Young Love in Old Chicago

  Chapter Nine

  “Haaaappy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you…” I woke up to my parents singing from the end of my bed. Katy was standing behind them, struggling to keep her eyes open.

  The dance is tonight, I thought as I sat up, filling with anticipation.

  “Make a wish, honey,” my mother said as she came around to the side of my bed and held out a heavily frosted pink cake.

  I wished for the only thing I really wanted for my birthday as I blew the candles out—to be kissed by Mason. But the thought only reminded me of how bad I felt that he didn’t want that to happen. So I decided to wish that Emmaline and I would have as much fun as we could later that night instead. He’s not ruining the dance for me, I decided, trying to ignore the still present tinge of depression.

  “So what do you say? Should we have cake for breakfast?” my mother asked me when the last flame had been blown out.

  “Yeah.” It was something we’d never done before, but I wouldn’t be there to celebrate later that day.

  “Hurry down,” my father said as everyone left my room so I could get dressed.

  After pulling on a blue dress, I glanced outside at our frost-covered lawn before I crossed my room and left it.

  Downstairs, Katy finally perked up when a piece of cake was set in front of her. As we all dug into the cake, my mother talked about the day I was born and how happy she was the first time she saw me. It was the same thing every year on my birthday. The strawberry frosting spread over a vanilla cake was delicious. “You make the best cakes, Mother,” I said when I thought she was finished with her story.

  “Thank you, dear.”

  “The Watkins are having a garage sale,” Katy said.

  “Really? I didn’t realize that,” my mother said. “Maybe I’ll go take a look in a little bit. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could get those chandelier lamps they have in their living room, Ted?”

  “I doubt they’ll be selling them,” my father said. “They were probably very expensive.”

  “But they’re moving,” Katy said. “Don’t people sell all kinds of things when they do that?”

  “What?” my mother asked in surprise. “Why would you say that, Katy?”

  “Mr. Watkins was hammering a For Sale sign in the front yard while I was getting dressed. I saw him from my window.”

  “Oh, how could Flora not tell me they were moving?”

  “It must have come unexpectedly,” my father said. “Now hurry and open your presents, Alexandra. If I don’t leave soon, I’ll be late for work.” Two small white boxes and one larger red one sat in the middle of the table, so I picked up the smaller ones first. One contained a necklace with a silver butterfly charm hanging on it that my father had gotten me, and the other one held a set of different colored hairpins from my mother.

  “Open mine. I got you the best one,” Katy said, sliding the bigger present across the table to me. I tore away the bright red wrapping paper and found a box of chocolates inside.

  “Thank you, Katy. I love all my presents.” I stood up to hug each of them before I took my presents upstairs and dropped them on my bed.

  Then I picked up my books and lunch and headed for the front door.

  My mother came outside right behind me. “I’m going to see the Watkins. You have a great day at school and at that dance.” She gave me a big hug. “Happy Birthday again, Alexandra. It’s so hard to believe you’re seventeen years old.”

  “Thank you, Mother.”

  We walked across the lawn together, listening to the crunching of the frozen grass underneath our feet. There was no evidence of any sunlight that morning. I stopped on the sidewalk and watched my mother walk across the street and into the Watkins front yard, which was littered with things for sale.

  It really did look like they were selling everything. Two long couches sat in the grass, along with their kitchen table and chairs and several other pieces of furniture. Blankets covered with all sorts of things for sale were spread out over the yard. I spotted the two lamps my mother had mentioned over breakfast sitting on the kitchen table. I wondered what they were going to do without all their furniture when they moved into a different house, or even later that day.

  But I figured my mother would tell me about it eventually, so I began walking to Emmaline’s. “Today’s the day of the dance!” she said excitedly when she opened her door.

  “I know, I can’t wait.”

  We sang ‘I’m in the Mood for Love’ as we walked to school, and wrote each other notes on our slates throughout the day. Luckily, the school’s heating system was having some problems, so it was colder than usual, which meant that Mr. Web was extremely distracted. Frequently throughout the day, he stopped teaching to complain about the cold and go the office to check on what progress was being made to fix the problem. I wondered if there was anything we couldn’t have gotten away with.

