Daffodils in Spring (5 page)

Jazleen shrugged. “I saw him at your awards thing. He's okay. He's got a good job. He treated your mama with respect. And he didn't pretend like I was invisible. So if your mama wants to date him, what's it to you?”

Nathan clearly did not appreciate his girlfriend chiming her two cents into the discussion. But he was saved from having to say so by a knock on the door. Because Jazleen was closest, she took it upon herself to answer.

“Oh hi,” Calla heard Landry say. “Nice to see you again…Jazleen.”

“Well, it's pretty nice getting a look at you, too,” the girl answered. “You must be the hot date from next door.”

Landry cleared his throat a bit self-consciously and gave a halfhearted chuckle.

Jazleen let him in and ushered him into the kitchen. His dark eyes met Calla's from across the room and she felt herself blushing like a schoolgirl.

Landry addressed her son as he offered his hand. “Nathan.”

The manners instilled by his mother made it impossible for the teenager to do anything but accept the handshake. Landry then moved to stand beside Calla. He didn't touch her in any way, but his mere closeness seemed to say, “we are together.”

The few minutes of polite chitchat were stilted. Only Jazleen seemed completely relaxed, as if she were grateful to have the focus on someone else.

When she and Landry finally made their goodbyes and were able to get out of the house, Calla was too relieved to even remember how nervous and jittery she'd been about going on this date.

Landry walked beside her as they talked about the weather. The sunny afternoon had turned into a very chilly evening, but Calla enjoyed the warmth of male-female companionship. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed it.

They took the L, the elevated train, into a downtown neighborhood. The stop was only a few blocks from the movie theater and they got their tickets and were headed inside in plenty of time.

Landry bought a huge bucket of popcorn.

“Two human beings could never actually consume that much,” Calla warned him.

He laughed and nodded in agreement. “The guy told me we get free refills on this one, so who knows.”

In the darkness of the movie theater, they sat close together. As previews played, Landry leaned closer and asked her, “Should we see that one, too?”

“Okay,” she replied.

“It's a date then,” he said. “What about this one?”

The next trailer was even better than the previous.

“That looks good.”

“Then it's a date,” he said.

When the final preview came on, he leaned close once more. “Third time is a charm,” he told her. “Why don't you agree to see this one with me, too.”

“It's not showing until spring,” she pointed out.

“I'm still going to be on Canasta Street next spring,” he said. “Are you still going to be available?”

Fortunately the movie started and Calla turned her attention to it without answering.

The director had chosen not to deal with all of the abuse horrors that had been in the book. The ones he did address were shocking enough. Like the book, the movie was filled with wrenching emotions, anger and disgust. And yet the ending was somehow hopeful. The film grabbed the audience by the throat and refused to let go. Yet Calla didn't think the movie was as powerful as the author's written words had been, and she told Landry so as they filed out.

He took her hand in his own. “Our minds can capture a scene much more completely than the most sophisticated camera,” he agreed. “But at least the movie was mostly true to the spirit of the book.”

Outside the theater the night had a surprise waiting for them. The sky was filled with big, fluffy snowflakes that drifted lazily toward the sidewalk.

Calla fastened the top button of her coat. She wasn't cold, but when Landry wrapped a protective arm around her, she didn't pull away.

In the glistening darkness they walked slowly back to the train.

“Would you like to do something else?” he asked her. “We could go to a club and listen to some music. Or we could find a place to do some dancing?”

“I don't really feel like a lot of noise,” she said.

“Me neither,” he admitted. “I just don't want to take you home. I enjoy talking to you.”

Calla didn't answer, but felt much the same.

“How about we stop in here,” he said.

She glanced at the glass-fronted building. “Ice cream? You want to stop for ice cream while it's snowing?”

He shrugged. “I know we'll have the place to ourselves. And it fits in perfectly with my evil plan of getting you alone.” He added a melodramatic malevolent chuckle and feigned twirling a nonexistent mustache.

Calla laughed. “You're a lunatic.”

“Yes, but one who will feed you ice cream.”

She chose pistachio almond and Landry went for Rocky Road. They sat in a table near the window where they could watch the snow come down as they chatted and enjoyed their late-night snack.

“So Nathan didn't seem all that comfortable with the idea of you dating,” he said.

Calla shrugged. “I think it caught him off guard. And…and things are challenging for him right now.”

“How so?”

“His future is coming at him headlong,” she said. “And breaking away from the old neighborhood is always hard. Added to that, he's very stuck on his girlfriend and she doesn't want him going anywhere.”

