Love's Last Chance (9 page)

Allie and Mary had arrived. Bella was due
early Saturday morning. Dorrie knew Mary had had a thing for Johnny
five years ago and wondered if she still did.
Hell, if I still
have a crush, she probably does, too. It doesn’t matter though.
Because there will be a ton of new ladies here for Johnny to
conquer. Forget it.

Dorrie hated that her thoughts turned to
gloom on such a lovely night. She ate her sandwich, listening to
Mary brag about her latest promotion. Allie was unpacking. After
the food was gone, the heat from the crowd drove Dorrie outside,
accompanied by a glass of the multi-liquored punch. She perched on
the two front steps, trying to clear her mind and simply enjoy the
slight breeze cooling her off.

Drake came by with Chrissy, who had decided
to bunk in with him. The talk got more rowdy as the punch
disappeared.
Drunk people are loud and loose. Did I used to be
like that? Probably.

Dorrie had not been able to sweep Johnny
from her thoughts or her senses. His allure was stronger than ever.
She wanted him but didn’t want to compete with every woman there
for his attention.
Dejú vu. Why are you sitting here wallowing,
allowing Johnny to do this to you again? Get out there. Meet
someone else. There are a ton of guys here.

Slowly she arose, drink in hand and started
toward the only bar on that part of the island.

“Hey! Where you goin’? The party’s the other
way.” It was Johnny, approaching her. He’d obviously gotten some
sun that afternoon as he had a light tan and a little burn on his
nose. He wore a red T-shirt, which highlighted his dark good looks
and his bathing suit. Bathing suits were worn all the time on Fire
Island since you never knew when you’d hit the beach.
He looks
so good.

“Same old, same old,” she said with a wave
of her hand.

“Not for five years! Come on. Join the
party.” He grabbed her elbow and steered her back inside.

“John! Drake told me you were going to be
here, but I didn’t believe him. How
are
you?” Mary sashayed
over to Johnny, rubbing up against his arm. He smiled at her and
moved away slightly. Dorrie thought she’d throw up.

“Fine, Mary. How’s it hangin’?”

“Why don’t you show me how it’s hangin’,
John?”

Mary grabbed his arm and led him over to the
sofa. He turned to make a face and shrug at Dorrie.
Damn him!
Effing flirt!
She threw a fake smile back at him and walked out
of the house, straight down to The Ocean Tavern three blocks
away.

The music blared from the bar, cutting
through the quiet of the island where there were no cars, no
traffic, no sirens, nothing but human voices and the cries of
seagulls to disturb the peace.
It’s rockin’. Might be up for a
dance or two.
She pushed through the saloon-style doors and
entered a large room with people dancing while others sat or stood
at the bar, drinking. Beer seemed to be the drink of choice among
the Tavern’s clientele.

Twenty and thirty-something men and women in
bare feet and bathing suits drank and danced. Dorrie got several
looks and smiles from men as she walked up to the bar. One man she
suspected of being younger than her thirty years, got up to give
her his seat.

“You can sit here, darlin’, if you let me
buy you a drink.”

Dorrie chuckled at his transparent pick-up
line. “Sure. I’d be honored,” she said.

“Watcha drinkin’, beautiful?”

“White wine.” The young man signaled the
bartender and ordered, but the noise level prevented her from
hearing what he said.

“Name’s Mike.” He leaned over to speak close
to her and offered her his hand in a hearty shake. She slid her
bottom onto the barstool and smiled warmly at him.
A gentleman,
perhaps? How rare. Am I a cynic?

Dorrie toyed with a pretzel from the bowl on
the bar with one hand and held a glass of white wine in the other.
Mike regaled her with a tale of his week in Fair Harbor, and Dorrie
listened with only half an ear. He wasn’t much of a replacement for
Johnny.

“After our fourth case of beer, we decided
to go bodysurfing at midnight…”

Mike droned on. Dorrie tried to look
interested.
Another story about a guy being drunk and stupid. I
thought these stopped at twenty-five.
Then it hit her. He was
twenty-five. A giggle bubbled up in her chest and refused to go
away.
I’m a cougar at thirty?
She laughed aloud.

“That wasn’t the funny part. Are you
listening?”

