Coffee in Common (35 page)

"It's a very good school. Their economics program is world class, but I never realized they offered chemical engineering as well."

"So far it's a great program. I don't get heavily into it until next year, of course, but everyone I've talked to in the program had only good things to say about it. They…"

Three sets of feet pounded down the stairs, followed by a fourth at a more leisurely pace. Joanne and Julia both held cameras as their mother stood by, on the verge of tears.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she announced, "may I present Miss Jessica Anne Marshall.

Paul and Jeff Marshall moved to the archway separating the living room and foyer so they'd have an unobstructed view of Jessie's entrance. Gary hung back, but could see the stairs over their shoulders. He remembered being in Paul's position a few years earlier as he waited for his own prom date to descend the stairs.

Paul was amazed at his own nervous anticipation. After all, she wasn't really his date. He was doing the girl a favor. But he realized this is how he would have felt many years ago had pneumonia not prevented it.

His first glimpse of a white-clad foot and slender, stocking-clad calf did not prepare him for the delicate, radiant beauty that followed. Could this possibly be the same, skinny, sullen girl he'd met last Saturday? Jessie looked fantastic!

She was dressed in an ankle-length, silk, one-shoulder white gown. The front had an overlapping slit at an angle from the hemline at her right foot to about the middle of her left thigh, with soft ruffles outlining the hem and slit. The delicate beadwork across the bodice sparkled as she descended. Her hair had been pulled into a French twist in back, then brought up and curled on top. Wisps of her bangs hung down to frame her face. White pearl earrings and a single teardrop pearl necklace completed the ensemble. The only word Paul could think of was breathtaking.

Jessie caught Paul's eye as she descended. Wide-eyed, he- placed his hand over his heart and mouthed the words ‘Oh my,' filling her with pleasure. She returned his appreciative smile with one of her own that seemed to make her face glow. Her mother was weeping quietly now and her sisters snapped photos as fast as possible. Even her father had a lump in his throat and moist eyes as he realized for the first time his baby girl had truly become a woman.

Four steps from the bottom, Jessie noticed someone standing in the living room. Her eyes flicked away from Paul's for a moment, then grew wide with disbelief and she almost stumbled. Her sisters rushed forward, ready to catch her if she fell, but she recovered. Her eyes again looked past Paul and her mouth formed an "O' as her hand came up to cover it. Her sisters hadn't yet caught on, but her parents and Paul turned to follow her stare.

Gary stood there with a look of shock and awe, his eyes fixed on Jessica. Blinking rapidly, he shook his head as if to clear it.

The sisters now realized something unexpected was happening. Julie and Joanne turned to follow Jessie's stare. Jillian put her hand on Jessie's arm, urged her down the last three steps, and asked "What's wrong?"

Unable to tear her gaze from Gary, Jessie couldn't find her voice.

As if choreographed for a comedy routine, heads wagged back and forth between Jessica and Gary, who only had eyes for each other.

Gary recovered a bit of composure and started slowly toward Jessica. As he passed through the archway, he asked, "Is it you? Is it really you? From the…"

"Mall," Jessie said, completing the sentence.

"I can't believe it."

He moved up right in front of her, oblivious to Jillian who was still at her sister's shoulder.

"I've been trying to find you. Ever since that day…I've been back to the mall a hundred times."

Jeff Marshall cleared his throat. "Would someone please tell me what's going on."

Jessica tore her eyes from Gary and faced her father. "Daddy, this is…Oh…" She turned back to Gary. "What's your name?"

"I know his name. It's Gary Wilmore. But how do you know him, and why do you two look like you've each seen a ghost?"

With her focus again on Gary, Jessie told him.

"Daddy, remember last year when you had to drive into Cambridge to pick me up?"

She didn't see her father nod, but continued anyway. "That was the day I left that jerk Byron. I left because a really nice guy felt sorry for me because of the way Byron treated me. That guy talked to me and made me feel better. He was so nice and charming and funny and we talked like we'd known each other for years. He made me feel really special that day just by being kind to me and he never even asked me my name. And when his girlfriend came back to get him, the last thing he said to me was to dump Byron and find someone who'd really appreciate me. So I did.

