Piano Lessons

by Gail Sattler

  Sue licked the whipped cream off the top of her donut, closing her eyes for a second to savor it. When she opened her eyes again, she stared unwavering, straight into Jillian’s face. “What’s his name?”

  Jillian nearly choked on her coffee. “Whose name?”

  “The tall man you went out with yesterday.” Sue sucked a dribble of chocolate icing off the tip of one finger.

  Jillian’s cheeks reddened. “Did you have spies out after me or something?”

  “You’re so transparent, Jillian; you always have been. I could tell from your face that it was a man, and when you admitted you wore high heels, I knew he was tall or else you would have worn something more practical. Then when you said your feet were sore, I knew it was a long walk, so I know it has to be serious. I didn’t get my Big Sister Certificate for nothing.”

  They both smiled, remembering the gag gift Jillian gave to Sue on Mother’s Day—a certificate for excellency in the role of big sister. When their parents divorced, their mother remarried, but her new husband didn’t want children from a previous marriage around, so they lived with their father, who really hadn’t wanted to be bothered with children either. Seven years older, Sue had been as much a mother to Jillian as a sister, and now they were inseparable.

  Jillian swirled the last bit of coffee around in the bottom of her cup, studying it as it swished. “He’s actually one of my students, Mark Edwards’ uncle. And yes, he’s tall. We went for a walk last night, that’s all.” She purposely missed telling Sue about holding Jed’s hand, or about how she jumped off the swing into his arms. And she didn’t want to make too much out of Jed’s kissing her hand. Just thinking about it, though, gave her goose bumps.

  Sue licked her fingers again after finishing the last bite of her donut. “You’re avoiding telling me about him. Now I know it’s serious. And you really should have had one of those donuts. They’re fabulous. Now are you going to come with me or not?”

  “I don’t know how you stay so skinny, eating all that junk. You make me jealous, you know. And yes, of course I’m going with you around the mall. You shouldn’t even have to ask, if I’m so transparent. Besides,” Jillian winked, “I need more stickers for my students.”

  Sue sighed. “Always the dedicated teacher. On your only day off, yet.”

  “I can’t help it. How many people could say they love their job as much as I do? And working from my home, too.”

  Sue snorted as she reached under the table for her purse. “Let’s go. If we find what I need quickly, we can come back for another donut.”

  Even though it usually meant shopping, Jillian always enjoyed her sister’s company. However, on Sunday, Jillian would have preferred seeing her sister and her family in church. Although Sue respected Jillian’s beliefs, she didn’t see a need for God in her own life, and she refused to discuss it. Graham had claimed to be a Christian, which hadn’t helped Jillian’s efforts to share her faith with Sue. In fact, it was something else in her life that Graham had destroyed.

  Jillian’s only consolation was to occasionally take Sue’s kids to Sunday school with her, hoping some of it would rub off on her sister, except deep down she knew Sue only agreed in order to get some time alone with her husband.

  Of course, Jillian continued to pray for Sue and her family daily, praying from the depths of her soul that Sue could find the same peace that God had given her.

  They walked and walked until Sue found all the items she needed, and Jillian collected enough reward stickers to replenish her stockpile. True to her word, Sue made sure they finished their excursion back at the coffee shop where she purchased another donut. Jillian meant only to have another coffee, but caved in and ordered a donut as well.

  “So, when are you going out on another date?”

  “It wasn’t a date, Sue. It was just a walk.”

  Sue rolled her eyes again. “Yeah, sure.”

  Jillian’s face paled at Sue’s use of Jed’s favorite expression. She tried to act calm and pass it off. “I’m not dating him. He’s just a student. Nothing more.”

  “I’m not dating him,” Sue playfully mocked, then stuffed another piece of donut into her mouth. “I used that same line when I was dating Geoff, and I married him in the end. But suit yourself. I don’t know who you think you’re fooling.”

  Sue knew her too well, but this time Sue was wrong.

  “He feels the same way. We’re only going to see each other at lesson time.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “And lunch tomorrow,” she mumbled.

