Coffee in Common

by Dee Mann

  "Yes and yes."

  "That's great. I'll bet they've been bugging you to call me so they can meet me, right?"

  "Uh, yes, how did you know?"

  How does he keep knowing these things?

  "It's what I'd do if I were them. Hey, if no one is in a hurry to go home, why don't you all come over and hang out for a while?"

  He wants to meet my sisters? He wants his friends to meet me and my sisters?

  "Um, hold on a second." She pressed the mute button. "He's with some people in this bar about a mile from here. He wants to know if you all want to go hang out for a while."

  "Oooo," Julia said, impressed. "I think I like this boy already!"

  7:50 PM

  Fifteen minutes, two phone calls to understanding husbands, and a quick taxi ride later, Jillian and her sisters walked through the doors of DHL. Paul jumped up as heads turned throughout the bar to see who had come in, then lingered at the sight of the four lovely women.

  Jillian was suddenly nervous as she realized she wasn't sure how to greet him in front of her sisters.

  Should I offer my hand or kiss him? If I kiss him, for how long? Maybe I should just say hello?

  Paul solved the dilemma by moving right in and giving her a polite kiss on the lips.

  She introduced him to her sisters and he hugged each of them in turn.

  "I am very happy to meet you all." A mischievous grin crept onto his face. "Jilli's told me so little about you, and to get back at her for the oversight, I'm hoping you'll all spend the next few hours telling me all the embarrassing stories from her childhood she doesn't want me to hear. You know, like the time she decided to streak through the house buck naked in front of a party full of people."

  He'd been going for a big laugh with that, but the four sisters stared at him and then at each other in disbelief. After a few seconds, it dawned on him why and his grin transformed into a look that matched their own. "No way." He turned to Jillian. "I was kidding. You didn't really do that? Did you?"

  Jillian's suddenly bright red cheeks were all the encouragement her sisters needed.

  "What's the matter, Jilli? You had such a cute little behind back then."

  "Come on, that's not half as bad as the time dad caught you playing doctor with Billy Tanner in the garage."

  "Don't be embarrassed. He's probably already undressed you in his head a dozen times."

  Jillian's face went from red to scarlet, drawing laughter from her tormentors. She turned to Paul, who was grinning broadly, and mouthed, "I'm sorry." Then she turned back to her sisters and protested through clenched teeth, "You promised" as Paul slipped his arm around her waist, and pressed her closer to him.

  When the girls realized how upset she was, they hurried to apologize. "We're sorry, sweetie," Joanne said. "We got a little carried away. Please don't be mad. We'll be good the whole rest of the time we're here. Our word to Grampa."

  Joanne looked at Julia and Jessica who both nodded gravely and repeated, "Our word to Grampa."

  Giving one's word to Grampa was sacrosanct and Jillian began to relax.

  Paul led them all to several tables that had been pushed together to accommodate everyone.

  "So how do parents with five kids get out of the house on a school night?" Lisa asked Patti.

  "Wonderful in-laws," she replied, drawing a chuckle as Paul and the new arrivals reached the table.

  Paul introduced Rob and Lisa, Priya, and Tom and Patti Driscoll.

  Jillian nodded politely and said hello to everyone, then walked around the table, leaned over, and gave Priya a warm hug.

  "Paul said the date went well last night. But he's being awfully cagey about providing details," Priya whispered.

  "It was wonderful, so romantic," she murmured back. "Lunch Monday, okay? Lisa, too."

  "Absolutely!"

  Jillian took a seat next to Paul. She turned to Lisa and said, "I understand you were responsible for arranging the dinner reservation last night. It was wonderful. Thank you so much."

  "You're welcome," she replied. "It was my pleasure." Then she reached across Rob and smacked Paul on the arm. "You dope! Why did you tell her I set it up? She was supposed to think you were a magician!"

  Paul shrugged. "I couldn't lie to her."

  That drew a round of ‘oooos' and ‘awwws' from the women and rolling eyes from the guys, but it sent a little spark through Jillian, who leaned closer and kissed him on the cheek.

