Read Online How Do I Love Thee by Lurlene McDaniel - Free Book Online
Authors: Lurlene McDaniel
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his parents at the hospital when Bobby brought Dana to the house on Saturday. She breathed a sigh of relief. With a little luck, she might miss meeting up with him altogether. She quickly changed into her bathing suit and swam several laps with Bobby before they stretched out in patio chairs to soak up the sun. Even though it was October, the cool nights gave way to warm temperatures by midday.
Dana rose on her elbow and asked, “You— um, haven't said much about picking up your brother at the airport. Did it go all right?”
“Same old, same old. Mom and Dad were all over Steve and I was invisible.”
“That bad, huh?”
Bobby rolled over to look at her. “That was cold,” he confessed. “Truth is, Steve looks like he's lost weight, and he's definitely not his normal self. We didn't get to talk last night because his head hurt pretty bad. He just crawled into bed as soon as he could.”
The noise of the patio door sliding open startled them both. “We're back, bro,” said a male voice.
Dana tensed, kept her back turned.
Bobby got up. “Good. How'd it go?”
“It went. They took X rays, but the neurologist won't see the films until Monday. I'm supposed to check in Sunday night for more tests.”
“Well, come over here. There's someone I'd like you to meet.”
Dana's heart hammered. Her moment of truth had arrived. She sat up, squinting because the sun was over Steve's shoulder and it glared in her eyes.
“The girl of my dreams,” Bobby said, putting his hand on Dana's shoulder. “Dana, this is Steve, superstar of the Harrod family.”
If Steve recognized her, it didn't show onhis face. “So you're the girl Bobby's been telling me about. Glad to finally meet you.”
“I'm glad to meet you too,” she said. Her voice sounded breathy. She hoped neither of them noticed.
“I didn't lie, did I?” Bobby said. “She's something else, huh?”
She felt her face redden. “Stop it, Bobby.”
“She's something else all right,” Steve echoed.
“Look, we're going out for a burger. Want to come along, talk to me and Dana about college and all?”
She held her breath, afraid Steve would agree to come. If he did, there would be no way she could gag down food.
“Not this time,” Steve said.
“I'll go change.” Dana darted to the house and hurried to the guest room, where she'd left her clothing. Her heart in her throat, she struggled into her clothes. Steve hadn't appeared to remember her. Their time together had been forgotten, probably lost among all the other girls who had come along over the years. She had worried about nothing.
Her hand shook as she brushed her long dark hair. “It's just as well,” she said to herself. “It doesn't matter. It's better this way.”
Suddenly she was desperate to get out of the house and away from the memories seeing Steve had stirred up. She grabbed her purse, opened the door, and stopped short.
Steve was lounging against the wall in die hallway. Their gazes met. She froze. He straightened and stepped toward her. “I think we should talk, don't you, Dana Marie?”
Three
“aybe so,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.
“Did you know that when I got home that summer, I called all the people with the last name of Marie in the local phone book? There are four, just in case you're wondering, but none of them had ever heard of a Dana.”
She felt hot and cold all over. “I—it's my middle name.”
“No lie?”
His words stung. “No lie.”
“All I knew was that you were from this area, so I wondered why you made it hard for me to find you again. I went over things in my mind ahundred times, trying to figure out what I'd said or done that caused you to lie to me.”
“I never lied to you.”
Steve shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “But you didn't tell me the whole truth either. How was I supposed to locate you when I never even knew your last name? “
Her rationale was beyond anything she could explain to herself, much
Dana rose on her elbow and asked, “You— um, haven't said much about picking up your brother at the airport. Did it go all right?”
“Same old, same old. Mom and Dad were all over Steve and I was invisible.”
“That bad, huh?”
Bobby rolled over to look at her. “That was cold,” he confessed. “Truth is, Steve looks like he's lost weight, and he's definitely not his normal self. We didn't get to talk last night because his head hurt pretty bad. He just crawled into bed as soon as he could.”
The noise of the patio door sliding open startled them both. “We're back, bro,” said a male voice.
Dana tensed, kept her back turned.
Bobby got up. “Good. How'd it go?”
“It went. They took X rays, but the neurologist won't see the films until Monday. I'm supposed to check in Sunday night for more tests.”
“Well, come over here. There's someone I'd like you to meet.”
Dana's heart hammered. Her moment of truth had arrived. She sat up, squinting because the sun was over Steve's shoulder and it glared in her eyes.
“The girl of my dreams,” Bobby said, putting his hand on Dana's shoulder. “Dana, this is Steve, superstar of the Harrod family.”
If Steve recognized her, it didn't show onhis face. “So you're the girl Bobby's been telling me about. Glad to finally meet you.”
“I'm glad to meet you too,” she said. Her voice sounded breathy. She hoped neither of them noticed.
“I didn't lie, did I?” Bobby said. “She's something else, huh?”
She felt her face redden. “Stop it, Bobby.”
“She's something else all right,” Steve echoed.
“Look, we're going out for a burger. Want to come along, talk to me and Dana about college and all?”
She held her breath, afraid Steve would agree to come. If he did, there would be no way she could gag down food.
“Not this time,” Steve said.
“I'll go change.” Dana darted to the house and hurried to the guest room, where she'd left her clothing. Her heart in her throat, she struggled into her clothes. Steve hadn't appeared to remember her. Their time together had been forgotten, probably lost among all the other girls who had come along over the years. She had worried about nothing.
Her hand shook as she brushed her long dark hair. “It's just as well,” she said to herself. “It doesn't matter. It's better this way.”
Suddenly she was desperate to get out of the house and away from the memories seeing Steve had stirred up. She grabbed her purse, opened the door, and stopped short.
Steve was lounging against the wall in die hallway. Their gazes met. She froze. He straightened and stepped toward her. “I think we should talk, don't you, Dana Marie?”
Three
“aybe so,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.
“Did you know that when I got home that summer, I called all the people with the last name of Marie in the local phone book? There are four, just in case you're wondering, but none of them had ever heard of a Dana.”
She felt hot and cold all over. “I—it's my middle name.”
“No lie?”
His words stung. “No lie.”
“All I knew was that you were from this area, so I wondered why you made it hard for me to find you again. I went over things in my mind ahundred times, trying to figure out what I'd said or done that caused you to lie to me.”
“I never lied to you.”
Steve shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “But you didn't tell me the whole truth either. How was I supposed to locate you when I never even knew your last name? “
Her rationale was beyond anything she could explain to herself, much
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