Love's Little Instruction Book (16 page)

She wasn’t looking for Dave specifically when she saw him dancing across from Presley and Kirk, but once she saw him, she felt an unexpected pang. He was dancing with Sally, one of the music librarians from the station. She wondered if they were an item. She didn’t think she’d ever heard anyone mention them together, but she remembered Presley saying that Dave had done some painting for Sally once. She lowered her glass as she watched him swaying in place with the blond woman in his arms. He wasn’t a particularly graceful kind of guy, but watching him holding Sally, she couldn’t help but wish that she could just chuck the public relations aspect of her job and go cut in on their dance herself.

She watched as Sally laughed in response to something Dave said in her ear. Denise frowned. Would it be so awful to have a friend of the male persuasion to act as her companion in social situations? She contemplated Dave. He was a nice guy. She enjoyed his company. And it wouldn’t have been so bad to have Dave as her companion, to slip her hand through his arm and to have a ready partner to dance with, someone she knew and could be comfortable with. She sighed and watched them wistfully. Were Dave and Sally already an item? Was she witnessing the beginning of a new relationship? She supposed that if that were the case, she should step back and let it evolve as it would, but something inside her protested unexpectedly. She found, to her surprise, that she didn’t
want
Dave and Sally to be an item. She wanted him for herself.

She was interrupted from her musings by Paul Lund, bringing over a station listener to introduce her. It was one of the phone-in prize winners who had won tickets in a station promotional contest. She turned her social smile back on, shifted her ginger ale to her left hand and extended her right to shake hands when they were introduced. She exchanged introductions, accepted a complement on her dress, inquired how the listener was enjoying herself, thanked her for her complements on Denise’s radio show, and listened to the woman’s plans for the holidays.

Then she bumped into Todd O’Connor on his way back from the bar. They pressed cheeks, blew air kisses, and exchanged compliments on what each other was wearing. Then two more strangers asked her to pose for pictures, and another asked her to autograph a cocktail napkin for her daughter. When at last Denise got a moment to herself, she looked over at the dance floor and discovered to her chagrin that she had lost track of Kirk and Presley.

She scanned the room until she spotted them sitting at a table at the side of the dance floor, holding hands and looking deeply into each other’s eyes. Denise sighed, and carefully made her way across the room toward them, and to her surprise, she arrived at their table at exactly the same time as Dave. Kirk toasted them with his bottle of beer. “Dave! Denise! There you are! Sit down! Join us!”

Dave looked at Denise. “Do you have time to sit?”

She nodded. “I think so. For a little bit, anyway.”

He pulled a seat out for her and sat down next to her. “I have something for you,” he told her. “Before you leave tonight. It’s in my office.”

She frowned slightly, not sure what he was talking about. “I have something for you, too, from my mother and me, for helping with the porch last summer.” They’d been working on his gift since the summer, and had finally finished it just that week. “It’s in the trunk of my car.”

He smiled. “You didn’t have to do that,” he said, but he did look pleased.

“It was our pleasure.”

“How is your mom?” Dave asked politely. He hadn’t seen Judy since the end of the summer.

“Great,” she told him. “About halfway through the new book. And she made me pull the box of Christmas decorations down from the attic, so we’ve been decorating the house.”

Dave smiled. “My mom had my sister’s kids, Mattie and Marie, over last weekend to help her make a gingerbread house and then they helped her decorate her tree.”

“They must be really excited about Santa coming,” Denise said.

“Oh, yeah! They’re really cute. Diane got them all dressed up in matching outfits and took them to get their pictures taken with Santa. She said Marie was too shy to say anything, but that Mattie wouldn’t shut up. He just kept thinking of more and more things that he wanted the Big Guy to bring him.”

Denise smiled. “He’d better be a very good boy if that’s how he is.”

“Oh, he’s trying, but it’s just about killing him to do it. And Christmas is still two weeks away.”

Presley looked from Denise to Dave and back again speculatively. “Have you gotten to dance yet, Denise? The music is good.”

She shook her head. “One or two of the sponsors asked me, but I was too busy trying to schmooze with everyone I was supposed to schmooze with to accept.”

“You’re caught up now, aren’t you?” Presley pushed. “Dave could dance with you.”

