Well This Is Just Swell
Chapter 8: The Dance
Cooter smiled admiringly as his cousin came down the stairs of the old farmhouse. She looked stunning. Her hair was done up in soft curls which framed her face ever so gently. She had sheer eye shadow on her lids; black eyeliner, and black mascara framing her eyes. Her lips were painted red, and her cheeks dusted with a sheer pink. The dress Cooter had pulled out of the attic made her look like a model. It fit perfectly without being… well… without making her feel exposed. It was strawberry red like her lips and went to her knees. It had a scooped neckline and short sleeves. The skirt flared out to form an A-line silhouette. The white sandals Hilery had come up with matched beautifully, as did the white clutch. The clutch had come out of the attic just like the dress. It had a silver chain on it which went over the shoulder.
As she stood there, Cooter didn’t even recognize her. It was a fight not to have his jaw drop open. “You clean up good.” He finally said.
“Thanks.” She said, embarrassed. “C’mon, let’s go.” She told him. When she tried to walk past him, he stopped her. “You’re forgetting something, Hil.”
“What?”
“Look in the fridge.” She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head but did as she was told. She walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Inside was a spray of cream colored roses. “For your hair.” He told her as he came up behind her. Attached to the roses was a clip for her hair.
“Cooter…?”
“Yeah Hil?”
“Why?”
“Because, this is your first dance and I want you to remember it, Lil’ Cousin.” She smiled and went into the living room. There was a mirror above the mantelpiece. She put the clip in her hair, over one ear, having parted it on the side. “And ‘sides, I want you to be noticed. You need to find yourself a boyfriend, and this is a step in the right direction.” He stood leaning against the door frame, watching her. He wore a blue shirt, black jeans, and a leather vest. He was also clean shaven.
“Thanks… don’t you need to be gettin’ goin’ to pick up your date?” Cooter looked at the clock and nodded. “Yeah, Luke and I are double datin’ tonight. We don’t really expect Bo to stay the whole dance, and he needed a wing man.”
“I’m sure Samantha will enjoy watching you two banter. Is Luke taking Beth Ann?” Cooter nodded. “Alright, off you go.” Hilery said, feeling somewhat uncomfortable in her attire. Her cousin smiled, kissed her cheek, and left. He took the pickup to collect Samantha.
Hilery arrived early. The waitresses, including Daisy, were just finishing the set up. She paid her way in and headed toward the darkened corner of the Boar’s Nest. She made a pit stop and got a nice large cup of punch on her way.
Cooter, Luke and their dates arrived next. Luke was wearing a plaid shirt, jean jacket, jeans, and a tie. He didn’t look half bad, Hilery thought. She shrugged a little to herself. Samantha was wearing a baby blue dress, but it was Luke’s date that caused her to raise her eyebrows. Beth Ann was wearing black jeans, a white dress shirt, and a black vest; not the typical attire for a dance. The woman had her black hair pulled back in a pony tail. Hilery found it interesting as she sipped her fruit punch.
After the arrival of Luke, Cooter, and their dates, couples flooded in regularly. Rosco brought Mabel from the telephone company, Enos brought himself (so he could admire Daisy), Boss brought Lulu, and so on.
Last to arrive, Hilery noticed, were Bo and Kendra. Bo wore his brown corduroy suit, which she had always admired, even if this time his arm was in a sling and he had a pretty white cast on his arm. She took another sip of her punch as her eyes drifted over to Kendra. So far no one had noticed her sitting in the corner.
Arriving last, Kendra and Bo were able to slip in virtually unnoticed. That was all fine for Bo since he didn’t want anyone to be thinking things about him and Kendra. They found a few seats on the edge of the room and watched everyone else dance. For a good amount of the time they just sat, making comments about everyone, just like they did as kids. Finally a song they both liked started to play. It was a song they first heard when they were 15 and 16. From that day on it had been their song. It was a slow song, which was great for all the couples to dance to.
“I think we should dance to our song.” Bo told the brunette, knowing she would like to dance a little.
Her gaze moved from the crowd to Bo, and gave him a smile. “I have to agree.” They both stood up and snuck over to the edge of the crowd of couples just a few steps away. Kendra wrapped her arms around Bo’s neck while he rested his uninjured hand on her hip. They swayed from side-to-side as the song continued.
“I haven’t heard this song in a few years.” Kendra said. “I forgot how great it was.”
“I haven’t either.” Bo agreed. “I remember the first time we heard it.”
Kendra let out a giggle. “Yah, it was after you found me when I went running and hurt my ankle.”
“You were lucky I went looking for you or I don’t know how long you would have been out there.”
“Yah, you were the worried older brother.” Kendra said. She suddenly regretted saying that. Her feelings for Bo were going to burst out of her. She needed to tell him and right then seemed like the best time to reveal them. They were both adults now; she knew that he could handle it all and not think that it was just a silly little crush. She waited till the song ended before saying anything.
“Can we go outside Bo?” She asked as they walked back to their seats.
The blond gave her a look of curiosity. “Sure.”
They walked outside to her car and sat on the hood. The silence between them was killing Kendra. She needed to tell him.
“Bo?” She barely got out.
He looked over at her. She looked as if she was scared, but he also noticed something else. She was hiding something. “Yah?”
