“Sure you did, man. And I’m Santa Claus.” He roared a loud laugh before turning to the other band members. “It’s time guys.”
The band members stopped playing suddenly, as if someone unplugged them from a wall socket. Then, the leader pulled on the mic stand to drag it close.
“Change of pace, everyone. Time for a little Elvis music and a couples’ dance. And speaking of Elvis…”
The crowd roared as The King himself stepped up onto the platform. JT shook his head, trying to clear it. That man hadn’t come through the crowd. No one could miss an Elvis impersonator dressed in that famous white jumpsuit.
Elvis held up one hand as he gripped the mic with the other. “Thank ya. Thank ya very much.”
Then The King turned to the band and signaled. JT expected to hear music twang from the steel guitar. So, the words from the impersonator surprised him.
“Before we play a little Blue Hawaii for you, let’s give Miss Bonnie here a round of applause.”
Whistles and clapping erupted from the crowd. Elvis let it continue for about a minute then worked to grab the crowd’s attention again.
“Miss Bonnie, I’ve picked a special man out of the crowd for you to dance with. I hope you’ll show a little Oak Grove hospitality to our newest resident, Gus Granger’s boy.”
The man was a dead ringer for Elvis. His speech sounded exactly like recordings JT had heard of the famous singer. How could a town like Oak Grove afford such a high-quality entertainer?
At Elvis’ words, the blonde hula dancer blushed and moved to the edge of the platform. As she crossed the few feet to him, shyness gripped JT. Kind of like a boy on his first date. His hands even shook as he held them up to help her down.
Elvis’ voice prodded Bonnie. “Go on there, little lady. Show that boy a little sugar.”
Bonnie’s blush flamed as she leaned forward, placing small, warm hands on JT’s shoulders. He encircled her waist with his own shaking hands. A zing of awareness had him meeting her eyes. He witnessed dazed shock mirrored in her face as he lowered her slowly.
“Shall we dance?” What a dumb first line! He willed his stunned mind to find a better one even as he said the words.
The blonde vision giggled nervously. “There’s no music!”
Even as she said it, guitars twanged out the opening cords as Elvis’ mellow voice crooned the words to Blue Hawaii. “Night and you, and blue Hawaii…”
With Bonnie’s hands still on his shoulders, JT kept his own at her waist as they began to sway to the music. Without thinking, JT began singing along. This had been one of Ma’s favorite movies, after all, so he knew the words by heart.
“Things come true in blue Hawaii—”
At her soft laugh, he broke off. “I’m sorry. I don’t usually sing to women.”
Looking up as she moved her hands to his waist, Bonnie’s unpainted pink lips curved into a smile. “I like it. Don’t stop just because you’re embarrassed.”
Good thing it was night. By the heat, JT knew his face was bright red. Forcing his breath out slowly, he released it to answer her. “No, I’d rather talk to you than sing.”
“Okay. So tell me your name.”
If his hands weren’t around her waist, JT would slap his forehead. He’d decided this was the girl he’d marry and she didn’t even know his name!
Proud that he managed to form words without stuttering his embarrassment, he softly apologized. “Sorry. I definitely don’t sing to women who don’t know my name.” Unable to help it, he smiled at her stupidly.
When he didn’t say anymore, Bonnie prodded him. “Well?”
“What?” Her question pulled him from the daze. Touching this woman seemed to put him into one. It must be different for her if she could ask questions.
“Your name?” Her smile slipped a little as she pulled her hands from his waist and put them on his upper arms. To push away from him! “Don’t you want me to know?”
A tremor in her voice scared him. He’d frightened her. Or offended her. He wasn’t sure.
“No! No, it’s that this moment is so right. Well, I got sort of lost in it.” Unable to resist, he ran a finger down her cheek. He had to see if her skin felt as soft as it looked.
She leaned into the touch. Sighing as if she’d found a comfortable place to rest, Bonnie moved her hands up to his shoulders.
The song ended. Around them couples pulled apart and went back to lawn chairs or blankets laid out on blacktop or grass. Bonnie didn’t pull away. Not at all. At his words, she slipped her arms back to his waist and hugged him.
