“Jamie Glasser, Opal and Rose’s mother, as you’ve probably figured out.”
Eli and Brett joined them, and Opal directed everyone to their seats, putting Brett between her mother and Katy and Eli next to her, across the table from Jamie.
Eli extended his hand to Scott and introduced himself and Brett.
“I’m here with Amy,” Scott said. “I take it you’re Opal’s date.”
“Yes, I’m Opal and Rose’s date,” Eli said with a wide grin that emphasized his cheekbones and the slight hollows beneath them.
Scott smiled at Jamie over Opal’s head.
She remembered Opal saying that Amy’s mother’s boyfriend would be bringing Amy to the dance. Jamie forced a smile back. Scott must think Eli and I are together, along with everyone else here I know from school.
Jamie watched Eli settle into the cafeteria chair. His motions were fluid and relaxed, as if Brett’s presence had no effect on him. She had that “no-script” feeling she and Anne had talked about again.
“You look familiar,” Scott said to Brett. “Do you go to North Country? I teach math there.”
“I do. But I hope to get into the Air Force Academy. Eli is coaching me.”
Jamie looked across at Eli, who immediately dropped his gaze and ran his finger over a scratch on the table. Another page missing from the script. But who was she to expect him to share everything he did with her? They’d gone on one date, and for half of it she’d pretended it wasn’t a date.
“Eli is retired Air Force,” Brett filled in for the confused-looking Scott. “I figured, since I’m not applying right out of high school, I need all the help I can get. He’s my brother’s guidance counselor.”
“Here at the high school,” Eli added.
“Attention everyone,” the teacher who was serving as MC for the evening said. “The buffet is ready. We’ll start with Mr. Payton’s table.” The teacher pointed at them. “And go clockwise.”
While Jamie was glad for something to do, she wasn’t so glad to find everyone looking at them.
Opal pulled Eli from his chair.
“Wait for your mom.”
“Go ahead.” This was the girls’ night. Rose was fine hanging out with Katy, and Opal was in her glory with Eli. She really hadn’t needed to come. But Eli had insisted.
“See, Mommy says it’s okay.”
If Jamie had been in a less self-pitying mood, she would have laughed at the torn expression on Eli’s face.
She nodded to him and he escorted Opal to the buffet table.
“Looks like we’ve been ditched,” Brett said beside her, lifting his chin toward Rose and his sister, Katy. He tipped the chair in front of him back and forth as if unsure how she’d take his quip.
“It’s not the first time.”
Brett frowned at Eli’s back, and she hastily added, “That the girls have chosen a friend over me.”
“Yeah. We should get in line.” Brett stepped back from the table so she could pass by him.
His polite expression had a bit of a lost look about it that touched Jamie’s motherly side. He was an adult, but just barely. And if she felt a little unneeded here tonight, he must feel even more out of place.
“Thanks,” she said with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. She thought his brother, Liam, was a bad influence on Myles and hadn’t been prepared to like Brett.
Dinner passed quickly with Eli and the other men including her in their conversation, which centered on school talk and the next weekend’s NFL games. Soon, the high school DJ was announcing the first dance. Eli danced to a fast song with Opal, and then with Rose, while Jamie worked at keeping her smile under control. She’d discovered something Eli was not good at. He sat out the next one, pleading a need to rest, and the girls danced with their girlfriends. Then the DJ put on a slow song.
“Would you like to dance?” Eli asked.
“Go ahead, Mommy,” Opal said before Jamie could get her mouth open. “Rose and I already danced with Mr. Payton. It’s your turn.”
Something in the way Eli’s gaze rested on her face made her feel he wasn’t asking because it was her turn. She took a breath to calm the flip-flop in her stomach. “I’d love to.”
The smile he gave her in return undid any calming her cleansing breath had achieved. He walked around the table and took her hand. When they reached the makeshift dance floor, he placed his other hand on the small of her back and glided into the song with his usual athletic grace.
