Blind dates can be murde.., p.16
Blind Dates Can Be Murder, page 16
Danny handed Jo his wet shirt and undershirt and then wrapped up in the blanket, glad at least that it was a warm afternoon. The wet pants weren’t going to be very comfortable, but he’d been through worse. And Jo seemed so much better now that it had been worth it.
She wrung out his shirts and draped them across a big rock before asking him if he were hungry. He was starving. Sitting cross-legged on the wide bench, facing each other, they shared the lunch she had prepared. Except for the wet pants and being wrapped up in a blanket, Danny thought the moment couldn’t be more perfect. Conversation was light and almost flirty, the laughter easy. Even Chewie seemed happily subdued, resting on the ground at the foot of the bench and enjoying the sunshine.
“Jo, who has this?” Danny teased, holding up a round plastic container with eight shallow depressions, each filled with a deviled egg. “To store my food, I’m lucky if I can find a Ziploc baggie or an old cottage cheese container. You have Tupperware specifically designed for carrying deviled eggs.”
Jo smiled, took the container from him, and opened it up. Holding it out to him, she seemed pleased when he grabbed one and popped it into his mouth.
“Love me, love my Tupperware,” she said. “It’s just something simple that makes life easier.”
“Yeah, well, I guess you could say that simple solutions are your specialty,” Danny told her after he swallowed, thinking it was the best deviled egg he’d ever had. Jo nibbled at one as well, dabbing at her mouth with her napkin.
“If simple solutions are my specialty,” she said, “then why’s my love life so complicated?”
“Maybe it’s time to simplify that too,” he said, feeling that the moment was right. “Are you ready to hear what I came here to tell you?”
She studied him, an intrigued anticipation on her face.
“I guess so,” she said. “Though I’m just a little nervous.”
“Don’t be, Jo. I’ve got two things to share with you. One I’ve just learned. The other I’ve known for some time.”
Chuck’s tier got library time on Sunday afternoons, and though Chuck usually took a pass, today he thought he’d visit one last time, read a few news magazines, and try to catch up on the outside world.
It was easier to let things go here, to pretend that nothing existed beyond the walls of the prison. But now that he was getting out, he didn’t want to be stupid or uninformed. He sat by the window for more than an hour, flipping through the last year’s worth of Time and Newsweek. He skimmed the headlines and read a few articles and mostly couldn’t help thinking how it was always more of the same: another dirty politician who got busted, another natural disaster somewhere in the world, another treatment for cancer.
Cancer.
He held a Newsweek open in his lap, ignoring the article and the blown-up photos of cancer cells, and thought about the day he learned his mother had cancer. She was a saint, that woman, as perfect as the day was long. When she told him the doctor said she was probably dying, that she had leukemia, Chuck had driven his fist straight through the wall.
She hung on a good long while. Trooper that she was, she never complained, never cried. Lettie had really come through in a big way then, cooking meals she thought his mother might eat, taking her to the doctor, cleaning up after her when she was sick. Chuck had really laid off of Lettie then, because he knew the last thing his mother needed to see was how badly he had to discipline his wife. As awful a time as that was, it was also relatively peaceful—at least until the insurance company turned down the doctor’s request for a bone marrow transplant.
Experimental treatment, they said. Procedure denied.
It seemed that no matter what Chuck did or how many threatening letters he sent or how much he yelled, they wouldn’t listen to reason.
The day his mother died, Chuck got through the funeral and then got drunk. He lost the next four days in a haze, and all he knew for sure was that when he came out of it, he was in bed with two of Mickey’s strippers. Otherwise, that time was a complete blank.
Once he sobered up, though, Chuck had had his work cut out for him. He didn’t know when, he didn’t know how, but he knew one thing: The insurance company would get what was coming to them.
He looked down now at the photo of the cancer cells and thought how colorful they were, how deceptively pretty. It was too bad Silver Shield Insurance Company had denied that claim.
In the end, they got what was coming to them.
“Okay, big news item number one,” Danny said, his eyes gleaming. “Yesterday morning I got an important phone message.”
Jo’s mind raced, but she couldn’t imagine what he was about to tell her.
“It was from Stockmasters,” he continued, “one of the companies that handles the sales of my stock photos.”
“Yeah…”
“It seems that my big break has finally arrived.”
Jo’s eyes flew wide open.
“Let me guess,” she said. “They’re using one of your pictures in a calendar.”
“Better than that,” he replied, grinning. “A movie poster. For Twentieth Century Fox.”
Jo’s mouth also flew open, but it took a good ten seconds for the squeal to come out.
“Oh, Danny!” she cried, throwing her arms around him. “That’s so exciting! What’s the movie?”
He hugged her back, the blanket slipping from his shoulders. After a moment, she realized that her cheek was against his bare shoulder. Blinking, she pulled back, startled at the warmth of his skin. She hadn’t realized he was quite so…muscular.
“I don’t know what the movie is,” he said. “I don’t even know which photo they want. They just said it’s for background, so I’m guess they’ll superimpose the stars’ faces over it or something.”
