Romance on Mountain View Road (21 page)

Jonathan passed up the restaurant, which was obviously catering to couples and families, and entered the bar, just another swinging single out for a good time.

Except once in the bar, he became acutely aware of the fact that although he was single, he was far from swinging. The bar was a mob scene. No one under the age of forty had stayed home, and the air was thick with perfume and aftershave. Jake O'Brien's latest hit, “Baby, You're Back,” was playing in the background, a warm-up for his band's appearance later in the evening. There were lots of singles, but they'd been here long enough to form couples and groups.

Jonathan saw Tina Swift at a corner table, yukking it up with Priscilla Castro, who worked at the town hall, and a couple of guys from the bank. She saw him and waved, but didn't beckon him over to join them.

Of course she wouldn't. He wasn't part of their circle. If this was a historical romance they would've been nobility or gentry. He, on the other hand, would have been a stable boy. He worked for them, kept their equipment running, but he wasn't one of them.

Billy Williams, the popular cowboy who worked on a nearby guest ranch, was the center of a group of giggling women, being his usual hammy self. He was the court jester. Everyone loved the jester. Nobody noticed the stable boy. But then, you weren't supposed to notice him, even if he'd acquired some muscle.

Jonathan didn't last more than a few minutes. The crowd was too intimidating, too happy, too...connected. He didn't belong. He got out of there.

Now he felt more morose than he had at home. Might as well go back to Chica and some cold pizza, he told himself. That was depressing.

Almost of its own will, his car turned toward the edge of town. In a few minutes he was pulling into a potholed parking lot in front of a tavern where he saw several trucks and a couple of muddy Jeeps. Its outside wall sported a painting of a Neanderthal dressed in a pair of lederhosen and bearing a club. The Man Cave.

The place was darker and seedier than Zelda's. It wasn't as packed, probably because it was all guys, busy with the important business of shooting pool and drinking. A country song was playing, accompanied by the clack of pool balls.

No one here was any more welcoming than they'd been at Zelda's, but he didn't feel so out of place. Was that because everyone here was a stable boy, too? He went to the bar and sat down.

The bartender was a beefy guy who looked a little like the Neanderthal on the outside wall. “What can I get you?”

“I'll take a Bud,” Jonathan said.

The bartender nodded and a moment later Jonathan had a beer to keep him company. He was halfway through it when a voice at his side said, “Hey there, computer man. What brings you to our man cave?”

He turned to see Todd Black at his elbow, dressed casually in jeans and a plain gray T-shirt. Plain gray, no catchy nerd talk on it anywhere. Jonathan felt like a dork. He crossed his arms over his shirt in an effort to hide the clever saying. “Uh, hi, Todd.”

“You out slumming?” Todd asked, surveying his kingdom.

“Just thought I'd get a drink.”

“You're not over getting one at Zelda's?”

Jonathan shrugged. “I checked it out. It's a little too crowded for my taste.”

Todd nodded as if he completely understood, which, of course, he didn't. He couldn't. Cool guys like Todd never did. “Yeah, it's a zoo.”

“You were there?” Jonathan asked in surprise. When? Had Todd seen him there, lost in the crowd, a geek in a foreign land?

“I was there earlier. Stopped by to say congrats to Charley.”

Probably somewhere in all those floral arrangements was one from Todd. The guy sure knew how to please women.

Todd clapped him on the back. “Enjoy yourself, my man. Make yourself at home, shoot some pool.”

With the other guys who were here without women. Maybe some of them were here to get away from their women. But as Jonathan looked around, he saw that most of the left-hand fingers had no gold glinting on them. Saturday night, and these guys were here, shooting pool. No one had a date, no one was over at Zelda's, picking up girls. Saturday was loser night at the Man Cave. And here he was with the rest of them.

Not for long, he promised himself. Not for long.

Chapter Seventeen

W
ith the exception of Bernardo, who complained that his wife was starving him to death, all of Jonathan's poker guests were in a festive mood. Vance had just signed a big book contract, and Cupid had come through for both Adam and Kyle.

