The Keeneston Roses (2 page)

CHAPTER TWO

Lily, Daisy, and Violet cut through the courthouse parking lot, climbed over their neighbor’s fence, and slipped through the hedge into their backyard. They raced to the back patio, set their books down, and breathed in deeply.

“Hurry! I see her in the kitchen,” Daisy whispered.

The girls sat down, opened their books, and tried to wipe the sweat from their foreheads before their mother opened the backdoor.

“Oh, here you girls are,” their mother said sweetly. “What are you up to?”

“Just doing our reading for school tomorrow.” Lily smiled up at her.

“Well, we’re having lamb for dinner tonight. After all, you must be tired from running all the way from the drive-in after sharing a milkshake with that hooligan, Frank Shilling.”

The three girls’ eyes went wide, and Lily felt her breathing stop. “Frank?” she asked innocently.

“Yes, you know, the boy next door who is a vandal and always up to no good.”

“Mom,” Lily said, “Frank is a nice boy.”

Her mother made a noise that sounded something like a snort. “Lily, at some point you will need to wake up and realize your mother may know a thing or two about the world. Frank Shilling is bad news. If I thought you would do as I say, I would tell you to stay away from him. But, I know you better, and you would just sneak off behind my back and see him anyway. And that, young lady, is when you get into serious trouble. No, if you want to see him, you can. But it has to be here where we can keep an eye on the two of you.”

“Mom, I’m almost eighteen. You can’t do this to me. It’s so embarrassing. Are you trying to ruin my life?” Lily cried as she jumped up to face her mother.

“No, I’m trying to make sure you keep your good reputation. I know times have changed, but not that much. If he’s really the good boy you say he is, then he won’t mind doing it.”

“Can I at least go to the dance with him on Friday?” Lily asked through clenched teeth. She couldn’t wait to make her own decisions.

“Of course. Invite him over for dinner beforehand though. Maybe you’re right, and he really is a nice young man.” Her mother smiled as if that was the furthest thing from the truth.

“Fine. I will, and I’ll show you that I am right.”

“Lily Rae, it’s not about being right. It’s about doing anything you can to ensure the happiness of those you love. I’ll be thrilled if you are right and Frank falls in love with you. After all, true love is the greatest gift in the world.” Their mother smiled at them and turned back into the kitchen to unload the groceries.

Lily looked out over the yard shaded by large maple trees and lined with colorful flowers. It was peaceful, bright, and happy. But all those fuzzy feelings were crushed as Violet spoke up.

“Lil, what if Mom is right? He does run with a pretty bad crowd. Rex is repeating his senior year because he was suspended for half of last year. Is that really the kind of guy you want to go steady with?”

“It’s not like Frank was part of what Rex did. He didn’t spray-paint the school. I won’t hold him accountable for something his friend did,” Lily said stubbornly.

“I guess his dreaminess can make up for any deficiencies his friend has,” Daisy joked to break the tension.

That Friday night Lily slid on her baby-doll shoes and tied a matching scarf around her ponytail—perfect for the dance. When the doorbell rang, she took one last look in the mirror and then raced down the large curving staircase.

As she rounded the curve of the banister, she looked into the large square entranceway at Frank handing her mother a bundle of roses.

“Thank you for inviting me to dinner, Mrs. Rose. I’ve smelled your cooking for years and have dreamt of this many nights, that’s for sure.”

Lily soaked in the sight of him in his button-down shirt with a loosened tie. His hair was freshly styled and his smile was anything but innocent.

“I’m glad you can join us. Did you forget your jacket?” Lily’s mother kindly rebuked.

“How’s it going so far?” Daisy whispered from where the three of them were spying.

“He brought Mom flowers and complimented her cooking, but she doesn’t appreciate his dressing down,” Lily whispered back as they watched their father glare at him. “Come on, we better get down there before they scare him away.”

Lily rushed the rest of the way down the stairs. As she came into view, Frank turned and gave her an appreciative smile. “Hey, aren’t you a classy chassis?”

Lily blushed and practically felt the breeze from Violet’s eye roll behind her. “Thanks, Frank. I like your threads.”

