Читать книгу RSVP with Love - Sandra Kitt - Страница 9

“Go on. Admit it. The last four years at Hollington have been exciting, enriching and challenging. None of us will ever forget those night-before-exam cram sessions fueled by potato chips, beer and desperation…”

There was a smattering of laughter from the young men and women seated in front of the band shell stage, uniformly dressed in caps and gowns. Chloe Jackson was sure, as she knew the faculty must be, that their four years had been stoked at times with far more than what she’d politely mentioned. But this was neither the time nor the forum for reminding her fellow classmates that they’d arrived at Hollington College, for the most part, as teenagers with a penchant for arrogance, and were leaving as adults who’d learned they still didn’t know everything. There had been a lot of foolish mistakes, unforgivable behavior, triumphs, broken hearts and vendettas but also a unilateral determination to succeed.

Chloe glanced over the gathering of her classmates, detecting the rising hum of restlessness as they waited for the pomp and circumstance to be done, for her valedictorian address to end. The late afternoon sun was already shifting to the west. The next order of business for the graduates and the coming evening…some serious celebration.

“Even those crazy days and nights were part of our education, part of the process by which we learn to manage life, our uncompromising professors and bad diets. So, here we are at the tipping point. The scoreboard shows winning numbers all around. Hollington will soon be behind us and our futures straight ahead. We have been given all the necessary tools to make it bright and rewarding. Congratulations, class of 1999. We did it. Game on!”

Chloe gathered her notes and turned to leave the stage as enthusiastic and sustained applause broke out from the seated students. While she made her way back to her seat, the dean was already making final remarks, bringing the ceremony to a close. Chloe took her seat, and the young man in black-framed glasses sitting next to her leaned close.

“In training to be speaker of the house or a sports announcer?” Micah Ross whispered. “Impressive send-off.”

Chloe acknowledged the comment with a smile but said nothing. Micah, a very smart but quiet young man, was probably her best friend at Hollington. They’d somehow managed to become each other’s confidant in an environment that mostly cultivated couples and brief flings. Micah had been telling her in their last year that she would make a great senator, or congresswoman or anything. But she wasn’t interested in working for someone else, least of all the government.

“…We are so proud of all of you. Once again, congratulations to the Hollington College graduating class of 1999.”

With those words, it was done.

Chloe felt a chill of finality with the pronouncement. She stood along with everyone else as her classmates applauded each other. Most had decided on that time-honored tradition of tossing their mortarboards into the air and shouting with relief, joy and the freedom they’d earned along with their degrees and awards. She wasn’t about to toss her mortarboard anywhere. It had to be returned along with the gown or she’d be held financially responsible. It was an added expense she couldn’t afford.

Instead, after a brief hug from Micah, and cheek kisses from many around her with whom she’d spent four years, Chloe bent to retrieve from beneath her chair the three plaques and certificates she’d been awarded along with her diploma.

Then, she stood a bit dazed. Despite her speech heralding all her potential, she wasn’t sure what to do next. The graduation rituals seemed anticlimactic. Four years of work culminating in ninety minutes of speeches and a sheet of paper in a faux leather presentation folder. For a moment she felt a flash of emptiness. Like…how did she get here in the first place? Now that she’d actually achieved her goal of an undergraduate degree Chloe fingered the folder and wondered if this was all there was.

She looked around for the only two people in the crowd of nearly two thousand students and guests who should be attending the commencement ceremony because of her. There were clusters of people everywhere. Chloe quickly realized that she was the only one who stood alone.

On the band shell stage where all the college officials and faculty had been seated they, too, congratulated themselves on successfully shepherding another enrollment of students from freshman through senior year without any incidents that made the local papers or embarrassed the school, themselves or the students. And she suspected that by the end of the evening, the responsibility for this latest graduating class would all have been forgotten by those who had guided and tried to teach them.

Chloe was suddenly caught completely off guard when a young woman, almost twice her size, grabbed her in a fierce bear hug. The sharp edges of her awards pressed into her through the fabric of her gown. Her mortarboard fell off her head and landed at their feet. The woman stepped on it.

“Girl, thank you, thank you, thank you! I would not be standing here if you hadn’t helped me through that first year. Lord, I just knew I wasn’t going to get through.”

Chloe extracted herself and bent to retrieve her cap. “Darlene, you don’t have to thank me.” She carefully brushed loose grass and dirt from the cap. “You did all the work, and you worked really hard.”

Darlene, a big woman with a big voice and laugh and exuberance, shook her head. “Uh-uh. Don’t let it go like that. You kept me on point. All those times you helped me do research in the library. I couldn’t face my grandmother if I had failed. I’m the first person in my family to go to college.”

