Sweeter Than W(h)ine

by Nancy Goldberg Levine

  “This coffee’s first-rate, guvnor,” Alec said.

  Dina didn’t miss the smile Rafe had for his friend and co-worker. “Thank you, my good man.”

  Alec looked around. “I hear you’ve got some great desserts. Where are they?”

  Rafe sang the first few words of “Over There” amid Alec and Ruthie’s laughter. “I’ll show you,” Rafe said. “Would you ladies like any dessert?”

  Ruthie said “yes,” and Dina did, too.

  “Okay,” Rafe said. “But, Dina, I won’t be getting you any bourbon ball cupcakes.”

  Dina felt a blush creep into her cheeks at Rafe’s mention of her last encounter with the lethal dessert. “Very funny.”

  The two men left to get the sweets, and Ruthie finished off her bagel and cream cheese. “It was nice of you to come to the unveiling,” she said.

  “It was the least I could do. Rafe was such a big help to me and…”

  “It’s more than that. You guys really seem to be hitting it off. I wish I could find somebody. I keep going to all these singles dinners, but I haven’t met anybody so far.”

  “What about Alec?” Dina asked, remembering when she’d felt the same way Ruthie did. One cold March night when it was pouring down rain, she’d decided to go to a Friday night service at the University of Cincinnati’s Hillel. That was when she’d met Rob. “You two seem to get along really well.”

  Ruthie wrinkled her nose. “Alec’s okay, but we’re just friends.”

  “Message understood,” Dina said. “I’ll mind my own business. I guess I’m not a very good matchmaker.” She really did hope Ruthie met someone. She was about to tell her the story about Rob when Alec and Rafe returned to the table with fancy plastic plates overflowing with treats—everything from mint chocolate brownies to mini bread pudding with caramel sauce.

  “Mmmm,” Dina said, digging in to the bread pudding. It reminded her of the dessert they’d served when the old department store, Shillito’s, had had a restaurant. Bread pudding had been one of their specialties, and Nan Moskowitz had made an almost-perfect recipe. “I wish I could save the rest of this stuff you brought me for Jay. If I eat all of this, I’ll have sugar overload and I don’t think my doctor would be very happy.”

  Rafe laughed. “I’ll pack it up for you and you can give it to him. I don’t want to be an enabler.”

  “I don’t believe it! You’re packing up desserts for me so I can give them to Jay?”

  “I ordered plenty,” Rafe said. “There’s no reason Jay can’t have some and, as I said, I don’t want to be an enabler.”

  The four of them, Rafe and Dina, and Alec and Ruthie, were sitting there, laughing and talking, when Merissa came up to the table. “Hi, Merissa,” Rafe said, with a very solicitous grin.

  “Hi. Rafe, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?”

  Uh oh, Dina thought, hoping now wasn’t the time the doctor lost his cool.

  ***

  Rafe had never been sent to the principal’s office at Ida Malloy Academy. He’d always been the good son, or at least, that’s what his parents had said. They never compared him with Adam, but Adam had been a little more of a problem. Rafe had taken his role of first-born son seriously, but had always kept his sense of humor. He loved to laugh, but when Merissa glared at him in his office/library, he felt like he was a disobedient child ready to take his punishment from the principal.

  “What’s the matter with you, Rafe?” Merissa said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

  Rafe grabbed a tissue from the fancy box that sat on his oak computer desk. “There,” he said. “Don’t cry. I’m not so bad. I’m happy for you and Adam. I really am.”

  Merissa sniffled, blew her nose, and tossed the tissue into the gold mesh waste basket. “Well, you sure don’t act like it.”

  No way, he told himself. No way would he sit here and let her have the satisfaction of seeing him lose his temper and let loose a torrent of emotions. He wouldn’t let Merissa see that he hurt inside; that he really wanted to rant and rave and ask why she was having another baby. “I’m sorry.”

  Rafe leaned back in his leather desk chair. Like his dad, he loved the scent and feel of good leather. When he needed a chair for his computer and desk, he’d bought the best. He stopped looking at Merissa and stared at the computer screen of the state-of-the-art PC. His screen saver was Gracie’s baby picture. Now there’d be a new…Rafe pushed that thought away. No one could replace Gracie and he wanted to tell Merissa that.

