Jill envied the adoring look in Ryan’s eyes as he watched her while waiting for her to respond.
Averting her attention from the scene, she caught a glimpse of her little girl watch Emma and Ryan’s son, Aaron, walk out the door. Her baby girl’s star struck eyes followed him across the yard.
“I am in so much trouble,” Jill remarked in a breath.
“Yes you are,” his baritone voice reverberated through her, sending shivers down her spine. She had no clue that Mike was behind her.
“You saw it too?”
“Yup. It doesn’t seem like they are old enough for that yet.”
“Well, I was around her age when I had my first crush.” Her recollection of that day in the park came to mind.
“I remember it well,” he winked as she looked up at him. He held two pieces of cake in his hand and a cheesy grin on his face.
"Is one of those for me or are you a two-fisted eater?"
"One could be for you, if you agree to dinner with me tomorrow night." Mike sat the plate of cake down between them as he took a seat next to her.
"That's blackmail Doctor.” She gave him her best haughty look in jest.
"You bet it is."
"And why would you like to go out to dinner with me? It's not like we can't just have coffee and chat like usual." She tried to keep things light, but just a couple hours ago, the mood between them was very different. This didn’t feel like he was pushing for more than what they had.
"I wear scrubs and a lab coat almost every day and the other days I wear jeans and t-shirts. Every time we get together for coffee you are in yoga pants and t-shirts. I want us to dress up and have a night on this sleepy little town, or we can go out of town. Either way, I'm eager to see you in a whole new light; preferably dim and romantic."
Okay, scratch that previous thought. “Mike, I don’t know.”
"I'm not asking you to marry me, Jill. I'm just asking you to dress up and go out to dinner with me; without our little girls, without the flirty hostess at the pizzeria, and without video games blaring in the background. Honestly, I need a break from being a parent for a couple hours."
She could relate completely. Dinner with a friend, who I’m falling for and who’s falling for me. I need the break though.
"I'll go out for dinner, mostly so I can have that yummy looking cake," she responded, giving him a teasing smile.
“I’ll take that,” he chuckled as he slid the plate toward her and held out two forks between them.
She didn’t know if Emma was just an excellent baker or if it was the man she was sharing the cake with that made it taste heavenly. Watching Mike relish in his bite, she knew that it wasn’t the cake.
*****
It had been over a decade since Mike was this nervous about a date; rephrase, a night out with a beautiful woman, who would only be his friend.
Tiffany had agreed to watch the girls and arrived with Katie minutes ago. In Tiffany fashion, she teased him about taking Jill out, relentlessly.
Tiffany continued the teasing with comments like: “She looks like a knockout” and “you don’t stand a chance, Doc”. Ryan was right; she really could be that annoying little sister. It was all in fun though, so he blew it off.
“Here’s my cell phone if you need me,” he told Tiffany.
“Sounds good. We got this, right ladies?” The girls shouted their reply from the living room. The tune of the opening credits of the latest Disney movie blasted through his surround sound system that he hard wired into the house.
He checked himself in the mirror just inside the garage. He looked good in his turquoise button-up and he hoped Jill agreed. “It’s as good as you’re going to get Emerson,” he told his reflection.
Emily told him it made his eyes look bluer and Jill wouldn’t be able to help but fall in love with him. The thought made him laugh as he walked out to the car. He was about to open the car door to the Jag but looked up over the roof and quickly changed his mind. His Monte Carlo called out to him to go for a ride. It would be the perfect night for a cruise.
He pressed the garage door button on the wall as he skirted around the Jag, grabbed the keys to the classic and climbed in the car.
He turned the key and “Black Beauty” came to life. The thunderous roar of the engine resonated through the air. A prideful and mischievous grin crawled across his face. Tonight was going to be good.
Having a little too much fun pulling out of his driveway, he fishtailed halfway to the stop sign. “Awesome,” he declared to the empty space around him.
Still grinning from ear to ear, he knocked on Jill’s front door and prayed she answered.
He did his best to understand her misgivings, but her behavior when they were together only proved to encourage him. You know she is teasing you, right? Yeah, but he didn’t care. She had agreed to go out to dinner with him and he wouldn’t let negativity hinder the fun time they would have; even if it killed him.
Jill opened the door and Mike thought his heart would beat out of his chest before he could recover from the punch he felt like he had received. Her floral skirt with a red background was accompanied by a denim vest and a black, slim-it, shirt. Her red locks were curled to perfection and begged to be touched at some point tonight. She appeared modest and completely sexy all rolled into one. She looked amazing; spectacular, gorgeous, stunning, breathtaking, all in one… Pick a word and say something you dunce.
His “wow” was a little more exuberant than he had intended which in turn made Jill laugh.
“Hello to you too, handsome. You don’t look bad yourself. I love the shirt.”
Emily had been right. He made a mental note to trust his niece’s opinion more often.
He held his hand out to help her to the car. Her grass-green stilettos made her flawlessly long legs seem longer. “You look amazing, is what I meant to say.”
“Thank you.”