  Marcy must have been wondering the same thing, because she decided to throw a wadded up piece of paper at Emmaline’s head halfway through the morning while Mr. Web’s back was turned. They went back and forth, throwing the same piece of paper at each other every time Mr. Web turned around or left the room, never getting caught. They gave each other some of the nastiest looks I’d ever seen. But after awhile, it actually started to look like they were having fun, drawing sniggers from other students and waiting for just the right moment to throw it. I wondered if maybe Marcy felt the same way Emmaline did, that it was kind of nice to have an arch-rival. Emmaline was such a better match for her than I was.

  At lunch, Hayden sat beside me outside and took a black velvet box out of his pocket. “Happy birthday,” he said, handing it to me.

  “Thank you, Hayden.” I gave him a hug.

  “Happy birthday from me, too. I can’t believe I haven’t said that already,” Emmaline added.

  “Thanks. You already gave me my present, though, so don’t feel bad.” I smiled as I remembered the sight of Marcy knocking over and picking up the rack at The Chip, red-faced and humiliated.

  I opened the little box and found a thin gold chain with a heart shaped stone on it. “This is beautiful, Hayden. It’s not a real diamond, is it?”

  “Of course it is. It’s what you deserve,” he said, as he reached out and took the necklace from the box so he could put it around my neck.

  When he was finished, I held the heart in my hand and watched it sparkle in the sunlight. “Thank you…I love this.”

  Hayden leaned over to kiss my cheek. “I’m glad. Think of me whenever you wear it, won’t you?”

  “Of course I will.”

  After lunch, the paper wad continued to be launched from our back corner to the window seat where Marcy and her best friend Elise sat, and students continued to keep their coats pulled tightly around them against the cold.

  The last hour of school felt like torture, dragging on longer than it ever had before. I thought it would never end. So when the school bell finally did ring at the end of the day, I jumped out of my seat at the same time Emmaline did.

  “Oh my gosh, come on Alexandra.” She grabbed my elbow and began pulling me outside.

  We barely made it to the sidewalk before I heard Hayden calling after me. “Would you mind if I borrowed Alexandra for a minute?” he asked Emmaline when he reached us.

  “Of course not,” she said, giving me a wink. “I’ll see you at my house.”

  “Wait, he said it would only take a minute,” I said, not wanting to have to endure another uncomfortable conversation with Hayden.

  “Actually, a few minutes may have been a bit more accurate,” he said.

  “It’s okay, I’ll be waiting at my house with the dresses,” Emmaline said before she walked away.

  Darn. I really just wanted to go with her and begin our weekend of fun.

  “There’s something that’s been bothering me since yesterday, and I hoped I could talk to you about it,” Hayden said.

  “All right.”

  “
When I saw the way that man was kissing Emmaline, it was difficult not to wonder if you and Mason shared the same sort of thing.”

  “I didn’t kiss Mason.”

  “But did he kiss you?”

  “No, not the way you’re thinking of.”

  Hayden smiled as he took my hand and moved closer to me. “So I could still be the one to receive your first kiss?”

  No. “I’ve never kissed anyone, if that’s what you mean.”

  “Yes…that’s exactly what I mean. I should have done it a long time ago. It could have saved a lot of heartache.” With that, he leaned his head down to kiss me, ignoring all the curious eyes that were coming and going all around us.

  “Hayden,” I said in surprise, leaning away and taking a step back. I figured it wouldn’t have mattered to Mason if I kissed Hayden or not, since he didn’t want to kiss me, but Hayden wasn’t the one I wanted. Mason was.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m sorry, Hayden,” I said, shaking my head.

  “Alexandra, I love you. I’ve always loved you. Why do you have to make this so difficult?”

  “It’s…complicated.”

  “Because of Mason?”

  I looked down at my feet, unwilling to answer that question.