  He didn’t.

  “Apology accepted,” Merissa said. “Just quit joking around and admit that you’re mad and you think Adam and I are trying to replace Gracie. You have to know we could never do that. We tried for two years to have another baby. We might have gotten pregnant sooner, and our child would already be here, but this is the way it worked out.”

  Rafe swallowed his pride, along with a sip of bottled water from the kitchen, and said, “I know that.” She had a point about how long she and Adam had been trying to have another kid, and he told her so.

  Merissa came over to the desk chair and hugged him. “Thank you, Rafe. We found out what sex that baby is and it’s…”

  Rafe held up his hand. “I don’t want to know. I’m old school. I’ll wait and find out when it’s born.”

  “All right,” Merissa said. “I’m going back downstairs now. Are you coming?”

  “Give me a few minutes.”

  Crisis averted, he thought, when he heard her soft footfalls on the stairs. He really was old-fashioned when it came to babies. If he married, and was lucky enough to become a parent, he didn’t want to know the sex of the baby. And he’d pass out cigars. They might be chocolate or bubble gum, but that’s what he’d do.

  Damn it. The weird day and the fact that Dina was there was making him think about

  things like marriage, babies and love.

  Dina found him there, staring at a picture of a baby on the computer screen. She assumed that it was Gracie’s photo.

  “I’m getting tired, Rafe. Do you mind taking me home?”

  Instead of snapping at her, Rafe smiled. “Bored with me so soon?”

  “No. And you don’t have to put up a brave front for me, y’know? I understand that you’re upset with your brother and sister-in-law. They had no right to just waltz into Cincinnati and spring Merissa’s pregnancy on you. That was tasteless.”

  “I’m not breaking my back putting up a front for you,” Rafe said, with a laugh. Dina laughed, too, at the mention of a really old song.

  “If you say so.”

  He got up from the chair. Dina looked around the room. It was like his house, tough and sturdy. She loved this room because it seemed to reflect Rafe’s personality more. “Ready to go?”

  “Yeah.”

  They went downstairs and Dina said “goodbye” to the guests who remained. Then Rafe whisked her out to the car. The ride home was pretty quiet and when they got to her condo, he didn’t kiss her.

  “I meant what I said,” she told him, when she got out of the car. “If you want to talk, you can always call me, or come over.” She smiled at him. “But call before you come, okay? I’m kind of a slob sometimes.”

  Rafe teased her about the clothes he’d seen scattered around, but she had the feeling he wouldn’t be calling, or coming over, ever again.

  Chapter Nine

  It was a dark, stormy and long night. Dina woke up many times during the night, thinking about Rafe, and everything that had happened yesterday. She wanted to call him, but she didn’t. She guessed she’d said enough to send him running. All she’d done was try to reach out to him; she’d purposely not offered any advice. He’d still been unwilling to share anything with her.

  In the morning, she rushed outside when she heard Holden and his dog. Here was a guy who seemingly didn’t have any problems except a puppy who couldn’t stop barking. It was warm out for February, but Dina grabbed jacket anyway, slipping it on over her sweat pants and sweatshirt.


  Holden wasn’t alone. Buster was barking a loud protest to Holden, who sat in the condo courtyard on a stone bench kissing their neighbor, Dawn.

  She didn’t mean to cry out, but she did, and he heard her. Dawn nuzzled against him and then purred like a cat from hell. Dina rushed back inside and plopped down on the bed. Schmoopie was at her side immediately.

  She heard loud knocking at the door, but she ignored it.

  “Dina?” Holden called. “Dina, let me in.”

  She just stayed in bed, pulling a soft, off-white blanket over her head. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—let Holden in anyway. She remembered what Rafe had said about her leaving clothes on the floor and knew her bedroom was still a mess. Holden wasn’t going away, and Schmoopie was making his displeasure about the noise known.