Chloe shrugged lightly. “Me, too.”

Seeing Darlene’s surprised expression she rushed on, not allowing her classmate a chance to ask questions, and sorry that she was so unguarded in her choice of words.

“Is your grandmother here?” Chloe asked.

“She sure is. Said she wouldn’t miss today for anything. You know, she could never come on parents’ weekends, so I want to show her around. The campus sure isn’t like where I grew up.” Darlene stopped suddenly, looking a bit embarrassed. “You know what I’m talking about, right? You were always alone on those weekends, too.”

“I know what you mean,” Chloe responded smoothly.

Darlene looked beyond her. “What about you? Did your…”

“They’re here somewhere,” Chloe spoke confidently. “It’s crowded. They’re probably wandering around right now trying to find me.”

“Yeah. Right,” Darlene murmured. “Well, I gotta go. My grandmother can’t stand too long. I’ll see you at the party later, okay?”

She rushed away before Chloe could answer, saving her the trouble of admitting she knew nothing about a party. She carefully placed the graduation cap back atop her head, straightened her gown and began meandering through the hundreds of milling people, looking for one couple in particular.

The great field in front of the band shell stage was beginning to empty. She’d walked the grassy area twice and was now wondering if anyone had shown up at all to see her graduate, to see her win the President’s Award for scholastic merit, the Hollington Discovery Award for entrepreneurial spirit, a plaque recognizing her volunteer work tutoring kids living in shelters in Atlanta. There was also a check for five thousand dollars from an anonymous benefactor. It sounded impressive, but Chloe knew she would trade it all in a heartbeat for a look of love and pride from her own family.

She turned at the whoop of laughter behind her and found a sizable gathering surrounding Beverly Turner. People were taking endless digital pictures of Hollington’s statuesque and pretty homecoming queen, and it was clear that, as always, Beverly was enjoying being the center of attention. But to her credit Beverly had always been understated about her God-given gifts of beauty and personality. She was well-liked, incredibly popular and in the top fifteen percent of the graduating class. Darlene had once said, not without a bit of envy, “I swear that girl lives a blessed life.”

Chloe smiled tightly to herself. Beverly’s pictures were sure to end up in the local paper the next day: “Hollington Homecoming Beauty Says Goodbye.”

Chloe sighed and turned away, encroaching disappointment eating away at her early euphoria. There weren’t many people left on the field. The custodial staff was already spread out, collecting the folding chairs and disconnecting the audio equipment on stage.

“Hey! How come you’re still out here? I’ve been looking all over the place for you.”

Once again Chloe found herself grabbed, this time from behind. She scrambled to hold on to her awards, but they all dropped to the ground.

She was pulled into someone’s arms and kissed unceremoniously, catching only a glimpse of the man crushing her against his lean body. Once again, her mortarboard fell from her head. Caught off guard, Chloe was unprepared to ward off the assault and could only react instinctively. She kissed him back.

Her mouth was compliant and soft. He controlled the pressure and intensity and contact with her tongue, gently forcing it to dance with his. She inhaled his scent and found it pleasant, almost comforting. Somewhere in her mind Chloe knew this was inappropriate, a mistake. But she also sensed a familiarity that made the embrace nonthreatening. And very seductive.

Chloe’s assailant seemed in no hurry to…hurry. But then he pulled back as swiftly as he’d grabbed her, releasing her so suddenly she stumbled backward, stunned…and giddy.

“Oh, man! I’m so sorry,” the tall handsome graduate said, chuckling.

Chloe blinked silently at him. It was hard to take the apology seriously. He looked only mildly taken aback and more than a little amused. He was tall with a sinewy athletic leanness. He also had a cocky stance as if he hadn’t really done anything so terrible and, of course, she wasn’t going to hold his mistake against him.

He was also very good-looking, his skin a latte tone broken only by the devilish goatee that grew around his wide mouth. With teeth that were even and white, his smile made him look rakish. Chloe had the distinct feeling that he was totally aware of his appeal, and had no trouble playing on it. If the gossip on campus was half-true, Kevin Stayton, if not exactly a womanizer, was at the very least a seasoned heartbreaker.

Trying to catch her breath and her voice, Chloe stared at him. Of course she recognized him. It was certainly confirmed by the sudden roiling of her stomach and the heated ignition of her hormones. She struggled not to betray herself. She lightly placed her fingers over her lips, as if to seal the taste and feel of him. An unexpected bonus to the day was how she saw the encounter—an unexpected graduation gift.

