Heart Strings (8 page)

“You did? Don't tell me how it ends. Just give me a hint. Does Amy—”

“Pardon me, romance lovers,” Tripp said. “If it's okay, I'll let you two swap girl talk while I entertain the kids.”

Rosa looked up at him gratefully. “Thanks Tripp, for understanding.”

“No problem, kiddo.” Honking his nose, he ducked out of the room, then peeked in again. “Back in a little while, Keely.”

“He's been where we are, so he truly understands us,” Rosa said, laying her hand over her heart.

“Wha—what do you mean?” Keely stammered.

“Uh … he visits here so regularly, he knows all about us kids.” Rosa wagged the book she was reading at Keely. “What other books do you recommend?”

It seemed like only minutes until Tripp came back. “We don't want to tire Miss-Almost-a-Teenager out,” he said,

Keely had forgotten the girl was sick, and Tripp's words sent a shock of fear through her. They'd been laughing and gabbing like two regular, healthy girls. She backed toward the door.

“I told Keely you understand us because you visit so often,” Rosa said, “and now you're acting like a spoilsport.

*****

Rosa's remark set Tripp's heart pounding. She said it as if she was trying to tell him something, but what? While he and Keely waited for an elevator, he thought about making an excuse to go back and ask but didn't want to arouse suspicions. Suspicions—about what? His heart. Rosa must have said something to indicate he'd had a transplant, then tried to cover up.

“Wait,” one of the younger kids called, barreling down the hall in his wheelchair. “You entertained while my folks were visiting and I missed you. And Tina was in therapy and missed you too.”

“We can't have that,” Tripp said, leaning over for the boy to honk his nose. “Do you mind going back with me for a few minutes, Keely?”

“What do you do?” Gerard asked, seeming to notice her for the first time. “And where are your clothes?”

Megan's face turned apple red and she ducked her head.

The little boy, who wore Star War pajamas, motioned toward her jeans and pocket tee shirt. “You ought to wear clown clothes.”

“She's not a clown,” Tripp explained quickly.

“Do you have a red heart?” Gerard asked her.

Keely shrugged and laid her hand over the chest. “Mine's the same color as anyone else's, I guess.”

The little boy cracked up and Keely shot Tripp a questioning glance.

Lifting his striped vest, he showed her his red vinyl heart.

“Mine's not that red.” She smiled at Gerard. “But my face is.”

Tripped beamed a smile at her. She'd made an excellent recovery.

“If you're not a clown, you could be,” Gerard told her, his blue eyes serious. “But you can't have a heart like that unless you're special. Right, Trippo?”

Tripp did a handstand and let a rubber snake slide out of his sleeve, then pushed Gerard's wheelchair lickety-split down the hall to Tina's room where he did a series of tricks. “You didn't need to half-kill yourself showing off how special you are,” Keely complained when they left the hospital a half hour later. “The kids are impressed without you breaking a sweat.”

“And you?” He drew her close and rubbed noses with her.

His blue nose honked faintly, and she giggled. “Me too.”

“How impressed would you be with a clown kiss?” he asked, and without waiting for an answer, proceeded to find out.

*****

Keely started waking up early, as eager for Tripp's arrival for ball practice as Joey. Soon they made her catcher, but with Joey batting, it was more like 'go-getter'. She was taking a break while Tripp tried to teach Joey not to back away from the ball when Megan stopped by on her way to work.

“I'm getting more exercise than I like,” Keely complained, stretching her aching legs out in front of her lawn chair.

“I'm inhaling more grease fumes than I like, but it's killed my appetite, so I've lost three pounds. A girl's gotta do what she's gotta do.” Megan, shading her eyes to watch Tripp showing Joey how to stay in place and swing, grinned meaningfully. “What progress have you made?”

Her yellow striped uniform looked crisp, her cap jaunty, but after work, her blonde hair hung limply and her uniform was covered with grease, making Keely glad she'd chosen to 'sit rather than work at Hoosier Hot Wings. Her aching muscles were nothing to complain about by comparison, and Tripp's daily visits were a big bonus. “Progress?”

Keely smiled. When Tripp left with a kiss the other night, she'd been elated, and when she'd reached her bedroom and discovered white paint on her face and lipstick on her mouth, she'd almost fallen down laughing. She'd also been glad her parents hadnvt seen her come in. “I think he might be interested in me, and I could actually 'like' him. But it's weird he's living with Mark's mother and she told him we'd get along well.”

