A Small-Town Reunion (17 page)

He started to lift a hand, to touch one of the glittery things in her hair, but let it drop. “Anything else?”

“I like the flowers you brought me.”

“I thought so.” He took her hand and led her toward her apartment door. “Anything else?”

“I like the fact that you were on time.”

“I was early.”

“Only a little,” she said, lifting a tiny, sparkling handbag from her table as they passed. “But that meant I didn’t have to wait for you.”

“Any longer, anyway” He laced his fingers through hers. “I think we’ve both been waiting for this evening long enough.”

A
DDIE CLUTCHED HER
spangled bag as if it were a lifesaver as Dev coasted beneath the porte cochere of The Breakers Golf and Country Club. She’d been too stunned by his invitation and too caught up in her friends’ excitement to consider the impact of this moment. And now that the moment had arrived—as the valet opened her door and extended his hand to help her from the car—the stunning excitement had been replaced by fear.

She hadn’t wanted to admit it, not even to herself, but there was no denying her apprehension about walking into Dev’s world on his arm. She didn’t need to hear the whispers as he led her through the tall entry doors—they hissed and echoed in her imagination, prickling the hairs at her nape. Isn’t that Addie Sutton, the shopkeeper who lives in an alley? Wasn’t she the housekeeper’s daughter when Dev was in school? The daughter of the woman who embezzled all that money? Dev was always a wild one, but he’s really slumming tonight, isn’t he?

Dev rested his hand on her back as he guided her through the crowd gathered in the entry area. “Are you cold?” he asked with a frown.

“No. I’m fine, really.” She gripped her bag more tightly.

“It’s a perfect night.” His expression transformed to an intimate, reassuring smile that warmed her a few degrees. “How about a drink?”

“Dev.” A man who could have played Santa without the suit approached, his hand outstretched. “Good to see you.”

“Samuel.” Dev nodded as he pumped Samuel’s hand. “It’s been a long time. Have you met Addie Sutton, the owner of the stained-glass shop by the marina?”

“I haven’t had the pleasure.” The smile creases around Samuel’s kind blue eyes made Addie feel as though he meant it.

“How do you do?” she said.

“I’m doing fine. Making the acquaintance of a beautiful young woman always makes me feel just fine.” He reached for the arm of a woman handing a wrap to an attendant. “Martha, come and meet Addie.”

“Addie?” Samuel’s auburn-haired wife extended her hand. “What a pretty name.”

“Stained glass, eh?” asked Samuel.

“She’s an artist.” Dev slipped an arm around her waist. “Wait ’til you see the windows she’s making for that new building on the waterfront.”

“Shame about the fire. That was shaping up to be a beautiful place….”

By the time Dev had maneuvered through the crowd to the bar, he’d introduced her to dozens of friendly people. More than one woman had complimented her on her dress—which was perfectly appropriate, thanks to Tess—and Addie’s anxiety had eased so much that she ordered her usual glass of white wine instead of the stiff drink she’d been planning on.

But she kept her grip on her bag.

She managed to relax during dinner, enjoying the fabulous meal and reminiscing with Dev about favorite teachers and homecoming antics. But when the music started, her nerves returned. She stared at the couples gliding over the dance floor, moving in steps and patterns she didn’t know.

“Amazing, aren’t they?” Dev asked. “Those older couples will probably show the younger crowd a few smooth moves and stay later than anyone else.”

Addie dropped her gaze to the napkin she was twisting in her lap. “Does everyone dance like that?”

“I think you have to be together a long time before you can dance like that.”

“That’s not what I meant. But you’re right—it is amazing.” She placed her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand, and then she jerked her hand back into her lap, remembering her manners.

Dev smiled and made a point of resting both his elbows on the table. He’d been doing little things like that all night, trying to put her at ease. He nodded toward the dancers. “Mel Franchi over there, twirling Stella around—I’ll bet they’ve been dancing with each other for nearly fifty years. And they still look at each other like it’s their first date.”

“That’s so sweet.”

“They don’t look a day older than they did the first time I saw them dancing like that,” he said. “And that must have been twenty years ago.”

