Drew drove slowly down the street, his tires bumping over the brick pavers. The house was dark, except for an occasional light over a doorway. Even Anna and Edward seemed to have made it to bed already. His house, though, sparkled by comparison. As he pulled through the gate, he saw the porch lights were lit and the lamps were on in the family room.
Walking in, he found the house quiet. Jennifer and Ben had no doubt made it back a couple of hours earlier and were asleep in a third-floor bedroom. He paused in the family room, took Di’s picture from the buffet where he had placed it when he’d imagined dancing with her earlier in the evening, and mounted the stairs to the second floor. He sat in his office—Di’s old office—and placed the photograph in its spot on the desk.
She had been with him tonight. He could feel it. When he had looked at her picture earlier and accused her of laughing at him, he had not been speaking for Jennifer’s benefit. He had felt Di’s presence in the room and had almost heard her laugh. He had actually turned to see if she was standing behind him.
He shook his head. He didn’t believe in ghosts, not even living in Charleston, where half of the houses below Broad claimed to have at least one resident spirit. Still, sometimes he was certain that Di was there, keeping watch. She had told him to look for her, hadn’t she?
Drew had enjoyed the evening. A few months ago he would not have believed it to be possible. Had the ball occurred in July, in September even, he would have stayed at home, waving to Jennifer and Ben as they departed. They would have brought the children for him to play with, rather than leaving them in Columbia with Ben’s parents.
His life had changed because of Amy. He marveled at the coincidences—staying in the same hotel, being on the same two flights, even being assigned seats next to each other. Although they had never met before, they knew some of the same people, had grandchildren about the same age.
He thought of Cathy, of how she had made an appointment to talk with Jody, but Jody had needed to leave town at the last minute. Amazing, he thought. It definitely seemed that something—even if not Di’s spirit—had conspired to bring them together.
He was in love with Amy, and she said that she loved him. How long, he wondered, must they wait to be married…there must be some rule about a proper period of mourning. Was it a year?
He laughed softly. He had a feeling that Jennifer would say why wait at all.
Certainly his sister knew what Charleston society would think appropriate. He shrugged. Not that she would care. His friends wouldn’t either. They would simply want him to be happy. He had tried to explain that to Amy tonight when she’d told him of her fear that she would not fit in.
On one level, she was right. There were people who would look askance at her. She’d had to restrain him from speaking to Sylvia after she had told him of their conversation. And the attorney, Jason Cooper, he was certainly impressed with his own ancestors, but they weren’t his friends. He supposed there wasn't any way to convince her that no real problem existed. She would simply have to discover it for herself.
He took a deep breath and relaxed. Yes, tonight had been—he really couldn’t find the right word—wonderful was the best he could summon, but it had been more than that. There was some sort of closure, he supposed, being there with a woman other than Di.
He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and allowed himself to feel happy. Suddenly he bolted upright and looked around the room. There was something, a fragrance, Di’s perfume. He had imagined it earlier as he had recalled their dance. Surely that’s all it was, his imagination. He smiled as he sank back into the chair.
***
Amy had woken up after noon, but had stayed snuggled under the covers, thinking about the ball. The ladies’ dresses had been stunning, and she had seen many of them while she was shopping. She’d actually tried on several of them, but she must have made the right choice in the dress she had purchased, as a number of people—men and women—had commented on how nice she’d looked. A photographer had even taken her picture and when she’d looked at the monitor, she almost hadn’t recognized herself.
Now, it was six o’clock and Amy was sitting in the family room contemplating supper as Cathy entered the room.
“Hi, Mom. Did you sleep all day?”
Amy yawned, and they both laughed. “No, but maybe I could have. I was actually awake at one o’clock. I heard the clock chime. I lay around for another hour, I guess, remembering the evening.”
“Tell me about it.” Cathy’s eyes were shining with excitement. “What’s it like to go to a ball?”
Amy began with their entrance. “There was a huge crowd outside when we arrived. They watched as we walked up the steps. Some called out and pointed when they saw someone they knew.” She laughed. “I felt like a real celebrity.”
She described the ladies’ dresses, told Cathy about the bride in her wedding gown.
“You’re not serious,” Cathy exclaimed.
“Scouts honor.” Amy raised her right hand. “Drew reminded me that, in Charleston, all sorts of strange things happen.”
“True. True.”
Amy stood and moved toward the kitchen. “Pizza all right for supper?”
“Sounds good. Did you dance?”
“Of course. I only stepped on Drew’s toes once.”
Cathy rolled her eyes.
Amy went on to describe Mary Alyce’s house, the dinner, the conversation. “You would never believe the vacations they take. One of the men enjoys cooking and he’s spending a week at a cooking school in Tuscany. His wife plans to spend the week tasting wine and stuffing herself with pasta. Another couple is going on safari, and another is crossing the old Soviet Union in a train.”
“Gosh. Does Dr. Nelson take vacations like the others do?”
Amy sprinkled cheese across the pizza. “He didn’t really say.” She cocked her head to one side. “He did say that he and his wife traveled a great deal, but he did not say where they had been.” She set the oven temperature. “He did mention that they had never made it to Paris, but that he might be going this summer.”
