by Barbara Lohr
“Yes. But it’s only a sightseeing tour, Mama V. That’s all.” Carolyn wished she felt more excited.
“You never know.” Her grandmother’s thinly-drawn eyebrows arched.
“I did come here to take care of you.” That sounded so ridiculous now.
“Oh, don’t be silly.” Mama V waved Carolyn’s concerns away. “I’m perfectly fine. Besides, you and I had a good time together last night. I want you to have fun while you’re here.”
“Yes, I can see that.”
Was this the time to ask questions? She could never count on being alone with her grandmother. “So what’s going on between you and Howard?” Enquiring minds want to know. Her mother might be calling soon.
Mama V took her time answering. “We enjoy each other’s company. Howard’s a recent widower and…”
“And?” Was there anything more?
But her grandmother leapt up, nearly tripping on that caftan as she took her plate to the sink. “How about that Brody?” she tossed over her shoulder.
Obviously, Mama V didn’t want to discuss Howard. “What do you mean?”
“Well, he certainly is something.”
“Right. Something.” His Hotness.
“You make quite a couple.”
Pffft. “He’s much younger.”
“Not that much. You couldn’t even tell. Besides, does it matter at this time of life?”
“What do you think?” Carolyn’s hair was caught up in a claw clip and she played with an escaped strand tickling her neck.
“I think a younger man is…might be, that is…fun.”
“Maybe. I don’t know.” But they’d had a good time together yesterday. At least, she thought he’d had fun. Time to move along. “Think I’ll shower and get dressed. Alan is picking me up around eleven for the tour.”
“Oh, goody.” Mama V clapped her hands with glee. “I’ll be waiting in the gallery to see how it goes. Be sure to come straight over.”
~.~
Sitting next to Alan on the tour bus later that morning, Carolyn would have preferred the back row. Back there, she could count on a breeze. But Alan had chosen seats in the center. “You probably don’t want your hair blown all over,” he’d said with a quiet smile.
“That’s so thoughtful.” So she slid onto the bench seat, leaving a respectful space between their thighs. The open-air bus with a canopy over the center took them through downtown. The shop windows mocked her plain jeans and jacket. Really, she had to call Diana about some wardrobe reinforcements. Sure, this was a short trip, but she was beginning to feel plain and boring.
Alan’s chinos bore a fresh press, and he was wearing that navy jacket again. Very preppy and proper. That was Alan. Now Brody? He made jeans come alive. She touched the earrings and smiled.
On the way up Canyon Road, the bus driver explained that Santa Fe had a busy art market, second only to New York. She could almost see Alan’s chest expand when they reached Haynes Jewelry. She totally understood, feeling the same pride as they passed Mama V’s gallery. That turquoise sign out front with Vera’s scrolled across it looked so professional. Then the bus continued on into the surrounding area, and the houses thinned out.
“Such beautiful countryside,” Alan said, smoothing a thin plait of his brown hair. “So different from California.”
“Is that why you moved here?” When she noticed his manicured nails, she didn’t get the same buzz she felt looking at Brody’s hands.
“My father needed the help. Of course, the expectation is that I’ll take over the business eventually. Why not, right?” He glanced over, as if expecting an approving nod.
Jewelry. A shop. Standing around all day. “Nothing else interested you? You mentioned teaching.”
“Why bother? With Haynes Jewelry, my future is secure.” His eyes seemed to gauge her response.
“I guess so.” Carolyn’s father worked in finance. She’d never considered following in his footsteps.
“I mean, I have tremendous stability.” He tossed the words out like a hook. “Haynes Jewelry is very successful. We have a store in Palm Springs too.”
We. Yep, he was definitely trolling. “Sounds glamorous. I’ve read about Palm Springs. Pretty exclusive, isn’t it?”
“Yes, all the right people live there.”
The right people. Alan Haynes would probably be impressed by her parents’ condo overlooking Lake Michigan.
The bus had reached the top of what was known as Museum Hill.