  “I shouldn’t have let things go as far as they did with you two. That lowlife has taken the place in your heart that should have been mine…the place I thought was mine already.” Hayden moved closer to me and took my hand again. “I won’t give up on you, Alexandra. I’m truly sorry that I let this happen. It will never happen again, I assure you. In time, you will forget him and love me.” He leaned down and tried to kiss me again, but I turned away. So he hugged me instead. “Tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Maybe.”

  I could feel him watching me as I walked away, which wasn’t a pleasant feeling. The truth was that I did love him, and I had loved him my whole life too, but not the way he loved me. I almost dreaded having to see him again after what he just said, knowing it would only continue. But the walk to Emmaline’s began to take the weight he had just placed on my shoulders away as I thought of the fun we would have together that night.

  Emmaline opened the door a second after I knocked. “It was hard, but I’ve been waiting on you before I put my dress on. Come on,” she said, taking my hand and dragging me to the stairs.

  “Hello, Mrs. Porter,” I said as we passed her on the way up.

  “Hello, Alexandra. Do be careful with her, Emmaline. You’re liable to pull her arm off.”

  “Okay, Mother.”

  She shut the door behind me and went to pick up the two dresses lying on her bed. “So, what did Hayden say?” she asked as she handed my dress to me.

  “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

  Emmaline stopped in the middle of getting ready to pull her school dress off. “This sounds serious. Now you have to tell me.”

  “You’re not going to drop this, are you?” I asked with a sigh.

  “Absolutely not.” She gave me the same sort of smile my mother gets when she knows she’s about to get a juicy bit of gossip.

  I obviously didn’t have a choice.So I told her about my conversation with Hayden as we pulled on our dresses and helped each other with the zippers in the back.

  “This is so romantic…two handsome men, hopelessly in love with you,” Emmaline said when I was finished.

  “One handsome man in love with me, you mean. Unfortunately, it’s the wrong one.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Mason’s crazy about you.”

  I walked over to her vanity and sat down. “I wish you were right about that. Do you have my hair clip?”

  “It’s right in front of you. Let’s put in the curlers first.”

  “My hair’s already curled at the ends.”

  “But tonight’s special. We’re supposed to overdo it.” She grabbed a piece of my hair and began rolling it over a hot curler before I could even protest.

  “Fine, but then I get to put curlers in your hair.”

  “That’s the plan. My mother’s letting us use her makeup too, so I’ll go get that after I put these in.”

  We spent the next hour doing our hair and makeup and getting excited. “Your father’s not home yet. Won’t he be driving us to the ball?” I asked as the time to leave came closer.

  “Don’t worry. I told you it’s all been taken care of.”

  “What about the tickets? Where are those?”

  “Patience.”

  I raised a suspicious eyebrow at her, thinking how strange she was acting. “Tell me what’s going on,” I said.

  “I’ve got an idea. Why don’t we go listen to the radio until it’s time to go?” Emmaline picked up her shoes and ran out of her room without giving me a chance to ask any more questions.

  Oh well. We’re getting there somehow.

  Downstairs, Emmaline remained silent as we listened to a few songs.

  It was difficult to be anything but excited as I waited. Our first ball. Showing ourselves off looking so glamorous. My thoughts were interrupted when a knock came at the door.

  “Could you get that, Alexandra?” Emmaline asked me, trying to look innocent as she did a terrible job of hiding a wicked smile.

  I heard Emmaline’s mother walking to the door. “Alexandra’s going to get it,” Emmaline called out.

  “All right.”

  “I don’t mind getting the door, but why is it so important?” I asked. Something was definitely going on.

  Emmaline just shrugged and turned her back to me.

  So I made my way to the door and opened it slowly, keeping my body behind it in case something was about to jump out at me. When I saw who had knocked, I gasped and threw it all the way open. His enchanting face lit up when he saw me. “Mason,” I cried as I wrapped my arms around him.

  “Happy birthday, Alexandra,” he said, handing me a handful of violets when I let him go. “Emmaline said you would like these.”