“I took Chels out to dinner before I came here.” Adam grinned. “It's like when we were first dating. We can't get enough of each other. I gotta say, that last book I read did the trick. Thanks for making me do my research,” he said to Jonathan.

“Hey, what about me? I wrote 'em,” Vance said.

“Not the one that helped me, so don't go getting a fat head,” Adam said genially.

“Well, his books helped me,” Kyle insisted. “So did the others. In fact, I learned something different from one book I read. Plus it was fun. Who knew chick books were so cool?”

“I did,” Vance said with a grin.

“I'm taking Mindy to the street dance,” Kyle announced.

Icicle Falls celebrated the Fourth of July in a big way. On the Fourth, residents enjoyed picnics, a parade and a street fair and, at night, fireworks over the Wenatchee River. But the big kickoff was the street dance the evening before. Vendors sold everything from burgers and corn on the cob to shaved ice. All of Center Street closed down. There was always a climbing wall and bounce house and space for chalk drawing on one end and, down by the bandstand, dancing. This year, two different bands would be playing, one offering fifties and sixties classics, the other covering the eighties clear through to the latest hits. Anyone who was anyone would be there. Jonathan was not looking forward to it.

“Are you going?” Kyle asked him.

“I might, for a while.” A very short while.

“It's a great place to make your dancing debut,” Juliet had said. “And it'll give you confidence and help you get used to dancing in public.”

“I'm not ready,” he'd protested. He needed another six weeks, needed every day and night until the reunion. Then he'd have the whole package—new dance steps, new clothes and more new muscle.

But Juliet had insisted he climb out of his shell and attend.

“Should be fun,” Kyle said.

Yeah, for him, now that he had a woman. For Jonathan it was going to be torture.

* * *

Juliet made sure they all arrived early. The band wasn't due to go on for another hour but already the street was packed—couples visiting with one another and eating ice cream, clumps of teens meeting up and kids darting in and out of the crowd. At the end of the street, the bounce house and climbing wall were doing a brisk business. The aroma of grilling onions and sausages danced on the air.

“I haven't been to this in years,” Mom said as she, Jonathan, Neil and Juliet sat at a picnic table in the food court consuming hamburgers from Herman's. “I'd forgotten how much fun it is.”

If you were coupled up. If you were single, not so much, Jonathan thought as he watched a couple en route to the bandstand stop for a kiss. What was he doing here? Oh, yeah. Making his dancing debut. His palms suddenly felt sweaty and he wiped them on his jeans.
You'll do okay,
he told himself. Who was he kidding?

Kyle joined them, happy to show off Mindy. She was cute, even shorter than Kyle, with a tight little body wrapped in jeans and a tank top. She seemed nice and she looked at Kyle as if he was ten feet tall.
He'd
done okay.

Next Adam and Chelsea stopped by, bearing plates of burgers.

The way Chelsea's eyes lit up when she looked at Adam made Jonathan think of sparklers. There was a happy woman. All it had taken for Adam to win her back was mastering the art of the romantic gesture.

Not for the first time, Jonathan was still racking his brain, trying to think of some romantic gesture he could make to impress Lissa. Well, he had a few weeks left.

The sounds of a guitar warming up drifted over to where they all sat and Juliet nudged him. “Hey, it's almost time to dance.”

Whoopee.

“Are you going to save me a dance?” his mother teased.

“You can have the first one,” he said.

“Oh, I'll take the second one,” Mom said. “We'll let your teacher have the first. I can hardly wait to see you both in action.”

“They're not bad,” Neil said.

Coming from Neil, that was high praise indeed.

Another ten minutes and the band had started playing “Dancing in the Street.” Juliet grinned at Jonathan. “That's our cue. Okay, everybody, let's get footloose.”

“All right!” Mindy hopped up, Kyle immediately behind her.

Jonathan rubbed his hands on his pant legs and pushed his glasses up his nose. He told himself to stand up. His legs didn't get the message and his hind end stayed firmly rooted on the picnic-table bench.

