Bright Side

by Rose Fresquez

  “I deserved the payback,” he said. “I’m starting to assume that I’m still paying back for that, since you ate my fries today.”

  She laughed at his teasing tone. “Yeah, I did that, didn’t I? Sorry, I’ll pay you back.”

  His eyes bore into hers, with a grin on his face, and for the first time, she felt his smile was hers alone. They both turned when Daisy yelled for Rocky.

  The Dane had pulled free of Daisy’s hold, unable to resist an open grassy field. Daisy ran after Rocky and threw a disc doggy toy for him to catch.

  The sight of Daisy playing with the dog reminded her of the family dog they’d lost three years ago. If they ran into Andrew more often, perhaps Daisy would stop asking for another dog.

  “Why did you name him Rocky?”she asked as they watched Daisy throwing the toy back and forth for Rocky.

  “He didn’t seem to listen to the name his previous owners gave him.” He explained how he’d tried to find a home for the dog, but wound up being the owner instead. “I felt the name suited him, since we had a ‘rocky’ start.”

  “He was pretty wild and unruly at first, so I had to get him some training.” He nodded fondly. “Now, I’m glad we have each other.”

  Bianca was touched to see the gentle side of him. She’d pictured him to be a rescuer, given the nature of his job, but it was nice to actually see that in action. “He’s one lucky dog.” she said, almost in a whisper.

  Brushing off her compliment, he said, “Tell me about your job. What’s it like to be a veterinarian?”

  Bianca had no idea where all the tension disappeared to when she started talking about her love for animals. “I’m a vet assistant, as you already know. It’s a fancy title with all the extra work, but...”

  “A very important job,” he interjected. “Without you, the doctor might not be able to accomplish his job.”

  “Thanks!” Her body warmed at the genuineness of his compliment. “I hope to become a vet someday, but...” That might never happen, with her crazy life.

  “I think you will make a great vet.” As if sensing her doubts, he continued, “You can do anything if you set your mind to it.”

  Andrew seemed the type who was determined to fulfill any dream he set his mind to, Bianca on the other hand, needed a little push. She shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know.”

  “How did you start working with animals?”

  “I’ve always loved animals in general. I don't even care if I have to clean their potty, and do their laundry.” Though she had many animal stories to tell, she told him one of her favorites—the dead bunny her mom had dug up from a potted plant. Bianca had found it dead in the apartment parking lot and had carried it to the second floor of their apartment to give it a proper burial. “We didn’t have a yard at the apartment.” She laughed as she told him Mama’s reaction when she’d found the carcass. “She flew from the balcony back to the house and screamed “‘Somebody was murdered and their body parts were buried in our plants.’”

  Andrew joined in the laughter and Bianca quieted as she felt his rich laugh radiate through her soul.

  After their laughter subsided, he asked her more about the highs and lows of her job, and she shared about the joy of seeing an animal recover from a deadly disease, to the lows of having to watch an animal being put down.

  Once she started talking, she realized that Andrew was actually easy to talk to.

  Having talked enough about herself, she felt it was his turn. “What's it been like adjusting from the Arvada station to Fort Rock?”

  A smile lifted the corners of his mouth while he crossed his arms over his chest. “How is it that you know more about me than I know about you?”

  She didn’t intend to admit that she’d been inquiring indirectly from Leila and Renee about Andrew ever since she’d heard about his break up.

  “Can I go to the playground?” Daisy asked, suddenly appearing in front of the bench and pointing to the playground about another hundred yards from the field.

  “Let’s head that way,” Andrew suggested, and he and Bianca got up to follow Daisy down the trail as he continued to describe his transition at work and how much he liked working close to home.

  “Can you push me on the swing?” Daisy asked once they arrived at the playground.

  “I’ve got it!” Andrew’s boots crunched through the mulch covered ground as he strode toward the play equipment with Daisy.

  Bianca needed a few minutes to process her interaction with Andrew, because she felt like it was another dream. Although Rocky appeared content sitting under a pine tree, playing fetch with him might be a good distraction from staring at Andrew.

