Kate Armstrong: Over-The-Hill Coes: Those Gals From Minter, WI, #4

By Sherry Derr-Wille

Kate Armstrong, has to return to college in order to keep her job. Along with her computer courses, her boss has arranged for her to take a course in Romantic Literature. On her first day of classes, she learns Denny Bostian, the jerky jock from high school who gave her fits, will be her professor. Her hope is to sit in the back and not be noticed.

Denny Bostian has taught Romantic Literature for years in the UW system. With the loss of his wife, he wants a new start and asks to be relocated to the campus in his home town. When he sees Kate Armstrong is one of his students, his interest is piqued. Could she be the same girl he remembered from high school? If so, could he make up for the way he treated her in the past?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wings ePress, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9781597050777

Book preview

One

Y ou want me to do what ? Kate Armstrong questioned, unable to believe the suggestion her boss just made.

I want you to take some classes at the local branch of the university this semester.

That’s what I thought you said. Good grief, Cal, I’m fifty-three-years old. With all the youngsters you’ve got on the payroll, why waste the money on me?

You have to know you’re the best computer person I’ve got. I need you to take these courses so you can be the head of the training program.

"Excuse me, but I thought I was the head of the training program. I’ve been playing nursemaid to the newbies for over a year. Why do I have to go back to school now?"

You know about that national rating we’re trying to get for the company?

Of course I do, but what does one thing have to do with the other?

In order to get it, and keep you as head of the training department, you have to have a college degree. I’ve known you all my life, and I know that you are three credits short of having what you need. If the only thing standing in your way is three lousy credits, I’m ready to finance your classes.

It’s been over thirty years since I’ve been in a classroom, Kate lamented. What if I can’t cut it?

Cal laughed at her concerns. That‘s the least of my worries. No matter what you do it’s always first rate. You really don’t have a choice in the matter. I’ve already registered you, made arrangements for you to work around your class schedule, and paid the tuition. Like it or not, you’re going back to school.

Kate put her hands in the air in mock surrender. There was no use arguing with Cal when he made up his mind to do anything.

Once back in her office, she checked her calendar. She had three weeks before she became Kate Armstrong, over-the-hill student.

The ringing of her cell phone distracted her from the calendar.

Hi, Mom, Polly greeted her. I just got the greatest news, and you’re the first person I’ve called, after Chris, of course. I just left the doctor’s office. I’m pregnant; I didn’t think it would ever happen.

Oh, honey, I’m so happy for you, Kate said into the phone. I’m going to be a grandma. Am I really that old? If I am, what am I doing going back to school? Maybe I should just retire and be a grandma full time.

You sound strange, Mom. Is something wrong?

Wrong? Not wrong really, just strange. Cal just told me I’m going back to school to get my degree. I start in three weeks.

That’s great! I always knew you felt cheated by not finishing school. If you ask me, I think it’s about time you did it. I was going to suggest it, but I didn’t know how to bring up the subject. What courses are you taking?

What courses am I taking? The silent question made Kate laugh. I really don’t know. Cal made all the arrangements. They will probably be computer related. The only reason any of this came up is that he’s trying to get a national rating for the company, and in order for me to remain on as head of the Computer Training Department, I have to have my degree. I guess I’ll just have to call Cal, and find out what he signed me up to take.

After ending her conversation with Polly, Kate placed a call to Cal’s office to inquire about her courses. As she surmised, two of the classes were computer related. The third one was on Romantic Literature. She couldn’t help but smile at the literature class. Cal certainly knew her weakness for romance novels. Since there had been no romance in her life since Stu died almost twenty years ago, she found she enjoyed the love lives of fictional characters.

Returning to the university, even the local campus, meant opening old wounds. They were ones she had prayed would remain closed forever. Kate had been three months shy of her twenty-second birthday, and three credits short of graduation, when she’d learned she was pregnant with Polly. The father, Gary Collier, a young man from Iowa, denied the child was his, and left her with two options. She could keep the baby and raise it alone, or she could have an abortion. She chose the first and had never regretted keeping Polly.

Kate had been so sick for the entire nine months of her pregnancy, staying in school had not been feasible. Instead, Kate returned to Minter from Madison, flew in the face of convention, and insisted on keeping her child. For the next thirty-three years, she’d worked hard to support herself and her daughter. Thank goodness her parents had been willing to help her out over the first few years before Polly started school. At the time, the education she’d worked so hard to obtain took a back seat to the child she’d gladly devoted her life to raising.

After supper, Kate assessed the clothes in her closet. When she’d gone away to school right after high school graduation, her mother insisted on purchasing an extensive wardrobe. The dresses and suits even the then-new fashion called pantsuits were of good quality. Even with the Cultural Revolution that was sweeping the country, the conservative Midwest campus of the University demanded their students dress appropriately.

