The Saturday morning shopping trip was a great success. The morning mist burned off to reveal sun breaks casting shadowed patterns over Port Evan as Brenna and Molly went from store to store. Molly found a strapless emerald dress with a bolero jacket and bought some black heels to wear with it. Brenna fell in love with a wine crepe satin dress with short sleeves and a scooped neckline. After she held it up in front of a mirror for ten minutes trying to decide if the color was too 'out of season', Molly grabbed it out of her hands and pushed her toward the shoe department. Feeling braver, Brenna splurged on matching heels and hairclips sporting burgundy crystal flowers. Finally, they loaded elegant shopping bags into the back of the Blazer and ordered Italian sodas for the road.
Brenna had told Adam she and Molly would meet the men at the restaurant. That evening, beautiful and smelling faintly of flowery perfume, they drove to 'Ivan's'. Brenna played with the edge of her dress while Molly tapped her fingers on the steering wheel in time to the radio.
Brenna scowled at her. "How can you be so calm when you've never been out with this guy before?"
Molly laughed. "How can you be so nervous when you have been out with this guy before? Besides, Tony wouldn't have asked me to dinner if he didn't want to even if Adam did give him some encouragement." She wheeled abruptly into the parking lot. The lot was nearly full, the fire engine and ambulance parked by the entrance in case the department received a call.
Adam and Tony were waiting inside close to the door and after complimenting the women profusely, showed them to a table they'd reserved near the dance floor. Brenna smiled as she looked over at the polished hardwood floor and remembered dancing in Adam's arms.
Tony seemed to have lost whatever composure he'd gained, but was quick to pull out Molly's chair for her. She thanked him and gestured to the chair next to hers, determined to put this man at ease if it took all evening. Adam smiled at them as he held Brenna's chair and caught her eye.
"If anyone can make him feel more comfortable, it's Molly," she told him under her breath. Adam nodded.
Brenna looked around the room, surprised at how many people she recognized after living in Seacliff such a short time. Jim and Cece were a few tables away and smiled and waved. Mel and a man Brenna assumed was her husband were sitting with her brother Bob and his wife. Brenna turned in the other direction and saw Wendy and Vince sitting behind them. Wendy looked lovely and older than nineteen in a blue velvet dress with her hair up in a cascade of curls. Vince's arm was wrapped closely around her as he talked to the couple across their table.
Ivan's food was excellent as usual and the wine even better. They were nearly finished dinner when Brenna's stomach knotted as she noticed Adena wending her way through the dinner tables toward them...toward Adam. Suddenly, her dress seemed too flashy and her hair ornaments juvenile as she took in Adena's reserved 'little black dress' and the choker of pearls around her neck.
Molly noticed Brenna's expression and turned to look behind her. "Adena?" she mouthed.
Brenna barely nodded, but Adam noticed and looked up.
"You, know," Molly said in a low voice, "there's a reason they call those things chokers."
Brenna smiled despite herself and heard Tony laugh under his breath. Her smile faded though when she noticed Adam's grim expression.
"Adam, I saw you over here and just wanted to say hi."
Something suddenly sounded familiar about her voice as she spoke his name...the answering machine at Adam's trailer. Adena had been trying to get ahold of him even then.
He looked up at her. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm a guest of Ivan's. When he found out I was in town, he made sure I was coming to the dinner."
"Right, Adena. We're busy eating now. The awards ceremony will start soon."
She tried to hide the anger and hurt that flitted across her face and with a semblance of dignity said, "Well, it was nice to see you, Adam, Tony." Then, pointedly ignoring the women, she turned and made her way back to her own table.
Adam shook his head. "More like, she announced her presence in town in such a manner Ivan felt he had to invite her."
Brenna looked after her. "Does she have any redeeming qualities?"
He frowned. "I can't remember offhand."
"She is taking care of Julie; I guess that's something."
Molly reached over and patted her hand. "You are too generous, my dear. Did you tell him about her little visit?"
Adam looked at Brenna. "What visit?"
"It was nothing much. She just dropped off Julie's shower lists."
