by Molly Cannon
“Was she?”
Irene jumped into the conversation. “Mark and I used to be lab partners in chemistry class. Old Mr. Floyd didn’t like us very much. I think we played around too much.”
“I didn’t realize Mark was such a cutup.” Theo looked at the man like he should be sent to the principal’s office.
“Irene seemed to bring it out in me. Otherwise, I was a big nerd who never made a peep. Mr. Floyd was a good teacher, though. Those were some fun times.”
Theo didn’t look like he agreed, but he said, “The good old days, huh?”
“I was just asking Irene if she wanted to dance.”
“Is that so?” Theo casually put his arm around Irene’s shoulder. “Mark, are you trying to horn in on my date?”
Chapter Nineteen
Theo wasn’t proud of the jealousy that surged through his body when he’d glanced over and seen Irene flirting with the man beside the punch bowl. Even as he walked over to where they stood, laughing and talking and carrying on, he knew he should mind his own business. He should be happy Irene had found an old friend to spend time with. He guessed they were old friends judging from their easy familiarity. Of course, he wasn’t the only old friend she’d ever known, and their past didn’t give him any kind of claim on her at all. He kept telling himself every bit of that with every step he took. He’d wanted her to have a good time when he asked her to come with him to the reunion. But now he realized he hadn’t wanted her to have a good time with another man. He wanted her to have a good time with him and only him. He wanted to be the source of her joy and happiness and even something as mild as contentment.
He could tell he’d pissed her off when she shrugged out from under his arm. He tried to make up for it now. “Mark, I don’t know if you know this, but Irene loves to dance.”
“That’s why I’m hoping she’ll accept my invitation. But if I was out of line for asking…”
Irene shook her head and didn’t look too pleased with either man. “I’m standing right here. Stop talking about me like I’m invisible.”
Mark looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Irene. And you could never be invisible.”
“That’s sweet, Mark.” She graced him with a forgiving smile. “And I’d love to dance. Theo, if you’ll excuse us.”
“You bet.” Mark allowed her to pull him onto the dance floor. “Nice to see you again, Theo.”
Theo nodded in acknowledgment. The poor guy looked awkward but game as he moved around in front of Irene. Irene, of course, moved like she heard some inner beat, graceful and sexy at the same time. And in the end he was still the guy standing alone on the sidelines while they were having fun without him.
Theo checked around for his baseball buddies, but they’d dispersed, having been reclaimed by their wives or girlfriends. He wandered over to an empty table and sat down. He wasn’t going to stand there like a dolt watching Irene dance with Mark. He was only going to take a break before he started circulating again. There were bound to be untold numbers of alumni he hadn’t spoken to yet. They’d put up a bulletin board full of old pictures from back in their school days. That would kill a few minutes while he waited for Irene to decide it was time to leave. Because she was leaving with him. He had no doubt old Markie boy would be glad to see her home, but that wasn’t going to happen if he had anything to say about it.
“Theo Jacobson.”
“That’s me.” He turned to find a short woman with bright red hair standing in front of him. “I’m sorry. Did we know each other in school?”
She pointed to her name badge. “I’m sorry. I’m Susan Connors. My maiden name was Bolton. I don’t know if you remember me, but we were in study hall together.”
Theo looked closer and suddenly recognized the face on the name badge. “Susan, of course. How are you?”
“I’m fine. Well, not really. My ex-husband is out there on the dance floor making a fool of himself with Irene Cunningham. I’d hoped to spend some time with him, but I can’t compete with her.”
Theo felt sorry for the woman. She was cute in her own way. “So, you married Mark Connors?”
“Yes. We both went to college in Austin, and after we graduated we got married and moved to Dallas.”
“I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you and Mark.”
“Me too. I guess I’m pretty pathetic, mooning over him like this, aren’t I?”
Theo knew exactly how she felt. “I don’t think you are pathetic at all. Would you like to dance with me? It’s better than standing around like two bumps on a log.”