Nothing here will do, Kate lamented to no one but herself. Before her lay a stack of suits and dresses more suitable for the office than the classroom.

She knew the jeans and mini skirts the kids wore were not her style either. A Saturday shopping trip to the outlet mall was definitely in the picture. With Polly and Chris living in Denver, Kate called her best friend Betsy Connor.

I can’t believe Cal talked you into going back to school, Betsy said, once Kate explained the situation.

Then you will go to the outlet mall with me on Saturday?

Of course I will. It’s going to be fun transforming Ms. I Always Dress For Success into Ms. I Want To Fit In College Co-Ed.

KATE STARED INTO THE full-length mirror at the end of the hall. The reflection that looked back at her certainly was unfamiliar. If she was going to work, her skirt would have fallen discretely to a mid calf length, her blouse would have been buttoned up to her neck, and a matching jacket would have completed the ensemble.

The woman in the mirror wore a dark plaid blouse over a solid color full skirt that ended in the middle of her knees. Instead of the pantyhose that she wore to work every day, Betsy had talked her into purchasing patterned socks and loafers. Kate had to admit she enjoyed the look as well as the comfort. Betsy had even talked Kate into coloring her hair in order to hide the gray that had started appearing in the last few years.

There’s no sense in advertising you could be mother to the majority of your fellow students, to say nothing of the professor, Betsy rationalized.

Although Kate had been skeptical about the transformation, she had to admit she enjoyed the illusion of long lost youth.

The books for the morning’s class sat on the kitchen table. She’d picked them up at the University Bookstore last week, but resisted the temptation of pouring over them. It was best if she came into the class as cold as the rest of her classmates.

After a breakfast of English muffins and eggs, Kate picked up her books, as well as the garment bag that contained her clothes for work. Once she finished her morning in the classroom, she would still have to return to her other life, the one in the office.

DENNY BOSTIAN PREPARED for the morning’s class. The anticipation of a new semester never ceased to amaze him. He’d been teaching Romantic Literature on the college level for the past twenty years, and it was always the same on the first day of school. Butterflies took up residence in his stomach at the prospect of meeting the new crop of students that would descend upon his classroom.

Over those years, he’d heard every joke in the world. How had the top jock in high school and college decided to teach a sissy subject like Romantic Literature? He had no one but his late wife, Lori, to blame for that. She’d been the one to turn him onto romance novels when they’d first met. It had led to the classes he now enjoyed teaching as well as the whispered comments concerning his sexuality.

Since he’d kept his personal life extremely private, none of his students knew of the great love he and Lori had shared. They also didn’t know how their inability to have children coupled with Lori’s tragic death from liver failure devastated him.

Theirs had been a love no romance writer could begin to put on paper. Lori often said if more men read and understood romance novels, there would be fewer divorces in the world.

Denny straightened the papers on his desk, and checked the board to make certain he’d written his name, as well as the names of the books he wanted his students to read this semester, in bold enough letters. In a few minutes, the new session would begin. At the same time, he would be forced to endure the jokes and whispered accusations he’d put up with for the past twenty years. Up until now, he had been happy teaching at the main campus of the University in Madison and being one of many. Today would begin an entirely new chapter in his life. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever considered teaching at one of the outlying campuses.

Lori’s death had changed everything. The house they’d shared soon became little more than an empty shell without her. As soon as it was sold, he’d asked to be transferred away from Madison and the memories that resided on every street corner. He’d certainly never expected to end up in his hometown, teaching the children of people whom he went to high school.

To calm his nerves, he went down to the lounge to get a cup of coffee. By the time he reentered the lecture hall, the gallery was already full. For as long as he’d taught this particular class, it never ceased to amaze him how many students thought it was a suckey course designed to give them an easy credit.

Good morning, he greeted the class from the podium that stood beside his desk. It pleases me to see so many young, smiling students.

He searched the sea of faces before him in the hopes of perhaps recognizing someone who just happened to look like one of his old classmates. Among the students who could have easily been one of his children, he saw a beautiful woman who had to be close to his own age. She sat inconspicuously at the back of the room. For some reason he couldn’t put his finger on, her hair didn’t match her coloring. Before continuing, he made a mental note to check out the student list to learn her name.

I’m certain most of you took this course in the hopes of gaining an easy credit. Trust me, it is not easy. We will study everything from the traditional English Romances to the modern day categories. By the end of the semester, you will be expected to write the first three chapters and synopsis of your own romance novel.

A collective male groan told Denny he’d struck the nerve he’d intended to strike. By mid semester, anyone who considered this to be a suck course would either have dropped out, or be completely enthralled.

