by Mary Cope
“Thank you for walking me home.”
Spencer seemed distant, lost in his thoughts. “Sure,” he answered. He waited on the sidewalk until I was inside. I peeked out the front window and watched him stuff his hands in his front pockets, turn, and walk away. My last thought was of Spencer walking into an empty house. The sadness consumed me.
Chapter Fifteen
It was a beautiful day. The temperature was in the mid-seventies, and the park was bustling with activity: Mommy and Me class, kids playing soccer, and several people running the stairs. Having left early to get in a quick run had proved to be a good idea. I was already feeling less anxious for my talk with Melissa. My cell phone vibrated as I jogged up the last few steps of the stairs.
Melissa: Running late. I’ll be there in about 30 minutes.
Me: No problem.
Melissa: I’ll text you when I’m leaving.
Me: Okay.
One more lap around the park, and maybe she’d be here. I stuffed my cell in my pocket and took off. I slowed, making my way around the bend, then stopped dead in my tracks. In the distance was Spencer. He was laughing and playing football with his little brothers. Spencer always seemed so reserved, and seeing him enjoying himself playful and carefree made my heart swell. His hair was tied back, showing off his handsome face. I’d never seen him in shorts, and I felt my face flush as I gawked at his long, toned legs. Watching him interact with his brothers intrigued me. I took a few steps closer. I had to see more.
The younger boy finished a granola bar and tossed the wrapper toward a trashcan, but missed. He turned and walked away, leaving the discarded paper on the grass. Spencer crouched down to his level and said something to him. The boy seemed upset he had disappointed his older brother. Spencer had him pick up the trash then ruffled the boy’s hair and handed him a football. The way he handled his little brother was heartwarming. I found myself wanting to know more about him. Before I knew it, I was headed his way.
Our eyes met, and a slow reserved smile spread across his face. Spencer said something to the older boy and then jogged over to greet me.
“Hey, Elizabeth.” I could tell he was surprised to see me. “What are you doing here?” He ran a hand through his hair and adjusted the hairband.
“I like to run here and jog the stairs.” I still felt funny telling people I run, but telling Spencer, well, was… nice.
His eyes widened. “Jog the stairs? That’s brutal.”
“It can be.” I took a deep breath. Seizing the opportunity for more information and to take the focus off me, I glanced over at the boys. “I take it those are your brothers?”
His gaze lingered on me for a moment with a funny smile on his face, before he glanced over his shoulder. The boys were side by side, about twenty feet away, staring at us. Spencer’s social graces kicked in, guiding me to meet his brothers.
Standing in front of them, I was stunned at the family resemblance. The older one reminded me of a mini-Spencer. He had the same grey eyes, but whereas Spencer had dark brown hair, this boy’s hair color was jet black. Spencer introduced me to him first.
“This is Shawn.” The boy was a few inches taller than I. He smiled, revealing one prominent dimple on his left cheek. He definitely would have the girls eating out of his hands, if he hadn’t already.
“Hi.” He put out his hand for me to shake it.
“Hi. How old are you, Shawn?” I let go of his hand.
“Fourteen.” He smiled.
“Eighth grade?”
“Yep.” He fiddled with the football. I could tell Shawn didn’t want to make conversation, so I glanced over to the younger boy.
“And this one is Simon,” Spencer said, gesturing to his youngest brother.
Simon smiled, and his beautiful blue eyes lit up his face. His hair was a lighter shade of brown, and he had two dimples, just like Spencer. Another lady-killer in the making.
“I’m eleven and in sixth grade.”
Spencer gave him a look, and Simon reached out to shake my hand.
“Nice to meet you, Simon.” I smiled at his adorable face, and he smiled in return.
“Do you like football? You can play with us if you want to.”
Simon was so animated it made me giggle. I was surprised when Shawn chimed in.
“Yeah, we could use a fourth. It could be me and you against the old guy and the kid.” Shawn laughed then tossed me the ball.
I glanced at Spencer. He was smiling that sexy smile that made my heart skip a beat.
“Well, I guess I can play for a bit. I’m meeting someone here.”