  Sue laughed as she gulped down the last of her coffee and checked her watch. “I gotta run. See you next week. Have a nice lunch date.”

  ❧

  The flashing message light greeted Jillian upon her return home from the mall. Jed’s cheery voice inquired whether she would be interested in joining him for a burger if she got home in time for supper.

  This would be a good opportunity to tell Jed that she didn’t want to see him except for lessons. She looked up the number and called him. Mark answered the phone.

  “Can I speak to your uncle Jed, please?”

  She heard muffled scraping as Mark put one hand over the phone, but his scream still pierced her eardrums. “Uncle Jed, it’s for you! It’s Miss Jefferson! Uncle Jed! Miss Jefferson wants to talk to you!”

  Jillian winced. Now the entire household knew who was calling for Jed. She heard a muffled click as Jed picked up the extension phone.

  Jillian’s eardrums nearly burst again when Jed yelled. “I’ve got it! You can hang up now, Mark!” Through the ringing in her ears, another click sounded. Jed’s smooth and cheery voice came on in a lower volume. “Hi! I see you got my message.”

  After the big production with the entire household, Jillian didn’t want to tell him her decision over the phone. She would tell him away from prying eyes and curious ears. Her stomach rumbled, one donut and two cups of strong coffee being a poor substitution for a decent lunch. Jed’s original offer began to gather appeal. “Yes, is it too late to take you up on that burger?”

  “Not at all. We haven’t eaten yet. Have you?”

  “No.”

  “And how do you feel about catching a movie after? We’ll still have time.”

  “Catch a movie?” She paused to think. She had already committed herself to the burger. She tried to stall to give herself time to think. “Depends on how fast it’s going, I suppose.”

  Jed’s soft chuckle made her heart flutter. “I’ll be over as quick as I can then, so it won’t get away. See you in a few minutes. Bye.”

  Even though he chided himself for being slightly rude by hanging up so fast, Jed patted himself on the back for ending the conversation before Jillian had the chance to change her mind. The second he hung up the phone, Jed dashed into the bathroom. He rubbed his chin and shaved for the second time that day, not that she would get close enough to notice. He applied a little gel to his unruly hair, and decided he needed a haircut. Tomorrow.

  He stepped back to look at himself, running his hand over the faded picture on his T-shirt. Not classy. He ran back to his bedroom and selected a crisp cotton shirt, which might have been a little on the dressy side for a burger and a show, but it felt nice and looked good with his new jeans. Making one last check to make sure the kids hadn’t smeared anything on them, he tucked in his shirt and vaulted down the stairs, straight for the family room.

  Liz and Frank’s heads turned in unison away from the television as he rummaged through the pile of newspapers, searching for the movie section of Saturday’s paper.

  “I won’t be home for dinner,” he mumbled as he pulled the paper out of the pile.

  “Well, you sure look nice, Jed. Where are you going?” Liz asked.

  “Oh,” he mumbled, trying to avoid the issue. “Nowhere special, just out for a burger with Jillian. When was the last time you took some papers out to the recycling bin?”

  “Jillian? Jillian who?” Liz’s voice trailed off. She blinked, then sat
straight up on the couch. “Do you mean Miss Jefferson, the piano teacher? Is that why she called you? To ask you out for a burger?”

  “Uh, yeah, something like that.”

  Jed pulled the movie page out of the middle of the paper. “Got it. Don’t wait up for me. Bye.” He ran out, leaving his sister with her mouth hanging open and one finger in the air.

  ❧

  Jillian rummaged through her closet, frantically searching for the right thing to wear. She wanted something attractive but not too fancy, yet comfortable enough to sit in at the theater. Since Jed said he’d be right over, she didn’t have a second to waste.

  On an impulse, she picked a baggy pink sweater and a snug short denim skirt, yanked them on, then ran into the bathroom to touch up her makeup and comb out her hair. She stepped back to study herself in the mirror. A little spritz of perfume, and she’d be ready.