“You probably thought everyone looked ancient.” She finished the last of her wine. “I did when I was young.”

“That would explain it.”

They sat in silence through another tune, watching
as several more couples joined the crowd on the parquet floor.

“Looks like fun,” Dev said as Mr. Franchi guided his wife through another fancy turn. “Let’s give it a try.”

“Oh, I don’t know if I can.” Addie squeezed the wrinkled napkin she’d laid on the table. “I don’t know how to dance like that.”

“We don’t have to dance like that.” He stood and held out a hand, waiting for her to take it. “We can make up our own steps.”

“But I—”

“Come on, Addie. Just one dance. Just so we can say we gave it a shot.”

She stared at his hand, wishing for a second that she’d never agreed to come here tonight. At last she slid her palm into his, and he gave her fingers a comforting squeeze as he helped her to her feet. He led her to a darkened corner, far from the band.

She stopped at the edge of the dance floor and tugged him close. “I really don’t know how to dance like this.”

He lowered his head, his mouth near her ear. “Trust me?”

“I’ll have to.”

“Come on, then.”

He led her onto the floor, shifted his grip on her hand and placed his other hand low on her back. “We’re just going to take a little walk,” he told her, already moving. “All you have to do is move in time to the music and keep your toes out from under my shoes.”

He kept it simple, one step after another, guiding her in a slow circle.

“Oh.” She gave him a delighted smile. “We’re doing it.”

“Yes, we are.” He grinned back, looking absurdly pleased with them both. “Ready for a trick? Let’s shuffle off to the side.”

Addie laughed, thrilled with the fact they were moving in sync. She tickled a finger along the back of his neck, and he drew her closer. And a few minutes later, when the music slowed and he rested his forehead against hers, she wondered whether they were as smooth and steady as the older couples surrounding them. It sure felt that way.

Dev was right. It was amazing.

“Amazing,”
he whispered, in sync with her thoughts.

A
DDIE COULDN’T HELP SMILING
at her reflection in the long mirror above the counter in the ladies’ room. Her hair was coiling madly and her lip gloss needed some serious repair, but the giddy delight ping-ponging inside her was on display, giving her a glow no cosmetics could hide. Tonight was making up for the disappointments of her prom experience. And several years of mediocre dinner dates. She hummed to herself as she leaned toward the glass to dab a bit of gloss on her lips.

“I saw you out on the dance floor, with Dev.” Courtney Whitfield’s reflection appeared beside Addie’s. “He sure has some smooth moves, doesn’t he?”

Addie managed an acknowledging smile and concentrated on the gloss.

“I remember him trying some on me, in cotillion.
That’s ballroom dance class,” she added for Addie’s benefit.

“I know what it is.”

“Looks like you were enjoying the benefit of all those lessons tonight.”

“Yes.”

“Better late than never.”

“Addie Sutton. Is that really you?” Serena Bennett dropped her satin clutch purse on the counter beside Addie’s. “I thought I saw you with Dev, but I couldn’t believe it.”

“Neither could I.” Courtney smiled and shook her head. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? The heir to the family fortune dallying with the maid’s daughter. Like something out of a novel.”

“I think it’s romantic.” Serena stared at the mirror, finger-combing her short, highlighted layers.

“But then I remembered hearing old lady Chandler’s been out of town.” Courtney’s smile sharpened. “When the cat’s away…”

“Not all of them, at any rate.” Addie dropped her gloss into her purse. “Excuse me, ladies. My date is waiting.”

Addie’s hands were shaking so badly as she walked out the door that she couldn’t manage the clasp on the fancy little bag. She’d never been able to handle confrontation. She was glad she’d stood up for herself, but saying spiteful things always made her feel small and mean.

“Damn,” she whispered.

D
EV PACED THE WIDE
passageway outside the ladies’ lounge, waiting for Addie to reappear. She slipped
through the door, shoulders hunched and chin down, fussing over the catch on her sparkly handbag.

“Here, let me help you with that.” He gently pried the purse from her grip, frowning when he noticed her trembling fingers. “These things can be complicated.”

“You have no idea.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m sorry I took so long in there.”

