Gerri Hill: One Summer Night

"What'll you have?" Betsy asked.

"Rum and coke, please," Jo answered, and Betsy left to get their drinks.

"Betsy says you rarely come out with them," Christy said from across the table.

"Rarely," Jo said and smiled. "I'm too busy during the regular terms."

"Kelly teaches also," Christy said. "Though this may be her last year. She's got a novel published and it's due out this fall."

"Really? What do you teach?" Jo asked, looking at Kelly directly for the first time but avoiding the dark eyes that tried to capture hers.

Kelly gave her an amused smile. "Journalism."

"Giving that up to write books? God, who could blame you," Johanna said and grinned.

"I really enjoy teaching, but it leaves me little time to write."

"What kind of book?"

"It's a murder mystery. Takes place on a college campus.

What else?" she laughed.

"I can think of several professors at my own campus who would be candidates for either the victim or the villain," Jo said and smiled at her.

18

"Really? Maybe you should try your own. It's great therapy," Kelly said. “Especially if your dean won’t cooperate with you.” She leaned forward, placed elbows on the table, and Jo did the same. "What do you teach?"

"English," Jo admitted, suddenly feeling like the frumpy old professor that Betsy claimed she was evolving into. “And composition,” she added, as if that sounded a little more glamorous.

Betsy came back with their drinks, then pulled Janis up to dance. Jo sipped hers, then looked back at Kelly. "You're from California?"

"Yes. San Francisco."

"What brought you here?" Jo asked.

"The teaching position. It was something different. But mostly, I wanted to see what a real summer was like."

"And what do you think?"

She laughed. "I'm wondering how I’ve survived two of them. No wonder the lakes are so popular around here."

Betsy and Janis came back as a very old Anne Murray song came on and Kelly looked at Jo and smiled. "I’m not much for country music but I think I can manage this song.

Would you like to dance?"

Johanna hesitated, her drink halfway to her mouth. She set it back down. "Okay."

Jo walked around the table and Kelly took her hand, leading her to the dance floor. Their eyes met before Jo lightly laid her hand on Kelly's shoulder. Though they danced with nearly a foot of space between them, they moved together gracefully, as if they had done this hundreds of times before. They didn't speak, and Jo avoided looking at her. Instead, she watched the other couples around them, all dancing much closer than they were. When the song ended, they pulled apart and again their eyes met.

19

"Thanks," Kelly said quietly, and led her back to the table.

She met Betsy's amused glance with a scowl and ignored her as best she could. Kelly then danced with Christy, and Jo watched as they moved on the floor, noting that Kelly held her with the same distance between them as she had with Jo. That pleased her, though she didn't speculate as to why.

Conversation was sparse around the table. They were too many to talk comfortably, and the music was too loud to hear anything from the other end of the table. She was very aware of Kelly sitting across from her, daring to meet her eyes from time to time, answering her soft smile with one of her own. Kelly did not ask her to dance again until another slow song came on. Jo accepted with a smile, laid her hand in Kelly's outstretched one and followed her to the dance floor.

Kelly held her closer this time, but still there was a space between them, and Jo found herself wishing she would hold her tighter. Jo closed her eyes, letting her palm lay flat on Kelly’s strong shoulder. They danced slowly, their feet moving together effortlessly, and Jo took a breath, smelling the light, fresh perfume that Kelly wore. When the song ended, they moved apart slowly, their eyes holding for a long moment before Kelly smiled.

"We dance pretty well together, don't you think?"

Smiling, Jo nodded and followed her back to the table.

Johanna accepted the new drink Betsy had bought for her. "Are you trying to prove a point?" she asked, still smiling, well aware she was past the one drink she had said she would stay for.

"You just looked thirsty from all that dancing," Betsy said pointedly.

20

Jo ignored her and turned away. So much for best friends. She looked up and found Kelly watching her. Their eyes held again. Jo finally looked away, flushed. She was not used to this, this sexual attraction for a stranger. Giving herself a little mental shake, she silently scolded, “Summer nights! It’s just the summer heat.”

She felt a tap on her shoulder, roused herself and looked up at Christy.

"How about a dance?"

"Sure."

It was a fast two-step, and they moved together well, spinning around the floor. Winded and thirsty when they returned to the table, she downed her drink.

"Another?" Betsy asked.

"No, thank you," she said. "I'll wait."

Betsy laughed and patted her shoulder. "You're such fun to tease, Jo."

"Obviously," she said dryly.

But she was having fun. Maybe Betsy was right. Maybe she did need to get out more.

When another slow love song came on, Jo bravely raised her eyes across the table, and Kelly was there, silently asking her to dance with an arch of one dark brow. Jo nodded and stood. She was aware of Betsy watching them, but no longer cared. She was having fun. She was feeling again.

This time, when they moved together, Kelly held her close, their bodies brushing, touching. She let her hand move behind Kelly’s neck, ignoring the pounding of her heart. Her breath caught when Kelly's hand moved lower on her back, turning her expertly around the floor. The song ended all too soon, and they stood there, still in each other’s arms, neither wanting to move away. Kelly's brown eyes were very dark as they looked into Jo's, and she continued to hold her hand as they made their way back.

21

This time, she accepted the drink from Betsy thankfully.

She was hot and it had nothing to do with the weather, she thought with a smile. The bar had filled up. Quite a few players from other teams there now.

"Crowded tonight," she said commented.

"Yeah, there's lots of women in town," Janis agreed.

Jo nodded and watched the dance floor, now filled with couples doing the Cotton-Eyed Joe. She was thankful no one had dragged her out for that one. A fast line dance was next and she watched with amazement as everyone turned and stepped in unison, the strangers mixed with the locals. She had never gotten the hang of line dancing, maybe because she rarely tried. Nancy had seldom agreed to go dancing, even though Johanna enjoyed it. Then, after Nancy left, Jo had isolated herself. She could count on one hand the number of times she had come here since.

Kelly was watching her, she knew, but she didn't look up. She didn't trust herself. She was much too aware of her as it was. Staring into those dark eyes was too much of a temptation. However, when the next song started, she couldn't resist looking up.

"Come on," Kelly said, motioning to the floor.

Jo locked eyes with her and stood, reaching for her hand.

They moved together quickly, their bodies pressed close together, Kelly's heart beating against her breasts. She clenched her jaw and closed her eyes, her hand moving into Kelly's hair. Oh, dear Lord, she thought. What am I doing?

This is a perfect stranger!

Kelly's hand moved low on her back, pressing her closer, and as their hips came together, Jo couldn't suppress a low moan. Their flushed cheeks touched, and as she felt Kelly's lips graze her ear, Jo involuntarily pulled her closer. Her feet moved with a will of their own, her thoughts on anything but dancing. The dance floor was dark, masking their 22