Dancing With Velvet (30 page)

While she washed, rinsed, and dried the dishes in slow motion, she wondered if she could find other chores to keep her in the kitchen.
You’re being ridiculous. You’ve got to face it sooner or later. So does Kent. He’s a grown man, and if he can’t answer Jonny’s questions honestly…but how? What can he say that Jonny will understand?
Finally, with no excuse to stay, she ventured out.

Jonny looked up as she came in. “His whole name is just like mine,” he said, as if he’d only posed the question to her seconds ago. “Jonathan Kent Goddard.”

“I see.”

“I bet you knew that.” Celeste tried to discern a note of accusation in his tone, but she couldn’t.

“I guess I did.” She glanced at Kent’s face, composed, without expression.

“And he knows my grammy. He knew my first mom, too.”

“I see.”

Her knees too weak to hold her any longer, she sank down on the couch.

“Yeah, he knew her a long time ago before I was born.”

Celeste’s eyes pleaded with Kent to say something, but he sat in stony silence.

“He said she said he was my dad.” Jonny fiddled with the loosened cover on his speller. “That’s why I have the same name.”

“Right.”

“He said it’s okay if I have his same name.” Jonny’s eyes darted around the room, into the corners, back to his speller, and up to the ceiling. “He said it was okay,” he repeated like he was reassuring himself.

“Do you know all your spelling words?” Celeste asked in an attempt to stop the endless one-sided discourse.

“Yep.” Jonny got up. “I’m gonna go take a bath now.”

“Without being told?” Celeste asked, trying to sound humorous and failing.

“Yep.”

Celeste thought his shoulders drooped a little as he left. “What did you tell him?” she asked, turning on Kent.

“As much of the truth as I thought he could handle, but not as much as I know myself. I answered his questions, all right? Just like you said you do. No more than he wanted to know, and no less.”

Celeste closed her eyes. “I’m not criticizing you, Kent. He was asking me about it before you came. I didn’t have a chance to warn you.”

“That wouldn’t have made it any easier.” Kent leaned forward in the chair, elbows on his knees. “He also wanted to know if we were going to get married. I said he’d have to ask you, and he said he already did.”

“He asked me if he’d have to leave if we got married, and I had a baby.”

“Poor kid.”

“I told him we were a family, the two of us.”

“You may be the only one who could make something like that happen.”

“Anybody…”

“No, not anybody, Velvet. You’re special. You took a little boy nobody ever cared for before and made him a pretty savvy kid who knows where he belongs.”

“He told me once that his grandmother called him a…a bastard.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “And he knew what it meant.”

Kent winced. “Velvet, if I tried to be his father and failed, it would be the worst thing I ever did.”

“Are you sure you’d fail?”

He didn’t answer her question, saying instead, “In my case, maybe, just maybe, you took a little boy pretending to be a man and made a real man out of him. But as for trying to be Jonny’s father and failing, the problem is, I’m not sure I wouldn’t.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Jonny never brought up the subject again, not with Celeste, nor with Kent who kept coming for dinner every night and picking them up for church on Sundays. On a Saturday early in December, Kent suggested he and Jonny spend the morning downtown while Celeste worked. “He said we’re gonna see Santa, but I told him I know Santa isn’t real,” Jonny whispered on the way to the car.

“Remember I told you that Santa Claus is the spirit of Christmas—the giving part.”

“Right, like the wise men gave all that stuff to the baby Jesus.”

“Yes.”

Kent and Jonny were waiting in front of the store when Celeste got off at noon. “We’ve been Christmas shopping,” Jonny announced, “but I’m not gonna tell you what we got.”

“I’ll tie your ears to your toes if you do,” Kent said.

Jonny grabbed his ears and grinned.

They went across the street for lunch. “Remember we ate here the second time I ever saw you?” Kent asked.

“I couldn’t believe I let you pick me up.”

“I didn’t pick you up. I picked you out.”

“You couldn’t have. I was the only girl staring in the window of Cox-Rushing-Greer.”

“She was looking at a dress,” Kent said to Jonny. “A beautiful blue velvet dress she wanted more than anything in the world.”

“Did she get it?”

“She got it. We went dancing.”

“Why do grownups like to dance?”