“I think you’ve made a mistake,” Chloe said the obvious.

A slightly wicked and totally noncontrite expression crossed his face as his gaze roamed thoroughly over her.

“Yeah, seems like it. Hey, I didn’t mean to jump you like that.”

Chloe pursed her lips, the implication creating an image for her of what that would be like. His voice, this close, was every bit as resonant and deep as she’d imagined. She knew more about Kevin Stayton than he could ever know.

“I see you like to act first and ask questions later.”

Kevin grinned, a “what can I say?” look on his face.

“I swear, from the back you looked just like…anyway, I’m really sorry…”

A trio of young men hurried by in their gowns. They shouted greetings to Kevin, offering high fives and fist bumps to each other. They said nothing to her.

“I’m not in the habit of attacking unsuspecting women,” Kevin said.

“Don’t worry about it,” Chloe said in as steady a voice as she could manage. “I guess I should be flattered.”

He shrugged lightly, accepting the implied compliment. “Don’t look at it like that. It’s been that kind of day, you know? Hey, by the way, congratulations.”

Kevin spread his arms as if to warn her that he was going to touch her again. He did so, grabbing her upper arms and leaning toward Chloe to chastely kiss her cheek.

Chloe briefly closed her eyes. He smelled so nice. She liked his sudden attack much better.

“I’m—”

“Kevin Stayton. I know who you are.”

Again, he didn’t seem embarrassed or nonplussed by her calm identification. Chloe realized that Hollington’s resident babe magnet and popular man-about-campus was probably used to being recognized…and idolized.

“Chloe Jackson,” she said with a little lift of her chin.

Kevin narrowed his gaze and stared at her. “Sounds familiar.” Then, he snapped his fingers. “Right! You were up on stage. Valedictorian or something. Got a bunch of awards. Put me to shame.”

She wondered if he was making fun of her—the brainiac and Goody Two-shoes who largely went unnoticed by Kevin and his crowd. And it’s not like she was never invited to the parties, dances, rallies, clubs like any other coed. But she was the one most likely to sit alone along the sidelines and watch, super-careful not to do anything that would jeopardize her scholarships and the ultimate goal of getting her degree.

“I got a couple. I saw you go up to the stage, too,” she murmured, bending to retrieve her cap and awards.

Kevin beat her to it, swooping up everything and handing them back to her.

“For economics and marketing. Not too shabby.”

Chloe took her things from him. There was a moment’s awkward silence. Then, she made it easy for him. “Er…I bet she’s in the ladies’ room. Hair. Makeup. Panty hose.”

He shook his head and laughed quietly at her description. “Hadn’t thought of that. So how come you’re not in there?”

“I’m looking for someone, too. My…family,” she rushed on, the word coming forth uncomfortably.

“Right. Mine are waiting for me somewhere, but…”

Kevin ran his hand over his hair, a very close cut defining the shape of his head. It emphasized his square chin and the clean, straight line of his nose. His bottom lip was wide and full. Lush and mobile. Suddenly recalling the movement of his mouth, Chloe inadvertently moistened her lips.

He frowned and studied her again. “I feel like I should know you from somewhere. Any ideas?”

She shrugged, calm again and poised. “We probably had some classes together.”

He pursed his mouth, nodding. “Yeah, yeah…now I remember.”

Chloe sighed inwardly. He didn’t have a clue.

“You have promises to keep,” she quoted, staying cool and not allowing the fact that, after four years of passing one another on campus, sitting side by side in world studies, that at the eleventh hour as they were about to go their separate ways forever, she’d finally gotten Kevin Stayton to notice her.

He smiled ruefully. “I have to be careful about that. I mean, making promises.”

“Chloe! We made it. I know we’re late…”

Chloe glanced beyond Kevin to the couple advancing across the field. She could tell by their breathlessness that they’d either not been able to find her in the crowds of students earlier or they’d just arrived.

The woman, short and stout and dressed in one of her Sunday church ensembles, took Chloe in a light embrace and kissed her cheek.

“We’re so happy for you,” the woman said.

“We know this was real important to you,” said the man.

He was tall and broad. His dark suit was the only one he owned and was a tad too small for his frame. He, too, gave Chloe a brief hard hug and squeezed her shoulder.

“Sorry we don’t have a gift or anything for you,” he apologized.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Chloe smiled at him. Aware that Kevin Stayton stood watching this tableau she took a deep breath and turned to face him.

Kevin stepped forward and thrust his hand out to the man standing next to her.

