Seems Like Old Times

by Joanne Pence

  "He'd blow his cork when we'd mess up his schedule," Tony said, "or give the horses too much sugar." Tony laughed suddenly and, surprising them both, she joined him.

  His laughter had a deeper tone than it used to, but still, she liked the sound of it. She always did. Abruptly, their laughter stopped and they stared at each other. There was danger in laughing, in feeling comfortable, and it struck them both with sudden awareness, washing over them like waves hitting the shore.

  "Would you care to be seated now?" a waitress asked.

  Their gazes jerked apart, their attention directed toward the waitress, then back again, in silent recognition that Gene and Cheryl were probably both long gone. Tony shrugged. Lee smiled. Both stood and Lee began to follow the waitress.

  Tony watched her, but he hung back. He should just leave. He'd managed to let her know how well he'd done without her, so what more was there to say? He should go home, and on the way, stop off at Gino's house and kill him...

  But instead of leaving, he followed Lisa. The waitress led them to a booth. Lisa sat on one side, he on the other. He opened the menu the waitress handed him, but Lisa left hers shut. "Just coffee for me," she said. "Black."

  He ordered the same.

  "Sure you're not hungry?" she asked, realizing he and Gene might have come here to eat.

  "No. Gene was the one who was hungry."

  Her lips curved in a slow smile that hit him like a Roger Clemens fast ball. The smile was so damned sexy, so provocative, it burned in his guts. "Cheryl was the one who told me she needed a shoulder to cry on about her marital woes," Lee said.

  Tony’s eyes widened. "You're kidding?"

  "No." She grinned. "She even told me about the hot fudge sundae she planned to eat."

  "She always did love chocolate."

  "She wasn't the only one," Lee said, eyeing him knowingly, a dumb smile stuck on her face. She didn’t seem to be able to stop it. "Remember how we'd have a root beer float at my house almost every day after school?"

  "Hey, that's right. When we used Mint Chocolate Chip, the green ice cream turned the root beer a sick gray." He grimaced.

  "And all the chocolate chips sank to the bottom of the glass and clumped together."

  They laughed. Tony's smile faded as he gazed at her, then he held up his water glass for a toast. "To old times."

  As she clinked her glass against his, long buried emotions leaped to the surface with a force she wasn't prepared for, and her words became a whisper. "Old times."

  The waitress brought their coffee.

  Both leaned toward the center of the small table as they slowly drank their coffee and talked. He was so close, she breathed in everything about him. Although he wore his hair much shorter now, and it had become a bit coarser, it was still shiny and meticulously groomed. She liked the style it was cut in, brushed to the side and back in a smooth, sleek line, the front lightly shadowing his forehead. His clothes were meticulous too. Even when they were kids and he’d worn blue jeans, they were always spotless and fit perfectly, so different from the usual teenage sloppiness.

  Lee talked about how she'd driven around Miwok, and how she got together with Cheryl and a bunch of the girls for dinner. Tony talked about the guys he kept in contact with in Miwok, as well as those who had moved away. Neither of them volunteered any further information about themselves, and neither asked any more questions.

  Tony put his empty cup on the table and straightened. "I guess we've waited long enough. It seems we’ve been abandoned. Do you have a car?"

  "No. Cheryl drove me."

  Tony shook his head. "They thought of everything! I drove Gene in my Jeep. How'd you like a ride home?"

  "I'd appreciate that. Never was good at hitchhiking."

  "With those legs?" He dropped a tip on the table. It was the first reference he'd made to her looks, and she rewarded him with a tentative glance and rosy cheeks. He hadn’t intended to say it, but he had noticed those long shapely legs when he first saw her at the baseball field, when he saw her again only minutes earlier at the restaurant entry, and when he followed her to the booth. Hell, he noticed everything about her.

  Lee walked with him to the cashier. She was a tall woman, but she looked up to him. He must have been about 6'1" or 6'2", taller than when she knew him. He kept growing after high school, she thought, suddenly realizing there was yet another change, another thing she'd missed.