  “Munchkin, can you toss the toy?” Bianca called after Daisy, who tossed the orange disk to her before clambering onto a swing.

  “Rocky!” she called the Dane and tossed the disc. On instinct, the dog went after the toy.

  She stole a few glances toward the playground and watched Andrew push Daisy on the swing. Minutes later, he swung next to her daughter. She couldn’t make out what they were talking about, especially with the noise from a group of kids screaming as they swarmed the playground.

  Rocky’s panting caused her to turn and take the disc he’d retrieved, throwing it farther this time. As soon as the dog bounded after the toy, she went to watch Daisy and found Andrew demonstrating how Daisy could swing herself.

  He planted his feet on the ground, hands clasping the chains on either side. “The trick is to plant your feet on the ground and give yourself a shove.” His swing lifted off higher a couple of times, and Daisy followed, imitating Andrew.

  “Mom, did you see that?” Daisy’s face shone. “Mr. Drew taught me how to swing by myself.”

  Bianca smiled. “I can see it, Honey.”

  Rocky reappeared with the disc in his mouth, panting, and Bianca plucked it out of his mouth and tossed it. Rocky bounded for another catch.

  When she turned to look again, Andrew was guiding Daisy to scale the monkey bars. The sound of Daisy’s giggles surpassed the other kid’s noise at the playground, tugging at the core of Bianca’s heart.

  Bianca decided to tend to Rocky, who was barking at the geese that wandered on the grass.

  “Rocky!” She ran toward the dog and threw the disc far in the opposite direction, towards some freshly budding trees. The air smelled like Spring and rain, and Bianca inhaled its freshness.

  Just like the budding trees, she couldn’t stop the feeling that something new was bursting through her heart—something with Andrew Buchanan. It was too early to hope for anything bright happening in her life, but seeing the easygoing side of Andrew made her fall in love with him even more.

  CHAPTER 9

  Determined the kids would have some fun, Andrew showed up for practice with a new strategy. The late afternoon sun dappled the rolling lawn, and the squeals of children rang out from the field as their parents dropped them off.

  Since they didn’t have scheduled games for Spring Break and the week before Easter, Andrew had spent some of his time off from work browsing through the homes that the realtor had emailed him. When he wasn't doing that, he was watching YouTube soccer videos of six to seven year olds.

  He learned that he'd been doing it all wrong. One of the YouTube coaches said to never spend a lot of time giving instructions to that age group, because the words would bounce off the kids ears.

  Besides his excitement to teach his new skills to the kids, he’d also been looking forward to seeing Bianca, but she hadn’t been able to get off work from the cafe. Andrew had picked Daisy up from Ezra’s house and would take her back right after practice.

  After their walk at the park, almost two weeks ago, he’d run into her at the cafe on Saturday morning when he’d stopped by to buy pastries for his colleagues. Bianca had actually walked to him and said hello, before she returned to serve her customer.

  SKIPPING THE FIVE MINUTE pep talk, Andrew rounded up the kids. “Okay, Dolphins, I want each one of you
to pick out a ball and then spread out. Be sure we keep a straight line.”

  He had to help some kids stand on the horizontal painted black line. “Keep the balls in front of you.”

  He then stood about thirty yards away from the twelve squirming kids, some of whom were already kicking the balls before he explained what they were supposed to do.

  “WE’RE GOING TO PLAY Red Light, Green Light,” he explained. “I will be the light. When I say ‘green light,’ you can all start dribbling the ball toward me. As soon as I say ‘red light,’ everyone must freeze. If you continue to dribble on the red light, you’re out of the game.”

  Andrew blew his whistle and the game began. Most of the kids had wide smiles as they kicked the balls when he called ‘Green Light,” but a couple cried when they were taken out of the game.

  Daisy was the last player to pass the light, and she won that round. Jumping up and down, she ran to Andrew for a high five. Andrew then high fived the rest of the kids to encourage their effort.