Staring over the parking lot, she lifted her gaze to the adobe structures outlined against the sky. “These museums make me kind of sad.” Using his microphone, the tour driver parroted an official explanation. The four structures held world-class collections of art and artifacts. She’d never had time for a visit.
“Sad?” Alan turned with a quizzical look. “Why is that?”
“We stole their land.”
“We did?” The idea seemed foreign to him.
“Weren’t the Indians here first? It seems that way to me. Have you ever been to the pueblos nearby?” Now that interested her.
Alan shook his head. “No, we don’t carry pottery.”
“Oh, not for shopping, although I suppose they sell things. I meant to learn about their culture.”
“Maybe we should do that sometime.” But he looked clueless, so the idea of visiting a pueblo with Alan seemed pointless.
The bus turned around in the lower parking lot, and they left the museums behind. The day was sunny and the view, fabulous. But something was missing. Yesterday, she’d felt so alive walking around the square with Brody. Today the rhythm of the bus almost lulled her to sleep.
After the tour, they wandered down to the square for some lemonade. Carrying it to a bench, Carolyn and Alan made polite conversation. In her head, she wrote his character sketch, a project she usually gave her writing students. “Think of key personality components,” she’d tell them. For Alan, words like proper and cautious came to mind. Obviously, he admired his father. Respected him and valued following in his steps. Nothing beyond that, she suspected.
“Everything okay?” Alan asked as they sat there in the sun. The musicians weren’t here today. The plaza didn’t feel folksy and intriguing. Their conversation drifted off, like a dangling participle.
“Yes. Fine. I think I still have jet lag.” That seemed to satisfy him. With obvious reluctance, Alan drove her home in his Jaguar. Poor guy. He’d done everything right. As they sat in the cobblestone alley, he suggested dinner but she begged off. “My grandmother and I have plans.”
Fingers tapping the steering wheel, he looked pensive. She leapt from the car before he could suggest another group dinner with his father. “Thanks for a great day, Alan.” She was through the blue gate in a second, turning back in time to see his helpless alarm.
“Okay if I call you?” The words floated on the breeze and she waved, as if she hadn’t heard them.
That night she ate dinner with her grandmother at Cafe Pasqual’s. She loved their roasted tomato coconut soup and the colorful Mexican decorations that crisscrossed overhead. The restaurant always felt festive. Unlike the stilted conversation with Alan, Carolyn and her grandmother chattered effortlessly across the small table.
“What else would you like to do while you’re here?” her grandmother asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. I don’t think ahead.”
“Right. You thought you’d be helping your old granny.” This was becoming their private joke. “Sweetheart, can’t you consider this a vacation? Do what you like. Go where life leads you.” When Mama V squeezed Carolyn’s hand, they were back in Petersen’s Ice Cream Parlor in River Forest, enjoying hot fudge sundaes.
Carolyn settled back in her chair. “Okay, I’ll get into vacation mode. But now that you have Howard in your life, I don’t want to interfere with any plans.”
“Interfere? Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Her grandmother shook her head as if this were ridiculous. Right.
&nbs
p; A girl didn’t grill her grandmother. The very idea was crazy. But then so was the fact that her seventy-something grandmother was dating. If her mother were here, she’d be asking decisive questions that quickly sized up the situation.
Thank goodness, her mother wasn’t here.
Later that night Carolyn called Diana, relieved when her friend picked up after two rings.
“Hey, how’s the trip? Your grandmother doing okay?”
“I’d say so. As in, she doesn’t really need a nurse.” And she described the situation, even mentioning Howard and his store.
“Do you like the son? He took you sightseeing?”
“I didn’t come here for a man.” Should she feel guilty that she hadn’t mentioned Brody? Here she paused. Sucked in a breath. She was seated on the front porch, the very bench where Brody had sat, still warm from the sun. “I need help with my wardrobe.”
“Ah, huh. Now we’re getting somewhere.”
She could picture Diana relaxing on the sofa in her small yellow bungalow in Gull Harbor. Together they decided what Carolyn needed, Diana jotting things down. “So, a longer skirt? And you look good in lilac or green. Some tops. Maybe some more slacks.”