“Really? Oh, I don’t know.” Susan looked like she was considering it.
“Come on. I think we should show Mark that you don’t need him to have a good time.”
She grabbed his outstretched hand and practically dragged him onto the dance floor. It was a slow song, and she was good at following his lead. “What do you do these days, Susan?”
“I teach at one of the community colleges in the Metroplex.”
“What do you teach?” They danced around the floor while Theo deliberately moved them within sight of Irene and Mark. He focused his attention on the redheaded woman in his arms once his prey was in sight. No matter what happened, Mark needed to see that his wife was capable of attracting other men.
“Poetry and composition. In fact, I wrote a poem for Mark that I planned to give him tonight, but I guess I won’t do that now. What about you, Theo? What do you do these days?”
“I’m trying to figure that out, Susan. I’ve been roaming around the world for the last few years. Lately I’ve been thinking it might be time to settle down.”
“With Irene? I saw you come in together.”
“We rode together from Everson. My big brother lives there now. Irene is an old friend. But let’s not talk about her. Let’s talk about you. Do you like your job?”
Susan seemed pleased to have someone want to know more about her job. “I really do. There’s nothing more satisfying than helping a student learn to express their thoughts. And poetry can be very freeing. Young folks have so much raging emotion, and they don’t always have a healthy way to release it.”
“I never thought about poetry like that before. I go flying when I need an outlet for pent-up feelings. Way up in the sky, everything else seems to float away.”
“You fly—as in your own plane? That must be incredible.”
“I do. A buddy from the Navy was a pilot, and he taught me the ropes. I worked for him in Alaska until recently.”
“I always wanted to learn to fly,” Susan gushed, looking transported by the idea.
Theo smiled at her eagerness. This wasn’t some pilot groupie. Susan really seemed interested in flying, and he could appreciate that. “I’d be happy to take you up sometime while I’m here. And you should take lessons. Life’s too short to not go after our dreams.”
The song ended, and Theo realized they were standing next to Mark and Irene. Mark’s face looked like a thundercloud. “Since when have you wanted to fly, Susie?” His voice was loud and demanding.
“First you horn in on my date, and now you’re horning in on my dance partner. Mark, old boy, we need to establish some boundaries.”
“Susie is my wife. I don’t need your permission to talk to her.”
“Your wife?” Irene put some distance between herself and Mark. “You didn’t say you were married.”
Theo thought he’d make sure everyone knew everyone. “Irene, you remember Susan Bolton? We were in study hall together.”
“We’re divorced. Or at least we will be soon,” Mark explained quickly. “Susie, I didn’t know you’d be here tonight. You didn’t say anything.”
“That’s what happens when people divorce. They don’t have to get each other’s approval before they make plans. Derbyville was my high school, too, you know.”
“I know that. I wasn’t trying to say you shouldn’t be here.”
“Theo was nice enough to ask me to dance.”
; “It was my pleasure, Susan.” Theo still held onto her hand and gave it a little squeeze before dropping it.
Irene turned to Susan. “It’s nice to see you again, Susan. So, Mark and I were just catching up on things.”
Susan eyed her closely. “Theo and I were doing the same thing. That’s what reunions are for, I suppose.”
Mark looked at his ex-wife. “You look very nice tonight, Susie.”
Susan blushed. “You never used to tell me that when we were married. Thank you, Mark.”
“How have you been?” His voice dripped with concern and care.
Theo grabbed Irene’s hand and tugged her away. Mark and Susan didn’t notice. They were gazing at each other intimately as if everyone else in the room had disappeared. “I think we should give them some privacy,” he insisted.
“I can’t believe that.” Irene allowed herself to be dragged off the floor, but she kept turning her head back to look at the couple who were now deep in an animated conversation.
Theo scoffed. “What? That a man might still be in love with his wife even after they separate?”