  He blew his whistle again. “Water break!”

  “This was so fun, Mr. Drew!” Daisy reached for her water bottle from where it sat right next to Andrew’s on the grass.

  After their break, when everyone including Andrew had caught their breath, they did the Cookie Monster drill. He played the monster, as he growled like a monster and chased the kids who were not kicking their balls to the net.

  A thrill went through him when cheerful screams and laughter filled the field.

  At the end of practice, Andrew wiped his damp face. The light breeze blowing on his dampened shirt cooled him down and refreshed him as he reminded the kids and parents of the ten a.m. start time for the next game. “Be here at least ten minutes before the game starts.”

  He felt confident as he left that evening that he was on the right track, making their practice seem like playtime. If the kids kept using their skills, he should have nothing to worry about come game day.

  THAT CONFIDENCE REMAINED with him throughout Saturday’s mid-morning game. This time Andrew didn't care whether they won or lost, as long as his players were engaged and enjoyed the game. It was less stressful than the previous games where he’d tried to micro manage each player.

  Cheers erupted from the parents, and Andrew turned just in time to see the ball go through the soccer net. The final whistle blew to end the game, and Daisy’s bright smile as she bounded toward him told him she was the one who’d scored the goal

  “We only lost by one!” she said when she neared Andrew.

  They came so close! Tasted the victory and still lost, but it was a much better play. He grinned to mirror Daisy’s happiness, then he gave her a high-five. “Great job, Sweetheart!” He was happy for her—she’d kept a positive attitude and worked so hard during the game.

  After going through the tunnel, the kids gathered around the mom who was handing out snacks.

  While the kids ate their snacks, Andrew chatted with a few parents, who felt excited for having tasted a win. He gathered up the balls in the center of the field for the team that played after them. He could do better than this next time. At least there was hope that they could win one of the games of the season.

  “Maybe if we change the name of our team, we will win.” Andrew turned upon hearing Daisy’s voice from behind him. She sucked juice from a juice box with a straw.

  “You don’t like Dolphins?” That had been their assigned name based on the color of their t-shirts.

  “Isn’t that something from Florida or something?”

  Andrew blinked at her mention of Florida. The state nowadays stirred past memories, but Daisy didn’t know about Callie. He shook off the creeping thoughts and responded to Daisy. “I think you’re right. We need something related to Colorado.”

  As they started walking off the field, mingling with busy bodies coming and going, he lifted his head and his eyes locked with Bianca’s. His heart skipped a beat or two, but he tried not to dwell on it as they approached her.

  She smiled shyly and nervously tugged at the beige, long sleeved top she wore over black leggings.

  “Great game,” she said.

  Daisy ran off when another girl called her to the sand pit, leaving the two alone.

  Andrew grinned. “You must have missed the fact that we lost.”

  “I saw everything.” She shrugged and turned to walk away. He assumed she was already getting rid of him. He’d thought that their afternoon walk two weeks ago had cleared the air between them. Maybe he was wrong.

  He fell in step beside her. “I think we could do better than that...kick up the practice vibe."

  “The kids had fun. That’s what’s important at this age.”

  “Really?” She seemed confident with her response, and Andrew tried to think of anything he could ask her, just to keep the conversation flowing. There was something about her, something that made him want to get to know her better.

  “I never thanked you for coaching,” she said, pulling him out of his thoughts. She clutched her purse tight. “I really appreciate it. Daisy is having so much fun.”

  He squared his shoulders, heat rising at the back of his head for her genuine compliment. “I think I'm having the most fun.”

  She stopped walking as they neared the parking lot and finally looked at him with warm brown eyes that stirred tingles to his body.

  He decided to ignore whatever his body was doing, and he said, “It takes me back to my days of playing soccer.”

  She lit up, surprised and amused. “You played soccer? I thought your family was more of a baseball family.”

  He continued to be amazed at how much she knew about him and his family, yet it shouldn’t surprise him, since she was Renee and Leila’s friend.

