She gave his left hand a sharp tug, which brought his gaze back up to hers. "Focus your eyes on some point past my shoulder and let yourself feel the rhythm of the music."
He did his best to comply. After a few turns the dance steps felt more natural, and he took pride in the fact that he hadn't stomped on Marlene's feet again.
When the song drew to a close, she released her hold on him and stepped back. "I knew you'd be a natural, Ricky! We'll do two more songs to make sure you've got the idea and then call it good."
Jack started the music again, and once again Ricky took Marlene's hand in his. This time, they started off smoothly. He could see why someone her age would enjoy this style of dancing, because it took hardly any effort. The two songs sped by, and she even showed him a couple of extra steps that were pretty easy to follow.
Even Jack applauded when they finished their last dance. "So what do you think now, kid?"
He wasn't sure what to say. It was hard to imagine any girl he'd ever known wanting to dance that way. Unfortunately with Marlene standing right there, he couldn't be too honest. "I guess it's okay, but kids my age don't listen to that kind of music much."
Actually, at all. "I like music with a faster beat."
After Jack gave him another one of those looks, the kind that meant Ricky had stepped in it again, he shuffled through the CDs again. "Shall we show him a faster beat, Mom?"
"Jack, I haven't danced like that in a while. Not since your father … well, you know."
"He wouldn't mind, Mom. Dad knew how much you loved dancing. Besides, the kid will never believe what I can do on a dance floor if he doesn't see it for himself."
Ricky threw his support behind Jack. "That's true. I can see how those size thirteens would do a good job of marching, but dancing? I don't think so."
He doubted that either of them was fooling Marlene one bit, but at least she nodded. "One dance, Jack, but only because Ricky needs to see what I have in mind for him."
Great. Maybe he should've stayed out of it. Too late for that, though, so he retreated to the couch to watch. Jack hit the Play button and took his mom's hand. Seconds later, both of them were grinning as they spun around the makeshift dance floor, their feet a blur as they crisscrossed the room.
By the time the song drew to a close, Ricky couldn't help but admire their skills. Dancing like that actually looked like it could be fun. To concede the point, he even applauded. "Okay, Jack, I admit that you can dance."
Jack kissed Marlene on the cheek. "Mom taught me well, and I wasn't lying about how much the ladies admire a man who can really dance. Of course, it doesn't hurt to be so good looking."
His mother rolled her eyes. "Humble, too."
"Yeah, well, like Dad always said, when you've got it, flaunt it."
He followed that comment by giving his mother another quick spin. She only laughed when they came to a stop. "Joe was just as incorrigible as you and your brothers, Jack. Now you two can put the furniture back in place. I'm going to go upstairs and sew for a while."
Jack did most of the heavy work putting the room back together, but Ricky pitched in with his one good arm. The two of them settled back on the couch and cranked the sound back up on the game.
After a bit, Jack stared toward the steps that led up to Marlene's sewing room. "Thanks for going along with the dancing lesson, kid. That's the happiest I've seen Mom in a long time."
Ricky wasn't comfortable with gratitude. "It was no big deal."
"It was for her." Jack turned his attention back to the game. "You know, I've always suspected that she never set out to teach us all how to dance just because she thought men should know how."
Ricky wasn't sure if Jack was talking to him or himself. Even so, he was curious about what he was thinking. "Then why did she do it?"
"For me. I think maybe it was her way of showing me firsthand that a man and woman who love each other can really enjoy their company in a lot of ways. You know, besides sex. Not to mention that a woman shouldn't have to live in fear of a man's fists."
Then he glanced in Ricky's direction. "Neither should kids."
Before he could think of a response, Jack went on talking. "Some of my fondest memories are of Dad and us kids taking turns trying to outshine each other dancing with Mom. Maybe not so much for Tino, but having fun like that was definitely a first for me and Mikhail. It took us all awhile to realize that Joe and Marlene went out of their way to give us good memories to replace some of our earlier ones, which sure as hell weren't anything like happy."
Then he pushed himself up off the couch. "I'm going to grab another beer. Do you want anything while I'm up?"
"Sure. How about a refill on my tea?"
As Jack left the room, a movement on the staircase caught Ricky's attention. How long had Marlene been standing there? Long enough, he guessed, considering the look on her face. She held her finger up to her lips, silently asking him not to let Jack know she'd overheard their conversation. When Ricky nodded, she disappeared back up the stairs.
He didn't know what she thought about what Jack had said, but Ricky knew one thing. He had a few memories of his mom and dad laughing together. But when it came to Lawrence and his mother, he couldn't think of a single one. Who knows, maybe things were different between the couple when he wasn't around. For her sake, he hoped that was true.
But he didn't think so.
Chapter 14
Jack shut off his power saw and set it aside when a patrol car stopped in front of the house where he was laying a new subfloor. The owners were at work, so at least he didn't have to explain to them why the police might be looking for him. He'd mention it to them later when they got home in case one of the neighbors happened to bring it up.
He took off his safety goggles and dropped them on his portable workbench and waited for the two detectives to come to him. Detective St. John had called an hour ago and said they'd like to talk to him. Jack hoped they had some news on Ricky's identity or, better yet, that they'd found out who had put the kid in the hospital. Judging from their grim expressions, that wasn't the case.
"Detectives."
St. John mustered up a half-hearted smile. "Mr. McShane, sorry to interrupt you on the job, but we needed to follow up with you on Richard Patton."
Jack took off his ball cap and wiped the sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his T-shirt. "I figured as much. What do you need to know?"
Detective St. John pulled out a small notebook and a pencil. "Let's start with how he's doing. Has he caused any problems for you or your mother?"
"Nothing more than the usual teenager having an issue over having to report in regularly. I did get him his own cellphone to help with that. His caseworker has been keeping tabs on him and us regularly. In fact, Mrs. Harkens and I spoke earlier this morning. You can talk to her, too, if you have any concerns."
Detective Daily joined the discussion. "We've already done that. She seems happy with how things are going at your house. She said that you got Ricky hooked up with a tutor to help him get caught up on his classes. That sounds like you and your mom plan on keeping the kid even after the school year starts. Am I right about that?"
Where the hell were they going with this? He aimed for sounding calm rather than defensive when he answered. "Yes. We've told Ricky from the start that he has a home with us as long as he wants one."
The two men exchanged glances, but Jack had no idea what they were thinking. Before he could ask, St. John changed the topic.
"We haven't had any luck tracking down any family. Has the kid told you anything or let slip any details that might help us with that?"
Jack jammed his ball cap back on his head. "No, he hasn't. I keep hoping he'll tell me what's going on with that, but I've been reluctant to press him too hard for answers. He's gone out a few times to see some friends, but he hasn't even done that lately. For the most part, he sticks pretty close to home or he comes on the job with me. The only reason he isn't here now is that he had a doctor's appointment and then his lesson with Ms. Curtis."
Neither of the detectives looked happy. Jack didn't blame them. He shared his own feelings on the subject. "It can't be a good thing that nobody has reported the kid missing. The best I can figure is that he's a runaway, but there's no telling where he started off or how he ended up here. Regardless, I know you guys must have some kind of national database you've been checking. If no one has posted information on Ricky by now, it can only mean that no one is looking for him."