The Patricia Kiyono Christmas Collection (30 page)

Suddenly, Donna stopped. Helen reached a
hand out, ready to catch her friend if she were to fall. “Are you
all right?”

“
I’m fine. Just slow. You
don’t need to wait for me. Go on and meet your new boyfriend. I’ll
get there when I get there.”

“
Oh, he’s not—”

“
Maybe not yet, but he will
be. You both look like a couple of teenagers when you’re together.
I don’t mean that as a criticism. It’s nice to see you happy. And I
can see he’s happy to be with you, too. So go on, girl. Go git
’em!”

Helen smiled at her friend’s generosity.
“I’m not going to leave you to walk all the way there by yourself.
If he wants to see me, he’ll see me when I get there. Come on.
There are steps leading up into the Terrace Room, and I don’t want
you to fall.” She tamped down her excitement and concentrated on
getting her friend there.

As they entered the elegant room, her
excitement rose to a fever pitch. Linen-draped tables lined three
sides of the room, all around a large wooden dance floor. The dance
orchestra was seated on a platform along the large wall in front of
an enormous Asian fan.

“
Let’s get me settled at a
table. Then you can look for your new friend,” Donna
suggested.

They chose a seat near the entrance, but
close enough to watch the dancing. Almost immediately, a waiter
swooped upon them and took their orders. Donna ordered a cocktail,
but Helen asked for a glass of water. She needed to keep her wits
about her. If she got even a little tipsy, she might do something
embarrassing.

Like declare her undying love for someone
she’d only known a few weeks.

As if she’d conjured him, he appeared in the
wide archway. The light from the hallway framed him in silhouette,
and his face was barely visible in the subdued lighting of the
room, but she knew immediately it was him. As if he had called her
name, she felt the connection and knew he was there.

He must have felt the connection, too,
because he zeroed in on her and came toward her table. She stood
but didn’t move toward him until Donna tapped her on the arm.

“
Don’t just stand there,
you ninny. Go over there and get that man on the dance floor before
some floozy gets her claws on him.”

Donna’s words got her moving. He held out
his hand, tilting his head toward the dance floor with a
questioning look. She nodded. And then there was magic.

Helen’s parents had been ballroom dance
champions, and she’d learned from them. She loved to dance, but Joe
didn’t. He obliged her once in a great while at wedding receptions,
but other than that he’d preferred to sit. She stumbled a bit at
first, trying to remember the steps, but before long she moved in
perfect time. Mike was an excellent lead. They glided and swayed,
and her feet barely touched the floor.

Mike let her go, and she shivered at the
loss of his warmth. She nearly asked what was wrong but realized
the music had stopped.

“
Looks like the band is
taking a break,” he said. Shall we get something to drink?” It was
all she could do to nod. He led them back to the table where Donna
sat patiently, a serene smile on her face.

“
You’ve got your brother’s
handsome face, but you’re far more graceful. Matt’s athletic, but
he’s not much of a dancer. We got a kick out of him attempting to
do a square dance at the fair last year.”

Mike laughed heartily. “I would have loved
to see that.”

It pleased Helen to see her friend get along
so well with Mike. He kept the focus on Donna, asking her about her
grandkids, her charity work, and her hobbies. Even when she brought
out pictures from her voluminous purse, he leaned over, studying
her photos, seemingly interested in everything she had to say. That
was one of the things she’d loved about Joe, too — he could get
along with anyone.

Since Donna had Mike’s attention, Helen
watched the dancers flowing about the room. The musicians as they
played smooth, romantic melodies. The people sitting all around
her. How she’d missed this. Maybe if Howard helped her find out
what was going wrong with her budget she’d be able to go on more
trips like this.

“
What do you think, Helen?”
Donna’s question snapped her back to the present.

“
I’m sorry. What do I think
about what?” Helen asked.

“
Do you think my little
Wendy would make a great model?”

“
Oh, of course! She’s
beautiful, and very graceful.” Helen had trouble remembering what
Wendy looked like, but she wasn’t about to admit that.

