Rosemary Danced: Ivy Book One Page 7

  Rosemary carried the printer into the secretary’s office. John’s van wasn’t in the lot, and she couldn’t find the secretary or Jocelyn, so she left a note. Heading back to her truck, she followed the unexpected sound of Cruz’s voice to the gym. “Hello?”

  “Hey, girl! I saw your truck; I hoped you were here.” Cruz kissed her on the cheek.

  “I just delivered a new printer for John.”

  “How were the waterfalls on Lake Superior?”

  “Beautiful. Chilly.”

  Cruz waved to the tall guy with the caramel eyes. “This is Mike Studor.”

  “We’ve met via email, haven’t we, Rosemary?” Mike smiled.

  “We have,” Rosemary smiled shyly, stepping closer to Cruz, but not making eye contact with Mike. “He’s helped me with some thorny narrative problems.”

  Mike chuckled. “Like I told you, those problems trip up a lot of people.” He looked at Cruz. “I told her I have my own problems with anything to do with Miss Lawson’s classes.”

  “Miss Lawson!” Cruz groaned. “Sometimes I wake up in a cold sweat from a dream about Advanced Grammar class.”

  Rosemary chuckled. “I’m going to let you guys talk. See you later.” When she turned, she waved at Cruz’s younger brother Chad, shooting baskets at the far end of the gym.

  “If you can wait a minute, I’ll walk you out when I’m done talking to Studor.”

  “Okay.” Rosemary moved toward the door of the gym. When the outside door opened, she stuck her head out. “Hi, can I help you?”

  “I have flowers for…” the driver looked at the card. “Rosemary Bakker.”

  “I’m Rosemary Bakker.” Rosemary set the flowers on a table and stared at them for a full minute before she pulled off the paper. The blue crystal vase held blue orchids, blue roses and white peonies.

  “Wow.” Chad looked over her shoulder. “Orchids and roses. Somebody likes you.”

  “No idea who, though.” Rosemary muttered.

  “Maybe read the card?” Chad offered helpfully. Rosemary nodded. She opened the card and after she read it, she looked up at Cruz, her cheeks pink.

  “Did you send these, bro?” Chad glanced at his brother.

  “Nope. My guess is Seth.” Cruz looked at Rosemary.

  “Yeah, Seth.”

  “Your buddy Seth?” Chad asked.

  Cruz nodded. “They met at the party. He asked me for her number after she left. Since Rosemary gave me permission to give it to him, I’m guessing they’ve been talking.”

  “He’s a really cool guy, Rosemary.” Chad leaned over and smelled the flowers.

  Rosemary blushed. “Yeah.”

  “Did you talk to him this week, Rosemary?”

  “Yeah.” She muttered something.

  “What?” Cruz asked.

  “Um, yeah, I talked to him…several times.” She picked up the vase. “I’m going home.”

  “I’m coming, too.” Cruz offered. He followed behind Rosemary, a big grin on his face.

  “What are you smirking about?” Rosemary asked. “The flowers?”

  “Nope. Didn’t you tell me you didn’t know Studor?”

  “That was the first time I’d met him. We’ve emailed; he’s helping me navigate the Algebra online tutorial. I don’t know him, though.”

  Cruz grinned huge. “You didn’t see the look on his face when you got the flowers? Or when you read the card? Or when I said I was going to walk you out?”

  “No, I didn’t see anything.”

  “He looked like he wanted to choke someone.”

  “Yeah. Right.” Rosemary laughed mirthlessly. “I would never interest a guy like that.”

  “Rosemary, you’re beautiful. No, don’t roll your eyes and ‘pfft’ at me. Mike is interested. So is Seth.”

  “Cruz, you’re great. But, while I can’t figure out what Seth is up to, there’s no way Mike Studor is interested in me.”

  “Your grandmother and that nutty cousin of yours have done a real number on you.” Cruz looked disgusted. “I hate that.”

  “Cruz, really. Guys don’t like girls like me. I’m too tall, I’m too big all over. It isn’t just my oma and weird Marty I’ve heard that from.”

  “You’ve been talking to the wrong people. Look at Seth. I know he’s interested. Studor…”

  “…has a girlfriend. I’ve met her. She’s a tiny thing. Barely five feet tall and can’t weigh even a hundred pounds. So, no. I don’t know what you saw, but maybe his lunch gave him indigestion.”