  They climbed into his Jeep Cherokee. The ride to her house was short. Five minutes or less. It felt strange sitting in a car with Tony again. She remembered his big Bonneville far too well, and being with him "making out" in it. It was so innocent, yet so sweet, just remembering made her throat seem to thicken.

  She scarcely breathed until they reached her house. He walked her to the familiar front door.

  Sometimes Tony used to feel more at home at Lisa’s than in the cottage he used to share with his father. Since her mother didn’t get home from work until five-thirty or so, he'd go to her house after school to eat, listen to music, talk, do homework, or just hang out.

  Now, she unlocked the door and pushed it open, then glanced up at him to say good night.

  But Tony looked past her shoulder to the doorway. Lee turned to find Miriam entering the foyer. She stepped inside, Tony following. Suddenly she found herself speaking words that were years overdue. "Aunt Miriam, this is Tony Santos. Tony, my aunt, Miriam Dailey."

  Miriam's eyes never left his face as she walked up to him, her hand outstretched. "So you're Tony. It's about time you got here."

  He stared in surprise, not knowing how to respond, as they shook hands.

  Lee said, "What?"

  Miriam's gaze seemed to drill through him, to his soul. "It wouldn't have been right for Lisa to finally return to Miwok and not see you."

  "We have a couple of friends who agree with you," Tony said with a grin.

  "Oh, I know all about that." Miriam chuckled.

  Unflappable, cool Lee Reynolds actually looked sheepish. "You're kidding me."

  "Not at all."

  Tony shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny. "I remember hearing about you," he said. "Lisa always told me how much she missed you after you moved away."

  "Did she?" Miriam glanced at her niece. "I'm glad to hear it."

  "It was no secret, Miriam," Lee protested.

  Miriam continued to study Tony. "Would you like some tea? The water's still hot. Or perhaps a Coke, or beer?"

  "No, thanks. I was just dropping Lisa off. We had coffee."

  "Stay awhile, if you have time." She glanced pointedly at Lee. "I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about, and I was just heading upstairs to bed." As she again faced Tony, her face softened into a smile. "I'm so glad I finally got to meet you."

  Tony felt her sincerity like a kick in the stomach. The last thing he wanted was to warm to "Lee" Reynolds's aunt. "I'm glad to have met you, too."

  Miriam lightly touched his arm, then went upstairs. Lee couldn't stop staring at her aunt in surprise.

  Tony, too, took a moment to regroup. "Your aunt is a very nice woman."

  "Thank you," she said.

  He stepped toward the front door, then turned to face her. Just go, he told himself. "I heard you’re leaving tomorrow."

  The spicy scent of his Old Spice after shave enveloped her--the same, simple scent he used to wear to school dances and parties. She had heard it said that smell was the sense that brought back the strongest memories, and with the scent of the after shave, she remembered again being at dances with Tony, and at parties when the lights were turned low, and the night of the senior prom....

  She never would have believed she could remember what Tony Santos smelled like, for God's sake. But she did.

  She rubbed her forehead, doing all she could to avoid meeting his eyes. There was no reason she should feel so physically aware of him, not now, not after so many years. Obviously, it was simply a sentimental reaction to...other things. To all that had happened after she le
ft Miwok.

  They weren't kids anymore, there had been other men in her life, and now there was Bruce. She had no reason to let her feelings get out of control around Tony, and one very big reason not to.

  "I’ll be here until Monday," she said. "It’s a bit more complicated than I’d imagined to get the house ready to sell."

  "You are planning to sell it, then?"

  "Yes."

  He clamped his lips together as his gaze took in the entry hall, the stairs to the right, the family room straight ahead, the living room to the left. It was all so familiar. How had he spent so many years without thinking about those days, so many years allowing himself to forget?

  He turned back to Lisa. He had expected to dislike the person she was now, or at least to be indifferent. But he found too much of the old Lisa existed inside the cool, sophisticated façade, and she made him remember too much that he'd rather forget. "I'm glad I saw you tonight," he admitted, then grinned. "Even if it was a set-up."

  For a moment, he thought she wouldn't reply. But then she said softly, "Me, too."