“Boyfriend?” Spencer asked, and his smile disappeared.
“Ahh… no, my best friend, Melissa.”
Spencer nodded in response as if he was remembering something. “Oh, Mason’s girlfriend.”
“I’m not sure when she’ll be here, but I can play until then.” I tossed the ball to Spencer, and after we decided on the boundaries of each end zone, Shawn and I planned our strategy.
Spencer and Simon were about forty feet away from us. Spencer threw the ball, and Shawn ran to receive it. We both took off toward our end zone. I was in front of Shawn, blocking him from Spencer, but Simon ran around me, and with a two-handed touch on Shawn, we were at our first down. My hike to Shawn was a little high, but he was able to grab it. As planned, I ran off to the side of him, then he lobbed it back to me. I saw an opening between Spencer and Simon and made my move. Shawn was cheering in the distance. I picked up speed as I got closer to our end zone. The poundings of Spencer’s feet were gaining on me. In an attempt to lose him, I zigzagged and made a beeline toward our goal.
Shawn was running and shouting “Go, go, go!” A few seconds later he yelled out an enthusiastic “Touchdown!”
I held the ball above my head and gave Shawn a victory high-five. Simon was jumping around laughing, and Spencer’s mouth was gaping in disbelief.
Arching an eyebrow with a threatening smile, he leaned in close. “Impressive, Elizabeth, but now it’s our turn.” He smirked. “C’mon, Simon, it’s time for retaliation.”
We took our positions at the opposite ends of the field, and Shawn chucked the ball. Spencer caught it with ease and tossed it to Simon. Simon ran with all his might, his protective big brother paving the way. I was able to get one hand on Simon, but he quickly moved to the side and got away. Shawn gained speed and tagged his little brother out as my cell phone vibrated. The Hayes brothers all stopped to catch their breath. All eyes were on me. I glanced down to see it was Aidan, so I stepped away to answer it.
“Hey, baby, were you running?”
I answered with a breathy, “Yes.”
“Sounds sexy.” Aidan laughed. “I’m off work now. Can I come and see you?”
I hesitated for a few seconds and then responded. “Well, Melissa is meeting me at the park. How about later?”
“Okay, we’re still on for dinner tonight?”
Spencer’s happy demeanor had vanished, and he was closing himself off.
Simon let out a loud whiny “C’mon, Elizabeth,” and Spencer shushed him.
“Yes, I’ll call you when I get home.”
“Okay, sounds good. Bye, Liz”
“Bye.” I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful Aidan hadn’t heard young Simon.
I tried to make light of the interruption and smiled. “Sorry.” I couldn’t help but notice the look in Spencer’s cold, grey eyes.
Simon grabbed the ball from Shawn and got into the hike position. I crouched down in a block stance with Shawn next to me. Simon counted to three and hiked the ball to Spencer. This time Spencer tucked the football under his arm and made his way toward their end zone. Shawn and I both ran after him while he sprinted toward the goal line. Shawn took no prisoners as he grabbed his older brother, causing Spencer to stumble.
In my attempt to catch Spencer, I had gained too much momentum. The next thing I knew, we were in a dog pile with Spencer at the bottom. Everyone was laughing. I w
as pretty sure Simon jumped on top of me just to get in on the fun. Shawn made his move and grabbed the ball that had tumbled from Spencer’s grasp. He took it and ran toward our end zone, laughing.
Simon hopped off me and ran after his older brother yelling “Not fair! Not fair!”
I was still giggling until I felt the contact of Spencer’s heated body under mine. The lightheartedness that had been there just seconds ago had changed. My heart rate thudded as our eyes held. His eyes seemed lighter in the sunlight, and I found myself getting lost in them. Time was passing, I expected Spencer to shift his body from mine… but he didn’t.
His eyes roamed the contours of my face, while my eyes stayed focused on his. I inhaled sharply when his tongue slowly emerged and moistened his lower lip. Deep within me, I felt an underlying intimacy between us.
Then my cell phone vibrated.
Spencer eyed me cautiously as I rolled off him, breaking our connection, physically and emotionally.
I sat up and read the text.
