Chapter Four #3
“I’m back,” Jill announced as she came through the living room into the kitchen.
Immediately Quinn dropped his hands to his side.
“I’ll finish setting the table,” Meggie said quickly. Too quickly. Her hands groped inside the cupboards for the plates and
glasses. When she turned around, her eyes met Quinn’s and he winked boyishly, nearly causing Meggie to laugh out loud. It
was almost like they were young teenagers enjoying a tryst, disguising their affection from their parents.
“What do you think?” Jill stepped out from behind the dressing-room curtain.
“Oh, Jill,” Meggie murmured and breathed in deeply, inspecting the lovely blossom-print dress. “Put on the jacket.”
Long, slender arms slipped inside the matching jacket. Expectantly, Jill raised her eyes to Meggie. “Well?”
Meggie shook her head in wonder at the transformation a simple dress could make in the lanky girl. “It’s just perfect,” she
whispered, “just perfect.”
Jill’s girlish face brightened with pleasure. “Do you think so? Really?”
Meggie laughed softly. “If you don’t believe me, just look in the mirror.” With a guiding hand at her shoulder, she led Jill
to one of the store mirrors.
As if surprised at the reflection, Jill stood, examining herself for a long moment. The gentle smile gradually died. “My legs
are too skinny to wear dresses,” she insisted.
“They’ll fill out soon enough,” Meggie replied in a soothing voice.
Roughly Jill jerked her finger through the length of her blonde hair. “My hair is awful. Why can’t it look like yours?”
By no means was Jill’s outburst a compliment, but Meggie chose to look upon it as one. “If you want your hair to be styled
like mine then you’ll need a perm.”
“Oh sure, and Dad’s going to fork out fifty bucks on my hair?” she murmured sarcastically.
“I certainly didn’t. There are such things as home perms, you know.”
Jill looked away skeptically. “And mine’s supposed to turn out like yours? Ha!”
“I don’t see why not. I did mine, I can do yours.”
“You did? Really? You’d do mine too?”
“Of course.” Meggie laughed. “Now go change back into your jeans while I tell the salesclerk we want the dress.”
Jill looked up, shocked. “I don’t think I want to waste my money on a silly dress. Blue isn’t my color. Hariette says I shouldn’t
wear anything that has blue in it. Besides, the waist is too big. Look.” She sucked in her stomach and made a show of placing
her hand inside the belt.
Shaking her head mockingly, Meggie dismissed the idea. “The dress is perfect and you know it. Besides I’m paying for it. Just
think of it as my birthday gift to you. That and the perm.”
Jill gasped, her eyes growing more and more round. “Meggie, no. You don’t need to do that! It’s too expensive.”
Meggie looked down upon the younger girl and the silent pleading in her eyes. How easy it was to recall all the times she
had wished for a mother to go shopping with her, especially in her early teens. Jill must be feeling some of the same loneliness
and it pleased Meggie to play even a small part in easing this child’s hurt.
Impulsively Meggie gave her a tiny hug. “Happy birthday, Jill,” she whispered softly.
While Meggie paid for the dress she saw Jill wander outside the store, pausing at the balcony to look at the skating figures
below.
Meggie joined her a few minutes later, surprised to note the tears glistening in the younger girl’s eyes. Meggie didn’t say
anything for fear of embarrassing Jill; she didn’t want to do that. The emotion reinforced the sensation that Jill simply
needed someone to love her for who she was.
“Have you ever ice skated?” Meggie asked after a while.
“Lots,” Jill returned flippantly. “I’m pretty good.”
Gazing upon the figures below brought back a myriad of memories. “I haven’t had on a pair of skates in years,” Meggie spoke
wistfully. “Shall we?”
“Shall we what?” Jill still didn’t look at Meggie, continuing to focus her attention on the ice rink.
“Go skating, silly.” Meggie laughed.
The big, blue eyes rounded incredulously. “You mean now?”
“Of course I mean now. Come on, we have plenty of time.” She didn’t wait for Jill; instead, she walked purposefully to the
escalator and rode to the bottom level of the center.
Jill caught up with her breathlessly as Meggie stood in front of the ticket counter. “But Dad said he’d be waiting for us
by the . . .”
“Don’t worry, he’ll find us,” Meggie interrupted calmly, handing Jill her ticket. “He’s not an inspector for nothing.”
Still Jill balked. “But I don’t want to. Not now,” she said forcefully.
Tucking her arm around her elbow, Meggie pulled her along. “Come on, Jill, it’ll be great fun.”