“I’m so happy you’ve moved to Oak Grove.”
Chapter 4
His arms slid away from her as the man stepped out of her hug. Odd, she’d hugged a man and didn’t know his name. Mr. Granger, obviously if he was Gus’ son. But what was his first name?
“Did I say the wrong thing?”
The man ran a hand through his dark wavy hair. The move drew Bonnie’s eyes to it, and she fisted her own hands to keep from reaching out to touch that hair.
Woah! She’d never been tempted to do anything like that! Why was this guy bringing out strange temptations?
In front of her, the gorgeous man’s breath came out with a sudden whoosh. He bent over, hands on his thighs. It was too much for Bonnie.
She reached through the grass of her skirt to the back pocket of denim shorts she wore underneath. Her trembling fingers yanked out the white bag.
Seconds later, she had it up to her lips. Absolutely not! She would not give into this panic attack and let it go hurricane strength on her.
Focusing in on the rate of her breathing, Bonnie didn’t see the arm come around her. Tenderness sent a tingle of pure happiness through her. Such a sense of wellbeing flooded her as the arm lightly squeezed her shoulders. As if the tide of the ocean lapped inside her soul.
Sometime during her attack, Elvis left the platform. He stood in front of the couple, drawing everyone’s eyes to them.
“Now, here’s a little advice for this couple.” And with those words, he broke into a slow, sweet rendition of Love me Tender.
Next to her ear, a low velvety voice—one she’d only heard a few minutes ago but had now become the center of her world—urged her to move with him. “Come on. Amazingly, there’s a free patch of grass over there. Let’s get away from everyone and sit for a while.”
Sighing deeply, Bonnie lowered the white bag and let him move her to the lawn. It was the bit of grass by the entrance of the mall’s driveway. Far enough from the party that no one wanted to sit there.
That same warm, deep voice gave a slight chuckle as he removed the bag from her hand. “I see a lot of these tonight so I’m guessing that your restaurant did good with this shindig.”
Absently, Bonnie looked up at his ordinary face that seemed extraordinarily handsome to her. Smiling, she nodded before correcting him. “It’s a luau, not a shindig or a lollapalooza.”
“What’s the difference?”
She shrugged. “Who knows? It’s a mystery.”
By this time Bonnie had recovered enough to be a little sassy. “Yes, a mystery. Just like your name.”
His chuckle, that soft, low sound, came again. “I never did tell you. It’s JT--JT Kirkwood.”
Bonnie’s curiosity was piqued by the name, anxiety forgotten. “Kirkwood? I thought Gus Granger was your father.”
JT shook his head. The shadows where they sat made it hard to see his expression. Bonnie could just make out the downturn to his mouth. His very interesting mouth.
Why did she think that? He had a mouth and lips like any other person. The reminder didn’t keep her eyes from watching those lips as he spoke.
What she saw pulled at a place deep inside her, and somehow, she felt his pain as he explained. “Pa and Ma Granger have always taken care of me. My own parents died in a plane crash.”
Bonnie struggled but couldn’t quite stifle the small sob. He picked up her hand and squeezed it. “Hey
, it’s alright. Even before they died, my parents never lived with me.”
In the dark, he somehow felt her look of surprise. Maybe she’d made some movement. Stiffened or something. Whatever, he explained the strange relationship with his parents.
“They were missionaries, totally devoted. Ma was my mother’s cousin, but she’s always been so much more than that since she and Pa raised me. Had me even as a baby. My parents would come to visit, but they never took me with them.”
Bonnie leaned away from him, wanting to look up at his face even in the nearly full darkness. “Wow! Does that make you some kind of super Christian? Coming from such committed believers?”
JT still held her hand, and he squeezed it tenderly. “No, ma’am. My own faith in Christ made me a Christian. But, I’m a work in progress like everyone else.”
“Yeah, I get that. More days than I want to admit, I’m too tired for my bible reading. Not a great example for my mother. She’s not a believer.”