Landry nodded. “Relationships are tough for everybody. And the younger you are, the more complicated they seem.”

“Yes, I suppose so,” Calla agreed with a sigh. “They have hit a rough patch, and to be quite honest, my first thought was I hoped they would break up. But I can't bear to see Nathan hurt. He believes there is something special in this girl, something unique and worthwhile. So I'm trying to think that way, too.”

“What's her story?” Landry asked.

Calla shook her head. “I don't really know,” she said. “Just lots of rumors. Her mother's been bad news for a long time. I think Jazleen's been passed around among her relatives. And then a few months ago she came here to live with her great-aunt. The aunt is nice enough. I think she genuinely cares about the girl. But somehow not enough. I guess her plate of problems was already pretty full when she was forced to take Jazleen. Now I think she's just waiting for her to turn eighteen so she can turn her out.”

Landry nodded. “There's a lot of that going on.”

“Jazleen doesn't have any friends,” Calla said. “She has no one she can count on, except Nathan.”

“All that pressure on a teenage boyfriend—it never works. No one person can be everything to somebody else.”

Calla nodded. “I keep thinking about that young woman from your school, the one with the book group. I wish Jazleen had something like that.”

“Well, she could have if she came back to school.”

“She could?”

“Sure, we've got a new group just getting started. I could have a place made for her, but she has to come to school.”

Calla shook her head. “She sure doesn't seem interested in school.”

“Maybe the book group could spark her interest,” he said.

“What would it be like?”

“Most of the girls are young moms who were out part of last year either having their babies or caring for them. This is their chance to get back into a school setting. A lot of these young women are as isolated as Jazleen is, no friends, not enough family support. They might be able to be there for each other.”

“That would be great,” Calla said. “But nobody can make the girl go back to school if she doesn't want to.”

Landry nodded. “I guess that's going to be your job. I'll get a place for her in the group and you get her there.”

“Me? I'm not the person to tell her what to do.”

“I guess you'll have to,” Landry told her. “Because nobody else is going to do it. If we want flowers in the spring, we have to get those bulbs in the ground right now.”

Calla didn't know exactly how she was going to broach the subject of going back to school and getting involved in the book group. Her first plan involved the easy way out. She'd tell Nathan and he'd tell his girlfriend to go and she would.

Of course, nothing was ever easy.

“She doesn't like the idea of going to an alternative high school,” Nathan said. “Jazzy says they're only for misfits and criminals. And she's not that big on reading. I don't think she'd be interested in a book club.”

“It's not really a book club for people who already love reading,” Calla explained. “It's more a book club for young women who haven't even thought about reading.”

He shrugged. “Look, I don't think she'll go. But you can ask her.”

“I was hoping that you would,” Calla replied.

“Me?” Nathan looked up from his breakfast cereal. “Not a chance.”

“Why not?”

“Things are just not that good between us,” he said. “She's in this weird place. She wants to be with me every minute. But everything I say or do seems to annoy her. If I suggested it, she'd think I was trying to get rid of her or change her or…or something. I'm just laying low and letting things work out. Isn't that what you told me to do, Mom?”

It
had
been what she told him. And he was probably right about her reaction. Calla needed to be the one to convince her. She decided to try the direct approach, and if that didn't work, she'd play it by ear.

She made arrangements to leave work early the next Monday. She wanted to go by the Cleveland apartment before either Gerty or Nathan had gotten home.

She knocked on the door of 2B. She could hear the sounds of a game show on the television. A shadow momentarily passed across the peephole and then the door opened abruptly. Jazleen's eyes were wide with fright.

“Is Nathan all right?” she asked.

“Oh yes, yes, Nathan is fine,” Calla answered. “I didn't come here about Nathan.”

Jazleen sighed with relief, then immediately her expression turned puzzled.

“What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Jazleen's gaze became wary. She leaned indolently against the doorjamb.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“May I come in?”

With a reluctant shrug, she invited Calla inside.

The place was neat as a pin, and from the tiny kitchen came the warm and homey smell of pinto beans boiling on the stove.

Jazleen flounced across the room and seated herself cross-legged on the couch. She glanced at Calla and then deliberately turned her attention to the game show, as if she intended to ignore the woman's presence completely.

Calla, giving herself maternal license, picked up the remote control and silenced the room.

“I was watching that.”

“I want to talk to you about something,” Calla said. “It shouldn't take long.”

Jazleen's expression was tight-lipped and defiant. “I'm not your child,” she pointed out. “Don't think you can boss me around the way you do Nathan. Nobody tells
me
what to do.”

