Chapter Two: Dance With Me

Crabapple Farm had never looked better. Trixie stepped out of her Sahara edition Jeep Wrangler and looked around, taking in Moms’ prized Crabapple trees in full blossom, the vegetable garden that had been the bane of her existence when she was younger, and the white frame farmhouse that even after four years away was ‘home.’ Sure, Trixie had been home to visit, but knowing that she would be back living here until she made some sort of decision about her future made everything around her look all the more beautiful.

Bobby came flying out the back door upon hearing Trixie’s jeep drive up the lane, an aged Reddy following and doing his best to keep up with his master.

"Trix! It’s great to have you home. You can help me study for finals!"

Trixie laughed. "Bobby, I just got done studying for my own finals - why would I want to help you with yours?"

Bobby gave his sister a hug and grinned mischievously. "Because I'm your favorite brother and you would do anything for me!"

Trixie smiled and hugged him back. "Make that my favorite 'younger' brother and you've got an accurate statement! You know I'll help you with your homework - don't I always when I can?"

Trixie stooped down to hug Reddy. His coat was fading and he had gray 'eyebrows' and a gray 'beard' but he was still the same old Reddy, full of love and loyalty. "Hey, there, boy. How have you been?" She said as she rubbed his fur. He wagged his tail and wriggled, happy to have his mistress home. Even Reddy had missed Trixie while she was away at college.

Mrs. Belden came out of the farmhouse just then. "I thought I heard my daughter drive up!"

Trixie stood and ran to hug her mom. "Yep, Moms, you're stuck with me for a while now!"

"Well, I don't mind being stuck with you at all. C'mon in and I'll fix you something to eat. How was the drive from D.C.?"

"It wasn't bad. Not too much traffic on a Wednesday." Trixie entered the neat farmhouse kitchen and the smell of Moms' fresh baked bread made her mouth water. "Boy, I sure have missed the kitchen smells. Dorm food was not the best college experience, and when I lived in my apartment, cooking was not my number one priority!"

Moms smiled. "When was it ever?"

"Touché!" Trixie grinned as she moved to slice the fresh baked bread. A "Crabapple Farm Special" full of peanut butter and Moms’ own crabapple jelly was just what she needed.

"Are you going to spend the night Friday night with Honey in New York?" Mrs. Belden inquired.

Trixie shook her head as she slathered peanut butter on the thick bread. "No, Brian is taking Honey out the night before her graduation. Just the two of them."

"Brian hasn't said anything to you about his plans for Friday night, has he?" Mrs. Belden's voice was just a tad bit too casual, and Trixie knew her mom suspected something was up with her oldest son.

Trixie tried to act casual too. "Just that they're going to that French restaurant that Honey loves near Times Square." She took a giant bite of her sandwich in an effort to delay further questioning.

Moms knew better. "I can tell by the look on your face, Trixie Belden, that you are privy to more information than you're letting on! I have my guesses as to Brian's behavior as of late, but since he's obviously sworn you to secrecy, I won't pry."

Trixie mumbled something and took another bite of her sandwich. Moms smiled knowingly and went to the door to tell Bobby to bring in Trixie’s bags from her jeep.

Trixie was the only one who knew that Brian was planning on asking Honey to marry him Friday night. He had been planning this for months. When Trixie had been home at Christmas-time, he had dragged her to jewelers all over New York, getting her opinions on rings. He felt he knew Honey well enough to choose something for her, but he wanted Trixie's seal of approval as a woman and as Honey's bestfriend. He had been saving for almost two years now, right after he and Honey had gotten back together.

His freshman year at Columbia, Brian had watched Jim go on dates, but something had held him back from dating. Pre-med was tough and he wanted to do well, but he knew the real reason he had not dated was that, suddenly, his mind was on a certain honey-haired girl with the sweetest disposition he had ever met. That following summer, he had finally gotten the courage to tell Honey how he felt and was elated to discover that she felt the same way. They dated until Honey's freshman year of college when they started to drift apart. With his senior load of classes and stressing about his MCAT's and medical school admissions, he found less and less time to spend with Honey. In the meantime, college opened up a whole new world for Honey. At Christmas, they both realized it was pointless to continue the path they were headed on and parted amicably.