  Her cell phone rang. She pulled it from her purse, then looked from the phone to Tony. "I'll let myself out," he said.

  "Wait." She picked it up. "Hello?...Bruce...Bru...excuse me, Bruce, I can't talk right now. I've got company. They're just leaving. I’ll call you in a few minutes, okay?"

  Tony's attention perked up at the "they" he had become, and that told him everything he cared to know about Lee's relationship with this Bruce. He pulled open the door.

  She turned off the phone. "I'm sorry. A friend from New York."

  "A good friend, I take it."

  "Yes," she whispered.

  "I see." He nodded. "Good, that's good. Well..."

  All her caution and self-preservation seemed to have vanished along with her common sense. "Since I’ll be in Miwok a few more days, will your team be playing anymore Little League games?"

  His expression showed surprise, but then he smiled. Her heart skittered and she moved closer to him. "We have one tomorrow at four thirty," he said, his body straining toward her.

  "Okay." Her voice was a whisper.

  Their eyes met and held, his hand still resting on the doorknob as neither moved and both wondered what this strange feeling was between them. Was it simply nostalgia, two people rushing toward middle age and grabbing at the feelings of their youth, or--heaven help them--something more?

  He wondered why she'd asked about a game.

  She wondered why she’d said "Okay."

  He frowned as he stepped onto the front porch. What did it matter about the new Lee or the old Lisa? Once she left Miwok this time, she was never coming back. Once, he had tried to convince her to stay with him, and she refused in no uncertain terms.

  He turned to face her, just to say good-night, and the memory flashed before him of how he always used to turn around and kiss her as he left her house. The wide eyed way she looked at him made him realize she remembered too.

  But he held himself back.

  "Take care of yourself, Lisa."

  She soaked in his nearness, a sudden tightness in her throat. "You, too, Tony....And Tony?"

  "Yes?"

  "Thanks for the coffee."

  "Good bye, Lisa," he said, then turned and, hands in pockets, walked down the porch steps into the darkness.

  o0o

  "I want your body right here, right now." Bruce's voice purred over the phone. "I want to touch every beautiful part of it--and I want you to touch me. I can almost feel your hands, your mouth...I want to be myself inside you so bad, Lee..."

  "Bruce, listen--"

  "I can hardly wait until tomorrow night--"

  "Bruce, I’m staying a few more days."

  Silence. "Staying? You're kidding. You promised you'd be at my side for Baldwin’s dinner party next week. I can't show up alone, and I sure don't want to find someone else to take."

  She was stunned by his petulant complaint. He hadn’t asked why she was staying, how she felt, or even if the house was ready to be turned over to a realtor. "I'm sorry, but this is a bit more important than a dinner with Baldwin."

  He sighed loudly. "You're right, Lee. I'm just upset that this is taking you so long, that's all."

  "I refuse to tell my aunt I won’t set things up properly because my ambitious boyfriend wants to show me off in New York."

  "Relax, Lee. I’m doing this for both of us, remember?"

  The shock in his voice was evident to her, but she couldn’t stop herself from saying, "Maybe I should catch the red-eye right now."

  "Don’t get worked up. It’s just that I miss you so much. I need you. I'm sorry, Lee." His voice was hurt and little boyish, and the combination pulled her up short, making her feel even worse about the ugly way she was treating him.

  She took a deep breath. "Bruce, I didn't mean to be sarcastic. I’ll be leaving here Monday, so the dinner party isn’t a problem."

  "Thank goodness! I should have known you wouldn’t let me down. I also know you wouldn’t put up with that small hick town any longer than absolutely necessary. Too bad you aren’t in L.A. I’d probably be with you if you were. But a small town in the north? I hear it’s all cows and horses. Not even wineries where you are, right?"

  "That’s right, Bruce. Just me and the chickens."

  "Good God! And I’ll bet the people there make the cows and horses seem interesting. I mean, what can you possibly talk to them about? They probably don’t know Hesse from Dinesen, Miro from Matisse, Schoenberg from Stockhausen."

