More Than Words Volume 4

by Linda Lael Miller

  One by one the others nodded.

  “You’re not going to regret this,” Trent told them as he stood up to leave.

  “Hold it, dude,” Marvin commanded.

  Trent settled back on the edge of the desk and studied the surprising uncertainty in the boy’s eyes. “What is it, Marvin?”

  “I just thought of something else. You know there’s more to this prom than buying the tickets and getting dressed up in some fancy clothes. The girls usually get flowers. I checked on that once. Those things are expensive.”

  “It’s being handled,” Trent assured him. “Once the girls have their dresses picked out, you can tell the florist what color flowers you want.”

  Jason raised his hand tentatively. “I’ve never tied a bow tie before.”

  “Me, neither,” Ramon admitted.

  Next to him, Marvin rolled his eyes. Before Trent could chastise him, Ramon scowled at him.

  “Oh, like you have,” he muttered to Marvin.

  “Well, I can figure it out,” Marvin retorted.

  “Not to worry,” Trent promised. “I’m no expert, but I’ll be there prom night to help any of you who need it.” He looked at each of the boys in turn. “Any other questions?”

  “I have one,” said a boy who’d been silent all afternoon. “Why are you guys doing this for us?”

  Trent tried to explain it as he thought Laurie or Jodie would. “Because prom and graduation are really big deals in a person’s life. Skipping them because you don’t want to go is one thing, but you shouldn’t miss those things just because money’s tight in your family. You should be able to have the same experiences and memories of prom that your classmates will have.”

  He looked each of the boys in the eye. “The fact that some of you work to help out at home, that’s a good thing, something you should be proud of. And no one wants you to have to shortchange your family or yourselves to participate in these special senior-year activities. Maybe someday you’ll come across a young man or woman in need of a little help. If you do, I hope you’ll remember this and do what you can to give them the same opportunity.”

  A bell rang. “End of detention?” he asked.

  All of the boys were instantly on their feet and heading for the door, which was answer enough. Marvin slowed, then came back.

  “Thanks, dude. I’m going straight to Devonia’s to tell her about this. Maybe she’ll stop looking at me like I’ve let her down.”

  “Good luck,” Trent told him. “And if you ever change your mind about wanting the kind of work I can offer on one of my construction jobs, come to see me. I can always use a responsible young man.”

  Trent wasn’t sure, but he thought Marvin stood a little taller at his words.

  “You never know, dude. I’ll see you around.”

  As Marvin left, Jodie stepped into the room. Trent grinned at her.

  “Listening at the door?” he teased.

  “Of course,” she said, a twinkle in her eyes. “I had to be sure you weren’t going to bribe them into going, didn’t I?”

  Trent thought of the fistful of twenties he had in his pocket. “That was my next tactic,” he admitted.

  “Well, thank goodness you didn’t need to resort to that,” she said, regarding him with something that looked an awful lot like admiration. “You were good with them, Trent. Something tells me you had to be persuaded to put on your first tux, too. I certainly never saw you in one.”

  “Megan’s doing,” he admitted. “And believe me, I fought it just as hard as these boys did. Harder, maybe.” He smiled at the memory of the first ill-fitting tux she’d coaxed him into wearing, one of her dad’s castoffs, though she hadn’t told him that at the time. “Megan had a way of talking me into doing a lot of things I didn’t want to do.”

  “Then it was a good marriage?” Jodie asked, studying him intently.

  Trent froze at the question, at the hint of worry behind it. “You looking for absolution, Jodie? You trying to find out if dumping me turned out all right in the end?”

  She frowned at him. “What if I am?”

  “It’s a little late to be worrying about that,” he told her. “You made a decision. You refused to discuss it. I just had to live with it, so that’s exactly what I did. I lived with it. I met someone. I got married. I had a child. My wife died. Maybe the exact same thing would have happened if you hadn’t walked out. Maybe we would have broken up, anyway. Maybe that was just my fate.” He knew he sounded harsh, but it was too late to stop. “I have to tell you, at the time, it felt a whole lot like you’d single-handedly grabbed our future and ripped it to shreds right in front of me.”