Over the next two years Honey and Brian each dated other people, but they had come to the same conclusion: they were meant to be together. Nobody could hold a candle to the other.

When they had gotten back together, no one had been as thrilled as Trixie. And when Brian asked her to keep this huge secret, she didn’t know how she was going to do it, but she had. Moms was suspicious, though, and Trixie was relieved she’d only have to carry this around with her for two more days.

"Your mind is a million miles away!" Trixie suddenly realized her mom was talking to her.

"I’m sorry. What Moms?"

"I was just suggesting that you go unpack your things. I’ve invited Mart and Di over for dinner tonight for a little ‘Welcome Home’ get together. Hallie had her last final today so she and Dan decided to drive in from the city, too. She’ll stay on with us. Honey has a final exam tomorrow and on Friday, so she sends her regards."

Trixie nodded, finished her "Special," grabbed her bags, and headed upstairs to get ready for dinner.

Two days later, Honey was entering the New York apartment she had shared with Hallie the last two years and gleefully throwing the contents of her back pack all over the living room. Her final final was over and she was graduating tomorrow! Honey wanted to dance, to shout from the roof tops, she was so excited and happy. She looked around and realized that after tomorrow, this apartment would no longer be home base for her. She was moving back to Manor House temporarily and Dan would be taking her place here in the apartment. Well, that’s what they say, but I know my room will end up turning into a den or something! Honey chuckled to herself. Ever since Hallie arrived at NYU, she and Dan had been inseparable. Honey had jokingly asked Dan to start paying his share of the rent and utilities, he had been there so much. Not that she minded, she had been over at Brian’s apartment as much as not.

Brian. Mrs. Brian Belden. Honey Belden. Honey sighed to herself as she thought about her beloved boyfriend. Knock it off, Wheeler. You don’t know he’s going to ask you to marry him, just because his brother asked Di the night before her graduation, and he’s taking you out tonight. Do not put 2 and 2 together and come up with 25!! But maybe…

Honey laughed at herself and decided to spend the day relaxing in a luxurious bubble bath, getting beautiful for Brian.

Later that evening, Brian stood in front of the door to Honey’s apartment. Quit being so nervous, Belden. This is the girl you’ve been in love with since high school. Marrying her is what is going to make you the happiest man alive and you know she wants to marry you. Do I? Do I know that? What if she laughs in my face? She’s not going to laugh in your face! She’s going to look at you with those beautiful hazel eyes and say yes!

Brian continued to stare at the door. Man, I’m losing it, I’m arguing with myself! Was Mart this nervous? Yeah, he was, Di laughs when she retells the story – he couldn’t even eat! Okay, knock on the door and act normal or she’ll know something’s up.

As he waited for Honey to answer his knock, he took a deep breath to calm himself down. He didn’t have long to wait, because suddenly Honey was opening the door and he couldn’t breathe.

"God, you look beautiful."

Honey’s smile was breathtaking. "Thanks, Brian."

"Flowers, here’s some Honey for you. I…I mean…I brought you flowers," Brian managed to stammer out, holding out a dozen red roses before him. That was great, Belden. Way to go!

Honey smiled sweetly and smelled the fragrant bouquet. "They’re beautiful, Brian, thank you! C’mon in. I’m going to go put them in water."

Brian followed behind Honey, taking in her slim figure. She was wearing a dress he had never seen before. It was simple, made of midnight blue silk, but it showed off her figure to advantage.

"Do we have time for a drink before our reservations? Or do you want to go now?" Honey called from the kitchen.

"We have time. Do you have something special in mind?" Brian called as he took a seat on the sofa.

"We still have some of that Sangria Blush left from the other night – how about that?"

"That would be great!" Brian didn’t condone the use of alcohol as a relaxant but he was so nervous he figured one drink might do him some good.

Honey got out two tall glasses and smiled. I’ve never seen him this nervous before. This has to be the night! She poured the blush wine concoction, ensuring that there was one lime slice, one lemon slice, and one orange slice in each glass.

She set the glass in front of Brian and sat down next to him. "I can’t believe it’s finally here! I’m a college graduate!"

Brian leaned over to kiss her. "I hope you know how proud of you I am."

"I know, I just hope you stay proud of me after I move back to Sleepyside and start the agency with Trix."