Once settled in the car, he prayed to keep his focus on the right things and not how bad he wanted to take the woman next to him in his arms.
“You brought her out of the garage.” Her tone suggested surprise.
“That okay with you?”
“Yes! I was kind of hoping you would but didn’t want to ask.”
She would never know how happy that made him.
“So, where we headed?” He loved how eager she was.
“I thought Italian sounded good.”
“I agree.”
Due to the remoteness of their location, it was a twenty minute drive to his favorite Italian restaurant. Mike was pleasantly surprised at how quiet the ride was. It was a comfortable silence. There was no tension in the air like yesterday. Well kind of. A war still raged within him over his growing attraction for her and her need to keep this friendly. This outing could prove to be stressful for him.
Halfway to the restaurant, an upbeat tune came from her purse.
Jill quickly pulled it out and groaned when she looked to see who was calling.
“Who is it?”
“Tiffany. You might want to pull over”
He had no clue as to why she would make such a request but did as she asked.
“Hello. Oh no! Is she running a temp? Okay, we’ll turn right around. No, it’s okay. See you soon.”
The cheerfulness of the night was clouded by gloom.
“She’s sick. I’m sorry Mike, but Katie is in your bathroom right now.”
Concern for the girl overshadowed his disappointment. “No, you’re a parent first,” he stated as he turned around and made his was back the house.
“This is why I didn’t want to get involved. There will always be something.”
She said the words like she was the only one in the car. He had only been doing the single parent thing for a couple of months. She’d been doing it the whole time. He wished he could relieve the burden a bit but alas, he could not.
“Don’t worry. Maybe another time.” He prayed it would give her hope, but the defeat on her face
told him otherwise.
“Mike, I don’t think there will be another time. Let’s just keep it to coffee meetings.”
Desperate to hold on to the progress made, he took hold of her hand. He waited to speak until she looked at him.
“Jill, I’m not giving up. It’ll take a lot more than a sick child to keep me away.”
Chapter 11
Mike tossed and turned for yet another night. Well, it was morning for the rest of the world.
He had driven by Jill’s just as she was leaving to take the girls to school. He was on nights again this week and she agreed to keep Emily and take her to school. He just needed to be able to pick her up. It didn’t give him much time to sleep, but it had to work; not that he was getting much sleep anyway. Concerns over the custody battle he was about to face as well as his growing attraction to Jill and her refusal to take a step out of the friend zone were keeping him from getting any sleep at all.
Lying in bed, gazing at the ceiling, he prayed for a clear sign about either situation. Nothing came. So he bounded from the bed and got dressed. He’d do something useful at the new office space, like find a contractor to finish it or get some paperwork together. Anything was better than lying in bed thinking about Jill, or Rebecca’s nagging mother.
Approaching town, people milled about with hanging baskets, large brooms and other yard tools. He recalled getting a notice for a town-wide spring cleaning. He thought it an odd event to have so early in the year; it wasn’t quite the first day of spring yet. Jill reminded him that the farmers had fields to prep right around that time, so this worked best. “Just pray for no wind or snow afterward,” she quipped with a shrug and a smile that made his stomach knot.
Maneuvering around the block to the back of the building, he was glad that he had the private place to park as the street in front of his building was full. Still curious to see what was going on, he decided to walk around to the front of the building instead of going in the back door.
Coming around the corner of the block with a coffee in his hand morning greetings from folks began.
“Good morning.”
“Nice day, isn’t it?”
“Morning doctor.”
Mike replied to each one with a smile. Each hello made him feel more and more welcomed by the community. The few that knew who he was shook his hand and greeted him warmly. He felt like he belonged here. A walk that should have been five minutes, took him twenty. He laughed to himself over how overwhelmingly friendly the town was.
Finally approaching his building, he heard music that seemed like it didn’t belong in such a tranquil, farm community. It made him think of school dances and weightlifting sessions in the school gym. It didn’t take much to discover the source - Jill’s dance studio. He wondered what kind of dancing she could be doing to require the tunes of rappers from their younger years. It was eleven-thirty; he didn’t think she would have a class this early.
As he walked by, he could see the glass vibrate with the bass of the music. She always did like it loud. Movement from the inside caught his attention, spiking his curiosity.
The room was dark, but making out her form was not hard. Alone in the middle of the floor, Jill moved and bounced with ease. Her face showed concentration and determination. He began to watch, transfixed by her movement. She stopped and turned to write something on a tablet that was on the back table. Jill then turned back to dancing in front of the wall of mirrors. He couldn’t pull himself away she was captivating. The tunes were not what he would have chosen for children to listen to, but her moves were not lewd in any way. “Amazing.”
“It sure is,” the shaky voice agreed from behind him.
Embarrassed for being caught gawking at the pretty dance teacher, he quickly turned his back to the windows. The elderly man laughed at Mike’s rapid response. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell. I sit here every chance I get and watch her work out the routines.”
The elderly man sat on the city bench that sat parallel to her building front. “Excuse me?” Knowing someone watched her made him feel overly protective.
