Janet (14 page)

In the darkness, Dan’s quiet voice came to
her. “What are your dreams, Janet?”

“To ease suffering, to heal.”

“That’s professional. What about your
personal dreams?”

“I haven’t thought about them in a long, long
time.” She swiveled her head so she could see his face. “What about
you, Dan. Do you dream?”

“Yes. I have my dream house and my dream dog.
I used to have a clear picture of my future, but the shape of it
keeps changing lately.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed
away all the remnants of butter. “I’m not sure what my dream is
anymore.”

“I’m glad.”

He smiled. “You are?”

“Yes.” Seeing the intensity in his face, she
suddenly realized that she wasn’t ready to encourage him to dream
new dreams, to consider her as a part of his future. Nor was she
yet ready to consider him. There was too much between them that had
to be worked out.

“Daring to change your dreams shows that you
have an open mind, and an open mind is a sign of great
intelligence.”

He chuckled. “I don’t think that was exactly
what I wanted to hear, but I guess I can live with that for a
while.”

The movie ended and the crowd began to
disperse. Dan and Janet stayed in their seats rather than join the
press of people in the aisles.

“What do you do for exercise, Janet?”

She grinned at him. “How do you know I
exercise?”

“It’s the body, Doc.” He leaned back, lifting
his eyebrows and leering at her with mock lasciviousness. “Anyway,
a woman as health conscious as you is bound to do something,” he
added.

“I jog.”

“So do I. We’ll jog together in the
morning.”

She laughed. “How do you know?”

“Because I’m the kind of guy who won’t take
no for an answer.”

“What time?”

“I’m flexible. You name it.”

“Early. I have to be at the hospital at
eight.”

“Six-thirty, then.”

“Your place or mine?”

“Mine. Harvey is lonesome to see you.”

“How do you know?”

“Man talk. We understand each other.”

They kept up the lighthearted banter all the
way back to her apartment. Thank God, he escorted her to the door
then did nothing more than give her a light kiss and say, “See you
in the morning, Doc.”

She raced inside to email the Dixie
Virgins.

From: Janet

To: Molly, Belinda, Joanna, Clementine,
Catherine, Bea

Re: Confused

All of you are right. I’m
falling
for Dan. I went to the movies with him and got so hot sharing his
buttered popcorn, I’d have shared Virginia if he’d asked! All this
is happening too fast. Good God, I’m not even through with my
internship!
I don’t have
time
for this! And even
if I did, what would happen if I
actually married the man!
We’d have to find jobs in the same town, and what if we didn’t? I’m
not going to waste years of medical training to stay at home and
just be
somebody’s wife.
Granted, I want the white wedding
gown as much as the next Dixie Virgin, but
still, I want
more!

What am I going to do?

Janet

From: Catherine

To: Janet, Bea, Clementine, Molly, Joanna,
Belinda

Re: What to do

Just breathe! Some of the best things in life
are those we don’t plan! Speaking of which, I found the sexiest
pair of boots in this cute shop on Canal. Bea, you’d LOVE them. See
attached picture.

Oh, I wish you could all come down to New
Orleans for a Dixie Virgin vacation! We could listen to jazz on
Bourbon Street and drink hurricanes with little umbrellas and shop
for French perfume and cute shoes!

Cat

From: Joanna

To: Janet, Catherine, Clemmie, Molly, Bea

Re: Wedding

A vacation in New Orleans sounds wonderfully
DECADENT, everything I would LOVE and the nuns would HATE! But I’ll
bet we’ll all be at Janet’s wedding before then! Dan Albany sounds
like such a dreamboat! You know, sexy in that rough and tumble way
like a younger Harrison Ford in that fabulous old movie,
Raiders of the Lost Ark.
If anybody like that ever showed
up here, I’d GRAB HIM while the nuns weren’t looking. And I’d never
let go!!!

Joanna

From: Molly

To: Janet, Catherine, Clementine, Bea,
Belinda, Molly

Re: Luck

Daddy always says all the planning in the
world won’t beat dumb luck! Of course, in your case, Janet, even
the luck is not dumb. But Cat’s right. Just go with flow! And for
goodness sake, wear something cute!