She glanced at Dave and hoped that she didn’t blush. “That’s okay. He’s probably tired. I saw him dancing with Sally earlier.”

He was quick to correct her. “I don’t mind.”

“You don’t have to dance with me if you don’t want to.” She felt a breeze down by her shin, as if Presley had gone to kick her in the ankle but missed.

“It would be my pleasure,” he said softly. “Would you like to dance with me?”

There was something in his eyes, soft and warm, that made her stomach flip inside her. “I would love to dance with you,” she said.

He stood up, gave her his hand and helped her up, then continued to hold her hand as he lead her out onto the dance floor. It was the middle of a slow number, so he let go of her hand, wiped his palms on the thighs of his pants and held his arms out to her. She stepped in close with a shy smile, placing her hands on his shoulders as he put his on her waist. He had to look up to see into her face, then glanced down at the space between them and then up at her again with a rueful grin.

“I didn’t think I should wear the flats to the party,” she explained. “Heels are much more attractive.”

“No problem,” he told her. “I don’t mind if you don’t. Are you having a good time?”

She shrugged. “Busy. And my feet are killing me. I’d love to lose these shoes, but — ”

“Take them off then,” he told her, stepping back to let go of her.

She shook her head and pulled him close again. “It’s all right. The floor is probably cold and God know what’s been spilled on it.”

He nodded. “And you’ll be safer if I accidentally step on you.”

“I’ll take my chances.” They danced a few more steps together, Denise trying to work up enough courage to go trolling for information. “Have you gotten to dance before this?” she asked, knowing full well that he had.

“Twice,” he told her. “Presley asked me while Kirk was making a pit stop and Sally from downstairs asked me to.”

“Sally asked you to dance?”

“Yeah. I think she’s still around her somewhere,” he said, glancing around. “Although she might have left early. She’s a single mom, you know, and has a little baby at home. She doesn’t get out too much. ”

“Do you know her well?” Denise asked, wondering to herself why it mattered so much.

Dave’s shoulders shrugged beneath her hands. “Not very. I helped her paint her nursery back when she was still pregnant. She’s a nice kid, but kind of shy, you know?”

Denise nodded, satisfied. “Are you having a nice time?”

Dave tilted his head sideways. “I am now. I think I might be in trouble at the end of the evening, though.”

“How so?”

He gestured with his head back in the general direction of Kirk and Presley’s table. “I came with Kirk,” he said. “We took his SUV because it has four wheel drive in case the roads get slick by the time the party’s over, but I’ve got a bad feeling that I’m either going to be calling myself a cab, or else I’ll be what Kirkie calls the ‘engineer on the make-out mobile.’” He shrugged. “I’m happy for him and Presley, I guess, but … ”

Denise glanced back at the table herself. “I came with Presley. I’m her designated driver. I think she hoped that she wouldn’t be going home with me, but since I was here to represent the station and she was here to have a good time, it seemed like the safest course of action. If Presley does end up going home with Kirk, I can drive you home.”

“Are you sure?” he asked. “It’s way out of your way.”

She smiled ruefully. “Tell you what, let’s make a deal. Let me hang out with you for most of the rest of the evening and I’ll drive you home.”

Dave blinked at her in surprise. “Sure, but —
why
?”

“Because if I’m on my own, guys are going to start to hit on me. Especially after they’ve had a few drinks. If I’m with you, then I have a handy excuse to turn them down without coming off like a shrew or an ice princess.”

“You could never be mistaken for one of those.”

“You’d be surprised what people will say about you when they’re disappointed. How about it? Want to be my designated guard dog?”

He grinned. “Woof.”

She smiled back at him. “Thanks, Dave.”

• • •

Kirk was away from the table when Dave and Denise returned. Presley told him that he had gone to request a particular song that she liked from the deejay. They sat down and made small talk until Kirk came back and reclaimed his date, taking her out on the dance floor. A stranger came up and asked Denise to dance with him, but she shook her head and turned him down politely. When the man left, she reached down and unbuckled the straps on her shoes, slipped them off and set them on top of the table. “That’s better,” she said, rubbing on the sole of one of her feet. Then she shifted her chair so that it was almost flush against his. “Would you mind putting your arm along the back of my chair?” she asked.

