The Plumber's Helper

by Blaise Kilgallen

The cookout was paid admission, but there was no ticket required for people staying or arriving for the dance. A fleeting thought jostled Roxy as she wondered if Jake or his brothers might show up. But she brushed that idea aside. The Plummer men weren't lake residents. Surely, they had more exciting things to do than come to a family barbeque and dance at Mirror Lake.

  She and Bella had agreed to meet at 9:00 p.m. The clubhouse's parking area was jammed with cars, and Roxy had to walk a half block to the building. Roxy wobbled on her strappy heels, taking care to navigate over the uneven gravel drive. She realized suddenly how nervous she was.

  The clubhouse's screened windows were open wide, letting in cool air. As she came closer, Roxy heard the music and saw swaying bodies moving on the dance floor. A four-piece combo played on the raised platform near the rear windows.

  Mounting the stairway to the wide covered veranda stretching across the front of the clubhouse, Roxy paused at the entrance, scanning the crowd. Roxy hadn't spotted the girls Bella mentioned. Three of the four of them had been close; Gabby Torelli was the only one who was more an acquaintance than a friend. Roxy was curious how much everyone had changed.

  It also came to her as she reached the front door that it was a perfect night for romance with a loved one. Which she didn't have.

  A bar, called the Clubhouse Pub, dispensed mixed drinks as well as beer on tap. The Pub, which had a separate entrance on the side of the building, was usually dimly lit, had small tables and booths, a jukebox and a pool table. On weeknights, it offered freshly made pizza. Tonight the pocket doors were open to accommodate those who wanted to slake their thirst while dancing.

  The combo was taking a break as Roxy spied Bella Carmody, who waved her over to her side. Bella was tiny, several inches shorter than Roxy, and had short dark hair and a round face that had grown rounder during the years they had been friends. She hugged Roxy when they greeted one another.

  "Oh my God, Rox, you're beautiful!" she exclaimed. "Oh, I'm really jealous now." Bella gestured to Sue Froude, another of Roxy's once-close friends. "Will you look at Rox? She's turned into a movie star. Do you suppose that's what marriage does to you?" Bella laughed, dragging Sue closer. "If so, I'm gonna get me some of that."

  Roxy just laughed.

  "Come on. Let's go grab a table inside the Pub so we can talk a little, okay?"

  The three ordered mugs of beer and begin to chat about old times.

  As they talked, Roxy scrutinized the two friendly faces across the table. Sue Froude wasn't exactly plain, but she didn't show any of the vivacity Bella exuded. Bella had always been a bundle of energy. Sue was quiet, laid back, a little shy. Tonight both girls had dressed up for the dance in summer colors and sleeveless dresses. Both had had their hair done by a beauty salon, and their make-up was heavier than they might have typically used. Bella was talking a blue streak, and even Sue was grinning.

  Roxy felt good, relaxed. She had washed, dried, and curled her hair. It felt soft on her shoulders where it brushed her bare back. She used a lighter touch of make-up. She concentrated on her eyes and the sparkling brooch she had pinned low on the plunging décolletage. Her summer tan and the bleached streaks in her blonde hair enhanced the burnt bronze color of the swishy dress. Since her legs were tanned as well, she didn't wear hose. She had painted her fingernails and toenails with deep bronze polish. When she gazed in her mirror at home, she'd thought, Tonight you're loaded for bear, lady. Go down there and flirt like crazy, and maybe, do even more than that.

  The band started to play again; a young man stopped by their table and asked Bella to dance. Sue and Roxy grinned, exchanging glances liked they used to in high school. When Bella left for the dance floor, Sue and Roxy giggled like old times. They were catching up when Gabby joined them. "That's Pete Plummer dancing with Bella."

  "Oh! That's him?" Roxy swiveled her head to get a better look at Jake's brother—the man who had been in her graduating class. "He sure looks different now," she said. But she could see the resemblance between him and Jake. Right now she didn't want to be reminded of how Jake looked. His good looks were burned into her mind … and her heart.

  "I wonder if the other Plummer brothers will be here," Gabby asked rhetorically.

  "I heard Desiree has a date with Jake tonight," Sue said casually.

  That was when Roxy's heart took a deep swan dive and crashed on the floor between her bare toes.