“I didn't come here to give any orders,” Calla said as gently as she could manage. “I came to extend an invitation.”

“An invitation?”

“Yes. Do you remember the girl at the All-Academics Night, the one from Cavitz Alternative High School?”

“Uh, yeah, sort of.”

“Remember she had her book group there and they all stood up and cheered for her.”

“Oh yeah, that was totally lame.”

“It was? I thought it was pretty wonderful. All those girls supporting one another.”

“Don't believe it. You can't trust a bunch of females. I know that for sure.”

Calla was beginning to think Jazleen didn't trust anyone—except maybe Nathan. How sad was that?

“There's a new book group just starting up,” Calla continued, undaunted. “I thought you might be interested in attending.”

“A book group?” Jazleen's question was incredulous.

“Yes. It would be an hour and a half each week. You have to be attending Cavitz Alternative, but being in the book club would ease you into a new school situation. It would give you a ready-made group to be a part of, and I'm sure you'd make some new friends.”

Calla was smiling. Jazleen was not.

“I don't want to go to Cavitz Alternative,” she said. “I don't care anything about some book group. And I don't need any friends.”

“I think it might be good for you,” Calla said. “Nathan is so busy and I know he talks about what he's doing a lot. This would give you a chance to talk about what you're doing.”

“It's none of your business what we talk about.”

Calla felt her own temper rising. This girl
was
none of her business and she didn't know why she was even trying. Then she reminded herself that she was trying because of Nathan. She was trying because Nathan believed in Jazleen. She needed to believe in her, too. And she had to find a way to get through to her.

“It's very important to me that you start back to school,” Calla said. “And this book club is a great chance for you. Landry Sinclair is making a special effort to get you placed in the group.”

Jazleen's jaw dropped open and her expression changed. She eyed Calla in silence for one long minute and then she smiled.

“Wait a minute,” she said. “Oh, I see what's going on. I didn't get it, but, of course, now it makes perfect sense.”

“What?” Calla asked.

“This book group…why you're asking me to do this?”

Calla stared at her. She had no idea what the teenager meant.

“This is for Landry Sinclair,” Jazleen stated. “Your
boyfriend
wants me back in school, so you're doing this to impress him.”

“No, of course not,” Calla said quickly.

“Yes, absolutely yes,” Jazleen said. “You can't fool me.”

Jazleen was grinning. Calla didn't think she recalled her smiling at anybody except Nathan.

“You want a favor from me,” Jazleen said. “That's what this is. You want something and you're trying to pretty it all up to make me think it's for me, but it's really for you. It's for you to show off to your man.”

The girl found that delightfully funny.

Calla was about to deny it, but instinct stilled her tongue. She realized she had a better chance of convincing Jazleen when she was laughing than when she was defensive.

“Well, I do know that he wants you back in school,” she said. “And it would make me look pretty good if I could get you to go.”

“I knew it!”

“So what do you think?” Calla asked her. “Could you do this for me? It would really mean a lot.”

Jazleen hesitated. “If I did, you would owe me, big time!”

Calla nodded. She sent a wordless appeal to heaven that the payback would be worth it.

“Okay, I'll try it,” Jazleen told her. “But I'm not promising to stick it out for the whole school year.”

Calla nodded calmly in agreement, but she felt a sense of elation. And she could hardly wait to share news of her success.

She went home and spent the rest of the afternoon taking care of household chores and glancing out the front window at every opportunity.

Finally she saw Landry going into his house. She hurriedly checked her hair and makeup and then walked over to his front door, as bold as brass. Maybe the whole neighborhood was watching, but she couldn't have cared less.

He ushered her inside immediately.

“Where is your coat? It's freezing out there.”

“I was too excited to grab it,” she admitted. “I had to come tell you. I planted a bulb today.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise and grinned broadly at her.

“That's great!”

“Jazleen has agreed to attend Cavitz Alternative and she's willing to be involved in the book group.”

“Wow, you are a miracle worker,” he said.

Calla laughed and feigned a curtsy.

“Sit down. Let me fix you some…coffee? Hot tea? Hot chocolate?”

Calla opted for the last, which suited her mood perfectly. She felt like a kid just in from the cold on a winter afternoon.

Landry's tiny kitchen was only big enough for one person to move around in. It was separated from the living room area by a narrow breakfast bar with two stools. Calla took a seat on one and watched him. The place was clean and neat, Spartan in the way that only a single man could be. His one concession to decoration was the pot of African violets growing underneath the fluorescent light above the counter.

