking the whole pregnancy and illness.”
“She was so ticked off she wouldn’t speak to me all the way home. Even after she did a great job on the speech and I confessed I was only trying to distract her.”
“Well, it will never work again. Next time, I’ll know you’re distracting me.”
“Maybe you should take a sedative next time,” suggested Emily.
“Oh no,” Steven said. “Her body overreacts with any type of drug. Evidently this is true for all of you Best girls.”
“I feel like taking something now.” Emily dropped her head into her hands. “Maybe Steven can think up a distraction for me.”
“I have an idea for a distraction. Why don’t we see if we can get Charlie on Skype?” Steven raised questioning eyebrows to Anne.
She nodded at him. “Let’s do it.”
“I don’t want you to tell her what I told you. Okay? She’s too sympathetic to Spencer for some reason.”
“We won’t, but it will be fun to talk to both of you together,” said Anne. “You’ll see.”
Their luck held and Charlie was on the computer screen in minutes. “Hey, Mom. Let me see your stomach.”
Anne smoothed her shirt over her small baby bump.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” said Charlie. “Next time, I want to see some real progress. What’s going on up there? We had a fantastic rafting trip today. The water was up high and fast. Out of seven rafts, mine was the only one that didn’t turn over. You should have seen the video.”
Anne watched Emily brighten a little at her sister’s enthusiasm.
“Yay, Sister! And all the other guides were guys?”
“Yep, every single one. And all of them bragging before we started.” Her voice tinkled with laughter. “I said, ‘We’ll see—may the Best woman win.’ And I did, of course. And now I get to pick my crew for the next week.”
Steven laughed. “All men should beware when a Best girl decides to compete.”
“I’ve kind of beaten the odds myself,” said Anne.
“Yeah, Mom. Made it to the second trimester,” said Charlie. “Good job. You’ll make it all the way now, for sure.”
“She’s done more than that. Or she’s going to do something more than that.” Steven’s dimples danced with excitement.
Emily’s brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“Can I say it?” Steven begged.
Anne laughed at her husband’s eagerness—sometimes he seemed like a little boy. She nodded.
“Twins,” he said. “Can you believe it? We’re having twins!”
There was a moment of stunned silence before Charlie said, “I’m gonna be afraid to talk to you on Skype anymore. Ohmygosh! Are you kidding?”
“No way!” screamed Emily, as she rushed to give her mom a hug. “How on earth are you so tiny?”
“Don’t worry. I won’t be tiny for long,” Anne said around Emily’s head.
“How on earth could you be pregnant with twins?” Charlie asked.
Steven answered before she could respond. “Women over forty-five have about a one in five chance of having multiples. And,” he boasted, “I’m obviously extraordinarily masculine.”
“Ughh!” Emily groaned, swiping at Steven’s head while he ducked, laughing.
“You make it sound like being extraordinarily masculine is a good thing,” said Charlie.
Anne’s face broke out in a contented smile, watching her family laugh and interact. But her heart broke for Emily. She knew the misery of loving someone when you thought they didn’t love you back.
*****
Spencer struggled with the complicated dance steps. The first night had been relatively easy. He’d quickly conquered the waltz, practicing with a variety of partners, many old enough to be his mother. Then they’d moved on to the cha-cha. He figured he could be passable at this dance after a couple of weeks. But this time the class was all about the tango, a much more intricate and difficult dance.
“I’m never going to get this,” he complained to the teacher.
“It’s your first time to try it,” she said. “It’s a hard dance. You’ll be able to do the basics by the time the wedding rolls around. Why don’t you have your fiancée with you?”
“Oh, I’m not engaged—not yet. But I’m taking my future fiancée to this wedding in five weeks. She loves to dance, so I wanted to surprise her.”
“I think that’s really romantic. When are you planning to ask her to marry you?”
“Soon, I hope.”
“Do you realize you’ve been doing it? You’ve been dancing the tango the whole time you were talking to me.”
He stumbled in surprise. “Shoot! I’m never going to get this.”
“You’ll get it.” She laughed, clapping her hands for attention. “Okay, class is over. You can find pictures on Facebook tomorrow. Good job, everyone. Next Monday, we’ll tackle the salsa.”
*****
It was only nine o’clock, and Spencer wasn’t tired. He was hovering on cloud nine where he’d been floating since Sunday night when he talked to Emily about the future. They were going to be married. Someday. He’d said a year. She’d said longer. But, he could wait a long time. Why not? He’d already waited twenty-five years. And, he was going to get her a ring, maybe even faster than he thought. If he worked one or two more Friday nights, he’d have enough money. Spencer thought Emily might still be at her mom’s apartment. He could surprise her. He decided to check there first and go down to her place if she was gone.
He rang the bell, pacing to calm his nerves until Gherring opened the door. “Hi! Is Emily still here?”
“No, she just left. But come in for a minute.”
“I don’t want to intrude. I only wanted to surprise Emily.”