“That was Melissa, she’s on her way.” My voice broke, making me look away. I tapped out a text to her to meet me at the stone bench and rose to my feet.
Spencer got up, but kept his eyes on me as the boys approached us. They were both out of breath and sweaty.
Simon piped up, annoyed. “That was a do-over, Spencer. We weren’t playing tackle. Shawn cheated.”
“We’re done now, buddy. Elizabeth has to go.” Spencer broke eye contact with me to look at a sullen looking Simon.
“Aww, can we play next week?”
But before I could answer, Spencer spoke for me. “I don’t think so, Simon, and don’t pout,” he warned him. “Now thank Elizabeth, and I’ll take you guys to get something to eat.”
Simon was trying hard not to sulk. He gave me a sweet smile and thanked me for playing before he took a few steps back.
Shawn got close to me and smiled. “We totally would have won.”
“Totally.” I answered back.
He and Simon headed toward the jeep, leaving Spencer and me alone.
Spencer leaned in close. “I think Shawn may have a little crush on you.”
I smiled. “They’re sweet boys. Thank you for introducing me to them.”
Spencer glanced back at his two brothers. “Yep, they’re good kids.” He paused for a minute.
I thought he might say something else, but he just looked at me for a moment then murmured, “I’ll see ya Wednesday, Elizabeth.”
“Bye, Spencer.”
And with that, he walked across the grass and hopped in his red jeep.
My mind flashed back to the moment we’d shared. Is it just me? Or did he feel it too? I need to shake off whatever this is. I jogged to the stone bench.
I hadn’t sat here since Aidan and I’d had our awkward, I’m-not-having-sex-with-you conversation. It was hard to believe that he was sticking to his word. We’d had some trying moments, but the change in Aidan was shocking. He had been respectful and always willing to stop before things got out of control.
Who would have thought?
I chewed off my remaining thumbnail while waiting for Melissa’s arrival. She was going to want answers regarding Aidan’s jealous behavior, and honestly, I wasn’t even sure what to say to her. She and Mason had it so easy. With Aidan, things were just… difficult. In search of Melissa I spotted her instantly. Although she was hard to miss — she was wearing a pair of short, denim shorts, making her already long legs seem longer. I smiled, watching her make her way to the concrete bench.
“Hey, Liz, sorry you had to wait.” Melissa sat, her assessing blue eyes bore into mine.
“That’s okay.” I was already feeling intimidated under her intense gaze.
True to form, she started in. “So, what’s with Aidan?”
“What do you mean?”
“What do I mean? Aidan was ready to rip that poor guy’s head off Sunday night. When I told the guy you weren’t interested, he was respectful and left you alone. Aidan had no reason to go over and harass him. It had already been handled. If Mason hadn’t stepped in, things could have been bad and you know it!” Melissa was struggling to contain her anger.
“Aidan can be a little possessive of me, that’s all.” I shrugged.
“Liz! Are you kidding me? Listen to yourself!”
“I know what you’re trying to say, Melissa, and I get it, but Aidan just cares about me. It’s just sometimes he gets a little overprotective.”
Melissa’s expression was approaching DEFCON 1. I reached out and placed my hand on her arm.
“I know you’re worried about me, but please don’t. He’s good to me, Melissa. I’m happy.”
Melissa’s eyes began to soften, a little. “I just don’t want you to be with some guy with an out-of-control temper. This is your first boyfriend. Don’t get caught up in it. You’re smarter than that, Liz.”
“I know, Melissa, but things between us are good,” I insisted.
Melissa exhaled and I thought I’d pacified her for the time being. “You’ll tell me if things get weird between you two, right?”
“Of course.”
She leaned toward me and we hugged. “‘Cuz ya know I’ll beat the crap outta him.”
“I know. C’mon, let’s run the stairs.” I got up and grabbed her arm.
“Ugh.”
Reluctantly, Melissa got up and we ran the stairs, leaving the burden that was between us behind.
****
The thought of my date with Aidan excited me. He’d told me to dress nice because he was surprising me and taking me someplace special for our four-month anniversary. I showered, shaved my legs and, for old times’ sake, flat-ironed my hair. I had forgotten what a long process it was, but seeing my reflection made me smile.