“Here, I’ll give you my credit card number.”
“Oh, we can settle up later.”
“You have to let me pay for this.” She dug in her heels.
“Carolyn, after everything you did for me.” There was a pregnant pause.
“Anybody would do that.”
“No, they wouldn’t.”
Last fall her friend had suffered a terrible accident involving a burn. For a while, Diana had needed help washing her hair and a lot of other personal things. Their book group had all pitched in, but Carolyn spent more time with Diana than the others. They were developing a special friendship.
“What fun I’m going to have,” Diana said, as they wrapped up. “I’ll overnight the clothes.”
“No need to hurry. That’s extra postage.”
Diana snorted. “You kidding me? I know a girl in need when I hear one.”
Ending the call, Carolyn stared up at the sky through the aspens. She did a lot of thinking that night. Maybe her grandmother was right. What were a few years? She wasn’t that much older than Brody.
But she was getting way ahead of herself.
Chapter 6
“I’ll get it.” Mama V set down her coffee when the phone rang the following morning. The night before, Carolyn overheard Mama V talking to “her beau,” as she called Howard, with a chirpy, flirtatious voice. This was definitely personal stuff. Why did her grandmother talk so loud? They seemed to keep in constant contact.
Carolyn pushed the blueberries around in her oatmeal. Maybe she’d add some brown sugar. Live it up. Her grandmother moved to the wall phone with a hitch in her step. She would never complain.
“Hello? This is Vera.” Yep, chirpy and flirtatious. Then her expression changed.
“It’s for you, dear.” Mama V cupped a hand over the receiver.
Inwardly, Carolyn groaned. She hated to hurt Alan’s feelings. Yesterday had been nice. But she should be spending time with Mama V on this vacation. At least, that would be her excuse.
Handing her the phone, her grandmother mouthed, “It’s a man.”
Right. Okay. Taking the phone, Carolyn steeled herself.
“Are you up for a ride in the country?”
She twisted a finger through the old windup coil. “Maybe. Who is this?” Like she didn’t know.
Brody’s chuckle stirred something deep. Really deep. “Forgotten me already, Miss Knight?”
Sure. Like that could happen. “So we’re back on last name basis, Mr. Wolf?”
“Only if you want to be.”
Her grandmother pretended to read the paper. It was upside down. Wandering over to the window, Carolyn watched finches flitting around the birdfeeder with feverish excitement.
“I think my grandmother and I were going to—”
“Don’t worry about me,” her grandmother sang out. “Howard and I have plans, if that’s all right.”
That sealed it. “What time?”
“Eleven?”
“Casual dress?” She couldn’t wait for Diana’s care package.
“Santa Fe is always casual. See you soon.”
She almost dropped the phone. Flipping the paper right side up, her grandmother grinned at her.
When Brody pulled up promptly at eleven, Carolyn was outside on the bench, staring at her dirty tennis shoes. Santa Fe was definitely a boot town. Why hadn’t she brought more clothes? But she didn’t want her clothes. She wanted Diana’s clothes. The morning air felt cool and her white turtleneck would keep her warm under the jean jacket. She hadn’t braided her hair. The silver earrings from Brody glittered in her ears. She’d probably be untangling them all day.
“Hello, Brody.” Her grandmother came to the screen door, looking smart in a hot pink top and pants. Carolyn was still getting used to the violet eye shadow. “You two be good now.” Then Mama V squeezed her shoulders together, like she’d said something really racy.
“You can count on it.” Brody smiled from under the brim of that Stetson. Carolyn almost tripped. Maybe she didn’t want to be good with Brody.
With a final wave, Mama V closed the front door and Brody and Carolyn walked to the SUV. “Never mind my grandmother.”
God, he was devilishly handsome.
“I like her. It’s easy to see where you get your looks. Although, I haven’t met your mother.”
“Mom’s very attractive. In a preppy and pearls way.” Carolyn had to give her that. “I’m the plain one in the middle.”