  Finally, Dina got up and let Holden in, shutting the bedroom door first. No way was she letting that rat see her messy bedroom. She tried to make herself calm down first. The pill Rafe had prescribed for her at the nursing facility when she’d had a couple of panic attacks wasn’t helping at the moment. Her words came out fast and furious, and all at once. “I thought…” Tears ran down her cheeks at about the speed of the Red Wolves closer, Abel Herrera’s, pitches. “I thought we meant something to each other. Now I see you kissing Dawn like you two are in ‘Fifty Shades of Gray’ or something and I…”

  He laughed. The jerk actually laughed at her. “ ‘Fifty Shades of Gray?’ Come on, Dina. That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”

  “No. She had you in a lip lock, and you were enjoying it.”

  “Okay,” Holden admitted. “Dawn’s a good kisser. And I never claimed to be a saint. Besides, I’ve seen you kissing the good doctor a couple of times. When you ate those stupid cupcakes and mixed bourbon with your pain meds, he made it pretty clear that you were pretty serious about him.”

  “He…what?” The medication must have totally dulled her brain. How could Rafe tell Holden one thing, and then act in a totally different way?

  “That’s right. He said I wasn’t needed anymore, and that I should leave. So I did. I could see we wouldn’t have worked as a couple anyway. It seems like you two were made for each other.”

  “But…” Dina sputtered, but she knew Holden was right. He’d just be the hunky ladies’ man next door. Rafe was the man for her, but she didn’t see how she’d ever get him back.

  “ ’Bye, Dina. Stop by if you ever need to talk and you want some pizza. I’d better get back to Dawn.”

  “Sure,” Dina murmured. “ ’Bye.”

  When she closed the door, her phone rang. Rafe, she thought, grabbing the cordless, and then sitting down on the couch. Schmoopie plunked himself down on the cedar chest she used as a coffee table and stretched out. Ordinarily, she would have laughed at his antics, but Rafe was calling, and she had to think clearly. She gave a breathless “Hello?”

  “Hi, honey. I’ve got two free tickets to our ‘Battle of the Bands’ concert next week if you feel up to it.”

  “Oh, Jay. I’d love to.” Her words came out in a rush again as she told her friend the story of what had transpired between yesterday and now.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Believe it or not, I’ve got a date for that night. Well, it’s a business meeting but she sounded nice on the phone.” Jay told her about Reese Elliott and the flier he’d gotten in the mail for her company, Tasteful T-shirts. He planned on ordering some shirts for the band to wear, as well as T-shirts and baseball caps to give away in a drawing to fans who bought CDs.

  “Well, I’ll be at the Battle of the Bands,” Dina said. “I won’t be coming with Doc, though.”

  “We’ll see,” Jay said.

  “Do you know something I don’t?”

  “I’m psychic, y’know.”

  She’d forgotten about his premonitions. Right now she didn’t have much confidence in her friend’s ESP. After the phone conversation ended, Dina went to the piano. Music always managed to soothe her, and it worked again as she played.

  ***

  “Hello?” Rafe said sleepily. It had been a long day and an even longer night. He checked the antique cuckoo clock in his bedroom. Ten a.m. already. He’d slept in since it was the weekend, but he could remember times, when he was a resident, that he hadn’t been able to do that.

  “Hey, Doc. It’s Jay Galloway.”

  Jay Galloway? Dina’s idol? Why was he calling? “Yes? What is it? Did something happen to Dina?”

  “She’s fine, as far as I know. I just wondered if you’d like to come to me and the band’s Battle of the Bands concert next Saturday. We’re trying to get as many fans there as possible so we can beat Kevin’s Prophets.”

  “I…” Rafe was about to tell him that he wasn’t going to the concert, but maybe… “I’ll be there,” he said. “Where is it?”

  “It’s at The Point, in Clifton. Do you know where that’s at? If not, I can give you directions because I’m the human GPS.”

  “You’re so modest about it, too,” Rafe said sarcastically. “Yes, I know where The Point is, and I’ll be there.”

  He actually looked forward to the concert, and to seeing Dina again. Maybe he’d be able to sort out his feelings by then, and explain things to Dina. The only problem was, he didn’t really understand them himself.