“Incredible. And you learned this when?”
“There was a message on my machine from Friday afternoon, but I didn’t realize it until yesterday morning. I tried calling Stockmasters then, but they’re closed for the weekend. I won’t find out any more about it until tomorrow.”
“You have got to be kidding!” she said, squealing again. Her noise disturbed Chewie, who got up and began sniffing around in the grass.
Jo was so happy for Danny. He deserved every bit of this success and more. “Will you be rich?”
He laughed.
“I’ll be better off than I was before. What the heck, I might even be able to afford some decent steaks for the grill. How about when the poster comes out, we have a little party?”
“I would love that,” Jo said, “but only if you let me throw it for you. Like, a congratulations thing. It’s the least I can do for my best friend.”
The smile on Danny’s face flickered a bit. That was when Jo remembered that he had two news items for her. If the second thing was as exciting as the first, they’d have one heck of a party.
Danny realized that the blanket had fallen from his shoulders. He gathered it up and pulled it back on, wishing he was fully dressed for this part of the conversation. It was kind of hard to concentrate when he was soaking wet and half naked.
“What’s the second bit of news?” Jo asked eagerly. “You said you had two things.”
“Yes,” he replied, pulse surging. “I do.”
“Well?”
Danny took a deep breath and held it, realizing that the last six months had led up to this moment. Was he a man or a mouse? He was a man. It was time to tell the woman he loved how he felt about her.
“Okay, this one’s a little more complicated,” he said, trying to remember the words he had used in the car when he was alone. Somehow, it had seemed easier then, when he was just practicing it. “You remember when Tiffany said I had strong feelings for someone?”
Jo’s smile dimmed a bit, but she nodded.
“The truth is, Jo, I am in love with someone.”
He took another breath to say that someone is you, but before he could get the words out, Jo jumped to her feet angrily.
“I knew it!” she exclaimed. “You lied to me! You sat in my car not three hours ago and said Tiffany didn’t know what she was talking about. Now you’re telling me—”
“Jo!” Danny said, standing up also. “Jo.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “The person I’m in love with is you.”
That shut her up. She stood there, her eyes on his, confusion filling her face. She opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again.
“You…what?”
“I’m in love with you, Jo. I don’t just love you like a friend. I love you.”
She swallowed hard, her face as white as a sheet.
“I guess I’ve loved you for years,” he added, “but I only realized it last fall. Then, when I was going to tell you, you announced your moratorium on dating. I thought you needed time to figure out what you wanted. So I waited. But I don’t want to wait any more. I need for you to know.”
He wanted to kiss her then. He wanted her to say I love you too! and leap into his arms. Instead, she took a step backward, shaking her head.
“I have to think,” she said. “I…I…”
He stepped backward also, giving her plenty of room. This wasn’t exactly how he wanted this to go.
“So the hair, the clothes, all of that was for me?”
Suddenly, he felt pretty stupid.
“Diana’s idea,” he said sheepishly.
“Diana? She knows?”
Danny nodded.
“And Denise?”
He nodded again.
“Donna?”
“Yeah.”
“Tiffany?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Who else?”
“I think that’s about it,” Danny said. “Oh, I guess my mom. And your grandmother.”
“My grandmother?”
“I’m sorry, Jo. She dragged it out of me.”
“I left you alone for ten minutes! Do you know what a fool I feel like?”
“It wasn’t like that. We were talking.”
“It’s not just her. It’s all of them. So the whole world knows that Danny loves Jo? Everybody’s in on it except Jo?”
Danny tossed the blanket onto the bench and put his hands on his hips. From the corner of his eye, he could see Chewie crouching in wait for a squirrel.
“You’re in on it now,” he said. He didn’t understand her reaction. “So what do you have to say about it?”
She put her face in her hands and turned away. At first he was afraid she was crying, but then she turned back, her face still pale, her eyes dry.
“I have to think about this,” she said again, shaking her head.
Without another word, she took off walking.
“Just wait here,” she called over her shoulder.
He kicked at the ground, wondering where he had gone wrong. He paced for a moment, replaying the whole conversation in his mind. Finally, he sat on the bench, grabbed two deviled eggs, and shoved them into his mouth at once.
“You’re supposed to say you love me too,” he said to the air as he chewed.
Then he watched as Chewie leapt for the squirrel and missed, plunging back into the water.
Her thoughts swirling, Jo replayed the last six months in her mind and remembered all the times Danny could have told her but didn’t. Suddenly, like a giant puzzle, many pieces clicked into place.
His not dating.
His weird reaction when she signed up for the dating service.
His distrust of Brock Dentyne.
His kiss at Peter Trumble’s house. His kiss! No wonder he had kissed her with such passion.
Jo began jogging, wishing she could take back the last ten minutes, wishing she could stop him from ever telling her. Didn’t he understand that this changed everything?
Didn’t he understand that they could never go back to the way they were?
That was the question that kept running through her mind. She tried to pray, but her brain was too unfocused. Eventually, she stopped running, caught her breath, and turned back around. She went the way she had come, trying to frame her response for Danny.