  “Sure did! I feel like this is my way of getting back into the game now.”

  Daisy darted back to them. “Mom, we almost won today!”

  Andrew pointed at Daisy. “I think next game, we will make that win.”

  “Winning is not a big deal, as long as you have fun,” Bianca said, biting her lower lip.

  Andrew gave her a sideways glance. “It still wouldn't hurt if we won while having fun.”

  “Me, too, Mr. Drew,” Daisy said.

  Andrew winked at her. “You’re my kind of girl." He then turned to Bianca, whose smile was soft when she gave a slight roll of her eyes.

  “Not sure who's influencing who," she said.

  Their gazes locked for a lengthy silence, until Daisy’s voice rang through.

  “Can you join us for dinner tonight?”

  Andrew noticed Bianca’s surprised look, then looked down at Daisy, and he came up with a definite response. “I...I can’t tonight.”

  Daisy slumped her shoulders. “But Grandma would like to meet you...”

  “Daisy,” Bianca cut through. “He said he can’t.”

  “When can you come, then?” Daisy spoke to Andrew, ignoring her mom.

  He wouldn't mind meeting Bianca’s mom, if it was another excuse to see Bianca, but her daughter was putting her on the spot. He decided to make it easier, and asked, “Maybe you guys can join me...”

  “I would like for you to come.” She looked up at him. “I mean, Daisy and I.”

  She tightened her grasp on her handbag strap and smiled. “But I better warn you, Mama will insist we make you Mexican food.”

  Her smile was warm and genuine and he couldn't help but smile back. “Trust me, not being a cook, I eat just about anything.”

  “Do you like spicy food?” Daisy’s brown hair bounced back as she jumped up and down, holding Andrews’ hand.

  “Especially spicy.” He rarely ate spicy food, but he liked the spicy green chili that smothered the burritos whenever he ate at the Santiagos in Castle Rock.

  “Let me know what day works for you.”

  “Will Thursday be too soon? I’m off Thursday and Friday.” She fiddled with the strap of her purse.

  “Is that four days from now?” Daisy asked
excitedly.

  “You’re pretty good at math, Daisy!”

  “Looking forward to seeing you,” Bianca said.

  “Same here! What can I bring?”

  “Just you...nothing else.”

  They shared an unspoken moment before he said goodbye and left to retrieve his water bottle from the field. To say that he was looking forward to seeing Bianca in a few days was an understatement.

  THE PREVIOUSLY SUNNY morning suddenly turned gray as Bianca tuned out Daisy’s chatter of excitement. She gripped the steering wheel tight, unable to believe that she’d agreed to have Andrew over for dinner in just four days.

  As much as she wanted to see him, her house was not ready to host a guest like Andrew. She would’ve seemed like a jerk for ignoring Daisy’s ecstatic plea for him to come to their house.

  “Red light mom!” Daisy shouted and Bianca slammed her foot on the pedal, coming to a sudden halt. She blew out a breath.

  “You should make your Chile Rellenos for Mr. Drew,” Daisy suggested. “And the Mexican wedding cakes.”

  Bianca tapped on the steering wheel, considering his lean, all-muscle frame . “I don’t think he eats sweets.” The light turned green and she took her foot off the brake pedal.

  “Everybody likes sweets,” Daisy said. “I can’t wait to show him my Shopkins, and maybe we could play UNO, too.”

  Daisy continued babbling about all things they would do when Andrew came for a visit, while Bianca’s mind wandered to her messy house. The toys she’d moved out of the living room in preparation for her mom’s return home had already made their way back again.

  “You need to move your Barbie doll house from the living room so he doesn’t trip over it.”

  “What if he wants to see my Barbie collection? I’ll keep it there until he comes.”

  The house was such a disaster. Bianca had to rest her hand on her forehead when she came to a stop sign on the potholed road that led to Jime street in her neighborhood. The homes were quite close to each other, most with chipped paint in random and odd colors. What would Andrew think of her neighborhood?