  “Thank you, but what are you doing here?”

  “I was planning on taking you to that dance tonight, but I can leave—”

  “No! Don’t go.”

  “I’m just kidding,” he laughed. “I’m not going anywhere without you tonight.”

  Looking at the suit he was wearing, his unnaturally clean skin, and his shining dark hair he had slicked back, I realized I should have known why he was there the second I saw him.

  “Hey guys, let’s get going,” Benny said, walking up on Emmaline’s front porch. “Where’s Emmaline?”

  “I’m here.” She ran past me into his arms and kissed him. “Come meet my mother before we go.”

  Benny grimaced as Emmaline pulled him toward the kitchen and looked back to mouth out help to Mason.

  Mason just shook his head. “He’s lucky. I wish it was that simple for me with your mom.”

  “I know. I’m just glad you’re here,” I said as I slid my arms around his waist and leaned against him, still hardly able to believe he was taking me to the dance.

  “Me, too.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” I looked up at him.

  “I wasn’t going to at first because of work, but I went to ask Emmaline what to get you for your birthday last Sunday and she said you just wanted me to take you to the Winter Ball. So I talked to Benny about it and he said we could work around it.”

  “That’s why you were over there,” I said to myself as I remembered seeing them together outside of her house.

  “You saw me?”

  “Yeah, when we were driving home from Hayden’s.” An almost imperceptible change passed over his face in the second it took me to mention Hayden; then it was gone.

  “I just stopped by her place for a couple of minutes after work. I figured she was the best one to ask what you wanted.”

  “She said something and you looked really happy. Was it about the dance?”

  Mason smiled mischievously. “That will come later.”
r />   “All right, let’s go,” Benny said, pulling Emmaline toward the door.

  Her mother appeared behind them. “Have fun, girls,” she said.

  As Mason took my hand and opened the door, I remembered I was still wearing the necklace Hayden had given me. “Give me just a minute. I’ll meet you outside,” I said, letting go of Mason and hurrying to the bathroom to take it off. For some reason, I just couldn’t wear it while I was with Mason.

  After taking it off and setting it on the bathroom counter, I found Mason out front, standing beside a dark car I’d never seen before. He opened the back door when he saw me. “Is this Benny’s car?” I asked as I climbed in.

  Benny and Emmaline were sitting in the front, lost in another one of their kisses.

  Mason climbed in right beside me. “Yeah. Someone dropped it off to get the brakes fixed and never picked it up, so now it’s his.” He put his arm around me and reached into his pocket to pull out a small white box with a purple bow on top. “Present number two…this one was my idea.”

  I opened the box and found a small golden trinket box with a rose painted on the top and thorns engraved around the edges. “This is beautiful. Thank you, Mason.” I leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.

  “You’re welcome.”

  We both jumped when there was a loud wham and looked in the front seat to see that Benny had banged his head against his window when Emmaline leaned forward, still kissing him. He seemed completely unaffected as he pressed back against her.

  “Benny,” Mason said, reaching up to put his hand on his shoulder. Benny stopped and looked back at him. “Don’t you think we should get going? The play starts in half an hour.”

  “I guess you’re right, I just—” Benny leaned over to kiss Emmaline again. “—won’t be able to do this once we’re there. Just one more.” Emmaline giggled as he kissed her again before he started the car. “All right, let’s go.”

  Mason’s eyes swept over me as we drove under a streetlamp and light flooded the inside of the car. “You look…like an angel,” he said with a smile. He leaned toward my hair and took a few deep breaths. “You smell like one, too. I must be the luckiest guy alive.”

  Feeling a mixture of disbelief and overwhelming bliss, I couldn’t piece together a response, so I just smiled.

  “Aww,” Emmaline said, smiling back at us.

  Benny glanced over at her. “You look pretty too,” he said. Emmaline scooted closer to him and put her head on his shoulder.

  Returning my attention back to the gold box in my hand, I reached for the top to open it, but Mason put his hand over mine. “Wait until you’re home, okay?”

