Rosemary Danced: Ivy Book One Page 15
“Hi.” Mike said, staring at Rosemary.
“Well, I’m going to go find my seat.” Mrs. Percival’s eyes twinkled. “Enjoy the service, Michael.”
“Yes, ma’am. Have a good day.” Mike’s eyes never left Rosemary’s face.
“I’m glad you came.” Rosemary reached out and laid her hand on Mike’s arm.
“Me, too.”
“Roma!” Miranda jumped into Rosemary’s arms.
“Hey, peanut. How are you today?” Rosemary grinned at the little girl.
“Good. Mickey came to church. Mickey came to church.”
“I see him. Isn’t that him, right there?” Miranda giggled when Rosemary pointed at Mike.
“You know that’s him. Will you sit with us? Please, Roma?”
Mike echoed softly: “Yeah, will you, Roma?”
“Sure.” Rosemary’s eyes were soft as she looked at Mike. “Hold on a minute, I have to do something for Mom. I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll wait for you.” A few minutes later, Rosemary led the way into the sanctuary, holding Miranda’s hand. The organ played softly, and while Mike heard the hushed tones of the congregation settling in, he wasn’t fully aware of anything but Rosemary. He was focused on her shy smile, the feel of her hand touching his when they shared a hymnal and the light, sweet scent she wore.
After the service, they went through the line for coffee and cookies and found a spot at the end of a long table. Miranda had deserted them for her friends. “You’re happy when you’re here, aren’t you?” Mike ventured.
She glanced at him, smiled and nodded. “I am. I feel at home here.”
Grinning, he changed the subject. “So, how long have you been dancing?”
Rosemary laughed. “Since I started walking. Mom says I walked one day and started dancing the next day. She put me in dance classes starting at age three and I took lessons non-stop until a few months ago.”
“Are you done with lessons?”
She smiled faintly. “No, just taking a break this year. I want to at least minor in dance.”
“Can you major in dance?”
“Sure. I’ve been accepted at the University of Iowa, the University of Arizona and LSU. I applied at a couple of other places, but haven’t heard back yet. What about you?”
Mike shrugged. “Depends. I’m hoping to get a football scholarship. I’ve been offered a full ride to Central for football and baseball, and I’ve been contacted by several other schools. I know there’ve been Division One scouts at some of the games. As soon as our season starts winding down, I’ll get more calls; hopefully I’ll get an offer from a D-One school.”
“Do you have a preference for a particular school?”
“I’ve always been a Hawkeye fan. So, yeah—probably. But, I’ll go where I get offered the best scholarship. Mom can’t afford to pay for my college and I’d prefer to avoid loans.” Mike leaned forward. “I’m interested in something you said--you applied at LSU?”
“I did. John did his undergrad degree there and he’s all about LSU. I applied because of him, but the more I learn about it, the more interested I am. Are you familiar with LSU?”
He laughed. “Rosemary, every college football fan in this country is familiar with LSU. They are a powerhouse in a powerhouse conference.”
“Oh. Well, you know I don’t know much about sports.”
“I’ve heard that.” He grinned. “Playing football for LSU is…well, it’s like dancing ballet for the New York City Ballet or the San Francisco Ballet.”
“How do you know about those ballet companies?”
“Google. Google knows everything—including about ballet.”
“You looked up ballet?”
“Yeah, I did. I read about ballet dancing, ballet stars, ballet companies…I even watched some dances on YouTube. Something about a fairy.”
“The Sugar Plum Fairy?”
“Maybe. She was wearing pink.”
Rosemary shook her head. “That’s a pretty amazing thing for a football player to do, Mike.”
“Yeah, well. I wanted to know more about it…because you’re all about dance.” He leaned closer and said, very softly, “and I’m all about you.”
Rosemary blushed and changed the subject. “Do you want to teach?”
Mike leaned back with a grin. “Probably. Dreams of playing professional football are fine, but that doesn’t happen for most guys. I’m trying to reach for the stars but keep my feet planted, too.”