  "She brags a lot," Gabby interposed, playing with a napkin. "I'll believe it when I see them come in together. I know Jake Plummer hasn't been seeing anyone since he got back to town. It's like he's gone on a religious retreat or something."

  Roxy almost choked on a sip of her beer. She was well aware what Jake had been doing for the past weeks, and it wasn't attending prayer meetings or church devotions.

  Just then a well-dressed man walked up to their table in the Pub and halted, staring intensely at Roxy.

  "Rox? Is that really you?" He bent and took a step closer. "I'm Robbie White." He stuck out a hand. Roxy stared up at his glasses, his thinning blond hair.

  "Robbie? Oh my gosh. I mean, how are you? I'm really glad to see you again," she said. "Do you still live around here? I lost track after you left for college."

  She almost asked, "What happened to your hair?" She used to tease him because he'd worn a very short crew cut. Ahh … what a shame. He's losing his hair and it makes him look ten years older than me.

  "Mary Jo and I relocated back here a little over a year ago from Ohio, Roxy." He paused. "Gosh, it's good to see you again. You look great."

  "So do you Robbie. Is your wife here? I'd love to meet her."

  "Come on, I'll introduce you. It's about time you two met."

  It turned out in a brief chitchat that the Whites had two small sons. It was obvious they were expecting a third child. Robbie smiled a question at his wife, then asked Roxy to dance. Of course, she agreed. They were twirling around the dance floor together when Roxy saw Jake come in with Desiree. Her steps faltered, and Robbie apologized for stepping on her bare toes. It hadn't been his fault at all; it was hers.

  "Sorry, Robbie. I'm a little rusty," she apologized. "I don't think I've danced with anyone since college. Whew! And that's much too long ago."

  "I heard you were married and divorced, Rox. Sorry to hear that."

  "Some things happen for the best, Rob. Grady and I weren't suited, so we split. No hard feelings though, and I'm doing fine."

  If I'm eating my heart out, it's because of Jake, not Grady. But what else is new?

  "Good, I'm glad, but…"

  Just then, someone tapped Robbie on the shoulder. A deep voice behind him said, "May I cut in, Rob?"

  Roxy almost dropped her teeth when she looked into the dark eyes of "Pistol" Pete Plummer. Rob released her when she nodded it was okay. "I'll talk with you later, Rox," he said, and strolled back toward his pregnant wife. Mary Jo sat on the sidelines under the open windows fanning herself.

  "Hi, Pete, I wasn't sure that was you at the table," Roxy said, tilting her head back to meet his gaze. "You look different."

  He was almost as tall as Jake and just as wide in the shoulders. He wore a denim shirt open at the neck, tight, faded jeans, and cowboy boots. A shiny silver earring pierced one of his ears. Roxy remembered that Pete and Jake were quite different in temperament. She didn't know Pete that well although they'd been in some of the same classes. Even now, she saw the difference in dress code, but there was a physical resemblance between Jake and his younger brother. Pete Plummer had put on weight. He reeked with a brawny aura of the dangerous male looking for excitement, adventure, danger—just the way he carried himself—even as they danced.

  When Jake came in with Desiree, he showed up with a jacket, slacks, a dress shirt, and a tie. To Roxy, he appeared more refined, less wild than his brother, although Roxy knew Jake was wild enough in bed. She could have groaned out loud; Jake looked good enough to eat.

  "I didn't expect to see you here tonight, Roxann
e," Pete said. "But I'm glad you came. It's been a while. I didn't want to miss you. How have you been?"

  His use of her full name sounded strange. No one called her Roxanne except her colleagues at work. Not even her parents. "I'm good, Pete. And how about you?"

  "Took a new job with the County last year so I keep busy. You know how it goes. I guess you know that Jake's back home working with my Dad. My father's glad for the help because that's not my line of work or Chip's either."

  Pete swung Roxy in a circle. He didn't look it, but he really was a good dancer, she thought. I wonder if Jake knows how to dance? I have no way to compare, because I never danced with him. Ever.

  "I think maybe soon my parents and grandfather will be taking off for Florida. They liked it when they vacationed down there. Who knows? I've heard them talking about it," Pete was saying.

  "Is that right? Well, I wish them well."

  I wonder what my parents are going to do? If they made up their minds to stay together.

