Chapter 28
"I still haven't decided what I'm going to wear tonight," Connie Stoker mused out loud, touching the edge of the paper plate in front of her thoughtfully. A cookie with one bite out of it huddled in solitude in the center – Mike, knowing how hard it was for her to resist sweets, rescued the raisin studded treat and tossed it in his mouth. "It has been awhile since we've been out clubbing; what time did Johnny tell you to meet him?"
"Around ten thirty or so, I guess Miss McCall starts singing around eleven," he answered around a mouthful of crumbs. He hastily swallowed at her amused look and chugged down half of a plastic tumbler of his wife's iced tea.
"Is anyone else coming? From your station, I mean," she clarified as she mentally toured the dresses in their closet.
"I don't know, although I told them all about it after Gage called last night. Roy probably, because he disappeared to call his wife right after, maybe hoping JoAnne could line up a baby sitter if she agreed to go."
"Oh my, I just realized something….." Connie said slowly, her eyes widening in understanding. "That's what Ruth was talking about earlier."
Mike arced an inquisitive eyebrow. "Ruth, that's JoAnne's mother right? What was she talking about?"
"She was regaling us with stories of her youth; apparently she was a bit of a rebel, if you know what I mean?" At her husband's shrug followed by a slight nod, she continued. "She said that tonight she was "going to kick up her heels just like she did with the men in uniform years ago." Do you think that means she's going to Miss McCall's nightclub and, well you know.…?"
Mike raised both eyebrows this time as he calculated Ruth's possible age. If she was hovering at fifty or a few years older, then it was very possible she was talking about hanging out with WWII soldiers when she was eighteen or nineteen. Maybe before they shipped out, or had she been overseas during the war? It was a mystery he really didn't want the answer to; he was sure that Connie did, however, judging by the way her eyes were gleaming. "I'm not going to make a guess either way but if you're right, I do hope that Roy and JoAnne aren't counting on her for a babysitter tonight."
Connie giggled and stood up, brushing nonexistent crumbs from her shorts. "I'll go find JoAnne and see what she says. They should be about done with the horseshoes judging by the noise level."
"Yeah, something tells me those two ladies beat everybody," he agreed as he listened to the clinking of the shoes hitting metal and the resulting cheers. He pushed up from the bench and put a hand to his back as he stretched. "I think I used muscles on those couple of games that I didn't know I had."
"Oh, you men, always complaining about your aches and pains," she teased, flitting in a circle around him like a moth attracted to light. She stopped and kneaded the spot on his back with nimble fingers. "My big, strong man, I still love you though."
He briefly closed his eyes in pleasure for the twenty second massage. "And I love you Connie, my beautiful, talented tomboy."
He encircled her narrow waist and pulled her close as they watched everyone advance on the patio. Roy was leading the pack, a beer bottle clutched in his right hand and his son swinging from his left arm with obvious glee.
"Whew," the paramedic exclaimed as he plopped Christopher down on the bench and threw himself down next to him with a loud grunt. He plunked the bottle onto the table and swiped the back of his hand across his forehead in an exaggerated gesture. "I had no idea my wife was so good at horseshoes, as well as being so competitive about it!"
"I take it the Hammer/DeSoto team won?" Mike asked, amused at the theatrics. He reluctantly dropped his arm at Connie's gentle jab to his ribs and watched her join the other women, who had detoured and gathered next to the badminton net. Turning back to his crewmate, he observed as Roy poured his son a glass of lemonade, hesitated, and then filled another of the tumblers.
Roy bobbed his head in satisfaction after taking a tentative sip, and downed the entire glass. "Oh yeah, by the time those two ladies had warmed up, nobody stood a chance. They were ruthless."
"I'm glad Connie and I played the first match against them," Stoker agreed with a laugh. "It was bad enough that you and Chet trounced Marco and me; I can't imagine what those two pros would have done to us if we'd been later in the matches."
"That's definitely one of those weird things that pop up about your spouse that you don't have a clue about. I had no idea Jo even knew how to throw a horseshoe, let alone practically has the rulebook memorized," Roy mused. "I wonder how she is at tossing the Lawn Jarts."
Mike made a thumb up sign. "Now that's a game I can sink my teeth into!"
"You and me both!" Kat exclaimed, sidling up to the other side of the table and snatching up a cookie. "We've got a couple of those sets floating around somewhere, although some of the feathers are probably cracked. Our family is pretty competitive with most sports and that one is no exception."
"Yeah, we've had some pretty close calls with the lethal ends on those things," Chet added as he joined the growing group and snatched the sweet from his sister's hand and crunched into it.
