Another Saturday Night and I Ain't Got No Body (A Page Turners Novel) (9 page)

Crash!

The plate Maggie had been rinsing slipped from her hands and crashed into the sink, shattering into several pieces. “Damn it,” she cried.

“Oh Maggie, let me help you.” Cassie jumped up from her chair and went to Maggie. She gingerly picked the pieces out of the sink and deposited them in the trash can Maggie had pulled from the cabinet below.

Maggie knew the girls thought she’d been thinking about Chad, but actually the mention of the computer had brought up her nightly ritual, and she fumbled the plate in the soapy water
.
 

“Maggie, I just loved that Boston Crème Pie,” Sunny said, in an obvious effort to change the subject and divert Maggie’s thoughts away from cheating men. “Which bakery did you find it in?”

“Oh, uh, the little one on the corner of Broadway, down from my office.” Putting the trash bin back under the sink, she pasted a smile back on her face as she looked up. “I’m fine, girls. I got a little off kilter for a sec, but I’m back now.”

She put her arm around Cassie’s shoulder, and the women relaxed as Maggie’s tension eased. “I’m awfully glad I have you girls to lean on though. Now, tell me about this new date for Sunny. Where is he taking her?”

“Mabel didn’t say, but we gave him Sunny’s address, and he’ll pick her up at six on Saturday night. I would say dress casually. I don’t think he has a lot of money. How much money could he make playing Pac-man anyway?”

The women smiled at Edna’s reference to the eighty’s video game, knowing the advances in the industry over the past several decades.

“I’m coming over Saturday night,” Maggie said suddenly. “You told us all about this Hank the Tank, but I can’t really picture him. I want to see the next guy.” 

“Oh, me too,” Cassie said. “But I can’t. One of the kids has a football game Saturday night. Dang it.”

“I have Bingo Saturday night so I can’t be there either,” Edna said. “And this week, I’m going for the Double Diamond Board. They’re giving away a hundred dollar cash prize
and
a ham!”

“Maggie, you will have to be our designated date eyewitness, and tell us what you think of Mabel’s ‘nice boy’ grandson,” Cassie instructed.

“I would love it if you were there,” Sunny said. “It’s always awkward right when they show up.”

“Okay, I’ll be there at five-thirty,” Maggie said, then glanced up at the clock on her kitchen wall. “I wonder when the kids will get back.”

* * *

The sun balanced over the mountains in gorgeous hues of pink and shades of blue, as Drew and Piper walked the few blocks to the neighborhood park. They walked in companionable silence, and at some point, Drew had reached over and intertwined his fingers with Piper’s
.
Their joined hands swung slightly as they walked through the park.

Piper still could not believe that this cute boy was walking next to her and holding her hand. She felt like he must be able to hear how loud her heart was beating, and she worried that her palm would start sweating. As if he could read her mind, Drew squeezed her hand, and gave her an encouraging smile. She wondered if her thoughts were somehow written across her forehead because he always seemed to know what she was thinking.

The smell of freshly mown grass hung in the air as they stepped onto the small playground complete with swings, monkey bars, and a couple of slides.

Piper had always loved to swing, and she took a seat on the plastic u-shaped swing, and grasped the cool metal chains. Drew grabbed the edges of her seat and pulled back, only to release her into the air. He gave her several good pushes, her legs shot out, and her head fell back, her hair free, and a laugh escaped her lips.

Her swing finally slowed and Drew approached and stood behind her, his hands on the chains above her shoulders. She leaned back into his muscled chest, and he rested his chin on top of her head.

“I like to hear you laugh,” he said into her hair.

She smiled and snuggled closer into his chest.

“Piper, I have a confession to make.”

Her smile froze at his words, and her body stiffened. “Okay.”

“I don’t know how to tell you this, but I didn’t
actually
read the
Catcher in the Rye
.” 

She relaxed, and pushed off the swing to turn and face him.

“I only talked to you about it with stuff my mom told me from your book club.”  He grinned at her. “And the worst part is, I got an A on my essay paper on it.”  He laughed and took off running, a teasing glint in his eye as if daring her to chase him.

“You cheater,” she cried playfully, and ran after him around the playground, until he finally pinned her against the monkey bars.

Her laughter died as he drew nearer, and his expression became serious.

“I have another confession to make,” he said as he looked into her eyes. “I only acted like I’d read it to impress you, so I would have a chance to talk to you.”  His finger stroked her cheek as he freed a loose strand of hair that had blown across her face. “I really like you, Piper.”

She felt his warmth as he pressed his body closer to hers, contrasting with the cool metal of the monkey bars that seeped through the back of her thin cotton t-shirt.

“I really like you, too,” she whispered. She raised her chin to meet his gaze.

They had spent hours talking on the phone and getting to know each other. But, so far, Drew had only held her hand. This was the moment she had laid awake thinking about every night since Drew had spoken up for her in class.

In an effort to steady herself and hide her shaking hands, she gripped the playground bar she leaned against. Her heart beat tripled in time and her mouth went dry. Finding it hard to breathe, she felt captured by the look in his eyes as they conveyed a message of want and need.

Drew’s head dipped toward hers, and his lips lightly touched hers. A rush of desire flowed through her as he kissed her again, this time more insistent. His hands went around her back, and she pressed closer to him. Drew’s knee moved between her legs, and they pressed closer still. His hands moved up and down her back, and Piper had never felt anyone treat her with such care or longing in her life. Hands gripping his back, she kissed him back as if her life depended on it. His lips parted, and she felt his tongue seek hers. He tasted of chocolate cake and smelled of cologne. Piper was in heaven, and could have kissed him for hours. She never wanted this moment to end.

Bonk!

