A May-September Wedding Page 5

  "That's the second time Tyler's picked on Marie this year."

  "Naw. It's only the second time someone's stepped in to defend her. Tyler and Steve are both pretty nasty and their friends aren't much better. Anyway, this time Tim and I were there and we convinced Marie to talk to the principal with us. We missed the last period while we told our story but because we didn't do anything we got to go home. Tyler got taken away in an ambulance with his leg in a brace. Steve probably has a bruise or two and Beast thinks she dislocated a toe. But we told the principal what we saw."

  The doorbell rang and Felicity came in wearing a triumphant expression. Cal asked, "Have you started supper?"

  Phyl said, "No, I was just going to heat up some of the chicken stew from the freezer."

  "Then, my wise and beauteous friend, I would like to take you and your family to dinner in honour of Felicity the Brave, Lydia the Just and Timothy the Valiant. I also invited Marie and her family. I wanted to meet with fair maiden who inspires such loyalty from our stalwart Timothy."

  "Cal, isn't that a bit over the top?" Phyl could hardly contain her smile.

  "I really shouldn't be feeling this much pleasure from it, but the principal apologized for not taking me seriously when Tim got into the fight last month. I think it's a variety of envy to take pleasure at someone else's misery, so I really should pray about it...after supper."

  Lydia asked, "Any report on Tyler?"

  Felicity got a fierce but satisfied look. "While Dad was talking with the principal Tyler's parents called to ask if she was going to press assault charges against me for dislocating his kneecap. The principal said she would if they were prepared to have Tyler face charges for sexual assault then reminded them that there were at least three witnesses, including a teacher, that saw Tyler touch me first."

  Lydia whistled. "A dislocated kneecap? Ouch. That's months of therapy and maybe arthoscopic surgery."

  Cal said, "I'd almost like to see it go in front of a judge. Tyler's what? Five-eleven and a hundred eighty? And Beast here is four foot eight and maybe eighty pounds?"

  Felicity got offended. "I'm four foot nine and because I'm mostly muscle I'm ninety pounds."

  Cal stuck out his tongue at his daughter. "That wouldn't make a difference to the judge. He'd probably say that Tyler is lucky it was only his knee that you took out."

  "I wasn't aiming for his knee. It just got in the way."

  David was over to drop off some tools he'd borrowed when he noticed the formal kilt outfit in the dry cleaner's bag by the front closet.

  "Got a wedding to go to, Dad?"

  "No, it's the literacy fund raiser. I thought I'd dress up this year. Brenda only let me wear it on Burns Day or at the Highland Games. She thought all of the Scottish stuff was silly, but I think it's fun."

  "So why aren't you wearing the red, yellow and green kilt?"

  "The hunting is more sombre. I'm still in mourning, even if I am going to wear a kilt. Besides I don't want to upstage my date too much."

  "A date? Isn't that a bit soon?"

  "Well, it's been five months since the funeral. And I haven't missed a literacy fundraiser in more than twenty years. So I'm going to the gala to honour Brenda's memory, but I'm going to be rebellious and wear the kilt."

  "So who are you taking? I didn't think there were many single women your age who were properly single."

  "Properly single?"

  "You know, widowed or never married. I know you're pretty hard line on divorce. Anyway, who did you find?"

  "Well, if you must know, I asked Phyl to accompany me."

  "Phyl? Aw, Dad, you'll look like an old fool if you take her. Besides you always told us that we shouldn't go out with someone unless we were considering the person as a potential spouse."

  "And what if I am?" Cal wasn't considering marrying Phyl, but it wasn't up to his kids to decide who his friends were.

  David lost it. "You know what everyone will say, Dad. It'll be just like Jack Littleton all over again. All your friends will be laughing at you behind your back."

  Cal took a calming breath. "Phyl Schuyler is not Brittany James. She older, she's a widow and she's my best friend. And I'm going to the fundraiser with her."

