Dance Like Nobody's Watching (Summer Lake 3) (13 page)

He chewed his thumb as he walked over to the plate
glass window that rose twenty feet to the ceiling. As much as he
liked everyone up there, it was Missy that changed everything. The
beautiful, little Missy. As he rested his forehead against the cool
glass, he realized that it wasn't just that he didn't mind being
around her, he actually missed her when he wasn't. He thought about
her much of the time, and Scot too. He couldn't remember to buy
coffee for himself, but he had remembered to stop at the bookstore to
get the textbooks for Scotty. That was why this place felt so empty
now, when it never had before—it was because they weren't here
with him. He felt alone because he wasn't there with them. He
wandered into the bedroom to change into his workout gear. He hadn't
told Jack, but he'd added a bike, a rower, and a full weight bench to
the home gym birthday gift that had started it all. He needed to
think clearly, and the endorphin rush from a good workout would help.
All the parameters of his world were shifting. He needed to figure
out how best to arrange them to suit the man he was becoming and the
kind of life he was starting to want.

Missy pulled the sheets from the dryer and dumped
them into the laundry basket. She'd get Scot to help her with them in
a little while. She hated folding sheets, so the two of them made a
game out of it, dancing around the kitchen. She smiled, remembering
the look on his face when he'd helped her fold his sheets on Monday.
He'd told her how Dan had taken care of his wet bedding and pajamas
that morning, before he'd walked with him to the bus stop. She'd been
so pleased. Pleased that Dan had helped him out with his little
accident, and that he qualified as cool enough to be seen with in
public.
She
wasn't allowed to accompany Scot to the bus stop
under any circumstances.

Lindy Miller, Jarret's mom, had called her to ask
about the hot guy who had picked Scot up after the robotics trip.
Apparently Dan had caused quite a stir. She felt the now familiar
fluttering in her stomach at the thought of him. She could see why
people called them butterflies. She couldn't wait for tomorrow night.
For their date. They hadn't even talked about where they would go,
but she didn't care. They'd probably go to the Boathouse, it wasn't
like there were many other options around the lake. As long as Ben
left them alone, and the whole gang didn't come down to join them, it
would be fine. She wanted to be alone with him, have him all to
herself for an evening. She was excited just to be going on a date—it
had been a long time. She'd dated some over the years, but it was
hard with Scot to think about. Most guys didn't get it. She'd never
met anyone she'd felt was worthy of being around her son. She'd
certainly never met anyone like Dan before. On the surface he didn't
make any sense as a guy for her. He was so damned smart. When he and
Scot talked computers—or robots, or physics, or even math for
that matter, they may as well be talking Arabic for all she
understood. She had common sense and life smarts, but all that techno
stuff fried her brain when she tried to grasp it. Apart from being so
smart, Dan was also quiet. She had thought he was shy, but she wasn't
so sure about that now. It wasn't that he was afraid to talk to
people, he just didn't bother with mundane chatter. If he was
interested in the conversation, he joined in. If he wasn't, he didn't
see the point in talking for the sake of it. She, on the other hand,
could chatter away with the best of them. She usually saw the funny
side of things, and liked to share it. She loved to make people laugh
and was never afraid to speak her mind. It shouldn't make any sense
that Dan liked talking to her and she liked listening to him, but she
was glad of it.

She threw another load in the washer, wondering
what she should wear tomorrow night. He must have seen every outfit
she owned by now. She wanted to look good, but she couldn't exactly
afford to go out and buy something new. She mentally ran through her
wardrobe. The doorbell interrupted her musings and she went to see
who it was.

“Hey, Miss!”

“Hey, you two! This is a nice surprise.”
Emma and Jack stood on the doorstep. “Come on in.” They
followed her through to the kitchen.

“How are you feeling?” asked Emma.

Missy grinned. “I'm fine, honestly. Almost
back to full strength, just like I told you this morning.” Emma
had called everyday to see how she was doing. “You'd think
there was something really wrong with me, the way you've all been
carrying on. Though it is kind of nice to know you care. Have a seat,
do you want a drink, or anything?”

Jack sat at the kitchen table. “Not for me,
thanks. I've got to run over to see Ben, so I’ll leave you
ladies to visit a while.”

“I'll have an orange juice,” said
Emma, “but I'll get my own.” She was at the fridge before
Missy could move. “Do you want one?”

