RSVP with Love

“Right. Mine are waiting for me somewhere, but…”

Kevin ran his hand over his hair, a very close cut defining the shape of his head. It emphasized his square chin and the clean, straight line of his nose. His bottom lip was wide and full. Lush and mobile. Suddenly recalling the movement of his mouth, Chloe inadvertently moistened her lips.

He frowned and studied her again. “I feel like I should know you from somewhere. Any ideas?”

She shrugged, calm again and poised. “We probably had some classes together.”

He pursed his mouth, nodding. “Yeah, yeah…now I remember.”

Chloe sighed inwardly. He didn’t have a clue.

“You have promises to keep,” she quoted, staying cool and not allowing the fact that, after four years of passing one another on campus, sitting side by side in world studies, that at the eleventh hour as they were about to go their separate ways forever, she’d finally gotten Kevin Stayton to notice her.

He smiled ruefully. “I have to be careful about that. I mean, making promises.”

“Chloe! We made it. I know we’re late…”

Chloe glanced beyond Kevin to the couple advancing across the field. She could tell by their breathlessness that they’d either not been able to find her in the crowds of students earlier or they’d just arrived.

The woman, short and stout and dressed in one of her Sunday church ensembles, took Chloe in a light embrace and kissed her cheek.

“We’re so happy for you,” the woman said.

“We know this was real important to you,” said the man.

He was tall and broad. His dark suit was the only one he owned and was a tad too small for his frame. He, too, gave Chloe a brief hard hug and squeezed her shoulder.

“Sorry we don’t have a gift or anything for you,” he apologized.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Chloe smiled at him. Aware that Kevin Stayton stood watching this tableau she took a deep breath and turned to face him.

Kevin stepped forward and thrust his hand out to the man standing next to her.

“I’m Kevin Stayton. Congratulations, Mr. Jackson. Mrs. Jackson. I know you’re proud of your daughter,” Kevin offered with charm and a polished demeanor.

Silently the man and woman exchanged glances. Then looked at Chloe. She turned to Kevin.

“This is Mr. and Mrs. Fields. Harold and Nettie.”

“We’re Chloe’s foster parents,” Nettie Fields clarified with a calm smile.

“Oh,” Kevin said, nodding. “Sorry, I…”

“No need to be sorry, son. We couldn’t be more happy for this girl if she’d been one of our own. Right, Nettie? And today sure means a lot to Chloe.”

There was an awkward silence. The Fields, being simple and honest people, thought nothing of Kevin’s understandable mistake. Chloe, on the other hand, felt like she was falling down a rabbit hole, rushing back into a past that was undefined and blurred in her memory. By circumstances, she knew she shouldn’t even be there graduating from Hollington. She quietly squared off with Kevin, their gazes meeting and holding. His darkening gaze told her he got it—no further explanation was needed. With an imperceptible nod of his head Kevin lifted a corner of his mouth.

“She’s going to go far,” he said to the Fields. “I can tell she’s going to have a great future. Most likely to succeed.”

“Thanks. Nice of you to say so,” Chloe murmured.

As the four of them faced each other with nothing more to say, Kevin heard his name being called behind him. They all turned to the female voice and saw a young woman attempting to trot across the grass, unsteady in high heels. Her graduation robe hung open, and they could see her body swaying unsteadily but seductively in a pretty spring dress. The show was all for Kevin.

“That’s my cue,” Kevin said to them all, backing away toward the woman.

Chloe could not see how he could have mistaken the advancing alluring sight with her. Curve for curve, attribute for attribute, there was no contest. Like her, however, the young woman was tall and thin. Her hair was upswept in the back, while Chloe’s was short and only seemed to be longer because of the way it was combed. Chloe could see that their complexions were similar. Medium-brown. Plus from behind, all you could see was their robes.

Kevin had made an honest mistake.

“Seems like a nice young man,” Mrs. Fields said quietly. “Is he a good friend?”

Chloe shook her head, watching the couple walk away, their arms around one another. “This is the second time we’ve ever spoken.”

Her foster mother looked incredulous. “In four years?”

“He seemed to have a lot to say when we walked up on you. Sure there’s nothin’ going on?” Mr. Fields cackled good-naturedly.

“Not a chance,” Chloe responded caustically, despite an infuriating flash recall of Kevin kissing her.

“I’m so sorry we’re late,” Mrs. Fields said sincerely. “Harold got lost.”

“Well, tell her how we got started late. Nettie couldn’t find her good purse. It ain’t all my fault,” he groused.

“I’m glad you got here,” Chloe said.

Mrs. Fields looked around. “Did we miss everything?”

“Just a lot of talking,” Chloe answered kindly, not wanting to blame them or make them feel bad. The truth of the matter was the couple didn’t have to come at all. It wasn’t part of their agreement.

Mrs. Fields sighed, remorseful.

Chloe realized that she would have to rescue the afternoon and protect the memory of the day. She’d have to take responsibility for it to end on an up note.

“You’ve never been here before. Would you like to look around?”

“Sure is pretty,” Mr. Fields commented as they fell into step together and headed back toward the quad, around which all the buildings were laid out. “Not like where we live, right, Nettie?”

“Well, we can’t always help where we’re born and raised,” Mrs. Fields sighed. “But Chloe got lucky, thank the good Lord.”

Chloe smiled warmly at Mrs. Fields. “I also got lucky and had you and Mr. Fields.”

Nettie Fields brushed the compliment aside with an airy wave of her hand. “We didn’t do much. Why, look at her now. Don’t she look grown up, Harold?”

“Sure do.”

Mrs. Fields gasped and stopped walking. “Honey, we didn’t take you away from anything, did we? You know, maybe meeting friends later. Was that young man about to ask you to join him?”

Chloe shook her head, looking down at her feet and inexpensive pumps.