Playing for Keeps (31 page)

“What’s up, Ty? You in town yet? Just got here? Great! Hey, listen, you want to go to the Cricket Creek High School prom tonight? No, I’m not kidding, and yes, I have a date for you. No, you perve, she’s legal. Yeah, she’s a chaperone.”

Jessica shook her head violently and mouthed, “No!”

“No, not a seventy-year-old. Would I do that to you? Okay, I would, but, no, she is gorgeous.” He decided not to let on that Jessica was the former chef at Chicago Blue Bistro, so he avoided telling him her name.

“Noah!” Jessica verbalized and tried to jump up and grab his phone without success.

“Hey, Ty, I’ll explain the situation. See ya at my place in a few. You have directions, right? Cool. Yeah, we’ll hook you up with a tux when I get mine.”

When Noah ended the call, he was met with an if-looks-could-kill-glare from Jessica. “I’m not going to the prom with Ty McKenna.”

“Mom, are you out of your ever-lovin’ mind?” Madison sputtered. “He was in
People
magazine’s Most Beautiful issue a few years back. The man is hotter than a two-dollar pistol on a Saturday night.”

Noah looked at Madison and chuckled. “You have embraced your inner redneck.”

“I know, and I like it,” she answered with a grin, then turned her attention back to her mother. “Mom, you need to embrace Ty McKenna.”

“I already told you that he is not my type.”

“Mom, do you have a type?”

Her chin came up a notch. “Yes, and it’s not him!”

“You don’t really know Ty McKenna, Jessica,” Noah calmly pointed out.

“I’ve seen him in action at Chicago Blue Bistro, remember? He is a womanizer. He invented ‘Hit it and quit it’ . . . Sorry, earmuffs, Madison.”

“Mom, I’m almost twenty-four. Get real.”

“Jessica.” Noah arched one eyebrow. “You seem like a woman who can hold her own. Or maybe you think you can’t handle Triple Threat?”

“Pffft,” Jessica protested with a flick of her hand.

“Then what do you have to lose, Mom?” Madison challenged. “Seems like perfect timing to me.”

“Speaking of . . .” Jessica turned to Noah. “Why is Ty McKenna here in Cricket Creek already? The play isn’t until next weekend.”

“Business,” Noah answered. “He could make a real difference in a project we’re looking into.”

“Mom, it sounds like you need to be nice to Ty. Really nice.” She gave her mother a sly wink.

“Madison!”

“I’m just sayin’. You might have to take one for the team.”

“Maaa-di-
son
! Dear God, you have way too much of your aunt Myra in you!”

“Mom, I’m just teasing. Sheesh, y’all need to chill.”

Noah chuckled. “Y’all?”

“Hey.” She wiggled her ring finger. “I’m back home again and here to stay. I’ll start writing some Southern-bent plays. I always did like Tennessee Williams.”

Jessica closed her eyes and shook her head. “Noah Falcon, I could wring your doggone neck!”

Madison clapped her hands. “So that’s a yes?”

“A very reluctant one,” Jessica muttered, but Noah sensed a bit of breathless excitement in her tone that she tried to mask.

“I knew you bought that amazing dress for a reason. You just didn’t know it at the time.” Madison did a little tap dance. “Isn’t that just the way life is? Oh, this is going to be a good night. This is going to be a good,
good
night!” Madison sang and did another little jig that had Noah laughing in spite of his jitters. “A fairy-tale night.”

Jessica shook her head slowly. “You and your imagination.”

Madison laughed with pure delight. “Oh, you just wait and see!”

Madison’s mood was infectious. She seemed so happy, and he knew the reason. For a second Noah thought Jessica might have actually started to smile, but then she seemed to catch herself. “Lay off the caffeine, would ya, Madison? Or is it another dirty martini?” Noah asked.

Madison refused to be subdued. “I am drunk on life!” she announced with a little spin, but she had to catch herself on the edge of a table. “Oh . . . that made me dizzy.”

“You
are
dizzy,” Jessica said, but this time she had to grin at her Madison’s antics. The transformation in moody little Madison was amazing, and Noah could tell that Jessica was happy for her daughter. But now that Myra and Madison each had someone special in their life, Jessica must be feeling lonely.

“Are y’all gonna get dressed at Aunt Myra’s place?” Noah asked.