“Yes, please, but I'm not used to being
offered a drink in my own home. I was a bit tired, not at death's
door!”

Jack laughed. “You're just not used to
having people looking out for you, Miss, but now we're up here you're
going to have to get used to it, okay?”

“I don't know.” Missy smiled. “I
mean, it's nice to feel cared for, but damn! I'm not allowed to do
anything. I haven't been to work all week. I haven't even cooked a
meal. You're right, I'm not used to it. At least I've still got
Scotty to take care of, otherwise I'd feel completely useless!”
Emma and Jack exchanged a look. “What? What are you two
scheming?”

Jack laughed. “You don't miss a trick, do
you?”

“Can't afford to in my world, hon. Now tell
me what you're up to?”

“We came to see if Scot can come up to North
Cove tomorrow night and stay with us?”

Missy frowned. “Why?”

“Because,” said Jack, “the gang
is all coming up there for dinner. Michael is bringing Ethan and we
thought Scotty would enjoy it.”

She wrinkled her nose at them. “Why do I
feel like you're all taking over my life?”

Jack looked concerned. “We're not trying to
interfere, Miss. It was just an idea.”

Emma laughed. “Yes we are. We're interfering
because we know you're going out with Dan tomorrow night, okay?”

Missy nodded. “Yeah, that's more like it.”

“So we're all staying out of town. Even Ben
is taking the night off and coming up to our place. That way you two
will have the run of the town all to yourselves. And Ethan has been
dying to see Scotty.”

Missy shook her head. “Oh, the joys of small
town living.”

Jack nodded. “You know what they say—the
worst thing about it is that everyone knows your business, and the
best thing about it? Is that everyone knows your business!”

“Ain't that the truth!” agreed Missy.
“And thanks, guys. It is sweet of you to do that. I'm sure Scot
would love it. He was going to go to my dad's, but he wasn't too keen
on the idea.”

Emma smiled. “Well, ask him, to make sure,
but I'll bet I can seal it with the offer of pizza and pie.”

Missy laughed. “With that offer, you'll
probably get Dan up there too!”

“No chance!” said Jack. “Who do
you think suggested getting Scot and Ethan together? He wants to take
you out, but not unless he knows Scot gets to do something fun too.”

Missy smiled. Dan was so thoughtful, and it wasn't
as if he was just doing it for her. She knew how much he cared about
her son. Now she wouldn't feel guilty about not only usurping time
Scot would normally get to spend with Dan, but adding insult to
injury by packing him off to Poppy Jim's. Scot loved his grandpa, but
there was no internet connection at his place. Her dad would have
come to her, but he'd expect to see Dan leave before he left himself.
Missy was hoping that Dan wouldn't be leaving at all. She realized
Jack was watching her.

“I'm hoping you two will have a good time,
Miss. I've never seen him like this.”

Missy didn't want to say too much. “I'm
hoping so too.”

“And on Saturday,” said Emma, “Scot
and Dan can get their time because, if you feel up to it, you, me,
and Holly are going to LA to get our costumes.”

“In that plane?” asked Missy warily.

Emma laughed. “Yes, we're going to go
hurtling through the skies in our very own tin can again. But don't
worry, I've asked Smoke to stock extra champagne to take the edge off
your nerves.”

That plane really did make her nervous. It was
kind of cool to be able to just pop to LA or San Francisco for a
day's shopping, but still. “Okay.” she said. “I'll
be brave.”

Jack laughed. “That's the spirit, Miss. Now.
I'd better get over to see Ben. I'll be back in an hour, Mouse,
okay?”

“Yes, say hi to Ben for me?”

“Will do.” He stood and gave Emma a
quick kiss. He hugged Missy. “See ya.”

Missy hugged him back. Jack was a good guy; she
was glad he'd been so determined to earn Emma's trust. They were good
together. “Bye, Jack.”

“Do you feel like packing a bag?”
asked Emma once he'd gone.

Missy laughed. “Why? Are we planning on
skipping town?”

“No!” Emma laughed with her. “My
running days are over. Jack's been so good to me. I'm over myself and
being scared. These days he's the only place I want to run to.”

“Good,” said Missy. I'm glad to hear
it, but if we're not running away why do I need to pack a bag?”