  She blanched. “I’m sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

  “For you or for me?”

  “You, damn it. It was all about you.”

  He stared at her incredulously. “You actually believe that, don’t you? You think you did me a favor.”

  “I did,” she said, though she sounded less confident.

  “Well, just a piece of advice, Jodie. In the future if you want to do someone a favor, maybe you should ask them what they want first.”

  Because he couldn’t stand here and talk about this for one more second, he walked past her and out the door. Unfortunately, leaving her behind was a whole lot easier than leaving behind the anger and the memories. And until this prom was over, it looked as if the past was going to keep right on nagging at him.

  JODIE ARRIVED AT Warren Davis’s estate on the last Saturday in March filled with trepidation. Trent had been so angry when he’d walked out on her at school and she hadn’t seen any sign of him in the past two weeks, even though they’d had a committee meeting. She hadn’t been prepared for him to question her motives. Couldn’t he see that she’d been hurt as deeply as he had, that doing the right thing had cost her as much as it had him? Obviously not. She wasn’t looking forward to round two, now that the gloves were off.

  As she parked on the far side of the circular driveway in front of the huge brick Colonial house, she noted there were plenty of cars and pickups ahead of her. At least she wouldn’t be alone with Trent, and he certainly wouldn’t cause a scene in front of his daughter. Maybe they could get through the day like civilized adults, after all.

  When she rang the doorbell, it was Laurie who answered, her face flushed with excitement. “At least twenty kids showed up, Ms. Fletcher. Isn’t that fantastic? We’ve already made a lot of progress. Wait till you see.”

  She grabbed Jodie’s hand and dragged her through a huge foyer filled with priceless art and an antique Chinese vase that probably cost a fortune. Jodie had to stop herself from gawking.

  As soon as she walked into the cluttered, dusty ballroom, her gaze immediately landed on Trent. He’d dressed in a pair of well-worn jeans that hugged his backside and a faded T-shirt that was molded to his chest. She had to stop herself from gaping.

  “Dad came,” Laurie said, stating the obvious. “Even though you forgot to tell him about it.”

  “I didn’t really have a chance,” Jodie responded defensively. She wasn’t about to mention that Trent had been in no mood to listen to anything she had to say when she’d seen him.

  “Hey, Ms. Fletcher.” Marvin walked by carrying two huge boxes as if they weighed next to nothing.

  Once again, Jodie was left speechless. She hadn’t expected to find Marvin here or Ramon or any of the other boys Trent had met with, but every one of them appeared to be working industriously. Was this more evidence of Trent’s powers of persuasion? Or had Laurie worked her magic with them as she had with so many others, her dad and Jodie included?

  “What do you need me to do?” she asked Laurie.

  “Actually, Dad and I didn’t get to go through all the boxes. Last night was the first chance we had to come over and there were more boxes than we expected. There are still a couple that need to be checked before we haul them to the dump. Over here,” she said, leading the way to the far side of the ballroom. “Cou
ld you go through these and put anything that looks important in that empty box next to them? Someone will take the rest of the junk out in a little while.”

  “How am I supposed to know what’s important?” Jodie asked, but Laurie was already gone.

  Jodie sat down on the floor and opened the first box. A college yearbook sat on top. From her college. From her senior year. She glanced in Laurie’s direction, suddenly guessing why this particular task had been left to her. Unfortunately she didn’t have a clue which of these mementos Trent would want to save.

  Still, it wouldn’t hurt just to glance through a few things before she turned the task over to Trent. She flipped through the yearbook to the pictures of the senior class. It had been years since she’d seen that awful photo of herself with her hair curling wildly like Little Orphan Annie’s. She rolled her eyes, then turned the pages until she came to the W’s.

  Trent’s picture stared back at her, solemn, yet ridiculously masculine. Even then he’d exuded a confidence in his own masculinity, unlike the other male students in their class. Maybe that had fooled her into thinking he wouldn’t be affected by the decision she’d made. She told herself that a man as sure of himself as Trent wouldn’t be shaken by her walking away from the relationship. Had she misjudged things so badly?