Kent winked. “You’ll know in a few years.” He turned back to Celeste. “Actually, we went by the St. Angelus and found out there’s a dance tonight. And it’s cold enough to wear the velvet dress.”

“Mrs. Aikman is out of town.”

Kent shook his head. “I ran into your friend Veda while Jonny and I were waiting for you. She said she’d be more than happy to come over tonight.”

“But she always goes to the dances at the Roof Garden.”

“Not this one.”

“She was just being nice.”

“She said she’d come.”

****

“I haven’t worn this dress in years,” Celeste said as Kent opened the door of the car. “I’m surprised it still fits.”

“It looks a little loose to me.”

“Not really.”

“Too loose is better than being too tight, isn’t it?” He closed the door and went around to the other side. “You’re gorgeous, Velvet. More beautiful than ever, and that’s going some.”

They didn’t talk in the elevator that whisked them to the top floor. Kent paid their admission fee but didn’t move to help her with her coat. “Leave it on and come outside with me.”

“It’s cold out there.”

“Just for a few minutes. I’ve got a couple of things to tell you.”

Unease began to nibble at her stomach. “All right.” She stepped through the French doors onto the tile of the outdoor pavilion.

When she shivered, not altogether with the cold, Kent put his arm around her shoulders and moved her close to him.

“First of all, I’ve thought about college and law school and decided it isn’t what I want.”

“Oh, Kent, why? Are you sure? You have the money, and everything’s all set up.”

“I’m sure. It’s like you said—it was something that was going to change my life, only now my life doesn’t need changing. I have what I want, Velvet.” He reached for her hand. “I talked to Mr. Bozeman, and he said he’d rather have me manage the warehouse than anybody else. I’d actually sent him a couple of guys to talk to last week, but he didn’t hire either one of them.”

He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them.

“Look, I can always take some business classes at the junior college here, if I decide I need them, but I know the plumbing business inside out. I like it, too. Mr. Bozeman said since I was staying on, he wanted to open a wholesale store in the front and sell to contractors. There’s lots of building going on since the war.”

“But what if you look back and wish you hadn’t given up this chance at school?”

“Did you look back, Velvet? When you took Jonny, you said you knew it was what you wanted. So did you look back?”

“No, and I never will.”

“I won’t either. It feels right, doing what I know, what I enjoy. Not going off to tilt with windmills. I’ve done my share of fighting, in Europe and at home, too. I’m tired of it. I made it through the war alive, which is more than a lot of guys did. It’s time to live. Really live.”

He slipped a jeweler’s box from his pocket. “Will you marry me, Velvet? I’ll be the best husband I know how to be. The best father, too. All I can do is try, but I think now… I think I just might succeed.”

He opened the box and took out a ring. The small, perfect diamond gleamed in the reflected light from the ballroom. “It’s not big, but it’s a good one.” He slipped it on her finger. “And, by the way, Jonny helped me pick it out.”

Epilogue

“This one?” Kent Goddard held up the tie his wife had laid out with his shirt, socks, and suit.

“That’s the one.”

“I don’t like it.”

“You bought it when you bought the suit. Wear it.”

He shook his head and draped the tie around his neck and began to knot it. “I don’t remember picking this out.”

“You picked it out, Kent.”

He caught sight of her in the mirror as she slipped on the black silk dress bought for the occasion. “Zip me, please,” she said, joining him in front of the mirror.

“I like this dress.”

“It cost enough.”

“I told you I didn’t care what it cost.” He put his lips against the back of her neck as he brought the zipper to the top. “We don’t celebrate our golden anniversary every day.”

“No, it’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime occasions,” she said, rummaging in her jewelry box.

“Smart-aleck.”

“There it is.”

“What?”

“My other earring.” She held it up.

“Those were Coralee’s, weren’t they?”

“Actually, they belonged to our mother.” She sighed. “I wish Coralee were here today. I really miss her.”

He slipped his arms around her. “I do, too, honey.”

“But Barbara and her bunch will be there.”

“And our bunch and half the town,” Kent said, reaching for his jacket. “I guess this tie’s all right.”

Celeste straightened it slightly. “It’s fine.”