  "Er … you're looking great, Roxy. How're things going with my brother?"

  Her eyes snapped up to meet Pete's as the couple continued shuffling around the dance floor. "Your brother?" Roxy blurted out. She didn't dare fake stupidity by asking which brother. Chip Plummer was younger than either Jake or Pete. "Oh, we … well … Jake and I haven't been in touch. Seems time ran out, and we both got very busy."

  For a moment, she wondered if Jake had discussed their relationship with his brother. If he had, she'd blister his ears if she ever ran into him.

  But, she couldn't help asking, "How is he doing?"

  "Jake? He's fine, I guess. I don't see much of him, either. He's busy working with my dad, as I said. I'm here tonight only because I didn't want to face the traffic to the shore on a long holiday. Mostly, I spent time down there this summer. Maybe that's why I haven't run into you in town. But it's nice to see you again, Roxanne. And by the way, say hello to your parents for me."

  Pete Plummer, when he wanted to turn it on, could light up a room with his boyish grin.

  Roxy's battered heart banged against her ribs as she recognized the duplicate of Jake's smile on his brother's face. "Why thank you, Pete. I'll tell them when I see them. They're in Europe right now," she said as she returned one of her less bright smiles. The worry about her parents' possible divorce again came to the forefront of her mind.

  When the music stopped, Pete escorted Roxy back to the table in the Pub and excused himself with a smile to the other girls.

  Roxy immediately excused herself and headed for the Ladies' Room. She primped before the mirror. Hearing the door open, she turned, seeing Desiree Smith enter. Roxy managed to stretch her lips into a tiny smile. She was just about to pick up her purse and leave when Desiree asked, "Aren't you Roxanne Diamond?"

  "Yes." Roxy's eyebrows rose in question. "Have we met?" Roxy asked. Desiree had to

  be a few years older than she was.

  "No. Somebody mentioned your name, and I wondered if it was you."

  "Yup. It's me. Who was it that asked about me?"

  "Jake Plummer."

  Roxy swallowed hard. "Oh, Jake." She managed to come up with a plausible rejoinder. "Yes, he did some plumbing work in my parent's house a few weeks ago."

  "Hmm? I see. Well, never mind." When Desiree went into the rest room, Roxy exited the Ladies' Room as quickly as possible. She skirted the edge of the dance floor and walked toward the clubhouse's veranda to catch a breath of night air. Outside, the building was lit with several lamps suspended from posts along the porch. She looked out on the lake. A large dock loomed like a ghostly ship anchored twenty-five yards out in the water. She knew the swimming and diving competitions had taken place there earlier.

  Roxy shivered, but not from the chilly air. She never would have come to the dance if she'd known Jake would be here. Maybe Gabby had been mistaken. Perhaps Desiree hadn't come with Jake after all. But Roxy had seen Jake and Desiree talking the other day. That's probably when Jake asked her to go to the dance.

  She gripped her fingers around the wooden railing and stared out at the water.

  Jake stood at the far end of the deserted porch, almost in shadow, so she didn't see or hear him approach until he was upon her.

  "Evening, Rox."

  Oh God.

  She spun around, unused to wearing high heels and strappy sandals, and almost caught a heel in the veranda's floorboards. "Jake? What are you doing here?"

  Chapter Fifteen

  "I'm waiting to dance with you, Rox. Shall we?"

  She started for the dance floor inside, but Jake quickly grabbed her wrist and spun her into his arms instead. She didn't resist. How could she? It was where she wanted to be.

  He was dancing her toward the dark end of the porch.

  "Jake, we're supposed to dance inside where we can hear the music."

  "It's a heck of a lot nicer out here. Besides, we can make our own music." His rumbling baritone had taken on a dark, sexy timbre.

  "Don't say things like that to me, Jake. I'm not starting up with you again. We're having one dance, and then, we're finished."

  "Who sez?" His face bent toward her. "Dammit, Rox, you look good enough to eat tonight."

  She saw tiny fires sparking in his eyes, reflections from the light piercing the clubhouse windows. His gaze focused on her face, and she felt an undeniable thrill ripple over her skin as she looked into his eyes.