Molly

From: Clementine

To: Janet, Bea, Molly, Joanna, Catherine,
Belinda

Re: Dumb luck

Janet, you’re so lucky that Dan Albany just
sort of showed up in your life. If anybody like that ever showed up
in Peppertown, I’d faint! Do let’s have lunch!

Clemmie

From: Belinda

To: Janet, Catherine, Clementine, Bea,
Joanna, Molly

Re: Love

I worried about everything before I married
Reeve. None of it turned out to be real, and now I’m the happiest
woman alive! Betsy and Mark have asked if it’s all right to call me
Mommy. Naturally, I talked with Reeve first. I don’t want to
replace their mother, just
be
a mother. He not only said
it was okay, but he took that BIG portrait of his dead wife off the
wall and stored it in the attic for the children. In its place is a
portrait of the four of us. I have a real family now, a real home,
and it’s the best feeling in the world!

Don’t over-think your relationship, Janet.
Can’t wait to have lunch with you!

Belinda

From: Bea

To: Janet, Molly, Clementine, Joanna,
Belinda, Catherine

Re: New Orleans

Cat, you little temptress! You know I’d drive
to hell and back for a pair of cute boots! If you don’t have a big
test coming up next weekend, I’m going to drive over to New Orleans
and get a pair of those boots.

Janet, get your head out of your books and
onto your Virginia! You’re a
Dixie Virgin,
girlfriend! You
can
have it all!!!!

Bea

o0o

Nothing in Janet’s closet qualified as cute,
but she did discover a red hoodie that was long enough so she could
wear tight leggings instead of baggy sweats. Feeling energized and
optimist, she set off to Dan’s house.

He bounded down his front steps and helped
her from her car. “You look smashing, Doc.”

She smiled, genuinely pleased by his
compliment. “Why, thank you.”

“Turn around. I want to feast my eyes.” He
took her hand and gently spun her around. “Yes, indeed. You’ll do
nicely.”

She could hardly believe herself, the serious
Dr. Janet Hall submitting to the outright admiration of a man. And
enjoying it, to boot.

“Do for what?”

“At the moment, jogging,” he said. “What do
you prefer, the sidewalks or a regular track?”

“It’s such a lovely morning, why don’t we use
the streets. I love to see the neighborhood this time of
morning.”

“Great. I’ll adjust my pace to yours.”

He closed her car door, and they started
jogging south on Church Street. To his delight, she didn’t slow him
down at all. She had the long legs of a tall woman and was
obviously in excellent form. They turned west on Jefferson and
jogged down past the library and all the stately old homes that
were a part of Tupelo’s quiet charm and Southern heritage. With
their breath making white clouds in the still morning air, they set
a smart pace past his school and up Robins Street where small
bungalows had been restored with loving care by Tupelo’s young
married set. They turned back east on Jackson Street, still not
winded, past the football stadium, then south again on Church until
they were back at his house.

“Thanks for the workout, Dan.” Janet started
for her car.

He took her hand. “Whoa there, Doc. I’ll bet
you haven’t had breakfast yet.”

“Not yet.”

“Then you’re in for a treat.” He took her
hand and led her up his front walk and into his house.

“Come with me, Doc.”

Laughing, she followed him. “I’m not used to
taking orders.”

“I’m used to giving them. I promise you,
obeying will be painless.”

He tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow
and led her into his kitchen. It was a large, airy room with huge
bay windows that let in the early morning light, tall ceilings hung
with racks of brass pots and pans, and glass-fronted cabinets
filled with a mixture of antique depression-glass plates, heavy
pewter mugs and handmade pottery wineglasses. A big iron restaurant
stove stood in one corner, and an oak claw-foot table sat in
gleaming splendor underneath the windows.

“This is where I do my dastardly deeds. Sit
right here.” He led her to a chair beside the table. Harvey came
padding in from his rug beside the fireplace and laid his head on
Janet’s lap.

“Wish I could do that, Doc.”

She rubbed the dog behind his big, silky
ears. “If you did, we might both starve to death.”

“I’d be willing to make the sacrifice.”

“I would, too—some other time. I have
patients waiting.”

“In that case, we’ll have to postpone the
cuddling until... tonight, Janet?”

“Yes, Dan. I want to see you tonight.”