"Daddy, this is the guy."

Fifteen minutes later, Gary and Jessie were huddled at the dining room table talking. Joanne, Julie and their parents were in the living room, marveling at the incredible string of events that brought the two together again.

Jillian was talking to Paul in the kitchen. He kept glancing into the dining room, only half hearing her as he watched Gary and Jessie become reacquainted. He, too, was nothing short of flabbergasted at this development, and from the bits he caught of what Jillian was saying, she felt the same way. His head was spinning, at first with the improbability of it all, and then with an idea. He turned back to Jillian and the look in his eyes caused her to stop what she was saying and ask, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I had an idea. What do you think of this?"

When he told her, she broke out into a big smile. "That's a wonderful idea! But you'll have to ask my father."

So they did, and to their delight, he needed only a nod from his wife to agree.

Jessie and Gary were seated next to each other, so close their noses almost touched as they spoke in whispers. The conversation came so easily it was like they'd never been apart. He told her about coming back for her that day and she told him how his remark gave her the courage to jump up and leave before Byron returned. He shared his frustration at not finding her at the mall again and she explained she'd been there only because Byron had taken her to the Museum of Science around the corner but parked in the mall because it was cheaper than the museum garage. They shared tidbits and stories from the past year, neither really noticing when Gary's hands reflexively sought hers.

Each was so into the other they didn't hear when Paul knocked on the doorframe to get their attention. Neither did they hear Paul's soft chuckle as he grinned at Jillian before turning back and loudly clearing his throat. That brought them back to the real world and they looked up to find the pair smiling at them.

"You guys catching up?" Paul asked.

Gary nodded. "I still can't believe this isn't a dream."

"I know what you mean.

"Look, it seems pretty clear you two have lots to talk about, but there
is
a prom tonight and only a few minutes before we have to leave."

Disappointment at the prospect of having to part so soon after meeting again clouded the young couple's faces.

"However," he continued, "I think I have a solution." Looking straight at the chauffer he said, "Since you're already dressed for it, how'd you like to take Jessie to the prom and I'll be your driver for the night?"

Gary could not have been more stunned. He turned to Jessie and raised his eyebrows, his eyes asking the question she answered by jumping up and shouting, "Yes! Yes! This is perfect!" She was almost dancing with joy.

"I think Jessie likes the idea. But are you sure about this? Is her dad…"

"Okay with it? Absolutely. And I already talked with Davie. He had to hire me for the night for the insurance and liability stuff so I'm now an official, professional chauffer."

He turned to Jessie. "We'll have to fill him in on the Ethan thing."

"Who? Oh, him. Forget it. Forget it. I don't care about him anymore." Then something occurred to her. "Oh, Paul. Now you won't get to go to a prom. And you'll have to sit out in the car all by yourself."

"Don't worry. Jillian will be riding shotgun with me tonight, so it's not a big deal. We'll think of something to keep ourselves busy while you two are inside having fun." His grin widened when he saw the color rise in Jessie's cheeks as she imagined what he might mean. "You two go back to catching up. I'll let you know when it's time to leave." With that, he and Jillian turned toward the living room, but after only a step, Paul felt a hand grab his.

"I need him for a minute," Jessie told her sister, and dragged Paul out through the kitchen onto the back porch.

She stood facing him, silent for a few moments before she said, "Thank you, Paul. Thank you so much for everything. I never thought I could feel any happier than I did when you asked me to the prom last week, but now you've proved me wrong."

Tears were gathering at the corners of her eyes, threatening to run down her face and ruin her makeup, but she didn't care.

"You are the nicest, sweetest guy I've ever known and if Jillian doesn't fall in love with you and marry you I will never speak to her again."

Her eyes widened. "Oh! I, I umm…I guess I shouldn't have said that. But I don't care. I mean it."

The tears broke free and ran down her cheeks as she threw her arms around him and hugged him close.

