“Sure. The boys will love it.”
“So will Tatum. Night, love you.”
“Love you more.”
Chapter Six
“Ah, Friday again, my last day of the week in Denver,” I said to no one in particular. I actually enjoyed life as a TV reporter. Monday through Friday, I drove to Denver to cover stories there. On Saturdays, I was expected to sniff out happenings in Colorado Springs, where I lived. I usually did research and taped a story each day except Sunday. My schedule worked out well for a single parent.
My latest story on a local infestation of Africanized bees was in the can early—luckily without me and my favorite cameraman, Freddy, getting stung. I made some calls to organize tomorrow’s shoot, then left for the hour-long drive to Colorado Springs. The early afternoon crisp air and bright sunshine added to my good mood. Great, I would make it in time to get Tatum from all-day kindergarten. I loved it when I could leave work early enough to pick her up. That gave us an early start on weekend fun. I gave Joy a quick call to let her know she didn’t need to pick her up today when she picked up Charlie.
Tatum ran to me, grabbed my arm, and held on tight.
“Hello, little missy. What wonderful things did you learn today?” I pulled her close and gave her a hug.
“I learnded that you ruined my life.” Tears filled her eyes.
“What? How in the world did I ruin your life?” That certainly wasn’t what I’d expected to hear.
“Well, today when me and Cassidy went to recess, she let me wear one of her shoes, so I let her wear one of mine—but it felt weird ’cause her shoe is bigger than mine, and it flew off when I chased Hunter. Then Hunter said him and his dad—you know he doesn’t have a mama—saw you on TV talking about roses.”
She stopped and looked at me as if she expected me to understand.
“O…kay…but how did that ruin your life?”
“Because, Mommy—” She stamped her foot. “—his dad said you were as pretty as the roses, and Hunter said his dad is always right, so now he is going to marry you when he turns eight, unless his dad does.” Her voice changed to pleading. “Please marry his dad so I can marry Hunter.”
“Honey, I promise I won’t marry Hunter. He’s all yours. Besides, I thought you wanted me to marry the tree man.” I smiled as I pulled her back into another big hug.
She gave me a big squeeze back. “I do.”
“I can’t marry Hunter’s dad and the tree man. In fact, I’m not planning on marrying anyone. It’s you and me, kiddo.”
She smiled and hopped into the car. “Where are we going?”
Wow, that was an easy fix. I wish my grown-up problems were that easy to resolve. I clicked my seat belt, then said, “To the store to get some groceries and some things for our movie night with your Ninja Warrior cousins.”
“Yay!”
****
Saturday and Sunday were quiet days for Tatum and me. Gymnastics for her; then I dropped her off at Joy’s while I taped a local story. Later, we played dress-up and restaurant. Tatum “cooked” our dinner—cereal and bananas and milk, sprinkled with chocolate chips. Afterward, we read books on the couch, then searched for places we could go on vacation when school was out next summer. On Sunday, we attended church and had a quiet lunch and a delicious nap on my bed. I loved our weekends together. How blessed I was to have this little girl in my life. I often reminded myself that I didn’t need a man to make me happy. I had my little corner of Heaven on Earth right here. In fact, the nightmares that weekend seemed to be a little less powerful.
****
I sat at my desk at CBS 4 Denver’s Colorado Springs office on Monday morning. The usual racket surrounded me in the noisy open room called the bullpen. I tried to get my head around possible story ideas for the week. Nothing new jumped out at me.
“Okay, time to get busy, Elle.” This time I purposely spoke out loud to give myself a little kick in the pants. I gave up brainstorming and focused on the shoot I had in about an hour at a local shopping center, preparing to host a Thanksgiving reenactment and fundraiser next month. Not a hot story, but that’s what you got on a slow day.
“Elle, these here itty-bitty roses just arrived.”
I looked up to see lovely miniature pink roses in a crystal vase. “Thank you, Julie. Who are they from?”
“I don’t know. I think there’s a card here somewhere.” The receptionist turned the flowers around until a little robin’s-egg-blue envelope faced me. She set the flowers on my desk and waited with excitement.