“That’s okay. Come in. We should talk.”
“Uhmm, okay.” Something in Gherring’s tone made him uneasy. “Hi, Mrs. Gherring. How’re you feeling?”
“Great. Thanks for asking. How’s your mom? Is she enjoying her new job? I really miss having her around.”
“She’s good, and she loves her job. Thanks, Mr. Gherring, for helping her find it.”
“We owe her so much,” said Gherring. “I’ll always be grateful.”
“So, Spencer... What were you doing tonight? Emily said you were working at a homeless shelter,” Anne questioned, her stare intense.
The blood drained from his face. “I, uhmm, I wasn’t really at a homeless shelter. But, it’s a secret. Promise you won’t tell Emily?”
“What’s going on?” Gherring’s voice thundered.
“I’m taking dance lessons.”
“What did you say?” Anne’s mouth hung open.
“Dance lessons. I’m taking ballroom dance lessons so I can dance with Emily at the wedding.”
Gherring began to laugh, and the sound was infectious. Soon all three of them were laughing. Anne had tears in her eyes.
Gherring caught his breath. “Dance lessons? That’s awesome. Emily thinks you’re losing interest in her, and you’re really taking dance lessons for her benefit.”
“Wait. She thinks I’m losing interest? She told you that?”
“I’m afraid
so,” said Anne with more sympathy than her husband demonstrated.
“How could she think that after we talked about—” He barely stopped himself in time. He’d almost said they’d talked about getting married, and he hadn’t asked Gherring for permission yet. He gulped. And he wasn’t ready to do it tonight. He needed to be prepared to answer questions about how he was going to support her and take care of her. He needed to think about it and rehearse his answers.
“Well, you’re either going to have to tell her the truth or be a lot more convincing when you lie,” said Anne.
“Oh, man. Thanks for the heads up. I guess I could tell her, but I thought it’d be such a fun surprise.”
“Maybe I could help you think of something,” said Anne.
“Are you kidding?” Gherring scoffed. “You’re the worst liar in the world. He needs a master like me to help him conjure up a good lie. Now, the best lies have an element of truth. Why don’t you say you’re doing some type of exercise? You could be playing pickup basketball or something like that.”
“Yeah, that might work. And my excuse could be I’m not hiking on the weekends anymore.”
Anne frowned at Gherring. “You’re just a little too good at thinking up a quick, plausible lie. Maybe I should be worried.”
“I used my ample skill to snag you. It’s too late to worry about it now.”
“Wish me luck,” said Spencer as he left them, still arguing playfully. He hoped Gherring’s lie worked better than his.
Emily heard a knock on her door. She was already dressed in a sleep-shirt and shorts, hair flowing, face freshly scrubbed and ready for bed. She couldn’t imagine who’d be at the door at nine thirty. She peeped through the hole and spied Spencer. What was he doing here? She pulled back and looked at herself. She was decent enough to open the door.
“Hi. Uhmm, what’re you doing here?”
“I wanted to drop by and see you. I missed you.”
“But I just saw you at work.”
“And it’s been hours since then.” Her insides warmed at his words. Maybe he wasn’t cheating on her after all. “Can I come in? Only for a minute?”
“Well... Okay. I’m actually dressed for bed.”
“That sounds enticing,” he teased as he slipped in past her. “But we really shouldn’t.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
He laughed. “But a guy can dream, right?”
“Spencer!”
“Okay, sorry.” He didn’t look the least bit contrite as he plopped down on her couch. She sat down next to him, eyeing him cautiously.
“How was the shelter?”
“I have a confession. I wasn’t at the shelter.” She held her breath waiting to hear the truth. “I’ve been playing basketball. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was dying for some exercise, but I thought the shelter sounded better.” He turned his face up to hers, staring with dark brown puppy dog eyes. How could she resist him? He wasn’t losing interest; he only wanted some exercise. She loved his fit body, and she certainly didn’t begrudge him the time he spent doing sports and exercising.
“I’m sorry. Forgive me?” He leaned in and stole a kiss.
She jumped up in alarm. “Oh! You can’t do that. I mean, not here. I mean, not on the couch.”
He bounded up and examined the offending couch. “Why not?”
“It’s against the rules. No unsupported kissing.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, the first rule is: No private kissing. That’s one Mom gave us back in high school. That means you shouldn’t kiss in a place where you have too much privacy—like here, in the apartment. But then the backup rule is if you do kiss in a private place, you have to be supporting your own weight. You know—standing up. Not sitting or lying down. So... No unsupported kissing. It’s a rule to help you not have to depend on your willpower to stop, uhmm... to stop doing stuff.”
“Exactly how many of these dating rules do you have?”
“You think they’re stupid, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t. It’s just I don’t know the rules. I know you have rules to define what a date is. Are there other important rules I should know?”
She hesitated, aware of the heat radiating from her face. “There’s one that might be important. It’s save the white parts.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means... well... certain parts don’t ever get a suntan, so they’re white. And you save those for your husband.”