"I'll never forget everything you've done for me," she said softly through her tears. "Nobody's ever been this nice to me before that didn't have to 'cause they raised me. I…I…"

"Hey, come on." Paul held her gently. "You'll spoil that beautiful makeup and Jillian will blame me."

A short laugh escaped her lips, but the tears kept flowing. "I don't care. I am
so happy
." She lifted her head from his chest, looked into his eyes and whispered, "I've thought about him every day since that day in the mall. And I thought I'd never see him again. But here he is. And it's all because of you."

She squeezed him again and Paul leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "I think he really likes you, Jessie, so go easy on him. Don't let who you've imagined him to be get in the way of finding out who he really is. And of letting him discover the real you."

He watched her smile grow as her tears stopped.

"Now go do a little touch-up on that pretty face. I'll keep him busy for a few minutes.

"And have fun tonight!"

9:45 PM

"You know, you're not making this easy on me."

The taste of her lips lingered and the soft scent she was wearing continued to leave Paul lightheaded, as if it were a drug designed to break down his will.

He was seated in the back of the Bentley, gently stroking Jillian's hair. She lay across the seat, her head in his lap, her shoeless feet dangling out the window.

With the radio playing softly in the background, they'd been alternately talking and making out for the past two hours. The conversation ranged from a discussion of Jessie's and Gary's incredible good fortune to the Red Sox pitching staff to places they wanted to visit before they died to which song they liked best on a variety of recent CDs. Periodically, they'd find themselves drawing closer and closer as they talked, until they could no longer stand the heat building between them and their lips pressed together with a tender, urgent passion.

"I'm sorry." She sounded like she meant it as she tilted her head back until her eyes met his. "I can go sit in the front seat if it would make the waiting easier for you."

It would, but there's no way I'm letting you go anywhere right now.

When Paul declined Jillian's invitation to come up to her apartment after their first date last week, he'd not realized how hard a task he was setting for himself. Every time he saw her, he wanted to rip her clothes off, but he was determined not to give in. He would take the time to know this girl, to let her know him, before they shared that final, most intimate of pleasures.

Determined as he was, though, Jillian seemed equally determined to test him tonight. Remarks, little jokes, and innuendo made clear to him her desire and her willingness. Half an hour ago, when they'd been steaming the windows for the third time, Paul's hand drifted down to her breasts, then wormed its way inside her blouse, popping the top two buttons as he caressed her. He'd stopped after less than a minute, but Jillian never re-buttoned the blouse. Since then, it had been flopping open as she moved. The sight of her cleavage, even contained in her lacy white bra, sorely tested his resolve.

"No, I like you right where you are. Besides, I don't want to spoil your fun."

"Fun? Whatever do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean. All night long you've been coming on to me, testing me, to see if I really meant what I said last week. Am I wrong?"

Jillian was silent for a bit, then she made a short, soft humming sound as he felt her head shake. Her feet drew back into the car and she turned on her side, facing away from him. "You're right. I guess I have been sort of testing you. And I'm sorry. I…"

She paused and he felt her body tense a bit, as if steeling itself for something unpleasant. With a small sigh, she continued.

"You've been nothing but sweet and kind ever since we met, not only to me, but to everyone. Look what you did for Jessie! Without even trying, you may have brought her back together with the love of her life. And…"

Again she paused, unsure if she should continue down this road.

"And the truth is I am so attracted to you it's scaring me to death. I told you I've had some bad experiences before, especially one, and I know you're not those guys, but I can't help feeling…I don't know, like the sky is waiting to fall in again. I mean, we haven't even known each other two weeks, and I feel as comfortable with you as I do with my sisters and my brother. And look at how I'm acting. Look at the things I said tonight, the jokes, the suggestive remarks, sitting here with my shirt half open. That's not me, Paul. I've never acted like that with a guy before and it scares me."

Jillian sat up and faced him, intent on trying to read his face in the dim light. "It scares me because I feel so strange, so different and I don't know how to deal with it. I honestly don't know why I was teasing you tonight, why I had to test you. But I'm sorry. None of this, none of it is who I thought I was."