“The results were worth the wait.” He returned her purse and took her by the arm, guiding her toward the entry. “I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

He opened the door for her, and they stepped into a cooling summer evening. A layer of fog was moving in from offshore, bringing with it a briny ocean scent. He wondered if Addie might feel chilled in her sleeveless dress, and he slid an arm around her shoulders, drawing her to his side as he handed the valet his card.

“I took a call on my cell while you were in the lounge,” he said after the valet had left to arrange for the car. “Tess has been trying to reach you. Your mother is in the hospital emergency room. She’s doing fine now,” Dev added immediately when she tensed and turned to face him. “But she’d like you to come as soon as you can.”

“What happened?” Addie asked as the car arrived. The valet opened her door and stood waiting, but she ignored him. “Is she hurt?”

“No,” Dev said. “She had some sort of attack.”

“Her heart?”

“Tess didn’t think so.” He took her hand and helped her into the car, tipped the valet and jogged to the driver’s side and slid in. “One of your mom’s friends—”

“Laurie?”

“Tess didn’t say.” He pulled smoothly out of the lot, heading toward town. “This friend told Tess that one of the tenants in Lena’s apartment building had gone to talk with her about a repair. He thought she was drunk, at first, because her speech was slurred and she seemed dizzy. But then he got worried when he noticed she couldn’t move one of her arms, and he called an ambulance.”

“Oh, God.”

Dev grabbed Addie’s hand and gave it a squeeze, wishing he could do more to ease her anxiety. “By the time the ambulance arrived, your mom was fine. Embarrassed by all the fuss. When she couldn’t reach you, she called her friend, and the friend took her to the emergency room.”

“And when my mom still couldn’t reach me, she called Tess.” Addie’s fingers tightened on her little bag. “My phone wouldn’t fit in this purse, so I left it at home.”

Dev made a turn in the direction of Carnelian Cove General, keeping one eye on the road and another on the gauges. It wouldn’t help matters if he were pulled over for speeding.

“How long has she been at the hospital? How long was she trying to reach me—did Tess say?”

“I don’t know. We’re on our way now.” He rolled to a stop at a signal and flexed his fingers on the steering wheel. “You’ll be there as soon as you possibly can.”

“I shouldn’t have left my phone at home.”

“You couldn’t have known you’d need it.” The ragged pain and guilt in her voice was a knife, slicing deep, ripping him up inside. He started through the intersection, shifted into a higher gear and then reached
for her hand again. “It’s not your fault your mother is in the hospital. And it’s not your fault you weren’t there with her when she first arrived.”

Addie’s fingers curled around his, but there was no affection in the tiny embrace. She stared out the passenger-side window, and he sensed her slipping away, retreating behind the barrier her mother had always thrown up between them. He released her hand to adjust the car’s thermostat and warm the space.

“What else did Tess say?”

“She made a point of letting me know Lena’s doing fine.” He gave Addie a reassuring smile. “She was feeling perfectly normal before she got to the emergency room. They’re running a few tests. Just standard, routine tests.”

“I’m sorry for ruining your evening.”

“Apologizing again?” He downshifted around a corner and started up the long, steep approach to the hospital building. “That’s a nasty habit you’ve got there, Addie.”

He pulled into one of the spaces reserved for emergency room visitors and switched off the ignition. “And just for the record,” he said, “the evening isn’t over yet. You’ve got several more hours to do something more deserving of an apology.”

She unbuckled her seat belt and grabbed the handle. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

“You’re welcome.” He exited the car and strode to her side, but she’d already climbed out.

“You don’t have to walk me in,” she said as he took her by the arm and started down a path marked in diagonal white stripes.

“Like I said, the evening isn’t over yet.”

“You don’t have to wait with me.”

“I know.”

“I can call a cab to get my mom home.”

He tightened his grip on her arm. “When I invite a woman out for the evening, I see her to her door.”

“What if you end up seeing her—and her mother—to her mother’s door?” Addie asked as they arrived at the emergency entrance.

Dev opened the wide glass door and gestured for her to enter ahead of him. “There’s a first time for everything.”