by Judy Kouzel
The two women talked for the rest of the dinner as if they were old, dear friends. In fact, other than her shopping trip with Deanna, Leedy couldn't remember when she had enjoyed someone's company as much as Jo Anne's. They talked through dinner, then dessert, and then lingered over coffee.
"Oh, my heavens!" Jo Anne gasped, looking at her watch. "It is almost ten-thirty! I can't believe we've stayed here this late!"
"Don't you hate it when people hog a table all night?" Leedy said, just as surprised that the time had passed so quickly.
"Oh, I remember those people!" Jo Anne said, scornfully. "Now look, I've become one of them! We better leave a good tip."
"Let's double it," Leedy added, digging in her purse for her wallet.
The two women paid the check and walked out into the parking lot. They strolled through the cold night, still deep in conversation.
"This was a wonderful evening," Jo Anne said. "I'm so glad I took Terry's suggestion and introduced myself."
"I am too," Leedy said, her ears perking up at the sound of Terry's name. "Urn ... do you know him ... personally?"
"Oh, yes," Jo Anne said. "Terry Foster is an excellent loan officer and a wonderful friend. He helped my husband, Ted, get his dental practice off the ground years ago. As a matter of fact, he was the one who gave us the best advice of anyone we talked to, including our lawyer."
"He seems nice," Leedy said, hoping Jo Anne would tell her more.
"He's a great guy," Jo Anne said. "Smart as can be, and a wonderful father-figure to Deanna."
"I met Deanna," Leedy said and told Jo Anne about her shopping trip at the mall with the teenager. "She's a beautiful young woman. I'm deeply sorry for Deanna and Terry's loss."
"Deanna's mother was Terry's big sister," Jo Anne said. "I remember her well. A splendid woman named Colleen. Her husband was Frank McQuinn. They got caught in a snowstorm on their way home from visiting friends. A truck hit a patch of ice and ... Well, it was a tragedy. A terrible, terrible tragedy."
Leedy thought of Deanna growing up without her mother and father and felt saddened. "Terry's done a good job with her," she said. "From all I've seen, she's a sweet, levelheaded, bright young woman."
"Oh, yes," Jo Anne continued. "Deanna's doing great now. She went through a difficult time after her parents died, though."
"That's understandable. She was a child when it happened."
"And she's still very possessive with Terry's attention."
"Oh? I didn't notice."
"Yes," Jo Anne said. "She was only twelve when her parents died. It broke Terry's heart to watch her hurting. He did everything he could to let Deanna know she was safe and protected. She finally came around. But she's still suspicious of outsiders. Especially when it comes to her uncle. She sure has given some of Terry's past girlfriends a run for their money."
"Really?" Leedy said, surprised.
"Not that Terry confides in me about his love life," Jo Anne said. "He's a very private person. But I hear things through Ted. My husband and Terry meet every week or so for lunch. They've become good friends. Terry dated a few women over the years, but Deanna never seemed to care for any of them. Of course, he never put up much of a fight when a girlfriend became angry over some shenanigan Deanna pulled. There was never any question as to where his loyalties lay."
"What did Deanna do to them?" Leedy asked, trying to imagine the sweet teenager doing anyone any harm.
"Oh, it was never anything horrible," Jo Anne said. "She would just give them dirty looks or `forget' to give Terry their telephone messages. I think she once dumped Tabasco on one girlfriend's sandwich. And then there was the ugly rumor that she put gum in someone else's hair. I heard the poor woman had to get a crew cut."
Leedy wanted to giggle, but she caught herself. She was liking Deanna's spunk more and more by the minute. "She must have been a lot younger when she did those things," Leedy said. "She always been so sweet since I've known her."
"I don't know about that," Jo Anne said. "The last incident I heard about was only last year. I think her name was Claire or Mare ... something like that. Deanna ran over her foot with her mountain bike ... or was it her car? I'm getting my information from my husband. Ted is sketchy on the details so I can't be certain. I think the foot was broken or maybe just bruised. I'm not sure."
"I can't believe Deanna would intentionally hurt someone," Leedy protested. "That doesn't sound like her."