  "You’d hate it here," she said. "It’s good you refused to come with me." The words were out of her mouth before she remembered she was trying to soothe his ruffled feathers.

  "I didn’t really refuse." His tone was icy. "It’s just that the timing was particularly bad for me."

  "I know. Poor choice of words."

  "From you, Lee?"

  She sighed. "I’m tired. This has all been more upsetting than I ever imagined. Coming back here has stirred up a lot of memories and some...well, some are difficult to deal with. I'll be home just as soon as I'm able."

  "I can't imagine anything being difficult for you."

  "I'm not Wonder Woman."

  "Close enough. But it is boring there, right? No old high school boyfriends or muscular tow headed surfers to sweep you off your feet?"

  "I always told you I hated high school! Anyway, this is northern California, Bruce. The Pacific is cold up here."

  "Well, okay, then. I trust you, you know. Good night, Lee."

  "Good night."

  She stared at the phone a long time after hanging up.

  Chapter 9

  Miriam was up early, made coffee, then mixed together muffin batter, just as she used to do when Lisa stayed with her in her little house in San Diego after leaving Miwok. Miriam knew she was going overboard with the nostalgia and poor ol' aunt routine, but she couldn't think of a better way to cause Lisa to stay in Miwok long enough to face up to all that had happened seventeen summers ago and finally, one way or the other, put it behind her.

  Lisa had fled Miwok to live with Miriam the summer after graduating from high school. Although Lisa had received a scholarship to UCLA, she switched to the University of California at San Diego to stay with Miriam. The girl threw herself into her schoolwork, making it her shelter and haven from the world.

  The four years Lisa spent with Miriam were among the most wonderful and heartbreaking of her life. Early on, the girl needed her, leaning on her for support and at times asking for more than Miriam thought she had in her to give. Somehow, they made it through those days, and as the years went by, Lisa blossomed, and Miriam's heart swelled with pride.

  In college, Lisa's interest in journalism developed. She had brought a passion and intellect to her reporting that brought her quick success with her instructors. She soon learned to present herself as a poised, self-assured woman no matter how inwardly nervous she might have been.

  After gra
duation, Miriam saw that Lisa no longer had the time to spend long summer vacations and holidays with her. Although intellectually, she accepted it, it hurt her to watch Lisa grow apart from her. Miriam felt she did nothing but say good-bye to people she loved--her husband, her brother, and then her niece.

  At least now, here in Miwok, they had a week together once more. Most people who live alone reach a point where they disliked spending time around other people. Miriam wasn’t that way. Nothing would have made her happier than to have Lisa settle down, raise children, and live near her. But it looked like such a close-knit life was only for other families. Not for her. Not for Lisa.

  Miriam filled muffin tins with batter and when she heard Lisa turn off the upstairs shower, she put the tins into a hot oven.

  "Those muffins smell delicious, just like when I was in San Diego with you," Lee called a while later as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "What a great way to wake up." She stepped into the kitchen, still wearing her bathrobe.

  The oven bell dinged. "Perfect timing." Miriam took the muffins out of the oven and put them on the table.

  Lee poured them each a cup of coffee then broke a hot muffin in half and smeared it with butter, Miriam did the same.

  "I've missed these," Lee murmured between bites.

  "I've missed having you around to make them for."

  "If I were nearby, I'd grow so fat no one would want me on TV anymore." Lee touched her aunt's hand with affection. "I'd better stay in New York."

  "I understand I don't have the allure New York does for you --national television and a handsome young man. I suppose you two will be marrying soon?"

  Lee smiled. "That wasn't very subtle, Miriam."

  "I'm not subtle where your happiness is concerned."

  Lee’s eyes met her aunt’s a moment, then she took the coffeepot and refilled their cups.

  o0o

  I love you, Lisa.

  She could still remember the exact timbre of his voice, surprisingly soft, yet rich, with a slight huskiness. His eyes had simmered as he spoke those words, and his arms, holding her, had trembled.

  They had been so young...too young...but still....

  She shook her head and concentrated on the job before her. The garage was stacked with boxes filled with junk--old tools, unused appliances, Christmas ornaments, lights...