“I understand.” She glanced over his head. “Hold on. I’ll be right back.” When she came back, she was holding a baby. “Mike, this is my little brother Jared. He’s seven months old.” She sat down again and held the baby against her, patting his back. “My mom needed a break.”
Mike watched her expertly handle the baby. “You like kids, don’t you?”
“I do.” Rosemary smiled. “They are who they are without any pretense.”
Mike nodded. “I get that. Like Miranda.”
“Like Miranda. She is precious, Mike.”
“She is. People think I take care of her, but she takes care of me. She’s my rock.”
Rosemary nodded before she changed the subject. “So, math question.”
“Okay.” Mike grinned.
“If I make it through Algebra II this semester, do I dare try to take Trig next semester?”
“Sure. You’ll be fine—you have a great tutor.”
“And he is so humble, too.” Rosemary raised an eyebrow.
“Humility is overrated. In quarterbacks, and in math tutors.”
Chapter 28
“Hi.”
Rosemary looked up. “Hi.”
“So? How was your test yesterday?” Mike grinned slyly.
“I think you already know. I think my math teacher spilled the beans.”
“Maybe. Or maybe the gradebook was open on Mom’s desk. Congratulations!”
“Thank you. I owe it all to my talented math teacher.” Rosemary laughed at the look on Mike’s face when she teased him. “Oh, wait. Maybe… my tutor had something to do with it.”
“How did it feel to get an ‘A’ on your Algebra II exam?” Mike grinned.
“Pretty good. Seriously, thanks for your help, Mike.”
“You’re welcome. Now, I have a favor.”
“Okay.”
“Saturday night, I’m going to babysit Miranda while my mom goes to a Christian singles thing in Des Moines with my Uncle Vince. Miranda and I hoped that you would come over to watch movies and eat tacos with us.”
“Uh…I don’t know.”
“It was Miranda’s idea. It’ll break her heart if you say no.” Mike crossed his fingers behind his back like a child, because it wasn’t Miranda’s heart that would be broken. “We can pick you up and have you home before midnight. What do you say?”
Rosemary considered him for a long minute before she smiled. “Oh, all right.”
Rosemary had a hard time concentrating on teaching her Saturday classes. A few minutes after five-thirty, she locked the door of the church, ran home, took a quick shower, dabbed on some lip gloss and tried to tame her curly hair. She shook it out of the braid, pulled up the top and sides, brushed that smooth and fastened it into a barrette, letting the rest of it fall down her back after a quick brushing. She pulled on a pair of skinny blue jeans, a red button-down shirt, a little navy cardigan and some cheetah-patterned flats before she ran into the house to kiss her mom and Jared.
“Honey, you look wonderful.” Margie commented. “Where are you going?”
“Just to watch movies with some friends. I have my phone.”
“Okay. You won’t be late? Church tomorrow.”
“I’ll be home before midnight.” She kissed Jared again. “Bye, Dad,” she called out.
“Bye, kiddo. Have fun.” John waved at her from the kitchen.
Rosemary stepped outside into the crisp October evening, willing herself to be calm. This wasn’t much different than going
to Mike’s for tutoring. She was at the end of the sidewalk as Mike was getting out of the car.
“Hi.”
“Hi, Rosemary. You look…” Just then, Miranda yelled out the back window. “Come on, let’s go. We’re going to watch my two favorite movies tonight.”
“Okay, let’s go,” Rosemary laughed. Mike held out his hand to Rosemary and, after a moment of hesitation, she took it. He led her to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for her.
When they pulled into the attached garage, Miranda was already fumbling with her seat belt. She jumped out and ran around to Rosemary’s door. “Come on, Rosemary, come on!” “We’re going to eat first. Mike said you would be hungry because you danced all day.”
Mike grinned as he held open the back door. “Are you hungry?”
“I could eat.”
“Okay, then.” The prepared taco ingredients were laid out on the kitchen counter and the taco meat was in two pans on the stove. “We have chicken or beef. Hard or soft taco shells.”
“Wow. You’ve got enough to feed an army.”