Brian smiled. "I know when we were younger I told you two to quit playing shamus, but that’s just because I worried so much about you. It may not have seemed like it, but I always had faith in your talents, and my sister’s. It may not be my first choice of a profession for you, but I can’t imagine you as anything but a private detective. Just as I could never be anything but a doctor."

Honey smiled and kissed him. "Whatever would I do without you?"

"Let’s not ever find out," Brian said as he began to kiss her passionately. Finally, he pulled back. "I know we haven’t even touched our drinks yet, but if we don’t get out of here now, we may never get out of here at all!"

Honey pulled away from Brian, tugged her dress down over her knee, and demurely took a sip of her drink. "Why, Brian, whatever do you mean?"

"Don’t pull that innocent act with me, Miss Wheeler, you know exactly what I mean!" Brian grabbed his drink in an effort to cool the passion he felt rising in him as he kissed her.

The two managed to finish their drinks and leave for the restaurant. It was a lovely dinner, and the two chatted and talked all the way through dessert.

"I’ve got an idea," Brian said as they were standing up to leave. "Let’s head over to the Empire State Building."

Honey looked at him in surprise. "The Empire State Building?"

"Sure, you’re ready to conquer the world tomorrow. Let’s go get a good look at it from 102 floors up, shall we?"

Honey agreed and the two were soon standing in the tower looking down at the tiny city below under the night sky. "It’s so pretty up here. I don’t think I’ve been up here since we came with Ned and the Hubbell twins."

"At least this time we don’t have jewel thieves chasing us," Brian said.

Honey turned to look at him. Her hazel eyes met his brown ones. "Why did you bring me up here, Brian?"

Brian returned her gaze and decided that the speech he had so carefully prepared was about to go out the window. "Because I couldn’t think of a more romantic place to ask you to marry me, Honey Wheeler."

Honey stared at him, speechless. She had hoped and prayed, but now that this moment was actually here, she was overwhelmed.

Brian kissed the tip of her nose. "Will you do me the honor of becoming my bride? To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, as long as we both shall live?"

Honey felt tears welling up in her eyes and when she tried to talk she realized that she had a giant lump in her throat and she couldn’t. All she could do was nod happily, throw her arms around Brian, and kiss him harder than she ever had in her life. Finally, when she felt as though she could talk again, she pulled away. "Yes, Brian, I will be your bride. And I will love and cherish you until the day I die, and then some."

Brian reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small jeweler’s box. Honey took it with trembling hands and opened it. She gasped when she saw the 1 carat marquise diamond surrounded by smaller baguettes glittering on a band of gold.

"It’s beautiful. Oh, Brian, it’s perfect!" She breathed as he slipped it on her third finger. "It fits perfect! How did you manage that?"

"I had a little help," Brian admitted.

"Who – Trixie!! She was in on this?"

"Yep, can you believe she sat on this secret since Christmas?" Brian hugged his fiancé.

"No, I can’t believe it. And she never even hinted!" Honey couldn’t believe that her bestfriend had kept this from her, she knew it must have been torture for Trixie.

"Let’s forget about my sister. I have champagne chilling at my apartment. I say we toast your graduation and our future."

"Brian, I couldn’t think of anything better," Honey stated as she looked down at her hand. She was on her way to happily ever after. Now if only something could be done about Trixie…

Trixie was glad Honey had refused her father’s offer of a large graduation party. There was just no way she could face Jim after the graduation ceremony. She was thankful that Honey had told everyone in advance that seating was limited in the Theater at Madison Square Garden where the NYU College of Arts and Sciences graduation was being held. There was no way that all of the Bob-Whites, Wheelers, and Beldens would all be able to sit together, so Trixie was spared seeing Jim. The University-wide graduation first thing that morning in Washington Square Park had been so large that each graduate had only been issued two tickets for that particular ceremony, so Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler were the only ones to attend.

Now Trixie was sitting at Honey’s graduation surrounded by happy couples: her mom and dad, Di and Mart, and Hallie and Dan. It was no consolation that Brian and Bobby were alone because Brian had a permanent smile on his face due to his engagement to Honey, which the rest of the family still didn’t know about, and Bobby was only 14 anyway. Trixie felt as though she was doomed to spend the rest of her life alone. But before she could get depressed, the graduation processional started and she was excited when she realized she was about to watch her bestfriend graduate.