“I’m older than you.”

“Yeah? So? I love older women. They like to
teach…I’m a good student.” He wiggled his eyebrows, causing Dorrie
to double over.

“You think I’m going to show you…teach
you…how to be a great lover for a glass of wine?”

“Maybe two or three?”

Dorrie laughed harder.

“Lots of women like younger men. What’s
wrong with you?”

“There’s nothing wrong with her, which is
why she prefers me to you. Run along, it’s time for your nap.”
Dorrie turned at the familiar, deep voice to see Johnny standing
behind her, wearing a white wife beater, a bathing suit, and a
stern expression.

“How many times have I told you not to go
out and pick up boys? You’ll get arrested. I think he’s jail bait.”
Mike scowled, his hands fisting at his sides.

Dorrie, still chuckling, though trying to
stop, put a hand on the young man’s arm. “Oh, please don’t…don’t
get your nose broken on account of me. I’m not worth it. Trust me.”
Johnny could take him in a second.

John took her hand and eased her off the
stool. She placed her half-empty glass on the bar. He raised his
hand in a wave to Mike while escorting Dorrie out the front door.
Once they were outside, his cool manner dissolved. “What the hell
were you doing?”

“Talking to a younger guy. So?”

“You can get into a lot of trouble that
way.”

“You think he’d hurt me? Nah. He was a nice
guy. A little immature perhaps, but harmless.”

“You don’t know that. Come on. People are
asking for you.” His grip on her hand tightened.

“What about you?”

“I don’t have to ask after you. I know where
you are. And you’re coming with me.”

“Says who?” She yanked her hand from his and
rested it on her hip. “What about Mary? Won’t she be jealous?”
What am I doing?

“The only one who’s jealous here is you,” he
quipped, his eyes dancing with mischief.

“You think so? I’d say the one who was
jealous was you…back there in the bar.” She stared boldly at
him.

“So?” He cocked his eyebrow.

His admission stopped her cold. She had no
comeback. He pulled her close and tightened his arms around her.
“We’re going to finish it between us this weekend, hear? Been
stewing for five years. Time to play it out, Dorrie,” he whispered
fiercely in her ear.

She pushed away from him, trying to calm the
wild beating of her heart. “There’s nothing to play out. You made
it very clear where I stood five years ago.”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking
about. If there’s nothing between us, what are you doing here?
Attending a reunion of people you don’t even like?”

He had her there, and silence was her only
response. They stood glaring at each other in the moonlight until
she tugged on him, and headed back to the house.

“Let’s go. Finish this later. I’m hungry.
Any food left?”

He slipped his arm around her shoulders, and
they fell into step.

* * * *

When they returned, the party had wound down
for dinner. Johnny laced his fingers with hers as they made their
way through the crowd. Dorrie greeted people she hadn’t seen in
years. The enthusiasm of her old friends buoyed her spirits. Johnny
shook hands while Dorrie exchanged hugs with the old gang.

The sound of the flimsy screen door banging
shut every few minutes marked the frequent comings and goings of
the men and women at the reunion. Beer was spilled on the front
steps and made small wet spots in the grass, where it was
immediately sucked up by the dry sand in what passed for a front
yard.

Because they rarely ate before nine, Mary
had whipped up a huge bowl of her famous spaghetti. Handsome guys
and pretty ladies were sitting on chairs, the sofa, and even
cross-legged on the floor, consuming bowl after bowl of the tasty
pasta.

Empty cardboard holders for four cases of
beer were already stacked up by the garbage. Dorrie helped herself
to a plate then got one for Johnny, too. He nabbed the last two
beers from case number five. They met on the front steps.

“Too hot, too many people in there,” she
said, offering him food then plopping down next to him. He twisted
the tops off both bottles then handed one to her. They ate in
silence. Dorrie stared up at the stars twinkling for all they were
worth in the clear sky.

“No stars in L.A. Too much smog. New York
either. No stars. Beautiful.” She smiled and took a deep breath.
“Damn. Fresh air, too. My lungs aren’t used to this.”

“So what really happened after you left
here?”

“Huh?”

“I mean to your engagement, your life.”
Johnny twirled some spaghetti on his fork.

