Judging Joey (8 page)

Madeline recognized the male voice immediately and flinched. She stole a glance at him and was irked by his casual, charming manner. She wiped at her face and blinked back her tears. No way did she want him to see her crying.

Despite the shade, Sabrina squinted up at him. “Why, Officer O’Neill, what brings you to the dog park?”

He moved around to face them. “Just finished up my game at the basketball courts. I usually stop by here to watch the dogs for a while. I’d love to get one someday. Not sure what breed. Although I always liked German Shepherds.” He laughed and pointed to the mid-sized group of dogs. “Or one like these. There’s so many.”

Madeline folded her arms across her chest and clamped her lips down. Bulldog came instantly to mind, she thought.

“Madeline and I volunteer at the dog shelter. We could help you find a shelter dog, couldn’t we?” Sabrina waited a few seconds for a response then nudged Madeline.

Madeline lifted her chin. “Dogs need a lot of care. Are you sure you’re up to that responsibility? Especially with your important position?”

Joey cracked a smile as he focused in on her. The intensity in his dark eyes took her aback. It was almost as if everything around them faded into the background and only she had his attention. “Wouldn’t do it if I couldn’t give it one hundred percent. Besides, I’m in the research stage right now. I won’t be able to get a dog until I buy my own place. I’ve been saving up to buy a house. One with a nice yard for my dog to run.”

Before Madeline could reply, Steve and Chet strolled over. All three dogs trotted behind, their tongues hanging, their tails wagging.

“Joey, how’ve you been? Haven’t seen you for a couple of weeks,” Steve said, extending his hand.

“Can’t complain.” Joey shook Steve’s hand and gave a nod to Chet. “Some of the guys and me are getting together later for a bite. Why don’t all of you come?” Again he watched Madeline, waiting for her to respond.

Madeline rolled her eyes. She had to give him credit. He had gall. He’d had a hand in ruining high school for her and now she was supposed to forget it? She was about to tell him over her dead body. Being a cop she thought he’d appreciate that.

Steve and Chet shook their heads.

“Sorry,” Chet said. “We’re having a family dinner party at our house tonight. Maybe next time?” Chet put his dog on a leash and he and Steve said their goodbyes.

“How about my two favorite teachers?” Joey asked both of them, but his gaze never left Madeline’s face.

“We’d love to come!” Sabrina said. “You two can reminisce about high school. I’m sure you both have some great stories to tell.”

Too startled to offer an objection, Madeline stiffened and her mind froze.

“Perfect.” Joey’s smile broadened. “I’m dying to talk to you about high school. See you around eight at The Grill.” He turned and sauntered off before Madeline could utter the protest she was desperately trying to piece together.

Chapter 7

“Have you lost your marbles?” Madeline glared at Sabrina. “I told you that stuff in confidence. I don’t want to discuss what happened to everyone at a burger joint.”

“I didn’t say anything specific.” Sabrina hooked Pepper up to her leash and handed Rusty’s leash to Madeline. “Tonight’s the night to get all this pent-up anger out. Tell him how he hurt you, made your life miserable, ruined your friendship with Allison. And don’t tell me you have too much schoolwork to do. You have the rest of the afternoon to finish. A girl has to eat, doesn’t she?”

“Maybe you’re right. I should get it off my chest.” She couldn’t deny her friend’s statement about the anger she was holding on to. For her own peace of mind, she had to learn to let it go.

“Of course I’m right. I always am. Besides he’s so cute. How can you stay mad at him?” Sabrina winked at her.

Madeline fastened Rusty’s leash and hiked back to her car with Sabrina. Joey was cute all right. That was what had gotten her into trouble in the first place. She had been thrilled to think Joey was interested in her back in high school and had mistakenly not listened to her instincts. Sad thing was, she wondered if Joey would even remember that night the same way as she did. No matter how much pain he and his friends had caused, she doubted he would even understand what their actions did to two insecure high school girls.

When she arrived home, her Uncle Mark napped while she spent a good part of the afternoon correcting spelling tests and writing her school plans for the next week. Satisfied when she had completed her tasks, she set out to pick out some clothes to wear for that night.

The outfit had to be casual, but not too casual. A cocktail dress was out. After all, The Grill was a burger joint. No way would she want Joey to think she dressed up for him. But it had to be a trifle sexy, unlike what he had seen her wear when at school. And unlike in high school, she wanted to be noticed. Old feelings began to stir deep within her.

She had to admit, she wanted him to notice her tonight.

Madeline selected the new gold sweater she had bought. It sparkled as she held it against her fair skin. She had gotten some color earlier in the day and the sweater brought out a bronze tone in her skin. She hung it back in the closet, disappointed that she’d have to wear it when the fall weather cooperated.
Too warm to wear that tonight.
It would have looked great with the tight pair of jeans that already lay across the ivory French Tile quilt on her bed.

The weather report on the news said the unusually warm weather would last a few more days, and from past experience, she knew the restaurant would be crowded. All that body heat would make the place balmy.