Their talk had grown too serious. When she mentioned her mother, she felt her mouth cringed and struggled for a different topic.
“Tell me what JT stands for? No one names their baby JT.”
In the dark, she heard his groan. “No way. You’d have to marry me to find that out.”
Bonnie’s tinkle of laughter seemed loud to her ears, even with the music and noise of the crowd in the background. “Is that a proposal? I think I accept.”
It was an odd night. The man next to her softly sang part of an old song. Randomly broke into it like actors did in a musical.
“I think I love you so what am I so afraid of. I’m afraid that I’m not sure of a love there is no cure for.”
Her laugh was full and contagious. JT stopped singing and joined her.
“You’re a great baritone, but do you sing Partridge Family songs to all the girls?”
He snorted. “Only ones I propose to. Only to a girl who confuses me.” That low voice gave her tingles.
The voice changed, growing very serious. “I don’t believe in love at first sight. At least, I didn’t before tonight.”
Bonnie couldn’t help it. She squeaked, “You mean me. No guy’s ever interested in me.”
In the dark, she felt her hand lifted. Warm lips caressed the back of it briefly. “Then the guys in Oak Grove are either blind or idiots.”
Maybe it was the night around them that hid so much or the party atmosphere. Nearby, Elvis crooned the words to Can’t Help Falling In Love With You.
For whatever reason, anxiety-ridden Bonnie leaned into him. With her head against his chest, she breathed out, “I believe you. And I feel it, too.”
A line from a song Amy Winehouse redid about fifteen years before popped into his mind. Not thinking first, the words slipped off his tongue. “Tonight you’re mine completely.”
Bonnie added another line from the song when he trailed off. “But will you love me tomorrow?”
JT nodded, a movement she only saw because of the faint glow cast a ways off by overhead security lights dotting the parking lot. They came on automatically, usually. The mall’s maintenance man had set them to come on later that evening because of the luau.
“We’ll have to see, won’t we?”
She grinned. “If you’re asking me out on a date, I accept. Let’s see how we feel about each other then.”
“Breakfast tomorrow before church?”
That tickled her funny bone, and she laughed softly. “I was thinking more about dinner. Say six o’clock?”
His mock pout pulled more of that low laughter from her. “What’s your hurry? It’s not like either of us is going anywhere.”
An unsettling tension settled around them. Bonnie felt it suddenly radiate from him. For some reason, her words broke his playful mood.
“You’re right. Dinner tomorrow will be fine.”
The world rushed in on them after that. Chuck toddled over to them with his usual unsteady gait. He had a problem with his knees and obviously had stood too long. Bonnie hadn’t been watching over him.
“Go home, Bonnie?”
She knew Chuck wasn’t asking her to go home. Standing quickly, the skirt around her rustled. “Yes, it’s time for you to head home. Is your brother here to drive you?”
He nodded before hugging her. “Love you.”
Returning the hug, she spoke sincerely. “I love you, too.”
JT stood also and dared to wrap his arm around her shoulders as he watched the other man’s retreating back. “You certainly are popular in Oak Grove.”
She gave a small shrug, not wanting to somehow cause his arm to fall away from her. “What can I say? It’s home.”
“Home is where a person makes it. It doesn’t have to be the place you grew up.”
“Maybe, but I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
The arm fell as JT stepped away from her. “Let me walk you back. Are you headed into your business or back to the platform?”
He’d stiffened up again with her. “To my restaurant. I need to check on things.”
He’d withdrawn as if he wanted to get rid of her. That was fine. Bonnie knew she needed time to replay their conversations in her mind and piece together what was said. There might be a clue to what upset him.
Taking her hand, he walked her away from their secluded spot and back into the crowds. The luau was winding down and people headed to their cars. Bonnie sighed wistfully. “The clock must be striking midnight.”
“Well Cinderella, I’d better get you back before something turns into a pumpkin.”
He understood her reference. No one ever got her odd comments like that one. They usually laughed and said something like, “There she goes, being Bonnie again.” He really was the man for her.