I had learned quickly that Julie was kind of a mother figure here, and the office gossip. She knew everyone’s business, but she had a big heart.
I gulped, afraid they were from the rose professor, then opened the card and read it silently.
Dear Ms. Frost,
I would like the opportunity to make up for the ice cream owed to you and Miss Tatum. Would you be so kind as to let me know if there is an evening this week that would be convenient other than game nights, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday? Which leaves only today or Wednesday. Sorry.
I know you are busy with your work and these are school nights for the little lady, so I promise we would only be an hour.
Please say yes and respond by text to 720-255-1360.
The Tree
P.S. I saw your report on the pink mini roses. You looked lovely, by the way.
My heart did a little skip. I set the card on my desk. Did the guy actually mean it? I was surprised he even remembered us. I mean, I’m sure he has a harem of ladies hanging all over him. “You only saw one girl, Elle,” I scolded myself out loud.
“Who did you see, and who is the Tree?” Julie asked. She had sidled around my desk and read over my shoulder.
I had forgotten she was there. “Umm…nobody, and he is just a guy, a super-tall guy. My little girl called him Tree. You know kids, they say it as they see it. We ran into him at the Olympic Training Facility where I take Tatum for gymnastics.” I realized I was rambling and anything I told her was bound to be water cooler news by the end of the day. I dropped the card into my purple bag.
Julie turned to leave, then paused and leaned toward me with a serious look on her face. “You know, Elle, I’m always one to mind my own business, but I would be careful if I were you. This fellow takes his games pretty seriously. And his lady friends not seriously at all. Sounds like one of those wastrels that has to be at the bar three times a week to watch them sports games with his buddies. These little flowers are lovely and all, but you best be guarding your heart.”
I sat at my desk, fighting a smile. For a man I’d run into at Cuppa Joe’s, he sure had many titles—Triple X, Sharpshooter, Xavier Trayce, Zave, Man-With-a-Harem, Tree, and now Wastrel. Which was the real man? Always one for a good mystery, I decided I’d take him up on his ice cream offer on Wednesday and sent him a quick text. This may make a good story for that novel I hope to write someday.
Chapter Seven
I was in a hurry when I picked up Tatum late afternoon Wednesday from Joy’s.
“We already ate, sis. Mac and cheese was the unanimous choice of the wild ninjas tonight.” Joy brushed the hair from her forehead and plopped into a kitchen chair.
I grabbed Tatum’s jacket and backpack. “Thanks, Joy. You’re the best.” I leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “See you tomorrow.” I scooted my daughter toward the door. I wanted to get to Josh & John’s Ice Cream a little early so I could watch Zave come in. Not sure why.
I’d dressed up for work with tonight in mind. I had on my favorite teal blouse. I knew the color brought out the green and blue in my hazel eyes. I loved the way my black skirt with the pleats around the left knee made me look slim, or at least I thought it did. My three-inch black pumps brought me close to six feet tall, but I’d never have to worry about heels with this guy. I had added a twenty-inch gold chain with obsidian beads every few inches and matching dangling earrings. I flattered myself that the gold brought out th
e golden highlights in my dark blond hair. I wanted to look good this evening, even though it was a casual ice cream date.
“Where’re we going, Mommy?”
I hadn’t told Tatum about tonight because I knew she’d tell Joy. I wasn’t ready to share anything more about Zave with my sisters yet. Stop kidding yourself, I scolded myself. There was nothing to share. A ripple buzzed through my chest, calling me a liar.
“We are going for ice cream with the tall man you call Tree.” I couldn’t keep the smile from breaking out.
“Yay! Tree man. Tree man.” She clapped her hands together several times in delight.
Well, that was a good sign. She already liked Zave. I’d never let other men meet her before. Plus, including last week’s boring rose lecture, I had only been on a handful of dates since the divorce. I knew I was afraid to trust a man again, afraid to trust my own judgement where they were concerned. This was a big step for both of us.