“Oh, don’t get your knickers in a pucker.” The old man pointed to the seat next to him, “Have a seat, Doc. Talk with me for a bit.”
Mike looked at his watch, making it look as if he was on a tight time-frame. “I have work to do, but thank you.”
As he began to walk to his door the old man beckoned him back. “I see, you’re too busy to appease the request of an old man. Good to know that the new doctor is selective in his treatment.” The man’s manipulative words were followed with a laugh, “Come sit and keep an old geezer company.”
Sitting down, Mike looked back through the window to the dance studio.
“She’s good. I don’t know how she does it,” Mike reflected.
“That she is. I don’t like the music, but I know talent when I see it,” the old man replied.
“I didn’t catch your name. I’m Mike Emerson.” He held his hand out to the old man.
The man accepted, “Eugene and I know who you are. Your name’s on the door.” He pointed to Mike’s practice door.
“How do you know that’s me?”
“I’ve watched you come in and out of there before. It’s been a while though. Welcome back, Doc.”
“Well, I hope to be back. I need to be.”
“You sound a bit desperate,” Eugene observed.
“I kind of am. I won’t bore you with the details though.”
Mike looked back to watch Jill when the tune changed to something slow and a bit more fluid. The ukulele and the tenor voice made a beautiful island-like sound as the singer sang “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”. Jill’s moves were like gliding over the water. The calm of the change was soothing. Seeing her this way made his heart swell, then it began to beat faster.
A rattled chuckle from beside him reminded Mike that he wasn’t alone.
“I see the love bug has bitten you.” The old man’s assessment broke Mike’s concentration.
“What? No. We knew each other in high school.”
“You were sweethearts then?”
A shy smile crept across Mike’s face at Eugene’s question.
Both men chuckled.
“Now tell me, what’s the story with you and the dance teacher?”
“With Jill? We were friends once and yes, we dated for about two years in high school.”
“The history is clear by the way you watch her. It’s like watching a man who had been wandering the desert and just found water.” Eugene’s analogy made them both laugh.
“Well, isn’t it kind of odd that an old man sits here each week and watches her? Maybe you should explain things to me instead.”
“Son, I am too old to do anything to her. She’s perfectly safe.”
“I’m curious though, why do you sit here each week and watch my friend?”
Eugene’s face grew serious as he looked back through the studio windows.
“She reminds me of my wife.” He paused before continuing. “She was a dancer when I met her, a chorus girl. She beguiled me with every move and when I saw her dancing on a Broadway stage, I knew I couldn’t live my life without her in it.”
“What did you do?”
“I posed as her boyfriend so I could go backstage and meet her. Thankfully she was nice. She told me later she thought I was simple minded.” The man chuckled at the memory. “I asked her to let me take her out for a drink that night. I was due back at the ship by sunrise.”
“So this was during World War II?”
“It was. I was bound for Europe.
“She agreed to a drink and then followed it with a dockside wedding. To this day I wonder what made her agree to a crazy sailor’s proposal.”
“Did you ever ask her?”
“She told me it was my eyes. She said she could see I was trustworthy.
“I did my best to treat her like the lady she was that night. There was no fooling around like many of my shipmates boasted about
. Only one kiss passed between me and my Peggy until I came home. She told me it would give me something to live for. And it did. To know that such a woman - one who was statuesque, graceful, poised - was waiting for me pulled me through some of my darkest moments. I had to come home to her; I’d be a fool not to.”
“That’s beautiful.”
The two of them sat and watched Jill work out the routine of yet another song. This one told more of a story. Mike struggled between curiosity to know the rest of Eugene and Peggy’s story and the longing to watch Jill dance in such a spellbinding way.
“What happened when you came home?” Mike finally asked.
A sad, far off look crossed the man’s face. “We lived the life of every other couple. I went to work; she left the stage to raise our children.”
Mike had hoped so. “How many children?”
“Five children lived to see twenty.”
He didn’t want to ask, but he had to know. “The way you say that indicates that, well that…”
“In 1950, we were traveling from New York to Michigan. We wanted our children to be able to go to a Bible college that was once in the next town over. We stuffed the four children we had at the time into the car and put the few belongings in the trunk and moved here. Halfway through the trip, we were in a bad wreck.” Eugene paused in his story as emotion filled his eyes. Mike’s heart stopped. “Three of the children died on impact. That’s when the joy died in my Peggy, and when the dancing stopped.”
“I am so sorry,” he put his hand on Eugene’s back.
“We had four more children, but there was no more joy. She never got over the loss of those three. They were the only girls we would have.”
“It was like a piece of her died with her girls?”
“In a way, yes. We raised five strapping, intelligent boys. She was proud of them, but struggled most days.” He stopped and gave Mike a pointed look. “You have children, Doc?”
“I’m the guardian for my niece. She’s nine. Jill is her dance teacher actually.”
“What happened with the parents, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“My brother and sister-in-law died in that bad wreck on Christmas.” Mike went on to explain the rest of the story. Eugene listened as Mike gave him the highs and lows of the last three months, not knowing that the more he talked the lighter he felt.
Dance and Be Glad Page 11