by Emma Woods
Ty nodded solemnly. “I have tickets for us.”
“Tickets? Wow. That is super romantic. Are they for monster trucks?” I teased.
“Alas, no. And, I’m not telling you what they are for. The mystery boosts the romance factor,” he leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially.
I hid my smile. “Hmmm… I do like mystery in my romance. Can you tell me what I should wear? Should I go with jeans? Or a dress?”
“I’m planning on wearing a shirt and tie, so you’ll probably want to wear something fancy.”
“Ohhh. Dressing up is so romantic. I’m beginning to understand what you mean about the romance explosion. Are you going to bring me flowers?”
Ty shook his head and sighed. “I cannot reveal all the romantic elements of tomorrow evening. Just be prepared for the best date you ever had.”
Well, of course it would be the best date I ever had. It would be with the guy I’d dreamed about for most of my life. Even if he took me out for fish sticks, I’d probably be swept off my feet. If I was with Ty, maybe even monster trucks would be wonderful.
“When should I expect you to arrive for this dream date?” I couldn’t resist continuing our banter just a little longer.
“I was thinking six o’clock. I know, it isn’t the most romantic time to get you, but we have to drive a bit. I’ll be sure to put on extra smooth jazz in the car.”
We both started giggling then.
“I need to get back to work,” I admitted.
“Me too,” Ty sighed. “I’m really looking forward to tomorrow, Rosie. Do you think it would be okay if I held your hand during our date?”
Honestly, that was the sweetest thing a boy had ever said to me. And it was exactly the sort of thing I expected from Ty Dondero.
“I’d like that a lot,” I said with a swoony smile.
“Me too. Okay, see you later.”
We exchanged one more goofy grin, and he turned and left. I watched Ty go and felt as if I was going to explode with happiness. My dream was coming true, and I hardly knew what to do about it.
13
I rushed home the next day after work, showered, and then had a complete meltdown. Suddenly I had nothing suitable to wear on this date. I pulled every dress and every skirt out, trying combinations in the hopes of finding the perfect outfit. And as I began on my second run-through of my wardrobe and the realization dawned that nothing seemed even remotely right, I began to panic.
By the time Jill came in, I was in tears.
“Whoa, Rosie. What in the world is going on here? This looks like… my room.” Jill came in cautiously, looking around in shock and approaching me as though I was a dangerous rhino ready to charge.
“I have nothing to wear on this date!” I bawled.
Jill’s eyes were wide. Normally, I was about the calmest person in the house. I was not given to emotional outbursts or overly dramatic behavior. She was probably wondering if I’d had a personality transplant.
“Okay, we can figure something out. So tell me again what you’re doing tonight.” She drew closer and carefully removed the dress I had crumpled in one hand and the single shoe from my other hand.
“I don’t know! Ty said he’s going to wear a tie and I should dress up. But the only dress I have that I like is a summer dress and it’s too cold and I don’t have a sweater to wear over it! I want to wear my brown heels because they’re really comfortable, but then my black skirt doesn’t work. And I found out my favorite tights have a hole in the knee, and I burned my finger on the hair straightener,” I wailed.
Jill pressed her lips together, probably to keep from laughing. It took her a moment to get control and be able to ask with a straight face, “Do you want to borrow something from me?”
I threw up my hands. “I told Ty that I like to be myself on a date! How hypocritical would it be if I wear something that is not mine?
“Well, Ty is a boy, and therefore it’s entirely unlikely that he will have any idea that you’re wearing something you borrowed from someone else,” she said comfortingly. “Come to my room and let’s see what I have that will work.”
Out of desperation, I trailed after her. Jill was seven inches shorter than me. Where I was tall and thin, she was short and curvy. It seemed impossible that something that looked good on her would also look good on me. But I’d underestimated Jill’s love of shopping.
“Sit,” she ordered, pointing to a chair covered in a pile of clothes. “Just throw that stuff on the floor.”
I did as I was told and watched as she began flipping through her closet.
“Ah, here it is! I got this dress last year because it’s gorgeous, but then I brought it home and realized it wasn’t a good style for me. That’s what I get for buying things on clearance without trying them on.”
Jill turned and held up a silky swing dress. It was navy blue and had tiny pleats across the yoke, so that it was fitted up top, but then floated away. She was right: it was gorgeous. The color was rich and lovely, not so close to black that you couldn’t tell it was blue.
“Do you think it would work for me?” I breathed.
“Of course! And since it’s navy, your brown shoes will work. Go try it on.”
I was so excited and relieved that I almost tore it from her hands in my eagerness. Back in my room, I pulled it over my head and let it settle down around me. I moved to the full-length mirror and sighed. It was perfect.
Jill came in and clapped her hands, very pleased with herself. She stayed and chatted to me about her second-grade students while I did my makeup. I listened to her advice about jewelry, choosing dramatic earrings instead of a necklace. She even had a totally classy printed pashmina that could work as a shawl if I got cold. I was just buckling my shoes when Mae called up the stairs that Ty was here.
“Have a great time,” Jill said, giving me a careful hug.
“I will. Thanks so much for helping me get ready!”
“Any time, babe.”
