Rosemary Danced: Ivy Book One Read online

  Rosemary grinned. “It’s a great picture. I know you love your brother a lot.”

  “I love him more than ice cream!” Miranda yelled.

  Rosemary laughed. “Thank you for showing me his picture.” She set the little girl down.

  “Hi, Patty,” Rosemary murmured to Miranda’s mom.

  Patty smiled. “I’ll get Miranda to her classroom and then I’ll meet you in the office so we can get our ‘VBS assistants-at-large’ plans made.”

  By mid-week, things were running smoothly at VBS. Patty and Rosemary were sneaking a cookie in the kitchen before the kids swarmed them for snack time. “I’ve been wondering about something, Patty. You know I’m transferring to C-M, right?” Patty nodded. “I have to take Algebra II and I haven’t taken any math since sophomore year. I’m terrible at math and it terrifies me. It would be very embarrassing if my VBS co-worker had to flunk me in math.”

  Patty laughed. “Neither one of us would care for it. One of the unfortunate parts of going to a small school is there isn’t as much choice between teachers. Mr. Macklemore teaches Geometry, Calculus and Business Math while I do Algebra and Trig. For Algebra II, you’re stuck with me.”

  “Do you have a workbook or assignments I can go through this summer to try to get myself ready? Or do you know of some online tutorials I could do?”

  “I have both. I’d recommend the online tutorials and a tutor to assist.”

  “A tutor?” Rosemary frowned. “Like one of those learning center places in Des Moines?”

  “You could do that, if you wish. I also have a list of people who tutor.”

  “I can pay a tutor.”

  “You don’t have to. We have a tutoring fund, set up by a group of scientists and doctors who graduated from C-M. Tutors are paid very well by the fund. Would you like me to look for a tutor for the summer?” Rosemary nodded. “I’ll make some calls and let you know,” Patty told her.

  Chapter 5

  “Girls, stay together and don’t go past that rope.” Rosemary pointed after she covered her sisters with waterproof sunscreen.

  “Roma! Roma!” A small body hurtled into Rosemary’s lap. Rosemary caught the little girl before she fell off the chair.

  “Hi, Miranda.” Miranda hugged Rosemary fiercely.

  “Mom brought me swimming!”

  “I’m glad, Peanut. I hope you’ll play with Lara and Leesa.”

  Patty applied sunscreen and settled into the deck chair next to Rosemary after Miranda jumped into the pool. “Good idea you had to bring the girls swimming. After VBS and swimming, Miranda should sleep the night through.”

  “Lara and Leesa will be out early. Between getting up and around for Bible School and spending the afternoon with the sun and water, it will knock them out, too.”

  Patty spread sunscreen on herself. “After this week, any big plans for the summer?”

  “Modeling jobs later this summer. I’ll be working on choreography and costumes, organizing the classes I’m teaching in the fall and teaching the twins some dance moves.” She grinned. “Maybe some Algebra work.” What about you?”

  “Nothing new. You know. Miranda, Miranda, and more Miranda. I’m not taking any classes this summer so I’ll be at my child’s beck and call.” Patty sat back. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to you about it, but I’m so sorry about your friend Pete.”

  “Thanks, Patty.” Rosemary’s lip trembled.

  Patty smiled gently. “It’s hard to lose someone you care about, but I think it’s even harder when it seems so…random. Like a different tiny decision might have made the difference.”

  Rosemary nodded. “I wish I’d talked to him another minute—then he wouldn’t have been at that spot at that time.” She slipped on her sunglasses.

  “I thought the same thing after my husband’s accident. I was sure that if I had made even one of the decisions I made that morning slightly differently he wouldn’t have been there, at that spot at that time. But the opposite side of that coin is that if Mike hadn’t made a split-second decision to turn the steering wheel, I would have lost my son Mickey, too. I thought about those things for months.”

  “How did you come to terms with it?”

  “Therapy helped. My pastor helped. Prayer helped.” Patty hesitated, thinking. She said, “I think I can tell you this without you thinking I’m crazy. One night I was lying on my bed after an exhausting day of single parenting. I started playing the ‘what if’ game. ‘What if Mike hadn’t gotten such a late start? What if Mike hadn’t stopped to help me with Miranda because I was struggling with her that morning?’ The list was almost endless and I was spiraling from shedding tears to hysteria.”