“Yes,” Madison answered.

“Okay, I’ll have a limo pick Ty up at my condo and then swing by and scoop you guys up. How’s that sound?”

“Peachy,” Jessica muttered. “Do we seriously need a limo? That must have cost an arm and a leg.”

“Mom!” Madison demanded. “Just kick back and have some fun for a change.” She looked at a crew that was stringing hundreds of twinkling lights and then back at her mother. “This is truly going to be a night to remember. I just know it.”

“C
oming!” Olivia shouted when her doorbell chimed again. After tossing the towel she had been drying her legs with into the bathtub, she reached for her robe. While knotting the sash she hurried to the front door, wondering who could be calling on her just a couple of hours before the prom started. At the door she stopped and put a hand to her chest. Perhaps this was a clue to what her father had alluded to yesterday? So far her day had been boringly normal.

With a wildly beating heart she pushed back the frilly yellow curtain and peeked outside. What? Chrissie, Allie, and Jackie stood on her porch and the three of them held a plastic garment bag. With a frown, Olivia tugged the door open. “Hello, girls. Shouldn’t y’all be primping for the prom?”

“We will, but first we have something for you,” Chrissie replied. “May we come in?”

“Sure.” Olivia stepped aside for them to enter.

Chrissie glanced at Jackie, the bubbly cheerleader, who became the spokesperson for the trio. “Well,” Jackie began, “we were shopping at Chloe’s Closet yesterday.”

“The vintage clothing store on Main?” Olivia asked. These girls were mall shoppers.

Jackie nodded firmly. “I read in
Glamour
that you can find some sweet stuff in these kinda stores. Retro is totally in right now,” she explained and shoved her hand beneath Olivia’s nose. “Check out this amazing ring.”

Olivia looked at the gigantic flower-shaped design and nodded. “It’s . . . interesting.”

“Thanks,” Jackie said. “Well, we saw this dress on the mannequin and decided it was soooo you.”

Chrissie and Allie’s heads bobbed in agreement.

“You bought a dress for me?”

“You totally need to wear this to the prom tonight,” Jackie said and then nodded for the girls to unveil their treasure.

They fumbled with the plastic bag and finally revealed a midnight blue evening gown shimmering with threads of silver. But the halter neck and a pretty revealing slit up the side gave Olivia pause. “I—Uh,” she stammered, “it’s lovely,
truly
, but I already have a dress picked out to wear.” She gestured toward her bedroom.

The three of them pulled a collective pout and then Jackie spoke up. “This style is meant for someone tall and slender just like you! It skims your body and flares out at your calves . . . so perfect for dancing.”

“Girls, I’m merely a chaperone. I won’t be doing much dancing.” Since she’d blown off Brandon Turner, she doubted that even he would ask her to dance.

“You might want to bust a move,” said shy little Allie.

Olivia tilted her head at the dress. “I just might bust a seam in that dress,” she said, but Jackie shook her head firmly.

“No way. This material is totally soft and stretchy. Feel it.” The girls thrust the dress closer to her. “Go ahead.” Jackie encouraged her with a nod. “Touch it.”

Olivia nibbled on the inside of her lip and then reached out and gingerly touched the dress. “Oh!” The material was indeed soft, and she suddenly wondered what it would look like on her. She had never worn something so sexy.

But then she pulled her hand back. “Girls, I really appreciate your gift, but I can’t wear it.”

“It’s just a prom dress,” logical Allie pointed out.

Olivia opened her mouth to protest again, but Chrissie’s bottom lip started to quiver and she said, “Miss Lawson you are my favorite teacher of all time. Please wear this in honor of our graduating class.” She blinked at her hopefully and the other girls nodded.

“I . . .” Olivia hesitated just long enough for the trio to pounce.

“Oh, thank you!” Jackie said. “You won’t be sorry! This is going to be an amazing night. Make sure you have your picture taken with us, okay?”

“Yes, but—” Olivia began, but suddenly she was holding the dress and the girls were scampering out the door. After they were gone she stood there, blinking out the bay window.

Finally, she looked down at the evening gown draped over her forearms. Fingers of sunlight reached through the glass and made the dress shimmer. “Oh, dear God, what have I just agreed to?”