"I can see why," Lopez said, viewing the minor sibling skirmish from a safe distance. Once Kat had slapped the thieving hand and picked up a watermelon segment, he moved closer and viewed the tempting array of sweets and fruit before selecting a cluster of red grapes. He backed up two steps and sat down at the adjoining table, his date quietly joining him.
Roy, who hadn't heard Teena utter a word since they arrived, smiled at the way the two interacted; Lopez fed her several grapes while she leaned in and accepted them with eyes closed and a hand resting on his knee. They shared a brief kiss before Marco whispered something in her ear that caused her to giggle and duck her head shyly.
Feeling a lump in his throat, the paramedic turned away and gazed down at his son who was happily popping strawberries in his mouth. That brief glimpse of Lopez's budding romance had reminded him of the many sweet little moments JoAnne and he had shared as their elementary school relationship had slowly grown from friendship to love as they started high school. Even now when he looked at his wife, he felt butterflies in his stomach. He hoped that feeling never went away.
"Oh, that lemonade looks inviting!" Jackie Hammer exclaimed as she joined them. She slid two cups off the stack and handed one to Trish. Johnny was behind the two young women, his expression puzzled as he looked from one to the other. He lifted the pair of horseshoes he held in each hand and wiggled them at Roy, who jerked a thumb towards the garage.
"Hey, Chris, slide to the end of the bench so the ladies can reach the beverage jars," he told his son, who did as asked promptly and without complaint. "I'll be back in a minute; I need to show Mr. Gage where to put the horseshoes."
"K…daddy," the boy mumbled, now busy with a slice of cantaloupe.
"I put the chairs over the stakes. You gonna leave them or pull them up?" John asked as he followed his partner to the opposite side of the garage and through the wood gate in the block fence. He stopped briefly to latch it, and then trod behind him into the garage through a door on the side.
Roy crouched down and pulled a box out from under his workbench. He flipped the lid up and held out his hand. "I'll take them out, probably tomorrow. I just set it up for the barbecue."
Handing him the horseshoes, Gage wiped his hands on his jeans as he looked around the garage. It was small, but neatly organized. "Uh huh, say, what's behind that door over there?"
"That's my pottery room. Right now it's the only hobby I try and make time for as it's a great stress reliever." He slid by his partner, wincing as he bumped his leg against the station wagon, and opened the green painted door. "Here, let me pull the light chain and you can take a look if you want."
"Hey, not bad, not bad at all," Johnny complimented with a sincere smile as he took in Roy's lair. He picked up a colorful bowl from the shelf, hefted it in the palm of his hand, and ran his long fingers over it. "I don't know much about this, nothing really if I'm being honest, but it looks and feels pretty good."
"I'm still learning, of course, but I'm definitely improving with each item," Roy admitted modestly. He pulled up the shade that covered the large window and watched curiously as their captain and his daughter walked by. Jackie was carrying a pan that she had apparently left in her vehicle. Seeing the pretty brunette reminded Roy of Johnny's evasiveness earlier.
"So why did Captain Hammer seem familiar to you?"
Johnny looked startled for a moment and then slowly and carefully set the bowl back in its spot before replying. "Oh that…when I was a teenager, I helped my cousin out with his horses and stuff. In return he let me tag along on the junior rodeo circuit, use one of his horses, and paid my entrance fees so I could compete. I met Jackie the last year I rode and her dad was the announcer at one or two of the rodeos around Los Angeles. It was his voice I was remembering, not his face."
"So you and his daughter were an item, shall we say? An item that her father didn't know about?"
"Well yeah, obviously I would have remembered him if I had actually met him before, don't cha think? And she and I only hooked up a few times; we parted ways after the season ended." Gage studied his shoe intently as he scuffed it across the cement floor, his nervous movement belying his casual tone.
"Oh, from the way you looked at her I thought it was a long term relationship."
The dark head shot up in surprise but whatever words Johnny was about to say were swallowed back down in an audible gulp; he simply shook his head and hooked his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans.
"Well, are you up for another beer?" Roy asked, smoothly changing the subject and taking the few steps that led him to the doorway.
"Nah, I've had enough. I need to take Trish home soon. She's heading out early tomorrow morning to go see her folks somewhere up north." He trailed Roy out through the doorway and carefully closed the small door behind him, strange, random thoughts about rampaging kids and dogs making him double check to see if it latched securely. He turned and faced Roy, scratching a finger along his jaw. "Say, what do you think Trish and Jackie were talking about? They were at it quite a while when I was attempting to throw those horseshoes that last game. "
Roy guffawed, the sound echoing through the space; Johnny seemed to be amazingly naïve at times. "You, maybe?"