“Thanks. Hi, Daisy. Hi, Violet.”

Her sisters murmured their hellos before disappearing into the dining room, leaving them together. Lily grew nervous. She knew this was a crush because she hurt when he wasn’t with her. But when they were together, she felt so insecure. He ran with the cool kids, and it was rumored he had dated a Hollywood actress while he was in the Hamptons over the summer. Yet, he was here, looking at her like he wanted to rip off her clothes. No one ever looked at her like that. No one braved the Rose reputation to see the passionate person underneath the cardigans.

“I’m sorry you have to do this. It’s just that my parents like to know who I’m going out with.”

“I understand. Haven’t you figured out I’ll jump through all the hoops to go steady with you?” Frank asked in a low voice and stepped close to her, looking into her eyes.

“Dinner,” her mother called from the dining room.

Lily blinked as she broke Frank’s gaze. He had been about to kiss her; she just knew it. Maybe tonight they could sneak away from the dance. She certainly didn’t want to get a reputation for being fast, but kissing Frank was what her dreams were made of.

Frank slid his arm tightly around her as they slow-danced to The Hilltoppers. The dance had been so romantic. Frank was a fantastic dancer, and Lily didn’t miss the wishful glances from the other girls. They had danced slowly, and they had danced fast. They had laughed, they had talked with her friends, and she had loved every minute of it.

“Mr. Shilling, this is not the appropriate distance,” their principal said with disapproval as he held out a ruler to demonstrate the appropriate amount of space required between their bodies.

Frank took a step backward and the principal moved on with a nod of his head. “Let’s blow this joint,” Frank said as he steered her from the gymnasium.

“And where are we going?”

“Lovers Pond sounds good to me. What about you?”

Lily gulped. She wanted to, but Lovers Pond was a sure way to ruin your reputation. “I’m sorry but with my curfew I don’t think I can.”

Frank gave her a lopsided grin. “There’s my innocent bloom. Tonight I’ll just dream about it. How about we go hang with my friends at the water tower instead? I promise I’ll get you home in plenty of time to meet your curfew.”

“I can do that. It will give me a chance to meet your friends. I don’t know them very well.” Lily thought about Rex and knew her mother would drop dead if she discovered Lily was hanging out with him. But her mother was wrong about Frank, and maybe they were all wrong about Rex. There was only one way to find out, and that was to decide for herself.

Lily waited as Frank jumped out of the car and walked around to open her door. There were six cars with their lights on next to the town’s water tower. Some of the guys were trying to race each other up the tower while others were sitting in the back seats of their cars necking with girls.

She hated to admit it, but Lily had a sneaking suspicion her mother had been right. Some of them were old enough to drink, but there seemed to be a lot of empty beer bottles scattered around for those few legal drinkers. Music blared from the car speakers. She’d only heard some snippets from Elvis Presley before, but she knew her mother thought rock n’ roll would corrupt them.

“What are you doing bringing a square to our place?” Rex yelled from his car as he lifted his face from the neck of a junior with a very fast reputation, which was apparently well earned.

“Cool it. She’s with me,” Frank said with a sternness that made her feel protected.

“It’s all right. If they don’t want me here, we don’t have to stay,” Lily whispered as she grasped Frank’s hand in hers.

“Well, I want you here, and that’s all that matters. Come on, let’s have a beer and talk.”

Lily barely nodded her head and accepted a beer that was tossed at Frank. Rex gave her a look of disgust and went back to necking while Frank introduced her to his crew. Some were nice, but mostly they seemed to mock her. Lily was ready to go when Frank pulled her into the shadows of the water tower.

“I’m glad you’re here. There’s something I have been wanting to give you.” Frank held up his hand and pulled his class ring from his finger. “We got interrupted earlier, but I was hoping you would agree to go steady with me.”

Lily almost lost her breath as her dream came true before her eyes. As soon as she had turned thirteen and discovered there was more to the opposite sex than just being stupid boys, she had dreamed of Frank. She had watched him grow up into a dream. Tall, muscular, and with a smile that made her knees weak. And now he was standing in front of her holding out his class ring.

“Oh, Frank! Yes, I will go steady with you.”