He gave her a happy grin, then turned his
attention to preparing breakfast. He whistled while he worked.
Janet sat back in her chair and relaxed. Dan’s kitchen was warm and
cozy and cheerful, and sitting there watching him prepare a
high-cholesterol, high-fat, starch-laden meal was infinitely better
than being in her kitchen alone with her fruit and cereal. Of
course, that kind of diet was bad for his heart. If she said
anything to him then told her friends, one of the Dixie Virgins was
liable to kill her.

She played it safe by setting the table and
enjoying having Harvey underfoot and Dan nearby, humming. She even
enjoyed her meal without once thinking of fat grams and high
cholesterol.

She glanced at her watch. “Oh my God. Where
did the time go?’

“It flies when you’re having fun.”

“It had been fun, Dan, but I have to go.”

He walked her to the car then leaned down and
kissed her on the cheek. It was a tender gesture that said
take
all the time you need
, and it touched her more than she’d have
imagined.

“See you tonight, Doc.”

“You, too.”

When she drove away, he was standing on the
sidewalk, smiling and waving. A woman could get used to that.

o0o

Dan hurried back inside to his kitchen where
Harvey waited.

“Didn’t she liven this place up, old boy?”
Harvey whined his agreement. “Did you see the way the sunlight
streaked her hair? It looked like flame. That woman inspires me to
poetry.”

He began to clear the breakfast dishes. “I
think it’s love, Harvey.” The dog woofed. “Why, thank you. When you
fall in love, I’ll offer my congratulations, too.”

After Dan had stacked his dishes in the
dishwasher, he let Harvey out into the backyard to get some
sunshine. He had just come back in when the phone rang.

It was Betty June.

“Dan, I’m desperate.”

Dan wasn’t alarmed. Betty June was given to
drama.

“Tell me what’s wrong. Maybe I can help
you.”

“Would you? I knew I could count on you.”

“Count on me for what, Betty June?”

“To babysit. You see, Ron and I were watching
this special about Andrew Wyeth on educational TV and he got this
brilliant idea to drive up to Memphis today to see the Rodin
exhibit. You know how these art history professors are. Well, we
haven’t been anywhere in three months, and... anyway, I called Peg
in Pontotoc, but she’s going to run a booth at her church’s winter
bazaar and so I thought of you. I hope I’m not interrupting your
plans.”

Dan thought of his plans, and it was on the
tip of his tongue to tell his sister that he couldn’t babysit. Then
he thought about her life, how she and Ron stayed home most of the
time, attending school and church functions that involved their
children. And how they so seldom went anywhere because they
couldn’t find a sitter for their four lively offspring.

“Bring them over, Sis. I’ll be glad to do
it.” Janet would understand. She might even want to come over and
visit. That idea perked him up considerably.

“You’re an angel, Dan.”

“Dress them for the outdoors. I’ll take them
to soccer practice this afternoon.’’

After he had hung up Dan glanced at his
watch. He didn’t want to call Janet and interrupt her work,
especially with bad news. Would she consider a broken date bad
news? He selfishly hoped so.

He picked up a dust mop and tackled the
monumental task of dusting his knickknacks. The duster was old and
ragged, and amidst the fog of loose feathers and dust, Dan decided
that he would stop by Janet’s apartment on his way to soccer
practice and tell her in person about the change in plans. That
sounded good to him. Better than breaking a date. It also left the
way open for him to include her in the new plans.

By the time Betty June arrived with the
children, Dan was feeling chipper about the turn of events. He
loved children, especially his niece and nephews, and he wanted
Janet to know and love them, too. Now was a good time for that.

After Betty June had gone, Dan involved the
children in a romp in the backyard. Butch and Samuel, budding
engineers that they were, immediately took their pails and tin
shovels and started digging a hole to China. Peter played a game of
catch with his Uncle Dan, while Merry, the botanist, collected dead
leaves and discovered Harvey’s sudden romance.

“Look, Uncle Dan,” she called from the west
side of the yard. “Harvey’s got a girlfriend.”

Dan looked up in time to see his dog prancing
and preening in front of the clapboard fence. His audience was
visible between the wooden slats—a standard poodle, resplendent in
pink ribbons and a pink doggie jacket.