  Over the next hour, and several rounds of drinks, everyone got acquainted. Spirits were high all around, except for Jessica, who seemed to have reverted to her pre-shopping depression. Jillian wondered if her sister's funk was due to the presence of three obviously happy couples at the table, plus so many others throughout the room.

  Much to everyone's amusement, Julia and Joanne took every opportunity to casually inquire about Paul and his life story as they bantered with him and his friends until, unable to stand it any longer, Jillian all but dragged them into the ladies room and told them to stop.

  The Saturday night crowd in the bar was large and in a good mood. As a result, the jukebox had been steadily cranking out tunes. Several times, Tom, who loved to sing, broke out in song and most of the group joined in. Just before eight-thirty, the bouncy rhythm of the oldie You Don't Mess Around With Jim faded away as the group applauded themselves for their performance. It took only a second or two for Jillian to realize the next song was Always And Forever, the last song they'd danced to last night.

  She turned to Paul who was only a half-second behind her in recognizing the tune. Their eyes met and a silent message passed from each to the other. Paul stood and extended his hand.

  DHL did not have a dance floor, so Paul led her to the small space that opened up when they had earlier pushed the tables together.

  Her heart was racing and she felt a lump in her throat as she followed him. Was it the song or his very public romantic gesture that was causing her to feel suddenly lightheaded?

  When he took her in his arms, she settled herself against him. Memories of the previous night flooded through her as she lay her head on his shoulder, loving the way his strong arms held her close and made her feel warm and desired.

  They moved together as they had last night. They swayed and turned more than danced, each lost in the sensation of holding and being held, of moving as one body, feeling as one soul.

  All conversation stopped at their table as Paul's friends and Jillian's sisters watched them dance. Priya sat with her hand to her throat, filled with joy for Paul and Jillian and with pride at knowing she'd played a part in helping them get to this moment.

  Tom was getting poked by his wife who whispered, "Why don't you ever do romantic things like that for me?"

  Rob and Lisa held hands and watched, happy their friend appeared to have found the girl of his dreams.

  Julia drew her two sisters into a huddle. "This guy's good. He wants her so bad you can see it in his eyes."

  "And she's just as horny for him," Joanne added.

  "Whatever." Jessica was contemplating the scratches on the table instead of the happy couple.

  As the song reached its conclusion, everyone saw Paul lean down to give Jillian a soft, tender kiss, a kiss that made her heart flutter and the other five women feel the slightest twinge of jealously mixed in with their happiness for her.

  "Hey dude," Rob said to Paul about an hour later, "Lisa and I are hitting the road. We're heading down to the Cape tonight. Lisa's parents have a summer house in Brewster."

  Tom, Patti, and Priya had split about twenty minutes earlier.

  After the goodbyes, Julie, Jo, and Jessie headed to the ladies room.

  "So what's up with Jessie? She hasn't seemed too happy to be here tonight."

  Jillian explained about the breakup and how she would miss her prom as a result.

  "That really stinks. Guys like that give the rest of us a bad name."

  When her sisters returned, Paul turned on the charm, telling jo
kes, making little comments and observations that had them laughing and feeling good. Without it seeming obvious, he tried to pay extra attention to Jessie. He succeeded in lifting her spirits a little, and sensed the sisters all appreciated his efforts. After polling them about their favorite songs, he asked Jillian to help him play them all on the jukebox.

  "So what do you think of him now?" Jo asked her sisters, once Paul and Jillian were at the jukebox.

  "He's cute," Jessica said.

  "He's great," Julia gushed. "I keep waiting for him to say or do something to make me wonder, but he keeps on being sweet and charming. And it's not even an act, unless he's the world's greatest actor."

  "I know what you mean. He's so attentive to Jilli even when he's paying attention to us, or to his friends earlier. And some of the things he says…well…I see what Jilli means about feeling like he knows her. What do you think, Jessie? Is he for real?"

  "I guess so. He's been really nice to us all tonight and especially to me. I think Jilli told him about Ethan." Her sisters nodded their agreement. "I get a good vibe from him, you know? I mean, how bad can the guy be if he'll pay attention to the skinny little sister when Jillian's sitting next to him?"