“She's always liked you, and maybe she's put things into perspective about Mark.”

Keely played with the frayed edge of her jean shorts. “So, you think I should go to a movie with Tripp?”

“Is that a rhetorical question or did he ask you?”

“He hinted at asking me.” Keely flipped her pony tail on top her head and anchored it. She'd rather swim in cool lake waters or lie on her bed in her air-conditioned room and read than swelter in the hot sun. She hated sweating. But to see Tripp, she had to 'do' baseball.

“Then you should hint you'd like to go. Tripp seems shy and no guy likes to ask for a date and be turned down. So he's probably trying to figure out what you’ll say.” Megan checked her watch and sighed. “I'd better go. The grease pit awaits.”

“Meg? What's your take on him? Shy? Although I'm not sure I agree, what else?”

“Sincere. He strikes me right off as a guy who's honest and sincere.”

Keely smiled. “Me too, and I like that. He and I laugh a lot and we can discuss events and philosophy and stuff. Nothing super heavy, but something besides cycles and cars.” She blushed. “Nothing against Mark. We all have our pet subjects.”

“Mark was obsessed.” Megan looked over her shoulder as she rose, to check the back of her uniform. A naturally neat person, she was always checking her clothes for wrinkles.

“Mr. Cluck won't notice,” Keely teased, using the name they'd privately given Hot Wings' manager.

Megan shrugged. “Allow me some dignity. Grease doesn’t become me. If I get zits….” She let her threat trail off as Tripp called out a greeting to her. Waving, she took Keely by the arm and whispered. “Don't take a chance. Mention the name of a yummy romantic movie or a scare-you-so-bad-you-have-to-cling-to-one-another mystery to him, and show a deep interest in going.”

*****

Keely lay under a spreading maple, soaking up shade, and Tripp was eager to join her. “That's enough ball for one day, Joey. You don't want to develop sore muscles.”

Joey took off down the street and Tripp called him back to ask where he was going. “To get Billy and walk down to the creek where there's shade and frogs and maybe snakes. Want to go?”

“No, thanks, but you'd better ask Keely first.”

“It was her idea. She said when we finished, I might like to do something to cool off and she told me to call a buddy to go along.”

Tripp glanced toward the quilt where Keely lay, her head propped on a fat plaid pillow, her face in a book. Had she planned to get rid of her brother for a reason? Tripp hoped she had and hoped the reason was him. Sending Joey on, he strolled over to her. She looked pretty, even with her hair pinned on top her head and the ends sticking out like a tiny fan. “You forgot to come back after your break, Ms. Catcher.”

“I have a confession to make.” She grinned and sat up to loop her arms around her knees. “I’m not a sports lover.”

He dropped down on the quilt beside her. He could ask why she'd offered to play, but he didn't want to put her on the spot, and he hoped he knew. “I'm not big on sports myself, but I wanted to help Joey.”

She smiled lazily, pulling a buckhorn and twirling it between her fingers. “You're a thoughtful guy.”

“You were thoughtful to visit Rosa. She thanked me for bringing you and wants to know when you're coming back.”

“Maybe I ought to get some clown clothes first, like Gerard suggested.” Keely tapped Tripp on the chest with the weed. “He said you had to do something special to wear a red heart.”

Tripp grabbed the buckhorn away from her and tickled her neck. She grabbed it back. “What did you do that was special? Work for HAH?”

“Yes.” He exhaled slowly, and as quickly as his fear subsided, a sense of guilt set in. “Sort of. That is, I donated … uh … spent a lot of time … in cardiac care.” Dang. He'd had to go into Pinocchio mode again.

“Stop being so modest.” Keely tickled him under the nose with the fuzzy topped buckhorn. “You're devoted to the kids and deserve recognition.”

He grabbed one end and pulled, but it slipped out of his sweaty hand, and she won.

“Are you going to the hospital today?” she asked, even though she must know he went every day.

“This afternoon, but not tonight. There's a program tonight for the kids. A country gospel singer's entertaining them.” He wiped his palms on his cutoffs.

“Maybe I'll go with you this afternoon and visit Rosa.”

“You have to watch Joey.”

“Evelyn might keep him for a while.”

