Bright Side

by Rose Fresquez

  The only way to keep her mouth shut was...Chocolate! She still had some of Andrew’s chocolates from last time. She felt pathetic as she scrambled for her purse strapped on her shoulder, unzipping and shoving her hand inside.

  Andrew pulled her hand out of her purse before she could get the candy, then held it gently as he peered into her eyes. Her gaze fixated on the strong muscles of his arms, instead.

  “You’re not stuffing candy on my account,” he said. “Bianca...” His voice was soft, and despite all resolve, her eyes wavered and she glanced up at him. “I only have eyes for you. You're the only woman who can blow my mind with her flirtiness, Babe.”

  His words shot up her pulse. She gulped as she forced herself to keep a steady gaze on his warm blue eyes. Her knees felt weak, just the way she felt whenever she was with him. Her shoulders slowly fell as the tension ebbed away.

  “If that’s not enough, I think I’m going to kiss you right here...”

  He’s kidding.

  He looked both ways over his shoulders. A few people were wandering around the field, and kids’ happy screams came from the playground. He closed the gap between them. “Right now.”

  A warmth spread through her when his warm breath tickled her lips. Just as their lips were about to meet, a kid shrieked in the distance, a sudden reminder that they were in public. Bianca stepped back and playfully shoved Andrew’s hard chest.

  “Are you crazy?'' She smiled. “People will see us.”

  He draped an arm over her shoulder as he led them underneath the tree. “I want the whole world to know that you’re my girl.”

  He flopped on his belly onto the grass, then patted the ground beside him in invitation. After another nervous glance around her, she eased onto her stomach beside him. The grass was surprisingly soft. She forgot her surroundings as she draped her arm around his neck, then looked up into his eyes, feeling like she was living someone else’s dream. The man of her fantasies couldn’t care less what anybody around them thought of him being in love with someone like her. He could date a model, or any slender, beautiful woman if he wanted to. But he seemed content with her as his grin lit up

  “What's going on in that mind of yours?”

  She smiled. I can’t believe that you’re mine... She wanted to believe it so much. God, please let it be.

  Ever since the night at his house, she’d fought to stop worrying about his safety and to focus on her blossoming love life. “I’ve always had a thing for you, from the moment I laid eyes on you.”

  He scrunched his face. “I know.”

  “How?”

  “You’re not very good at keeping it a secret.” At least he’d gotten the message eventually. “Even if it took me a while to figure out why you ate my hot dog at Jake and Renee’s engagement, but...”

  “That was not the first time.”

  He frowned, surprised. “No?”

  “At the camping trip with your siblings... the one where Leila and Ezra met?” Andrew had that frazzled look, as if he didn’t know what she was talking about. Why would he remember? He’d had a girlfriend then. “I still remember it like yesterday. You were wearing a gray sweatshirt when you came to my tent to look for the spider that Leila was scared of...”

  He blinked, his jaw dropping as if remembering. “How could I forget?”

  She’d been overweight then, too. Either that or he’d had eyes only for Callie, so that he didn’t notice any other woman who crossed his path.

  She could only hope that Callie never wandered back in his life. What kind of woman walks away from a tenderhearted, yet handsome man, and never regrets it?

  “I still think...I’d have remembered..." His hand moved up to stroke a lock of her hair, "this wavy, silky hair of yours , and your deep brown eyes. I’ll make it up to you...when we go camping next month."

  “Oh, yeah?” She bit her lower lip. He would probably be busy visiting with all his extended family and friends. It was hard to picture what camping at their family retreat center entailed, but she was looking forward to it.

  She pulled out a hat from her hefty purse and dropped it on his head. “I figured the next time you work under the sink and tight dark spaces, it might be good to not wear a whole flashlight over your head.”

  He took off the hat and tinkered with the small but powerful headlamp underneath the visor. “Thank you!” His breath was warm against her face. “I would kiss you right now, but I will have to wait until no one is watching, I guess?” He winked at her and she swatted his shoulder before she stood up and held out a hand to pull him up.