  Oh God, how she loved this man. Why oh why did it have to happen when she thought she had forgotten all about him? She had a career she needed to concentrate on. And the series of books she wanted to write. She thought after she and Grady split she'd be happy and content with the freedom to do what she wanted, go her own way for another ten years or so without a man in her life upsetting her equilibrium. When something unexpectedly happened between her and Jake again and flamed into a bonfire, roaring through her, hot and wild, she knew she was in trouble. All her suppressed emotions were on alert. Her future and her heart were in jeopardy. But at that point, Roxy no longer cared.

  But then why did everything go wrong, so quickly? So stupidly?

  She'd thought it over during the past weeks. She made up her mind to be strong, stick to her guns. Forget him for good.

  "I said so, Jake. Why don't you just leave me alone?"

  "I wish I could."

  His words made her flinch silently, but she said, "Find a way, plumber man. You had your chance two weeks ago. I won't go through misery with you again. I've given up. Don't bother me anymore."

  He pulled her closer, and she felt herself melting against his body.

  God, this was too hard to do.

  "We never finished what we started, Rox. I want more time with you. When can I see you?"

  If I let him, it will begin all over, and I'll never get him out of my system.

  "You can't, Jake. My parents will be home soon. After that, I won't be staying at the lake that often. I'll be in New York."

  It wasn't strictly true, but she wasn't going to tell him that. She didn't want another on-off-again affair with Jake Plummer. It was better to break it off quickly, the way he had done two weeks ago. If it was his bruised ego that caused the problem, so be it. She hadn't done anything wrong; it had been an unconsidered slip of the tongue. After all, her heart was bruised, too. And sometimes she could be as dumb and stubborn as he was.

  It pleased her to give him a verbal dig, because it really hurt when she learned Jake was seeing Desiree. "Whatever, Jake, I heard you've got Desiree to keep you warm and happy. She's a hot number as I recall."

  "Shit, Roxy, she can hang on and be pretty persistent. She practically twisted my arm so I'd bring her to the dance."

  "Oh yeah, sure, come on, Jake. Nobody makes you do anything you don't want. And Desiree Smith is no slouch. Guys have been lining up to dance with her since you entered the clubhouse. Your brother Pete, included. I saw him eyeing her. Or haven't you noticed?"

  "Pete can have her. She's not any
one I'm interested in."

  "Is that so? You could have fooled me."

  "Roxy…"

  "Jake, it's getting late. I think it's time I went home. Let go of me so I can say goodnight to my friends."

  Reluctantly, he did what she asked. She walked off and left him on the porch. When she said her goodnights, she ducked out the side door of the Pub so she wouldn't run into Jake on the veranda. Heading for the clubhouse's parking lot, she met Robbie and Mary Jo, who were also leaving.

  "We're in the book, Roxy. Give us a call, will you? Mary Jo and I want to see more of you."

  "Thanks, Robbie. I'll do that next time I'm at the lake. G'night, Mary Jo. Hope it's a girl this time," Roxy said, aiming Robbie's wife a grin.

  * * * *

  Roxy had turned on the outdoor lights when she left for the dance. Now she carefully made her way from the driveway to the back door, pushed the key in the lock, and flipped on the kitchen light. The house seemed unusually empty. It wasn't simply because her parents weren't there to greet her; they weren't yet expected. It was empty because Jake had spent time there, with her, been a part of her world on a few summer weekends. Now, she felt an emptiness she'd never noticed before, except for the ticking of the antique school clock on the kitchen's wall.

  Shaking her head, Roxy locked the back door again and turned off the kitchen light, flipping more switches on and off until she reached the sanctuary of her bedroom. While removing her dance finery, she went over what transpired during the past several hours—the giggling, girl talk, and reminisces between her and her high school chums. Bella was planning a "real" class reunion for next year. Roxy promised she would be there.

  She was glad she met Robbie and his wife and several other men she knew from her class. A few had asked her to dance, including Pete Plummer. The compliments she'd heard, her reappearance as part of the "crowd", gave a boost to her ego, and she was glad she didn't make an excuse to stay away from the dance. Her encounter with Desiree Smith in the Ladies' Room had only been half bad. Later, running into Jake on the clubhouse's veranda … well, what could she say? She was still hung up on him, but she promised herself she would try harder to put him out of her mind. She'd been nervous about the dance. But everything had gone smooth as glass. Falling into bed, Roxy fell asleep almost immediately.