"Come on, Bren." Molly shook her fork at her.
"Okay, so she mentioned something about house-hunting when you were engaged and how you two looked at my house."
Adam snorted. "What? She wouldn't even go inside; she thought it was tacky. And we weren't engaged anymore by then anyway. I was looking for a place for myself."
Molly shook her head. "What a piece of work."
Brenna looked at the food growing cold on her plate and realized her appetite was gone. "Could you pour me some more wine, please?" she asked Adam.
He complied quickly. "Aren't you going to finish eating?"
She smiled. "I'm not very hungry this evening."
"Bull," Molly said. "Don't let her ruin this nice dinner, she's nothing. You are ten times the woman she is. Or more."
"That's right," Adam agreed, "and I should have been the one to point that out. By the way, did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?"
Brenna was embarrassed to find her eyes growing moist at his warm words and she blinked quickly. "Yes, you did."
Molly held up her wine glass. "To a great evening."
Four wine glasses clinked gently in agreement.
The awards ceremony didn't last very long, but was obviously meaningful to the firemen and EMTs. Adam received an award for assisting in saving an elderly man who had had a heart attack and had no pulse or respirations when the ambulance arrived at his house. The man was there in person to present the awards and to thank them. Brenna smiled widely and clapped hard for him, tears in her eyes. She couldn't help but wonder what it must be like to hear a patient thank you for saving them.
After the ceremony, Ivan opened the dance floor. Adam held his hand out to Brenna and she gave him her's, but glanced back at Molly. Reassured when Molly made a shooing motion, she left them alone at the table.
The band played slow oldies, music by the Righteous Brothers and others. Brenna wasn't surprised to feel more at ease in Adam's arms, but was overwhelmed at the rush of emotion she felt. Her heart seemed to beat faster as he held her closely, one arm around her and one hand holding hers to his shoulder. As she breathed in his musky aftershave and his own indelible scent, she knew she had fallen in love with this man. A small part of her felt despair as she had not intended to fall in love with anyone at all, but she finally decided to let that fall by the wayside before the far greater power of her affection. Adam kissed her cheek and held her closer, and she smiled at the certainty in her heart that her feelings were returned.
They danced through several more songs before noticing Tony and Molly had joined them on the dance floor. Although Tony was considerably taller than Molly, they danced well together, finding a rhythm of their own that suited them. Brenna smiled; Molly noticed and returned it widely, winking one eye.
At the end of the evening, Molly made her way over to Brenna who had slipped her shoes off and was wiggling her toes.
"Is it okay with you if Tony takes me home in the Honda and we meet you guys there?" Molly asked her.
"Ye-es! I take it you're hitting it off?"
"Actually, when we're alone he loosens up a little more. We've been sharing war stories, life stories, you know..."
"Great, get outta here. We'll see you later."
Before leaving the building, Adam took off his suit jacket and put it around Brenna's shoulders. They opened the door onto a clear dark sky with stars shining brightly. The parking lot was nearly em
pty and the evening was quiet, the sound of the surf magnified in the night air.
They hurried to the truck and he opened the door and helped her up into the cab. Hopping in the other side, he quickly turned the engine on and the heat up. Then he turned to Brenna.
"I've been wanting to do this all evening."
"All evening?" she smiled, wondering what he meant.
"Since you walked through the door." He put his hands on each side of her face and kissed her soundly. He leaned back to see her expression and she smiled, put her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him close again.
Some time later, Adam looked up to notice all the truck windows had fogged over. He started laughing. "I haven't fogged up a truck since I was in high school."
Turning on the defroster, he said, "I guess I should take you home some time tonight."
"I guess so," she said regretfully Her lips felt slightly swollen and whisker-burned, feelings she had nearly forgotten.
Adam wiped off the truck windows and they put on their seat belts.
Suddenly his pager went off, startling Brenna.
"501, 504. One car accident, report of vehicle in a ditch, 300 block Laurel Road. Two victims reported trapped inside, unknown injuries. 501, 504..."
Chapter 42