Rosemary Danced: Ivy Book One Read online

  Before she could answer, one of the girls interrupted. “Cruz, are you home for the summer?”

  Cruz nodded, but watched Rosemary, waiting for her to answer. Again, before she could answer, the girl interrupted again. “My dad put in a new swimming pool. You should come over and swim.”

  Cruz ignored the girl, repeating his question. “Rosemary, how long have you been dancing?”

  Rosemary, her face slightly pink because she knew the girls were listening, finally answered. “Since I was three. Ballet, jazz, tap and hip-hop.”

  The girl who had invited him to swim moved next to Cruz, put her hand on his thigh and leaned in, showing her cleavage. Ignoring Rosemary, she spoke again. “I mean it, Cruz. You could come over after the game.” She looked down her nose at Rosemary. “Alone.” She leaned in, close to his chest. “I have a brand-new bikini.” She cooed the words, all but putting her head on Cruz’s chest.

  “Hands to yourself. I’d like to talk to my friend without being interrupted.”

  “Aw, don’t be like that, Cruz.” She put her hand on his chest and made a purring sound. “We could have some fun.”

  Cruz pushed her hand away. “Don’t touch me again. This is a private conversation, so get away.” The girl looked incredulous when Cruz stared her down. “I. Am. Not. Interested. Got it? I am not interested.”

  One of the girls sneered. “Well, pardon us for trying to do you a favor. Is she your cousin, or something? You certainly couldn’t be interested in her.”

  Rosemary blanched. “Cruz, I’ll…”

  “No, Rosemary.” Cruz was furious as he faced the girls. “Who I choose to be with is none of your business. Pass this around; I am off the market. Don’t approach me. Don’t talk to me. Get away from us.”

  None of the girls moved. “Okay, we’ll move.” Cruz stood. “Come on, Rosemary.” Cruz took her by the hand and pulled her up before he escorted her to the top row of the bleachers.

  Rosemary took a deep breath when they were settled. “Well, that was fun.”

  “I’m sorry, Rosemary. I shouldn’t have even talked to them.”

  “It wasn’t your fault, Cruz. That attitude isn’t uncommon.”

  Cruz swore. “That’s messed up. I promise you, if you’re with me, that won’t happen again.”

  Rosemary chuckled weakly. “You don’t have to protect me, you know. I do take care of myself.”

  “Do you know what my family calls me?”

  “No.”

  “The Enforcer.”

  Rosemary laughed. “I can totally see that.”

  Cruz grinned. “Tell me about modeling. I know less about modeling than I know about dancing. How did that start?”

  “I was six feet tall by the time I was in sixth grade. I probably looked sixteen when I was thirteen. I was at the mall with three of my friends one Saturday, shopping for school clothes. We were completely silly that day; we felt like such big stuff since we were on our own at the mall. We weren’t really on our own. Other than my mom, everybody’s mom was at the same mall, at the same time. We had to text them to check in every fifteen minutes.”

  “Anyway, we’d been ‘modeling’ for each other. My friend started it when she was trying on clothes so when we were at a store that carried my sizes, I did the same thing. The store manager asked me before we left if she could submit my name to her corporate office because they were always looking for tall models. I was really flattered, so I gave her my name and number. Mom wasn’t thrilled about it when I told her, but she did talk to them when they called. We sent some pictures that Mom’s cousin took of me and pretty soon, I had a contract to model for their catalogs.”

  “By the time I was fourteen, I was going to Chicago, Kansas City or Minneapolis several times a year. It branched out from there—eventually I was going to Denver, Houston, Nashville and Atlanta. For shoots, or runway shows. Two years after I started modeling, I was flying off nearly every month for someplace. It felt great that I could pay for my dance stuff without involving Oma.”

  “That’s a cool story.”

  Rosemary shrugged. “It was just good luck, I guess. My oma hates the modeling; Mom has probably had a dozen uncomfortable conversations about it, but I just ignore Oma. Modeling has been good for me and good to me, for the most part. I can’t deny I like the clothes I bring home!”

  Cruz laughed. “I bet.”