  “We better get the equipment put away, if we’re gonna make it to a date night...”

  “And be home in time to read Daisy a bedtime story.” His voice warmed as he spoke her daughter’s name. “I promised her a poem from Where the SideWalk Ends.”

  It had become Daisy’s favorite book, and she only wanted Andrew to read it to her. Sometimes, Andrew stopped by the house after dinner to read Daisy a bedtime story if he wasn’t busy at work.

  “Did Mateo tell you where they were going?” He stacked the last orange cone on top of the others.

  “Didn’t ask.”

  He paused, brows quizzical. “Why not?” He seemed unsure suddenly.

  “Because I wanted to build the trust thing with Mateo.” She arched an eyebrow. "Those were your exact words."

  “What if something happens to them, and we can’t reach Mateo? Wouldn’t it be good to know where to start looking?”

  He was right. Alarms went off in her head as she raked her hands through her hair.

  “I didn't mean to scare you,” he said. “Everything’s gonna be fine. We’ll call Mateo anytime you want, okay?”

  She nodded. Somehow his calming presence made her feel as if everything was already fine. She forced herself to pull it together, and blew out a breath and chose a lighter tone. “Why do I sense that you’re second guessing our date?”

  “Still counting on it...” He hoisted the mesh bag, tossing it on his back.

  “Good.” Because she was counting on wearing her new teal dress.

  “Did you hear any more from that school?” He’d encouraged her to apply for school. He gave her a sideways glance as they walked toward the storage shed.

  “Not yet. I hope I get in. Do you think I can do this?”

  “Yes, you can do it Bianca,” he said, not hesitating for a second. “You’ve raised a child by yourself.” He kissed her forehead when they reached the shed. “I will support you in any way that I can to make sure you achieve your dream.”

  Bianca had no doubt that Andrew meant every word he said. He was all in, as far as their relationship went. She wasn’t so used to his kind of devotion, as far as love was concerned. His love for her and Daisy enthralled her and terrified her at the same time.

  Why does Andrew have to be a hero?

  CHAPTER 19

  Bianca dragged Daisy’s plate toward her across the long, wooden picnic table and covered the untouched hamburger with a red checkered napkin. Looking around at the tall pines surrounding the campground, she took a deep whiff of the fresh mountain air. Why had she ever stopped taking trips to the mountains in the first place?

  A couple of chipmunks scampered by, sniffling the gravel for any dropped crumbs of food.

  The Retreat Center buzzed with people of all ages, grandparents, adults, young adults, kids and teenagers. Individual cabins were scattered apart from each other around the expansive property she had not yet managed to explore.

  After working at the clinic yesterday, Bianca had driven to the Center to join Daisy, Andrew, and the rest of his family.

  “I see that Daisy hasn’t come to eat yet.” Leila’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

  Bianca slid off the bench to take the disposable plate of food from her friend’s hand, since Leila had a baby in the other.

  “I’ll get her back soon.” She peered into the distance. Through a clearing within the evergreen trees and har
dy shrubs, she could see Daisy's yellow blouse whizzing back and forth in a GaGa pit with several kids, mostly teenagers, and three other kids about her age.

  “Haven’t seen Renee in a while,” Leila spoke, then reached for a slice of apple from her salad.

  “She’s taking a bath. She said the bug spray was starting to irritate her skin. Good thing she chose the best cabin on the premises.”

  That was Renee. She wasn’t into camping as much as her family. Her husband was no better in that area, either.

  Leila bounced Adalee against her shoulder, and Bianca glanced down at her own plate with the half eaten hot dog. She wasn’t eager to finish it, since her stomach had finally adjusted to eating minimal portions.

  “You want me to hold her while you eat?”

  “Thanks for offering, but she’s just about to doze off. Afraid if I shift hands, she’ll be waking up.”

  “There's so much to look at...”

  “She’s not familiar with the travel bed yet.”

  Although Bianca stayed in a different cabin from Leila and Ezra’s, she’d heard Adalee’s scream in the middle of the night. “Hope she sleeps better tonight.”

