Cold River (33 page)

Mandy’s throat tightened, and she suddenly felt lonely and a little weepy. Stepping to the side, she let Vince come beside her, and she reached for his hand.

When they got to her car, Vince opened the door for her but stood in the way, prolonging the moment by talking about inconsequential things. An evening mist diffused and dimmed the parking lot lights, and she leaned back against the Miata’s soft top as she asked about his trip. He answered lightly, turning the problems he faced into an amusing narrative. As she listened and laughed, she watched a pulse beating at his throat and was conscious that his nearness, the smell of his gardenia, the feel of his body heat in the cool night air left her deliciously breathless.

It began to drizzle, and Mandy, pulled back to her surroundings, realized they were almost the last ones in the parking lot. “I’ve got to go.”

Vince moved so she could get in the car, but he took her hand. “Come to Seattle with me tomorrow.”

She shook her head. “It’s raining. I’ve got to go.”

But she let him kiss her. She stood in the corner between the open door and the car, and as he leaned down and she turned her face up to his, she felt the roughness of his palm on her cheek. Their lips touched, and his hand moved to the nape of her neck and buried itself in her curls. His other arm slid around to the small of her back and pulled her close. The coolness of the night air mixed with the feel of his strength and gave her a sense of shelter as she tasted his mouth on hers. It didn’t help that when they came up for air, she found herself looking into those fine eyes.

“You tip me off balance,” Mandy said. “I’ve got to go.”

Just then the shower turned into a downpour. Vince kissed her once more and said, “Get in.” He closed the door for her and stayed as she started her car and pulled away.

Driving out of the parking lot, Mandy saw a familiar figure, shoulders hunched against the rain, locking the front door to the school. It was only as she recognized Grange’s pickup as one of the last cars in the lot that she began to wonder if he had seen her kissing Vince. “Well, what if he did?” she muttered. “It wouldn’t matter to him.”

Somehow that thought brought back the weepy feeling. As she drove through the pelting rain toward the Timberlain Road turnoff, a tear spilled over and ran down her cheek.

“I DON’T THINK
you’ll have any more problems with pranks,” Leesie said to Mandy as they drove through a driving rain to church Sunday morning.

“What do you mean, pranks?”

“Oh, you know— people trying to get you to leave town.”

Mandy’s brow creased. “Do you call car wrecks a prank? I call it a threat on my life. Why do you think they are now magically going to cease?”

“Because you played the ‘Stinkbug Boogie.’ People got to see what you’re like. It didn’t hurt that Rael kissed you, either.”

Mandy turned the wipers to high. “That’s faulty logic, for sure. By the way, who told him to call me Sweetiebug?”

Leesie grinned. “I told Jake, and Jake must have told him. How was it, by the way? The kiss?”

Mandy tried to keep from smiling. “It was, um, surprising. Very surprising. But nice.”

“Feel any twinges? Any quickening pulse?”

“I’d be foolish to do that. He’s no freer than… well, never mind.”

“He isn’t? I thought that he was a widower.”

Mandy shook her head. “Not only is Jake’s mom still alive, but Rael and she have never divorced.”

“No! Really?” Leesie was silent a moment, digesting that information. “Still, it was a great kiss,” she said finally.

Mandy tried to suppress a smile. “It wasn’t the only kiss I got last night.”

“I knew it! I’ve seen the way Mr. Timberlain looks at you. Where did he make his move? In his office? It’s nice and private.”

“No, silly! Vince.”

“You let Heathcliff kiss you? Not very choosy, are you?”

Mandy frowned over at her sister. “Aren’t you being judgmental? I don’t think you’ve spoken two words to him. You don’t know anything about what kind of man he is.”

“You’re right,” Leesie said as they pulled into the church parking lot. “If he’s at church today, I’ll make a point of asking him afterwards what he thought about the sermon.”

Mandy found a parking space close to the back door. She dashed through the rain behind her sister and followed her into the church, catching sight of Grange across the foyer in a navy suit and a blue tie that made his eyes brilliant. It was the first time she had seen him dressed up, and something fluttered in her chest. She couldn’t seem to keep from glancing at him when he wasn’t looking, but she didn’t want to have to face him. Once they entered the chapel, she pulled Leesie into a pew on the other side of the aisle from the Timberlains, and as soon as the service was over, she bolted.

Leesie followed her out the door. “What’s the hurry? Aren’t you going to stay and visit?”

“Not today. I’ve got things to do at home.” Mandy unlocked the car and they got in.

Her sister turned in her seat and continued to press. “What is so important at home?”

Not willing to confess that she was embarrassed to meet Grange Timberlain, Mandy tried a diversion. “I didn’t see Rael.”

“No. He had to go back east for something. I don’t know if it was the business or a tour.”

Mandy drove slowly out of the parking lot. “Business? What business? He’s a mailman.”

Leesie stared at her sister. “You mean you don’t know that he’s a luthier?”

“A what? A Lutheran?”

Leesie giggled. “A luthier. He builds guitars. Really, really good ones. People pay thousands and thousands of dollars for his guitars. He built the one I have in my bedroom.”

“Thousands of dollars? And you have it just leaning up against the wall in your bedroom?”

“It’s okay, Mandy. That’s what Jake said to do.”

“You mentioned a tour. Rael told me he had quit performing.”

“It’s something for the National Endowment for the Arts.” Leesie thought a moment. “Do I have that right? It’s a concert about different guitar-playing styles. Roots music, I think. Very PBS.”