Across the table, Mike
grinned.
He knows I’m faking it.
The man was too perceptive.

~~~~

Mike kept his
head inclined toward Donna and his eyes on her
pictures, but his attention stayed on the woman across the table
from him. Her hair had been styled, and her expressive face was
even more vivid with her tastefully applied makeup. He hated having
to look at women who looked as if they’d applied the stuff with a
pallet knife. Helen’s natural beauty was still evident, though her
lips and her eyes seemed… more enhanced, he supposed. She could
pass for a gracefully aging actress with her slim form, her unlined
face, and everything else. Helen DeGroot was a beautiful woman in
casual clothing, but dressed up she was stunning. She seemed as
comfortable in a gown and heels as she did in jeans and tennis
shoes.

She was a woman he could take anywhere.

He had to smile when Donna caught her not
paying attention to the story of her granddaughter and her
successes. He was having a rough time of it, too. “She’s a lovely
young lady,” he told her. “It’s obvious where she got her looks
from.”

The woman blushed. “Oh, go on,” she said.
“The musicians are about to start playing again. Take Helen out
there and make her forget about her troubles.”

“
Yes, ma’am.” He didn’t
need anymore urging than that. He stood and extended his hand
across the table, and Helen rose to accept it. They made their way
to the dance floor just in time for a sultry torch song, sung by
the band’s talented female vocalist. The sad words of the song made
him cradle Helen tighter against him, as if to reassure her, to
protect her from the sadness. Their feet moved in tandem, like
they’d been practicing the steps for years.

When she’d first mentioned this trip, he’d
thought he needed to come so that he’d have something to write for
the magazine. A bus trip to Mackinac Island. Yes, it had been done
before, but since this was a seniors-only trip, he could put a
fresh spin on it. It wasn’t until they’d met at the ferry that he’d
realized it wasn’t the trip he’d needed — it was Helen. He couldn’t
bear to be away from her, not even for three days. The thought was
disturbing. When had he become so dependent on one person? Not
since he’d been a child dependent on his mother.

“
So are you here on this
trip to forget about your troubles?” he asked.

“
Troubles? Oh, no. Donna
was teasing. I’m having a wonderful time.”

He tightened his hold. “So am I.”

She fit so perfectly in his arms. He wanted
the night to last forever.

Forever? As in always and forever? Like a
real relationship?

His hold loosened, and she
shifted a little in his arms.
What just
happened?
Something had happened, all
right. He’d been hit by something bigger than he’d ever encountered
before.

As quickly as the thought came to him, he
fought to tamp it down. He wasn’t a forever kind of person. He’d
been devastated when his first love had tossed him aside, but he’d
recovered pretty quickly. There had been other women in his life
since then, some wanting a permanent arrangement, others just
looking for a good time. He’d never felt a strong connection to any
of them.

Until now. This woman is
different
.

That voice in his head wouldn’t leave.
Should he listen?

Helen cast one
final glance at the palatial hotel before boarding
the ferry. “Well, it looks like our weekend is over. I’m going to
miss this place.”

“
Me, too. There are a lot
of wonderful accommodations, and the murder mystery last night was
so much fun. I’m going to be busy writing when I get back. What was
your favorite part?” Mike asked.

Helen thought. “The bike
ride. I’ve ridden that trail before, but back then I had two little
boys to look after, and I really didn’t
see
the island. This is the first
time I’ve been able to ride, and since you were doing most of the
work, I got to look. I never realized how beautiful the island
is.”

Mike sat back in the seat. “I enjoyed the
bike ride too. But I think I enjoyed the dancing more.”

She got a warm, fuzzy feeling. Could he
really feel the same way she did? “The dancing?”

“
Yes. I got to look at you.
Up close.” He leaned closer. “I’d like to do that
again.”

“
Oh, me too,” she breathed.
“But how? Where?”

“
Oh, I’m sure there are
dance clubs in Grand Rapids. Maybe even in Holland. We’ll have to
look it up. But I definitely want to dance with you again. And…
more.”

“
M-m-more?”
I’ve got to be dreaming. He can’t be saying these
things to me.

“
More than dancing. Dinner,
movies, walks in the park. I like being with you, Helen. I’d like
to see where this goes.”

“
Oh my.” It really was
difficult to breathe, let alone think with those brilliant blue
eyes boring into hers.

He sat back and she started to breathe
again. “I’ll let you think about it on the bus ride home. But I’ll
be knocking on your door. And calling you. And following you around
at church.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “This is just the
beginning. There’s a lot more coming. Get used to it.”

Breathing just got difficult again.

~~~~

Think about it
on the way home, he’d said. Fortunately, her
seatmate spent most of the trip sleeping, so that left her plenty
of time to think.

Part of her voted against seeing more of
Mike. He was younger, and people would talk. He’d soon lose
interest. Besides, he had a home in Chicago. He’d go back there and
forget all about her.

And then the other part of
her would argue just as loudly.
So what if
he’s younger? If people talk, it will be because they’re jealous.
And if he goes back to Chicago, at least you’ll have the memories.
You haven’t had a good time in… a long time.

Would Joe approve? Was she being unfaithful
to his memory?

Joe is gone. You’re here. You need to live
your life. Go for it!

The conversation in her head went on and on
until she wanted to scream. If only there was someone she could
talk to about this. Someone who’d been in her shoes and could tell
her what to expect.

No, Helen. You can’t do what others tell you
to do. You have to do what you think is right.

The words echoed in her mind as clearly as
if they’d been spoken aloud. “Joe?” she whispered.

She listened, waited, but the voice didn’t
return. She’d have to sort this out herself.

“
Are we almost there yet?”
Donna’s sleepy voice asked. “I stayed up too late last night trying
to pack. These early mornings are for younger people. Doesn’t it
bother your eyes to knit when it’s dark?”

Helen chuckled. Her friend was notorious for
skipping from one subject to another without warning. “I think
we’re about halfway there. No, it doesn’t bother my eyes, because
I’m not looking at my hands or at the yarn. I’ve done this so long
I can do it by feel.”

“
Wouldn’t it be easier to
go to the dollar store and buy a scarf and hat?”

“
I suppose. But this will
be a lot warmer. Besides, I need to keep my hands busy. I’m happier
when I’m doing something.”

Donna sighed. “I guess that’s why you keep
so young. You never stop moving.”

She swung around to stare at her friend.
“What do you mean, I keep so young?”

“
Just what I said. I know
you’re almost sixty, because you went to high school with my
sister. But you look at least ten years younger. You don’t have any
trouble getting around, and you probably still wear the same size
clothes you did when you were in your twenties.” She patted her
ample tummy. “Most of us can’t say that. You probably don’t suffer
from all the old age problems that most of us do — high blood
pressure, arthritis, digestive problems, stuff we have to take a
dozen pills for.”

“
Not yet.”

“
No wonder the pastor’s
brother follows you around like a lovesick puppy.”

“
A lovesick — no way! He’s
just friendly. And he knows me because he’s renting my
mother-in-law apartment.”

“
He’s renting the apartment
behind your garage? How convenient for you. I wish I’d known he was
looking for a place to live. I would have kicked my kids out of the
house.”

“
You would not. He only
needed something temporary. He’s staying in town because he and
Matt are trying to figure out what’s wrong with
Loretta.”

Donna sobered. “Yes, I’ve been wondering
about that, too. I thought maybe she was really sick. But she was
in church a few weeks ago. Have they taken her to a doctor?”