  “I hope so, too.”

  Several picnic benches littered around the common area underneath a canvas roof each held six or seven people. Most groups were deep in conversation—it seemed like old friends were catching up with each other after a long time apart.

  Ever since they’d arrived, Robert and Crystal had been engaged with their friends, and Bianca was certain they would lose their voices at some point over the weekend.

  Bianca and her two friends had fixed the vegetables and sides to go with the steaks that Andrew had grilled for the small crowd last night. It hadn’t been as overwhelming since there had been only about sixty people then, as opposed to almost three hundred today.

  “Thank goodness it's a catered dinner tonight.”

  Leila’s eyes wandered to the far side of another cabin, where the grills had been set on the porch right outside the kitchen. Andrew was using tongs to lift the leftover meats from the grill to the rectangular Tupperware container Jake was holding, while Ezra tossed the trash in a can nearby.

  Not too far from them, leashed to the bench off to the side, sat Rocky. He gazed longingly at Andrew as if expecting one of the meats to be tossed his way. Just like that, Andrew tossed a piece of meat in Rocky’s direction. The dog leaped, catching it mid-air with one snap of his jaw, licking his lips the moment it vanished in his mouth.

  By the grins on the three men, they were definitely having a good time.

  “I wonder what those three are grinning about?” Leila said.

  Before Bianca could respond, Andrew’s eyes found hers, and her stomach hummed with butterflies when he pressed his fingertips to his lips, then held his open palm out to her.

  Unfortunately she wasn’t bold enough to return his air kiss in public. She smiled at him instead.

  Now that they didn’t have to worry about preparing meals, maybe she and Andrew would have some time alone later, so she could return his kisses in person.

  “You two, gosh!” Leila said. “You’re like....”

  Adalee gurgled, interrupting Leila’s words, then wiggled in her arms. Food forgotten, Leila stood and bounced Adalee up and down, readjusting the hot pink light blanket that covered the baby’s back. “I’ll see if I can get her down for a nap.”

  Even though she knew there was nothing she could do for Adalee more than what Leila would, Bianca offered, “Let me know if I can help.”

  “Honey,” a male voice sounded from behind. Ezra. “I’ll take Peanut so you can catch up with Bianca.”

  Apparently it wasn’t just Andrew who snuck glances at his lady. Ezra had appeared at his wife’s side the moment the baby started fussing.

  “You need to go visit with your family,” Leila protested.

  Bianca listened to the two lovebirds arguing about giving each other a break. It didn’t surprise her much, because Ezra would do anything for anybody, especially his wife.

  They both decided to take the baby to bed. “You want me to send D over?” Leila suggested.

  Their cabin was pretty close to the GaGa pit, the worst place to attempt a nap for the baby. “That will be great, thanks!”

  While Bianca waited, an older woman joined her at the table. Andrew had introduced Gertrude last night as a longtime family friend, and the woman seemed to have an endless supply of questions.

  “How did you say you're related to the Buchanans?”

  Bianca didn’t feel like explaining yet again about her relationship with Andrew. She was grateful when Daisy chose that moment to show up, her face glistening with sweat and her yellow shirt smeared with dirt.

  Bianca turned to Daisy to dodge the question, shoving the cold cheeseburger toward her. “Do not leave until you eat everything.”

  Daisy bit into her hamburger.

  “Here are my favorite girls.”

  Relief flooded through her at the sound of Andrew’s voice. He slid onto the bench at her left side, and Daisy carried her plate to squeeze next to him.

  “Hey, Gertrude!” Andrew greeted the woman as he set his hamburger plate down. He squirted a generous dollop of mustard between the meat and the bun.

  “Andrew...” Gertrude said, either forgetting that Bianca had been introduced as Andrew’s girlfriend, or she just didn’t care. “What happened to Callie? It’s hard to say Andrew without Callie in the back of my mind.”

  Andrew bit into his hamburger and took his time chewing before responding. He cleared his throat and pointed his chin three tables over, where four women were deep in conversation. “I think Callie’s mom might be the right person to ask.”

