“Bryce An…” Allie broke off. “Well, at the moment, I’m sort of between schools.”
“Between schools? Is that code for lost your scholarship?” Mark teased.
Allie smiled. “Something like that.”
Georgia offered Allie a glass of wine. “Bryce. Would that be Bryce Anthony Music Conservatory?”
Allie nodded, taking a sip of the white chardonnay. “It would be.”
“Wow!” Georgia gushed. “You must be talented or you wouldn’t have gotten in there. And rich, because that school’s expensive from what I hear.”
“Allie’s the best piano player you ever heard!” Megan exclaimed.
Allie blushed. “I do have other interests besides music.”
“Like what?” Mark asked.
He was extremely good-looking, and as Caroline sat on the sidelines watching all this, she knew Allie was succumbing to his charms. But they didn’t know anything about this guy and that bothered her. Allie and Mark talked all through the first half of the concert, the intermission, and the second half. They discussed literature, theatre, pop music, classical music, and art. In fact, everything that Allie was passionate about, Mark claimed to also enjoy, although Caroline was dubious about his sincerity.
“Mark, are you in school?” Caroline asked.
“I just graduated from Ball State University this spring, but I’m planning to go back for my MBA in the fall,” he replied, never taking his eyes off Allie.
“Hmm. Ball State. Small world,” Allie said, an attractive pink glow spreading across her cheeks. “That’s where my mother wants me to transfer next year. We had to move recently. My dad’s new wife wanted the Belford house, so now we live in Rosslyn Village.”
“In a tiny house,” Megan interjected, pouting.
Mark nodded. “I know what you mean about downsizing. My family lost a lot of money in the recession of ’08, and well, let’s just say old money doesn’t go as far as it used to. But your dad, isn’t he…”
Suddenly Allie slapped her forehead. “Didn’t you go to Willowby Hall Prep, and graduate two years ahead of me?”
Mark look startled. “I guess I did.” They both laughed, and then Mark added, “Imagine that: we attended the same high school at about the same time, but never knew each other.”
Allie sighed and looked down at her swollen ankle, reaching over to massage it. “I’m wondering how I’ll make the adjustment from a small music conservatory to a big university. It’s pretty overwhelming.”
“Don’t worry. It’s a great school, and I know you’ll like it once you’ve been up there for a visit. What if I show you around campus? After your ankle heals.”
Allie nodded enthusiastically. “I’d like that.”
Caroline groaned inwardly. I’ll bet you would.
The sun sets late in June, so it had barely gotten dark as the concert ended, the stars just bright enough to afford some light as people quickly cleared out. Caroline didn’t think Allie had listened to a note of the Mozart pieces she’d been so eager to hear.
Mark got Allie to her feet, helped Megan and Caroline gather their belongings, and told his friends he’d join them in the parking lot.
Caroline was concerned as she watched Allie hobble on her crutches, visibly favoring her right ankle. “I think we’re going to need a golf cart to get Allie to the car,” she said, scouting around for one. But all she saw was hundreds of people dragging picnic remnants and their personal items to the crowded parking lot. “I guess I’ll have to go ask the nurse to call for one.”
“I’ll wait here with Allie,” Mark told Caroline, “till you and Megan get back.” Immediately his attention was on Allie again. “And speaking of calling, give me your cell phone.” Allie handed it to Mark, and he programmed his number into it.
“There.” He placed it in her hand with an affectionate squeeze. “Promise you’ll call me after you see the doctor tomorrow.”
Allie giggled. “Okay.”
Caroline hadn’t planned to leave Allie alone with this guy, but she didn’t want to be rude. “Come on, Megan,” she said, and started walking to the first aid tent.
Chapter Eight
Susan walked into the family room with a basketful of laundry. “Anyone want to help? No?” She shrugged and sat down on the floor to fold clean clothes.
Allie was sitting on the love seat in the family room watching TV, her bandaged ankle propped on a pillow, the crutches nearby, while Megan, sprawled on the other sofa, poked at her phone.