“Come on,” Juliet urged, yanking at his arm. “You have to do this sometime.”

Sometime could be another time. Someplace less public.

Juliet gave another insistent tug and he reluctantly rose to his feet, feeling like he was about to take a plunge into the icy river.
You've done that and lived,
he reminded himself. And once he was in the water, he was always fine. Once he survived the first dance he'd be good.

The band had switched to something faster now, drawing a crowd...of listeners. Only two other couples were actually dancing.

Juliet dragged him through the listening throng to where the four exhibitionists were going at it. “This is perfect for swing dancing.”

He pulled back. “Let's wait until there are more people.” He'd stick out like a clown at a funeral. Clowns. He remembered his dream and his feet went from cold to frozen. “I can't do this.”

Juliet got right up in his face. “Do you want Lissa Castle or don't you?”

“That has nothing to do with this.”

“Yes, it does. If you can't dance here, you'll never be able to dance at the reunion. Now, come on.” She gave his arm another fierce yank that about pulled it out of its socket. Who would've guessed his little sister was so strong?

He stumbled after her and, next thing he knew, there they stood for all the world to see.

“You can do this,” she said. “Now,
go.
”

It took superhuman strength to start that first move but once he had, muscle memory took over, his feet doing the steps, his arms confidently shifting Juliet back and forth. He was a passenger in his own body, watching in amazement as he went through the routine she'd taught him. The crowd made room and someone hooted encouragement.

“Flip me,” Juliet commanded.

“But...you're pregnant,” he protested.

“Barely, and the baby's well-cushioned in there. Come on, Jonathan.”

Why not?
urged his newfound confidence. The song was almost over. They might as well go out with a bang. He obliged and, dance queen that she was, Juliet landed perfectly. The end.

The crowd went wild, invigorating him with their cheers and applause, and the lead singer up on the bandstand said, “That was some show, folks.”

Kyle slapped him on the back and Adam, who was at the front of the crowd with Chelsea, gave him a thumbs-up.

Success! He felt like he'd completed the Boston marathon. His heart was pumping like crazy and he was on such an endorphin high he was sure he'd never come down.

Neil had joined them now. “No more of that sailing through the air stuff, Jules,” he said to his wife. “You're gonna make the baby sick.”

“I knew we shouldn't have done that,” Jonathan muttered.

“Oh, don't be silly,” she said to both of them.

“No, I mean it,” Neil said. “We don't want anything to happen.”

That sobered her. “Okay,” she promised. “No more flips.”

Neil looked relieved. “Good job, bro,” he said to Jonathan.

“I
knew
you could do it. You'll be the hit of the reunion,” Juliet added, and kissed him on the cheek.

He was certainly the hit of the street dance. After a showy nightclub two-step with his mom, he wasn't lacking for women who wanted to dance with him.

Dot was next to claim a dance, surprising him with how well she followed. “I was something in my time,” she informed him.

“You're something now,” he said, earning him a smile and the offer of a free breakfast at Breakfast Haus.

Just as the band was starting another fast number, Daphne Robard came up to him. “Jonathan, hi. Remember me?”

Daphne had been in his graduating class and would be attending the reunion. A star of all the high school musicals, she'd always had a larger-than-life personality. And she'd been popular. Other than a hello when they passed in the hall, she'd never paid too much attention to Jonathan, partly because she'd been busy dating the entire football team. She'd finally made her selection and married Jimmy Miller, one of the fullbacks, then moved to California. She'd only recently returned to Icicle Falls. Rumor had it she'd gone through a messy divorce and come away with a bundle of money and that she was looking to invest in a shop in town. She'd gained more than money since Jonathan had last seen her. Daphne had lost a husband and found an extra sixty pounds.

“Sure,” Jonathan said. “How are ya?”

