Page 56 of Just The Way You Aren't

I chuckle at the image that conjures in my mind. “Really? No one dared you to do it?”

Doris shakes her head. “No. My friends wanted me to round out a different group of dancers, but I saw Charlie and I just couldn’t let it go. I mean, a serviceman who’d served our country having no one to dance with? That wouldn’t do.”

Willow leans forward, listening with an adorable, dreamy look on her face. “What did Charlie say when you asked him?”

Doris smiles softly. “He said, ‘Miss, you don’t want to dance with me. I’ve got three left feet.’ And I said, ‘Three left feet! Where’d you get three left feet?’ I tell you, without missing a beat, Charlie said, ‘God gave me an extra one just for kicks.’ I laughed so hard I snorted. And that made him smile. And that smile… Willow, that smile hooked my heart and reeled it right in.”

Willow nods, her smile beaming.

“Did he dance with you?” I ask, needing to know how Doris and Charlie’s story went from there.

“Not that night. But we sat together and talked until they closed the hall down.” Doris dabs her eyes again. “No, Charlie surprised me at our wedding. He secretly took dance lessons for all six months that we were courting. Then, at our wedding, he asked me to dance for the first time ever. I was shocked! He said to me, ‘Will you dance with the guy with three left feet, Doris?’ And I told him I didn’t care if he had four of them. He took me dancing every weekend after that, right up until the end.” Her breath catches.

“Oh, Doris, that’s lovely,” Willow says.

Tears roll down the elderly woman’s cheeks. “You know what he said on our wedding day, when I asked him why he put in so much effort when he didn’t like to dance? He told me that first night we met, he knew he was going to marry me, and since he was going to marry a girl who loved to dance, he figured he’d better catch up.”

Willow takes out another tissue for her own eyes. “That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”

Doris sighs through her sniffles. “That was my Charlie. Scared the hell out of the guys down at the docks where he worked, but a big marshmallow with me.” She wipes her face and smiles at us. “That’s why I love Irving. He doesn’t mindme talking about my Charlie and I don’t mind him talking about his Rose.”

There must be something caught in my throat. Something scratchy, that’s causing some kind of lump there, making it difficult for me to swallow. “When did he, uh… how long ago did you lose Charlie?”

“Nineteen-seventy-six. Dock accident,” Doris answers sadly.

I quickly do the math in my head. That means Doris has spent more of her life without Charlie than with him. “I’m sorry for your loss, Doris. Truly.”

“Oh, don’t be, honey. We had many lovely years together.” Doris squeezes my hand again. “But don’t waste time, either. That goes for both of you. Life is short, and you just never know what’s going to happen down the road. But it sure is nice not traveling that road alone.”

I can’t help but glance at Willow, who is looking right back at me.

CHAPTER 19

WILLOW

Several hours later, Damien is still with me. We’ve enjoyed seeing Silver Hearts’ many clients and had many humorous moments, including Mrs. McDougal throwing a wrapped pat of butter at us. It had bounced right off Damien’s forehead. “It’s frozen solid!” she insisted angrily.

“I can attest to that,” he replied, rubbing his forehead.

“We’re all done with rounds,” I tell Damien after our last stop. “Do you need to get back to the office?”

“No,” he says. “I’d rather spend the evening with you.”

I’m shocked. I know he can’t possibly have planned to be with me all day. But I decide to roll with it. I bite my lip. “Um, well, tonight’s bingo Night at the New Day program. I have to be there.”

He shrugs. “Then that’s where I’ll be, too, I guess.”

I eye him, skeptical. “Have you ever been to a bingo night before?”

“Not lately, no.”

“As in, never, right?” I roll my eyes, but I’m smiling at thesame time. “I think you should know, the seniors can get very competitive.”

He chuckles. “I’ve got to battle Alfred and the board every day at the office. How bad can bingo night be compared to that?”

“You might be surprised.” It’s all the warning he’s going to get from me. Besides, if I’m being honest, having him with me most of the day has been nice. Fun, even. Huh. Imagine that—I’m actually having a great time with Damien Langley.

I’m still grinning as I drive us back to Mrs. Baumgartner’s so Damien can pick up his car. Then we both drive to the Silver Hearts’ office. Several seniors are already lined up at the New Day entrance, holding their own bingo daubers. Mrs. Horowitz also has her beagle, Titan, in a stroller. She never goes to bingo night without her lucky beagle.

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