“When will he be home?” Mandy asked. “He won’t miss the festival, will he?”

“He’ll be here for the opening ceremony on Friday, I know. There’s going to be some big announcement that concerns him.”

“Leesie, how do you know all this?”

She shrugged. “I listen, I guess. You know, this is going to be such an exciting week. I’m so glad Mom is coming.”

“Oh my gosh! I forgot! Where are we going to bed people down?”

“Mom’s coming alone, so I’ll give her my room and sleep on the couch. You’ll be on your own to shop and get ready,” Leesie warned. “I’m going to be buried in festival prep.”

Monday morning, as Mandy sat in her office, she reflected that, besides Nettie Maypole, she must be the only person in Limestone not involved in getting ready for the festival. Everyone seemed to have a mission. Somehow, Mandy had hoped for a change after Saturday night— a sign that she was accepted, like being asked to help with the festival. Forgetting that she had pointedly ignored Grange the day before, she pulled down the corners of her mouth when she saw that he was calendared out of his office all week long.

Her dark mood disappeared with Mrs. Reilly’s appearance Monday afternoon. The reading teacher announced she had arranged for a sub for the next three days and that she wanted to spend however long it took working out details of Mandy’s proposal for revamping the reading program.

“It’s all well and good for Grange and half the district to take off two weeks for Opening Festival, but some of us have to make sure that education happens,” Mrs. Reilly declared. She also mentioned that Grange had given the meeting his blessing.

Mandy agreed with Mrs. Reilly’s stand on the festival and gave her all the time not already commandeered by Nettie. As they worked together, Mandy found the reading teacher knowledgeable, pragmatic, and not the least bit hesitant to say what would not work and why. The result was that, after a three-day marathon, they ended up with a workable plan, a schedule, and ideas for funding.

On Monday morning, Mandy had accepted an invitation to go to dinner with Vince that evening. In Sunday morning’s cold, gray light, Mandy had realized that the night before she might have given Vince a signal that their relationship had taken a step toward physical intimacy, and she was determined to flash an amber light. As they sat in a corner booth at Bobo’s Burgers in Stallo, and Vince reached over to take her hand, Mandy took a deep breath and plunged in. “Vince, I need to talk to you.”

He looked a little startled, but said, “Okay, go ahead.” He didn’t release her hand.

“How much time have we actually spent together?”

He smiled. “Not nearly enough.”

“Be serious. We’ve talked at the district offices a couple of times, once in my office, and once through your car window. We spent a part of a day together, and Saturday night we spent an hour or so at the concert.”

“And a half hour in the parking lot. Don’t forget that.”

Mandy gently pulled her hand away. “That’s what I’m talking about. I can’t blame it on the moonlight, since there wasn’t any, but I was carried away by… something, and I acted completely out of character.”

Vince sat back and regarded her. “You looked glad to see me. Was that out of character?”

“No. I
was
glad to see you. But I don’t really know you. You don’t know me or what I expect in a relationship, and I don’t know what you expect when we get to the end of what we began in the parking lot. I don’t want either of us to be surprised or hurt.”

His white teeth flashed. “I like the sound of that— that we began something in the parking lot.”

“What I’m trying to say is that I don’t want to complicate the getting-to-know process by a physical entanglement. What I want is more than a lover, more than monogamous till death, and until you can understand all that entails, I don’t want to muddy the water.”

“Is there more than monogamous till death?” he asked.

“To me there is. I think a couple needs to have a common goal. They need to be willing to work together for things they’re passionate about.” Mandy was going to continue, but she was interrupted by the sound of Vince’s phone ringing.

“Sorry,” he said. He checked the caller’s number and swore under his breath. The phone rang twice more before he said, “I’m expecting a call. Do you mind?”

She shook her head, and he rose. As he walked away, she heard him say, “Hi, Doc.”

While she waited, she finished her burger. Vince returned and asked if she minded if they left right then. “I’ve got a ton of stuff to do, and something has come up. We can work on getting better acquainted on the ride home.” He held out his hand to help her out of the booth, and as she stood, he looked down at her with warm, expressive eyes. “I’ve learned that good things, like good wine, often take time to happen. I’ll wait.”

“Interesting analogy,” Mandy said dryly.

They talked about lots of things on the way home, but Vince carried the burden of the conversation, obviously trying to shepherd the acquaintance process. When they got to her house, he put his arm around her shoulders as they ran through the pelting rain to the door. Then he kissed her on the cheek and said, “I’m crazy about you, Mandy, though it may not seem like it this next week.”

“What do you mean?”

“My schedule and yours will make it so we won’t have any time to work on our
getting to know you
project. But next week should see everything taken care of. Dinner next Monday for sure?”

“For sure,” she said.

He paused in the shelter of the doorway. “The river is coming up pretty fast with all this rain, but it shouldn’t overtop the dike they put in after your house got flooded last time. Keep an eye on it. Even if the dike should break, it wouldn’t do anything more than inconvenience you and wet your rugs. Call me if you see it leaking water. You’ve got my phone number?”

“Yes. You gave it to me— oh, it seems so long ago, but it was just weeks. Thank you, Vince. Good night.”

“Good night.” He sprinted through the downpour to his car, and Mandy went inside, trying to decide whether she was happy or sad about the fact that she didn’t have to face the complications of a relationship with Vince for a week.