  He turned his attention to the field when the umpire cried out, “play ball!”

  Rosemary wasn’t a huge sports fan, but she’d grown up watching her brothers play baseball, so she easily followed the action. She also enjoyed watching Mike Studor. He played a great game, although he seemed out of sorts. Every time he was at bat, he swung ferociously, connecting with great success. He hit three home runs, including a grand slam. Ivy won the game, nine to three. Even with the home runs, Mike looked fiercely angry about something.

  Cruz was enthralled. “Geez, Studor was on fire.”

  “He was. Did you think he seemed mad?”

  “Well, if he was, it totally worked for him. He had three home runs with a grand slam and seven RBIs. Let’s go congratulate him.” But by the time they made it to the dugout, Mike was gone. Cruz looked around “Hey, Coach, did Studor leave?”

  “Yeah. He high-tailed it out of here as soon as the game ended. For a guy who played so well, he was in a mood.”

  “Huh. See you later, Coach.”

  Chapter 8

  Mike was in a mood. He should have been thrilled with his stats, but he knew he had only hit so many, so hard, because he was furious. He’d seen Cruz and the girl climb the bleachers, but he shrugged it off until he’d overheard some girls complaining that Cruz had told them to get lost. It sounded like one of them had made a play for Cruz and insulted the girl. Cruz yelled at them to leave him alone and told them to spread it around that he was off the market.

  He pulled his bat bag out of the car and threw it against his dad’s tool bench. The bag hit with a satisfying thump before Mike slammed the car door. He stomped into the house and barely held himself back from slamming the back door. When he threw his shoes into the closet, he knocked over a small shelf. Muttering a curse, he gritted his teeth and shoved the shelf back in place before he slammed the closet door.

  “Well, hello, Mickey.” His mother stood in the hallway to the kitchen with her hands on her hips. “Is something wrong?”

  Mike took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. “I’m in a crappy mood.”

  “Did you have a bad game?” Patty held up a glass of iced tea and raised her eyebrow in a non-verbal question.

  Nodding, Mike sat down at the kitchen table. “I hit three home runs, including a grand slam.”

  “Wow. That couldn’t have caused your bad mood.” She handed him a glass of iced tea and sat down across from him.

  “No.” Mike took a long swallow of iced tea. “I hit the ball harder than I’ve ever hit it.” He ran his fingers through his wavy hair, not caring that it now stood up all over his head. “I hit the ball so hard because I was mad.”

  “What were you mad about?”

  Mike drained his iced tea, got up to pour another glass, and sat back down again. “There’s this girl.” He rubbed his eyebrow, a tell that he was agitated. “Mom, I don’t even know her…” He fell silent.

  Patty prompted him. “You don’t even know her, but…?”

  “I’ve seen her around. I don’t know her name, I don’t know how old she is, I don’t know anything about her. But, I can’t stop looking for her. Today, she came to the game with Cruz Cruzado and it completely ticked me off. They were sitting in the bleachers, looking all friendly. I wanted to jump the fence and knock Cruz to the ground.”

  Patty chuckled. “That’s very unlike the Mickey I know.”

  “I know. I could barely concentrate on the game.” Mike rubbed his eyebrow savagely. “I heard some girls talking behind the dugout when I was in the hole. One of them must have made a play for Cruz and said somethin
g rude to the girl. Cruz told them all to get away from him, told them he wasn’t interested and that he was off the market. A few minutes later, I was at bat. I saw that ball coming and I swung at it like I’ve never swung in my life. That’s when I got the grand slam.”

  “I see.” Patty sipped her tea.

  “I don’t get it, Mom.”

  “I think you do.”

  “Mike rubbed his eyebrow again, even more violently. “She won’t even look at me!”

  “I guess you’d better get her attention.”

  “That’s your advice?”

  “That’s my advice.” Patty smiled knowingly. “Get to know her and then go after her. That’s what you want, right?”

  Mike didn’t answer the question. “Mom, girls don’t ignore me. Why is this one ignoring me?”

  “Maybe she doesn’t need you.”