She walked on shaky legs into her bedroom and laid the dress on her bed next to her much more conservative black sheath. “Oh, what the heck?” She untied her robe and slipped into the midnight blue gown. After taking a deep breath, she turned and looked into her full-length mirror. “Oh . . . my.” She swallowed and then ran her hands down the soft material.

While the dress wasn’t overly revealing, it was a lot sexier than anything she had ever worn, and when she took a step closer to the mirror the slit in front exposed one long leg all the way up to her thigh. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, then turned sideways to check out her bare back. “I can’t wear this,” she whispered.

And yet the dress fit as if it had been made for her.

She turned back to face the mirror and lifted her hair up from her neck, thinking that a simple French twist would be perfect. She had silver sandals and a silver clutch . . .

“No!”

But then she remembered her promise to her father to go along with whatever was asked of her. “But what could . . . Omigod.” Her pulse raced and her eyes widened at her reflection. Could Noah be coming to get her? To take her to the prom just as he had said he would?

Her cell phone rang and she reached inside her purse on her bed. Her fingers trembled as she wondered if it might be
him
. Oh . . . “Hey, Madison. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to know when you’ll be ready. Jason is backing out on me, but I still want to help chaperone. Can I come with you?”

Olivia’s heart sank, but she inhaled a deep breath and tried to sound normal. “Sure.” At least she wouldn’t be walking in by herself. “Hey, you won’t believe it, but some of my students bought me an amazing vintage dress to wear.”

“Wow, that’s cool! Are you going to?”

She flicked a glance at the mirror. “I said I would, but I don’t think so.”

“Oh, come on, Olivia. Don’t be a wimp. You don’t want to disappoint them, do you?”

“No, but—”

“Then wear it. Mine is very promish. Spaghetti straps, low back.”

“But you’re not a teacher at Cricket Creek.”

“So what? Hey, did you try it on?”

“Yes . . .”

“And does it fit?”

Olivia nodded at her reflection. “Like a glove.”

“Then wear it! Quit being a fuddy-dud. We won’t be wallflowers. I’ll dance with you!”

Olivia had to smile at her young friend’s enthusiasm. Her life certainly had picked up the pace in the past few months. After inhaling deeply once again, she made her decision. “Okay, but when you get here you’ll have to let me know if you think it’s too revealing.”

“I promise. See you in a little while. A lot of you,” she added with a giggle that had Olivia rolling her eyes at her reflection.

“You can say that again.”

“Oh, Olivia, this little town needs some more shaking up. Pour yourself a nip of Kentucky and get ready to have some fun, girl!”

Olivia laughed. “A nip of Kentucky?”

“Bourbon, sister. Hey, this is my state, my town now, Olivia.”

“Well, you
were
born here, you know.”

Madison chuckled. “And now I’m back and going to the prom! See you in a bit.”

Olivia ended the call and then shook her head. Other than the dress, this prom was shaping up to be like all the other ones she had chaperoned over the years. As she headed to the bathroom to get ready, she wondered what her father was making such a big fuss about last night and actually felt a little stab of disappointment.

Even so, she took special pains with her hair and makeup since the dress was so pretty. She added some smoky drama to her eyes and used a darker shade of lipstick than normal. After giving her French twist one last shot of hair spray she tugged a lock of hair loose to fall forward and brush against her cheek. Tear-shaped faux-diamond earrings dripped from her earlobes and a matching necklace added a touch of sparkle between her breasts.

Olivia walked back into her bedroom and slipped her feet into the silver sandals. After taking a deep breath she stood in front of the full-length oval mirror for a moment. “Wow . . .” She gazed at her reflection with a sense of awe. Until recently she had never really thought about her appearance much except to focus on being neat and tidy. But being with Noah had changed all that. He made her feel beautiful. Desirable. She had to wonder what he would think of her in this dress, and a lump formed in her throat when she thought of that.

She put her fist to her mouth and whirled around, half tempted to take the dress off, pull on her sweats, and simply stay home. There would be plenty of people there to chaperone. But just when she reached up for the clasp at the nape of her neck her doorbell chimed. “Oh, get over your sorry self,” she muttered and picked up the silver clutch. She hurried as fast as she could in her unaccustomed heels, giving herself a pep talk along the way. When the bell rang again she tugged the door open. “Hold your horses! I’m . . .” She faltered and her eyes widened. “Oh, my goodness!”