  Cruz laughed. “You’re wrong, but I’m not going to argue with you about it.”

  “Good. Cruz, why is Seth interested? Other than my size, I’m still in high school and he’s starting seminary. He tours with Skillet and does mission work in Guatemala. What could he see in me?”

  “He liked you, Rosemary. Seth looks like a rock star and gives off the vibe that he’s worldly, but he’s not. I know he’s not-quite three years older than you, but in all the time I’ve known him, he’s never had a date and he’s never even talked about a girl. After you left, he asked so many questions about you, the other guys started calling you Mrs. Talbot.”

  Rosemary sighed. “I’m not sure I want to date him, but I do like him.”

  “Think about giving him a chance.” Cruz nudged her playfully. “Although judging by Studor’s attitude, Seth might be at a disadvantage.”

  “Cruz. I told you, he’s…”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Cruz interrupted. “Go home, girl. Text me later.”

  Chapter 11

  Working alone at the church, Mike was thinking about Rosemary’s emails. The emails were light and fun if they discussed anything other than math, but she had resisted any attempt to see him or to talk on the phone. She wasn’t like other girls. At all. Even when she was standing in the same room, she didn’t flirt. She seemed to be doing her best to minimize interaction with him.

  He still hadn’t ended it with Amy. He had turned down her invitation to spend the holiday at their lake house on Okoboji, triggering a mini tantrum. His mom was right; he needed to end it with Amy, but right now, this was easier. He also turned down Jake’s invitation to go to a Royals game in Kansas City. Instead, he slept late and went to the park after lunch, hoping to see Rosemary. He wasn’t happy when he saw her walking with Cruz.

  He heard the side door to the church open, but he didn’t look out since he heard the person immediately turn toward the offices. He looked up when Cruz and his brother Chad walked into the gym a few minutes later.

  “Hey, Mike,” Cruz called.

  “Stud.” Chad nodded.

  “Hey, guys. What’s up?”

  “Picking up some stuff from Mom’s office. How’s the project going?”

  “Pretty good. It’s starting to take shape.” Mike saw a flash of turquoise. In her bright turquoise shirt, white skinny jeans and multi-colored ballet flats, Rosemary was a refreshing spot of color when she walked into the all-beige gym. Her hair was in a loose bun at her neck with flyaway pieces around her face. She looked better than good.

  “Hey, girl! I saw your truck; I hoped you were here.” Cruz strode over and kissed her cheek before he took her by the hand and walked her closer.

  “I just delivered a new printer for John.” Rosemary smiled at Cruz.

  “How were the waterfalls on Lake Superior?”

  “Beautiful. Chilly.”

  Cruz waved at him. “This is Mike Studor.”

  “We’ve met via email, haven’t we, Rosemary?” Mike smiled.

  “We have,” Rosemary smiled shyly, not making eye contact with Mike. She stepped closer to Cruz. “He’s helped me with some thorny narrative problems.”

  Mike chuckled. “Like I told you, those problems trip up a lot of people. I told her I have my own problems with anything to do with Miss Lawson’s classes.”

  “Miss Lawson!” Cruz groaned. “Sometimes I wake up in a cold sweat from a dream about Advanced Grammar class.”

  Rosemary c
huckled. “I’m going to let you guys talk. See you later.” She waved at Cruz’s younger brother Chad, shooting baskets at the far end of the gym, as she walked away.

  “If you can wait a minute, I’ll walk you out when I’m done talking to Studor.” Cruz grinned at Rosemary.

  “Okay.” Rosemary moved to the door of the gym and stopped to look at a pile of things that had come out of the old closets. Mike tried not to stare at her. Cruz was talking to him about baseball, but Mike could barely pay attention. When he heard the side door open again, he watched Rosemary stick her head out of the door and say, “Hi, can I help you?”

  The delivery guy was holding a large, wrapped bouquet. “I have flowers for…Rosemary Bakker.”

  She said, ‘I’m Rosemary Bakker,’ and Mike watched her take the floral arrangement. She set the flowers on the table, but she didn’t unwrap them for a long time. Finally, she pulled off the paper.