  Under the yearbook, there was more college memorabilia, a banner that had been on the wall in Trent’s dorm room, his diploma still in its leather binder, matchbooks from campus-area bars, a couple of Tshirts with fraternity insignia.

  Beneath these odds and ends was a framed photo, turned upside down. Before flipping it over, Jodie knew instinctively what it was—a picture of the two of them, taken on a windy day at Ocean City. The waves high behind them, their faces tanned by a week at the shore, they looked very much in love. She couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away. Seeing herself with Trent like that, she wondered how she’d ever convinced herself to leave.

  “Hey, Ms. Fletcher, is that you?” Marvin hunkered down beside her, looking over her shoulder.

  Jodie wanted to hide the picture, but it was too late. “Yes,” she admitted softly. “It’s from a long time ago.”

  “Who’s that with you?” he asked, then whirled around and looked straight at Trent. “Mr. Winston? That’s the dude in the picture?”

  She nodded, unable to stop the tears that sprang to her eyes. She swiped at them ineffectively, seeing the sudden dismay in Marvin’s expression. “Sorry.”

  “Did the dude break your heart or something? He seems like an okay guy, but I can get down with him, if you need me to.”

  She smiled at his willingness to fight her battle. “No need, Marvin. It was the other way around.”

  “You’re not gonna sit here and bawl your eyes out, are you?” he asked worriedly.

  “No,” she said, though a part of her wanted to do just that. “I am most certainly not going to cry.”

  “You want to blow this scene, I can cover for you,” he offered.

  “No, I’m fine. Just a little nostalgic, that’s all.”

  He cast a hard look across the room at Trent. “You change your mind, just say the word, okay?”

  “Thanks, Marvin. It’s very sweet of you to offer.” Who knew the kid had a gallant streak in him?

  “How about a soda? Can I bring you a soda?”

  “Now, that I will accept,” she said, forcing a bright smile. “Thank you.”

  As soon as he’d set off on his mission, she shoved everything back into the box. Not sure why she wanted to torture herself with the memories, she made a hasty decision. Standing up, she glanced around to make sure that Trent wasn’t close by, then hurried from the ballroom. She wanted a few private moments at home with these mementos. She carried the box straight to her car and stuffed it in the trunk, vowing to return it before it was missed. When she turned to go back, Trent was standing right behind her.

  “Taking off with family treasures?” he inquired mildly.

  “Just packing some stuff up for a trip to the dump,” she said.

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so, Jodie. I know exactly what was in that box. I packed it myself twenty years ago.”

  “And saved it,” she reminded him.

  His features darkened. “I wasn’t the one who said those days didn’t matter.” The silence built between them, heavy with nostalgia and regrets. “Oh, Jodie,” he murmured sorrowfully. “What were you thinking? How could you give up on what we had?”

  To her surprise, he tucked a finger under her chin, then leaned down and touched his lips to hers.

  Although she sensed his reluctance, he deepened the kiss until her senses were reeling. Knees weak, she clung to his shoulders, then very nearly stumbled when he jerked away.

  “Sorry, my mistake,” he said. “I guess some feelings aren’t quite as far in the past as I’d hoped. Keep the box, Jodie. Maybe it will help you recall what you gave up on.”

  She didn’t need the stupid box or anything in it to do that, Jodie thought as he walked away. She already knew what she’d lost. What she didn’t know was whether it was possible to get it back.

  CHAPTER

  FIVE

  Trent stood in Warren’s driveway and watched Jodie drive off. He tried not to think about the hurt he’d seen in her eyes, the pain he’d caused. He told himself she deserved it, that it was nothing compared with the anguish she’d caused him.

  Dark clouds rolled across the sun, promising an early spring storm and cooling the air. He shivered and turned to go back inside, only to see Laurie heading his way, her blond hair whipping around her face in the sudden breeze.