  The second she sprayed the perfume, she regretted it. Why was she in such a tizzy to get ready? After dinner, she planned to tell Jed that she didn’t want to see him except for lesson time.

  Jillian stared at her reflection in the mirror. The last time she got all in a fluff about getting ready for a man was for Graham, and in the end he was more concerned with the outward package than the person within. In going through all this effort to look her best, she was perpetuating the trend. With that thought in mind, Jillian had filled the sink to wash off the makeup when the doorbell rang.

  Jed stood at the door, waiting, his heart pounding. What was he doing? Yesterday he’d given himself a good speech about not getting involved in a relationship, but he’d lain awake half the night thinking of Jillian. He tried to convince himself he only had one reason for asking her to dinner, and that was to avoid getting out of the house alone.

  Jillian opened the door, and Jed thought he’d been hit in the chest with a sledgehammer.

  “Hi, Jed. That was quick. I barely had enough time to get ready.”

  His mouth opened, then closed before he said something to make himself look like a drooling idiot. Between the dark but subtle makeup accents on her eyes and the muted-colored lipstick, she had transformed from moderately beautiful to drop-dead gorgeous.

  He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, I see you’re ready.”

  “Did you get a haircut?”

  Jed ran his hand over his hair with a nervous laugh. “It’s amazing what a little gel will do, isn’t it?”

  She clasped her hands in front of her in a gesture so feminine and sweet, Jed had to struggle not to reach out and touch her.

  “Where are we going?” she asked. “Or do you want me to decide?”

  Jed couldn’t have decided if his life depended on it. The way his thoughts were running, he should have headed straight for the evening service at church. “It’s your neighborhood. You pick. Or maybe we should go inside and choose a movie now, so we know how much time we have first.”

  “I’m afraid I didn’t pick up the weekend paper. I have no idea what’s playing.”

  Jed pulled the folded-up movie page out of his jacket pocket. “I brought it from home. I wasn’t sure if you would have it or not.”

  “Good idea. Come on in.”

  He thought he could finally relax when she turned and walked into the house—but she looked just as good in back as she did in front. As he followed her past the piano and into the kitchen, he gritted his teeth and reminded himself she was his piano teacher.

  They spread the movie page on the table. They didn’t take long to agree on a comedy they’d both seen a preview of on television. Jed tore their selection out and stuffed it in his jacket pocket. Standing, he held out his hand to her. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”

  “Jed, why did you call me?”

  Jed couldn’t stop his cheeks from heating up. He shrugged his shoulders, trying to act casual. He really didn’t know why he’d called, because he had told himself he was going to avoid her. “Liver,” he said lamely.

  She grimaced. “Liver?”

  “Yeah, Liz is making liver for supper, and I’d have to eat it and act like I liked it in front of the kids. I do a lot of things for those kids, but I refuse to do that.” He placed one palm in the center of his chest and held the other in the air. “As a Christian, I’m not supposed to lie.”

  Jillian tried not to smile at his imitation of a boy scout. For one thing, he was twice the height of any scouts she’d ever seen, and for another thing, boy scouts didn’t wink. Unable to stop the quiver at the side of her mouth, she broke out into a laugh. “Pizza?” she asked between giggles.

  “Yeah, sure.”

  Jed held the door open for her once they reached the truck. Jillian grabbed the side of the door frame, but when she started to lift one leg to step up into the huge four-wheel-drive truck, she discovered the hard way that she had chosen the wrong skirt. She couldn’t extend her legs wide enough apart to lift her foot onto the frame.

  Trying to control her blush, and failing miserably, she backed up a step, glancing at Jed over her shoulder. “I can’t get up. I think I should go change my skirt.”

  “No!” Jed exclaimed, then lowered his voice. “No,” he said again, more calmly. “I’ll boost you up. If you don’t mind.”

  Not sure which would be more embarrassing, running into the house to change or having Jed help her up, Jillian nodded.

  Without a word, Jed stood behind her and placed his hands on her hips, and with a little push, boosted her up enough to step into the truck. Before she knew it, Jed was already behind the wheel, the driver’s door closed. “Ready?” he asked.

