Past Forward- A Serial Novel: Episode 11 (13 page)

Willow stiffened, her hand frozen in air mid
-
bite.
Chad leaned close
r
and whispered,
“
What is it?
”

“
Steven Solari just came in the door with his wife.
What is he doing here?
”

“
Just eat and ignore them,
”
Chad replied as calmly as possible.
He pulled out his phone and sent a text message to Joe at the station
,
requ
esting information on how many b
all guest lists Solari had been on in the past ten years.

To their relief, Steve and Lynne were seated across the room at a table near the orchestra.
“
That
’
s VIP area over there.
I bet he made a donation
,
and that
’
s why he was invited
,
but
—”

“
But what?
”
Willow sounded even more strained.

“
But why would he come?
”
Chad hadn
’
t originally finished the question because he thought he knew the answer.
A man like Solari
came because somehow he knew that Willow would be present.

Before Willow could answer, the orchestra announced the first dance.
As always, they played the
“
Darktown Strutter’s Ball
”
as the opening number.
Chad rolled his eyes.
Seriously, whoever thought the dumb song sounded like a cop on the beat was an idiot.
S
ome traditions should be dropped sooner rather than later.

“
Let
’
s dance.
If we sit here, we
’
ll feel compelled to watch them
,
and it
’
ll ruin our evening,
”
Willow suggested practically.
“
Besides, how can I make you the envy of everyone here if I
’
m sitting in a corner?
”

“
You
’
re back!
Hallelujah
.”
Chad stood and took her arm eagerly.
“
I
’
d begun to wonder if you were going to be stuck in self-conscious mode forever
.”

“
Ouch.
Am I that bad?
”

“
Were.
Not anymore.
Let
’
s dance
.”

Steven Solar
i
watched as Willow and Chad two
-
stepped around the room.
Willow looked stunning.
“
Lynne, look.
There
’
s Willow Finley.
She looks amazing
—
actually, she looks a lot like you tonight
.”
She did.
Steve hadn
’
t noticed a resemblance that day in his office, but this was unmistakable.
A paternal pride washed over him as he realized his granddaughter was the best looking and the best-dressed woman at the ball.

“
She does look a little like me, doesn
’
t she?
”
Lynne marveled as she watched the dancers dance.
“
I didn
’
t realize she
’
d be here
.”

“
I should have,
”
Steve admitted with a studied hint of sheepishness.
“
I mean, I knew she knew that cop
,
and it
’
s comm
on knowledge that the Fairbury C
hief makes the ball mandatory for his
men
.”

“
Can we cut in?
”

“
Later,
”
Steve promised.
“
Definitely later.
Wait
’
ll they announce my contribution. It might soften her up.
She
’
s still blaming us for Steve
’
s mistakes
.”
The disappointed look on Lynne
’
s face was enough for a compromise.
Steve hated to deny his wife.
“
But I want to dance with my wife
first anyway
.
It might be kinder to let her see us on the floor before they make any announcements.
Get her used to the idea of us being here
.”

Steve and Lynne were superb dancers.
From a basic waltz through swing steps, sals
a steps, and modern moves, the dance floor became their stage
as they turned the opening song into a medley of dance.
Chad and Willow barely moved as they watched the Solaris dance the final steps of the song and then swiftly moved into street dancing to a funky number that made Willow wince.

“
They
’
re good!
”

Chad nodded reluctantly.
“
Very good.
You know what I noticed?
”
he practically shouted into her ear.

She shook her head
,
trying to avoid speaking if necessary.
The noise was deafening
,
but mid
-
song it softened to a dull roar.
“
Aaah, that
’
s better.
Not good, but better.
What did you notice?
”

“
He loves her.
Whatever his faults, whatever their failures with their son, Steve Solari is completely in love with his wife
.”

An hour later, Willow excused herself to the bathroom.
She
’
d complained about the nylons that ended at her upper thigh and felt like a tourniquet around her leg
,
but as she wove her way to the restroom, she mentally thanked Cheri for nixing the
“
nude tights
”
that Willow had originally chosen.
At the mirror, Willow followed the checklist Cheri had
demanded she memorize
.

Beneath her eyes, she saw no mascara flakes.
Her lips weren
’
t caked with lipstick, and there was no bare ring around her mouth.
She turned her head from side to side looking for
‘
shine
,
’
and finally pronounced herself still presentable.
As she washed her hands, another woman arrived to fix her lips
tick.

“
Oh!
”

Willow
’
s eyes met Lynne
’
s in the mirror.
She wanted to feign a lack of recognition, smile, and leave but knew she
’
d never succeed.
“
Hello
.”
Surely, hello was sufficient under the circumstances.

“
Willow
,
I
—”
Lynne began her distress obvious.
“
I had no idea you
’
d be here
.”

“
There is no reason you should.
Is your husband affiliated with the police?
”

“
No.
We usually don
’
t attend these things
,
but Steve has donated so many times
,
and it gets a little rude to
keep turning
down the invitation
s
so…
”

“
I see.
Have a nice evening,
”
Willow began as she turned to leave.

“
Willow?
”

She took a deep breath and answered without looking back.
“
Yes?
”

“
You look absolutely marvelous
.”

Not wanting to be rude, Willow glanced at Lynne Solari and tried to manufacture a genuine smile.
“
As do you
.”
She moved back to the mirror and compared reflections.
“
You know, if I look well, I think it must be because I resemble you.
I hope you enjoy yourself
.”

“
Willow
—”

“
Good night
,
Mrs. Solari,
”
Willow interrupted firmly.