Frank slipped the ring on her finger, and it promptly fell off. They both laughed, and she undid her necklace and laced it through the ring. “I guess this will have to do for now.” She smiled at him and then held out the ends of the necklace for him to take.

Frank leaned forward and fastened the necklace around her neck. Lily stopped breathing when his fingers trailed her collarbone and stopped at the top swell of her breast. She looked up with a mix of confusion and desire and saw his eyes devour her a moment before backing her against the cold metal of the water tower and covering her lips with his.

“I’ve been wanting to do that all week,” Frank whispered before kissing her again.

Lily was lost in the taste of his lips, the pressure of his body against hers, the scent of his cologne, and something that was just Frank. But when his hand cupped her breast, the unflappable Lily flapped. She jerked her head back, hitting it against the water tower as she fought for breath.

“Told you she was a square,” Rex chuckled as he emerged from the shadows.

Frank stepped in front of her and shoved Rex. “I told you to cool it, Rex,” he growled.

“Don’t have a cow. I was just bringing you another beer.”

“It’s okay, Frank. It’s time I get home anyway. It was nice seeing you, Rex. I love the flames you had painted on your car,” Lily said a little bit shyly. She’d never had anyone challenge her besides her family, and she wasn’t familiar with how to handle it. It irked her that she fell back to what her mother taught her. She should always say something nice or not say anything at all.

“Thank you, young Rose. Now hurry home before you get eaten by the big bad wolf.” Rex let out a howl and soon the field echoed with men howling.

By the time Lily arrived home, she was depressed. This was never going to work. His friends hated her, and she wasn’t prepared to do what it took to fit in with them.

Frank pulled into her driveway and turned off the car. He turned in his seat and cupped her shoulder. His thumb gently rubbed her tightly wound muscles. “I’m sorry about my friends.”

“It’s not going to work, Frank,” Lily said with tears in her eyes.

“Of course it is. They don’t matter. All that matters is that you’re wearing my ring. You’re my girl, Lily. My rose who I want to watch bloom in my hands.”

“But, Rex . . .”

“But Rex nothing. It’s just you and me, doll. We’re the only ones who matter. Let me prove it to you. If I can’t, then you can give my ring back.” Frank was so sincere Lily wanted to believe him. She had to believe him or her dream would vanish into the night.

“Two weeks.”

Frank smiled. “These will be the best two weeks of your life. I guarantee it.”

CHAPTER THREE

Two weeks turned into three months. After the first month, Lily stopped thinking about giving back Frank’s class ring. They were made for each other. He was the perfect gentleman. He had stopped hanging out with Rex and had dinner at her house with her family every Thursday night.

He took her out on dates each Friday and Saturday night. They went for ice cream, to sock hops and football games, and even to drive-in movies where they necked in the privacy of the back seat of his car. She was so madly in love and couldn’t wait to tell him. It was part of her Christmas present plan.

These past couple months had been so dreamy that Lily let her hopes rise. She’d been wearing his class ring, and everyone knew they were the new
it
couple of Keeneston High. When they cruised down Main Street at night, Frank only had eyes for her. She wondered if the Christmas gift he kept on mentioning was a different kind of ring.

“Lily, did you hear me?” Daisy asked with annoyance.

“Hmm?”

“I asked if Frank was going to New York for Christmas next week?”

“Oh, yes. He leaves on Tuesday. We’re going to exchange gifts a couple days before, though.”

“Mom wants to know if he’s going to join us for the Keeneston Christmas celebration on Saturday.”

“We are going to the town celebration, but then we may leave early to exchange gifts.”

Daisy looked down at the scarf Lily held in her hands. She’d spent the last month knitting the cashmere scarf and hat for him. “I’m sure he’s going to love it. Well, I’m going to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow for the first official day of Christmas vacation. We need to pick out what to wear to the party.”

Lily watched her sister give one last wistful look at the scarf and then close the door. While Lily was basking in the good fortune of love, Daisy and Violet were not. Violet had plenty of men after her, but they seemed more interested in how she was stacked than in her as a person. And Daisy was too mature for the boys in Keeneston. All the mature ones had gone off to college. Lily hoped that Daisy would run into some of them while they were home for Christmas. Not that many men went to college, but the ones who did were the guys that would be interested in Daisy.

