Everyone applauded as Doris and Bert came to the stage and prepared to play. In the hush that preceded their opening notes, the outer door to the ballroom banged open. Everyone turned around to look.
“I might have known,” Jean said under her breath to Ralph. “It’s Ted and Ethel. He’s making his usual entrance.”
Ethel, blushing furiously, turned to her husband, who was blithely walking towards Jean and Ralph. “I told you there was something going on!” she hissed.
Ted glanced up at the stage and saw Doris and Bert waiting for the confusion to stop. “I guess I did it again,” he admitted sheepishly. “Hush, everyone,” he said in an ineffectual effort to quiet the crowd.
“Hush, yourself,” Ethel commanded in indignation. She turned to Jean. “How on earth can I apologize?”
Jean laughed. “Don’t try, Ethel,” she giggled. “Someday Ted is going to make a quiet entrance somewhere, and we’ll all pass out from the shock.”
The guests quieted down, and Doris and Bert began to play. Ralph touched Jean’s arm and beckoned to her to follow him to the porch. They stepped through the French windows and stood listening to the music. Ralph put his arm around Jean and she put her head on his shoulder. With reverence he touched a curl on the top of her head. “It wasn’t very polite to sneak away from the concert, was it?” he whispered in her ear.
Jean shook her head. “No,” she whispered back, “it wasn’t.”
“But I wanted to hear them play just with you,” Ralph continued in a whisper.
Jean reached up and squeezed his hand. The soft strains of the violin drifted out to the porch and engulfed them. They listened breathlessly till the last notes died away. Then Ralph leaned over and whispered, “Miss Craig, I love you!”