  “Why?”

  “Just, trust me.”

  I nodded and slipped the box into my purse.

  “Looks like we’re almost there,” Benny said, pointing to the cars that were backed up ahead of us. People wearing formal clothes were walking down the sidewalk on both sides of the road, all heading in the same direction. We slowed down and began inching forward with the other cars until we reached the massive parking lot.

  It was difficult not to wonder if something was wrong, with the way Mason kept staring at me. He took my hand and helped me out of the car once Benny had parked.

  “Do you have—” Mason began, looking back at Benny. He stopped when he realized Benny was too busy kissing Emmaline to realize someone was talking to him. “Never mind, I’m sure he’s got his tickets.” Mason held his arm out for me and waited until I took it to start walking toward the dance hall.

  “Shouldn’t we wait for them?” I asked.

  “Honestly, the only person I’m worried about going to the ball with is you. They’ll come in when they’re ready, and who knows how long that’ll be.”

  Just ahead I could see the brightly lit building and hear Christmas music playing inside. Mason took two tickets out of his pocket and handed them to the ticket master at the front. “First time here, young lady?” an old man asked me as he tore our tickets in half and handed them back to Mason.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “This lucky young man here’s your boyfriend, then?” He winked at Mason.

  “Y, yes sir.” I struggled to say, hoping Mason didn’t mind.

  “Well maybe if this here fella treats you well enough tonight, we’ll see you two here again on Valentine’s Day.”

  I stared at him for a minute, not knowing how to answer.

  “Thanks. You have a Merry Christmas,” Mason answered for me, leading me past the ticket master and through the glass doors behind him.

  We entered a large foyer with restroom doors to the left and right and another pair like the ones we’d come in through right in front of us. A short man in a red suit opened these doors for us and offered a little nod.

  Mason thanked him as we walked into the dancehall. A Christmas tree that must have been twenty feet tall stood in one of the back corners with a brass band playing at its base. People were taking seats in the many rows of chairs placed in front of the stage. Mason led me to one of the middle rows, since most of the front rows were full, and we sat down near the right end.

  “How about Valentine’s Day? Will you come with me to the dance?” Mason asked as he put his arm around me and pulled me closer to his side.

  “Really?” I asked, filling up with excitement.

  “Yeah. This time I can plan around it, and I figure I better ask you before someone else does.”

  “Of course I’ll go with you.” He gave me a little squeeze as I reached out to hold his free hand in both of mine.

  I admired the gleaming, intricate orange and gold designs which were molded and painted across the white ceiling that seemed so unbelievably tall.

  I felt Mason twisting around beside me. “Ten minutes until the show starts,” he said.

  “I don’t even know what they’re showing. Did it say on the tickets?” I asked.

  “Yeah, they went with a classic, The Christmas Carol.” He reached in his pocket and handed me one of the torn tickets, so I looked it over until I heard Emmaline call my name.

  Turning around, I saw her and Benny walking toward the chairs, which were nearly full by then. I waved back and watched them take seats in the third row from the last one. “Her hair’s a mess again,” I said.

  “I guess you’ll have to tell her after the show. I think it’s about to start.” The music stopped as he said this, and a minute later the lights began to dim. I leaned against Mason as the red curtains slid to the side and Ebenezer Scrooge stepped onto the stage.

  It occurred to me as I watched the play that someone who knew my parents might be there and mention they’d seen me at the dance with someone, which could end up getting me into trouble. But I decided not to think about it and just enjoy the perfect night I was having.

  During the brief intermission, I went back to Emmaline and asked, “Will you come to the ladies room with me?”

  “Okay.” She waited until we were walking through the hall doors into the foyer to ask, “What’s going on?”

  I pulled her into the bathroom and over to a mirror. She gasped and stared at herself in horror. “My hair is a disaster, and Benny saw it. Oh, why didn’t you tell me sooner?” she asked as she began running her fingers over it to try and get it to lie down evenly.

  “The show started before I could.”