  Over at the jukebox, Jillian was using the touch screen to page through menus for the titles they wanted. After she selected Kelly Clarkson's A Moment Like This for Joanne, Paul asked, "Would you mind very much if I went out with another woman next week?"

  She turned her head to examine his face. This had to be one of his jokes. "That depends. Are we talking about your mother? I wouldn't mind that at all."

  He laughed. "No, not mom."

  "Priya?" She realized there'd been an edge to her voice.

  He caught the edge and grinned. "No, not Priya. Actually, if you think she'd want to go with me, I was thinking of asking Jessie to her prom."

  Jillian was caught completely off guard. That was the last thing she might have expected him to say. "You want to take Jessie to her prom?"

  "With your permission of course."

  "You don't need my permission to…" She felt his hand squeeze her arm and looked at him. What she saw made her heart skip with joy. The tilt of his head and the look in his eyes under raised eyebrows told her he did indeed need her permission, because he considered them a couple now.

  The smile he received in return let Paul know she understood, and the gentle touch of her palm on his cheek told him she felt the same way.

  "You'd really do that? Take her to the prom?"

  "Of course. She's your sister, and she's hurt, and I know how important proms are to girls her age. And not to appear immodest, I am kind of cute and willing to help her make the little twerp who dumped her realize what a horrible mistake he made."

  Jillian chuckled.

  "And besides, I was sick and never went to my prom. I think it'll be fun. If she'll go with me. What do you think?"

  She had no idea. Paul kept surprising her. "I guess it's up to Jessie."

  "But what about you? Would you be okay with it?"

  She saw in his eyes that the slightest reservation on her part would be enough to make him forget the whole thing. "Well," she said playfully, "you're not planning to get fresh with her after the prom, are you?"

  "Only if you'll join in," he teased, bringing a pleased flush to her cheeks.

  "Okay then, that sounds like fun," she shot back, surprising herself once again by joking about such a thing. "You can go."

  As they returned to the table, they decided to let Paul ask Jessie when he thought the time right. Everyone talked for a while as the music played in the background, trading stories about jobs and families. Jessie remained generally quiet, but Paul had noticed earlier she seemed interested whenever anyone was at the dart boards.

  "Do you play darts?" he asked her.

  "Not very well," she replied listlessly.

  "Me either. Priya's great at it, though. She never played darts until she started working here in Boston but now no one at work but me will even play with her, and I only play because it's so amazing to watch her. As for me, I figure I'm doing well if I don't hit people standing at the jukebox."

  That drew a half smile from her.

  "Want to throw some?" She looked hesitant. "Come on. You can tell me all kinds of embarrassing things about your sister while we play."

  "Don't you dare," Jillian cautioned they pushed back their chairs. "You gave your word."

  Jessica was better than she'd let on, but then so was Paul, who kept up a running dialogue, sharing moments from his life as he probed gently into hers. Jessie relaxed more and more as they played, her spirits rising with every well-placed dart she threw, until, when she won the second game, she became almost giddy with delight. Paul had the feeling the girl would have hugged him had he not been her sister's new boyfriend.

  Boyfriend. That's the first time I actually thought of myself as Jillian's boyfriend. I like the way it sounds. But I think the time has come to broach the subject of the prom.

  "Very nice," he said, admiring the result of her last throw.

  "Thanks!"

  "Hey, umm, I hope you won't be mad at your sister or anything, but a while ago, I sort of asked her about why you seemed so down and she told me about the dung worm and what he did."

  Jessie giggled. "Dung worm. I like that. It fits him perfectly."

  "Anyway, I had this thought before and asked Jilli about it and I don't know if it's too crazy or what, but here goes. Would you do me the honor of allowing me to escort you to your prom next week?"

  Her hand stopped cold in mid-throw. "You want to take me to my prom? Why? You're like, old."

  Paul clutched his chest. "Arrgh. You think I'm old?"

  Jessica realized she'd been less than tactful. "Well, I don't mean you're old old, but your Jillian's age. Why would you want to go to some lame high school prom?"