Again, he glanced at the woman at the back of the lecture hall. Unlike the young students who were staring at him with their mouths open, she was furiously taking notes. Considering her age, he couldn’t help but wonder if the notes were in shorthand. As he recalled, most of the girls he went to school with took the secretarial courses. Back then, society deemed the girls would either be nurses, waitresses, teachers, beauticians, or secretaries, with their main focus on landing a husband.

In the front row a young man raised his hand. Denny nodded his recognition of the student.

Are you saying we’re going to read those smut books our moms read?

The comment brought laughter to everyone in the room. Everyone, that was, except Denny and the woman who had so captivated him.

You will be reading good quality romance novels. If you’re here to read smut, you’re in the wrong class. Romance isn’t just sex. By the time you’ve read a couple of these books, I’m certain you’ll see the difference.

KATE JOINED THE THRONG of young people entering the lecture hall. When she’d noticed the instructor was Dennis Bostian, she immediately pictured the handsome athlete from her graduating class. Could her professor be the same person who had made her life a living hell in high school?

As soon as the thought entered her mind, she dismissed it. In and around Minter, Bostian was a common name. The very idea that this was the same man seemed ludicrous.

The lecture hall was filled with eager young students, the majority of them younger than Polly. What am I doing here, her inner voice questioned.

Before she could think of an answer, the professor entered the hall. Kate gasped when her worst fears became reality. Dennis Bostian was not some stranger she happened to get as her professor. He was someone she knew over thirty years earlier. She would have recognized him anywhere. His hair was streaked with gray, but the features were those of the football, track, and basketball star she remembered from high school. Back then, he’d been every girl’s dream. It was evident that nothing had changed in that department. He was still drop dead handsome, and gave off a sexual aura that was downright frightening.

Kate understood why she didn’t know that Denny was a professor.

She didn’t have to give that answer much thought. Even though she lived and worked in Minter, she saw only her close friends from high school. Her girlfriends had formed a close-knit group who could care less about Denny Bostian. Although his parents continued to live in town, no one knew much about Denny, or really cared for that matter. Out of sight, out of mind were the words that came to mind where he was concerned.

Denny greeted the class, drawing Kate’s attention away from her inner thoughts. She again focused on the man at the podium. His voice certainly wasn’t that of a teenager high on the fact he was a star athlete. It was a deep baritone that could drive any woman crazy with desire.

What did you expect?

Kate wanted to throttle her inner voice. Instead, she formulated an answer that she prayed would keep the voice of reason quiet, at least for a little while. Whatever it was, it’s not him.

She knew all too well what she had expected, and it certainly wasn’t the sex god that stood before her. As an English professor, she’d envisioned him with a full salt & pepper beard, as well as a Sherlock Holmes type pipe, and a tweed suit complete with a vest. Denny, on the other hand, wore a polo shirt that was open at the neck, was clean shaven, and the gray in his hair was more of a sexual turn on than a sign of old age. Soft curls, representing a masculine chest, showed above his shirt, making her wonder where the mat of hair led.

Kate closed her eyes in order to calm her thoughts that were now running rampant. Instead of the mature, sexy man in front of her, she saw the arrogant jock that had tormented her.

Before she opened them again, she took a deep breath. This class is necessary. Somehow I will have to get through this semester and earn my credit. Denny is my professor, and I am his student. If I stay at the back of the lecture hall, maybe he won’t even know I exist.

Two

Denny poured over the student list for his morning class. The name Kathryn Armstrong was the only one that sounded even slightly familiar.

Given the woman’s age, Denny had to assume she could be someone he’d gone to school with, perhaps even someone from his graduating class. Since finding his high school annual was completely out of the question, the next best thing was to make contact with some of his old friends.

Over the years, he’d never been able to attend any of his class reunions. When the first one was announced, he’d been studying for his masters. Each one after that, he’d had other commitments. Returning to Minter in order to spend an evening with a room full of people he neither knew nor had anything in common with wasn’t at the top of his list of priorities.

Although he’d been back in town for almost two months, he hadn’t taken the time to call anyone, not even Ed Connor. They’d been best friends all through high school, and even played on the same football and basketball teams.

Without bothering to find his address book, which was probably in the same unopened box with his annuals, he opened the phone book.

Ed answered on the first ring. After exchanging the necessary pleasantries, Denny got to the reason for his call.

Does the name Kathryn Armstrong mean anything to you?

You’re kidding, right? You must remember Kate. She was a mousy bookworm. As I recall, you gave her a pretty rough time back then.

So I was a jerky jock. I don’t care about that. Where is she now?

She lives right here in Minter. She’s got a good job over at Jayco. In case you’re interested, she never got married. She attended the UW in Madison until she got pregnant and had to drop out. Since the guy ran out on her, she raised Polly alone, and did a damn good job of it, too, if you ask me or anyone else in town for that matter.