I skipped to the stairs and began to descend, feeling like I was in a movie. Didn’t the heroine always appear walking down a staircase, and the hero’s face lights up with wonder at her beauty? Well, I definitely had the first part down. Unfortunately, Ty’s back was to me as he chatted with Mae.
“Wow, Rosemarie! You look great!” Mae said, her green eyes cutting between me and Ty, wanting to catch his reaction.
He turned and I had to admit, he looked great. I knew Jenna must have picked out those clothes for him at some point, which I didn’t love. Still, I couldn’t deny that she had good taste. Ty’s gray pants were close-fitting and perfectly tailored. His shirt was slim cut, showing off his broad shoulders and narrow waist. He’d rolled his sleeves up and chosen a tie that didn’t quite work with his shirt, which made me smile.
But best of all was the look in his eyes when he turned and saw me standing behind him. It was as if he’d never seen me before. I knew that any thought of me being like a sister was as far from his mind as possible, and it made me blush.
“You look beautiful, Rosie,” he said and bent forward to kiss my cheek.
I smiled up at him, and the world shrank to just the two of us.
Then Mae cleared her throat and we both jumped a little. “You probably need to get going, right?” she prompted.
“Yeah, we do. See you, Mae,” Ty said.
Mae gave me a secret thumbs-up gesture as we headed out the door, and I winked at her.
Ty held out his hand, and I gladly put mine into it. Nothing had felt as right as walking down the walkway with my hand in his. It was a perfect fit. He opened the car door, waited for me to slide in, and then closed it behind me. I sat there waiting for him to walk around to the other side, and I couldn’t keep from grinning. This was really happening!
Then Ty was opening his door, sliding in, and soon we were rolling down the driveway.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” he said just before pulling out onto the street. He pushed a button, and the car was filled
with cheesy saxophone music.
“Yikes,” I said without thinking.
“I promised you romance and smooth jazz. I didn’t want you to feel let down.” He glanced at me with a twinkle in his eye.
I nodded, pretending to be serious. “Yeah, I’d probably get home and tell the girls, ‘It was a great night, but Ty didn’t deliver on his smooth jazz promises.’ It would knock you down at least three points on the date scale.”
“What’s the date scale?” he asked, eyes wide, not sure whether or not I was teasing.
“It’s how women rate their dates.” I suppressed a smile when he took the bait.
“Really? Do you all do it? Because I’ve never heard of it before.”
“It’s something we learn in secret girl academy. Which we’re not allowed to talk about with a male, ever, or else we’ll be kicked out and have to live as a man.” I gave a phony shudder.
Ty picked up on the joke and cracked up. I decided that I could ride in this car with him forever and never get tired of it, particularly when we reached the highway and he stretched out his hand and held mine as we drove.
“Okay, I know it’s classy to have a late supper, but our tickets are for an eight o’clock show. Do you mind getting something to eat first?” he asked.
“At the risk of defusing the romance bomb, yes, I’d love to eat sooner. I’m starving. Butch decided he needed me to help him rearrange the tack room. My arms will never be the same.”
We chatted about work and the state of the world on our way to the restaurant. Ty pulled into the parking lot of the nicest place in Melbourne. He’d reserved a table for us, and we ate and talked, never running out of things to say. I wouldn’t have minded lingering over our desserts, but Ty said we needed to get moving. So we went out to the car, and he drove us another half-hour away to the much bigger city of Jackson.
It wasn’t until we got close to the theater that I read on the electric sign what we were going to see. “The New York City Ballet?” I gasped.
Ty’s smile was very self-satisfied. “Yup. I found out they were coming through tonight. I hope this is okay.”
“Are you kidding?” I squealed. “This is perfect, Ty! But are you sure you’ll enjoy it? Luke can’t stand ballet.”
He parked and looked over at me with a look I hadn’t seen before. “In case you weren’t aware, Rosemarie, I’m not Luke.”
“Yeah, I like that about you,” I replied softly.
We sat there for a moment, spellbound by the budding awareness that this was something special and we were both in it together.
“We should get in there,” Ty said, a bit disappointed.
Holding hands again, we walked to the front doors, bypassing the line at the ticket office. An usher looked at our tickets and directed us to the correct door. Then Ty led the way to our very good seats. I didn’t even want to imagine what they had cost him, but we had a wonderful view.
When the orchestra started tuning, a thrill went through me. I loved to watch dancers, and these seats were close enough that I could see the nuances of their technique.
“Thank you, Ty. This is amazing.”
He laughed. “It hasn’t started yet.”
“That doesn’t matter. I love that you know me well enough to know I’d want to see this.” I bit back the desire to say that I loved him. I didn’t, did I? Wasn’t it way too soon for that? I felt my cheeks flush and turned my eyes to the stage as the curtains opened, but I felt his eyes on me even after the dancing began.
It was magical. The company performed pieces from a number of ballets, some I’d danced myself and others that were unfamiliar. I leaned over and whispered commentary to Ty whenever something happened that I thought he’d appreciate and might miss. Our fingers were laced together the entire time, adding to the magic of the night.