  Patty smiled. “My husband Mike was a very special guy; it was almost scary the way he was in tune with us. Anyway, that night while I was crying, I suddenly felt Mike and heard his voice. He said, ‘There aren’t any what-ifs, Patty-cake. It was time for me to go. I miss you and the kids like crazy, but it was my time. You’ve got a lot to do yet, sweetheart, so you need to be okay.’ I felt his hug for a few seconds. He whispered, ‘I love you’ and then he was gone.”

  Patty cleared her throat. “I’ve had faith since I was a little girl, but I’ve always been curious about heaven. I don’t know what the answer is about heaven, but I do know Mike is watching us.”

  Rosemary smiled, tears in her eyes. “Thank you for telling me that. Something happened at Pete’s funeral that I’ve talked to John about, but it is still hard to accept.” She briefly told Patty about the light and the joyous feelings she had when the warmth passed over her.

  Patty was silent for a few moments. “That’s beautiful, Rosemary. Your friend loved you very much.”

  I know. I’ll always miss him.”

  Rosemary closed her eyes and thought about Pete, but opened her eyes when she heard a girl say, “Hi, Mrs. Studor!” There was a girl standing in front of them, wearing a fire-engine red bikini that left very little to the imagination. Rosemary watched from behind her sunglasses.

  Patty shaded her eyes. “Hi, Amy. How are you?”

  “I’m good! I’m so excited to be a senior next year!” Without waiting for an invitation, the girl plopped down on Rosemary’s deck chair. Rosemary moved her feet quickly before the girl sat on them. “Did Mike tell you my daddy bought me a new car last week?” The girl’s voice sounded like an annoying, chirping bird.

  “That’s nice for you.”

  “Yeah, it’s so cool! My daddy wanted me to have a new car for my senior year!”

  “Mm. Hm.” Patty looked around the girl. “Miranda! Honey, that’s too far—stay with the twins.”

  “Oh, sweet little Miranda is here!” The girl crooned. She finally looked at Rosemary. “You’re that girl who tried out for the dance team, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You were on Roosevelt’s dance team, weren’t you?”

  “I was.”

  “My cousin Hanna told me about you. She’s a cheerleader at Roosevelt. She said her boyfriend knows you.”

  Rosemary shrugged. “I don’t know any of the cheerleaders. I also don’t know a guy who dates a Hanna.”

  “Her boyfriend’s name is Linc Sweetin.”

  “I’ve met a Linc; I don’t really know him.”

  The girl curled her lip with distaste. “What’s your name?”

  “Rosemary.” They both watched Patty stand and go to the side of the pool to watch Miranda.

  “It’s too bad you didn’t make the dance team here. Our competition is pretty intense. It must not be so competitive at Roosevelt.” Amy looked Rosemary up and down. “I mean, you don’t exactly look like a dancer.”

  Rosemary laughed. “I’ve never heard that before. After fifteen years of lessons, three years of Dance Team at Roosevelt and three D-One individual medals at State, I might not look like a dancer to you, but I am.”

  Amy sniffed. “I’m sure. I know they have free lessons at the community centers; I’m sure you qualified for th
em, since you grew up on the Bottoms.”

  “I did grow up close to the Bottoms. We lived in Little Italy, on Thompson Avenue.” Rosemary smiled at Patty as she joined them again.

  “Well, it’s too bad for you that you didn’t make our dance team, because we’re awesome.”

  “I’ve seen last year’s films. With a little work, your team could be okay.”

  Patty choked a laugh when Amy gasped. “Well, we were too good for you!”

  Rosemary smiled as she wrapped her pony into a bun on the top of her head. “Maybe so.” She stood and walked gracefully to the side of the pool to watch the twins and Miranda. She heard a male voice and then heard a shriek that could only have come from chirpy-voiced Amy.

  “Mikey, baby! Come in and swim!” The girl jumped up and ran to the fence, grabbing at him.