Miranda giggled. “Mike loves tacos. He eats a lot of them.” Mike started to fill a plate for Miranda. He looked over at Rosemary and shrugged. “I’m a growing boy.”
Rosemary laughed. “When do you think you might be done growing?”
“It’s hard to tell. Mom said Dad grew five inches while he was in college.”
Rosemary’s eyebrows raised. “How tall was your dad?”
“Six-six.”
“How tall are you, now?”
“Six-six.”
“Oh, boy.”
“Look at it this way.” Mike set Miranda’s plate on the table and pushed her chair up to the table. He looked at Rosemary meaningfully. “You won’t ever have to wear flats unless you want to.”
“Um. I…” Rosemary blushed.
He grinned and tickled her under the chin. “Just sayin’, gorgeous.” He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “I’m in it to win it, girl. No matter how long it takes.”
“Mickey! No secrets! Mom says telling secrets is rude.”
“Okay, Peanut.” He winked and handed Rosemary a plate. “You go first. There may not be anything left if I go first.”
Miranda ate two tacos and Rosemary ate three. Mike ate thirteen tacos. Before the movie started, he made three bags of microwave popcorn—Miranda and Rosemary shared one and he ate two bags. Later, he asked if they wanted ice cream. Miranda did, Rosemary didn’t. He brought in a small bowl of vanilla ice cream for Miranda and a serving bowl of three kinds of ice cream for himself. He grinned when he saw her trying not to stare at the bowl of ice cream. “I have a healthy appetite.”
Rosemary laughed out loud. “I was just wondering how much the grocery bill is around here.”
Mike grinned. “Mom says that Dad must have known I was going to be a big eater, because he maxed out on his life insurance and took out mortgage insurance to pay off the house. Otherwise, I’d be starving all the time.”
“Can’t have that.”
“Nope.” Mike looked over at Rosemary. “I was a twin.”
“You were?”
“Yeah, I had a brother who didn’t make it. I don’t know all the particulars; my mom doesn’t talk about it much. But he was bigger than me at birth.”
“Oh, my.” Rosemary tried to imagine this house with two giant-sized boys in it.
Mike winked and dug into his ice cream. Between the two movies, he took Miranda to her room to get her ready for bed. When they came back, he settled Miranda in her recliner with her blanket and a stuffed animal. He started the second movie, and sat down next to Rosemary again. “She won’t make it more than forty-five minutes,” he whispered. He was right. Thirty-five minutes later, Miranda was asleep.
Mike carried Miranda to her room and tucked her in. When he returned, he grabbed the remote. “Please tell me I can turn this off.”
Rosemary laughed. “I thought you were an awfully good sport about watching two princess movies with dancing and singing.”
“I’ve watched these movies hundreds of times. I cope by memorizing plays. I have a reputation for being a whiz at knowing plays, but I owe it all to singing mermaids, dancing princesses, and guys on flying carpets.”
Rosemary laughed again. “So, when you win the Heisman trophy, you can mention that in your acceptance speech.”
“How do you know about the Heisman?”
“Google. I now know about touchdowns, field goals, and kick-offs. I know what the quarterback does, and I read about the Heisman trophy. So far, that’s all I know.”
“Pretty good start.” Mike tried not to show his excitement that she was taking an interest in football. “How about watching one of my favorite football movies?”
“Okay.”
He put in a DVD and sat down on the couch. “I have at least a dozen football movies on DVD. This one is about a little guy with heart.” After about fifteen minutes, Mike looked over at her. “Can I put my arm around you?” She hesitated, but then she nodded.
As he put his arm across her shoulders, she reached up to gather her hair. “My hair’s a mess.”
He put his hand in her hair, gently stopping her from moving it out of the way. “I love your hair. On the first day of school, you were sitting in the Commons, eating lunch. Your hair was in a braid, but you had these curly little wispy things around your face. I couldn’t stop looking at you.”
Rosemary didn’t respond, but she settled back against him, leaving her hair alone. Mike stayed very quiet and listened to her breathe. He breathed in the very light scent of vanilla that she wore. He wanted to kiss her in the worst way, but he didn’t want her to panic, so he resisted the urge. Long game, Studor, long game, he told himself.