"She might, if she thought her uncle was threatened," Jo Anne said. "She's changing her tune lately though. Since she moved to the dorms she thinks her uncle is spending too much of his time alone. Terry told Ted that Deanna has been after him to date more lately. Suddenly, Deanna wants Terry to meet someone. Not just any one, of course. She is quite specific about who she sees as an acceptable mate for her uncle. She does have her standards." Jo Anne stopped at a dark green mini-van. "This is mine," she said, groping into her enormous black leather feedbag of a purse for her car keys. "Ted told me Terry thinks she has a boyfriend and is afraid to tell him."
"Why would Deanna be afraid to tell him that?" Leedy asked. "She's over eighteen and I'm sure even Terry knows the campus is co-ed."
"Terry and Deanna are very close," Jo Anne said. "They've both been through a great deal of grief together and it made them closer than most uncle-niece relationships. Hell, closer than most father-daughter relationships I know of. Ted and Terry went to lunch the other day and Terry told Ted that Deanna has someone in particular in mind she wants him to date ... where are those stupid keys? Ted said Deanna was quite insistent with Terry. Oh, here they are."
Jo Anne unlocked the door and climbed into the van.
"And?" Leedy asked, before Jo Anne could shut the door.
"And, what?" Jo Anne asked.
"Whom did Deanna pick for her uncle?" Leedy said, trying to pretend that she was not altogether interested in the answer.
Jo Anne rolled down the window and shut the car door, as if she were settling in for a long drive instead of the ten minutes it would take her to get home. "Well, Terry Foster is the most handsome man in town so he certainly does not need Deanna's help in finding a date."
"I haven't noticed," Leedy said, shrugging indifferently.
"Oh, come on now, Leedy," Jo Anne scolded. "You're a woman, aren't you? And you still have a pulse, right? Don't pretend you haven't noticed his blue eyes! Or the broad shoulders? Or his sexy voice?"
"Well ... er... I..."
"Men with Terry Foster's packaging are usually only found in magazines," Jo Anne said. "I can't believe you haven't noticed!"
"Okay, okay," Leedy said. "I'm not blind. Terry is ... cute."
"Cute!"
"Yes, for a man who declined the loan application for my restaurant, cute is the best I can do."
Jo Anne laughed. "Oh, pooh," she said. "Terry declined Ted's application the first time around too. Then he told us exactly what we needed to do to get it right. Listen to what he has to say, Leedy. He's got a good head for business matters and his advice is usually right on the money. You're just not ready yet, dear. By the way, where did you park? Can I drive you to your car?"
"I'm right there in the next row," Leedy said, pointing to her Jeep.
Jo Anne smiled and nodded. "I'll see you in class then. This was such fun. Maybe we can go out for coffee after class next week?"
"I would like that very much," Leedy said, and Jo Anne started her engine.
"Wait!" Leedy exclaimed.
"Yes?" Jo Anne asked.
"You never told me who the woman was Deanna had chosen for Terry."
"Oh, my goodness," Jo Anne said. "I thought you, of all people, already knew!"
"Knew what?"
"Why, it's you, silly," Jo Anne said. "Deanna liked you from the moment she saw you at Mr. Hobo's. You must have made quite an impression on her, dear, because Deanna has picked you to be her Uncle Terry's new girlfriend."
"Me?" Leedy gasped. "But Deanna barely knows me. We spent a day
together shopping just that once but I hardly know her ..."
Jo Anne shrugged and waved her hand. "Apparently that does not matter to Deanna ... or to Terry either. I've noticed the way he looks at you in class, and I guess his niece did too. Deanna says you're the one."
"T erry and I are going out for a latte after class tonight," Jo Anne whispered in Leedy's ear. "Would you like to come with us?"
Thursday night's class was just starting, but Leedy had already begun hoping someone would suggest an after-class outing. Even if it was two hours away. "Okay," she said, a bit too quickly. "It's been a long week. A latte sounds like just what I need."
She stole a quick glance at the blond who sat in the front of the classroom. The woman who had been making eyes at Terry since he walked in. The same woman who made eyes at him during every class. Leedy crossed her fingers and hoped that the blond wouldn't be invited along for coffee.