"Oh brother, that's what I was afraid of," he muttered. "Mind if I go inside and wash my hands?"
"No, just go through that way to the kitchen if you want." Roy gestured towards the door to their left and then motioned in the direction of the door they had entered minutes before. "I'm going to check on the other guys and the gals and see if anybody needs anything."
Nodding, Johnny sidled left a few steps and Roy moved right. Brushing his dark hair back in a habitual gesture from when it was longer, Johnny went up the two steps and opened the kitchen door. He was inside the bright room and had closed the door behind him before he realized he wasn't alone.
"Jackie," he said softly, alone with her for the first time since the introduction by her father hours before. He put a hand to his chest, feeling his heart pounding in an erratic rhythm. Annoyed at his reaction, he continued the few feet to the sink and quickly completed his purpose for entering the kitchen. He spun back around with wet hands in the air, showering his captain's daughter with a fine spray of water. "Whoops, sorry."
"Hey Johnny…." She replied, smiling and pushing the refrigerator door closed with an elbow. She tapped a finger against her lips, her blue eyes regarding him in pleasure and interest. "It really is a small world isn't it?"
He let his full grin break forth and nodded. "Oh sure, even smaller considering what I chose as my profession, and of all the fire departments in LA County I end up with your dad as my captain."
"He really does speak highly of you and the rest of the crew, you know."
"Yeah, they're a great bunch." He shifted awkwardly on his feet, leaning a hip against the counter and crossing his arms. His heart had settled down to a steady beat but now he felt lightheaded. It was like being age sixteen all over again!
"So, do your parents know about our history?" He asked hesitantly.
"No, I never told them anything. But don't worry, I'll tell them; I think I can explain it better, especially to dad."
At Johnny's nod of thanks, she continued on. "Trish and I did talk for a bit. She said you're not really in a relationship yet, that this is your first time out together?" She moved closer, mimicking his stance and folded arms but executing it all with that cat like grace he remembered so well.
"Yeah, we just met last week. Our schedules are kinda hard to line up."
She tilted her head and studied him a moment. "Trish also told me about the jazz club thing tonight and that she couldn't go. She suggested that maybe we could hang around together there for a bit and do some catching up?"
"She did? Um, sure, that's a good idea, although it will be pretty noisy so…." He paused, trying to figure out whether he had just agreed to a date, or if it was just a casual get together for old time's sake. And what was Trish up to? Was she already dumping him and pushing him towards another woman, or was she being thoughtful?
"If so, we'll just go out for coffee afterwards or maybe even tomorrow, unless you have other plans?" Her eyes were dancing with merriment now and he reacted in kind.
"I've been meaning to start on that book, The History of the World? And I'm pretty close to solving the Riemann Hypothesis….." He smirked as she groaned and shook her head.
"Oh Johnny, you haven't changed a bit, have you? You hate math as much as I do!"
"I'm surprised you even knew it was a still unsolved "math" problem!" He teased, finally relaxing and enjoying the familiar banter. He tapped his fingers on the counter, noting with surprise a mug tree perched there filled with Elvis coffee mugs.
She dropped her head and butted him in the chest, knocking him back a step before he caught himself. He laughed and watched as she tossed her head back, casually flipping her hair from her eyes.
"You really haven't changed much either, Jackie," he said fondly, glancing towards the living room as he felt eyes upon him. JoAnne's mother was standing next to the sofa and observing their interaction with a scowl distorting her features. "I'll see you tonight, ok?"
Jackie followed his gaze and wrinkled her noise, wondering what the story was behind the woman. Except for her father, all the other firemen seemed to be avoiding her. "I look forward to it, "Mr. Gage". Oh, and make sure you try Mom's chocolate peanut butter bars before you and Trish leave; they weren't on the table earlier because I forgot to get them out of the car.
"I will thanks." He flashed a quick smile before moving into the living room and taking up a defensive position behind the leather recliner, a hand gripping each side. He stared for a second at the furry Elvis blanket his fingers were brushing and had to push down the urge to grab it and use it as a shield.
"Hello, Mrs. …um…" He stopped, embarrassed, as he realized he didn't know her last name.
"Frederic, but you may call me Ruth. I really must apologize for that little incident at my son Todd's wedding; I have no idea how my ring caught your lip," she gushed, fluttering eyelashes and circling a hand in the air as if to emphasize her apology.