“That’s weird.” Cathy poured two glasses of tea.
“What do you mean?”
“I wouldn’t expect Paris to be high on a man’s list of places to visit, unless he is interested in French history…or he’s planning a honeymoon.”
Amy didn’t respond.
“Is Dr. Nelson interested in French history?”
“He has never said that he is.” Amy turned her head so that Cathy would not see her smile.
“Hmmm.”
As she slipped the pizza into the oven, Amy imagined what it would be like to honeymoon in Paris. Where might they stay?
She pictured a grand hotel, imagined their car drawing up to the doors, while a man in uniform rushed over to open her door, holding out his hand to assist her. She saw herself walking up the red-carpeted steps, glancing backward to see porters unloading their luggage, placing it on a cart to wheel in behind them. There would be a doorman holding the door as she and Drew passed into the lobby—marble floors and walls, giant crystal chandeliers hanging on each side of the room, plush, velvet-covered chairs grouped around small mahogany tables.
Amy visualized Drew giving his name to the doorman as they were seated near reception, where a waiter offered wine. After a few minutes, the bell captain would arrive to escort them to their room, where the luggage awaited them. Then, as the door closed behind the porter, Drew would put his arms around her and pull her close…
But what if…what if she walked into the hotel like a bug-eyed school girl, gawking at everything with her mouth open? What if the porter spoke to her in French and she stumbled over her reply, not really sure what he had said. What if they ate dinner in the hotel’s restaurant and she couldn’t read the menu, or chewed with her mouth open, stuffing herself with everything in sight. What if she reached across the table for Drew’s hand and she spilled her latte?
“Mom, are you all righ
t?”
“What?” Her gaze focused on Cathy and the fact that she was actually in her own kitchen, not on a romantic honeymoon in Paris. “Oh, yes. I’m fine.”
“You zoned out for a couple of seconds. Maybe you should go back to bed. I can bring your supper to you.”
“No, I’m fine. I was just daydreaming, thinking about how different Drew and his friends are from you and me. Wondering if I’ll ever fit in.”
“Now who sounds like Elaine?” Cathy put a hand on her hip and tapped her foot. “Hmm? What did Dr. Nelson say? You did tell him how you felt?”
“Drew said that his friends were no different from me, or you, or anyone else in the world. He said I was being silly.”
“And he was right.”
***
Drew had almost reached his office on Monday morning when Jody caught up with him.
“How did it go?”
Drew turned, a smile on his face. “You mean the ball? It was fantastic. I had a wonderful time.”
“How about Amy? She have a good time?”
“She did. We danced, she met my friends, ate a delicious meal. Great evening.”
Drew unlocked the door and Jody followed him into his office.
“So, what now?”
The logon screen popped on and Drew focused on entering his password, choosing to ignore Jody’s loaded question.
“Come on, Drew. You know exactly what I mean. You’ve met each other’s family, you enjoy being together, when are you going to…move forward?”
“Move forward?”
“Mind you, I’m only asking because Lee will want to know. Are you going to ask her to marry you?”
“We had our first date less than three months ago.”
“So?”
Drew logged on to his email.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it.”
Drew read the first email, then he looked up at Jody. “Of course I’ve thought about it. It’s too soon. Our spouses died less than a year ago. It wouldn’t be appropriate.”
“And what would Charleston society believe to be appropriate?”
“Oh,” Drew looked at the ceiling, “two years, three, maybe.”
“Two years? You’re out of your mind. That’s absolutely ridiculous, it’s—you made that up.”
Drew laughed. “I don’t know, Jody. You know that I love Amy. She says that she loves me.”
“What’s the problem then?”
“I’m not sure she would say yes.” He leaned back in his chair and looked at Jody. “She feels inferior, Jody. She feels as if people look down on her, that she will never fit in with my friends.”
“What happened, Drew?”
“I’m not sure. I know she had a discussion with an infuriating snob at the ball, but I think it’s more than that. I’ve told her that I see no problem. How do I convince her?”
Jody leaned forward, resting his arm on Drew’s desk. “Charleston can be intimidating, you know.”
“So Di told me.”
“There is nothing you can do to convince her. Amy will have to realize a couple of things on her own. First, she will recognize that her father had the poor judgment to allow her to be born in…”
“Near Charlotte.”
“Charlotte, and the sins of the fathers are visited on the children. She will never actually be from Charleston. I’ve lived here for forty years and people will still say, ‘You aren’t from here, are you?’”
“You’re not.”
Jody shook his head. Second, with you, she has entry into the inner sanctum. Finally, those who don’t like her will never accept her. Those who do, won’t care where she was born or who her family is.” He leaned back. “That was my experience when I met Lee. That was how Di saw things, too.”
“And there is nothing I can do?”
“Not really. She’ll have to discover it on her own.
***
“Dancing girl!”
