Chapter 20
Ian stood in front of his wardrobe, one door wide open, staring at the ties on the tie rack. He sighed. Why did he agree to go to this thing? Here he was, obsessing over a stupid thing like a tie when what he really needed was his career back.
He’d had some mild anxiety during the day and thought more than once about backing out. But the few times Johanna had mentioned the party, she’d seemed excited about it, and he didn’t want to let her down. Then Nana mentioned she’d gone out and bought a dress. He was committed.
As it was the holiday season, he opted for the red tie, throwing it onto the bed with his suit. Glancing at the clock, he knew he had to make some moves. He didn’t want to keep his date waiting. At least he didn’t have to go far to pick her up.
Did I just refer to her as my date? he thought with a groan. She was just a friend, he reminded himself. He paused and sighed. He definitely thought of her as more than a friend. Her lips looked so damn kissable! He wondered if she was just accompanying him to be nice. She probably felt sorry for him. That resulted in a twinge of annoyance. When had a woman ever had to feel sorry for him? Before he could go down that rabbit hole, he showered, shaved, and slapped on some aftershave.
He put on his granddad’s cuff links, then rolled his neck and shrugged, getting comfortable in the suit. He took one last look in the mirror before gathering up his crutches and heading down to Nana’s to collect Johanna.
Nana and Mary were sitting in the front room. In the corner, an Elvis Presley album played on the old turntable. There was a scratchy sound quality to it, and Ian made a note to get his grandmother a YouTube subscription and a Bluetooth speaker.
“Ian, you look so handsome!” Nana said, jumping up from the sofa.
Mary stood up. “I’ll let Jo know you’re here.”
As Ian waited for Johanna, and Nana fussed over him, there was a moment of panic. And a strong urge to remain at home. He wondered if they could just get a takeaway and stay in and watch a movie. Even if he had to suffer through a chick flick.
Johanna appeared in the doorway with her hair all done up, wearing an amazing blue dress and strappy black heels, and all and any thoughts of not going to the Christmas party quickly evaporated.
She was beautiful.
And suddenly, more than anything, he wanted to go to this Christmas banquet, and he wanted to go with her.
“Hi,” she said, smiling. Her red lipstick made her teeth appear whiter. She lifted her hand in a little wave.
“Hi,” he replied. He felt a little gobsmacked. Blindsided. He was overwhelmed with the urge to take her into his arms and kiss her properly.
“You clean up well,” she said with a smile.
“You look great too!” he said. Boy, was he out of practice. Why didn’t he tell her she looked beautiful? Because he didn’t want to scare her away. And he couldn’t say it now, because he’d waited too long, and it would appear as an afterthought.
There was a momentary pause as they regarded each other. Jo was unusually quiet. But their reticence was countered by the nonstop comments from their grandmothers.
“They make a beautiful couple,” Mary enthused.
“Like they were meant to be together,” Nana gushed.
Ian put a stop to this type of talk; he didn’t want Johanna embarrassed. “We should get going, Johanna.”
“Wait,” Nana said. “Let me get a picture of the two of you in front of the Christmas tree.”
“Good idea, Bridie,” Mary said. “They should have a photo as a remembrance.”
“Ian, hand me your phone and I’ll take a photo,” his grandmother instructed.
“Jo, I’ll take a photo with your phone as well,” Mary said.
They handed over their phones. Ian was not against having a photo of the two of them on his phone. He was only sorry he hadn’t thought of it himself.
Ian laid his crutches on the chair in the corner and hobbled to the front of the tree. He and Jo edged closer in front of Nana’s lit-up Christmas tree. He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She looked up at him and gave him a smile that felt as if it was just for him. She smelled wonderful, something light and floral. For a minute, it felt as if it were only the two of them in the room.
“I’m excited about this,” Jo whispered.
“Are you?” he asked, not quite believing it.
She nodded. “It sounds like it’s going to be a proper Christmas party, and I actually have a ‘date,’” she said, making air quotes in front of her.
Ian laughed. He began to think that his American counterparts were falling down on the job if she got excited about going to a sports banquet in a foreign country. She’s a strange bird, my Johanna, he thought with a grin. His grin disappeared as he thought about how he’d just referred to her as “his.”
“What’s wrong? First, you’re smiling, then you actually looked scared for a moment, and now you look distracted.” Jo smiled. “What’s going on in that head of yours, Ian?”
If you only knew, he thought. “Just some mild anxiety about tonight.”
She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “Me too!” She wore a cheeky grin and added, “Who’d think to look at us that we’d have the same problem?”
He laughed. “Johanna, I can assure you, you have nothing to be anxious about tonight.”
She beamed, her whole face lighting up.
Ian felt like the luckiest guy in the world.
“All right, smile!” Nana instructed.
Ian and Jo smiled broadly as their grandmothers took their picture.