Seems Like Old Times (10 page)

"I'd appreciate that. Never was good at
hitchhiking."

"With those legs?"
He
dropped a tip on the table. It was the first reference he'd made to her looks,
and she rewarded him with a tentative glance and rosy cheeks. He hadn’t
intended to say it, but he had noticed those long shapely legs when he first
saw her at the baseball field, when he saw her again only minutes earlier at
the restaurant entry, and when he followed her to the booth. Hell, he noticed
everything about her.

Lee walked with him to the cashier. She was a tall woman,
but she looked up to him. He must have been about 6'1" or 6'2",
taller than when she knew him. He kept growing after high school, she thought,
suddenly realizing there was yet another change, another thing she'd missed.

They climbed into his Jeep Cherokee. The ride to her house
was short.
Five minutes or less.
It felt strange
sitting in a car with Tony again. She remembered his big Bonneville far too
well, and being with him "making out" in it. It was so innocent, yet
so sweet, just remembering made her throat seem to thicken.

She scarcely breathed until they reached her house. He
walked her to the familiar front door.

Sometimes Tony used to feel more at home at Lisa’s than in
the cottage he used to share with his father. Since her mother didn’t get home
from work until five-thirty or so, he'd go to her house after school to eat,
listen to music, talk, do homework, or just hang out.

Now, she unlocked the door and pushed it open, then
glanced up at him to say good night.

But Tony looked past her shoulder to the doorway. Lee
turned to find Miriam entering the foyer. She stepped inside, Tony following.
Suddenly she found herself speaking words that were years overdue. "Aunt
Miriam, this is Tony Santos.
Tony, my aunt, Miriam Dailey."

Miriam's eyes never left his face as she walked up to him,
her hand outstretched. "So you're Tony. It's about time you got
here."

He stared in surprise, not knowing how to respond, as they
shook hands.

Lee said, "What?"

Miriam's gaze seemed to drill through him, to his soul.
"It wouldn't have been right for Lisa to finally return to Miwok and not
see you."

"We have a couple of friends who agree with
you," Tony said with a grin.

"Oh, I know all about that." Miriam chuckled.

Unflappable, cool Lee Reynolds actually looked sheepish.
"You're kidding me."

"Not at all."

Tony shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny. "I
remember hearing about you," he said. "Lisa always told me how much
she missed you after you moved away."

"Did she?" Miriam glanced at her niece.
"I'm glad to hear it."

"It was no secret, Miriam," Lee protested.

Miriam continued to study Tony. "Would you like some
tea? The water's still hot.
Or perhaps a Coke, or beer?"

"No, thanks.
I was just
dropping Lisa off. We had coffee."

"Stay awhile, if you have time." She glanced
pointedly at Lee. "I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about, and I was
just heading upstairs to bed." As she again faced Tony, her face softened
into a smile. "I'm so glad I finally got to meet you."

Tony felt her sincerity like a kick in the stomach. The
last thing he wanted was to warm to "Lee" Reynolds's aunt. "I'm
glad to have met you, too."

Miriam lightly touched his arm,
then
went upstairs. Lee couldn't stop staring at her aunt in surprise.

Tony, too, took a moment to regroup. "Your aunt is a
very nice woman."

"Thank you," she said.

He stepped toward the front door,
then
turned to face her.
Just go,
he told himself. "I heard you’re
leaving tomorrow."

The spicy scent of his Old Spice after shave enveloped
her--the same, simple scent he used to wear to school dances and parties. She
had heard it said that smell was the sense that brought back the strongest
memories, and with the scent of the after shave, she remembered again being at
dances with
Tony,
and at parties when the lights were
turned low, and the night of the senior prom....

She never would have believed she could remember what Tony
Santos
smelled
like, for God's sake. But she did.

She rubbed her forehead, doing all she could to avoid
meeting his eyes. There was no reason she should feel so physically aware of
him, not now, not after so many years. Obviously, it was simply a sentimental
reaction to...other things.
To all that had happened after
she left Miwok.