  ***

  Dina arrived at The Point at the appointed time, and got her ticket from Jay. Krysta wasn’t able to go with her—she was doing something with one of the kids. Dina looked forward to the concert. It was the first time she’d been to a Jay & the Cincinnatians concert in a while, and she liked this one because they would be in a contest with Kevin’s Prophets.

  She liked the nightclub. It was a small building that was decorated with rocks of all different sizes on the outside. It was called “The Point” because it was situated at Schwartz’s Point, at the corner of Clifton and Vine Streets. Inside, there were tables and chairs set up for the concert, and the band’s instruments were arranged on the small stage. She was glad that Jay and the band had so many relatives and friends in the audience, and she liked the woman that Jay had told her about, Reese Elliott. She looked like she’d be perfect for Jay. A friendly person with shoulder-length light brown hair, Reese had a ready smile and she looked like she was interested in everything Jay said.

  How strange that Jay was now having good luck with his love life, and Dina wasn’t. She looked around at the crowd and stared when a familiar figure walked into the room. There was Rafe, in his camel hair coat, blue jeans and a striped shirt, walking toward her.

  “Hi,” she said, when he got to the table and sat down.

  “Hello. Jay called and invited me to the concert.”

  “He called me, too.” She looked around for Jay, but, as she expected, he was nowhere to be found.

  “Dina, I’m sorry I acted so strangely the last time we saw each other.”

  “I understand,” Dina said, and meant it. “Your brother and sister-in-law just sprang their news on you. They could have told you privately, not at your niece’s unveiling.”

  “That’s true, but you were just being nice, and I thought you were trying to invade my privacy and that you’d ask all kinds of questions I wasn’t ready to answer. I still don’t know if I can answer everything, but I’m willing to try.”

  They didn’t have a chance to talk more because the emcee announced the first act in the Battle of the Bands, Jay & the Cincinnatians. Music flowed through the club as Jay and the band took the stage. Their first song was a rocker Jay had written called “Serenity Now.” Though their next tune, “Winter’s Day,” was a ballad, Dina knew she and Rafe wouldn’t be able to talk much. She smiled as he put his arm around her shoulders. She didn’t know why Jay had decided to give them both tickets so they’d see each other at the concert, but she’d find out.

  “Are you guys enjoying the show so far?” Jay asked, when he showed up at the table like a cab driver in tarnished armor during the intermission.

  “Of course
,” Dina said. “And thanks for bringing us back together, by the way.”

  “Who, me?” Jay asked. “I wouldn’t know anything about that. I think it was Rosie who…”

  “Yeah. Right,” Dina snorted.

  “I concur,” Rafe said. “Rosie wasn’t the one who called and asked if I wanted to come to the concert.”

  “Well, we needed all the fans we could get, y’know? I was just trying to…”

  Dina just laughed at the fact that her friend tried to deny that he’d played the matchmaker.

  “I’d better get going,” Jay said. “Pretty soon, we’re gonna find out who won and I hope we beat Kevin’s Prophets this time.”

  “I hope you do, too,” Dina said.

  ***

  Rafe was trying to get used to this new concept of having someone to love. It had been so

  long since he’d cared about anyone. He’d had one serious romance with another doctor when he was a resident, but other than that, he’d been a casual dater, never letting anyone get close enough to know his true feelings, or the losses he’d been through first with his parents, and then Gracie.

  The emcee announced the second and third place winners in the Battle of the Band, IRS and the Clerks, and Jell-o Wrestlers. When they announced that Jay & the Cincinnatians were the winners, thunderous applause went through the jam-packed room. Dina and Rafe sat there, with Dina clapping and whistling. It was nice to see how much she appreciated her friends’ good music. They waited in the club for a little while until the crowd thinned out. Rafe knew it would be hard for her to try and negotiate the cane around the throngs of people. He didn’t mind sitting there, for it gave him time to think.

  When they finally got to Jay, Cory and Rosie, Dina said, “You guys were great. As usual.”

  Jay tried to look conceited, but it didn’t work. “Of course we were.”

  “Does anybody have any chocolate?” Dina asked.

  Rafe pulled dark chocolate truffles out of his coat pocket. “I’m being an enabler again. I shouldn’t be giving her these.”

  Jay looked at him with mock severity. “You mean those weren’t for me?”