When Honey’s name was called, loud cheers resounded in not one, but two, areas in the theater. Honey looked out in to the crowd of friends and family, smiled and waved her diploma. Trixie knew she was too far away to see it, but she imagined she saw the glint of a brand new, sparkling diamond ring when Honey waved. She had never felt happier for her friend.

The following Friday, Trixie was in a dark mood and everybody knew it. They knew why too.

Everyone had been excited when Brian and Honey had announced their engagement. Both families and all of their friends had been waiting years for the two to get engaged. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler had promptly decided to throw an engagement party at the Manor House, refusing to take no for an answer since Honey had declined a graduation party. And that party was tonight. Trixie knew she would not be able to avoid Jim anymore and she was very tense, to put it mildly.

Brian had time off between rotations and Hallie had a week before the summer session started, so both had been staying at Crabapple Farm all week. Mrs. Belden loved having a full house again. Mart and Di had decided to come by and spend some time at the farm before heading on to the Manor House, so the whole clan was under one roof, a rarity these days for the Beldens. Trixie had tried to be cheerful in front of everyone, but she had never been good at hiding her emotions. Mart finally cornered her.

"My dearest sibling," he began. "I can fully understand your agitation and disconcertion in the face of the cognizance that your ocular orbs will behold a certain James Winthrop Frayne the second this eventide, however – "

Trixie could take no more. "However, nothing, Mart. Keep your oversized vocabulary and your unwanted advice to yourself! Really, I always thought this ridiculous verbosity of yours was a phase. Outgrow it already!"

Mart got serious. "Listen, Trix, Brian is out of his mind with happiness over his engagement to Honey. Don’t let your inability to control your emotions or to set aside your pride for one night interfere with our older brother’s happiness."

"Inability to set my pride aside!" Trixie was incredulous. "Who swallowed her pride TWICE and went to see Jim when he graduated? Could he do the same for me? Do you know how hard it was to watch him with Megan when he got his Bachelor’s? But I did it, didn’t I? How dare you tell me I can’t set my pride aside when it matters!"

Mart nodded. "Trix, I know how hard it was for you to go to both of those graduations, and I am proud of you. I was then too. All I’m saying is, and you know Jim is a friend of mine – heck, he’s also my boss – but if he can’t return the favor and see you graduate, maybe he’s not worth it and you should just forget about him and move on."

"I have moved on!" Trixie protested.

"Have you, Trix? Then why are you in such a bad mood at the thought of seeing Jim tonight?" Mart gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and then left her alone to think things over.

Hours later, Trixie sat in front of her dressing table, applying her make-up. "Mart’s right," she said to her reflection. "You are up here, with your hair done to the nines, sitting in a sexy dress that is definitely not you, and making sure your make-up is perfect. And why? Why did you not stop shopping until you had the perfect dress? Why are you spending more time getting ready than you ever have in your life? Because you want to knock Jim Frayne on his butt when he sees you. And why do you want to that, Trixie? Because you still care about the creep!" Trixie threw her powder brush down in frustration.

"Okay, Belden, you have to get a hold of yourself. You are not going to let this guy drive you insane. You’re perfectly sane, aside from the fact that you are talking to yourself in a mirror, but hey, don’t worry about that! You have to make a decision. Are you going to let Jim make you miserable for the rest of your life? Heck no! Are you going to try to make peace with him tonight and let bygones be bygones?" Trixie hesitated and stared at her reflection for a long time. "Maybe. We’ll see how it goes."

Trixie finished her make-up and stood up to look at herself in the full length mirror. Her hair was swept up, with just a few blond wisps escaping to frame her face. Her dress was form fitting and floor length, made of royal blue satin, which was stunning next to her lightly tanned skin. Trixie felt a surge of self-confidence at her reflection, something she was not used to, and decided that looking like this she could be benevolent and deign to talk to the likes of Jim Frayne.

That feeling quickly faded as she walked into the ballroom of the Manor House and immediately saw Jim surrounded by several pretty college aged women. One she recognized as Honey’s old roommate, the rest she correctly guessed were daughters of Matthew Wheeler’s friends and business associates. Diana gave Trixie’s hand a quick squeeze. "You have never looked more gorgeous, Trix. You can do this."