It was his turn to blush. “So you haven’t ever... I mean, you’ve followed the rules?”
By now her face must be glowing red. “Yes, I have. And I intend to keep following them. So, if that makes a difference to you, tell me now.”
“It does make a difference.” He wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. “It makes you more special.” He rubbed his hands gently up and down her back. “I’m glad to know the rules, and particularly glad you have a nice little tan on your back and your legs.”
“Spencer…” He smothered her protest with another kiss.
“It’s okay, we’re standing.”
She relaxed and reveled in the heady feeling that always overwhelmed her senses when he kissed her. His lips traveled down to her jaw. As her head fell back he moved his mouth below to the side of her neck. Her knees trembled. Her head was dizzy, and she would have slumped without his strong arms holding her weight.
He halted his assault and hugged her close again. “I think I like these rules, just fine.”
“Yes,” she whispered breathlessly. “But this borders on unsupported. Don’t you think?”
“I’ll check with the legal department tomorrow if you want. But we’re definitely standing up.”
“I don’t think the purpose of the rules is to encourage you to test their limits,” she chuckled, regaining the strength in her legs.
“That’s how I’ve always treated rules.” He grinned at her. “It’s too late to change now.”
Chapter Seventeen
“So he quit calling you?” Emily was actually surprised Josh had given up. He’d seemed determined to pursue Charlie as long as it took.
“Well, he still calls once a week and leaves a message, but I don’t answer and I don’t call him back. And now he sends me an email every day and a snail-mail letter once a week.”
Emily smiled. That sounded more like Josh. “And you’re still refusing to even consider giving him a chance?”
“Remember, I don’t want advice—only sympathy.”
Emily sighed. “Okay. But I was only trying to clarify the situation.”
“How can I give him a chance? We live across the country from each other.”
“But you could talk to him on the phone,” Emily argued.
“Sympathy only,” reminded Charlie.
“Fine. I do remember how irritated I was when Spencer kept calling and texting when I was in Texas.”
“Exactly. And if you hadn’t moved to New York, y’all wouldn’t have ended up together.”
“And we still probably won’t be together in the end.”
“You’re planning to break up with him?”
“No. But he’s definitely planning to break up with me, in a year or so.”
“That’s ridiculous. No he’s not.”
“No, really, it’s true. We talked about it. He doesn’t want to commit to anything because he graduates in December and he doesn’t know where he’ll get a job.”
“Emily, he’s in love with you. I’m sure of it. Haven’t y’all talked at all about maybe getting married?”
“No, we haven’t. And he’s really gotten into playing basketball lately. The past few weeks, I hardly see him in the evenings. We mostly do stuff on Saturdays during the day.”
“He’s giving up time with you to play basketball?”
“I know, it sounds bad, but he loves to exercise. I’m trying not to complain about it—I don’t want to be a whiny girlfriend. He’s s
o sweet when he’s with me. And then there’s the kissing.”
“Are you sticking to the rules, Sister?”
“I am, but it’s not easy. I’ve been thinking I need to maybe be more sporty, so he’ll want to spend more time with me.”
“I think he likes you just as you are.”
“But maybe if I could play some sport, we could play together.”
“Okay, why don’t you try racquetball? You get to play inside—you should like that. And it’s got a pretty easy learning curve. You’ll pick it up in no time.”
“If I could find someone to teach me, I could practice while he’s playing basketball. Then I could surprise him.”
“I’m sure Steven could teach you. And maybe even Josh... I wondered... Have you seen him lately? Josh, I mean? I was just curious.”
Emily smiled to herself. So Charlie had some feelings for Josh after all. “No. None of us have seen him lately. Brad told Grace that Josh has dropped all of his old friends, and he doesn’t go out at all anymore. He used to hang around with Brad and Grace, but now he spends all of his spare time, such as it is, volunteering at the free clinic.”
“Oh. So that part, at least, was true. But I still can’t trust him.”
“Brad said he’s totally sworn off women.”
“I’m sure that won’t last.”
“Well, I’d argue with you, but you could be right. I know even Spencer will eventually move on to someone else.”
“Sister, Spencer is nothing like Josh. Believe me. He only wants to be with you.” Emily knew her sister had a blind spot where Spencer was concerned. She was almost as bad as Grace.
“I thought I asked for sympathy, too.”
“Nope, you didn’t ever specify. So I gave you advice.”
“Thanks a lot,” Emily said sarcastically.
“That’s what sisters are for.”
*****
Spencer went to the men’s room one more time before riding up to the Gherring’s apartment. Everything was proceeding according to plan. He’d saved enough money to buy a ring. Well, enough to pay probably two-thirds of the cost and pay the rest off before they got married. Next, he was planning to call Charlie and find out about ring styles, but first he had to ask for permission from her parents. He was so nervous he was tempted to go back down the elevator to the men’s room again.
