Page 62 of Baby Blue
“But a cute car salesman!” she called out to him, still laughing. He thought he was dressed up when he went to work in jeans and a polo instead of his uniform. She couldn’t imagine what he’d say when he was dressed in that stuff. But it would be fine. In a minute or two he strolled back into the living room and plopped down on the sofa. Anne reached for his hand and when he took hers, she lifted them together and kissed the back of his.
Quick as a finger snap, he twisted around and kissed her, and when he pulled back, he smiled. “BlueWallace in a shirt and tie. You’ll have to take a picture or nobody will believe you.”
A coupleof the guys at work had daughters, and Blue picked their brains. He wanted something special for Polly as a graduation gift. One of them had made a suggestion, and he thought it was pretty good, so he got online, placed an order, and hoped it showed up in time.
The graduation was nice, and so was the reception afterward. As soon as they walked in, Anne had leaned in toward him and whispered, “I can feel them staring at us.”
“Let ’em stare,” he whispered back and dropped a soft little kiss on her forehead. He got one helluva smile out of her for that! They took their seats in the bleachers and when it was over, they were expected to mingle with the other parents. He wouldn’texactly call it awkward, but it wasn’t the most comfortable thing he’d ever done. There were a few people he recognized from some of the bars the band played in, but he was pretty sure they wouldn’t want him pointing that out.
They’d been a little afraid to bring Indie for fear she’d make a fuss during the ceremony, but the only thing she’d done was clap and yell when Polly walked across the stage to get her diploma. That made everyone laugh, so it was perfectly okay, he was sure. “Well, well, well! Who do we have here?” a lady asked and reached for Indie. Without hesitating, the little one let herself be taken from Blue’s arms, and she immediately started playing with the lady’s earring. “Oh, you like shiny things! What’s her name?”
“Indigo.”
“What a pretty name! I’m CarlaPatrick. I teach English here. Do you have a child here?”
“Polly Black.”
“Polly! She’s an exceptional young lady!” Blue wasn’t quite sure what she meant by that. “I didn’t know you lived here.” He could feel his eyebrows tipping toward the bridge of his nose until she said, “She always told everyone that her dad lives out of town. Glad you got to come.”
“Oh! No, um, I’m not… Her mom and I are, um, friends. I’m not her dad.”
“Oh my! I’m so sorry! I feel like an idiot.”
“No, don’t. It’s okay. If somebody had to make a mistake and think a kid was mine, I’d be happy for it to be Polly or Toady. They’re great kids.”
“Toady?”
Blue laughed. “Yeah. Toby, but he couldn’t say his name right when he was little and it came out that way. And it stuck.”
“Toady! That’s cute.” She handed Indie back and smiled. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Mr.Black.”
“Not black. Blue.”
She gave him a funny look and he tried not to laugh. “Oh, right. You’re not Mr.Black. You’re Mr.Blue?”
He couldn’t help it. That deserved a laugh. “No! I’m sorry. BlueWallace. Everybody calls me Blue.”
“Those eyes. Yes. I see that now. Well, nice to meet you,” she said again and leaned in to add, “Blue.”
“And you too.” Standing there watching her go, he couldn’t help but notice her turn and look back at him twice as she made her way across the room.
“Bitch,” a voice hissed behind him, and he turned to find Anne standing there, her cheeks bloodred.
“What?”
“I said bitch. Stay away from her.”
“She just wanted to hold Indie and we were talking and?”
“Yeah, well, she got the principal fired for sleeping with her, and rumor has it she’s bedding the superintendent.”
“So if I want a free piece of ass, that’s where I should look?” he said and turned to get another glimpse of her.
Those arms folded across her chest and she tapped one toe. “What did you say?”
Blue snickered. “Babe! I was kidding! I’m not interested! Sheesh, get a sense of humor, wouldja?”
“Nobody has a sense of humor where she’s concerned. Trust me on that.”