  “I’m not sure that’s helpful.”

  Patty chuckled. “Mickey, when you meet somebody new, you should both be caught up in your own lives. If the relationship moves forward, there’s a point where you realize that life without the other person wouldn’t feel right; you need them in your life. But if someone is needy from the beginning, or they stop paying attention to their own interests to completely focus on yours, they’re not healthy and the relationship is probably going to be unhealthy. Do you understand what I mean?”

  Mike nodded slowly. “I’m in trouble if she’s dating Cruz.”

  Patty chuckled. “What was your dad’s favorite quote about sports?”

  “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

  “Right. You didn’t hear what Cruz said and you don’t know what he meant. Girls flock around him; maybe today Cruz just wanted to be left alone. Until the girl tells you she’s dating Cruz, ignore it.”

  “Okay.”

  “Not to sound like your nagging mom, but what about Amy? Aren’t you dating her?”

  Mike groaned. “I was hoping that would die a natural death this summer.”

  “That would be convenient for you, but that’s not the best way to handle things. It’s only fair to Amy to break up with her if you’re interested in someone else.”

  Mike nodded. “Gonna shower so we can go.”

  He was toweling off when his phone buzzed with a text from Amy. He read it and did a few dance steps. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Amy’s older sister had invited Amy to stay with them in Minneapolis until their family reunion on Independence Day. She was leaving the next morning.

  He frowned when the second text came through. He keyed a response, and sighed when his phone sounded with Amy’s ringtone. “Hey, Amy.”

  “Mike Studor, I’ll be gone for three weeks. My dad invited you to come for dinner. You’re actually going to turn me down?” He could tell that a tantrum was brewing.

  “I already have plans. Mom and I are taking Miranda to see the new kids’ movie.”

  “You can do that another day,” Amy said dismissively.

  “No, we promised her. She’s been talking about it all day.”

  “Mike, really? Just tell her she’s got the wrong day. It’s not like she knows enough to prove you wrong. I mean, really. What’s the big deal?”

  “The big deal is that I promised her,” Mike said very slowly. “I don’t break my promises to Miranda.”

  Amy made a dismissive sound. “You are so idiotic about that kid. When are you going to accept that you can do whatever you want and she’ll believe you. She doesn’t have the brain power to tell when you’ve changed your mind or fudged the truth.”

  Mike felt a surge of fury. He was silent for so long that even clueless Amy got a clue. “Oh, whatever,” she chirped. “Do what you want. It’s your loss.” She hung up.

  Chapter 9

  Mike had been helping the JV coach for a few days, working with the younger kids on fielding. Mike’s initial observation was correct: Connor was very focused and took coaching well. When Mike was one-on-one with him, doing fielding drills, he said, “Connor, Coach A says your pitching is going great, but I’ve noticed your fielding could use some work. If you want, we could meet half an hour before practices and I’ll work with you on it.”

  Connor almost smiled. “That would be great. I know my fielding isn’t the strongest.”

  “Start tomorrow, then?”

  “Yeah. Thanks.”

  Mike saw the girl every day when she came to pick up Connor. She almost never looked up, she just worked on her sketch pad. It was frustrating and confusing. Mike didn’t understand why she didn’t notice him or even why he wasn’t being his normal, gregarious self and starting a conversation with her. No girl had caused him this much frustration, ever.

  After JV practice, Mike was pulling a bandanna out of his bag while Connor was changing his shoes. Mike looked around. “Hey, Connor, do you need a ride home?”

  “No, thanks. My sister’ll be here pretty soon.”

  Mike saw the white truck pull into the lot. “Is that your sister in the white truck?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Is she in college?”

  “No, she’ll be a senior. See you later, Mike.”

  “See you, Connor.” That made no sense. How did he not know her?

  The next day, Connor was sitting on the ground next to his bat bag. Mike reached into his own bag for a bandanna. “I don’t see your sister; do you need a ride home?”

  “No, my dad’ll be here pretty soon.”

  “I’ve ridden with John a time or two. I like the guy, but he was a scary driver.”