“Because we might stay at my apartment when
we go into the city shopping. And don't worry, if we do Scot can stay
with Dan and Jack. Since you're not supposed to lift a finger, I
thought I should help you pack your bag now.”

“Seriously, Em? It's not exactly a big job.”

“Just humor me, would you?”

“Fine. Come on then.” They went
upstairs and Emma sat on the bed while Missy packed an overnight bag.
“There,” she said once she was done. “Happy now?”

“Um, I will be in a minute.” Emma went
into the closet and came out holding a little black dress.

“Team Slinky?” asked Missy. It was the
dress she had worn for Emma's bachelorette party. Emma, Holly and
Laura had all worn exactly the same that night.

Emma laughed. “It's best to be prepared for
anything.” She folded the dress and put it in the bag and
closed it up. She grabbed the bag and ran down the stairs with it.”

“Where are you going?” laughed Missy
as she followed.

Emma went out of the front door and ran down the
path. She slid open the minivan door and put the bag in the back.
Missy stood at the bottom of the stairs watching.

Emma came back in and grinned. “Just making
sure you won't forget it.”

“Sometimes I worry about you!”

“No need,” said Emma with a sweet
smile. “I'm not as crazy as I make out.”

“I hope not.” Missy turned and looked
back up the stairs as Scot emerged from his room. “Hey, Scotty.
Want to come down and say hi to Auntie Em? She's got something to ask
you.”

***

Dan stared out of the window, not seeing the city
below. He rarely noticed the view from his apartment. It was
illogical to pay a premium for something that others coveted yet he
barely noticed. He recognized now that many aspects of his life had
become illogical over the last couple of years. He did things that
should suit a person in his position, but that didn't actually suit
him. He'd never really liked San Jose, but it was logical for
Prometheus to be here. If he was going to sell his share of the
company, it wouldn't make sense for him to stay here. He felt no
emotion about what had happened. His partnership with Steven was
over. The company they'd started in a garage and grown to be worth
hundreds of millions of dollars, was about to be subsumed into a
huge—and to him, distasteful—corporation. Everything that
had been his life here was ending and he felt nothing. Well, perhaps
that wasn't true. He felt no negative emotions, but he did have a
sneaking sense of relief, of freedom. In the early days Prometheus
had been fun, building, coding, striving, even persuading venture
capitalists to invest in them; that had all been fun. He'd loved it,
felt alive. The last few years though, it had all grown stale. The
only highlights had been developing new programs, but they'd just
been more of the same. He hadn't done anything truly innovative in
two or three years. As he'd told Herb, this might turn out to be a
good thing. It wasn't like money was an issue. He had more than
enough to live out several lifetimes in style, and that was before he
sold his share—to Steven, or Systech, or whomever, he didn't
particularly care. He just wanted out. He didn't know what he was
going to do next. He did know it would be something he wanted to do,
something he could enjoy and find value in.

The intercom buzzed. He went to answer it. “Yes?”

“Hey, Mr. Dan. It's Herb.”

“Hey Herb. What's up?”

“You have a visitor. A Mr. Ryan Brady.”

“Ryan? Jesus, send him on up, Herb. Thanks.”

Dan went to the door and waited, watching the
elevator lights flicker their way up to him. What the hell was Ryan
doing here? The elevator doors opened and there he was. Even in a
suit, Ryan looked rough around the edges, menacing even.

“Hey, nerd!”

Dan laughed. “Ryan! What the hell brings you
out of the jungle, or the desert or wherever it is you hide these
days?”

Ryan grinned and clasped Dan's shoulder. “I
could tell you, but then I'd have to shoot you, and it'd be a shame
to lose my favorite nerd.”

“Well, come on in,” said Dan. “I've
got some beer if you want one?”

Ryan followed him into the penthouse and looked
around. “Damn! Looks like tech town's been good to you.”

Dan shrugged, “I wouldn't say it's been good
to me, but I have made a shitload of cash.”

“It's got you in shape too, by the looks of
it.”

Dan felt a little self-conscious as Ryan looked
him over. He did have more muscle, was in better shape than he'd ever
been, but standing next to Ryan he felt like a whippet next to a
Rottweiler. They were equal in height, but Ryan was probably twice as
wide, and solid muscle. His neck was probably wider around than Dan's
thigh. “I did finally get around to working out, like you
always told me. And you were right, I do love it.”