Gerri Hill - One Summer Night

"How old are you?" Jo asked suddenly.

"What?" Kelly was surprised.

"How old are you?" she asked again.

"Why?"

"Because I don't know."

Kelly leaned forward and grinned. "Don't worry. You didn't rob the cradle."

Jo blushed and looked away. "That's not why I was asking," she said quietly.

"No? I thought you needed another reason to hate yourself."

"No. I have plenty, thank you," she said before she could stop herself. She expected Kelly to offer a quick retort, but instead, she gave Jo her usual mocking smile.

"I'm thirty-five. Old enough to know better," she said and turned away.

Jo watched her leave, carrying her bat and glove in one hand, the beer still clutched in the other.

"Why is she leaving already?" Sharon asked.

Jo just shrugged, her eyes following the lone figure to the parking lot. A car pulled alongside her, and Kelly bent down to talk to the driver through the open window. Jo watched as Kelly walked around the car and got in. As the car turned, Jo recognized Lucy, Deb's friend, and her heart clutched painfully.

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Chapter Eleven

September crawled by, at least for Johanna. Her classes seemed a drudgery this semester, the usual joy in teaching was somehow missing. She found herself just going through the motions and had to mentally stop and kick herself every once in awhile. She worked late, she was organized to the point of being absurd . . . still dull and boring. Predictable.

Oh, she had gone out to dinner with Betsy and Janis, and had even gone to another softball game, but she and Kelly had not spoken. Their eyes met once, when Kelly had walked to the plate to bat, but that was all. It was enough, really. Just that one look had caused Jo's heart to tighten in her chest, caused her to remember every detail of their lovemaking. The image of them lying together, naked, on 84

her bed flashed in front of her eyes as if it had only happened yesterday.

On the last Saturday of the month, Jo was sitting on her deck, reading and sipping iced tea when the phone rang. She considered letting the machine pick up, but she hurried inside anyway.

"What are you doing?” It was Betsy.

"Reading."

"Don't you ever get tired of that?"

Predictable. Boring. Yes, she was tired of that. "It's a hobby," she offered.

"It's all you do."

"Is not."

"Yeah? Well, good. Tonight you can go out with us."

"Out? Where?"

"Lakers. The team's going out. It's Sharon's birthday.

Some of them are going out to eat first, I think, but Janis and I are just going to meet them there. We'll pick you up at eight," she declared.

"No. I'm not going to the bar. I told you, I don't. . . ."

". . . like to go out during the semester," Betsy mimicked her. "I know. But can't you break your rule for once? It's a birthday party," she pleaded.

Jo thought about spending another Saturday night alone or with Harry, who was beginning to wonder about her always hanging out with him, and decided to break her own rule. It might be fun. She refused to even consider that she was going because she hoped Kelly might be there.

"Okay. But I'll take my own car."

"Great. Come by the house and you can follow us."

Johanna dressed with care that evening, though she adamantly refused to think of any particular reason why. She ironed dark slacks until they were crisp and tucked in a loose-fitting pale green blouse. She applied her makeup with 85

care and lightly sprayed perfume, all the while avoiding meeting her own eyes in the mirror.

It was a pleasantly cool evening and that, alone, put her in a better mood. Gone, or so it seemed, were the scorching days of summer. She tapped on their door and waited patiently until Janis let her in.

"It's nice that you're going with us, Jo.” Janis motioned her in, and Betsy handed her a glass of wine.

"We were just going to sit on the patio for a minute,"

she explained, and they sat in lawn chairs, sipped their wine, and caught up on each other’s lives.

"I'm glad you decided to go," Betsy said.

"I felt like a night out," she said defensively. Jo wondered just how much they suspected about her and Kelly. She should have told them but frankly, she was too embarrassed.

“Can you believe Sharon is only thirty?” Janis asked.

Jo grinned and squeezed Janis’s arm. “Speaking of birthdays, I believe yours is just around the corner,” Jo teased.

“Two weeks. And Betsy is threatening to have a party,”

she groaned. “Like I want everyone to know I’m forty.”

“Who doesn’t know you’re going to be forty?” Jo asked mischievously. “I think a party is a great idea.”

“Nothing big, honey,” Betsy assured her. “Just a handful of friends.”

They got to the bar before nine, and it was not crowded.

Deb was already there, as were Sharon and Mattie, sitting together and talking quietly. They had shoved two tables together and had chairs enough for twelve.

Jo grabbed Betsy's arm and whispered to her. "Are Sharon and Mattie seeing each other?"

"We think so, but they haven't said anything and we haven't asked."

"They make a cute couple."

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"Happy birthday, Sharon!" they chorused, as they walked up.

"Thanks."

"Are you finally thirty?"

"Finally?"

"Yeah. Now you're officially a part of the older crowd,"

Betsy said.

"I'm not sure I like that," Sharon retorted with a good-natured laugh.

"Hey, you don't have a choice. The years just keep on coming," Janis said.

Jo's eyes scanned the room and the dance floor, and she didn't even pretend that she wasn't looking for Kelly. She apparently had not gotten there yet. Jo relaxed. Going to the bar, Jo bought drinks for Betsy, Janis and herself, and then sat stiffly, trying not to stare at the door.

When Deb asked her to dance, Jo hoped her surprise wasn’t evident. She and Deb had never danced before.

“You haven’t been to a game in awhile,” Deb accused.

Jo tried to pull back from her too-tight embrace. “I’ve been busy at the college,” Jo replied. And it was true. Mostly.

“Maybe you could spare an evening next week. We’ll go see a movie or something,” Deb suggested.

“Okay. Call me,” Jo agreed, although she was already planning an excuse. For some reason, she did not want to go out with Deb. Their disastrous dinner date earlier in the summer had been enough to convince Jo that she and Deb had grown too far apart in the last seven years.

Deb nodded and pulled Jo close to her again. Deb danced well but Jo couldn’t help but compare her to Kelly.

Through no fault of her own, Deb just didn’t measure up.

Jo felt stifled being held so tightly. There were none of the tingly feelings that she got from Kelly’s touch. Her heart beat its same, even rhythm.

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“We should dance more often,” Deb said.

“I don’t know that we’ve ever danced before,” Jo reminded her.

Deb pulled her closer still, and Jo found her breasts smashed against Deb’s much larger ones. She had to force herself not to pull away.

“You feel good in my arms,” Deb whispered softly, and Jo was certain she had misunderstood. She hoped she had misunderstood.

The song ended, thankfully, and saved Jo from answering. Deb led her back to the table, still grasping her hand until Jo politely pulled it away. Jo suddenly was overcome with a case of nervousness, a tightening in her stomach and a hammering pulse. She knew instinctively that Kelly was there, close by, and she cursed her body’s reaction. Still standing, she looked around, spotting Kelly coming back from the bar with a drink. She looked beautiful, wearing tan slacks and a navy blouse. Jo found herself staring. Kelly stopped and looked up, as if she knew Jo was watching. Her eyes met Jo’s from across the crowded room. They held each other’s gaze for a moment, and Jo shuddered when Kelly's glance dropped to her lips briefly. Then she smiled, the genuine smile that Jo had not seen in forever. Kelly came toward the table and Jo, her knees weak, sat down, picking up her drink with trembling fingers.