They weren't kids anymore, there had been other men in her
life, and now there was Bruce. She had no reason to let her feelings get out of
control around Tony, and one very big reason not to.

"I’ll be here until Monday," she said.
"It’s a bit more complicated than I’d imagined
to get
the house ready to sell."

"You are planning to sell it, then?"

"Yes."

He clamped his lips together as his gaze took in the entry
hall, the stairs to the right, the family room straight ahead,
the
living room to the left. It was all so familiar. How had
he spent so many years without thinking about those days, so many years
allowing
himself
to forget?

He turned back to Lisa. He had expected to dislike the
person she was now, or at least to be indifferent. But he found too much of the
old Lisa existed inside the cool, sophisticated façade, and she made him
remember too much that he'd rather forget. "I'm glad I saw you
tonight," he admitted, then grinned.
"Even if it
was a set-up."

For a moment, he thought she wouldn't reply. But then she
said softly, "Me, too."

Her cell phone rang. She pulled it from her purse,
then
looked from the phone to Tony. "I'll let myself
out," he said.

"Wait." She picked it up. "Hello
?...
Bruce...
Bru
...excuse me,
Bruce, I can't talk right now. I've got company. They're just leaving. I’ll
call you in a few minutes, okay?"

Tony's attention perked up at the "they" he had
become, and that told him everything he cared to know about Lee's relationship
with this Bruce. He pulled open the door.

She turned off the phone. "I'm sorry.
A friend from New York."

"A good friend, I take it."

"Yes," she whispered.

"I see." He nodded. "Good, that's good.
Well..."

All her caution and self-preservation seemed to have
vanished along with her common sense. "Since I’ll be in Miwok a few more
days, will your team be playing anymore Little League games?"

His expression showed surprise, but then he smiled. Her
heart skittered and she moved closer to him. "We have one tomorrow at four
thirty," he said, his body straining toward her.

"Okay." Her voice was a whisper.

Their eyes met and held, his hand still resting on the
doorknob as neither moved and both wondered what this strange feeling was
between them. Was it simply nostalgia, two people rushing toward middle age and
grabbing at the feelings of their youth, or--heaven help them--something more?

He wondered why she'd asked about a game.

She wondered why she’d said "Okay."

He frowned as he stepped onto the front porch. What did it
matter about the new Lee or the old Lisa? Once she left Miwok this time, she
was never coming back. Once, he had tried to convince her to stay with him, and
she refused in no uncertain terms.

He turned to face her, just to say good-night, and the
memory flashed before him of how he always used to turn around and kiss her as
he left her house. The wide eyed way she looked at him made him realize she
remembered too.

But he held himself back.

"Take care of yourself, Lisa."

She soaked in his nearness, a sudden tightness in her
throat.
"You, too, Tony....And Tony?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for the coffee."

"Good bye, Lisa," he said, then turned and,
hands in pockets, walked down the porch steps into the darkness.

o0o

"I want your body right here, right now."
Bruce's voice purred over the phone. "I want to touch every beautiful part
of it--and I want you to touch me. I can almost feel your hands, your mouth...I
want to be myself inside you so bad, Lee..."

"Bruce, listen--"

"I can hardly wait until tomorrow night--"

"Bruce, I’m staying a few more days."

Silence.
"Staying? You're
kidding. You promised you'd be at my side for Baldwin’s dinner party next week.
I can't show up alone, and I sure don't want to find someone else to
take."

She was stunned by his petulant complaint. He hadn’t asked
why she was staying, how she felt, or even if the house was ready to be turned
over to a realtor. "I'm sorry, but this is a bit more important than a
dinner with Baldwin."

He sighed loudly. "You're right, Lee. I'm just upset
that this is taking you so long, that's all."

"I refuse to tell my aunt I won’t set things up
properly because my ambitious boyfriend wants to show me off in New York."

"Relax, Lee. I’m doing this for both of us,
remember?"