There was a soft knock on the door. Violet quietly opened it and stepped into the room. She looked nervously around as she closed the door. “Lil, I need your help.”

“Of course, Vi. Did something happen?”

“Not yet, but I need a ride into Lexington,” Violet said in a hushed whisper as she set the
Keeneston Journal
on the bed. “Look.”

Lily set down the scarf and picked up the paper.
New Chef at Lexington Club Shines
, Lily read. “You want to go to dinner at some fancy restaurant?”

“No, look. The chef is from Lexington but went to culinary school in France. I have to talk to him and see if he’ll write a letter of recommendation for me. I need to find a way to contact this school about a scholarship. Of course, I first need to find out if they even accept women.”

“I don’t have a car . . .”

“No, but Frank does,” Lily cut in. “Can you talk him into giving me a ride to Lexington?”

“I don’t see why not. When do you want to go?”

Violet bit her lip nervously. “Right now?”

“Vi, it’s ten o’clock at night.”

“I know. But we don’t have school tomorrow, and the restaurant will just be closing when we get there. The chef will be cleaning up and won’t have any customers to distract him. Please, Lily. It’s my dream.”

Lily let out a long breath. “Okay, but we need to make sure Dad and Mom are already asleep.”

“They are. I checked before I came to see you. We already said goodnight to them, and they turned off their light twenty minutes ago.”

“Well, we can’t just waltz out the front door . . .” Lily pondered. “With their bedroom downstairs, they’ll hear any of the doors, and we can’t risk them locking us out.”

Violet smiled. “It’s a good thing we excel at climbing trees.”

Lily turned to look out her window at the huge old maple tree in the front yard. This was going to be interesting.

“I see London, I see France . . .”

“Shut up, Violet, or I won’t help you,” Lily hissed as softly as she could. She slowly made her way down the tree. Violet had climbed out the window first and was almost at the last branch.

“I don’t know about you, but this is the best view in all of Keeneston,” the deep voice joked.

“Frank!” Violet and Lily gasped before shushing each other.

“Catch me,” Violet whispered as Frank held out his arms. Violet dropped from the bottom limb, and Frank set her aside before reaching for Lily.

“Would you care to tell me what’s going on?”

“Violet needs you to drive us to Lexington. She wants to meet a chef,” Lily told him as she and Violet dragged him away from the house.

“Sweet Violet is dating a chef?”

“No. It’s a secret, but I need to ask him about culinary school in Europe. I can’t tell my parents. They won’t understand. And I don’t want to get my hopes up until I find out if they even accept women and offer scholarships.”

Frank looked between the two sisters and nodded his head. “Then let’s burn rubber.”

Violet Fae sat nervously in the back of Frank’s car as he sped down small country roads leading to Lexington. She tightened her fist as they passed the Ashton Farm and finally turned onto Broadway in downtown Lexington. She didn’t know what she was doing. Could she really walk into a swanky restaurant and persuade the chef to talk to her?

Frank pulled to a stop in front of the restaurant, and Violet took a deep breath. She could do this. What did she have to lose? She straightened her hair and pinched her cheeks to put some color into them.

“Vi, you look great. They’d be crazy not to take you. Do you want us to go in with you?” Lily asked.

She was a good sister. Sure, they didn’t always get along when they were growing up, but when they turned fifteen everything had changed. They stopped trying to push each other’s buttons and turned into the best of friends. Their mother had been right; they were sisters, and they loved each other.

“That’s okay. Thank you. It’s something I need to do myself.”

Frank got out of the car and pushed his seat forward for her to climb out. Wiping her hands on her skirt, she took one last deep breath and walked around to the back of the old brick building.

She heard the sounds of male laughter first. The back door was open as the men cleaned up for the night. Her heart pounded as she walked through the darkness toward the light spilling out of the kitchen into the alley.

“I can do this,” she whispered to herself before stepping up to the door. “Excuse me, I’m looking for Chef Nichols.”