First thing on Monday morning Barb arrived at her office door, a cup in her hand and a grin on her face. “I saw you, Amy—black gown, sparkling diamond necklace. Three of us had gone out to dinner and we saw the crowd. We walked down the street to find out what was going on. We stopped right at the steps, and there you were, strolling by with that good-looking boyfriend of yours. I wanted to reach out and tap you on the arm. Best looking of Charleston’s finest.” She moved close to Amy. “It was diamond, wasn’t it? Belonged to your boyfriend?”
“It belonged to my grandmother.” Amy kept her eyes on the report in her hand and didn’t turn around, hoping that Barb would go away.
“Didn’t you see me? I was calling your name, waving, jumping…”
“I wasn’t sure. I thought I saw you. Off to the right, but I didn’t hear you.”
“Why didn’t you wave back?” She laughed. “Afraid that if you turned your head you would trip and tumble down the steps? That would have made for a grand entrance to Charleston society.” She paused. “Or were you already too far above the great unwashed mass of humanity to even acknowledge my presence?”
Amy swung her chair around and sprang up in Barb’s face. Barb’s smile faded just as quickly.
“That’s not fair, and you know it,” she snapped, her voice loud and angry. Two of the staff who sat near her door turned to look.
Barb took a step back, raising her hands in surrender. “I was just joking, just joking. I didn’t mean anything, Amy. I swear. I was only teasing. You, you were beautiful. You really were.”
Amy glared at her in silence for a moment, but she felt a tear slide down her cheek and she turned away.
“Oooh. I hit a nerve.” Barb said the words and quickly slipped out of the room before Amy could retaliate.
She slumped into her chair and stared at her desk, but she could hear Barb talking to two of the other programmers, heard her name and St. Cecelia. She stalked to the door and slammed it. The sound was muffled now, but she could still hear laughter.
A few minutes later, she heard a knock at the door.
“Come on in,” she called.
Ellen opened the door holding a cup of coffee in one hand, trying to balance another as she turned the knob. Amy rushed to get the second cup, taking it just as it began to fall. “Got it.”
“Good girl.” Ellen closed the door behind her and sat across from Amy.
“That tastes good,” Amy sighed. “Just what I needed. Thank you so much. It seems like you are always delivering coffee to me at just the right moment.”
“I try to help.” Ellen smiled. “Tell me about the ball. What was your dress like? Did you dance?”
Amy described her dress. “My mom had a diamond necklace and matching earrings. I wore them.”
“It sounds beautiful.”
“It had been so long since I had really danced. I mean, Jack and I would find ourselves at a wedding reception and there would be a band playing…we might dance once, maybe twice, but it seemed like Drew and I danced for hours. I had such a good time.”
“Barb is outside, running her mouth about how you ignored her.”
Amy shook her head. “She was standing outside watching as Drew and I arrived for the dance. She said she was waving and calling my name. I thought I saw her, but I wasn’t sure, so I didn’t wave. She made one of her comments, said I must think that I am too good to notice her, or something.”
“What would you expect from Barb?”
“I know, but, Ellen, Barb accused me of looking down on her.” Amy dropped her eyes “I feel as if people were looking down on me.”
“What happened?”
“Most of the people were very nice. I knew several of the women. There was one woman, though, who told me that I shouldn’t even be there. Made me feel like a party crasher of some sort.”
“You’re joking.”
“No, I’m not. Let me tell you about the dinner after the dance.” Amy described dinner and conversation at Mary Alyce Butler’s house.
“Wow, those
are some vacations. What did you say?”
“Not a word. I mean, we didn’t take turns or anything, so I just didn’t jump in. What would they think if they knew I have never been out of the country?”
“I don’t know. Does it matter?”
“Of course it does.”
“What does Drew say about it all?”
“He said that some of his friends might have more money than I do, but that I’m really no different from them.” She smiled. “He said he loves me.”
“Then I think you are creating a problem when one doesn’t exist.”
The Cabin
The thermometer hovered just above freezing, and Amy shivered as she ran to Drew’s car. She wore a heavy sweater and carried a wool coat. She seldom wore them together in Charleston, a couple of times in January, maybe, but never in early December. The air would warm when the sun rose, but they were headed for the mountains, where Drew owned a cabin near Asheville.
It was a long day-trip, but the cabin had been used as a weekly rental over the summer and Drew wanted to check on it. Jennifer’s family was going up the next weekend and they would use it several times once ski season began.
“It’s cold,” Amy exclaimed as she slammed the car door. “Way too cold for December. Thanks for suggesting the coat.”
“It is cold. It’s probably below freezing at the cabin.”
“I know that you spend summers there, but do you often go up during the winter?”
“We would usually drive up a couple times. Jennifer actually uses it more than I do.” He paused as he adjusted the heat.
“Thank you for letting me ride with you. I thought it would be nice to have some uninterrupted time together.”
Drew reached across the seat and squeezed her hand. “Thank you for coming with me. We were at the cabin last year when Di became ill. This will be my first time there since.”
“I didn’t realize…you didn’t seem excited when I asked to come. Is that why?”
“No, it will be good to have you with me. I was dreading the trip.” A sheepish look crossed his face. “I had originally planned to spend the night, and…”
To Fall in Love Again Page 15