A Year And A Day. Inglath Cooper
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on his handsome face, and she wondered if he ever came home.
After that day, she found herself thinking about him. In school while the teacher was lecturing. At night when she turned off her lamp and lay in bed. She wondered what it would be like to go out with someone older and more mature, unlike the boys in school.
Jonathan Colby remained snagged in her thoughts, even though she’d never met him, even though he was older by ten years or so.
But on the following Tuesday, she forgot all of her arguments about putting him from her mind. She was in the kitchen helping Mary, an older woman who had been with the Colbys for years as a housekeeper. Mary touched a hand to the grey braid wound into a coil at the nape of her neck. “We’ll have to get the house extra clean this week,” Mary said. “Mrs. Colby says Jonathan is coming home over the weekend. She’s having a dinner on Saturday night for him. She asked me to check with you about working late.”
The dish in Audrey’s hand clattered to the floor. “I’m sorry,” she said, bending over to pick it up, grateful that it hadn’t broken. “I’ll be glad to.”
Mary sent her a knowing look and then said with a chuckle, “Jonathan always did have that effect on the girls.”
It was the slowest week of Audrey’s life. She thought the weekend would never arrive. On Saturday afternoon, she took extra care getting ready. Standing back and looking at herself in the mirror, she decided that she looked older, a little more sophisticated.
Once she arrived at the Colby house, Audrey was a batch of nerves, her stomach tightening every time the kitchen door swung open.
When it was time to serve dessert, Audrey followed Mary into the dining room where the din of conversation rose and fell around the twelve-person table.
She kept her eyes on the serving cart, too nervous to look up.
“Could you put one of these in each bowl, Audrey?” Mary asked, handing her some silver spoons.
“Sure,” she said, glancing at the head of the table and spotting him for the first time. To his right sat a dark-haired girl laughing at something he’d just said close to her ear. Audrey couldn’t look away from the two of them. He was every bit as handsome as his photo. More so. And the girl beside him was tall and striking in an off-the-shoulder black cocktail dress.
Audrey started to turn, but he glanced up just then and caught her gaze. Her cheeks went warm, the blush spreading across her whole body. He didn’t look away for several long seconds, and she could have sworn she saw a flicker of interest in his laughing blue eyes.
She moved toward his end of the table and placed the spoons in each bowl, feeling his eyes upon her still. Gripped with shyness, she could not bring herself to glance up again.
A few minutes later, she escaped to the kitchen. Once there, she wet a paper towel with cool water and pressed it to her cheeks. She’d spent the week fantasizing about a guy she’d never met, had only seen a picture of. And now that she’d seen him in real life, with an infatuated girl beside him, she felt… What? Disappointed. The ridiculousness of the admission did not escape her.
Mary returned to the kitchen a few minutes later. “So what did you think?”
“Of what?” she asked, continuing to scrub the pot in the sink without looking up.
“Young Jonathan, of course.”
“Oh. He’s very handsome.”
“And as usual, he’s got a new young lady with him tonight.” Mary shook her head. “I don’t think he’ll ever settle down. He’s too busy sampling.”
It was after 1:00 a.m. by the time the two of them had everything washed and put back in place.
“That should about do it,” Mary said, wiping her hands on her apron. “You go on home now. Will you be all right by yourself?”
“I’ll be fine,” Audrey reassured her.
“See you at eleven tomorrow?”
“Okay,” she said, letting herself out the kitchen door. Getting in her mother’s old green Falcon, she turned the key in the ignition. An awful grinding noise rang out like gunshots in the quiet neighborhood.
She tried it again, but this time the noise was worse. A knock sounded at the window. Audrey jumped, one hand to her throat. Jonathan peered down at her, smiling. Her heart started pounding in her ears.
“Mind if I give it a try?” she heard him ask through the closed window.
This wasn’t exactly how she’d envisioned the two of them meeting. But grateful for his help, she nodded and got out. He slid behind the wheel. When the same thing happened after two tries, he said, “I don’t think it’s going anywhere tonight.”
“I think you’re right,” she said, forcing herself to meet his gaze. His face had relaxed into a kind smile, and she noticed that he had a smudge of red lipstick on his collar. Apparently, he’d just gotten back from taking his date home.
“I don’t think we got properly introduced,” he said. “I’m Jonathan Colby.”
“Audrey Williams.”
He looked at her and said, “Audrey. I’ll be glad to give you a lift. You can leave the car here tonight.”
Something inside her thrilled at the thought. But she didn’t want him to feel obligated to take her. “I can call a cab.”
“It’s not a problem.”
She hesitated, before saying, “If you’re sure you won’t mind.”
“Not at all.” He smiled at her then, looking exactly like the man in the photograph she’d been fantasizing about all week.
AUDREY’S HOUSE was approximately twenty-five minutes away, on the other side of town. For once, she was glad of the distance. Sitting in Jonathan Colby’s BMW with late-night radio playing in the background was like something she might have dreamed. The tan leather seat felt like butter against her skin, and he had the sunroof open, leaving a square of stars visible above them.
“How long have you been working for my parents?” he asked as they backed out of the driveway and then sped down the tree-lined street.
“A few months.”
“I thought you must have started since the last time I was home. I would have remembered you.”
The words made her heart beat a little faster. It would be foolish to read anything into them, but his smile made her think he’d meant them as a compliment. “Your mother’s very nice,” she said, looking down at her lap.
“Yes, she is,” he agreed, the smile suddenly disappearing. “Are you in college?”
“I’m a senior. In high school,” she said, flattered.
He slowed for a stop sign, one hand on the steering wheel, the other on the gear shift. “You could have fooled me.”
Again, the remark found its spot in her heart, and she smiled at him. “You live in Atlanta, don’t you?”
He nodded. “I’m running an arm of Dad’s business there.”
“Do you like it? Atlanta, I mean.”
“Yeah. It’s a great town. There’s a lot to do.”
She didn’t want to tell him that she’d never been even though it was only four hours away. Her family hadn’t traveled much. Neither of her parents liked to stray too far from home.
They chatted for the duration of the drive to her house. She told him where to turn when they reached her street. He stopped in front of the driveway, flicking the car lights off.
“Thank you so much for the ride,” she said.
“You’re welcome.”
Audrey