She looked at the ground, trying to find the right words. She had to do it right or who knew what would happen. “There’s something I haven’t told ya.”
“What is it?” Now it was his turn to be a little scared. He wasn’t sure what it was she was talking about, and hoped it was nothing bad.
She took a very deep breath before speaking. “I love you more than like a brother.”
Bo looked at her. He didn’t hear what she said since she said it in a whisper. “What did you say?”
The brunette took another deep breath. She used all of her might to repeat what she’d already told him. “I said, ‘I love you more than like a brother’.”
He shook his head when the words ran through his mind. She loved him more than like a brother. That means she might want him to be her boyfriend? “You mean that you….”
She looked up and over at him. She tried to read his face while biting her bottom lip. She nodded yes and he looked away. He didn’t love her like that. He couldn’t hurt her but he had to. “I don’t feel the same.”
“Oh.” Her focus went to the ground again.
He realized that he needed to tell her who he really liked so that she knew why he didn’t like her that way. “Kendra?” She didn’t look up. He knew she probably wouldn’t. “I’m sorry I don’t feel the same, but there is someone that I like. And it’s someone you know.”
She looked up from the ground and over to him. Of all the people she knew, who could it be that he likes? “Who is it?”
“It’s Hilery.” He looked away right after he said it. He couldn’t handle seeing her face when she comprehended it.
It took her a while to comprehend what he’d said. Hilery? She looked back at the ground so she could think better. He was more himself with her. And he looked at her differently. He hadn’t looked at anyone like that.
She looked back at him and saw he was still looking away. She laid her hand on his hand that was on the hood. “Are you sure?” He nodded his head, but didn’t look at her. “I think that’s great.”
His head shot up, which made the brunette jump back. “You think it’s great?” He didn’t expect that reaction from her considering what she had told him just minutes earlier.
“Yah. I realize now what is between you two. I see how ya look at her and I realize that you two have a lot in common.” She looked into the blond’s blue eyes and could tell he was shocked at what she said. “And you guys seem to be perfect.”
Bo contemplated all that Kendra had said. She reacted way differently to Luke. She probably wouldn’t pick on him for it. “Really?” he asked, just to make sure she was telling to truth. She nodded and he grinned at her. “Thanks.”
He leaned over and hugged her with his good arm. She hugged back and couldn’t help but think. The way they were hugging made the sisterly feelings in her come out, and the other love disappear. They both pulled away and tried to look at each other in what had turned from dusk into black night.
“How can I help?” Kendra asked. She knew how Bo was with girls. He would do anything to get a date with them, but Hilery was different. She knew he would need help, and she was the only one that could provide it.
“Huh?” He looked at Kendra funny. He had no clue what she was talking about.
The brunette chuckled and shook her head. “How can I help you get together with Hil?”
“What makes you say that I need help getting Hilery?” He knew that she knew that he could get a girl.
“Bo, I’ve known you long enough to figure how ya mind works. You know how Hilery is with the others, and what you thought of her for years, I know you’re gonna have trouble. And you don’t even know if she likes you. You are definitely gonna need my help. And don’t try to tell me ‘no’.” She looked at him sternly. She knew that he would try to do that, she knew that he would need her help.
“Fine.” He didn’t try to fight her. He knew he wouldn’t win. People might think he would win the arguments since he was older, but Hilery had learned much in college and now knew how to find evidence and use it well.
“Good.” She then had to figure something out. She remembered seeing Cooter inside, and that meant Hilery was probably there too. “Let’s go back inside. I think Coot might have made Hilery come tonight.”
“You think?” He wasn’t expecting to do anything tonight.
Kendra hopped off the hood and tried to look at him. “Yes I’m sure. Now come on.” She grabbed his good arm, dragged him off the hood, and into the Boar’s Nest. She looked around to see if she could spot Hilery, but failed. She then went looking for Cooter and found him at the bar. Still holding onto Bo, she dragged him along with her.
“Hey Coot!” She yelled over the music. Cooter turned around and saw that Kendra still had a hold of Bo.
“Hey Kendra, Bo. Ya two havin’ a good time?” He wasn’t sure whether Kendra was forcing Bo to go places like an annoying sibling or if there was something more between them.
“Yah.” Bo said. It was fun at the beginning but then came the truth and he didn’t know how all of this was going.
“It’s great. Is Hil here?” Kendra was determined to get Bo and Hilery together tonight so that the uncertainty wouldn’t go on for ever.
“She should be. Why?” He looked around to see if he could find his little cousin.
Kendra let out a sigh. Hilery was nowhere to be found. She had to have already left. “Just wanted to talk to her.”
“Oh. Well she’s somewhere. You’ll just have to look.” He turned and grabbed a beer and a coffee off the bar. “If you excuse me, I have to get back to my date.”
“See ya Coot.” Bo said. He turned to Kendra to see that she wasn’t happy. “Ya okay?”
She looked away from where Cooter was and over to Bo. “Yah, I’m fine.”
“Well I’m getting tired. You ready to go?”
“Yah. Let’s go.” She let go of his arm but Bo grabbed her hand and led her outside back to the car. They both got in and were on their way back to the farm.
Kendra’s mind ran wild for the entire journey. She thought about the whole crush thing. Maybe she was just overreacting. Eventually her earlier feelings subsided. Now she knew that she needed to help the blond Duke at her side get the woman he loved.
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