“Sure,” he said, a little confused.

“Thank you,” she said. “Between your arm and the high heeled stop sign there,” she nodded at her shoes, “I should be able to get a bit of a break.”

He tilted his head to look at her. “Does it bother you a lot, having strangers come on to you?”

She looked down at her glass of ginger ale and swirled the contents thoughtfully. “It’s weird, you know? People recognize me and call me by name and I don’t know if they’re someone I’m supposed to know or if they’re just someone who saw my picture on the side of a bus. Most of the time, people are respectful, but sometimes, especially in a setting like this, they have a few drinks, they get a little less inhibited, and maybe they start coming on to me. If I say ‘no, thank you’ they assume I’m being coy and come on a little harder. That’s another reason why I came with Presley. I can’t leave here with anybody because I’m in charge of getting her home.”

He frowned. “Is it worth it?” he asked. “The job and the fame?”

She glanced up at him and shrugged. “It happened before, too. In high school. In college. Sometimes even when I was married to Jason. Everyone always thinks how great it must be to be pretty, but it’s got some real down sides to it, too.”

Without thinking, he slipped his hand from the back of her chair to squeeze her shoulder. “I’m really sorry.”

She shook her head. “Not your fault.”

“I know, but I still wish that life was easier for you.”

She shrugged. “It’s not just a guy thing. There are women who do it, too. Hit on a guy because he’s attractive and maybe well off. I think that may be what happened in my marriage. After a while, the secretary who was hitting on him was flattering, and more interesting than the steady old wife at home.”

“That’s no excuse,” he told her.

“No, it isn’t. There is no excuse, really. But when a stranger comes up and tells me how pretty I am and asks me for my number or asks me out, I’m always aware of that in the back of my mind. And then I just want to go back home to Mom, put my hair in a ponytail, wear my rattiest T-shirt, and be by myself.” She smiled. “Presley thinks I’m nuts.”

“Yeah, well, Presley has some interesting views where men are concerned.”

Denise smiled. “I’m still not sure if she’s as active as she claims to be or if it’s all just talk.”

“Well, looking at her and Kirk, I’d say it’s more than just talk. At least in this case.” He looked across the floor to where Kirk and Presley had plastered themselves together, rocking to the music.

“Is he a nice guy?” Denise asked suddenly.

“Kirkie?” Dave mused, wondering what would be an appropriate answer. “I guess. He is what he seems, I think. He’s attracted, she’s attracted, and they’ll probably have a good time together before they both decide that they don’t have enough in common and move on to other people.” He looked back at Denise. “He won’t intentionally hurt her, but he’s not looking for a long term relationship, either, I don’t think. He likes being a free agent, you know? Not a bad guy, but he isn’t looking for more than a good time.”

She nodded. “Does Presley know?”

He shrugged. “Far be it from me to second guess Presley. I wouldn’t worry about her, though. She’s a big girl.”

Denise drew in a long breath. “I know. But I still worry. I’ve never exactly been casual where my relationships are concerned. It seems kind of strange to me that she can be.”

“I know,” he replied. “I kind of have the same feelings about Kirk.”

An awkward silence fell, the song ended, and they watched as Kirk and Presley made their way hand in hand across the floor back to Dave and Denise. Instead of sitting down, they stopped in front of their table, holding each other close. They grinned when they saw Dave’s arm still resting across Denise’s back. “Having fun, kids?” Presley asked cheekily.

“Hanging in,” Dave replied. “You?”

“We’re having a blast,” Kirk replied.

“Thank you
so much
for bringing Kirk tonight, Dave. We’ve really hit it off.”

“I’m glad,” he said graciously.

Kirk shifted in his seat. “Hey, Dave, old buddy. Presley and I were thinking of leaving early. Um … ”

Dave glanced at Denise with an
I saw this coming
look. “Do you want me to drive you?” he asked.

“Oh, no. No. I’m good to drive. I’ve only had two beers all night and the last one was over an hour ago. And I had a half a pizza for dinner before we came. I’m good. It’s just, I really hate to ask this, buddy, but would you mind leaving now?”