  “Oh, hey, Amy, I just came to tell my mom that…” He trailed off and made a strangled sound. Rosemary turned around to see him staring at her. She blushed and dropped into the pool, walking to the center to check on the twins.

  “Mike!” Amy sounded irritated. “Did you see my new bikini?”

  “Yeah, it’s nice. Mom, Jake and I are going to Des Moines to pick up a part for his dad. I’ll see you after practice.

  “Okay, honey.”

  “Mike Studor, you didn’t even look at me!” Amy screeched. Rosemary didn’t turn around, all she heard was the sound of running feet and seconds later, the sound of a vehicle door open and closing. She heard Amy huff and stomp away. If Rosemary had a smile on her face at that moment, nobody saw it.

  Rosemary played with the twins and Miranda and then stretched out on the lounge chair again. Patty looked up from her book. “You didn’t mention to Amy that you were offered the job of summer dance coach.”

  Rosemary finished drying off her arms and hands. “Nope, because I turned it down. I can’t combine it seamlessly with my modeling jobs and when I interviewed, the coach was adamant that I couldn’t change anything. I would have no control over what they do in practice, or the routines they do at events this summer. I reviewed the tapes of both performances and practices and the coach is doing things I would correct. If I’m not going to be given freedom to coach, I’m not interested.

  Patty chuckled. “Miss South has been the dance coach for twenty-five years and she brags about how she hasn’t changed anything since the first year she coached. She wants the summer off to be with her dad because he had a health scare, but she isn’t interested in giving up any control of the program.”

  “That won’t work for me. If I’m the coach, I’m the coach. With the freedom to make decisions. I won’t do it if I can’t have the authority to do what I think the team needs.”

  Patty smiled again. “I think they were pretty shocked when you turned it down. The coach, in particular, couldn’t believe you turned down such a ‘wonderful opportunity.’ The athletic director wanted to give you what you wanted so you would take the job, but Miss Smith was sure she had another candidate who would take the job and do it the way she wanted.”

  “I hope that worked out for them.”

  “It didn’t. They don’t have a coach for the summer at all, so the team won’t practice again until the fall.”

  “That’s too bad. They’re going to be at a big disadvantage if they don’t have summer practices. They may not be prepared for competition.”

  “I think you’re right.” Just then, the crowd of high school girls at the deep end of the pool screamed with laughter. Amy was walking back and forth, apparently entertaining the group of girls.

  Rosemary rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses and muttered something. Patty laughed. “I don’t know what you said, but it’s probably something close to what I’m thinking. Even if she wasn’t dating my son, she would be a pain in my neck. Her mom is on the school board and the superintendent kowtows to everybody on the board. Amy has gotten out of some messes because the superintendent won’t let the high school administration take action.” Patty sighed. “I probably sound like a stereotypical mom, but that girl is not my favorite. I wish my son would decide to go out with someone else.”

  “I don’t know her, but I get a distinct ‘mean girl’ vibe from her.”

  “She’s a classic mean girl. She has very nice parents, but she’s the baby of three girls with much older sisters and she’s pretty spoiled. She’s not particularly nice to Mickey and behind his back, she makes faces about Miranda. If he ever saw it, he’d be done with her. He adores Miranda and he won’t tolerate anybody mistreating her.”

  Chapter 6

  Mike had seen the tall girl standing at the side of the pool with her back to him. He didn’t realize at first that she was the girl. The bright yellow one-piece bathing suit hugged curves that made his eyes bug out. While the top of the suit was strapless; the bottom of the suit was longer, like the swimsuit of a forties-era pin-up girl. Her legs were long, shapely and well-muscled and her arms were cut with muscles. She could be on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. A cover that he’d frame and look at every free minute.

  He’d been so caught up in the girl that he hadn’t even noticed the girl he was supposedly dating. He was lucky that Amy didn’t throw a full-on tantrum when he didn’t notice her immediately. If his mom hadn’t been sitting right there, there would have been a meltdown.

  “You okay, Stud?” Jake looked over at him. “You look kinda sick.”

  “I’m okay.”

  “I saw Princess Amy’s new SUV. Did you see her?”