If she’s got such a great job, what was she doing in my class this morning?

She told Betsy...

Betsy?

Ed began to laugh. I guess if you don’t remember Kate, I can’t expect you to remember Betsy Waite. Of course, she’s Betsy Connor now. Has been for over thirty years.

Sorry Ed. I guess I was too involved in my own life to keep up with what was going on here in Minter, even though my parents kept up on everything.

That’s all right. Anyway, Kate and Betsy were best friends, still are. Kate told Betsy that her boss is trying to get some national rating. In order to promote Kate, she has to get her bachelor’s degree. It’s part of the stipulations for getting the rating. He’s even paying for her classes. I guess yours was what you might call a gift. She’s always read romance novels and enjoyed them. He figured he was doing her a favor.

Denny cringed. His class was listed as one on romance novels, but it had little to do with the myriad of paperbacks that lined the shelves at Wal-Mart and Walden Books. It was true, some of the modern day writers were among those he used as examples, but he also dwelled on the classics like Forever Amber and Lady Chatterley’s Lover.

So why is it that Kate never married? Does she get her jollies out of reading about other people’s romance? Is she such a cold fish that no guy in his right mind would want to marry her?

Hardly. I think you should get to know Kate before you start making assumptions about her. I don’t get into the gossip thing, but Kate is one of the most eligible gals in town. She has brains and beauty, you might say she has the whole package, but she doesn’t jump in the sack with some guy just because he pops for dinner. When was the last time you heard of someone that desirable being so proper? If you ask me, the guy that got her pregnant burned her really bad.

Denny had to agree. In the twenty first century, it was hard to find a girl who wasn’t interested in warming the sheets at the end of a date, especially if the guy used the proper protection. It was one of the reasons he hadn’t been out on many dates since Lori died.

Well, thanks for the information, Denny said, unable to think of anything more to say on the subject of Kate Armstrong.

Just like that, thanks for the information? You pop back into town after more years than I care to count, and you don’t want to get together?

Denny swallowed hard. Since getting his masters, he’d hardly been a social butterfly. His life had revolved around home and work. There certainly weren’t a lot of people who wanted to socialize with a college professor. As for his colleagues, they were more interested in stuffy cocktail parties and talking about tenure, or why their department didn’t get more grant money, than in watching the Packers and drinking a beer.

Lori had been his saving grace. If she hadn’t set him up with her family and friends, he would have been content to spend his nights at home either engrossed in a good book, or in bed enjoying his wife. With her gone, he would have to cultivate his own friends if he didn’t want to become an old stick in the mud.

I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I’m still getting settled. Once that is done and the school year is underway, let’s plan to get together. Do you still watch the Packers?

Who doesn’t? As a matter-of-fact Betsy and I have a Packer party every Sunday. Do you want to come over? Betsy always plans a real blow out. I’m sure Kate will be there. She usually is.

Those girls are into football? Denny questioned. As they had talked a vision of the Kate he knew in high school had formed in his mind. To his recollection, she had never even attended one of Minter High’s home games. She was always too busy getting the top grades to be bothered with anything like that.

Of course they do. Betsy says it’s for self-defense. By learning about they game, they aren’t left out between August and January.

The thought of meeting Kate socially was suddenly appealing. What are you doing, trying to set me up?

Would a blind date with Minter’s most eligible bachelorette be so bad? It worked for Lane and Grant.

Who? Denny asked unable to remember knowing anyone with those names from his past.

Lane Allerton and Grant Price. I guess you’d remember her as Lane Sacks. She came in our junior year. She came back to Minter to retire with her husband just before he was killed. When Grant Price came to town, Rob and Joyce Asher threw a little dinner party to get the two of them together.

Little by little, names and faces of old classmates were coming to mind. Lane Sacks had been a hot little number in high school, but he hadn’t put two and two together until just now. He’d been to her coffee shop several times, but never associated the older gal behind the counter with the bombshell from high school.

He knew people always said you couldn’t go home again, but they didn’t come from Minter, Wisconsin. With one phone call, the years were melting away.

By the time Denny hung up, he was looking forward not only to having Kate in his class for this semester, but also to Ed’s Packer party on Sunday.

KATE LEFT WORK AT SIX too tired to even think about supper. Before tackling the stack of books on the kitchen table, she opened a box of popcorn, and put one of the bags into the microwave. Within seconds, the aroma produced by the popping kernels made her mouth water in anticipation of the salty, buttery snack that would be her supper.

The microwave beeped signaling the popping process was finished. Once it did, Kate took the bag from the oven, and poured the contents into the plastic bowl she reserved for popcorn. After opening a diet soda, she picked up her copy of Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and went into the living room to begin reading the assigned