  “You were out here with Ms. Fletcher, weren’t you? And now she’s gone.” A frown creased her brow. “What did you say to make her leave, Dad?”

  “I didn’t say anything,” he said defensively. “She was already leaving when I came out here.”

  “I don’t think so.” Laurie held up a purse. “She left this inside.”

  Trent winced. Apparently he’d rattled Jodie even more than he’d realized.

  Laurie gave him another accusing look. “Marvin said she was really upset and that you had something to do with it.”

  “Okay, you want to know what happened?” Trent said mildly. “Your little scheme backfired. I know you deliberately gave her that old box of my stuff from college to go through, hoping it would spark some sort of nostalgic reaction.”

  “So what if I did?” she asked with a touch of defiance. “Somebody needs to push you two back together.”

  Trent sighed. “Maybe you haven’t noticed, but both Ms. Fletcher and I are adults. We’re perfectly capable of deciding whether we want to spend time together without any help from you.”

  Laurie studied him quizzically. “Do you want to spend time with her?”

  “Sweetie, I told you before, it’s complicated.”

  “No, Dad,” Laurie insisted stubbornly. “It’s only complicated if you make it complicated. Either you do want to see her or you don’t. Which is it?”

  “It’s a bad idea.”

  “That’s not a no,” she said.

  “It’s not a yes, either,” he emphasized. “It’s not an opening for you to keep meddling. You need to stay out of this, sweetie. I mean it. Leave it alone.”

  She didn’t try to hide her disappointment, but she clearly wasn’t ready to let go of her plan despite his direct order. “But you’ll at least take her to the prom, won’t you?” she cajoled. “You promised, and you’ve always said you would never break a promise to me, and you haven’t.”

  Trent winced. She had quite a knack for inducing guilt, this daughter of his. “I might have to this time,” he told her. “I’m sorry.”

  “Dad, no!” she protested. “This is the most important promise you’ve ever made to me.”

  Trent was startled by her vehemence. “Why?”

  “Just because I said it is.”

  It was the kind of logic he’d once tried when disciplining her. He wasn’t crazy abou
t being on the receiving end of it.

  When he remained silent, Laurie pressed him. “Come on, Dad. Have you even talked to her about going to the prom?”

  “No.”

  “No, you won’t take her, or no, you haven’t asked her yet?”

  Trent smiled despite his sour mood. “You are your mother’s daughter, you know that, don’t you? Once you get an idea in your head, you don’t let up.”

  She grinned unrepentantly. “Granddad says that’s a good thing.”

  “Your grandfather doesn’t have to live with you,” Trent said wryly.

  “You haven’t answered me yet, Dad,” she reminded him.

  “This is really that important to you?” he asked, already resigned to giving in. Maybe part of him even wanted to give in, but he wasn’t telling Laurie that. Not ever. Who knew what she’d do with the knowledge?

  Her expression brightened as she sensed victory. “Really, really important,” she told him.

  “Okay, fine, but it’s one date. You do understand that, don’t you? This is just about the prom and the promise I made to you. Nothing more. It is not about me getting together with Ms. Fletcher.”

  “Whatever,” she said, making it clear that she was only humoring him.

  “I don’t want to hear another word about me and Ms. Fletcher after that night, understood?” He was determined to get her agreement. Otherwise she’d pester him till he found himself watching Jodie walk down the aisle in his direction.

  “I said okay, didn’t I?” Laurie grumbled.

  “No, as a matter of fact, you said ‘whatever,’ which usually means you’re trying to pacify me now but intend to fight again another day.”

  Rather than answering him, she turned to walk away. “It’s starting to rain. I need to get back inside. Are you coming?”

  Trent decided against making an issue of her failure to agree to his terms. Better to let her go and prepare his own battle plan for another day. “No, there’s something I need to take care of. I’ll check in with you in a couple of hours to see if you need more help.” Knowing he was opening himself up to more speculation, he added, “Give me Ms. Fletcher’s purse. I’ll see that she gets it.”