  David said, as he turned to go, "Well, Dad, I hope you know what you're doing. Phyl isn't so different from Brittany."

  Cal stood there with his blood pressure rising, debating going after David. Felicity came forward, "Dad, let it go. David hates Mum for some reason."

  Cal let himself calm down. "Well, I should probably get ready for tonight. Will you guys be okay?"

  "Yep. Tim's are okay with watching the Sens-Leafs game on the small TV. Brian's working tonight so Elaine is bringing over Emily and we're going to watch Despicable Me and hope Emily falls asleep early enough so we can watch New Moon together. Elaine says she's glad that someone in the family appreciates a good romance movie."

  Phyl was singing quietly as she got ready for the evening. The literacy fundraiser was always a good night out: good conversation with real adults, good food and lots of dancing even if Harry had two left feet. Cal was a great dancer and there were always several of Brenda's friends whose wives didn't really like to dance, so she rarely got time to sit down. She sighed at the memories of good times.

  The four of them had gone the previous year and eight of the previous ten, missing only when she was hugely pregnant with Tim and the time when the whole family was stricken with the flu.

  She'd always enjoyed the evening out. Dave Smith was usually the Master of Ceremonies and the chef at the Westin always put on an inspired spread because it was one of his favourite causes, too. There was a silent auction that was always fun to tour and lots of Chapters gift cards as door prizes. And this year they had a major coup with the Powder Blues Band providing the music for the dancing. They hadn't been east of Regina in almost six years, so there should be a good turnout even at a hundred dollars a plate.

  Dancing. Phyl smiled as she put on her makeup. Dancing with Cal. It was always fun because he knew all the steps and he was exactly the right height and he was so graceful. But this year it seemed different. She knew she should feel guilty about looking forward to going out with Cal, but she didn't.

  They were more than just friends. She knew that. Cal could do all the yard work without stopping in after for a cup of coffee and a ten minute chat that stretched to an hour. She didn't have to do those extras when she helped over at his house. He was perfectly capable of folding his own laundry, but it felt good to help. And there were all the suppers with the five of them that he'd started to cook on a regular basis. And afterward Tim would retreat to the Xbox or the television and the girls would head to Lydia's or Felicity's room for a gossip fest leaving the two of them to tidy and chat.

  She shrugged herself into a new modest black evening dress that reminded her that she was still supposed to be in mourning and went downstairs to wait for Cal.

  Felicity looked at her father dressed in his full formal Buchanan Hunting kilt and black tie and jacket. "A kilt? In October? Dad..."

  "Well, it was that or rent a tux. All of my black suits are getting shabby."

  "Well, at least you're wearing hunting tartan. That Buchanan Ancient kilt makes my eyes ache."

  "You liked it well enough when we had that arisaid made for you." Cal transferred his wallet and keys into the sporran.

  "Dad...Girls can wear a tartan that's mostly yellow and red with green and black highlights. It just looks weird on you."

  "I'm tempted to go change into it." Cal teased.

  Felicity quickly said, "No. Don't. Someone will take a picture that will get in the papers and I'll have to explain at church or at school on Monday. At least the Hunting doesn't make you look like you're wearing a tablecloth from a vegan restaurant."

  Elaine stood in the doorway with Emily. "I think you look handsome, Dad. I hope you enjoy yourself tonight." Cal gave Elaine and Emily a careful hug and turned to Felicity. "Okay, fell Beast. It'
s time for me to head across the street."

  "I need to get something from Lydia's room." Then Felicity turned her hands into claws and pretended to attack. "Aren't you afraid that the fell beast will stalk you and take you prisoner?"

  Cal held Felicity's jacket for her. "I'm shaking in my shoes. Can't you hear my knobby knees knocking together?"

  Felicity shrugged on her jacket and pretended to stalk her father. "No. But then fell beasts hunt by sense of smell. And I could find you anywhere with all that aftershave you used."