After several changes, she finally decided on a pair of chocolate-brown slacks and a beige sleeveless shell top that plunged just low enough in the front. She fastened a glass-beaded necklace of brown, gold, and amber around her throat. Then she slipped her feet into three-inch mules. She swung a faux crocodile embossed tote bag over her shoulder and ran a hand through her loose hair while she checked herself in the full-length mirror in her bedroom.

She nodded and smiled. Just the effect she was looking for.

She grasped the oak railing and jogged down the stairs to the living room. Her uncle, awake from his power nap as he called them, looked up as he heard her approach. He let out a whistle as he put down the newspaper he was reading.

“Well if I didn’t see it with me own eyes,” he said in an Irish brogue. “You
are
going out on a Saturday night.”

She clicked her tongue in dispute, then gave him a quick peck on the cheek catching a whiff of his favorite aftershave. Madeline raised a brow in surprise. Her uncle had taken extra time with his bath routine and was perched in his recliner dressed in a jogging suit rather than his usual flannel pajamas.

“Stop teasing. I go out on the weekends.”

“Humph, barely. Now don’t you worry about rushing home to walk Rusty. I’ll make sure he goes out.” He patted her hand, still braced on his arm, and cleared his throat. “I’ll be fine. Laura is coming over to play gin rummy to keep me company.”

Madeline lifted her eyebrows even more and didn’t pretend to hide her surprise. Now he was calling their next-door neighbor by her first name when he usually referred to her by her formal name. “Okay, what gives? You never have plans for a Saturday night. Except maybe to watch old war movies.”

He shrugged. “Her plans changed for the weekend and she stopped by before to drop off an apple pie she made for you and me, and when I told her you were going out for the evening, she suggested coming over to help me eat the pie with some decaf coffee. I thought, why not?” He clammed up, gently pushing her aside to view the TV.

Knowing that was all the info she’d get out of her uncle, she kissed him goodbye again, patted Rusty on the head, and scooted out the front door heading for her white Toyota. Before she took off, she sent Sabrina a text message that she was on her way to pick her up. They had decided to carpool after Madeline made Sabrina promise she would leave early in the event that Madeline wanted to. Madeline wasn’t much of a night owl and was unsure of how the evening would unfold with Joey and his friends. Her palms began to sweat as she gripped the steering wheel.

After reaching Sabrina’s apartment complex and getting her friend’s nod of approval on her attire, the two women hopped in Madeline’s car. During the five-minute car ride, they blasted the latest pop music, decided on what they would eat for dinner, agreeing to share orders, and chatted about their expectations of Joey and his buddies. Sabrina hoped some of his friends were single and cute, and Madeline anticipated an apology from Joey. She could only wish he felt some remorse for that horrible high school prank.

The Grill was a local hangout for the twenty- to thirty-something crowd. They reached the corner restaurant in no time. Madeline found a space too tight for most cars, but hers slid right in.

Upon entering the front door of The Grill, Madeline and Sabrina pushed past the crowd waiting their turn for a table in the vestibule and stepped up to the hostess behind a tall podium.

Sabrina leaned in and shouted over the buzz of conversations. “Hi, we’re meeting friends. They should already have a table. The name’s Joey O’Neill.”

The young, tall blonde snapped her gum and ran a French manicured nail down a list. She smiled, sliding her gum to the back of her mouth. “Yep, table for ten.” She turned to a shorter and stockier brunette next to her. “Number twenty-five.”

The brunette grabbed two menus. “Follow me, please,” she said, leading them past the bar area, through laughter and clinking glasses and a group singing “Happy Birthday” at a corner table, to an enormous table smack in the middle of the dining area.

Great, Madeline thought, not sure how she felt about being center stage, right in the limelight. On the one hand, she wanted to be noticed by Joey and his friends, on the other, she wasn’t sure if she wanted the entire restaurant to be watching them.

Joey spotted them immediately. His face lit up when he locked on her. He rushed over, saying hello to her first, then Sabrina. Madeline noticed two empty seats together. Sabrina grabbed the closest empty seat, then Joey ushered Madeline into a chair next to his.

He remained standing and introduced the women to the seven people already there. They were all cops from work, five men and two women: TJ, Kush, Pete, Mike, Alejandro, Mary Beth, and Lynn. “Everyone, this is Madeline and Sabrina,” he said with a big grin.

Madeline was still trying to match names with faces when a middle-aged, stout waitress, hair a mix of grays, light browns, and oranges swept up loosely in a comb, put her hand on Joey’s shoulder.

She yanked out a pen and pad from her pocket with her other hand. “Your table’s all here now, Joey? Can I start you guys off with drinks?” She leaned back on her hip and waited patiently.

“Yes, thanks, Charlisse. These are the two teachers I was telling you about. Madeline is my nephew’s teacher.”

Charlisse smiled and nodded in an approving manner. “Nice to meet you. So, ladies, what’ll it be?”

