Kissed by an Angel

Anger surged through him. 'The first rule of swimming, Ivy, is never, never swim alone!'

'But I had to do it, Tristan! I had to see if I could face my nightmare without you, without my-my lifeguard close by. And I could. I did,' she said, a dazzling smile breaking over her face. Her hair was hanging loose around her shoulders. Her eyes were smiling into his, the color of an emerald sea in brilliant sunlight.

Then she blinked. 'Is that what you were doing-being a lifeguard, being a hero?'

'No, Ivy,' he said quietly, and stood up. 'I was proving once again that I'm a hero to everyone but you.'

'Wait a minute,' she said, but he started to walk away.

'Wait a minute!' He didn't get far, not with the weight of her hanging on to one leg.

'I said wait.'

He tried to pull away, but she had him firmly anchored.

'Is that what you want, for me to say you're a hero?'

He grimaced. 'I guess not. I guess I thought it would get me what I want. But it didn't.'

'Well, what do you want?' she asked.

Was there any point in telling her now?

'To change into dry clothes,' he said. 'I've got some sweats in my locker.'

'Okay.' She released his leg. But before he could move away, she caught his hand. She held it in both of her hands for a moment, then lightly kissed the tips of his fingers.

She peeked up at him, gave a little shrug, then let go. But now it was he who held on, twining his fingers in hers. After a moment of hesitation, she rested her head against his hand. Could she feel it-the way just her lightest touch made his pulse race? He knelt down. Taking her other hand in his, he kissed her fingertips, then he laid his cheek in her palm.

She lifted up his face.

'Ivy,' he said. The word was like a kiss. 'Ivy.'

The word became a kiss.

Chapter 9

'He beat me!' Tristan said. 'Philip beat me two out of three games!'

Ivy rested her hands on the piano keys, looked over her shoulder at Tristan, and laughed. It had been a week since their first trembling kiss. Every night she had fallen asleep dreaming about that kiss, and each kiss after.

It was all so incredible to her. She was aware of the lightest touch, the softest brush against him.

Every time he called her name, her answer came from somewhere deep inside her. Yet there was something so easy and natural about being with him. Sometimes it felt as if Tristan had been a part of her life for years, sprawled as he was now on the floor of her music room, playing checkers with Philip.

'I can't believe he beat me two out of three!'

'Almost three out of three,' Philip crowed.

'That will teach you not to mess with Ginger,' Ivy said.

Tristan frowned down at the angel statue that stood alone on the checkerboard. Philip always used her as one of his playing pieces.

The three-inch china angel had once been Ivy's, but when Philip was in kindergarten, he'd decided to pretty her up. Pink-frost nail polish on her dress and crusty gold glitter on her hair had given her a whole new look; and Ivy had given her to Philip.

'Ginger's very smart,' he told Tristan.

Tristan glanced up doubtfully at Ivy.

'Maybe next time Philip will let you borrow her and you can win,' Ivy said with a smile, then turned to Philip. 'Isn't it getting late?'

'Why do you always say that?' her brother asked.

Tristan grinned. 'Because she's trying to get rid of you. Come on. We'll read two stories, like the last time, then it's lights out.'

He walked Philip down to his bedroom. Ivy stayed upstairs and began to flip through her piano books, looking for songs that Tristan might like. He was into hard rock, but she couldn't exactly play it on the piano. He knew nothing about Beethoven and Bach. Tristan's idea of classical music was the musicals from his parents' collection. She ran through several songs from Carousel, then put the old book aside.

All night there had been music running through her like a silver river. Now she turned out the lights and played it from memory, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

Tristan returned in the middle of the sonata. He saw the slight hesitation in her hands and heard the pause in the music.

'Don't stop,' he said softly, and came to stand behind her.

Ivy played to the end. For a few moments after the last chord, neither of them spoke, neither of them moved. There was only the still, silver moonlight on the piano keys, and the music, the way music can linger on sometimes in silence.

Then Ivy rested her back against him.

'You want to dance?' Tristan asked.

Ivy laughed, and he pulled her up and they danced a circle around the room. She laid her head on his shoulder and felt his strong arms around her. They danced slow, slower. She wished he would never let go.

'How do you do that?' he whispered. 'How do you dance with me and play the piano at the same time?'

'At the same time?' she asked.

'Isn't that you making the music I hear?'

Ivy pulled her head up. 'Tristan, that line is so… so…'

'Corny,' he said. 'But it got you to look up at me.' Then he swiftly lowered his mouth and stole a long, soft kiss.

'Don't forget to tell Tristan to stop by the shop sometime,' Lillian said. 'Betty and I would love to see him again. We're very fond of chunks.'

'Hunks, Lillian,' Ivy said with a grin. 'Tristan is a hunk.' My hunk, she thought, then picked up a box wrapped in brown paper. 'Is this everything to be delivered?'

'Yes, thank you, dear. I know it's out of your way.

'Not too far,' Ivy said, starting out the door.

'Five-twenty-eight Willow Street,' Betty called from the back of the store.

'Five-thirty,' Lillian said quietly.

Well, that narrows it down, Ivy thought, passing through the door of 'Tis the Season. She glanced at her watch. Now she wouldn't have time to spend with her friends.

Suzanne and Beth had been waiting for her at the mall's food court.

'You said you would be off twenty minutes ago,' Suzanne complained.

'I know. It's been one of those days,' Ivy replied. 'Will you walk me to my car? I have to deliver this, then get right home.'

'Did you hear that? She has to get right home,' Suzanne said to Beth, 'for a birthday party, that's what she says. She says it's Philip's ninth birthday.'

'It's May twenty-eighth,' Ivy responded. 'You know it is, Suzanne.'

'But for all we know,' Suzanne went on to Beth, 'it's a private wedding on the hill.'

Ivy rolled her eyes, and Beth laughed. Suzanne still hadn't forgiven her for keeping secret the swimming lessons.

'Is Tristan coming tonight?' Beth asked as they exited the mall.

'He's one of Philip's two guests,' Ivy replied, 'and will be sitting next to Philip, not me, and playing all night with Philip, not me. Tristan promised. It was about the only way to keep my brother from coming with us to the prom. Hey, where did you two park?'