by Carol James
The last thing he wanted to talk about right now was Cassie, but… “She’s got good instincts. She needed someone to put her in a position where she was the only chance to stop the ball before the goalkeeper. She had to know that when the ball got to her, it had passed all her teammates, and she was the last hope.” He popped a stuffed mushroom into his mouth. “When I was about twelve, my coach moved me to sweeper, and it changed my game forever. Teams don’t use a sweeper defense much anymore, but it’s good for certain situations.”
She nodded. “By the way, the sushi’s outstanding. Thanks again.” She grinned and lifted her eyebrows as she held out the container. “Sure you don’t want some?
“Tempted, but I’ll stick with the wings right now. I’d hate to deprive you of something you love so much.”
“Chick-en!”
He couldn’t help but smile. “Exactly...wings, that is.”
She pursed her lips and cocked her head. “So, did you always want to be a soccer player?”
“Since I was four. But I got really serious when I was about Cassie’s age, and my family moved to North Carolina.” No bells seemed to be going off in her head. No recognition. “I played on my high school and college teams. Traveled a bit during the summers. That’s when a scout from the UK spotted me.” He’d rather be talking about her, but as he took a drink of his tea, she spoke again.
“Do you like it? Being a professional athlete? Living out of the country? I think I’d miss my family and friends.” She set down her chopsticks, placed both elbows on the table, and wove her fingertips together. Resting her chin on the fingers, she stared into his eyes, waiting for his response.
“You know, I was young—straight out of college. I thought life was all about fame, fortune, and fun.” He set down his glass and picked up a deviled egg. “Let me just say, after years of that, it’s not exactly what I thought it’d be. There’s gotta be more.”
“I know. I think I understand what you mean. Not the fame and fortune part, but the unfulfilled expectations. Reality doesn’t always coincide with our hopes and dreams.”
The song on the radio transitioned to one they’d danced to earlier. She sprang up. “Hey, want to see if we can still remember the steps?” She held out her hand.
Absolutely. “Sure.” He grasped her hand and stood.
They walked over to the empty end of the room, faced each other, and began. She was so relaxed now, leading her was easy. Thank you, Juanita!
A smile covered Katherine’s face. She was having a great time, and so was he. Too soon the song ended, and an old ballad began. Definitely not a Two Step song.
As he dropped his right hand, she entwined her fingers with those on his left, bit her bottom lip, and looked into his eyes. “Still want that slow dance you requested last Friday?”
He grinned and pulled her close. “I think I could stand it.”
She slowly placed her head on his shoulder. She smelled great, kind of like lemonade and sugar cookies. They moved in time to the music. Tonight, when he got her home, she’d want him to kiss her. And he’d want to. Shoot, he already did. But he wouldn’t. Not unless she asked. She liked to know what to expect, so he’d promised himself last week that he’d wait until he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt she was ready.
She turned her face upward. “You’re a good dancer.” Her eyes locked on his. “Thank you for a wonderful evening.”
Kissing her right now would be so easy, so natural. He leaned forward and brushed his cheek against hers, placing his lips near her ear. “I need to tell you something,” he whispered. “You’re forgiven. Your penance is complete.”
~*~
Katherine set the notebook on the nightstand and turned off the lamp. Today’s entries were all checked off and tomorrow’s reviewed. Tonight’s date was the best one she’d had in a long time—no—ever. She’d never dated a man like Sam. In fact, she’d never even known a man like him.
Even though he’d tried to be discreet, she’d seen the money he’d given Juanita, the waiters, and the valet. Plus, he’d had to rent the room. He must have spent a fortune tonight.
But the money wasn’t what made the date so special. While the evening had been full of surprises, everything about it was as well-planned as if she’d done it herself. He’d been considerate of her feelings and done everything possible to make her feel comfortable. And special. Sushi from Dallas, for goodness’ sake!
But then came the good night. Just like last weekend, he’d stood at the bottom of the steps with his hands in his pockets waiting for her to go inside. However, unlike last weekend, if he’d tried to kiss her tonight, she’d have let him. Giving him as much opportunity as possible, she’d dawdled until the delay became embarrassing. Most of the men she’d dated before Clark would have expected some kind of return after having invested a pile of money on a date. Yet, Sam had just stood there grinning.