  Mike glared at the ridiculously huge arrangement of blue orchids, blue roses and white peonies, his mood turning sour. Chad had wandered over and was looking over Rosemary’s shoulder at the flowers. “Wow. Orchids and roses. Somebody likes you.”

  Rosemary muttered something that Mike couldn’t hear, but he heard Chad say, “maybe read the card?” After she read the card, she looked over at Cruz. Her cheeks were red.

  “Did you send these, bro?” Chad asked Cruz.

  “Nope. My guess is Seth.” He raised his eyebrow at Rosemary.

  “Yeah, Seth.” Rosemary answered, her cheeks still red.

  “Your buddy Seth?” Chad asked.

  Cruz nodded at Chad. “They met at the party. He asked for her number after she left. Since Rosemary gave me permission to give it to him, I’m guessing they’ve been talking.”

  “He’s a really cool guy, Rosemary.” Chad leaned down and took a whiff of the flowers.

  “Yeah.” Rosemary’s face turned even more red.

  “Did you talk to him this week, Rosemary?” Cruz looked interested.

  “Yeah.” She muttered something Mike didn’t hear.

  “What?” Cruz asked her.

  “Um, yeah. I talked to him. Several times.” She picked up the vase. “I’m going home.”

  “I’m coming, too.” Cruz followed Rosemary out the door, grinning at something.

  Mike ground his teeth while he tried not to watch Cruz following Rosemary out of the gym.

  Chad was back at the far end shooting baskets and Mike was moving some building materials when Cruz walked back into the gym alone. He reached to help Mike lift a large door kit. “Studor, do you know Rosemary?”

  “No, not really. Like she said, I’ve been giving her some online help with that math class she’s taking.”

  “I just wondered if you knew her.”

  “Nope.”

  “Okay.” Cruz waited.

  “Is your friend dating her?” Mike asked, not looking at Cruz.

  “No.” Cruz grinned. “They only met last week and she’s been out of state. Seth’s making a play for her, though.”

  “The guy’s your age?”

  “Two years younger. He graduated from high school a year early and took heavy course loads so he could play and tour with Skillet during vacations and still graduate in three years. He’s also squeezed in some missionary work. He’ll have his B.A. in August.” Cruz grabbed a broom. “Who are you dating, Studor?”

  “Amy Lemon. Really casually.” Mike rolled his neck. “That girl. Rosemary. There’s something about her.”

  Cruz chuckled. “Yeah? Like she’s gorgeous, smart and hard-working?”

  “Yeah.” Mike hesitated. “She won’t look at me. Even now, after we’ve been emailing for a couple of weeks.”

  “She doesn’t know you, Studor. Rosemary’s not like other girls and she’s really shy with guys. When I introduced her to my frat brothers, she practically hid behind me at first. Most girls would have been in their element, being the only girl with five guys’ attention on her. She didn’t start talking to Seth until after he told her he plans to go to seminary.”

  “Is she interested because he’s going to seminary?”

  “No, I don’t think that was it. When he brought it up, she started talking about her best friend who had always planned to go to seminary. She got engrossed in talking about Pete and forgot to be shy.”

  “So, does she have a boyfriend?” Mike frowned. “This guy Pete?”

  “No, Pete was killed a couple of months ago. You heard about that hit and run at Roosevelt in May?” Mike nodded. “The guy who was killed was Pete. Rosemary saw the whole thing; she even tried to get to him before the car exploded. Some guys had to drag her away.”

  “Most girls would be traumatized by that.”

  “I think she is, but Rosemary deals with things by putting her head down and getting to work. She’s traveling almost non-stop this summer. She designs dance costumes for a studio in Des Moines. She was also offered the job as the dance team coach at C-M for the summer, but she’s so busy modeling, she had to turn it down.”

  “She doesn’t seem like a model.”

  “D’ya know a lot of models, Studor?”

  “No.”

  “I don’t, either. Her dad says it’s really hard work and the traveling is killer.”

  Mike finally looked at Cruz. “Why does she do it, if it’s that hard?”

  “Money. She’s been modeling since she was thirteen to pay for dance and to save for college. Her mom was raising her kids alone and I don’t think they had much money, so Rosemary went to work.”

