Page 47 of Return to You

“About Keaton.” Ali checked and saw that Mrs. D and the other “dons” were still seated on their thrones. The boss lady trio all had chairs that sat several inches higher than everyone else’s. Every club meeting the women would sit, reigning down on everyone, for the first thirty minutes or so, before walking around and mingling, which mainly consisted of pointing out what people were doing wrong. Ali looked back at Jess and tilted her head in the older ladies’ direction. “Mrs. D told me we were going to discuss the budget for the upcoming season. So I show up, and Keaton is there. He was told the same thing but Mrs. D is nowhere to be found. After twenty minutes she ends up cancelling on us and I realized it was a setup.”

“Holy shit! I knew it,” Jess said just a tad too loud.

They both looked up to see if they’d caught anyone’s attention. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice them.

“So, I was going to leave, but he stopped me and said he’d been wanting to ask me out for a while.”

“Holy shit! I knew it!” she repeated. This time at a volume that caught a few people’s attention and garnered some dirty looks.

Knitting club wasn’t like the library where the only sin greater than talking was to dog ear the books, but Jess’s colorful language was not appreciated.

“So you stayed?” Jess lowered her voice but not before sticking out her tongue in the direction of the dirty look givers when they went back to their knitting.

Ali smiled. She truly did have the best best-friend in the whole world. “Yes. I stayed. And it was…nice.”

Jess’s nose scrunched up. “Tea is nice. Someone letting you go ahead of them in line is nice. Putting on a warm pair of socks just out of the dryer is nice. First dates are supposed to be more than nice.”

“I know. And there was a first that was more than nice later. After Keaton dropped me off at home.”

Jess’s eyes widened as she mouthed, “Kade.”

Ali nodded.

“Holy shit!” She was still speaking with the volume off as she mouthed, “I knew it!”

Leaning even closer to her friend Ali breathed out the details of her night making sure to keep an eye out to pick up if anyone was eavesdropping. Most of the ladies had hearing aids, but when they turned those suckers up they had sonar hearing. “I did fall in front of the restaurant, but I didn’t break my leg. I scraped up my hand and knee and sprained my ankle. When I got home Kade met me at the door, picked me up, and carried me to the kitchen. Then, he cleaned my cuts and wrapped my ankle.” Ali paused not sure how much she wanted to share.

Jess elbowed her.

“Ow.” Ali grabbed her side.

“And?” her friend prompted.

She smiled. “Then he kissed my hand and…made everything feel better.”

Jess was shaking her head as she stared at her friend. “Damn, you got the McHoly Trifecta. McKnight-in-Shining-Armor sweeping you off your feet, McDreamy dressing your wounds, and McSteamy laying it down.”

Ali couldn’t help but giggle at Jess’s description of the night’s events. But she stopped when she felt someone approaching them. She looked up and saw Mrs. D heading their way.

A small bit of panic stirred in Ali’s chest. She’d tried to come up with what she was going to say when Mrs. D asked her about the night, but every time she’d think about it her mind would drift to Kade. It was a pattern that seemed to keep repeating itself.

Jess must have sixth-sensed her dilemma because with her smile remaining in place she spoke without moving her lips. “Okay, just tell her you had a nice time with Keaton but you’re not interested because of KJ.”

“Hello, ladies. How are things going over here?” Mrs. D eyed their work.

“Good.” Ali smiled.

“Hunky dory.” Jess gave her a thumbs up.

“So, Miss Walsh. Do you have my report?”

“Well, we had a nice time and I think Keaton is a great guy, but I don’t feel comfortable dating him since KJ is his student.” Done. That was easy.

“Okay,” Mrs. D shrugged. “What does that have to do with the report you owe me?”

“Um…I…” Ali wasn’t sure what to say. Her eyes darted to Jess for help but her friend looked just as confused as she was. “I thought that was what you wanted me to report back on.”

Mrs. D’s head shook back and forth in tiny, rapid movements. “Why would who you want to date, or not date, have anything to do with the budget?”

---