  He turned to face her. "Several reasons. First, you're Jillian's sister and I like you." He saw her eyebrows shoot up. "I like you as her sister, I mean," which drew a grin from the girl. "Second, I figure you're really more upset about missing the prom than about Mr. Slime Mold breaking up with you." He saw her nod slightly and the look in her eyes change from skepticism to interest at what would come next. "Third, let's face it, Jessie, you're a babe, and a guy would have to be nuts not to jump at the chance to be seen with you." That caused her face to start glowing with both pleasure and embarrassment. "Fourth, I never went to my own prom and I think it will be fun. And fifth…" He paused. "…I figure that with a little effort, we can make Ethan so jealous he'll spend the rest of his miserable life asking people to kick him in the ass for being stupid enough to cheat on you."

  Jessica was beaming now.

  "Since you put it like that, how can a girl possibly refuse?"

  She threw her arms around him and hugged him, much to the amazement of her sisters, who had been watching them, even though they couldn't hear what was being said.

  "Jillian was right," she said softly after releasing him, "you really are the nicest guy."

  SUNDAY, MAY 9

  7:15 AM

  Lisa padded down the wide, carpeted staircase, her feet clad only in a pair of Winnie the Pooh socks. She stopped at the bottom to stretch, then turned down the hall to the kitchen.

  "I thought she was done with him."

  It was her father. He was asleep last night when she and Rob arrived and she could tell from the tone of his voice he wasn't pleased to hear the news.

  She stopped a few feet from the doorway to listen.

  "Evidently they made up, Chad," her mother Elissa replied. She didn't appear to share her husband's displeasure, but neither did she sound happy about it.

  "I really don't understand her, Lissy. With her looks and brains she could have any man in New England. Hell, there are at least a dozen associates at my firm who'd kill to go out with her. Just last week Morgan Downey told me his son had been asking about her. Did you know he's been clerking for Justice Thomas?"


  "No dear, I didn't know that. But I don't think Lisa is really interested in meeting any attorneys, even if they have clerked at the Supreme Court."

  "And that's another thing. What the hell's wrong with lawyers? She…"

  "Chad. Please. Stop. Do we really have to have this conversation again? You know as well as I do that she wants a man who won't spend all his time working, as we did for so many years. She's told you that at least a dozen times. She's a grown woman, Chad, and she'll do whatever she wants to do. If she loves this boy then that's all there is to it. We can either accept it, and him, and all be happy, or we can drive her away and never see her. Which would you prefer?"

  Lisa heard the clink of a coffee cup against a saucer, followed by a long sigh. "But couldn't she at least find someone who's not…I mean, what the hell will the kids look like?"

  "Oh for the love of… They're not even engaged and you're worried about kids." Her mother sounded annoyed. "If someday they do have children they'll look however they'll look, and we'll love them exactly as we love her." She paused for a few seconds then said, "You know, Chad, sometimes you make me embarrassed to be your wife."

  There was another long sigh.

  "I know, Lissy. I'm sorry. I only want what's best for her."

  "Well that's for her to decide now. Maybe if you tried to get to know him, you might find he's not as bad as you think he is. Have you ever actually talked to him?"

  "What opportunity have I had to talk to him? We've seen him twice in six months, both times at parties."

  "Well today is as good an opportunity as you'll ever have. I think I'll wake them in a few minutes. Why don't you cut up some fruit and bagels while I go take a quick shower."

  "I have a better idea. Why don't I join you in the shower?"

  Ewwww!

  Lisa grimaced as she turned and hurried back to the stairs and up to her bedroom. She did not want to hear any more of that!

  The sound of the door closing awakened Rob. Still groggy, he asked where she'd been. She didn't want to admit to her eavesdropping and didn't want to lie, so she jumped back into bed and snuggled up to him. She knew the closeness would take his mind off talking. Several times his hands wandered, testing her interest, but she was too distracted by trying not to imagine what was taking her mother so long. After fifteen minutes, she sent Rob off to the shower, then took one herself when he was done. It was almost eight-thirty when she finally heard her mother knock on their door.