The shock in his voice was evident to her, but she
couldn’t stop herself from saying, "Maybe I should catch the red-eye right
now."

"Don’t get worked up. It’s just that I miss you so
much. I need you. I'm sorry, Lee." His voice was hurt and little boyish,
and the combination pulled her up short, making her feel even worse about the
ugly way she was treating him.

She took a deep breath. "Bruce, I didn't mean to be
sarcastic. I’ll be leaving here Monday, so the dinner party isn’t a
problem."

"Thank goodness! I should have known you wouldn’t let
me down. I also know you wouldn’t put up with that small hick town any longer
than absolutely necessary. Too bad you aren’t in L.A. I’d probably be with you
if you were.
But a small town in the north?
I hear
it’s all cows and horses. Not even wineries where you are, right?"

"That’s right, Bruce.
Just me and
the chickens."

"Good God! And I’ll bet the people there make the
cows and horses seem interesting. I mean, what can you possibly talk to them
about? They probably don’t know
Hesse
from Dinesen,
Miro
from Matisse,
Schoenberg
from
Stockhausen."

"You’d hate it here," she said. "It’s good
you refused to come with me." The words were out of her mouth before she
remembered she was trying to soothe his ruffled feathers.

"I didn’t really refuse." His tone was icy.
"It’s just that the timing was particularly bad for me."

"I know.
Poor choice of
words."

"From you, Lee?"

She sighed. "I’m tired. This has all been more
upsetting than I ever imagined. Coming back here has stirred up a lot of
memories and some...well, some are difficult to deal with. I'll be home just as
soon as I'm able."

"I can't imagine anything being difficult for
you."

"I'm not Wonder Woman."

"Close enough. But it is boring there, right? No old
high school boyfriends or muscular tow headed surfers to sweep you off your
feet?"

"I always told you I hated high school! Anyway, this
is
northern
California, Bruce. The Pacific is cold up here."

"Well, okay, then. I trust you, you know. Good night,
Lee."

"Good night."

She stared at the phone a long time after hanging up.

Miriam was up early, made coffee,
then
mixed together muffin batter, just as she used to do when Lisa stayed with her
in her little house in San Diego after leaving Miwok. Miriam knew she was going
overboard with the nostalgia and poor ol' aunt routine, but she couldn't think
of a better way to cause Lisa to stay in Miwok long enough to face up to all
that had happened seventeen summers ago and finally, one way or the other, put
it behind her.

Lisa had fled Miwok to live with Miriam the summer after
graduating from high school. Although Lisa had received a scholarship to UCLA,
she switched to the University of California at San Diego to stay with Miriam.
The girl threw herself into her schoolwork, making it her shelter and haven
from the world.

The four years Lisa spent with Miriam were among the most
wonderful and heartbreaking of her life. Early on, the girl needed her, leaning
on her for support and at times asking for more than Miriam thought she had in
her to give. Somehow, they made it through those days, and as the years went
by, Lisa blossomed, and Miriam's heart swelled with pride.

In college, Lisa's interest in journalism developed. She
had brought a passion and intellect to her reporting that brought her quick
success with her instructors. She soon learned to present herself as a poised,
self-assured woman no matter how inwardly nervous she might have been.

After graduation, Miriam saw that Lisa no longer had the
time to spend long summer vacations and holidays with her. Although intellectually,
she accepted it, it hurt her to watch Lisa grow apart from her. Miriam felt she
did nothing but say good-bye to people she loved--her husband, her brother, and
then her niece.

At least now, here in Miwok, they had a week together once
more. Most people who live alone reach a point where they disliked spending
time around other people. Miriam wasn’t that way. Nothing would have made her
happier than to have Lisa settle down, raise children, and live near her. But
it looked like such a close-knit life was only for other families. Not for her.
Not for Lisa.

Miriam filled muffin tins with batter and when she heard
Lisa turn off the upstairs shower, she put the tins into a hot oven.