****

“You look beautiful, Mother,” Gina said as Celeste and Kent walked into the fellowship hall of the new church, built in the fifties.

“How about me?” her father asked.

She kissed his cheek. “You’re still the handsomest man in San Angelo, Daddy.”

“Where’s Emily?” Celeste asked, glancing around for her oldest granddaughter.

“She’ll be along.”

Colonel Jon Goddard (USAF Ret.) came out of the kitchen. “Just doing some reconnaissance on the refreshments,” he said, embracing both his parents.

“You’ll be doing KP if you messed anything up,” his sister retorted.

“Listen, pipsqueak, I’ve put up with you since you were a howling infant, so don’t get smart with me at this late date.” He leaned over and kissed the top of his sister’s head.

“Don’t call me pipsqueak.” Gina drew herself up to her full five feet and craned her neck to look at her brother.

Celeste rolled her eyes. “Don’t start, either of you.”

“So Emily will be along, and I assume the rest of the progeny will be also,” Kent said.

“They’re all around here somewhere.” Jon glanced around the room. “My boys are in the corner with whatever that thing is they play games on morning, noon, and night. Karen’ll kill them if she finds out they brought it.”

“Tell her to wait until after the party,” Kent advised.

“The twins are fussing with the table that has the guestbook,” Gina said. “I’d better go tell them to leave things alone.”

Celeste nodded toward the small stage at one end of the room. “They even hired a piano player.”

“Does that mean we get to dance?”

“Maybe until people start coming in.” Celeste put her hand through his arm. “Let’s get out of the way.”

Kent waved to the young man at the piano. “Are you one of Gina’s students?”

The musician nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“I guess you’re too young to know ‘Stardust.’ ”

“No, sir, I know it.” He started to play. “That’s why Mrs. Bonner hired me for this afternoon. I know all the old songs.”

“Are you saying I’m old?”

Celeste tugged on Kent’s arm when she saw the young man’s face redden. “I thought we were going to dance.”

Kent winked at the pianist and held out his arms to Celeste.

****

Celeste spotted Emily first. “What…” She turned to Gina. “What is she doing in that dress?”

“Daddy knows about it. It was his idea.”

“Why?”

“He just said it was the reason the two of you met.”

“Not entirely. He’s never let me forget I dropped that apple on his head.”

“I know, but Daddy said he was sure glad you bought that dress.”

“I am, too.”

“He said you were going to give it away, but he convinced you to keep it for Emily.”

“She looks better in it than I ever did.”

“I doubt that.”

Emily approached her grandmother with a question in her eyes. “Grandpa left the back door open so I could go in and get this dress,” she said. “That’s why I’m late.”

“You’re beautiful, Emily.” Celeste hugged her.

“Were you wearing it when you met Grandpa?”

“No, I was looking at it.”

Emily frowned. “But he said…”

“It’s a long story,” Celeste said. “One of these days I’ll tell it to you.”

“There’s my beautiful girl,” Kent said, approaching them with arms outstretched.

“Maybe you should’ve told Mimi,” Emily whispered.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she, honey?”

Celeste nodded. “Yes, she is, but she better be careful if she doesn’t want it to fall off her. I’m betting the seams aren’t too sturdy after all these years.”

A look of horror passed over Emily’s face. “I’d be mortified!”

“Just be careful.” Celeste ran her hand over one shoulder and down one sleeve. “And don’t bring it back, okay?” She glanced behind her granddaughter. “Isn’t that your steady over there?”

“Don’t encourage her,” Gina said as the girl ran off. “Ron doesn’t want her going steady.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it yet,” Kent said. “How many boyfriends did you go through before you met Ron?”

Gina rolled her eyes. “Oh, Daddy, go mingle.”

****

“It was a nice party,” Kent observed as he unlocked the front door. “A really nice party.”

“I just want to get these pantyhose off.”

He chuckled. “Need any help?”

“Not a chance.”

“You’re no fun.”

“I’ve been known to be.”

He reached for her, but she swatted him away. “You can help warm up some leftovers if you’re still hungry.”

“We could’ve stopped for a hamburger.”

“We need to finish the meatloaf.” Celeste headed down the hall to their bedroom. “Put it on a bun if you want a hamburger.”