Opening the passenger door, he gave her a puzzled smile. “Plain? Hardly.”
The boy must be blind. But that sure sounded good.
But Brody had always tossed compliments around like confetti. The girls who staked out his locker could count on that. “Looking hot today, Ashley.” “Hey Greta, nice hair.” They loved it. All of them.
~.~
Brody gunned it. Seeing Carolyn wearing his earrings unleashed something warm and wicked inside. “How about a trip through the hills? Want to see a house I’m working on?”
“I’d love that.” She shot him a shy smile.
Those smiles had been his undoing. Sure, she’d been a great teacher but she had a shy side too. Brody felt ashamed thinking back to the times he’d pushed her to the max. The uncertainty in her smile sometimes made him feel guilty. If Randy got crazy in her class, Brody would glower at him. She was a new teacher. Brody wanted her to stay.
But that was back then. Right now, he had to deal with today. Justine had been furious when he didn’t spend the night Saturday. First, she’d pouted. Then she’d looked like she might scratch his eyes out. He’d stumbled out into the cool night, feeling as if he’d escaped. When it came to women, he pretty much went with the flow.
This thing with Carolyn felt different, and Brody didn’t want to overanalyze it. But he had to make some decisions.
Dressed in denim with those little tennies on, she looked so cute and cuddly sitting next to him. And then there were her earrings. His earrings. But he better keep his eyes on the road.
“This land is so…different,” Carolyn said when they reached the outskirts of town.
“It’s not the city, that’s for sure. That’s why I love it.” Popping open the sunroof, he let the wind ease his worries. Side-glances could get him into trouble.
“The land’s like you, Brody.”
“What? Flat and brown? Thanks a lot.” He loved to tease her.
“No. Wild. Look around.” She fluttered a graceful hand.
“What makes you think I’m wild?” Too wild for her?
Her laugh bubbled, soft but certain. “Because I had you in school.”
I had you. His lap burned. Didn’t he just wish. Then shame swamped him. After all, this was Miss Knight. A woman any guy in school would protect and defend. And he had been an
idiot in high school. Get it together. Tumbleweeds rolled across the landscape.
“Always in movement. That was you,” she continued. “On the basketball court. Or football field. Running. Charging.”
High school seemed so long ago. “Goofing off was more like it. Randy, Frankie and me. We had some good times.” He hadn’t talked to them in years. They didn’t understand his life now.
“You were all crazy but not in a bad way. After all, you boys were all so young.”
That didn’t sit right. “Not our best years, I’m afraid.”
“Weren’t they?” A wistful smile tweaked her lips. “I thought high school was fun for students. That’s why I enjoy teaching that age group.”
“Oh, we had fun all right.” And some of it was downright embarrassing. He was glad to put that all behind him.
“And it’s a time of huge changes. Big decisions before you.”
“Yeah, but we didn’t know that. Not really.” Her eyes studied him while he struggled. He felt almost naked under her frank gaze. She’d been the kind of teacher who saw everything. No way could you text in her class, or she’d take your cell for the day. Miss Knight’s lower desk drawer? Full of phones. The girls hated it. “Maybe that’s high school. Stupid pranks. Drove my mother crazy, all those calls from the principal.”
“Shaving cream all over the cars and school windows the final days of school.” When Carolyn threw her head back to laugh, he wished she wasn’t wearing that turtleneck. She had a long neck. A kissable neck with soft skin. At least, he thought it would be soft.
What had they been talking about? High school graduation pranks. “I’d kill any kid who did that to one of my cars now. We were young and stupid.”
When she shook her head, the earrings caught the sun. “The seniors still do it. Doesn’t matter what punishment Mr. Rousey doles out.”
“Glad to hear the tradition’s still alive.”
“You bet.” She didn’t seem to mind.
“You were always on our side. I do remember that part.”
“It was all mindless fun back then. Call it growing pains. What a mess you had to clean up if you wanted to graduate.” When her head dipped to one side, an earring caught in her hair. She played with it, running her fingers down the shaft of the silver feather.