Did she love him?
She didn’t not love him.
She didn’t know!
When she finally reached the clearing, she realized that Chewie was once again soaking wet. Danny was in the water, just sitting, his hands splayed out behind him.
Jo walked to the edge of the pool and stood on a rock, looking down at him. He seemed so vulnerable there, so eager for something she wasn’t able to say—not yet, anyway. She closed her eyes and prayed for guidance.
“This changes everything,” she said. “You know that.”
He nodded.
“I thought it was worth the risk,” he replied.
She looked away, for some reason wishing she could cry.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Danny.”
“I understand,” he replied. “I’ve had six months to get used to the idea. You can’t expect to wrap your brain around it right away. All I ask is that you think about it. Think about what we have together. Think about what we could be to each other—what I think we already are to each other.”
She knelt down, poking in the soft dirt with a stick. She would think about it. She would.
“I can’t lose you,” she whispered.
He scooted forward, little waves bouncing away from his legs.
“You’re not going to lose me,” he said, shaking his head. “No matter what happens next. I’m still here.”
Her eyes met his.
“But it’s not the same,” she said. “And that scares me.”
“I understand.”
Jo dropped the stick and stood.
“Listen, Danny, I appreciate all you have said. And please don’t think that I’m rejecting you, but I honestly can’t answer you right now. Maybe we should go. I really think we need to get home.”
“Sure,” he replied. “But you’ll have to help me up.”
“Help you up? Why?”
“Because I think I broke my foot.”
15
The pain was incredible.
Danny was angry at his own stupidity, wondering why he thought he could go back into the water and rescue the dog without once again falling down. This time, his foot had slid on a rock and turned as he did so, making a loud cra-a-a-ck that reverberated through his bones.
They started back to the car, a full mile and a half of hopping, resting, and hopping again. Jo was so petite under Danny’s arm, but he had no choice but to put almost his full weight onto her. She was up to it, supporting him mightily as they went. More than once she suggested that she jog out, go get a wheelchair, and come back for him with it. He refused. For some reason, no matter how badly it hurt nor how slow the going, he refused to be wheeled out of there like a little old man.
With half a mile left to go and the sun dipping low behind the trees, a lone bicycler came past. Seeing their predicament, he offered Danny the bike. Near tears from the pain, Danny gratefully accepted. He sat and pushed himself along with his good foot, while Jo and Chewie walked on one side and the bicycler walked on the other, one hand on the frame to help keep the bike stable.
“I’m sorry to ruin your evening bike ride,” Danny told the man once the parking lot was in sight.
“I’m just glad I happened along when I did,” the man replied in a clipped British accent. “You would have been caught out there in the dark.”
The man helped Danny into the backseat, where he turned sideways, propping his throbbing foot up on the seat next to him. Chewie got the front, which seemed to confuse him completely. He kept trying to jump back on Danny and Danny kept pushing him away.
They thanked the cyclist profusely before heading out. Jo drove as quickly as she could, but it would still be nearly two hours on the road before they would be home. She offered to take Danny to a hospital there in the Poconos, but he said he’d rather wait for Mulberry Glen.
Conversation was nonexistent. He couldn’t understand her reaction, and he was in so much pain he wasn’t up to talking about it anyway. He could only hope that over the next days, as Jo warmed up to the idea, she would realize that she did, indeed, love him too.
The alternative was too scary to think about.
“Do you have your insurance card and all that?” she asked as they neared Mulberry Glen. “Or should we stop by the house before we go to the hospital?”
“No, I should be fine. Maybe we ought to call my mom, though. She would want to know.”
“Of course.”
“Can you do it?”
Danny hadn’t ever been in so much pain before. He didn’t want to be a baby, but it took all he could do not to gasp with every bump and turn.
“Sure.”
Jo pulled out her cell phone and punched in the numbers for Danny’s parents’ house.
“Mrs. Watkins, hi, this is Jo Tulip…I’m fine. Listen, Danny’s okay, but he wanted me to let you know he had a little accident.”
Of course, it sounded as though Danny’s mother was flipping out. Jo had to calm her down and assure her that it was just his foot, that it was probably broken, and that they were on the way to the emergency room.
“We’ll probably be there in ten or fifteen minutes,” Jo said. “Okay, see you there.”
Jo hung up and told Danny what his mother had said. He was glad they were coming as he didn’t want Jo to have to see him like this much longer. She could drop him at the door of the hospital and his family would take over.
When he said as much to her, though, she grew angry.
“See?” she said. “That’s the sort of thing that will change now. You never cared about anything like that when we were just friends. Now it’s as though you have to put on this front for me, this perfect I’m-Danny-Watkins-and-everything-is-cool thing.”
He exhaled slowly. He wasn’t in any condition to debate with her.
“You’ve got Chewie with you. You can’t just leave him out in the car. I could be in the ER for hours.”
“Fine,” she replied. “I’ll drop you and go. Should I slow down first or just throw you from the vehicle?”