After Patty came home, Mike drove Rosemary home. He held her hand while they walked up her driveway in the cool October night. He started to go to the house, but Rosemary squeezed his hand.
“Over here.” She turned to the garage.
“You sleep in the garage?”
Rosemary giggled. “I have my own space upstairs, over the garage.”
Mike raised an eyebrow at her, trying to suppress a grin. “Rosemary, you told me a fib.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You told me you didn’t giggle. You have an adorable giggle.”
Rosemary blushed and then pretended to frown. “I don’t giggle, as a rule. Maybe it’s your influence.”
Mike pretended to stagger. “What? Are you suggesting you feel like giggling because of me?” He slapped his forehead. “Be careful, girl. If you aren’t careful you might start flirting with me.”
“Never!” Rosemary giggled. Again.
“We’ll see—I bet you’re flirting with me before Thanksgiving.”
“I’ll take that bet. What shall we bet?”
“Hmm. If I win, I get to take you on a date.”
“I think you already did,” she said shyly, a blush on her cheeks.
“No, I mean a real date. A date with just you and me, without my eight-year old sister… and without my mom giving you a good-night hug before I take you home. Just you and me. Is it a bet?”
“Oh, okay. And if I win…I get to teach you to dance.”
“No way! I’m not wearing a leotard!”
Rosemary laughed at the thought of Mike in a leotard. “Not that kind of dancing, silly. Ballroom dancing.”
“Ballroom dancing?” Suddenly he grinned. “Wait, is that the kind of dancing where I get to dance with you in my arms?”
“Yes.” Rosemary blushed again.
“So, this would be if I lose the bet?” Mike slapped his forehead. “Sign me up!”
Rosemary held out her hand for him to shake. “It’s a bet.”
Mike shook her hand and then leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. “It’s a bet,” he agreed.
Rosemary was settling into bed less than a half hour later when her phone swooshed with a text.
Rosemary: Good night, warm-caramel eyes.
Mike: Warm-caramel eyes?
Rosemary:
Mike: Huh. I think…I’m not sure…but I think you’re flirting with me!
Rosemary: Think again, Studor. I’m online right now, ordering a size Five-X TALL leotard for you. I’m winning this bet.
Mike: Arrghh. NO LEOTARD.
Rosemary: Goodnight, silly.
Mike: Goodnight, gorgeous.
Chapter 29
Rosemary was still shy about hanging out with Mike at school. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself and become the subject of girls who would have plenty to say about a girl like her spending time with the starting quarterback. She stopped wearing overalls, but she still didn’t fix her hair, wear makeup or break out her designer clothes.
They were working on math at Patty’s dining room table on the Wednesday after their ‘movies with Miranda’ evening.
“Hey, my mom ordered shoes for me at Buster’s and I need to pick them up. The stores are open late tomorrow night, so I’m going to Pella to get them. Want to ride with me? I have a game Friday night, so I have a curfew tomorrow night, but we can get a coffee at Smokey’s after I pick up the shoes.”
Rosemary thought about it for a minute. “Sure. I’d like to do that.”
Mike and Rosemary walked down the street hand-in-hand to the coffee shop. After they ordered their coffee, they found a booth. While they were drinking their coffee, a young man walked by and did a double-take when he looked at Rosemary.
“Rosemary?”
Irritation crossed her face for a moment. “Oh, hi, Marty. How are you?”
“I was fine until just now. Who is this?” He jerked his head towards Mike.
“This is Mike Studor. Mike, this is Marty Maass, He’s a very distant cousin of my oma’s.”
“How do you know Rosemary?” Marty glared at Mike.
“From school and church.” Mike glanced up; he was getting a weird, jealous vibe from this guy.
Marty nodded dismissively and turned back to Rosemary. “Why haven’t you called your grandmother back about the picnic on Sunday? Your grandparents are hosting it at the South Farm for the family. Your oma said that you haven’t responded to her invitation.”