  “I can’t believe Benny didn’t say anything…blinded by love, I guess,” Emmaline smiled at her reflection dreamily.

  “You might want to talk to him about keeping his hands out of your hair when he kisses you. I’m going to go back to sit with Mason, so I’ll see you after the show,” I said before I left the restroom, wondering if she’d even heard me.

  “Hey you,” Mason said, wrapping an arm around me when I sat down beside him. “That felt like forever.”

  “I’m sorry. I was only gone for a couple of minutes.”

  He put a hand on my cheek. “It felt like a lot longer.”

  The impulse to kiss him pressed
against me, like two heavy hands on my shoulders, but I pushed back, refusing to give in. If he wanted to kiss me, and I was sorely sure that he didn’t, he could do it himself.

  I tilted my head down toward his shoulder as I allowed the force pressing me closer to him to win the battle, and felt his arms close in around me like a warm blanket on a freezing night, filling me with the powerful feelings only he could produce. I laid one arm over his and remained this way as the show began and then until it was over.

  When the curtains closed, I sat up to applaud as the actors formed a line on the edge of the stage and bowed. Then a man with an unusually thick mustache and a matching pair of eyebrows walked over to the microphone that stood on one end of the stage. “Weren’t they just fantastic? Let’s give them all another round of applause,” he said. The actors bowed again and the audience clapped even louder.

  “That was amazing,” I said to Mason. It was the first time I’d seen The Christmas Carol performed and I couldn’t believe how the characters from the book came to life on that stage.

  “We’d really like to thank you all for coming,” the announcer went on. “If you will, could we have you all move to the back of the room where refreshments are being served so we can move the chairs off of the dance floor?”

  Mason took my hand and led me to the long tables that had been mysteriously set up against the back wall. They were overflowing with steaming pots full of soup and countless other dishes, deep bowls of red punch, blue glasses with white snowflakes swirling all over them, and tall stacks of plates and bowls. “They must have put this together during the show,” Mason said.

  “I didn’t even hear anything,” I said. The delicious smells drifting towards us hit me just then and my mouth began to water as the band started playing again. “This night has been wonderful. Thank you for coming with me, Mason.”

  “Thank you for coming as my date.”

  “That stuff looks really good,” Benny said as he and Emmaline fell in step beside us.

  “I’m going to head over to the ladies room for a minute. I’ll be right back,” Emmaline said before she walked away from us.

  “I could use a bathroom break myself,” Mason said.

  “I’ll go ahead and get in line,” I said, looking at the rapidly growing line. “You’ll probably be back before I get to the table.”

  “I’ll be quick.”

  Men in red suits moved quickly, carrying several stacked chairs at a time to the dining tables lining the side walls as Benny and I went to stand in line.

  “So what is it you love so much about Mason?” Benny asked, giving me an unsettling, crooked smile.

  “Well…I love everything about him. It would be hard to name only one thing.”

  “But what makes him so special you’d go to his place in the middle of the night?”

  “Excuse me.” I glanced at the people in the line around us. Luckily, no one was paying us any attention.

  “Emmaline said that’s why he can’t go to yer house anymore, cause yer parents found out.”

  “I’m sorry, Benny, but I think that’s a little personal.” It certainly wasn’t something I wanted to discuss with him.

  He began to stare at me in a way that caused me to shiver. “You do look a little like an angel.” He took a step closer to me.

  “Thank you. Emmaline and I spent a lot of time picking out dresses and getting ready for this. It was almost as much fun as the ball has been so far.”

  Without warning, Benny leaned forward to kiss me. “What are you doing?” I asked, jerking backwards. Fortunately, the people in front of us had moved forward enough that I didn’t bump into them. I was immediately hit by the stench of liquor on Benny’s breath.

  “What? Mason and Emmaline aren’t here,” Benny said defensively.

  “So?”

  He reached out to stroke my cheek with the back of his hand. “Mason’s right about how soft your skin is, too...The way he talks about you, I almost expect a goddess every time I see you.”