To fend off the nervous energy building in her from the pleasure of dancing with Eli and the feeling people were looking at them, she searched for a conversation topic other than her kids or football. “It was nice of you to help Brett.” She let her curiosity get the best of her.
Eli guided her smoothly to the right to avoid another couple. “No big deal. The Lord says we should use our talents. I could help, so I did.”
That was so Eli. Jamie allowed herself to relax in the strength of his arms and not think about what that characteristic could mean to their budding relationship.
“You really like working with kids, don’t you?”
He twirled her around. “I do. During my last few years teaching at Maxwell, I looked forward to each new round of recruits.”
Jamie stiffened. Young men and women, each some mother’s child, being trained to face danger. Maybe Eli’s helping Brett wasn’t such a nice thing.
“Hey.” Eli’s breath caressed her hair. “I didn’t mess up my lead, did I? I know I didn’t step on your foot.”
“No.” She relaxed and let him lead her in flow with the music. “You’re a great dancer. Slow dancer.” She corrected herself.
He laughed, soft and low, strumming a chord deep inside her. “I know my limitations. You don’t need to remind me.”
“But Rose and Opal loved it, and I’m sure they’re ready for more.”
“That’s what’s important. It is their night.”
Jamie moved a little closer to him and let the music drown out her earlier feeling of being left out. And for the moment, she pretended it was her night, too.
* * *
An hour and a half and two slow dances later, Eli pulled Jamie’s car up next to his truck in her driveway. “Do you want me to put it in the garage?”
“Yes, please.” Jamie lifted the remote from the console between the front seats and opened the garage door so Eli could drive in.
Eli jumped out and walked around to open Jamie’s door for her first, then the back door for Rose and Opal. He walked them all to the front door.
“Thank Mr. Payton for the evening,” Jamie said.
“Thanks, Mr. Payton,” they said in unison.
“I had a nice time, too,” Jamie said.
“So did I.” His gaze pinned hers.
She reached for the doorknob.
“Rose and Opal, you go ahead in. I want to talk with your mother for a minute.”
“It’s cold out here. You should come in and talk. Mommy could make us cocoa,” Opal said.
“Opal, don’t you know anything?” Rose said. “He doesn’t want to talk. He wants to kiss Mom good-night, like in the movies.”
Jamie felt her cheeks heat.
“Actually, I do want to talk with your mother.”
She opened the door for the girls, glad for something to do to counteract the nonsensical letdown Eli’s words had brought.
“What’s up?” A twinge of dread tweaked Jamie. She couldn’t think of anything Eli wouldn’t want to say in front of the girls, except something about Myles and school or something about Brett and Charlotte.
“What I wanted to say is that I’ve been waiting all evening to do this.” He bent his head and pressed his lips to hers. Heart thrumming, she placed her hands on his shoulders for balance and kissed him back.
Too soon, he lifted his head, breaking the kiss. Frosty air filled the space that opened between them. She shivered, not entirely from the wintry weather. “I’d better get in.”
&
nbsp; “Good night,” he said softly before he turned and walked to his truck.
She touched her lips with her gloved fingers. Stars twinkled in the inky sky above. For once, she couldn’t argue with Eli. It was a good night. One of the best ones she’d had in a good long time.
Chapter Thirteen
Jamie glanced at the clock for the third time in five minutes. Where was Myles? He was supposed to be home from working at Hill’s Auto twenty minutes ago. Eli would be here anytime to pick her up for the Career Day committee meeting. She pushed her hair back from her forehead. Why had she agreed to let Myles help Jack at the garage on a school night, especially when she needed Myles to watch Rose and Opal?
She paced the room. She’d been in too good of a mood, looking forward to going to the meeting, to say no to Myles. Her stomach churned. She didn’t even know if Myles was at Hill’s, not that he’d done anything recently to make her distrust him. She grabbed the house phone from the charger and dialed the garage number. The phone rang and rang, her anger and frustration growing with each ring.
“Hill’s Auto Repair,” Jack answered.