“I’d help, Mom, but this ankle…”
“How’s it feeling today?”
Allie held up her hand to stop Susan from talking as she listened intently to the conversation on the television. Finally it went to commercial. “Mom, did you know there’s nothing on TV during the day except talk shows and soap operas?” she asked. “I had no idea. And boy, are they addictive!”
“Really?” Susan grinned. “As a matter of fact I did know, but I guess you’ve never had much time to just sit around watching daytime TV before. Is that All My Tomorrows?”
Allie nodded.
“What’s Elsa up to today?” Susan glanced up from the towels she was folding.
“From what I can tell, her fiancé is supposedly working with some attractive woman and they kissed.”
The two of them watched the next scene for a minute. “So how is the ankle?” Susan asked.
“I think it’s getting better, but Dr. Li said to stay off it for at least a week. I’ll be pretty addicted to the soaps by then.”
Megan picked up the remote off the coffee table and aimed it at the television. “Then why don’t we watch something else?”
“Don’t you dare!” Allie and Susan both exclaimed.
“Geez.” Megan shrugged and put the remote down.
Susan started folding a pile of t-shirts. “By the way, Allie, did you ever return Brandon Phillips’s phone call about setting up a practice schedule? It’s rude to keep ignoring his calls. He’s doing you a favor after all.”
Allie winced. “I know, but I’ve sort of had my mind on other things.”
“M-aaa-rrr-kkk!” Megan sang out.
Allie blushed just as her phone rang. She fumbled for it in the pillow cushions, retrieving it just before it went to voice mail. “Hello?” she said. “Oh hi, Brandon. I’m sorry I haven’t called you back.” She rolled her eyes. “I sprained my ankle at the concert the other evening, and I’m following doctor’s orders, staying off it and keeping it propped.” She made the motion with her hand indicating Brandon was talking too much. “What? Oh, sure, I do still want to use your piano, but with this ankle… Can I call you when I’m feeling better? I promise it won’t be more than three or four days.” Allie drummed her fingers on the sofa as Brandon talked. “Thanks, Brandon, you’re great. See you then.”
“Aren’t you being a little hard on the guy?” Susan asked.
Allie rearranged the pillow under her foot and shifted her weight with a grimace. “Yeah, maybe, but he’s so…insistent. And anyway, I wasn’t kidding about my ankle. I couldn’t possibly operate the foot pedals till it heals.”
Allie settled herself back into the cushions just as there was a knock at the door. She looked over to see Mark smiling at her through the screen meshing. He’d been by the house every day since they met at Symphony on the Lawn, solicitously checking on her progress and ingratiating himself with the family. Well, at least Susan and Megan liked him. Susan wasn’t so sure about Caroline.
“How’s the patient today?” Mark asked, letting himself in.
“A little better,” Allie said.
“I was wondering if you felt up to a late lunch. I promise to get us a booth where you can prop your foot.” Mark nodded politely to Susan, winked at Megan, and then turned his attention back to Allie. “Have you been to that little bistro down on College Avenue? It’s got great food.”
“No, but I’d like to try it,” Allie said. Mark helped her up onto her crutches and held th
e screen door for her as she shuffled across the floor.
“Enjoy your lunch,” Susan said.
Allie smiled at Mark and hobbled out the open door.
“Must be true love,” Megan giggled.
“We’ll see.” Susan sighed and went back to folding the laundry.
A few hours, more laundry, and three episodes of House Hunters later, Susan heard a crash in the family room and raced from her bedroom. “Megan? What happened?” She followed Megan’s gaze across the room.
Megan had flung her cell phone, hitting a lamp and knocking it over. “Mom! I’m bored!” Megan sat on the floor in front of the TV and began channel surfing, her arms folded across her chest.
Susan understood Megan’s frustration with their new environment but didn’t condone her petulant behavior. She calmly checked the lamp for broken pieces and finding it still intact, set it upright on the table. She handed Megan’s also-unscathed cell phone back to her. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Megan rolled onto her stomach to face her mother. “What am I supposed to do all summer? I don’t live in Belford anymore where all my friends are, and there’s no one in this neighborhood but old people.”