Krissy Montgomery was wearing a black miniskirt and a cropped pale blue sweater that showed just a little midriff. It also had a plunging neckline. Leedy felt a pang of annoyance when she noticed that Krissy sat in such a way as to give Terry a generous view of her cleavage. He was standing at the front of the classroom, unpacking his briefcase. Leedy noticed him give Krissy a quick smile. She even gave him extra credit for trying to keep his eyes on her face. Just then, Krissy stood up and walked around to the business side of Terry's desk, standing slightly behind him. She leaned over him and was whispering in his ear while moving closer and closer by the second.
Leedy thought of a few choice names to call Krissy, some of which included disparaging remarks about her hair color, but then she remembered Brittany and Deanna were also blond. "Except they're real blondes," she thought bitterly to herself. Leedy scolded herself for being catty as she watched Krissy's wiggling and giggling in front of Terry for as long as she could stand it. She shivered with disdain and opened her notebook. Surely, rereading her notes was a better use of her time.
But, deep down, Leedy couldn't blame Krissy for flaunting her assets, nor did she blame her for flirting. Didn't every other woman in the class seem to flutter around him as if they were moths on a porch light? But Krissy always seemed to take it one step further than the other women. And she didn't seem to be above using any trick in the book to get his attention, be it revealing clothes, unblushing flirtation or ... or ...
Leedy fumed at Krissy's choice of the classroom as a desirable location to turn up the romantic heat and she wished that, just once, Krissy would wear a turtleneck to class. But, no, she couldn't really blame Krissy, or any redblooded woman for that matter, for being attracted to Terry Foster. Even bombshells like Krissy Montgomery are, after all, only human.
Leedy looked up from her notebook. Krissy was now sitting in her seat, looking somewhat pouty, and Terry was standing in front of the classroom. A sure sign that he was ready to begin the night's lecture. Leedy saw that he was looking at her. When he caught her eye he gave her a smile and a secret wink. She returned the smile with a dreamy one of her own.
She loved Terry's class. Every topic that he raised was one of critical relevance to her, and she was surprised at how much she had learned in the three weeks she had been there. She thought she had seen it all over the years working in the restaurant business, but sharing business war stories with the class gave her new insight into the many pitfalls of self-employment.
"Okay, group," Terry said, his eyes lingering on Leedy's side of the room. Krissy Montgomery turned around in her chair and squinted in her direction. Was it her imagination, or did Krissy Montgomery just give her a dirty look? "Tonight we're going to answer that all-important question-will your business be successful? Not every business succeeds, of course. But there are some guidelines to help you predict the viability of your business venture. What do I mean by that? ... Miss Montgomery?"
Krissy smiled magnificently at him and batted her long, perfect eyelashes. "I believe you mean that someone who is looking into beginning a new business should examine all the relevant factors involved before taking those first steps. This is in hopes of objectively discerning whether or not a business will be successful."
"Right," Terry said. "Very good. Can you give me an example?"
"Yes," Krissy said, giving Leedy a sideways glare and flipping her blonder-than-blond hair back with a haughty jerk of her head. "For instance, if I wanted to ... let's say, open up a restaurant ... I would need to decide on the type of restaurant I wanted to open, then choose the best location for my restaurant. I also should ask myself do I have a good feel for the community I will be serving. And even whether or not I have enough brains to follow through with a business strategy . . ." Leedy felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and she glanced at Jo Anne. Jo Anne gave Krissy a warning glare; then she looked at Leedy and shrugged.
"The type of restaurant and where it will be located are important," Terry said. "And we'll assume, for the sake of argument, that there is an adequate supply of brains present. What are some other factors a new business should consider?"
"A few things that come to mind are the education and work experience required. Do I need more? For instance, a degree in business and/or a few years in the trenches would be essential."
"Good point," Terry said and Krissy beamed. Once again, Leedy noticed Krissy give her a sideways glance.