  “All three of you have gone for diverse spouses. Is that the trendy thing kids do these days?”

  Bianca’s stomach clenched. She was stunned at the words coming from the woman who’d been so friendly a few moments ago. Andrew glanced at Bianca before he looked back at Gertrude. “It has everything to do with two people falling in love.”

  An uncomfortable silence settled, then Gertrude lifted her bottle of sparkling water and took a gulp.

  Her plate empty, Daisy jumped up from her seat. “Can I go play now?”

  Andrew peered at her, then smiled fondly as he brushed the sticky hair from her forehead. “Are you having fun?”

  Daisy nodded and turned toward the sound of children’s happy squeals. “Can you take me to the pool after I play GaGa?”

  Just like with anything else Daisy asked from Andrew, he responded, “Of course, Sweetheart!” A cloud of dust billowed when he brushed Daisy’s sleeve with his hand. “You’re gonna need a good bath first.”

  “I love taking baths,” she said, and then skipped back to play.

  It was a good thing Bianca and Daisy stayed in the same four-bedroom cabin Renee and Jake were sleeping in, the one with the bathtub.

  Andrew brushed his hands together, shaking some of the dust off, and looked down at his half eaten hamburger.

  “Looks like you’re gonna need to wash your hands after giving Daisy a pre-bath,” Bianca observed.

  Gertrude covered her mouth with the elbow and sneezed. “Kids are quite messy.”

  “That’s exactly how I was as a kid,” Andrew commented. “Messy and ready for the next adventure.”

  Adventure was what happened that afternoon. Bianca dressed in her one piece swimsuit despite her intention to only watch Andrew and Daisy swim. She made the mistake of trying to read a book, but the rambunctious children, including her own, splashed water onto her book as they dove into the pool for cannon balls.

  She set the book on a chair, hoping the afternoon sun would dry the wet pages. Just as she inched close to the pool, Andrew pulled her by the leg into the pool, catching her body into his arms.

  She winced at the shock of cold water against her skin. Andrew grinned, his hair clung to his forehead.

  “Not fair,” Bianca spluttered
.

  Daisy giggled and threw herself on Andrew’s back. “This is the best day ever!” she said.

  Bianca couldn’t contain her smile. Seeing the other families in the pool made her feel like the three of them made a complete family.

  “Me, too.” Andrew’s voice was soft as he glanced from Daisy to Bianca before dragging them down under the water.

  After swimming, they ate dinner, and guests who couldn’t stay the night, began leaving. After the remaining guests ate s’mores, a few adults played night games, like flashlight tag and hide and seek with the kids.

  Daisy was exhausted by the time Bianca drew her second bath to rinse off the chlorine.

  Bianca felt refreshed after her own shower. She was sitting on the couch a few inches away from Andrew, who had Daisy snuggled up on his lap as he read the final chapter of Charlotte’s Web to her. They’d been reading two chapters a night for the last two weeks. The nights he wouldn’t stop by the house, he’d read to her through video calls.

  Daisy giggled when Andrew snorted like Wilbur, the pig.

  “I’m glad Wilbur took care of Charlotte's kids,” Daisy said.

  “Me, too,” Andrew said.

  Bianca looked distantly at the metal fireplace that radiated heat in the cabin. She listened to Andrew talk to Daisy about death in a much easier manner than Bianca would normally entertain.

  “Death is just another path, we must all face... it’s the beginning of everlasting life.”

  Daisy asked one question after another.

  “What's everlasting life?”

  “Life after we die,” he answered patiently.

  “Are you scared to die?”

  “No...no, I’m not.”

  “Why not?” Daisy persisted.

  “I know where I’m going when I die. When I gave my life to Jesus, I learned that this world is not my home. I’m only here for however long God wants me to be.”

  Bianca understood that part. What she didn’t grasp was the effects on those left behind when their loved ones died, the long nights of staring up at the dark walls aching for someone you can’t bring back.

  “Oh.” Daisy frowned, puzzled. “How do you have Jesus in your heart?”