It’s only ice cream, I said to myself to calm my racing heartbeat. Who was I kidding? In my heart I knew I hoped for more.
I turned on Tatum’s favorite Disney music CD, and we sang along. A few minutes later, my mind started to wander, and a red flag popped up, causing lightning bugs to bounce around in my stomach, warning me that this could be a big mistake.
Zave was an athlete, like my ex-husband. I’d known Blake for two semesters at college before we married. He was handsome, driven, and pursued me with a passion. It was flattering. During that time, he was extremely busy with basketball and his classes. I stayed busy, too, with my upper-level courses for my degree in communications and broadcasting and doing an internship as a weather girl for the local station. In hindsight, we hadn’t spent that much time together, and I really didn’t know him well.
I thought Blake was great at first, but then after we married his true nature surfaced. I soon realized that when we were dating, the times he was quiet, when I thought he was a deep thinker, in reality he was holding tight to his temper. It became evident he wanted a compliant, slave-like wife he could control.
I pushed those thoughts away, telling myself that I wasn’t the same young naive college girl. I was stronger now. Zave was not Blake. Zave seemed to be a good guy, and I thought I might be ready to pry my heart open again. I needed to give him the benefit of the doubt, give this a chance. Besides, it was just ice cream. My stomach swirled again, warning me to be careful.
“There’s the ice cream store, Mommy.” Tatum interrupted my thoughts.
“Good eyes, little lady.”
Since it was dinner time, there were only a few people there. Good. Decorated in a variety of pastels, the entire store seemed built to make people smile. Purple appeared to be the predominant color. One wall was old brick. Paper lanterns glowed from the ceiling—a real warm, fuzzy place.
I spied a table in the far corner and headed over while Tatum ran to the glass serving area to ogle the flavors. The door opened, and Zave stepped in. My heart stopped. Not skipped a beat—flat out stopped.
He didn’t see me at first. It gave me a moment to study him—and catch my breath. Absolutely gorgeous human being, that man. Those brilliant green eyes that had haunted me, now seemed moss colored from far away. His dark hair looked like he’d raked his fingers through it; some of it stood on end—adorable. The corners of his mouth turned up when he saw Tatum at the ice cream counter. Sure he looked great, but he was just a guy, and I was just checking things out. I wasn’t going to do something dumb again, I cautioned myself as I sat frozen to the bench, heart pounding.
He had to be the best-looking guy on the planet.
He looked around the ice cream parlor, and our eyes met. A devilish grin appeared and grew slowly until it lit up his entire face.
If I hadn’t already been sitting down, I’m afraid I would have swooned like one of those damsels in distress in a romance novel. “Come on, Elle, it’s ice cream…just ice cream,” I scolded myself out loud.
He walked toward me with the grace of an athlete. Even his walk was sexy. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He reached the table, still smiling. I had no idea if I was smiling or if my mouth was hanging open like a big-mouth frog.
“Hello, Noelle,” he said in a deep, smooth-as-honey voice that warmed my soul.
“Hi,” I managed to croak.
His eyes seemed to smolder as he continued to look at me. I knew mine had absolutely melted into his.
“Thank you for meeting me here tonight. I was worried you wouldn’t after Rhonda did her clinging act.” Zave shuffled his feet like a little boy, embarrassed and worried.
This guy was too cute.
“Rhonda, huh? She seemed pretty friendly, like you and she were…umm, together.” I closed my mouth tight. Sheesh—as if I had some claim on the man.
“She’s the daughter of the team owner and runs through the players like…” He bit his lower lip as if he didn’t want to say something rude about her. “I guess I’m her latest target, but trust me when I tell you, I’m not and will never become involved with Rhonda Santori.” Zave’s smile had turned into a straight line. He looked sincere. “She’s a sweet girl but needs something to occupy her time, and that something isn’t going to be me.”
“Good,” I said. “I mean…well, it’s good to see you. Great, Elle, smooth, really smooth.”
“Pardon me?” The man’s eyebrows pinched in the center.
“Oh, um, did I say that out loud?” I wrung my hands on my lap. I couldn’t believe I let that slip out in front of this handsome creature.