Some of them let out catcalls while others suggested she look for them instead. But a second later she saw him walk from the office. He carried the air of confidence only a head chef had. “I’m Nichols. What do you want, kid?”

Violet swallowed and then stood as tall as she could. “I’m here to talk to you about your experience in culinary school.”

“Are you a reporter?” Nichols asked as he hushed the men and sent them back to work.

“No. I want to be a head chef.”

“A woman?”he snickered. “Betty Crocker comes out with a cookbook and suddenly everyone thinks they can be a chef.”

“Julia Child just graduated from culinary school,” Violet shot back. “Women have been the primary chefs in households since the beginning of time. Where did you learn how to cook? I bet it wasn’t from your father.”

Nichols smiled at her and then laughed. “You’re right. My father couldn’t boil water. It doesn’t matter, though; women are just not meant to run restaurants. They don’t have the intelligence or the finesse to know how to make these complex plates.”

“Chef, I’ll make a bet with you. Give me two hours, and I’ll make a dish that will prove you wrong. When I do, you will write me a letter of recommendation and give me the names of all the culinary schools that admit women.”

“You’re a plucky thing, aren’t you?”

“I am. I’m also determined.”

Nichols looked into her eyes, and Violet stared him down. “Fine. Two hours, starting now,” Nichols said as he looked at his watch. “Gentlemen, clear the kitchen. I’ll get the rest. You may go home now.”

Clearly thinking she was here to neck with the chef, the men cheered as they left. Violet didn’t let it bother her. She headed straight for the pantry and collected the nineteen items she needed to make her dish.

Just because she was from a small town didn’t mean she didn’t know how to cook. There were such things as books, and she had gotten a French cookbook for her birthday. While Violet preferred home-cooked comfort foods like her mother’s fried chicken, she knew in order to be taken seriously she needed to cook like the French. And as she sprinkled flour on the beef, she knew without a doubt she would do everything she could to make her dream a reality.

Lily rolled her head to the side to allow Frank better access to kiss her. His lips started at her earlobe and followed a path down her neck and over her collarbone. Her sister had been gone for almost two hours, but Violet had told her to give her until one in the morning, and that was just fine with Lily.

Frank’s hand started to slide up her stomach and hesitantly cupped her breast. When she moaned, Frank caressed them more ardently. So this is what she had been missing. No wonder some women were fast—it felt divine.

“Lily, I want you so badly.”

“I want you, too.”

“Really?” Frank asked with surprise as he pulled back.

“Really.”

Frank kissed her quickly. “Oh, Lily. I love you. I think I have since you threw dirt at me for spying on you when I was six years old.”

“Well, you deserved it,” Lily giggled. “And I love you, too. So much, Frank. Say we’ll be together forever.”

“Forever, darling. I hate that I have to leave next week. But tomorrow is the Christmas party. I can’t wait to share the evening with you. It’s going to be magical.”

“I can’t wait. I love you so much, Frank.”

Violet smiled as she set the beautiful beef bourguignon in front of Chef Nichols. She waited patiently as he turned the plate around in order to inspect it from all angles before cutting into it. He examined the coloring, sniffed it, and finally put it on his tongue and wrapped his lips around the fork. Violet held her breath and watched as his eyes widened in surprise.

“Miss Rose, I am stunned. This is fabulous.”

“Thank you. Will you consider writing me a letter of recommendation then?”

“I’ll do better than that. If you expect to enroll in culinary school, you need to prove your worth. It’s hard being a woman in a profession dominated by men. This is our busiest season. You manage to work all of next week and not only will I write you a letter of recommendation, I’ll call admissions and personally talk to them about you.”

Violet couldn’t contain her gasp. “Really? Thank you so much, Chef!”

“Don’t thank me yet. You’ll have to earn your recommendation. I’ll see you here Monday at four. Expect to be here until eleven that night.”

“Yes, sir!” Violet slipped off the apron and gave Chef Nichols one last smile before running out the back door. She had no idea how she was going to manage to get to Lexington every night, but if it meant having to ride her bike the fifteen miles, then she would do it. She wasn’t going to let anything stand in the way of her dream.