On my way into the closet, my shoulder bumped my bookcase, causing a framed picture of Mason and me to fall to the floor. It was a picture of us standing in front of the piano. I was fat. My hand slid over the photograph. I was smiling in the picture, but even now looking at it, I remembered I wasn’t happy. I placed the picture back on the shelf and tried to shake off the sadness I felt for the fat girl still inside me. As I let my hand glide across the clothes that lined my closet, I began to feel better… until I pulled out my black birthday dress.
Looking it over, I contemplated if I should wear it or not. This dress had such a bad memory attached to it. After a few minutes, I made the decision to wear the dress. That awful memory had to be replaced with a good one. I pulled the dress over my head and shimmied it down my body. Next, I picked up the necklace from Aidan and clasped it around my neck. Since I’d spent most of the afternoon in the park, there was no need for blush. My sun-kissed cheeks against my pale skin were rosy enough. While applying my mascara, an image of Spencer flashed through my mind. I dismissed it.
It was nothing.
I ran down the hallway to my mom’s room and gave myself a squirt of her expensive perfume. I needed to hurry: Aidan would be here soon. I dashed back into my bedroom and searched in my closet for my black heels, slipped them on, and exited the closet. My breath caught when I saw Aidan leaning against the doorjamb of my bedroom door. He looked amazing dressed in black dress slacks, a black blazer, and a white dress shirt with a black skinny tie. He was clean-shaven with his hair slicked back. When he saw me, his eyes lit up, and he let out a sexy whistle.
“You look beautiful and smell delicious, good enough to eat.”
“You look good too.” I nuzzled into the crook of his neck, breathing in the scent of his freshly showered skin. He kissed the top of my head and gazed down at me.
“Are you ready to go?”
“I’m ready. Are you going to tell me where we are going yet?”
He shook his head and held my hand. “You’ll know soon enough. Let’s go.”
While driving to the undisclosed destination, I riddled Aidan with questions. “Is it far?”
“Nope.”
“Have you been there befor
e?”
He laughed. “Yes.”
My eyes narrowed, not sure if I wanted to know the answer to my next question, but I asked it anyway. “Have you taken any other girls there?”
He took his eyes off the road to look at me. “Never.” His tone was definitive. I breathed a sigh of relief.
Traveling up Pacific Coast Highway, I giggled. “Are we almost there?”
He reached over and rubbed my leg. “Almost.” And with that, Aidan gave me a wink as we rounded the corner onto Carlton Drive.
“Aidan! Are you kidding me? You’re taking me to your work?”
We pulled into the long driveway. His smile was infectious as he pulled up to the valet. Immediately, I was greeted by one of Aidan’s co-workers, who offered his hand to guide me from the truck. He checked me out and gave Aidan an approving nod. Aidan introduced me to his attractive friend, Tony, and tossed him the keys.
Aidan interlaced his fingers with mine then held my hand and walked me through the impressive lobby. Two pretty female staff members gave me the once-over from behind the marble reservation desk.
Aidan said, “Hello,” and casually walked by them. I was awestruck by the modern decor and lavish beauty of such a stunning hotel.
“Aidan, this is beautiful.”
He leaned over and kissed my forehead. “C’mon, we have reservations.” He smiled then whisked me through the stunning hotel.
****
The dining room was small, the ambiance romantic. Dark wood surrounded an open wine cellar with circular tables and intimate booths. Classical music hummed through the speakers. The restaurant was full of couples, chatting and enjoying their meal. The hostess sat us at a private booth.
Aidan held my hand while we decided what to order. I leaned in close and whispered to him.
“It’s so expensive. Do you want to split something?”
He shook his head. “Don’t worry. Get whatever you like.” He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it.
I decided on the grilled sea scallops with wild rice, and Aidan chose a rib-eye steak and a baked potato. The female server brought me some sparkling water and Aidan a soda, along with some crusty bread. I leaned back in the booth, observing the romantic surroundings. I smiled as he swept his thumb back and forth over my hand.