He grinned and asked, “May I?” as he motioned toward the booth.
“Oh, sure.” My bag was next to me, so he had to sit across the table. I knew I was putting up a physical barrier, but I had to protect my heart.
“I’m happy to see you. I’ve been thinking about you and your charming little girl. Wednesday seemed like a year away. I doubled my regular daily free throws to pass the time.” Zave grinned that lopsided little-boy grin.
My busy little butterflies took a spin around my insides. “Settle down,” I scolded them.
“What?” he asked as he leaned his head toward me as if to hear me better.
“Uh, I was saying that I guess when your free throw percentage jumps a few points, you have us Frost girls to thank.” I flashed my TV smile and saw him take a slow, deep breath. I increased my smile so my dimples showed.
He caught his breath and his eyes widened.
“So, you get butterflies, too,” I spilled out. I slapped my hand over my mouth, mortified. Why, oh why, did I say that out loud?
The spell was broken, and Zave let out that belly laugh that was so contagious I laughed along with him. We settled back down, and I checked on Tatum. She looked mesmerized by the long row of mix-ins.
“You know, Noelle, you’re a topic of discussion among the team lately.” He tilted his head to the side and watched me.
“What do you mean?” I straightened my back.
“Some of the guys say they watch the news now just to see you. I have to admit, it’s my fault. Whenever there’s a TV around in a locker room, I turn on the news to catch your report, and the guys can’t help but notice you. You’re one lovely lady.” He leaned back in his seat and watched me with a soft smile.
I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came to mind, so I closed it. As I did, his eyes left mine and looked at my lips. Flutterbies, I mean butterflies, flew frantically in my stomach as heat coursed through me. I couldn’t help but answer his probing gaze with a slow smile of my own.
His hand reached out toward mine. I watched as he ran a long, calloused finger up my pointer finger, then continued across my hand and down my baby finger.
An electrical current shot through me and I jumped up. This was all too fast for me. “Uh, I think Tatum needs me.”
Zave stood up as well and followed me. A lady stepped between us and asked him for an autograph. I continued walking to the counter. Tatum had asked “Jenn,” so the name t
ag said, for a taste of “pink” ice cream and licked the tiny sample spoon.
I tilted my head to hear the exchange between the lady and Zave.
“You’re my oldest son’s favorite player, and his birthday’s Friday.” She held out a napkin and a pen. Two little boys stood next to her. Both of them had their mouths open in awe, heads tilted way back as if looking up at a skyscraper.
“Sure. What’s his name?” Zave took the pen and paper. She told him, and Zave stepped over to the counter and spoke out loud as he wrote, “To Cole, Happy Birthday, and always be good to your mother. Triple X.” He handed it back to her, then looked at the two little boys, blinked at them, and said, “Hi, guys.” They shrieked with laughter and ran to the other end of the ice cream counter.
“Sorry about that, Mr. Trayce. My little boys are…um…have never seen anyone as big as you.” She frowned and added, “Oh, that might not have been a very nice thing to say.”
“’Tis only true, madam. My own dear mother tells me I’m quite a tall drink of water. Tell your son I’ll make a free throw in the next game for him.”
“Thanks.” She grinned and joined her youngsters.
“That was nice of you.” I placed my hand on his arm. Muscles moved under my fingers. My fingers tingled. Wow! His arm was ripped.
“I’m a nice guy, Noelle. Stick around, you’ll see.” His eyes crinkled and the corners of his lips turned up. “I don’t mean to scare you, but I know you feel it, too. There’s something between us, and I would like to find out what.” He took my hand from his arm and held it.
Those annoying butterflies zipped another lap around my midsection. This time I didn’t jump like a scared rabbit.
Chapter Eight
“Bubble gum, I want bubble gum ice cream with gummy bears and sprinkles. Please, Mommy?” Tatum danced up and down.
“Sure, sweetie, but first, please say ‘Hi’ to Mr. Trayce.” I stood between her and Zave, so I stepped back so she could see him.
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