“Free as a bird. Dance with me.” He hadn't said yes, but she was already towing him toward an empty spot in the growing crowd of dancers. “I haven't danced in years. That SOB I married was a couch potato.” Before Jonathan could even get the beat to lead them into the first step, she started boogying, happily leading herself. “It feels so good to be free! How've you been?” she shouted over the music.

“Fine.” He could feel people's gazes on him again. Daphne always drew a crowd. His hands began to sweat.

“Spin me, Jonathan,” she commanded, and then spun herself. “Wheee!”

Yeah, wheee.
When would this dance end?

“Flip me like you did that other girl.”

Oh, no. That would be a disaster. Even with the muscle he'd gained, Daphne would be too much woman for him.

Before he could protest, she'd hurled herself into the air. None of the lessons his sister had given him had prepared him for a situation like this. Acting out of instinct and sheer terror, he tried to get an arm under Daphne, in the hopes of making sure she landed well. But she knocked him off balance. Before he knew it, he was staggering backward with his arms full of Daphne, bouncing off people like a ball in a pinball machine. They'd taken out two couples and half the skin on his arm by the time they finished their bumpy landing with Daphne on top of him.

With a grunt she struggled to a sitting position and glared at him. “I thought you knew how to dance.”

“Uh.”

That was as far as he got. Daphne pushed herself off him and stormed away, leaving him lying like an upended turtle in the middle of the laughing crowd with a sore butt, a bleeding arm and his whole face on fire.

A hand reached down and pulled him up. Adam. “What were you thinking, dude?”

“She asked me! What could I do?”

“Just say no.”

Then Juliet was by his side. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he said, and started walking. The walk quickly turned into a limp. Great. Now he'd be too sore to work out at the gym.

“Where are you going?”

“Home.”

“You can't just leave! You were doing great.”

“I've had enough for one night.” Jonathan had never enjoyed being the center of attention and this... If he didn't dream about clowns tonight, it would be a miracle. “Can you take Mom home?”

“Yes.” She was frowning, clearly not happy with him.

Well, that made two of them. He nodded and limped off, wiping the blood from his shirt as he went. He should have worn something different tonight. Maybe a T-shirt with Loser printed on it.

* * *

Jonathan kept a low profile the rest of the Fourth. He joined his family for a picnic by the river but avoided the parade and the rest of the hooplah downtown. The last thing he needed was to run into anyone who'd been a witness to his abysmal debut at the street dance.

“That wasn't your fault,” Juliet insisted, guessing the reason he was going to hide out.

“Anything goes wrong, it's always the guy's fault.”

“You catch on fast,” Neil said, and Juliet frowned at him. “Hey, you're the one who says the man's in charge on the dance floor.”

“You're not helping,” she told him.

He shrugged. “Don't worry about it, Jon. Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn't have flipped her. And before that, you had 'em lining up. They were all hot to dance with you.”

“If you'd have stuck around you could have danced with a bunch more,” Juliet put in.

He hadn't wanted to dance with a bunch more women and he didn't care about anyone but Lissa being hot to dance with him. And now, after what had happened, he wasn't so sure he wanted to keep dancing as part of his plan to win her.

Juliet gave up on turning him into a party animal. “Okay, you're off the hook. Go home and lick your wounds. But I expect you at the house on Wednesday for your dance lesson, same as always.”

“Uh.”

She pointed a finger at him. “No excuses. When you fall, you have to get right back on the horse.”

So the next week he was back on the horse, learning how to salsa.

“Not bad,” Juliet approved. “But you've got to move your hips more.”

“I can't. It makes me feel like a girl.”

“Trust me. You won't look like a girl when you do it.”

Who said he was going to do it? Ever?

“Next week we'll try some country two-step and then I'll take you to the Red Barn.”

“Oh, no.” Jonathan shook his head. “No way.”

“You have to get out and dance in public again,” Juliet said.

This salsa lesson had given him second thoughts. Man wasn't meant to do stuff like that in front of other people. He didn't think he wanted to get back on the horse, after all. “I probably won't dance at the reunion.” That would be safer, both for him and all the other dancers.