Mart smiled at her as well. "My wife is quite right, Beatrix."

Trixie smiled. Mart never could pay her a compliment without using her hated full name! Some things would never change.

Just then Honey looked over and saw the three of them standing there. She excused herself from the people she and Brian had been talking to and practically ran over to greet her friends.

"Wow! Trixie – you look fantastic! You’re not supposed to outshine me at my own party!" Honey laughed and hugged her friend.

"Silly! As if I ever could!" Trixie retorted, as she returned the hug.

Honey gave Mart and Diana quick hugs, too. "Di, you look terrific, too."

"Thanks. Honey, you are positively radiant. I take it engagement agrees with you?" Diana smiled knowingly.

Honey nodded happily and then turned to Trixie. "I know you’re hurting, and I haven’t forgiven Jim for not showing up to your graduation, but you look so stunning that you need to go over and say hi to him."

Trixie’s eyes involuntarily moved to where the handsome redhead was standing, laughing at something one of the girls said. "I don’t know, Honey. Things were really tense at Christmas the last time I saw him, and his refusal to see me graduate indicates to me that he wants nothing to do with me."

Honey shook her head. "No, Jim is full of stupid, stubborn pride. He’s the kind of guy who would know that if he went with all of us, it would be hard listening to all of us talk about you all day, and feeling a little bit sorry for him because we all know he belongs with you, and he knows he belongs with you, and he knows we know he belongs with you, and we know that he knows he belongs with you…" Honey trailed off and looked at the amused faces of her three friends. "Okay, so I’m doing it again – you’re all used to it by now. But what I’m trying to say is that Jim is the kind of person who would be there for you at your graduation even if he didn’t want to be with all of us."

Trixie looked surprised. "Are you telling me that Jim was at my graduation but didn’t want anyone to know?" Hope soared within her and she tried to ignore what that meant.

"No, I am not telling you that, because I don’t know that. It’s just a hunch I’ve had. I debated whether or not I should even tell you, because I could be wrong, but then I decided to anyway." Honey gave her friend a pleading look. "Go talk to him, please."

Di agreed. "Take your time, get comfortable, but please talk to him before the night is through."

Trixie stared at Jim, trying to decide what to do, when suddenly he turned and their eyes met. Their eyes locked for several moments until Trixie finally smiled at him. Jim gave her a hesitant smile back then turned to finish his conversation with the tall brunette at his side.

"Yeah, he really wants to talk to me," Trixie could not hide the look of disappointment at Jim’s reaction. "Honey, you need to go mingle with your guests and not worry about me. I’ll be fine."

Honey gave her a hug. "I know you’ll be fine, but I want you to be happy." With that she was off, greeting more newcomers to the party.

Trixie turned to Mart and Di. "Mind if I’m the third wheel? I just don’t think I can deal with this alone."

Mart grinned at his sister. "Sure, if you think you can handle my outsized vocabulary for the evening, oh sister mine."

Trixie laughed. "In that case, maybe I’d be more prepared to meet a whole roomful of Jims!"

Across the room, Jim was having a hard time concentrating on what Mindy was talking about, or was it Mandy? Did it matter? What right did Trixie have walking into the party looking like some blonde goddess? When he first looked over and saw her, he literally had the wind knocked out of him. He had been so stunned at seeing her, that he had barely been able to return her smile. It was then he realized that he had no idea what the brunette had been saying. And he also realized, he didn’t care.

He wanted to talk to Trixie so bad, but he wasn’t sure he had the courage. She didn’t know that he had made it to her graduation, so she must hate him. He should tell her he had been there. But how could he explain it? "I felt like a dork, Trixie, sitting with our families knowing that they pitied me for losing you." No, Frayne, you didn’t lose her – you threw her away. You were afraid of being hurt, so you took the pre-emptive strike. What an idiot! She has every right not to speak to you ever again.