Susan winced. “You’re right, Megs, and I feel awful about it. So what would you like to do?”
“Something! I usually go swimming or to the mall or movies or, or… something. But sitting around this tiny house watching TV all day is so boring!”
Susan sighed. “Megan, I get that you’re at loose ends, but please suggest something I can actually do about it.” Susan thought for a moment. “Why don’t you call one of your friends in Belford, and I’ll drive you up there.”
Megan resumed her position on her back. “I tried that. They’re all ‘too busy.’ Which means they don’t want to associate with someone going to a public school.”
Susan didn’t doubt that some of Megan’s friends were snubbing her, but she felt sure there was still someone she could count on. “What about Annabeth Walton?”
“Gone to Lake Michigan for the summer. Remember?”
“Oh. Well, anyone else?”
“Mom! You just don’t get it!” Megan stormed off to her bedroom.
“And it’s only June,” Susan muttered to herself. The guilt washed over her again. So Susan did the only thing she knew to do to relieve stress. She went back to her bedroom, changed into her running clothes, and went out the front door, closing it quietly behind her.
****
Caroline came home from work and collapsed onto the family room sofa. It was hot outside, and her car had barely cooled down on the five-mile drive home from Meadows Advertising. She thought about going to the kitchen for some iced tea, but the ceiling fan blowing on her felt refreshing, and she didn’t want to move. She closed her eyes, enjoying the hum of the fan and the cool breeze, and just before she drifted off, the front door opened. Susan came in dressed in shorts, t-shirt and athletic shoes, glistening with sweat.
“Where have you been in all this heat?” Caroline asked.
“Out for a run on the Monon Trail, sweating out my frustrations. Since I can’t afford a gym right now, it’s convenient that we live close to a free hiking trail.” Susan went to the kitchen and got a bottled water from the fridge. “Can I get you anything?”
“I was thinking about grabbing some iced tea, but I couldn’t get myself to move.” Caroline sat up and stretched her neck. “What are you so frustrated about?”
Susan returned with the tea and water and sat down next to her daughter. “Megan. I don’t know what to do.”
Caroline took a long swallow of the cool, sweet tea. “Do about what?”
Susan held the cold bottle of water to her forehead. “Megan’s Willowby friends are snubbing her, I guess, or else they just can’t make time for someone living thirty minutes away, but she’s got nothing to do except watch TV and complain. So I need ideas on what to do with her all summer. With little or no money, of course.”
Caroline thought about that. She remembered that in summers past her mother had had a hard enough time keeping Megan occupied when things were fairly normal. Now… “That’s a tough one. I don’t suppose Dad…” Caroline looked over at Susan who shook her head. “Well, I could take her to the mall or a movie or something on the weekends.”
“That would help, but Megan doesn’t have any direction at the moment. She’s too young for a job, and there aren’t any kids her age in this neighborhood. I don’t even know where to suggest she go to meet them. I feel bad for her.”
Caroline went to the kitchen to refill her glass of iced tea, and then she remembered something. “What happened to the idea of getting her a dog? She’s always wanted one. Remember that picture she drew years ago? It was pretty good.”
“Well, art class was always Megan’s favorite,” Susan said. “When she was in elementary school she had an assignment to draw the family pet, but of course we didn’t have one, so Megan drew a yellow puppy and named it Honey.”
Caroline said, “You put the A paper on the refrigerator next to Megan’s other artwork.”
Susan frowned. “Your dad wasn’t too impressed.” She lowered her voice to mimic Daniel’s. “ ‘We’re not getting a dog.’ ”
Caroline stifled a giggle as Susan smiled at the memory of the artwork. “Well, I have thought about getting a dog, now that we have our own place. Do you think she can handle the responsibility?”