Last Friday night, she’d thought lack of attraction might be the reason he hadn’t tried to kiss her. But tonight, the warmth in his eyes had disproven that theory. When they’d slow-danced after dinner, she’d been sure he would kiss her. She’d hoped so, anyway. As his cheek had brushed hers, her entire body had tingled, but all he’d done was “forgive” her.
As the melody from that song played through her mind, she smiled. Sam was shorter than any other man she’d dated before, but he was taller than she was. And Juanita had been right, he was the perfect height to be her partner. When she’d placed her head on his shoulder against the crook of his neck, and he’d pulled her close, their bodies were like two adjacent puzzle pieces—a perfect fit, as if they were made to go together. His nearness had felt so right.
As she turned over on her side, the smile faded and unwanted tears filled her eyes. Meeting Sam was so unfair. She liked this man a lot. So why couldn’t he be The One instead of Clark?
Because Sam wasn’t at all the man she’d prayed for these many years. She’d consistently asked God to bring the man on her list into her life, the man who possessed the qualities that would fulfill the deepest desires of her heart, that would make her happy. She’d judged every man she’d dated since high school by those standards, but no one had even come close to measuring up...until Clark.
But if he was the one she’d asked for, she should have been able to say “yes” to him. Yet, she’d been afraid to accept his proposal. Afraid because their relationship lacked one important quality she’d never even thought to put on the list.
Passion. Being trapped in a relationship devoid of passion scared her.
And now, after she’d done everything she could to convince herself that Clark was her Prince Charming, Sam had shown up to the ball, and she’d felt more passion in the three, no four, times she’d been with him than she’d felt in the years with Clark. Something about Sam ignited her emotions, both good and bad, like sparklers suddenly exploding to life when the flame is held to them the perfect length of time.
Her heart had meandered off course, but her mind pulled it back onto the well-trampled path. She shouldn’t have gone tonight. She shouldn’t have let her feelings get so far out of control, because no matter what she felt, continuing to date Sam would be a waste of time. They would never be anything more than friends.
5
Eyes closed, Katherine sat on the redwood bench under the arch of sweet jasmine in the backyard while an entire chorus of birds echoed their songs from live oak to live oak. When Sarah’s mom had called and volunteered to drive Cassie to the game and then to pizza lunch afterward, Katherine had wimped out of going. The last person she wanted to see today was Sam. Thanks to him, she hadn’t slept well last night, and she needed some time to work through all the confusion in the light of day.
The faint dinging of the doorbell drifted out through the open family room windows. Cassie had forgotten her key—again. That girl. She could have just let herself in through the back gate. Katherine walked to the side of the yard, lifted up the wrought-iron latch, and pulled open the
gate of the tall wooden privacy fence. “Cassie, you have got to...”
Sam turned to look at her. “Hi.” Today he wore black soccer shorts, a jersey from Cassie’s team, and soccer slides. His sprouting hair was actually shining in the sun. It couldn’t have possibly grown that much overnight. He held up a pink water bottle. “Cassie left this at the field. Is she back yet?”
Katherine must have been so lost in thought she hadn’t heard his car. “Uh, no.” As he smiled and walked toward her, she ran her fingers through her hair to tame it. If she’d known she would see him, she’d have combed it and put on makeup. At least she had brushed her teeth.
Leaning nonchalantly against the fence, he held out the plastic bottle with his right hand. “Would you mind giving this to her for me?”
“Sure.” His nearness alone made her heart rate skyrocket. “Sorry you had to bring it over.”
“Oh, I wanted to. I volunteered.” He didn’t move. He looked over her shoulder into the yard and then back into her eyes. “I had fun last night. Thanks for being such a good sport.”
“Sure.” She grasped the bottle, but he held on to it.
“Missed you at the game this morning.” His eyes were Caribbean again today, even in the red jersey.
If she held his gaze any longer, she wouldn’t be able to breathe. She looked at her feet. “I was kind of tired, and when Cassie said Sarah’s mom had offered to drive her, I agreed.” She looked back up.
His smirk said he wasn’t buying her excuse. “Oh well, that’s good to know. I thought you might be avoiding something...or someone.” He let go of the water bottle and then lifted his eyebrows and waited.
“Sam, I had a really great time last night. In fact, I can’t remember ever having a better date. I could tell you’d really put a lot of effort into planning it. I couldn’t have done better myself. You’ll never know how much I appreciate your efforts.”