"Don't worry about it, accidents happen," he replied, gulping and looking away. He was unwilling to be hypnotized by those purple stripes on her shirt that were getting much to close and the rhythmic jangle of the bracelets bouncing about on her wrists. He focused his attention instead on Roy's daughter who was toddling around the large footstool in front of the couch, keeping a hand on it for support. "She's a cutie, isn't she?"
Mrs. Frederic stopped her forward progress and glanced at Lisa. She smiled and for a fleeting moment Johnny saw a very different side to the woman who constantly made his partner's life a misery.
"Oh she's an angel!" She agreed fervently, running a hand through the soft brown curls as Lisa bumped into her leg and peered up at her. "How many of these do you have at home?
Johnny coughed in embarrassment and took a quick step towards freedom, trying to ignore the muted giggles floating out from the kitchen. Jackie was obviously eavesdropping and enjoying every awkward word.
"Uhhh…not a one," he choked out, his earlier pleasant thought about the woman smashed to little pieces. "Maybe someday, you know, after I get married, and all that."
He took another sideways step towards the open patio slider where an evening breeze was swishing through, stirring the drapes and beckoning him towards an easy escape. There wasn't a mean bone in Johnny's body, however, when it came to being respectful towards his elders; he stopped and dropped his arms to his side in resignation as Ruth cleared the recliner and stopped inches away from him, Lisa scooped up in one arm. The child regarded him curiously, fingers pulling at her mouth, while her grandmother fluttered eyelashes and blinked coquettishly at him.
"I expect a dance tonight at the club, young man." Ruth paused, sultry tone hardening and eyes narrowing suspiciously at the astonished look on John's face. "You do know how to dance don't you?"
"Eh, yeah, kinda, but I'm not so good at it," he admitted truthfully, contemplating for a moment throwing Marco under the bus, so to speak. He had heard somewhere that their lineman was light on his feet and loved to dance. He sighed softly in resignation as he realized he couldn't bring himself to sacrifice his crewmate to the teeth baring piranha leaning dangerously towards him.
"Quite all right dear, I can lead as well as follow," she tittered in response to his halting answer. He successfully fought down a shudder but was unable to contain his surprised squawk when she patted his rear and then thrust Lisa against his chest. "Here, keep an eye on sweet Lisa while I go look for those two friends of yours."
"Wait…," he sputtered ineffectually, his arms automatically curling around the child as Mrs. Frederic sailed out the door calling for Chet and Marco.
He stood for a second, mouth opened in shock then abruptly snapping shut as Lisa let out her own squeak of horror. Realizing that tiny sound was probably going to erupt into ear splitting shrieks, he looked wildly about for a DeSoto family member and spied Jackie still in the kitchen. She was clutching the back of a chair with one hand, leaning over, while holding her stomach; Johnny immediately whirled and took four giant steps to her side.
"Hey, what's wrong…oh for Pete's sake, Jackie," he growled, alarm turning to relief mixed with amazement as she straightened up and grinned at him, still laughing.
"Oh, sorry, sorry, Johnny, I really am, but you have to admit that was funnier then he…uh, anything!" She hiccupped, swiping a hand across the tears that were running down her cheeks.
"Oh yeah, real funny, for you maybe, and just what am I supposed to do tonight when she corners me at the club?" He paused in thought, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth and patting Lisa's back absently. "Geez, maybe if I'm lucky they won't have dancing….."
"That would definitely thwart her plans," Jackie agreed cheerfully. She smiled wider, flashing dazzling white teeth as she cocked her head, studying Johnny and his obvious nervousness. It was endearing really, especially when he was completely oblivious to what the little imp of a child was doing. Lisa was jabbing a finger into his ear while he countered absently with jangling his leg up and down.
Deciding it was time to rescue the frazzled paramedic Jackie leaned forward and whispered into Lisa's ear. The youngest DeSoto child immediately thrust out her arms and whispered "to Mama". Jackie lifted her from Johnny's encircling arms, almost pulling him over until he realized what she was doing. He shook his head as if to clear cobwebs and cocked his head at her questioningly.
"We're going to go find one of her parents as I believe her grandmother has Marco and Chet cornered by the volleyball net," she explained, motioning towards the yard as she pivoted and headed in that direction.
John looked and smiled in undisguised satisfaction. "Ah, maybe it won't be so bad after all."
"Perhaps," Jackie conceded, pausing and shooting a mischievous glance over her shoulder. "Gage, you'd better work on your parenting skills!"
She darted out the door and Johnny's smile disappeared as he mulled over her parting shot. He rubbed his fingers against his temples, perplexed, and felt a monster headache approaching. "What did she mean by that? Women, I'll never understand them!"
~TBC~