It soon became obvious that Jill’s ice skating ability was another of her fabrications. One look at her feeble attempts to
move around on the ice told Meggie Jill had probably never skated in her life. After one abortive attempt, she clung to the
rail in a death grip while her feet slipped and jerked out from under her.
“Here, give me your hand,” Meggie instructed, holding out her arm.
“Not on your life,” Jill spat back angrily. “I thought you said this was fun. I hate it. You didn’t tell me you were another
Rosalynn Sumners. You’re nothing but a big show-off.”
Meggie wasn’t about to let Jill’s anger affect her. “All right, if you want to spend the entire day at the rail, don’t let
me stop you,” she said and glided away.
After a couple of times around the rink, Meggie skated to Jill again. “Come on, you’re going to have to trust me sooner or
later. Otherwise you won’t learn a thing.”
“But I’ll fall,” Jill burst out.
“Yes, and I’ll probably go down with you,” Meggie said matter-of-factly, as she held out her arm. “But falling down and picking
yourself back up is all part of the learning process.”
Jill bit into her bottom lip indecisively before tentatively extending one hand to Meggie. “Oh all right,” she conceded ungraciously.
They both fell twice the first time around; for a moment Meggie thought Jill might quit but she picked herself up again and
laughed. For a while Meggie felt she was losing the feeling in her arm, Jill was clinging to it so tightly. But little by
little the hold loosened as the girl gained confidence. Within a half-hour she was skating on her own. She was ungainly, took
abrupt steps, but she was skating in the standing position and all on her own power.
“Glide, Jill, glide,” Meggie called as she skated past her doing a skillful about-face so that she was skating backwards directly
in front of Jill.
“Dad’s here,” Jill said excitedly.
Meggie quickly surveyed the row of spectators standing outside the rink. “I don’t see him.”
“He’s buying a ticket, I think,” Jill spoke, her hands outstretched at her side as she concentrated, sliding one foot in front
of the other. “Imagine my dad on skates.”
Glancing around, Meggie caught sight of Quinn sitting on one of the benches lacing up the skates. Her heart was pumping eagerly
as she remained in front of Jill until he joined them.
Jill looked up, her eyes dancing. “Dad, look at me!” Proudly she surged forward ungracefully displaying her limited ability.
Quinn watched his daughter until he lost his balance and groped for Meggie, who thrust out her arms to stabilize him.
“First time on skates?” she quizzed, laughing.
His mouth twisted wryly. “No, last. There are three things I regret in my life and this is one of them.”
Hiding her smile, she placed an arm around his middle as she’d done with Jill.
His hand curled around her back, resting against her waist. He smiled faintly. “I don’t know, skating does seem to have a
few redeeming qualities.” His twinkling eyes met hers. “It’s a nice way of having you in my arms without either of us being
self-conscious around Jill.”
Meggie laughed, enjoying the feel of his warmth pressing against her. There was a rightness at being at his side even if it
was only under the guise of skating.
“Dad, watch,” Jill shouted as she flew past.
How eager she was to impress her father. When Quinn said nothing, Meggie cried out encouragingly, “You’re doing great.”
Quinn’s look was thoughtful as he viewed his daughter’s antics. “She’s almost a different girl around you,” he said to Meggie,
his eyes searching hers. Relaxing his grip around her waist, his hand reached for hers.
“You should be proud of her, Quinn, Jill’s a wonderful girl. I enjoy . . .”
At just that second, Quinn lost his footing. Flinging his arms out wildly, he struggled to maintain his balance. Meggie attempted
to help him, but in the process hampered him more than she helped. Finally his feet went out from under him and he crashed
onto the ice.
Meggie didn’t bother to restrain her amusement, as she peered down at him, hands on her knees.
“You think it’s funny, do you?” he asked with a wicked gleam in his eyes. He extended a hand so she could help him up, but
when Meggie fit her hand in his, he gave a quick jerk, yanking her onto the ice with him.
“You devil!” she cried. In spite of herself, Meggie laughed at the dark eyes so full of mischief.
His gaze narrowed on her lips and for a moment Meggie was sure he meant to kiss her.
Jill interrupted them, flinging her arms out helplessly in an effort to stop beside them. Hands on hips, she gazed down indignantly.
“Can’t you two manage to stay on your feet for heaven’s sake?” she teased, and with a toss of her long hair she glided away.
Meggie watched her go with a feeling akin to pride. Jill was changing. The angry facade was breaking away piece by piece,
bit by bit.
“She’s quite a girl, Quinn,” she said as she rose, brushing the ice from her pants. “I hope this birthday will always be special
to her.”
“Birthday?” he quizzed with surprise. “It isn’t Jill’s birthday until September.”