Their teeth clashed against each other as a soccer ball bounced off the side of Drew’s head.

“Dude, get a room!” a male voice called, followed by female laughter.

Drew looked down at her, mouthed “
sorry
”, and pulled away to heckle the ball-throwing kid. “Troy, you jerk
!
What are you guys doing?”

Piper felt chilled as he pulled away from her. She rubbed her arms and already missed the heat of his body next to hers. He reached down, took her hand and held it lightly in his. Feeling his touch brought some of the warmth back.

“We’re just walking back from the Tastee Freez and happened to catch you two mashing,” the boy teased. “So, is this the girl you’ve been telling us about who you like so much?”

Piper froze and looked at her feet in embarrassment. She dropped Drew’s hand.
How could I have been so stupid
?
Thinking he liked me when he was telling all his friends about some girl that he
really
liked
.
The familiar feelings of abandonment crowded into her heart as she chastised herself for letting someone get close to her.

“Yep, this is her.” Drew beamed and reached for her hand again, proudly holding up their joined fingers.

“Piper, this is Tara and Troy. You’ve heard me talking about Troy, my best friend and social ingrate. And Tara and I have lived on the same street since second grade. She’s probably the closest thing I’ve got to a sister.”

“Hi,” Tara said to Piper, who was still stunned over Drew’s declaration of his feelings for her. “I’m so glad we finally get to meet you. Drew has been talking about you non-stop ever since you moved here.”

Piper looked toward Drew and smiled before she could stop herself. Looking back at Tara, she took in the girl’s jean shorts, low top Converse sneakers, and brightly colored double layered t-shirts. “I really like your shirt,” Piper said, then looked away and silently berated herself for such a stupid comment.

“Oh, gosh, I have tons of these. You can borrow some if you want,” Tara offered, her smile filled with warmth.

“Oh, okay, thanks,” Piper replied.

“Hey, we wanted to tell you Tara’s having a Summer Luau party this weekend at her house to celebrate school being out. You guys should come,” Troy said.

“It’s a tropical theme,” Tara said. “So dress Hawaiian. And Piper, you can tell your mom that ‘yes, my parents will be there- all night.’ I’m having a couple of other girls stay the night so you can sleep over if you want.”

“Okay, thanks,” Piper answered softly. She was stunned that this nice, pretty girl had invited her not only to a party, but to sleep over and loan her some of her clothes. Feelings of acceptance warred with her inner struggles of desertion, because she knew she didn’t have to tell her mom anything about the party. Because her mom was gone, once again putting some guy above her own daughter.

“Well, we gotta go.” Tara dragged on Troy’s hand. “We’ll see you guys on Saturday night. Piper, I’ll get your number from Drew later and text you about sleeping over.” 

“Okay.”  Piper was filled with the unfamiliar sensation of pure happiness, and her throat felt full from the strange lump that was forming there. She swallowed, afraid to look at Drew, in case he could see the tears forming in her eyes
.

“We better get back,” Drew said. He pulled her toward his house. “Do you want to go to the party Saturday night
?
With me, I mean.”

She swallowed again, shaking off the sentiment and resuming her tougher shell. “Sure, it sounds fun. I’ll talk to Cassie about it.”

“Great.” Drew’s face lit up as they walked through the park, the sun slipping behind the mountains at their backs. “It’s a date then.”

* * *

“So, where did you and Drew head off to?” Cassie asked as she and Piper drove home that night. She had been dying to talk to her since she saw the teenage couple walk back in the door of Maggie’s house. Cassie was shocked by the pink flush and the smile that kept popping up on her niece’s face.

“Oh, we walked down to the park and played around on the playground,” Piper answered.

Cassie knew this was an important communication bridge they were crossing and she tried to keep her tone light. “Sounds fun. I think Drew is a great kid, and he’s very cute.”

“Yeah, he’s nice,” Piper replied, then blushed and said, “and yes, he
is
very cute, too.”

“I think he really likes you.”

The darkness in the car must have freed Piper to open up, and she gushed, “Oh, Aunt Cassie, I really like him.”  She spilled the whole story of Drew holding her hand, and meeting the other kids, and being invited to the party. She described Tara in detail, and told Cassie she had asked her to sleep over. In a quiet voice, she even confessed that Drew had kissed her for the first time.

“Wow. You had quite a night,” Cassie said, keeping her eyes on the road. She was afraid if she looked at the girl, then Piper would see the tears that filled her eyes as Cassie burst with love and happiness for her. She wanted so much for her niece to be happy and free of some of the despair that seemed to be her constant companion.

Piper looked down into her lap and fidgeted with her seat belt. “Aunt Cassie, can I ask you a favor?” she asked quietly.

“Sure honey, go ahead.”

“Um, do you think you would have time to take me shopping for some new clothes tomorrow
?
Maybe just like some shorts and a few t-shirts. I kind of like turquoise, and maybe yellow would be okay. And maybe a pair of flip-flops. Would that be okay?”

“That would be fine. Why don’t we plan to go to lunch tomorrow, then head to the mall?” Cassie held her breath, hoping she hadn’t pushed too hard by planning lunch and the mall in the same sentence.

“Cool,” Piper said, then reached for the radio knob and turned the music up, effectively signaling their conversation was over.

Cassie smiled to herself as she released her breath. She tried to hold back the joy she felt for Piper. She worried her heart would explode with love for this daughter of her sister, and used the back of her hand to nonchalantly wipe away a tear that escaped her eye, as she drove into the night.

8

The smell of apples and cinnamon filled Sunny’s kitchen Friday afternoon as she cut a slice from the warm pie she had just baked. She plopped a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of the slice, dropped the scooper into the sink, and shoved the carton of vanilla back into the freezer.