Meanwhile, Trixie circulated the party with Mart and Di, listening to Mart talk to Mr. Wheeler’s friends about managing the land and teaching at Jim’s school for underprivileged boys. It had opened on Ten Acres, the old Frayne property, almost a year before. Jim had managed to acquire some of the neighboring land (easy enough to do as his adopted father owned most of it), and now he had over 50 acres of land for his school. Mart, with his degree in Crop and Soil Sciences from Cornell, managed the 20 acres of gardens that produced a fair amount of the food for the school. He had a small crew that helped him, which freed up some of his time so that he could teach the science classes.

Trixie began to feel more relaxed as more of her friends arrived. Mart finally ditched her and headed for the buffet table, but Trixie didn’t mind, she just attached herself to her cousin and Dan. Old rivalries forgotten, she and Hallie were now able to laugh together and be friendly. The two cousins and Dan compared notes about their classes. Dan’s degree from NYU was in criminal justice with a specialization in law enforcement. He had recently graduated from the Police Academy and was a rookie on the New York City police force. Hallie was just about to start her senior year in criminal justice-political science. Ever since she had been in on the Oliver Tolliver mystery surrounding Hans and Juliana’s wedding and the mystery involving the Swishers and their try for Tank’s gold so many years before, Hallie had wanted to work for the Belden-Wheeler detective agency.

Waiters carrying trays laden with glasses full of champagne began to appear among the guests. Trixie knew it was almost time for Matthew Wheeler to toast the happy couple, as she had been through this two years before at Di and Mart’s engagement party. I hope whoever I marry isn’t rich. I just want an engagement barbecue at Crabapple Farm with a few close friends – none of this hoopla, Trixie thought as she grabbed a glass.

Soon, Matthew and Madeleine Wheeler were standing in front of their guests with Honey and Brian standing off to their side.

"We all knew this day would get here eventually," Matthew started his speech as everyone quieted down. "I have watched my daughter grow from a little girl into the fine woman she has become. I watched Brian grow from a high school kid with a beat up jalopy to the young man before me poised on a brilliant career in medicine. I have watched them flirt with each other when they thought I didn’t notice." Honey blushed and looked at Brian upon hearing this statement, as a ripple of laughter swept through the crowd. "I pretended not to notice when they got into one of their rare arguments. I sat up and waited and fretted when they were out on their dates, as any good father will. But the thing I like best is that I have watched them prove an old saying true – ‘If you love something, set it free. If it loves you, it will return.’ These kids realized that they were too young to settle down, went about the business of their lives, and then realized that they were meant to be, and found each other again. Watching the two of them over the years has been a beautiful experience for Madeleine and myself, as well as for Helen and Peter. I am proud to be able to stand here tonight and officially welcome the Beldens into our family. I say ‘officially’ because the Beldens have always been a part of our family, but now Brian and Honey are going to make it legal. Here’s to the happy couple and the wonderful life they have before them." Matthew raised his glass and shouts of "Hear, hear!" arose throughout the room as everyone toasted Honey and Brian.

The d.j. switched from the dinner music he had been playing to a romantic love song, and everyone cleared the way for the future bride and groom to share a dance. After a few minutes, the d.j. announced that everyone was to join in. Trixie looked around her as couples paired off: Mart and Di, Hallie and Dan, Moms and Dad, even Bobby had grabbed one of the Lynch twins, but Trixie was not sure if it was Kathy or Julie. Trixie saw Jim heading her way and held her breath, not daring to hope that he was coming to ask her to dance. Her heart hit the floor with a thud when she saw the beautiful brunette he had been talking to earlier stop him and ask him to dance. Trixie turned her head and blinked back hot tears. What made you think Jim would want to dance with you when he could dance with someone who looks like her?

Just then someone tapped her on her shoulder. She turned to look and there stood Jim Frayne. Trixie thought he had never looked more handsome.

"Dance with me, Trix?"

 To Be Continued

Sangria Blush is a yummy summertime drink that I encourage everyone to try – it is always a hit at barbecues, and people are always telling me to make my Sangria Blush and bring it along. Heat up 1 c. orange juice and ½ c. sugar on the stove until the sugar is dissolved. In the meantime, in a pitcher pour 1 (750 ml) bottle of blush wine (white zin, white grenache, whatever – buy cheap stuff cuz it tastes just as good), ¼ c. ea. lemon and lime juice (or ½ c. of one). Add the orange juice mixture and a bunch of sliced lemons, limes, and oranges. Refrigerate and serve over ice. Enjoy!

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