“I told you.” The moonlight cast shadows on
his face, highlighting his strong jaw and sensuous lips, lips she
wanted to taste again.

“Details.”

“Gunther was a producer on the movie I was
going to dance in. We met, started going out. He swept me off my
feet. He’s rich, and the lifestyle was…awesome, to say the least.
Limos, expensive restaurants, house on the beach, weekends in
Mexico.” Her gaze searched his face, half hidden in darkness.
Could he really be interested in this?
Still, he was
listening intently, appearing to hang on every word.

“You fell for him or the lifestyle?”

“Him first. He was the most charming,
attentive man. Smart. Knows everything about the movie business…and
everyone in it. We were going to be an unbeatable team. Make movies
together, him producing, me starring, dancing… conquer the world.”
She gestured with her free hand. “I was his new
find
.”

“And?” He sucked on his beer.

“I fell down the back stairs at his beach
house. Broke my ankle.”

“No more dancing?”

She shook her head. “Couldn’t do the movie,
and my career was finished.” Johnny licked some beer off his bottom
lip. The gesture made her stomach go weak.

“What did he say?”

“Nothing. He nursed me for a short time. Let
me stay in the house for a couple of weeks. When I got well enough,
I moved out and began teaching yoga and dance. He coughed up
six-months rent for a studio.”

She stopped. The memory of the pain,
physical and emotional, when she had had to give up dance tore
through her chest again. She blinked back tears.

“That must’ve been tough.” Johnny took her
hand.

“Dance was all I ever wanted to do. And the
movies… my ultimate dream.”

“So what happened to this Gunther guy?” He
ran his thumb over the back of her hand.

“He waited until I was set up…had some
clients and was earning enough to rent a small apartment. Then he
dumped me. Explained how his plans didn’t include a yoga
instructor. Only a star. He let me keep the ring, which I sold to
pay for groceries when I moved out.”

“That was harsh. I’d never do that.” He put
the last forkful of spaghetti in his mouth.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “No? No, you’d
dump me
before
I even broke my ankle.”

“Wait a minute! I never dumped you. You
dumped me!”

“What? That’s the craziest thing…” Her
eyebrows shot up. She turned to face him.

“It’s the truth. Admit it, Dorrie.”

The screen door was pushed open, and Mary
came out. “Here you are! I’ve been looking all over for you,
Johnny! Dorrie hogging you again? Figures.” She made a sour face
then smiled at him.

Dorrie turned her gaze to her food and
twirled some pasta onto her fork. She downed the last of her beer
and stood up. “Great spaghetti, Mary, as always. Thanks.” She shot
a glance at Johnny then pulled open the door and went inside. After
washing out her dish plus her beer bottle, she grabbed a big towel
and headed outside again. Mary was sitting near Johnny. He appeared
to be listening closely to her.

“And there just aren’t any guys like you in
Texas, Johnny…”

He looked up when Dorrie pushed by them and
strode up the narrow walk to the wood path. She turned right,
headed for the beach.

“Dorrie, wait—” Johnny pushed to his
feet.

“Don’t let me interrupt anything.” She
raised her hand in response then continued walking briskly on her
way.

“That’s okay. Let her go,” Mary said. “So,
what have you been up to? Got a girlfriend?”

Their conversation, so loud in contrast to
the quiet of the island, began to fade as she neared the ocean and
the roar of the waves crashing into shore drowned out Mary’s nasal
voice. She hauled herself up the steps then spread the towel out on
the dunes. Sitting with her knees against her chest, Dorrie rested
her arms there and took a breath.
Wish I’d brought a
sweater.

“Shit.”
Yeah, he’s still in my blood.
Some deep breathing returned her heart rate to normal.
He looked
so gorgeous sitting there. And listening. God, I wanted to jump
him. It’s so sexy when a man listens. Then Mary comes out, and it
starts all over again. Still, I want him. He doesn’t have a clue
about what happened. I have to tell him, or this is a total waste
of time.

“Still the loner?” A deep voice startled
Dorrie. She jumped.

“Crap! You scared the shit out of me.”

“Sorry,” Johnny said, lowering himself next
to her.

“Where’s Mary?”

“The music is on, and they’re dancing. Come
back and dance.” He pushed to his feet.