“Hi, this is Jamie. Is Myles there?” She rocked on the balls of her feet, waiting for the answer.
“Yeah, he’s right here doing an oil change for me.”
“Didn’t he tell you that he had to be home by six-thirty to watch Rose and Opal?” Jamie knew it wasn’t Jack’s fault. She was sure Jack would have brought Myles home if Myles had told him. But she couldn’t keep the anger out of her voice.
“No, he didn’t. Sorry. Myles finished putting the parts away and I had this oil change to do. He was really psyched that I’d let him do it.”
She had no doubts Myles would be psyched, but that didn’t help her.
“Do you want me to bring him home now?”
Jamie pushed her hair back from her forehead. “Yes, please, if you would.”
She ended the call and started to punch in Eli’s cell phone number, hoping to catch him and tell him not to stop for her. No sense in them both being late, and she did not want Eli here when Myles got home. Before she could finish, her cell phone started playing the old Three Dog Night song “Eli’s Coming,” one of her mother’s favorite classic rock songs. Jamie had programmed it in for Eli’s ringtone.
“Hey.” The low masculine timber soothed her fraying nerves. “I’m just leaving the house now. Mom called as I was heading for the door.”
“That’s okay. I was about to call you. I’m running late. You might as well go over without me. I’ll drive myself.”
“You okay? You sound funny.”
She warmed at his concern. “Yes, Myles lost track of time. He was helping Jack Hill at the garage after school today, and he’s not home yet.” Better to let Eli think that than voicing her suspicion that Myles had done it on purpose.
“I can run over and get him.”
“No need. I talked with Jack and they’re on their way.”
“All right. I’ll see you at school.”
Thirty minutes and a good dressing-down of Myles later, Jamie rushed to Becca’s classroom. Myles had said that he’d gotten caught up in the job and hadn’t been watching the time. She wasn’t at all sure she believed him, since Jack had said he didn’t know anything about Myles having to be home by six-thirty.
She turned the doorknob and pushed the door in. Everyone turned and looked at her. “Sorry I’m late. Family stuff.”
“We know,” Becca said. “Eli filled us in.”
It made no sense, and she knew it was because of Myles, but she couldn’t help feeling put out at Eli for sharing whatever details he’d shared.
Jamie slipped off her coat and sat at the empty desk between Eli and Anne. He handed her Becca’s meeting agenda.
“We were brainstorming about getting the freshmen and sophomores more involved in Career Day, and Eli threw out one suggestion—have an American Legion booth.”
“I’m not sure I understand. Do they hire students part-time?” She tried to imagine what they might hire students for. Yard work? Or maybe as wait staff for their Friday-night dinners. Neither sounded like much of a draw.
“No, but they have—”
“Let me explain,” Eli interrupted Becca.
Jamie waited for him to add, “It was my idea,” and then chided herself for being so peevish. It certainly wasn’t Eli’s fault that she and Myles had had another run-in.
“The American Legion has family and youth programs that can help teens prepare to choose a career.”
“A military career.” Jamie’s flat tone made her opinion of the military clear, an opinion that she was well aware was in the minority here. But if John hadn’t joined the army, he’d still be here, and her life would be different, easier. Her conscience pricked her. Would it be easier? She looked at Eli and waited for the usual feeling of betrayal to kick in. She couldn’t deny that she was attracted to him, despite their differences and her fear he might inadvertently influence Myles to follow through with his threat to enlist when he graduated. But the feeling of betrayal didn’t come, throwing her further off-kilter.
“No, not necessarily,” Eli said in a calm, authoritative manner she was sure he’d honed through his youth work. A manner she’d seemed to have lost lately dealing with Myles—if she’d ever had it.
“It sponsors Scouts, 4-H groups, Explorers and sports teams.”
“Then why don’t we have those groups sponsor booths?” She waited for some of the other committee members to comment. “I mean, doesn’t it seem to anyone else that the Career Day is being over-weighted toward military careers?” Training kids to put their lives in danger.
“I don’t think so,” Patrick said.
