but her mother had told her how the music had somehow unified people emotionally. Through multiple speakers the songs flowed out to them: “I Had the Craziest Dream,” “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” “Sentimental Journey,” and “Lili Marlene.” The music worked its magic on her, too, bringing tears to her eyes.
“Aha,” noted her observant husband, “the music’s got to you.”
She clutched his hand. “I feel a great need to kiss you.” And she leaned over and pressed her lips gently to his. But their romantic moment was interrupted by a clamor of greetings at the next table. Barbara Seymour had arrived to join her family group. The guests gave a little round of applause as the tall woman entered the porch area, wearing a gleaming blue taffeta dress that was another stroke of good fashion sense for a woman playing the part of historical dame.
“This is a little sick, isn’t it?” Louise murmured to her husband.
“Sick—why?”
“To clap for her. It’s as if we’re celebrating—as if Barbara is some kind of Evel Knievel. She didn’t cavort through the air off those stairs for our pleasure.”
“Honey, that’s not it: Everyone is happy because she’s okay.”
As the mansion owner sat down with her family, she gave an especially warm wave to the day’s heroes, Chris and Janie. Louise noticed Neil soon excused himself from the table, after appearing to have a problem looking the matriarch in the eye. He hurried down the stairs of the veranda and disappeared into the cricket-loud night. Shortly after this quick departure, the Storms left the family table andjoined her and Bill. Quite right, Louise thought: That family needs to talk things over.
The music swelled, and the action began. The professor snared the lady in red and led her to the dance floor. Soon they were locked in an embrace, moving slowly to “These Foolish Things.” Janie and Chris joined them there, awkward, but enjoying the close bodily contact. In the shadows, Louise could see the earnest Teddy, standing with an arm hooked snugly around a veranda pillar, as if he wished it were Janie. His eyes were riveted on the girl; he might have been dying for a dance, but he knew it wasn’t appropriate. She was beyond his reach. The princess and the commoner.
Louise’s eyes widened in alarm as she watched Nora, her smooth dark hair falling over one cheek as she practically swooned in the arms of the professor. For his part, he looked quite dashing, those weird glasses tucked away somewhere, his sandy hair falling casually across his forehead, his eyes half closed. Heads turned as he gracefully guided his alluring dance partner through the slow two-step.
Was Nora feeling the chemistry that was evident even to the wallflowers? Was she going to yield to temptation again?
Stop it
, Louise thought to herself.
As Bill said, Nora’s a grown woman and I am not her keeper. The only ones I have to keep an eye on this weekend are Janie and Chris, and that shouldn’t be too hard, since Janie is sleeping in the same room with me
.
“They make a nice pair, don’t they?” said Frank Storm in his deep, mellow voice.
“Indeed, they do,” she agreed hoarsely. Then she turned determinedly toward Frank and tried to forget the potential waywardness of her friend. “But now tell me more about your work at Higher Directions.”
Just then, Bebe Hollowell tapped Bill on the shoulder and requested a dance. Bill was a prince of a man: He would do his best to make whole this flawed woman. Bebe, who musthave weighed in at two hundred pounds, danced as lightly as a feather.
Louise adjusted herself comfortably in the chair as Frank opened his story. He and Jim had joined forces ten years ago to set up a unique school for troubled kids. They had become acquainted in graduate school studying education. Both were religiously inclined, and thought an ethics-based high school would help the difficult cases who often dropped out. “We started on a
“Aha,” noted her observant husband, “the music’s got to you.”
She clutched his hand. “I feel a great need to kiss you.” And she leaned over and pressed her lips gently to his. But their romantic moment was interrupted by a clamor of greetings at the next table. Barbara Seymour had arrived to join her family group. The guests gave a little round of applause as the tall woman entered the porch area, wearing a gleaming blue taffeta dress that was another stroke of good fashion sense for a woman playing the part of historical dame.
“This is a little sick, isn’t it?” Louise murmured to her husband.
“Sick—why?”
“To clap for her. It’s as if we’re celebrating—as if Barbara is some kind of Evel Knievel. She didn’t cavort through the air off those stairs for our pleasure.”
“Honey, that’s not it: Everyone is happy because she’s okay.”
As the mansion owner sat down with her family, she gave an especially warm wave to the day’s heroes, Chris and Janie. Louise noticed Neil soon excused himself from the table, after appearing to have a problem looking the matriarch in the eye. He hurried down the stairs of the veranda and disappeared into the cricket-loud night. Shortly after this quick departure, the Storms left the family table andjoined her and Bill. Quite right, Louise thought: That family needs to talk things over.
The music swelled, and the action began. The professor snared the lady in red and led her to the dance floor. Soon they were locked in an embrace, moving slowly to “These Foolish Things.” Janie and Chris joined them there, awkward, but enjoying the close bodily contact. In the shadows, Louise could see the earnest Teddy, standing with an arm hooked snugly around a veranda pillar, as if he wished it were Janie. His eyes were riveted on the girl; he might have been dying for a dance, but he knew it wasn’t appropriate. She was beyond his reach. The princess and the commoner.
Louise’s eyes widened in alarm as she watched Nora, her smooth dark hair falling over one cheek as she practically swooned in the arms of the professor. For his part, he looked quite dashing, those weird glasses tucked away somewhere, his sandy hair falling casually across his forehead, his eyes half closed. Heads turned as he gracefully guided his alluring dance partner through the slow two-step.
Was Nora feeling the chemistry that was evident even to the wallflowers? Was she going to yield to temptation again?
Stop it
, Louise thought to herself.
As Bill said, Nora’s a grown woman and I am not her keeper. The only ones I have to keep an eye on this weekend are Janie and Chris, and that shouldn’t be too hard, since Janie is sleeping in the same room with me
.
“They make a nice pair, don’t they?” said Frank Storm in his deep, mellow voice.
“Indeed, they do,” she agreed hoarsely. Then she turned determinedly toward Frank and tried to forget the potential waywardness of her friend. “But now tell me more about your work at Higher Directions.”
Just then, Bebe Hollowell tapped Bill on the shoulder and requested a dance. Bill was a prince of a man: He would do his best to make whole this flawed woman. Bebe, who musthave weighed in at two hundred pounds, danced as lightly as a feather.
Louise adjusted herself comfortably in the chair as Frank opened his story. He and Jim had joined forces ten years ago to set up a unique school for troubled kids. They had become acquainted in graduate school studying education. Both were religiously inclined, and thought an ethics-based high school would help the difficult cases who often dropped out. “We started on a
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