  Cal barked a laugh as he folded his topcoat over his arm and opened the door. Elaine echoed the laugh as she waved goodbye.

  Felicity ran ahead to get into the Schuyler's well before her father. "Lydia!"

  Lydia looked up from her book to see Felicity beckoning urgently as she ditched her jacket. "You have got to see this. We have to see Mum's reaction."

  Cal sauntered behind Felicity to stand in the entrance. Lydia's eyes widened as she got a good look at Cal. "Mum! Your date's here!"

  Phyl tried to put on a mask of annoyance as she came from the family room holding a pair of strappy sandals. She stopped dead as she took in Cal's military bearing enhanced by the elegant purple and blue kilt with the formal black jacket and bow tie.

  Cal scanned his beautiful blonde neighbour and felt his heart quicken. "Good evening, Mrs. S. Would you like a few minutes?"

  Phyl felt butterflies doing formation flying in her stomach as Cal's rich baritone washed over her senses. "No, I just need my coat and a shoe bag." She looked him over once more. "I don't think I've seen you in that before."

  "I felt that I needed to wear something formal tonight. I haven't worn the hunting tartan in years."

  "Don't let him get away with that, Mum. He said all his black suits are looking shabby cause he wears them so much these days." Felicity stuck out her tongue at her father.

  Phyl said, in what she hoped was a smooth tone, "Well, it looks very elegant." Willing her knees to work, she dropped her shoes into a medium sized cloth bag and put on her boots. As she rose, Cal already had her coat ready for her to slip into.

  "You look elegant, too" Cal murmured as he assisted her into the coat. Phyl hoped he hadn't felt the shudder that coursed through her as she felt his breath on her bare neck.

  The girls moved quickly to the living room window to watch Cal hand Phyl into the car.

  Lydia opened. "Well, that was interesting."

  Felicity said, "It was, but what did you think was so interesting?"

  Lydia watched the car drive away and moved over to throw herself onto the couch. "Mum went out today to buy that dress. I heard her muttering about whether it was modest enough for a widow to wear to her first party since Dad died."

  "She did look gorgeous. But can you believe Dad? He only wears his Scottish stuff on Burns Day or when we go the the Highland Games in Maxville. Mom always thought he looked silly in it, so he didn't wear it often."

  "Well, Mum didn't think it looked silly, not at all. Did you see the smile she gave your Dad?"

  "They are so not fooling anyone." Felicity looked smug.

  "Yeah. But I think they both feel guilty about liking each other." Lydia frowned.

  "That isn't just like, Lydia. They look at each other like Bella and Edward do in Twilight."

  Lydia pondered this for a while. "You're right," she said, wondering, "they do look at each other like that. But I still bet they won't do anything about it." Lydia yelled. "Tim! Time to go!"

  The main ballroom of the Westin was packed. Cal and Phyl were seated at a table with an assistant coach from the Ottawa Senators and his wife, a city councillor and her husband and two other couples who knew of Brenda's work as a literacy volunteer. The conversation was light and it was the coach's wife who had the best stories to tell.

  The keynote address was by Senator Jacques Demers who had gone public a few years before with the astonishing news that he'd coached and managed several professional hockey teams for decades while hiding the fact that he was illiterate. He told his story quietly and described all the the hidden problems he'd dealt with over the years. He encouraged all of the volunteers to keep donating their time and their passion for reading. He admitted that he had been a very lucky man to have a great job that he loved for so many years despite his inability to read or write, but that he knew of too many people who are now living on the streets of our cities because they can't master this essential skill.

  Cal, who was a hockey fan, had heard the story of Coach Demers before, but Phyl hadn't. "What an amazing man," she said. "I don't know which took more courage – working that hard to stay on top of everything when he couldn't read or admitting to the world that he couldn't read."