  Mike nodded before he changed the subject. “Isn’t she too young for your friend?”

  “Normally, probably. Seth’s almost twenty and I know she’s still seventeen. A twenty-year old guy is probably too old for a seventeen-year old girl who’s still in high school, but Seth isn’t a typical twenty-year old guy. He doesn’t date at all; I don’t know if he’s ever had a girlfriend. He’s starting seminary in September and he knows she’s going to college next year. At this point, he’s only hoping for a chance to get to know her better. He thinks Rosemary would make a wonderful minister’s wife.”

  “Wife? She’s only seventeen!”

  “In the future, Studor, in the future. She’s young, but she deserves a guy who understands that she’s a forever kind of girl.” Cruz narrowed his eyes. “So, if you’re just playing, find another girl. You get me, bro?”

  Mike looked steadily at Cruz. “I’m not playing.”

  Chapter 12

  John walked into the gym. “Hi, Vince, I hope you don’t mind that we stopped by to see the work you’re doing.” A small woman and Rosemary followed behind John.

  “Sure, come on in. We’ve made some good progress.”

  “This is my wife Margie and my daughter Rosemary.” Rosemary merely smiled shyly at Vince and Mike while Margie shook their hands. While John was chatting with Vince, Rosemary and Margie walked to the other end of the gym. He heard Margie ask Rosemary if she had enjoyed dinner with her grandparents.

  “You know how they are. Since we were with Oma’s cousins, Opa said almost nothing. Oma complained about my clothes.”

  Mike studied Rosemary. The hot pink polished cotton shirt was tucked neatly into the waistband of a knee-length white skirt. Her belt and canvas shoes were pink and white striped and the thick bangle bracelet was hot pink with white polka dots. A wide hot pink headband held back her thick, dark curls. She glowed with beauty and vitality.

  Margie sighed. “That’s a darling outfit, very appropriate for dinner with the grandparents.”

  In a screechy, entitled-sounding voice, Rosemary recited, “the pink is too bright—too flashy! You’re too tall for espadrilles; wear flats! Why would you wear that bracelet with that belt and shoes? You can’t wear stripes and polka dots together! You should know that, Rosemary! Your hair is a mess! It’s too curly to wear down in this humidity; braid it or cut it short. You are just TOO big to wear a white skirt.”

  Margie sighe
d. “I’m sorry that she’s so hard on you.”

  “I’m used to it, Mom.”

  “She did the same thing to your dad. She constantly complained about his hair, his clothes, his friends, and his grades. By the time I met him, he had stopped listening to her. He’d want you to do the same thing.”

  “That’s getting easier all the time. I hate to disappoint Opa, but neither one of us is any match for her. She’s getting more outspoken all the time and no matter what I do, it isn’t right.”

  A few minutes later, the family had left. “That’s one heck of a pretty girl.” Vince commented.

  “Yeah. I noticed.” Mike looked glum.

  “I bet you did. You said you didn’t know her?”

  “No. I was introduced to her the other day, and I’ve exchanged a few emails with her to help with an online math class she’s taking. I’m obviously not making any kind of impression.”

  “She doesn’t look like your type.”

  “What type do you mean?”

  “Petite, self-absorbed, invested in herself mostly and Mike Studor, the baseball star and All-American quarterback, a little.”

  “So, I’m shallow?”

  “Nope. The girls you like are shallow.”

  “Thanks for your insights, Uncle Vince.”

  “I’m making a point. When I was your age, I was the quarterback and girls came running just because I breathed. I’m ashamed to admit I was as superficial as the girls I dated. But, you’re not.

  Vince measured a piece of trim before he looked up again. “Mickey, your dad would be so proud of you. Not because you can throw a football and make homeruns, but because you work hard, you take care of your mom and Miranda and you’re a good person. Mike would also tell you that a girl who teaches free dance lessons to kids is worth a hundred girls whose lives revolve around the lipstick sales at Sephora.”

  Mike rubbed his eyebrow. “I’m catching on to that, Uncle Vince. But I can’t even get the girl to look at me.”

  “I noticed she didn’t look at you directly, at least while you were watching. She did glance at you just as she left, when you were talking to her dad. It wasn’t a disinterested look.”