“She's going to the beauty shop.” Rosa would love for Keely to visit, but with questions about his vinyl heart on her mind, today wasn't a good time. It wouldn't take long at the hospital to learn the truth at the hospital, if she tried.

“Evelyn is going to the beauty shop?”

“Yes. I thought I might see a movie tonight since I'm free.”

Keely, who for some reason looked befuddled about Evelyn’s hair appointment, suddenly seemed to pay attention to him again. “What's playing?”

“Assassin in Alcatraz at the Tivoli. Love Everlasting at Vaudette, and Comedy 2000 at the Times Theater.”

“Let me guess. You're going to see Assassin because it's a mystery.”

“I'm not sure. Which sounds best to you?”

“Me?” Keely's voice came out in a kind of croak.

Would she be shocked if he asked her to go? He'd hinted he'd like to take her on a real date. Alone. “Let me guess. Love Everlasting.”

“I'm not sure. I've heard good reviews about Comedy 2000.”

“Would you like to see it then? Or the romance? Or the mystery where you might get scared and cling to me?” Tripp felt his ears and neck heat up.

“Tripp?” Keely tapped him on the chest. “Are you asking me to go with you to a movie?”

His face, even his nose, turned red. “I thought I said that.”

“You didn't, exactly, but the answer is yes.”

*****

“Thank heavens we spotted Will and sat as far as we could from him,” Keely said when they arrived back at her house after seeing Comedy 2000. “The movie was funny, but he laughed so loudly, it was hard to hear the next line.”

“I just don't get him,” Tripp said. “Most people who've suffered poor health seem older than their years. He acts like he's half his age.”

“Will's not most people. Even the children at the theater were ready to throw their popcorn at him.” Keely rolled her eyes. “I had a nice time anyway, Tripp.”

“Me too.” He'd enjoyed holding her hand, the sweet scent of her cologne floating his way. The soft tickle of her hair when she leaned close to whisper something to him and it swished against his cheek. And he'd loved the way they laughed and laughed together. “Thanks for knowing a good Mexican restaurant where we could pig out afterward. It was odd for me to crave Mexican. Chinese, maybe. Italian, definitely. But I never thought I'd kill for a taco before.”

In the dim rays of the porch light, he saw a blush touch her cheeks. “I never cared for tacos, but Mark could eat a dozen.”

Tripp felt his own cheeks redden. He hadn't killed anyone but he felt like a first-class slug for wishing Mark hadn't done everything better.

“You didn't do bad. Your six disappeared in about as many seconds.” Keely smiled up at him, her eyes unshadowed by the talk of Mark. She was slowly letting go of the despair her memories seemed to bring her. Grateful for her smile, Tripp traced her lips with his finger and she didn't pull away.

“And I'm just a novice,” he said gently, so as not to take anything away from her idol. Then, he lowered his mouth slowly, so she could pull away if she wanted. But she didn't, and when Tripp's mouth closed over hers, she sighed gently into his kiss. This time, he wouldn’t leave lipstick prints on her face, but he hoped he'd leave a small imprint on her heart.

*****

CHAPTER 8

Keely was happier than she'd been in months and months. Joey's pitching and batting were both improving, so he needed less practice. He and his buddy had signed up for craft classes at the park, and she and Tripp took bicycle rides, with him riding her dad's old ten-speed. They took Joey and his friends swimming at the municipal pool or on hikes along the creek he liked. In the afternoon, when Tripp went to the hospital, she sat on the couch and read romance books while Joey watched TV.

Tripp visited the kids at the hospital three or four nights a week as well, but when he came back, they'd sit on her front steps in the moonlight and talk. Or sometimes, they'd sit in Evelyn's screened-in sun room and play checkers while she crocheted. She liked having company and they'd become so engrossed in their game, they'd forget she was there.

June was almost gone when Keely and Tripp took a weekend trip to the lake with Megan's family. The guys—Devon, Tripp, and Mr. Hendrix—slept outside while Keely slept in the camper with Megan and Mrs. Hendrix. By day, they rode the pontoon, lying flat to absorb the sun's rays, then diving into the lake to cool off. Megan teased Tripp about dog-paddling instead of really swimming, and he acted like a dog, barking and howling at the sun. But when Keely teased him about being modest because he never took off his T-shirt, even in the water, he climbed back on the pontoon. “Are you angry?” she asked, sitting next to where he lay on the deck, his arms over his eyes.