Irene turned abruptly to face him. “No, Theo, I believe that part, but while we were dancing, he mentioned we should meet for lunch sometime. I faded into the wallpaper as soon as he saw her dancing with you. Did you plan that?”
“And you aren’t used to being part of the wallpaper, are you, Ree? Maybe he’s been trying to move on. It’s part of surviving.” He didn’t understand why he wanted to provoke her.
She gave him a sharp look. “I’m not as shallow as all that. I actually think it’s sort of sweet.”
“Only if things work out. She wrote him a poem, and she brought it with her tonight hoping to have a chance to read it to him.” Theo watched as Mark and Susan disappeared out a side door. “It looks like she’ll have that chance.”
“A poem? Would something like that work for you?”
“I don’t think it matters whether it’s a poem or not. It’s the effort she’s putting into letting him know how she still feels.”
“So, why did they let things get to the point of divorce?”
“Who knows? Things can spin out of control. Maybe that’s what happened to them.”
Irene walked over to an empty table and sat down. He followed and sat beside her. “Maybe,” she said. “When you’re in the middle of things, it’s easy to lose perspective.”
“Is that what happened to us?” Theo still wanted answers from her. Some easy explanation that would clear away the hurt and confusion surrounding their long ago breakup.
“Theo, we were young and dumb.”
“And in love. Don’t forget that part. You can’t gloss over that like it didn’t matter.” Mentioning that, he felt exposed, like he was hanging on a slender branch that could snap under the weight of her next response.
Ree looked him directly in the eye without any attempt at evasion and reached for his hand. “Of course it mattered. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to hurt each other the way we did.”
Theo felt like he’d won a victory. She might not have written a poem for him, but he felt like carving her admission in stone. She had loved him, too. Somewhere, sometime before she fell in love with Sven and married him. Maybe not enough, maybe not as much as he loved her, but it hadn’t been all one-sided.
She ducked her head, looking at her watch. “I know it’s still early, but do you want to get out of here?”
He grinned. “Yes, ma’am. I’m ready if you are.”
He stood up, and she grabbed his arm. “I’m ready. Let’s blow this pop stand.”
He noticed Christine and her group of friends watching them, and he waved in their direction. Irene glanced at the women before turning back to Theo. “Thanks for inviting me, Theo. I had more fun than I expected.” And then she kissed him.
It was short and sweet, and he wasn’t sure if it was for his benefit or Christine’s. He didn’t really care. He tucked her into his side and waltzed out of the reunion like he was ten feet tall.
Irene sat in Theo’s car watching the dark blur of trees slide by in the darkened night. The reunion had been a mixed bag. Some good. Some bad. Some highly satisfying. Dancing with Theo had been the highlight. Not much could beat gliding around the room in his arms. Even better than facing off with Christine. She’d found once she was face-to-face with the woman, it didn’t really matter one whit what she thought anymore. It was funny how certain things from the past that seemed to matter so much went poof, disappearing into the mists when confronted head-on. Other things like her past with Theo only grew in importance the more time she spent with him. He’d be gone soon, but if he was leaving what was wrong with grabbing new memories to get her through the endless span of time that yawned out ahead of her. More lonely years, years that threatened to bury her alive in that house up on the hill.
“I’m sorry about Mark.” Theo’s voice washed over her, disrupting her thoughts.
She swiveled in her seat to face him. “It’s okay. It was just a dance.”
“And maybe lunch. You seemed happy talking to him.” His fingers beat out a rhythm on the steering wheel.
She thought about it. “Not him particularly. Face it, I barely know him. I think it only woke me up to the fact that I need to get out more. And not just to Lu Lu’s on Friday and Saturday nights. I’ve fallen into a pattern in Everson, and as a result, my social life sucks. It’s time to change that.”
“So, Irene Cornwell is officially going back on the market? Watch out world.” His grin lit up the inside of the car.
“Oh, sure. I’m expecting parties in the street.”
“Ree, you underestimate your effect on the male population.”