Caroline went to the kitchen, plopped fresh ice cubes into her glass, and jiggled them around to cool down the tea. “I think if you let Megan choose the dog, she’ll be more inclined to want to take care of it. But Mom, adopt one from a homeless pet shelter. It’s less expensive, and it saves a life.”
Susan nodded. “Good advice as always, Caroline. I’ll speak to Megan first thing tomorrow about adopting a puppy.”
****
Susan was waiting for Allie when she returned from Brandon Phillips’s house. She wanted to hear all the details of her daughter’s first time practicing on his piano. Allie had left hours ago with a bag full of sheet music, but she returned without it. “How’d it go at Brandon’s?”
Allie shrugged, tossed her purse on the coffee table, and sat down to massage her still-sore ankle. “Okay. He’s got a grand piano in a room acoustically designed for it, and he let me leave all my music there, so I don’t have to cart it back and forth.”
“That was nice of him,” Susan said.
“I started to say no. I told him I didn’t want to leave clutter all over his house. Mom, seriously, it looked like some fusty old lady lived there instead of a young bachelor.”
Susan lifted an eyebrow. “Would you prefer it was a mess? Maybe he has a housekeeper.”
Allie sprawled herself on the sofa, propping a pillow under her foot. “He says her name is ‘Mom.’ I guess whenever his mother visits she always straightens up.”
“So he’s probably not the neat freak it appears,” Susan said. She hoped Allie wasn’t looking for ways to avoid Brandon. His offer was her only option if she wanted to keep up with her piano practices. “So do you go back tomorrow?”
Allie shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve got a date with Mark tonight, and then tomorrow he’s driving me up to Ball State University to show me around the school.”
Susan crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “You’re still not sold on the idea of going there, are you?” Allie didn’t answer. “I’ll bet if Mark weren’t planning to go to grad school there, you wouldn’t even have considered it.”
“Probably not. But he is and I am.” Allie closed her eyes as if she was about to doze off, so Susan left her alone. As much as Susan wanted Allie to apply for a transfer to a state school her father would pay for, and one she’d have a shot at being admitted to this late, Susan didn’t think Allie’s heart was in it. But if she didn’t go back to school in August, Susan didn’t know what the future held for her daughter. Music was her life, and Daniel—or rather Sharlene—had ripped it away from her.
Allie waved her mother in as she applied more mascara and lip gloss. “What do you think? Sandals or sneakers?”
“Depends on how your ankle feels,” Susan said.
Allie tried on a pair of low-heeled slip-on sandals and then immediately stepped out of them. “Ouch. Sneakers it is. It’s a big campus, and I’m pretty sure I can’t do a lot of walking today in slip-ons, cute as they are.”
The doorbell rang, and Allie followed Susan into the living room. Susan opened the door wide and smiled as Mark stepped in. “I’m so glad you’re giving this a chance, Allie,” Susan told her.
Mark beamed at Allie as he squeezed her hand and held the door for her. “I think she’ll like what she sees,” he told Susan. “I’ll have her home by supper time.”
“No rush. You two have fun.”
Allie colored as she gazed up into Mark’s handsome face, her reddened cheeks highlighting her dark hair and eyes, and allowed him to lead her out the door.
****
“How’d it go at Ball State?” Susan asked Allie that evening.
Just as Mark had promised, he brought her back home around six p.m., walked her to the door, kissed her goodbye, and waved as he got back into his sports car and drove off.
Allie looked both love-sick and confused, if that was possible. Susan patted the spot on the sofa next to her, but Allie didn’t sit down. Instead, she went to the window and craned her neck, watching till Mark was out of sight. “It’s an hour’s drive up there, the town is tiny…”
“But that should work for you,” Susan interrupted. “You never did like Chicago.”
“…and the campus is huge. I don’t know how I’d fit in.” She shook her head and collapsed onto the loveseat across the room from her mother. “He told me about some professor who inspired him during his undergrad years and encouraged him to get his MBA. Mark said she was what convinced him that he could be successful on his own, despite his dad’s financial problems.”
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