  Jillian gulped, trying to ease the fluttering in her stomach. Stiffly, she nodded and fastened her seat belt with shaking hands. “Yes, let’s go.”

  six

  “So, how was your visit with your sister?”

  Jillian dabbed the corner of her mouth with her napkin. “Very nice, thank you. I meet her at the mall every Sunday after church, and she always gets the gooiest and most fattening donut she can find because she doesn’t have to share it with her kids.”

  “I think I can appreciate how she feels.” Jed grinned.

  “She’s got four kids, and she needs the break.”

  Jed laughed. “Mark and Betsy are great kids, but some days I think if I hear one more round of ‘Uncle Jed, Uncle Jed!’ I’ll scream.”

  Jillian nodded. “I know what you mean. After seeing other people’s kids every day, sometimes I think I’d like to scream, too. But I wouldn’t ever do anything else.”

  “So, does your sister go to the same church as you?”

  Jillian wondered at his sudden change of subject, grateful for it at the same time. “No. She doesn’t go to church at all.”

  Jed paused, a piece of pizza halfway to his mouth. He put it back on his plate and folded his hands on the table. “How long have you been a Christian, Jillian?”

  “I guess about four years. How about you?”

  “All my life.”

  She envied him. The routine, the stability, the bond of a family that loved God and loved each other was something she saw all the time but had never experienced. The faith his parents modeled and instilled in him as a child extended to the next generation, because she knew from Mark that his whole family attended church regularly as well.

  Likewise, Jed would probably marry a nice Christian woman and have nice Christian kids. She suddenly felt jealous of the unknown woman. “Must have been nice.”

  He smiled, his gaze becoming unfocused for a few seconds before he made eye contact with her again. She could only imagine the fond memories he held. In order for Jed to be baby-sitting and living with his sister’s family, they no doubt had grown up very close.

  “Yeah,” he said, still smiling, “it was.”

  Soon only a few stray crumbs and one lone mushroom stem remained on the round tray. Jed paid the bill and led her outside. As Jed opened the passenger door, Jillian froze, having forgotten until this exact second her problem with her entrance into
his truck. She eyed the step, knowing that again she would need Jed’s help. She regretted her decision not to change her skirt when she had the chance.

  Jed bowed. “Milady,” he said a little too courteously as his head came up. He was obviously trying to stifle a smile. Without asking if she needed assistance, his hands grasped her firmly by the hips and he boosted her up once more. The touch was innocent enough, but it sent shivers through Jillian anyway.

  They arrived at the theater in plenty of time. Jillian slithered down from the seat to the ground, the trip out much easier than the trip in.

  Once inside, Jed followed Jillian instead of leading the way to the back, where he preferred to sit. Being so tall and broadshouldered, he liked to be courteous to any unlucky short people who had the misfortune to get stuck sitting behind him. He said nothing, though, leaving the decision up to her.

  Instead of scanning the theater, Jed watched Jillian nervously checking out the location of the empty seats, taking note of a few couples already starting to get cuddly in the back row. Her posture stiffened, she grabbed his hand, and then she led him to the back row. “I chose the back because you’re so tall.”

  Jed pressed his lips together, but he couldn’t help himself. “Was that an invitation or a warning?”

  The way her eyebrows knotted and her lips tightened indicated that it was indeed a warning. He raised one hand in the air in his good-old-boy-scout routine. Not that he’d ever been a scout. “Your virtue is safe, milady.”

  “Don’t push your luck, Jed.”

  He watched Jillian as she sank into her seat. She intrigued him. She fascinated him. She was intelligent and fun. To his surprise, she had encouraged him when he told her about his preparations for college next fall. Of course she had a higher education with her bachelor of music, so she knew the commitment involved, in addition to the expense of obtaining a degree.

  True to his word, Jed behaved himself, enjoyed the movie, and kept his hands to himself. As the houselights came on, Jed wondered what he could do to further stretch out the evening. He slowly led her outside into the parking lot.