“I’m Kevin Stayton. Congratulations, Mr. Jackson. Mrs. Jackson. I know you’re proud of your daughter,” Kevin offered with charm and a polished demeanor.

Silently the man and woman exchanged glances. Then looked at Chloe. She turned to Kevin.

“This is Mr. and Mrs. Fields. Harold and Nettie.”

“We’re Chloe’s foster parents,” Nettie Fields clarified with a calm smile.

“Oh,” Kevin said, nodding. “Sorry, I…”

“No need to be sorry, son. We couldn’t be more happy for this girl if she’d been one of our own. Right, Nettie? And today sure means a lot to Chloe.”

There was an awkward silence. The Fields, being simple and honest people, thought nothing of Kevin’s understandable mistake. Chloe, on the other hand, felt like she was falling down a rabbit hole, rushing back into a past that was undefined and blurred in her memory. By circumstances, she knew she shouldn’t even be there graduating from Hollington. She quietly squared off with Kevin, their gazes meeting and holding. His darkening gaze told her he got it—no further explanation was needed. With an imperceptible nod of his head Kevin lifted a corner of his mouth.

“She’s going to go far,” he said to the Fields. “I can tell she’s going to have a great future. Most likely to succeed.”

“Thanks. Nice of you to say so,” Chloe murmured.

As the four of them faced each other with nothing more to say, Kevin heard his name being called behind him. They all turned to the female voice and saw a young woman attempting to trot across the grass, unsteady in high heels. Her graduation robe hung open, and they could see her body swaying unsteadily but seductively in a pretty spring dress. The show was all for Kevin.

“That’s my cue,” Kevin said to them all, backing away toward the woman.

Chloe could not see how he could have mistaken the advancing alluring sight with her. Curve for curve, attribute for attribute, there was no contest. Like her, however, the young woman was tall and thin. Her hair was upswept in the back, while Chloe’s was short and only seemed to be longer because of the way it was combed. Chloe could see that their complexions were similar. Medium-brown. Plus from behind, all you could see was their robes.

Kevin had made an honest mistake.

“Seems like a nice young man,” Mrs. Fields said quietly. “Is he a good friend?”

Chloe shook her head, watching the couple walk away, their arms around one another. “This is the second time we’ve ever spoken.”

Her foster mother looked incredulous. “In four years?”

“He seemed to have a lot to say when we walked up on you. Sure there’s nothin’ going on?” Mr. Fields cackled good-naturedly.

“Not a chance,” Chloe responded caustically, despite an infuriating flash recall of Kevin kissing her.

“I’m so sorry we’re late,” Mrs. Fields said sincerely. “Harold got lost.”

“Well, tell her how we got started late. Nettie couldn’t find her good purse. It ain’t all my fault,” he groused.

“I’m glad you got here,” Chloe said.

Mrs. Fields looked around. “Did we miss everything?”

“Just a lot of talking,” Chloe answered kindly, not wanting to blame them or make them feel bad. The truth of the matter was the couple didn’t have to come at all. It wasn’t part of their agreement.

Mrs. Fields sighed, remorseful.

Chloe realized that she would have to rescue the afternoon and protect the memory of the day. She’d have to take responsibility for it to end on an up note.

“You’ve never been here before. Would you like to look around?”

“Sure is pretty,” Mr. Fields commented as they fell into step together and headed back toward the quad, around which all the buildings were laid out. “Not like where we live, right, Nettie?”

“Well, we can’t always help where we’re born and raised,” Mrs. Fields sighed. “But Chloe got lucky, thank the good Lord.”

Chloe smiled warmly at Mrs. Fields. “I also got lucky and had you and Mr. Fields.”

Nettie Fields brushed the compliment aside with an airy wave of her hand. “We didn’t do much. Why, look at her now. Don’t she look grown up, Harold?”

“Sure do.”

Mrs. Fields gasped and stopped walking. “Honey, we didn’t take you away from anything, did we? You know, maybe meeting friends later. Was that young man about to ask you to join him?”

Chloe shook her head, looking down at her feet and inexpensive pumps.

She wished.

“No, he wasn’t. Kevin Stayton and I never hung out together. He’s not really a friend.”

She hoped that the longing and schoolgirl crush weren’t obvious. It was one thing to hold out hope with such a ridiculous thought. It was another for anyone to know and only make fun of her.

Chloe knew exactly the direction Kevin and his girlfriend had walked. Covertly she let her eyes find them, standing in the shadows of a tree near the entrance to the student lounge. They were embracing and kissing, unmindful of anyone else walking by making comments about their open display of affection.

She hardly thought Kevin Stayton was going to remember her, let alone give her a second thought.