  Mike grunted. “Yeah.” His phone made a drum sound indicating a text. He groaned when he looked at it. “…and here she is.” He ground his teeth. “She’s the biggest pain.”

  “Yeah, but she’s hot.”

  Mike rolled his eyes. They’d only been dating six weeks, but he wished she’d find someone else over the summer. He hated breaking up with girls, which was the reason he didn’t do the dating thing much. This one had bulldozed him and he hadn’t exerted the effort to stop her.

  Jake grinned. “She told my sister that you and her are gonna be Homecoming royalty.”

  Mike rolled his eyes again. “I hate that part of Homecoming. It’s so stupid.”

  “It’s for the chicks, man. Only for the chicks.”

  “Stupid,” he repeated. He stared out the window, letting his mind drift to the girl. Who the heck was she? She must help John Masters with his kids, since she was carting the tall kid around. He originally thought she was the tall kid’s sister, but maybe she was his cousin or something. Maybe she was already in college and that’s why he didn’t know her. Is that how she knew Cruz? Maybe she went to University of Iowa with Cruz. Did she go to John’s church? Maybe his mom knew her.

  “Hey, J-man, have you been to church lately?”

  “Church? You’re asking if I’ve been going to church?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s weird, dude. But, no, I haven’t gone since last summer. My mom and I had a huge fight about it. She told me if I didn’t go to church, I couldn’t play football. The fight was epic; like all day. We were still arguing when my dad got home from work. He listened to us for about two minutes, grabbed the remote and told my mom to drop it. Said he wasn’t going to let me quit football and he couldn’t care less if I went to church. That’s the last I heard of it. Why you askin’ if I go to church?”

  “Just wondered if you knew John Master’s adoptive kids. Coach A said John adopted two sons.”

  “Yeah, I’ve seen them. One of the kids is a freshman or sophomore, the other one is younger. The older one is a quiet kid. Keeps to himself mostly, but hangs out with the Keller kids sometimes. Jake whistled to himself for a few minutes while Mike’s thoughts wandered. “Hey, speaking of new kids, those four sophomores that play D and hang together all the time—the ones we call the Jonas brothers?” Jake squinted. “Know who I mean?”

  “Yeah, they’re idiots, but they’re not new kids.”

  “Naw, I know. But they w
ere talking about seeing a chick around town in a white truck. Nobody seems to know who she is, but they saw her at Good’s. Said she’s real tall, kinda pretty. Big-mouth Roberts said she’s huge, but Bremer said she’s curvy. Know anything about her?”

  “Nope.” Mike looked out the window again. He didn’t know anything about her.

  “Just wondered. We need some new girls.”

  Mike grunted, staring out the window. No way was he letting Anders get anywhere near her.

  Chapter 7

  Cruz picked up Rosemary before they went to the high school baseball game. They had settled on the third row of bleachers behind home plate when Rosemary saw Mike. She willed herself to concentrate on chatting with Cruz, rather than watch Mike’s every move. “Did you play baseball?”

  “Yeah, I did. Third base. I also coached Little League; I even coached some of these guys.” He pointed. “I coached Prevo, the catcher. The center fielder and the right fielder are brothers; I coached both of them and Studor, the shortstop.”

  Rosemary nodded. After a pause, she changed the subject. “When did you decide you wanted to be a doctor?”

  “Middle school. My grandpa Cruzado had a heart attack and my dad did his surgery. I couldn’t get over how Grandpa was so sick and then six weeks later he was almost back to normal. I decided I wanted to have that kind of impact.”

  A group of four giggling girls, all wearing barely-there cut-off denim shorts, halter tops and high-heeled sandals climbed the bleachers. They cooed and batted their eyes at Cruz, settling on the seats just below Cruz and Rosemary. All four of them turned at the same time, reminding her of a line of tittering girls swooning over a handsome prince in a princess movie. “Hi, Cruz,” they said in unison.

  “Ladies,” Cruz drawled before he turned back to Rosemary. He leaned back and put his arm on the back of the bleacher seat. Ignoring the four girls, he focused on Rosemary. “How long have you been dancing, Rosemary?”