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; With a sudden appalling clarity, Catherine realized that by talking about an unhappy school experience, she might have unwittingly reminded him of his daughter’s anguish. She wished she hadn’t begun the story now, but it was too late to switch topics. All she could do was rush through it and hope for the best, but she made a mental note not to stray into such dangerous territory ever again.
“Somehow I managed to survive until graduation. It was held in the afternoon of a scorchingly hot day. The band played. A couple of students delivered earnest speeches about the future, and then the principal spoke and began to hand out diplomas.
“When it came my turn to receive mine, I walked across the outdoor stage and shook the principal’s hand. But when I reached the steps to return to my seat, I tripped and fell.”
“Oh no!” Luke cried. “I’ve never seen that happen. Were you hurt?”
“Not physically, but whatever poise I’d managed to affect was completely shattered. The P.E. teacher was standing at the bottom of the steps, and he picked me up and set me on my feet before the boy following me in line started down the stairs. The whole incident took no more than a split second.
“I was too horrified to get back in line, though, and hid behind the potted plants at the edge of the stage. There was a dance afterward, but I told my parents the heat had given me a horrible headache and didn’t go. They’d taken a picture of me as I received my diploma, and they were looking down at the camera when I fell, so they had no idea what had happened.
“I spent the whole summer in absolute dread that come September, I’d be known as the girl who’d gone bumping down the stairs like Winnie-the-Pooh.”
“And in September?” he prompted.
“The first day, I wore my hair in this wild punk ponytail hoping no one would recognize me, but of course, everyone did and they all told me that my hair looked really weird. I kept waiting for someone to yell they’d seen my underpants when I’d fallen down the stairs, but thank God, no one did.
“After a few days, it finally occurred to me that everyone had been watching the student receiving his diploma rather than me. So I’d wasted a perfectly good summer agonizing over what others thought of me when I hadn’t even entered their heads. That was a valuable lesson, but I sure wish it hadn’t been so painful to learn.”
“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean,” he replied. “But falling at a graduation ceremony would upset anyone. After all, there you were, proud of your accomplishments, and wham, you landed in the dust.”
She was grateful he’d remarked on the incident rather than become maudlin over teenage angst. “I’m sorry, that story wasn’t all that entertaining, was it?”
“I thought the idea was to share something new. Anyone who meets you now would never guess you were once painfully shy. I’m afraid my transformation may have gone in the opposite direction, but you’ll have to wait a while longer to see what I mean.”
He winked at her, and she sighed with relief. She could taste the remorse he’d felt when he’d asked about Sam, and it tied her stomach in knots. Unable to eat, she rearranged the food on her plate into scattered lumps. She smiled often to distract him, and even after he’d eaten a second helping, he didn’t realize her appetite had failed to match his.
“The next time I speak with Joyce, I promise not to mention your name,” she confided, “but I did appreciate your insights. Shane became the head of his family in his teens, and I’ll bet he hasn’t dated much. He wouldn’t have intentionally abandoned Joyce, and I’ll encourage her to give him a second chance.”
“As long as you merely plant the idea, it’s not really meddling now, is it?”
She knew he had her there. “No, it is, but it’s for a good cause.”
“Now where have I heard that one before?” he teased. “But if Joyce and Shane don’t get back together, do you think she’d like Toby McClure?”
“My God, what a thought,” Catherine exclaimed, but after a moment, she nodded. “An artist and an interior designer would have a great deal in common. But I’ve no idea what she thinks of tattoos.”
“She might like Toby’s as much as you do.”
She wasn’t taken in by his teasing grin. “You’re stalling, but I don’t distract that easily. It’s time for your shocking confession.”
“Hey, I just ate. You’ll have to let me sit out here under the stars for a while or I won’t do it justice.”
“You are a terrible tease, Dr. Starns.”
“I know, but thank God, you have a forgiving nature.”
“I’ve obviously conditioned you to believe that’s true, but it can change,” she warned.
She sat back and listened to the crickets’ insistent chirping, but it took a long while to relax. She felt as though she’d danced through a veritable minefield with her stupid story about junior high. She might have gotten away with it, but her remorse had yet to completely fade.
“How long do you suppose it takes to really get to know someone?” she asked.
“It depends on the person. After five minutes you know all you’ll ever want to know about some people, but with others, a lifetime might not be long enough.”
“Hmm,” she murmured agreeably, but she wisely didn’t comment on how tragically brief some lifetimes were.
Chapter Thirteen