  Connor grinned briefly. “Yeah, he used to try to drive, talk on the phone and sometimes even work on a sermon at the same time. My mom made him quit that. If he even looks at his phone while he’s driving, my little brother and sisters tattle to Mom.”

  “That’s probably safer for everybody.” Mike pretended to look for something else in his bag. “Doesn’t your sister usually pick you up?”

  “Yeah, but she’s on a job in the Bahamas.”

  Mike tired not to look interested in that information. “Okay, man. See you.” He walked away, whistling to cover his confusion. A high-school girl going to the Bahamas for a job? What kind of job did she have? Even worse, he felt like the whole world had taken a vow of silence about her; he still didn’t even know her name.

  Mike tossed his cap in the hall closet and kissed his mom on the cheek. “Where’s Miranda?”

  “Vince took her to run an errand.” They both looked when the back door popped open. Miranda ran to Mike and jumped in his arms.

  Laughing, Mike hugged her. “Hey, Peanut. Hi, Uncle Vince.”

  Vince leaned against the doorframe. “Glad I caught you. Wondering if you’d like to work with me for a few weeks.”

  “Probably. What’s the job?”

  “Remodeling the gym at the Methodist Church and turning part of it into a dance studio.”

  “A dance studio? What’s that about?”

  Vince shrugged. “They’ve decided to fix that old monstrosity so they can use it for activities instead of just storage. The minister’s daughter is going to give free dance lessons this fall and they got donations to remodel the space.”

  Mike frowned. “John’s daughter? That doesn’t make sense. Aren’t John’s daughters the same age as Miranda, Mom?”

  “Rosemary is John’s step-daughter. She’s teaching the dance classes.”

  “How old is she?”

  “She’ll be a senior; she just transferred to Central-Marion.”

  Mike hid his excitement that the girl was starting school at C-M. He felt like giving the air a fist pump because he finally knew the girl’s first name. “When are we starting?”

  “Next Monday. I need a few days to get materials. We’re going to work on it part-time in the evenings, so it doesn’t affect jobs I already had scheduled.” Vince grinned. “Paying you instead of paying my crew overtime helps keep costs down. We’ll start about four and work in the evenings and maybe Saturday, depending on stuff going
on at the church.”

  “I have baseball for two more weeks.”

  “Yeah, I know. We’ll work around baseball until the season is over. If you want to work without me for a few hours in the afternoon, that would be okay.”

  “Sounds good.

  “I’m heading out. Mom invited me for supper.” Vince kissed his sister and his niece and fist-bumped his nephew before he left.

  Miranda ran off to watch a movie. Mike filled a water jug and took a long drink. “What are you frowning about, Mom?”

  “Was I frowning? Just concentrating, I guess. I’ve contacted everybody on the math-tutor list and nobody wants to tutor this summer. I might have to do it myself.”

  “Somebody in summer school needs a tutor?”

  “No. Rosemary started an online Algebra tutorial last week and I still haven’t found her the tutor I promised her.”

  “Rosemary, the minister’s daughter?”

  “Yes. She’s worried about taking my class in the fall and wants to brush up on Algebra I and get started on II.”

  “How much help does she need?”

  “I don’t really know. I looked at her file after we talked and I don’t see anything glaring. She gets excellent grades, although her math grades are a little lower than other subjects. Her test scores in math look a little low in comparison to other subjects, but I wonder if it’s mostly math anxiety.” Patty’s eyes widened when she looked up at Mike. “I shouldn’t have talked to you about her grades. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Mom. I’ll never tell. Would it make you feel any better about telling me if I offered to be her tutor?”

  “Do you have time to do that?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “That’s a big help.” Patty looked relieved. “I’ll let her know.”

  Mike kept his face blank, but he wanted to break out into a cheesy grin. He finally had an in; a legitimate reason to talk to the girl. It still confused him that he couldn’t just walk up to her, but for some reason, he couldn’t.

  His phone dinged with a text. His mom had sent him Rosemary’s contact information. His finger hovered over the keypad. He knew she was in the Bahamas, but she couldn’t be busy every minute. She’d eventually see the text.