"What's with Blondie?" Jo Anne whispered to Leedy. "Is she trying to tell us something?" Leedy shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"How about start-up capital?" a man from the back of the room asked. "That has been my biggest hurdle. How much money will it take to get the business off the ground?"
"You're right about that being the biggest hurdle," Terry said. "That is a class by itself, of course, but you're absolutely right."
The class discussion turned to start-up costs and budgeting and Leedy quickly forgot about Krissy's nasty remarks. She wrote down every word Terry said and, once again, made a mental note to buy a pocket-sized tape recorder in hopes of sparing her poor, cramped hand.
The rest of the class passed all too quickly. Suddenly it was time to go and Leedy was still laboriously writing in her notebook. She looked up and saw Jo Anne smiling at her, patiently waiting for her to finish writing. Terry was in the front of the room talking with the usual harem of students, all young, female, and eager to talk with him. She felt a stab of jealousy when she saw Krissy was standing the closest, leaning in and listening to something he was saying. She was smiling, her hand lightly touching his elbow as she tried to monopolize his attention.
"Don't worry about Krissy," Jo Anne whispered. "She isn't Terry's type."
"I wasn't worried about her," Leedy said, trying to make her voice sound convincing. "I'm worried about getting to the coffee bar before it closes."
"We have plenty of time," Jo Anne said patiently.
"Good, because I'd love a vanilla latte," Leedy smiled, but her glance returned to the gaggle of students at Terry's desk. "Better make it a large."
"I said, don't worry about Krissy."
"Okay." Leedy said. "I won't. Although I'm not sure about the comments she made earlier. I'm sure she didn't mean anything personal by them, but what's up with the attitude?"
"I don't know about her attitude," Jo Anne said. "But I do know that her comments were personal ... and they were directed to you, my dear. Krissy was trying to slam you, Leedy. Evidently, Deanna and I are not the only ones who have noticed Terry's reaction to you."
Leedy blushed. "He treats me the same way he treats every one else in the room," she scoffed.
"On the surface, yes," Jo Anne noted.
"Besides," Leedy added. "Look at her. Krissy strikes me as someone who can hold her own when she sets out to attract a man."
"Maybe she can attract other men," Jo Anne said. "But Terry hasn't shown much interest. Did you know this is the third time Krissy Montgomery has taken this class?"
"You're kidding! The third time?"
"The third time.
"
"No," Leedy said. "I didn't know that."
"She's been coming on to him for months now. And I can't help but point out that if Krissy hasn't set off his bells yet, she probably never will. Of course, he knows what her real intentions are."
"What real intentions?"
"I'll tell you all about it some other time. But, until then, don't worry about her, Leedy. Krissy Montgomery isn't Terry Foster's type."
Leedy wanted to press Jo Anne for more information, but she noticed Terry had finally gotten Krissy and the other women out of the classroom and was now headed their way.
"Are we ready?" he asked.
"Yes," Jo Anne said. "Leedy?"
"All set," Leedy said, trying not to look at him. She tossed her bookbag over her shoulder.
"Where would you ladies like to go?" Terry asked, leading the way.
"How about ... Oh, no!" Jo Anne gasped, suddenly stopping. "I just remembered! I promised Ryan I would help him with his homework tonight. He has a paper for English that's due tomorrow. I told him I would type it up for him. I can't go!"
"We can all go out another night," Leedy said, feeling her stomach sink in disappointment.
"Nonsense," Jo Anne said. "I know how much you want to continue with the discussion from class. And I also know what a coffee junkie you are. Why don't you and Terry go on without me."
"Okay," Terry said before Leedy had a chance to protest. "Sounds like fun to me."
"Well ... I don't want to keep you from anything ..." Leedy stammered, looking at Terry shyly. The thought of being alone with him made her feel suddenly flushed.
"You're not keeping me from anything," Terry said. "Deanna has a date tonight and I don't have any plans."
Leedy shrugged. "Well, all right," she said, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Very well then," Jo Anne said. "I'll see you two on Tuesday night. Have a good weekend."
Leedy thought she detected a look of triumphant amusement on Jo Anne's face, but she was not certain. They walked Jo Anne to her mini-van and said a quick goodbye.