Page 55 of The Calendar of New Beginnings
Danny did a spin, which had Lucy clapping. Then the Hale sisters jumped up and joined him. Jane followed suit, and all four executed the moves in tandem. When Danny slapped himself on the butt during a spin, Lucy had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.
But she couldn’t contain it when he ran his hands down his sides like a diva and wiggled his little body for all he was worth. Andy started laughing with her, and he put two fingers to his lips and gave a shrill whistle.
When the song finished, Danny ran over to his dad and jumped on his lap. “Dad! You’ve just got to come to class with me sometime. It’s so much fun.”
Andy ran his hand over the boy’s mussed hair. “You know I prefer to run, but I’m glad you’ve found something that makes you happy.”
“It’s so much more fun than baseball,” Danny said as Jane shut the music off. “Even if I’m the only kid. Miss Lucy, you should come too.”
“Even though I was one of the worst dancers at Dare Valley High School, I do love to dance. Especially to songswith a fast rhythm. Maybe after I settle into town a little more.” Although it might prove problematic to follow along in class considering the peripheral vision in her right eye was shot.
“Okay, you let me know,” Danny said, bouncing on his dad’s lap. “We need more backup dancers. Right, Aunt Natalie?”
“Always,” she said, laughing.
Andy made a show of sniffing his son. “Someone needs a bath. Why don’t you say goodbye to your aunts and Miss Lucy and head upstairs? I’ll be up in a jiffy. You know how to start the water.”
“All right, Dad,” the boy said, giving them hugs. Then he turned and gave her one too before racing up the stairs. “Rufus! I’m coming.”
“Are you sure you’re going to be able to take me home?” she asked Andy.
Then she realized all the women were staring at her with open curiosity.
“I don’t have a ride, so I walked here,” she explained with a shrug. “Long story.”
Natalie narrowed her eyes. “Wasn’t today the meet-the-volunteers party?”
“Wait!” Andy called out. “How doyouknow about the calendar?”
“I might have mentioned it,” Jane said with a grimace. “Elizabeth told me about Terrance’s involvement. She couldn’t keep that to herself.”
“Terrance volunteered?” Andy asked, his mouth agape. “You’re kidding.”
“She’s really not,” Moira said, fanning herself. “This calendar is going to sell like Chef T’s hotcakes with his famous salted maplesyrup.”
“She’s right,” Lucy said, remembering his meat cleaver suggestion.
“You didn’t hear it from Mom?” Andy asked his sisters.
“No way,” Natalie said, making a face that matched Moira’s. “Personally, I’m glad they didn’t ask me. Blake’s football friends would never let me live it down if I posed for a calendar like that. They’d probably put my photo in their locker rooms just to rile Blake.”
Now that would be funny, Lucy thought. And it would make the calendar’s popularity spread even further.
“Care to share who else volunteered?” Natalie asked, turning to face Lucy. “Jill can’t keep a secret worth spit, so she spilled her involvement weeks ago.”
“Terrance is terrified of her,” Jane said, sputtering.
Moira wiggled her hips. “She’s never going to stop torturing him. C’mon, Lucy, who else has volunteered besides our mothers and those two?”
She didn’t even consider playing coy. She ticked off the list, delighting in their facial reactions. When Old Man Jenkins’ name came up, Andy actually slapped his forehead.
“Him! And Rhett too? You’re right, Moira. They are going to sell like hotcakes. Personally, though, I’m not sure I want to see Mom in all her glory as Miss April.”
“Me either,” Moira said, crossing her eyes. “It’s a good thing Lucy is doing the calendar. There’s no one in Dare Valley who could match her ability as a photographer.”
Andy’s laughter faded. It was obvious he was thinking about her eye—just like she was—so Lucy gave him an encouraging smile.
“Could one of you stay a little longer with Danny?” he asked. “I need to take Lucy home after I get him bathed and in his PJs.”