“Is that so?” She would give twenty bucks if she could figure out her effect on Theo.
“That’s the gospel truth.”
“So, would you be interested in dating while you’re still in town?”
He cut his eyes in her direction. “Me? In dating you?”
She shrugged. “I figure you would be a safe place to start. Nothing long term. That would be understood up front.”
“If you think I’m safe, I’m doing something wrong.” He sounded put out.
She laughed at his show of ego. “Down, boy. I’m not insulting your manhood. I’m just saying we already know each other so the initial awkwardness that can happen on a first date wouldn’t be a problem. You could be my trial run.”
“We just had a date and you tried to pick up another man. I’m not sure I’d survive another encounter like that one.”
“Well, when you put it that way, you actually owe me. If you hadn’t found Susan and danced her over right beside me and Mark, flirting with her like crazy so that Mark would be sure to notice, I wouldn’t have to find other interested men, would I?”
“You are giving me more credit than I deserve. I was trying to make you jealous. The fact that Mark noticed was an added bonus.”
She turned to face him. “You were trying to make me jealous?”
“Did it work?” Theo kept his eyes on the road, but she could sense tension radiating from his body.
Irene placed her hand on his arm and said, “Pull the car over, and I’ll let you know.”
Chapter Twenty
She probably should have kept her big mouth shut. Theo didn’t even look her way. And he didn’t swerve to a sudden stop the way he did on the way to Derbyville. Just when she thought he was going to ignore her, he slowed down and turned the car onto a small tree-lined lane.
Irene was acutely aware of her breath going in and out and of the seat belt holding her in place. She was aware of the cold air streaming from the car’s air conditioner, chilling her overheated body that felt like it might burst like an overripe plum. And she would always remember the Motown song playing on the oldies station on the radio. Martha and the Vandellas singing about dancing in the streets.
He pulled to the shoulder, well off the road and out of the way of any traffic th
ey might encounter. She watched Theo carefully as he put the car in gear. His jaw was clenched, and he took a deep breath before he unfastened his seat belt and turned to face her. “I’m ready. Are you?”
“Ready?” she asked tentatively. But she’d challenged him, and he’d called her on it.
“I believe you said if I pulled the car over, you’d let me know. What am I going to know, Ree?”
She decided to be brave and honest with him, no matter the cost. “Okay. If you want the truth, I hated watching you dance with her. I hated that she was a good dancer. That really, really bugged me. And I hated hearing you offer to take her up in your airplane. You’re not supposed to take other women flying.”
He leaned toward her. “Ree, you never said you wanted to go fly—”
She held up her hand. “Don’t interrupt me. I’m on a roll, so hush and let me finish.”
He sank back in his seat. “By all means, continue.”
“So, yes. I was jealous. Are you happy now? You make me want things I shouldn’t want anymore. I want to relive the past, our past, and I know that’s not a smart thing to want since you’ll be gone soon.” She felt his shuttered gaze studying her while she talked, and her voice sounded husky to her own ears. “Or maybe that’s the best reason. You’ll be gone soon, so anything that happens is temporary and unbinding.” She let out an exasperated growl. “All I know is I don’t know anything for certain when I’m with you, Theo.”
He stayed on his side of the car looking dangerous and unsettled. “That’s quite a speech.”
She shifted restlessly, not knowing if she’d made a fool of herself. “So now you’re supposed to tell me what you’re thinking. Don’t leave me hanging, for Pete’s sake.”
He slung one arm up over the steering wheel with his wrist bent. After a few seconds, he said, “Okay, I’ll tell you. You drive me freaking crazy, do you know that? One minute you’re kissing me, the next you’re dancing with Mark. I could care less if Susan can dance. I only asked her to dance because I felt bad about the way she was mooning over Mark, and I’m thinking she doesn’t have a chance now that he thinks he has a chance with you, because why in hell would anyone turn down a chance to be with you?” He finally wound down, coming to a halt.