But would he still be interested in her—boring, hardworking Bonnie Miller--tomorrow? Dinner would reveal that. If he showed up.
Chapter 5
They almost made it to the restaurant. As she crossed the parking lot, her arm looped through the one JT offered her, Hal Owens called to her over the PA system.
“Come on up here, you two. Elvis needs to leave and has one more duty to perform this night.”
Under the tall parking lot light, Bonnie shook her head in the man’s direction. He didn’t give up, signaling the drummer who started a beat.
The remaining crowd picked up on it, clapping to that beat as they chanted her name. “Bonnie! Bonnie!”
Resignedly, she met JT’s gaze and inclined her head toward the platform. He headed them in that direction as the crowd parted for the couple. They made a sort of aisle for them to walk down, hushing as the couple passed. The action felt almost reverent as people watched them. One of the old ladies who pinched JT earlier, Maude Hollis, even wiped a tear from her eye.
A blush bloomed on Bonnie’s face. She spoke softly, turning her face to JT as he led them closer to Elvis. “I think he’s going to sing to me. It’s so embarrassing!”
JT crooked an eyebrow as he stared down at her, stopping their progress for a moment. “I think it’s something else. Look at that arch they’ve dragged out from somewhere.”
Following the finger he pointed, Bonnie saw a trellis decorated with flowers and twined with small white lights. Elvis had moved and now waited for them in front of the platform under the arch.
Rita had left the restaurant. She stood next to Mildred Granger to one side of the trellis. Both women grinned at the couple.
JT hurried Bonnie over to them. “Ma, what are you doing here? Who’s with Pa?” The words came out with a whoosh of breath.
Bonnie stared up at him oddly, causing JT to redden a little and shrug. “I worry about him.”
She nodded and looked toward the smiling women, each dressed in a flowered muumuu. “How is your husband, Mildred? I miss seeing him every day.”
The other woman looked from her claimed son to Bonnie and grinned broadly. “He’s just fine. Tucked up into bed and out like a light. So there’s no reason to worry,
Captain.”
Bonnie’s eyes widened at the nickname. “Why Captain?” She met JT’s eyes as she asked.
Mildred chuckled. She shook her head and made a motion at her lips as if locking them with a key. Bonnie moved her gaze to the man beside her.
At her silent insistence, he groaned. “It’s connected to my name.”
“So, am I going to hear what the letters stand for?”
He shook his head. “I told you. You have to marry me first.”
The mothers and Elvis broke out into belly laughs. Something about the situation had Bonnie reaching into her pocket for the white bag. Before she got it to her lips, JT softly whispered encouragement next to her ear as he slowly rubbed her back.
“Just concentrate on your hands. Say, ‘My hands are warm.’” She did and actually felt heat melt down her arm and into her fingers.
“Say it again,” he gently urged as he eyed his braying mother.
When Mildred looked his way, he shook his head and frowned. His voice remained gentle as he coached Bonnie, something she noticed. It helped to bring her out of the panic as much as his mantra had.
The laughter stopped. Something still seemed wrong. To Bonnie, it was like she’d wandered into a play where everyone knew the lines except her. Well, her and JT.
A tug on her grass skirt tore Bonnie’s eyes away from that man. She looked down to see the Simpson twins.
One of the girls held up an orchid. “This is for you to hold. But be careful with it. Daddy said it’s deli—”
Her face scrunched up in thought as she struggled with the word. “Delicate?” Bonnie supplied the word, and both girls bobbed their agreement.
“Isn’t it kind of late for you two to be up? I’d expect you both to be in bed by now.”
The girls nodded in tandem, like they did most things, making their silk-flowered leis bounce. “Daddy said we could stay—” One said, while the other finished, “—until after Elvis is done.”
Hearing his name, Elvis took control. He’d been ignored long enough and wasn’t used to it. “Come on over here, little lady.” He gestured and the flutter of the jumpsuit’s cape caused rhinestones to catch the twinkling white light. It gave him a glowing appearance, almost angelic even.
Aloha My Love: Christmas in July Page 3