  The rest of the table were discussing Phyl's comment over dessert and coffee when Senator Demers came over to speak with the Senators' coach, who had played for Demers in Detroit. With much prompting, Phyl repeated her comment while blushing prettily and Demers answered in his usual forthright way, "Admitting it was much tougher. But seeing all these people here raising money to make sure that people like me can get help once they finally admit they can't read makes it worth it." He shook Phyl's hand and thanked her for her support and moved on to another table.

  The squawks and blatts of the horn section tuning up warned everyone that the dancing was going to start soon. Cal and Phyl took a tour of the silent auction tables as the wait staff cleared the dinner dishes. Phyl put in a very high bid for an autographed copy of Coach Demers' book.

  As they strolled, they met more than two dozen people who'd known Brenda and stopped to give their condolences or to share memories. A few people Phyl knew from Harry's work events or the stands at soccer games did the same. At the reminders of their late spouses, they realized that they were standing too close to each other to be mere friends and drifted apart slightly only to move closer later on.

  Then the band got the dancing going with one of their signature pieces, Doin' It Right (On the Wrong Side of Town). Over the volume, Phyl said, "This is what I came for, Cal. Let's dance."

  Finding a less crowded corner they did a modified jitterbug to the fast paced tune. Phyl laughed when she realized that when Cal twirled quickly the kilt rose to show about five inches of his muscular thighs. The next tune was almost as fast and they danced a modified Texas swing to that one. By the time the third dance started, Cal was almost winded, but it was a slow ballad in four, so they decided to show everyone how a proper foxtrot worked.

  Holding him close enough to feel his warmth and smell his cologne, Phyl felt a confusing set of emotions. People had been reminding her all evening that this was her best friend's husband. How could she possibly be so attracted to him? Her head was saying that Harry was only dead eight months and Brenda only five. He was older than her late father and only five years younger than her father-in-law. But her heart told her that he was kind and loving and considerate and her eyes told her that he was handsome and very masculine. She sighed and leaned closer to him as their movements became more synchronized.

  Cal felt Phyl press closer as they danced. With all of the reminders of Brenda tonight, he should be feeling guilty about enjoying this dance. But Phyl felt right in his arms, almost like she completed him the way Brenda had. He wanted to look into Phyl's blue eyes, but he was afraid of what he would see. More importantly, he was afraid that if he saw what he expected he would want to do something about it.

  So he took a deep breath and fixed his eyes at a point over her shoulder and tried not to think about the supple curve of her back under his right hand or the brush of her legs against his as they turned or the perfect way that her right hand fit in his or about the orange-mango and baby powder scent that was driving his thoughts in a very unchaste direction. With an effort he banished those impulses firmly back behind the crumbling wall between friendship and desire.

  Phyl felt Cal stiffen slightly about halfway through the dance and decided that it was not a good night to try to get clos
er to him. With a small sigh of disappointment she refocused on the music and concentrated on enjoying the dancing. With her best and most handsome friend.

  Chapter Seven - November

  "Phyl, I need some help." Cal's voice on the phone sounded exasperated.

  "What's up Cal."

  "Felicity has barricaded herself in her room. I'm sure that something happened at school today. I'm guessing that her period took her by surprise and that she got teased or something." Cal still sounded exasperated.

  "What do you want me to do?"

  "Maybe she'll tell you what happened. She won't talk to me and I don't have time to wait her out. I'm supposed to go inspect some stonework at the church tonight. The masons are coming next week to give an estimate and I want to make sure they're only going to fix what's broken."

  Cal could almost hear Phyl thinking. "Okay, I'll come over in a couple of minutes. I'll try to get her to come over to my place and I can talk to both of the girls at the same time. If Felicity has started her cycles then Lydia won't be far behind. I've been expecting it for the past two years."

  "Well, they do most things together."

  "See you in a bit."

  Cal said goodbye and hung up the phone. Saying a quick prayer for patience, he walked back upstairs to Felicity's bedroom door. "Felicity, sweetheart, I've asked Phyl to come over. I have to head down to the church."

  A muffled voice came through the door. "I'm not a kid. I don't need someone to look after me."