“Me, neither,” Liz and Tessa said.
Anne didn’t say anything, but Jamie had a strong feeling that was out of friendship because Anne truly understood Jamie’s opposition, even if she didn’t agree with it. Jamie tapped her forefinger on the desk. Why had she even come tonight? She wasn’t in a good frame of mind. Maybe this was all a sign that she wasn’t ready to be out and involved yet. Or, her inner voice said, God’s reminder that good works weren’t a substitute for believing in Him.
“I have an idea,” Anne said. “Why don’t we have a booth for youth programs, rather than limiting it to the American Legion?”
“Sounds good to me,” Becca said. The others murmured their agreement.
Jamie slipped a glance at Eli to see if he was gloating. Of course he wasn’t. He was nodding his agreement like everyone else.
The rest of the meeting went by in a blur, with Jamie staying on the sidelines.
Eli touched her shoulder as she gathered her things from the desk to leave. “Do you want to go to the diner for coffee or hot chocolate since we’re in town anyway?”
Him remembering her fondness for hot chocolate lightened her mood a bit, although not enough to make her feel like socializing. Before she could say no, thanks, her cell phone chimed. “Excuse me. It may be the kids.”
He nodded.
It wasn’t the kids. It was her boss, Kelly. “Hello, what’s up?”
“I know you’re not on call today, but Kristy Minor is in labor and Maura has come down with some kind of bug.” Maura was the midwife practice’s other delivery nurse. “Can you cover, please?”
“I guess. Yes. I just need to line up someone to stay with the kids tonight.”
“Great. We have time. I’ll meet you at the center.”
“All right. Bye.”
“Work?” Eli asked.
“Yes, I’m going to have to take a rain check on the hot chocolate.” No need telling him she was going to say that anyway. “I have to cover a birth for the other delivery nurse. She’s sick.” Jamie glanced toward the door. “I need to catch Anne to see if she can take the girls and check with Tanner’s mother to see if Myles can go over there.” If she’d been on call, she’d have these arrangements all set up. Old resentment flared. She wouldn’t be in this spot if John
… He’d be here for the kids or she’d still be working days at the school.
“I’ll stay with them.”
“You’d do that?” The rush of adrenaline that had started when she’d gotten the call and her mind had begun ticking off her child-care options slowed. His offer made everything easier, something she wasn’t used to.
“Sure.”
“Before I take you up on your offer, I have to warn you there’s a good chance I’ll be gone all night. It’s a first-time mother.”
“I can handle it. I’ll swing by my place and pick up clothes for school tomorrow and go over to your house.”
Jamie remembered Eli’s words when she’d said it was kind of him to help Brett. I could, so I did. Was this the same or not? Her mind replayed his good-night kiss after the dinner-dance, and she did her best to ignore the part of herself that hoped it was more than simply helping because he could.
* * *
Eli strode up the walk to the Glassers’ front door and rang the bell. He tightened and loosened his grip on the gym bag he’d packed with his clothes. Jamie had said she was going to call Myles to tell him Eli was on his way. He didn’t know how that went, but he was gearing up for the worst. To prepare, he shot off a quick prayer for the wisdom to deal with Myles without his growing fondness for Jamie clouding his judgment and him overstepping his boundaries.
The teen definitely was not in favor of him and Jamie dating, if that’s what they were doing. But that wasn’t up to Myles. It was between him and Jamie. Eli rang the bell again and the door swung open.
Myles stood there. “Mom said you were coming over. I don’t know why. I can watch the girls.”
Eli stepped in and closed the door. “Your mother asked me to come because she’s a good mother. It’s not that she doesn’t think you could do it. It’s that she doesn’t want to saddle you with the responsibility.” Unlike his mother, who wouldn’t have even thought of that. “Or leave herself open to anyone questioning her parenting.” Eli felt a small qualm remembering that when he’d first met Jamie, he’d done just that.
“Mr. Payton!” Opal raced in the room and wrapped her arms around his legs, stopping any comment the teen might have had.
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