  I had to smile as the way Mason viewed me really began to sink in. It seemed that he had me on a pedestal the same way I had him.

  Benny turned his hand over to lay his palm against my cheek. “Please don’t touch me,” I said as I pushed his hand away.

  “Why not? I’m Mason’s boss. He won’t care.”

  I seriously doubted that. “I care, and what about Emmaline?”

  “What about her?”

  “She’s your girlfriend.”

  “No, she’s not.”

  I stared at him with wide eyes. How was I going to tell Emmaline what I’d just heard? It would break her heart. “Well, she thinks she is, and it’s cruel the way you’re leading her on.”

  He only leaned forward in another attempt to kiss me.

  “Get away from me, Benny.” I turned around and kept my back to him for another minute or so before I saw someone walking toward me out of the corner of my eye.

  Mason smiled as he came to stand right behind me, wrapping both arms around my middle. I crossed my arms to rest them over his. “That really did feel like forever,” I said, leaning back against him.

  “See what I mean?”

  “Yeah. Emmaline better hurry up. It’s almost our turn at the table.”

  Just as I reached out for a plate, I heard Emmaline’s excited voice. “Looks like I made it just in time.”

  I didn’t turn around. I wished Benny hadn’t said anything to me and that I was still just as ignorant to what he was really like as she was.

  We moved through the line and the four of us sat down together at an empty table. I avoided looking at or speaking to Benny, or even Emmaline, since she was with him. Mason began shoveling lasagna into his mouth as I started on my salad.

  Most of the room’s lighting was focused on the center of the hall, which was obviously intended to be the dance floor. The only thing that kept us from sitting in darkness at the very edge of that light were the Christmas lights strung along the walls. Benny and Emmaline were sitting close together in the dim light, whispering and laughing, ignoring the food in front of them.

  I knew I should say something to Emmaline, but not on the night of the dance. I couldn’t ruin it for her. I wasn’t sure about Mason, though. I wanted to tell him, but I didn’t want to cause problems with him at work.

  “You okay?” Mason asked as he reached over to rub my back.

  “I’m fine.” I tried to push it out of my mind.

  Couples were already walking out onto the dance floor and moving gracefully to the music.

  I looked over at Mason’s plate and realized he was already finished eating. “Sorry,” I said as I tried to fit as much salad as I could into my mouth.

  “For what?” Mason asked.

  Wishing I hadn’t filled my mouth so ridiculously full, I had to chew quickly and swallow it all at once to answer. “For being such a slow eater. I’m sorry you have to wait for me.”

  “That’s all right. We’ve got all night, and I’m enjoying sitting here watching you.” The way he watched me as I ate made me extremely self-conscious.

  “May I have this dance?” he asked when I was finished, holding a hand out to me.

  “Of course.”

  Mason led me into the swirling rainbow of dancing dresses and dark suits before he turned to face me. And then we were moving back and forth with them. It was different than it had been the day before. The music and the people created a certain atmosphere. The gloved hand I rested behind his shoulder and the other holding his hand felt different. “This is really nice,” I said softly, staring into his beautiful eyes.

  “I’d say this has been one of the best nights of my life.”

  “So why didn’t you tell me yesterday that you would be taking me to the dance? I could have looked forward to this all day.”

  “Well…Emmaline said I should surprise you, and I figured she knows you well enough that I should listen to her. But you were so upset yesterday. I tried to give y
ou a hint in the note I gave you.”

  My feet slowed down and I looked down at the floor as I realized I hadn’t read it, or even thought about it the night before. “I forgot all about the note…because I was really upset.” And I was so mean. I looked back up at him as my feet began moving as they had before. “I’m sorry, Mason. I feel terrible.”

  “It’s okay. You should really stop apologizing when you haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “I’m sorry, I mean…” I took a deep breath. “What did the note say?”

  “See you tomorrow night. I figured it gave just enough away to make you feel better, since I can’t stand the thought of you being unhappy.”