They placed drink orders. Madeline ordered a cola since she was driving, and after Charlisse brought out the drinks, they ordered appetizers and their meals.

While they waited, Sabrina brought up the subject Madeline most feared she would. “So, tell me Joey, what is your favorite high school memory? And what’s your least favorite?”

Everyone at the table stopped their individual conversations to listen in, verbally applauding Sabrina in her choice of topics.

Joey scratched at his chin and while he was trying to decide on a memory to share, Madeline kicked Sabrina under the table. She also bared her teeth, which only Sabrina seemed to notice. Couldn’t her friend at least have waited until after they had eaten? Now her stomach would be in knots.

Madeline did observe that Joey’s mood seemed to sour suddenly when he said, “I’d have to say my favorite was graduation day. And my
two
least favorite times were the day we lost the state championships and the day I got injured and learned my dreams of playing college football were over.” Joey raised his drink in a mock toast and took a sip. He slapped TJ on the back. “Your turn.” Joey’s jaw tightened before he turned his attention away from their group and gazed at something off in the distance of the restaurant.

Madeline studied the back of Joey’s head for a moment. It had never occurred to her that Joey’s high school years were not all peaches and cream.

Madeline slurped her cola as a flush of heat began to rise from the tips of her toes and up her torso. Trepidation set in knowing that in a flash she’d be beet red. Between the heat of the room and the fact that Sabrina had sparked a memory game that was traveling around the table, Madeline’s throat grew parched. Her tongue felt like sandpaper scraping the roof of her mouth.

After TJ revealed his favorite and least favorite memories, he passed the torch to Alejandro, who passed it to Mary Beth. Mary Beth recalled being humiliated when her parents went on vacation and her grandmother insisted on walking her back and forth to the bus stop the whole week.

Madeline could understand Mary Beth’s embarrassment at being treated like a preschooler, but her sympathy was short-lived. Madeline knew her turn would soon come. Mortified, Madeline grabbed Charlisse as she hustled by.

“May I have a refill, please?”

“Sure thing, honey. Be right back.”

True to her word, Charlisse brought back another tall iced cola and Madeline chugged it, nearly polishing it off in one gulp.

Sabrina eyed her questioningly. “Thirsty?” She removed the glass from Madeline’s grip and narrowed her eyes. “It’s your turn.” Her friend used her gentle, but firm teacher’s voice.

Madeline drew in a deep breath. It’s now or never, she thought, wiping the bead of perspiration from her upper lip with a paper napkin. “Well,” she said, twisting the napkin into a snake-like shape, “my favorite time was graduation day too. I couldn’t wait to get out of that high school.” She let out a nervous laugh and began to maul the snake into a thin worm.

Perhaps it was her imagination, but suddenly the room seemed confining and quieter. Everyone at the table watched her, waiting. She dared to peer over her shoulder determined to see who else was listening. She let out the breath she was holding when she spotted no one was loitering behind her.

Silly. No one other than the people at her table paid even the slightest attention to her. She gained courage from that and looked Joey straight in his intense dark eyes. Any other time she would have been thrilled for a man to look at her that way. He stared at her with such anticipation. Now she wanted to disappear under the table.

He placed a warm calloused hand over hers. “Go on,” he coaxed, his voice melting over her like the butter on the hot corn of cob she had had at the carnival. “Don’t be shy.”

She ran her tongue over her dry lips. Now that the time was here to confront him, a time she would have relished back in high school when vengeance would only do, it suddenly didn’t seem as important. The urge to hurt him as he did her seemed to lessen. Maybe it was the sincere expression on his face. Perhaps it was the welcoming cheerfulness of his friends, she didn’t know. What she did know was that despite the scenarios she had played in her mind all these years, now that it was reality, she couldn’t be as hurtful as she imagined she would be, or as vindictive. She just wanted the truth out. Not revenge.

She decided to be straight-forward, like she would at a parent/teacher conference and had to relay bad news to a parent about a student’s work. But conferences were private and she was not about to have this conversation with Joey in front of all these people. She’d divulge part of the truth now. Later tonight, she’d pry him away from his friends and then she’d have it out with him on her terms.

They were all staring at her, waiting, until TJ shouted, “Come on. Tell us.”

Madeline knew she had to say something, enough to play her part in the game, but the truth would have a major impact on their fun evening. “My worst high school experience was not getting invited to the prom.” The white lie was justified because she promised herself she would pull Joey aside to have the tough conversation.

Sabrina mouthed, “Tell him.”

Madeline gritted her teeth with a smile. “I will,” she whispered.

“You must. Tonight. You’ll feel so much better,” Sabrina whispered back.

TJ yelled again. “Hey, you two, what are you conspiring? Out with it. Rules are rules.”

The pressure of the game would not make her cave. “Can I speak with you privately, later?” she asked Joey.

He smiled at her. “It’s only a game. You’re among friends here and can say anything in front of them. But sure, if you’d feel more comfortable.”

Mary Beth cut in. “Hey, no fair. I revealed my embarrassing moment.”