When it was over, I leapt to my feet, applauding enthusiastically. Ty followed behind a moment later. Then the lights came up and I collected my purse. We shrugged into our coats and joined the milling crowd. It was too noisy to talk, and I had to concentrate on not losing him in the push to get to our cars and start the journey home.
And so, it wasn’t until we were back on the highway that Ty turned to me and said, “You know, it was during one of your recitals that I realized that you were something extra special.”
“Oh?” I replied, not sure what he meant but eager to hear.
He nodded thoughtfully. “Do you remember the recital when you were a junior? It was my sophomore year at State, and I came back, visiting Birch Springs with Luke for the week.”
“Yeah, I do remember. Luke was so annoyed that Mom had gotten you both tickets,” I recalled a tad bitterly.
“Luke was annoyed, but I wasn’t. I always liked going to your recitals. Maybe it’s because I was an only child and it was such a family thing to do. Anyway, I hadn’t seen you much, since you were busy with dress rehearsals. We sat through all the little kids’ classes, then the middle-level classes, and then suddenly the advanced students came out. Remember how you had that solo, so you came out last?” He looked over at me, waiting for my nod. “You came leaping out onto the stage, and I felt my heart stop in my chest. I spent the entire song just staring at you, not believing how much you’d grown and how beautiful you were.”
I thought my heart would explode with joy. Ty had noticed me all that long time ago.
“Why didn’t you ever ask me out?” I pressed.
He gave me a regretful half-smile. “You were Luke’s sister. I figured you were off limits.”
“I’m still Luke’s sister,” I said dryly. “What changed?”
“I found out you were interested in me, too,” he answered, his eyes full and intense.
14
I was groggy the next morning as I drove to Donna’s studio. Even though Ty and I had returned home at a reasonable hour, we’d sat and talked in his car for another forty-five minutes. I’d gone to bed with a smile on my face, but my early alarm had interrupted my sweet dreams.
“Hey, hon!” called Donna when I fought through the crowd in the waiting room. “Can you take some payments?”
I waved and nodded, then edged around a few kids who were stretching and comparing their sparkly nail polish. Once behind the counter, I tucked my dance bag and my purse out of the way and got to work. The morning flew by. While the crowd waxed and waned as classes began and were dismissed, Donna’s demands didn’t let up.
“I had a cold,” she explained, “and now I’m behind in everything!”
But I was happy to help. Sure, I would have liked to slowly sip coffee and think swoony thoughts about Ty. Instead, I answered questions, took phone calls, processed payments for lessons and dance studio t-shirts. When the parents and students didn’t need me, I put in an order for Donna online, cleaned the mirrors in one of the studios, and mopped the bathroom floor.
I didn’t get a chance to even stop for lunch. So, when Donna dropped by and asked me to come get a bite to eat with her next door, I went eagerly.
We ordered a pizza and then sat back in our booth, enjoying being off our feet.
“I tell you what,” Donna said and paused to sip at her soda, “The studio is booming. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Yes, of course it is. But I’m almost sixty, and one day I want to retire. I’ve got more work than I can handle and no energy for it.” She leaned forward. “That’s why I think you should come on as a partner.”
I sat there, silent and stunned.
“You’re the logical choice, Rosemarie,” she went on. “You have the dance experience. You grew up here, so you know everybody. Plus, you’re a smart girl. You make sound decisions.”
“I’m sorry. What?” I finally blurted.
Donna waved a hand sporting a heavy gold ring. “I know you work at your family’s ranch right now, but in your heart, you love dancing. I’ve watched you teaching, and I can tell you love
it. In all my years, you are the only person I can imagine coming on board with me. I figure we’ll work together for the next six or seven years. Then when I retire, you can take over.”
“I don’t even know what I’d do to become a partner,” I stalled.
“Well, there are some legal hoops to jump through. Paperwork, that sort of thing. I’d hire a lawyer to do that part.” She paused and looked down, as though bracing herself for the difficult part of this conversation. “We need to expand. Now, please don’t spread this around, but Norman in the store next door is ready to retire. He’s tried to get someone to buy his business but has had no bites. A few people have said they’re interested in his building, though. Now, Norman and I have known each other for a long time. He offered me first crack at buying if I’m interested.
“I can get a loan from the bank. We’d be taking on a second mortgage, but from what I can figure, that shouldn’t strain us at all. What we will need is money to put in the studios and dressing rooms. If you’re able to invest, you’ll earn back a bigger portion of our profits, which will make your salary a bit bigger, depending on how much you invest.”
I felt like I’d been run over by a truck. Had Donna only asked me to become a partner because she knew I had money from the ranch? Surely not.
“How much money do you need?” I asked.
“My contractor says the whole renovation will cost a hundred thousand dollars.”
I almost choked on my soda. “I don’t have a hundred thousand dollars.”
Donna waved this away too. “I’m ready to invest half, but now I’m looking for someone to invest the other half. I certainly don’t expect you to do it all, Rosie, dear. But if you’re interested in being a partner, I think that investing financially in our business would help you to feel that you are a full partner in the business. You make different choices when your money is tied up in something.”
The pizza arrived, and I was glad for the distraction of dishing up and dealing with strings of gooey cheese stretching everywhere.