Calla noticed that he prepared the chocolate the old-fashioned way, melting sugar and semisweet chunks into the milk. He stirred it carefully to heat it without allowing it to scorch.

“I always use instant,” she admitted.

He nodded. “I used to, too. But it's so quick and easy, I was drinking more than my share.” Landry patted his midriff. “Most guys get forgiven for a beer gut at a certain age. I'm not sure that a hot chocolate paunch is ever acceptable.”

Calla smiled. In his shirtsleeves, Landry didn't look in any danger of putting on weight. He was lean and trim, not heavily muscled like a man who spent a lot of time in the gym. Instead he had the firm body of a man who kept busy and active.

A rich scent filled the little kitchen as he poured the steaming hot chocolate in the saucepan into heavy mugs. He set both on the counter and then came around to sit on the stool next to Calla.

She tasted her drink and made an almost involuntary sound of pleasure. “Mmmm.”

Landry smiled.

“This is almost as good as the news that Jazleen is coming to school,” he said.

Calla chuckled. “It is that good.”

“Yes it is,” he agreed.

She took a sip of her chocolate, pleased. “So my job is done,” she said. “The rest is up to you and Literature for All of Us.”

“What?” Landry asked. “You're thinking that your part is finished?”

“I've planted my bulb,” she pointed out. “Now all I have to do is wait for the springtime.”

He raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“I don't think it quite works that way,” he told her.

“What do you mean?”

“Once you've got your bulb planted, you're going to have to guard the ground where you put it,” he said. “You can't let the rain wash it out or the squirrels dig it up or somebody pave over it with a concrete parking lot.”

Calla laughed. “I don't think there'll be any parking lots going up around Jazleen.”

Landry shook his head. “For every person trying to do the right thing for these kids, there's another person who's working against them and two more who just don't care. You've gotten Jazleen this far. You have to be there for her until she can find her own way.”

“How am I going to do that?”

“I've got some ideas.”

“Okay, what?”

“Well, one thing that this program tries to do is to give these students the book club experience,” Landry said. “It takes volunteers to do that.”

“I can't lead a book club,” Calla declared with certainty.

“That's not what we need. The Literature for All of Us program sends trained leaders for the session. What we need are volunteers to set the ambiance, to provide the refreshments, to make it feel like the special event that it is. You could do that.”

“But I have a job,” she said.

He nodded. “Lots of employers want their employees to put in volunteer hours.”

“Dr. Walker isn't a big corporation,” Calla insisted. “He has a small office. I'm not at all sure that I could get away.”

“Well, you can try,” Landry suggested.

“Yes,” she admitted. “I could try.”

“If you can turn Jazleen around, your boss ought to be easy by comparison.”

Calla chuckled. “I guess so,” she admitted.

“How did you convince Jazleen?” Landry asked.

Calla opened her mouth to reply and then hesitated.

“What?”

“It's a little embarrassing,” she admitted. “She's doing it as a favor to me.”

“A favor?”

She nodded. “Jazleen thinks I'm trying to impress you. So as a favor, she's helping.”

“Oh, I see.” His dark eyes crinkled with humor, but his tone was low and sexy. “Well, I
am
impressed.”

Calla felt herself blushing. “Jazleen's just so young,” she explained unnecessarily. “She doesn't understand how two grown-up people can just…just enjoy each other's company without any…any silly romance sort of stuff going on.”

His expression grew slightly more serious. He walked his fingers slowly across the smooth surface until they reached her hand, which he clasped gently in his own.

“No, no of course,” he whispered. “Two grown-up people like us. There would never be any silly romance stuff going on.”

Calla's heart was beating so loudly she worried that he could hear it. Breathlessness was not a feeling to which she was accustomed.

Get a hold of yourself!
she silently admonished. She wanted to move away from him. She could have easily freed her hand, but somehow she didn't want to relinquish the warmth, the connection that he offered.

“I don't… I don't have flings or…or affairs or whatever you call it,” she told him.

Landry lowered his chin slightly. “I'm not sure I have a word for what I want to have with you. Whatever it is, it's kind of a new thing for me.” He rose to his feet and took a step closer to her.

Calla stiffened her back.

“I don't want to scare you,” he said. “I just want to kiss you.”

She didn't know what she thought about that. Her brain seemed sluggish as her senses tightened into electric expectation.

Landry laid his palm across her jaw and raised her face toward him. His movements were slow, deliberate, as if he were drawing out the anticipation. Finally, she could no longer wait and she met his lips with her own.