  “Oh.” I wished I would have remembered to read that note. The previous night might have gone so much better, even though Mason not taking me to the dance wasn’t what I was upset about.

  “Where did you learn how to dance?” I asked, wondering if he’d ever taken someone to a dance before, since he seemed to be a natural.

  “From watching my parents. They used to turn the radio on Sunday nights and dance together in our old living room. It’s easy enough to pick up. What about you?”

  “They taught us in school last year, right around this time. Every day after lunch, we spent the rest of the day learning ballroom dancing for a week. My mother had already taught me, but that’s where I got to practice until I got it right.”

  “With Hayden?”

  That was exactly who I’d done all my practicing with, actually. It had been a relief to me that he never gave anyone else the chance to ask me to dance, not that they would have. “I’m sorry, Mason. I shouldn’t have said that.” I felt guilty. I hadn’t really thought about how that sounded before I said it.

  “I’m just glad you’re here with me.” He pulled me a little bit closer.

  “Me too. There’s no one else in the world I would rather be with.” We danced silently, smiling at each other, for a few minutes.

  “There’s one more thing I want to give you for your birthday.”

  “More? You’ve already given me more than enough. Your bringing me here was all I wanted for my birthday, and you’ve given me that.”

  “Actually, Emmaline said there was one more thing you wanted. I have no doubt that it was what made me look so happy when you saw us…She said you wanted it more than anything else.” I could just see the happiness in the memory of whatever she’d told him in his eyes, the same look he had that night when I saw them.

  Looking down, I tried to recall exactly what I told Emmaline the previous Friday night. A kiss. My feet became still and my eyes widened in embarrassment, knowing that he didn’t want to kiss me. How could she tell him that?

  As I looked back up at him, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine. They were warm and soft. My mind began reeling as I melted against him. I couldn’t even tell if I was feeling my own heart pounding with pure ecstasy, or his; they were so close together. And then, too quickly, he pulled away.

  Mason spoke quietly, his voice deeper than usual. “I’ve wanted to do that since I met you, Alexandra, but after what Emmaline said, I thought I would wait for your birthday.”

  I just stared at him in surprise, my mouth slightly open, taking a few short breaths that seemed to reverberate through my racing thoughts.

  “What’s wrong?” Mason asked, looking at me with concern.

  I took a deep breath and tried to think of something to say, but the only thing my mind seemed capable of processing was that kiss—that sweet, wonderful, perfect kiss—my first kiss.

  “I’m sorry, Alexandra. Did you not want…I, I should have asked you first, I just, I thought—”

  I grabbed his neck, perhaps a little too forcibly, and leaned up to kiss him again. One hand worked its way through his dark hair and the other pressed against his back, pulling him closer. It became desperate the way I needed to taste him, and feel him. The people and dancing faded away as he held me and kissed me, his fingers spread out wide and digging delightfully into my skin. Electric heat pulsed through my veins…and then he was pulling away again—no—he was being torn away.

  Someone screamed as a man threw Mason to the side. “Alexandra!” Hayden said, standing now where Mason had just been. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Me? What are you doing?”

  “I came for you. You said you weren’t going to the dance with Mason. How could you lie to me?” He glared angrily at me, but behind it, I could see the deep devastation he was suffering at that moment.

  “No, I didn’t. He surprised me.”

  “You kissed him. You’ve lied to me about everything.”

  “No. I haven’t lied to you about anything, not that it matters. Nothing gives you the right to come here like this.”

  “This ends now. I’m taking you home.” Hayden grabbed my arm and tried to pull me toward the door, but Mason tackled him from behind, nearly knocking me over with them.

  “Leave her alone,” Mason said as Hayden rolled over. Both of them stood up and glared at each other.

  I walked over to Mason and felt his arm go around me. “Hayden, please leave us alone. I really just want to be with Mason.”

  This time the anguish was apparent on his face. “No! He’s Sydney Algoth’s son,” Hayden shouted. Voices all around us told me that Mason’s secret was being passed around. Dancing had long since stopped.