The smirk softened to a warm smile. “Good. I’m glad. I hoped you’d be able to relax and feel comfortable. That was my goal. But then for a minute, I thought Juanita might ruin everything.”
Katherine couldn’t help but grin. “I thought so, too, especially with that blindfold deal. But she was wonderful.” Everything inside her screamed, No. She shouldn’t do this. “I’ve been sitting in the back, trying to get in all the garden time I can before the summer heat sets in. Would you like to stay for a few minutes? Cassie should be back any time. I’m sure she’d love to see you.”
“Sounds great.” He closed the gate behind them and followed her back to the bench.
As she sat on one end, he dropped down onto the other. Placing his elbows on his thighs, he leaned forward. Several pink scars dotted his left knee. “How did your knee hold up after all that dancing last night?”
“Good. I’m thinking about making it my new form of physical therapy. Say, once a week. But I’d need a partner willing to help me out.” He turned toward her and smiled. “Know anyone who might be interested in rehabbing an old, broken-down soccer player?”
Her stomach rolled. This conversation was headed in the absolutely wrong direction. She couldn’t tell him the truth. She couldn’t explain that as wonderful a job as he’d done planning the date and as much fun as they’d had last night, she couldn’t go out with him again. He’d never understand.
The door on the deck opened. “I’m back. Sam.” Cassie came bounding down the steps.
“Here’s the team’s star player.” Sam stood and high-fived Cassie. “Spectacular job today, young lady.”
Cassie’s face flushed as she grinned. “Thanks.” She crossed her arms and smiled. “What’re you guys doing? I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?” Her eyes twinkled as she leaned her head to one side.
“No.” Katherine held up the water bottle. “Sam had to make a special delivery because you forgot this. Sweetie, you really need to work on being responsible for your things. If you’d use that notebook I bought you, it would help.”
Cassie shrugged her shoulders. “When I forgot my water bottles, Mom would either get me another one or get the old one when we returned to the place I’d left it. It’s not that big a deal, Beth. I’ll bet Sam didn’t mind bringing it by, did you, Sam?”
“Not at all. I wanted to talk to your sister about something, anyway.”
Cassie lifted her eyebrows and grinned.“Really? Well, I’ll just go into the house and do the dishes.”
There were no dishes to do. Katherine had thoroughly cleaned the kitchen after breakfast, so the dishwasher was already loaded and ready to go after she’d put her lunch dishes in. Besides, Cassie had never in her life done dishes or any other household chores as far as Katherine could remember.
When she reached the top step, Cassie turned around and made circular movements with her hands. “Talk amongst yourselves.”
As the back door slammed, Sam chuckled. “She’s a mess.” He sat down and placed an arm on the back of the bench. “Now, where were we? Oh, yeah, my new plan for PT. Any volunteers?”
In a perfect world, she would have had enough time to have carefully considered her answer. But, nothing about life was perfect. Katherine took a deep breath, “Sam...”
“Help! Come quick! Water—”Cassie shrieked as she ran back out.
Sam jumped up, scaled the stairs onto the deck in one step and rushed inside.
Katherine couldn’t keep up with him.
A small geyser gushed sideways from under the dishwasher and had covered the floor with hot water.
Cassie jumped up onto a barstool, horrified.
“Katherine, where’s the shutoff valve?” Sam asked.
Water flowed toward the family room. They needed to stop it before the whole house was flooded.
“Katherine, the shutoff valve.”
“The what? I don’t know.” Her feet were cemented to the floor.
Water just kept pouring across the floor.
“I didn’t mean to break it. It was already loaded. All I did was hit the start button.”Cassie wailed.
Sam turned toward her and spoke calmly. “You didn’t cause this.” He took hold of Katherine’s shoulders and looked into her eyes, his voice still calm. “Where’s the hot water heater?”
Katherine pointed to her left. “The garage.”
Sam disappeared. The gushing stopped.
“All right, Katherine,” Sam reappeared. “You and Cassie get some brooms and start sweeping water out the kitchen door. I saw a wet-dry vac in the garage. OK if I use it?”
“That’s so kind, Sam. But I don’t expect you to help. We can get it.”
“Now what kind of a man would I be if I left two of my favorite ladies alone to clean up this mess?” He raised his eyebrows and then turned back toward the garage. “Besides the three of us should be able to knock this out in no time.”
After thirty minutes of sweeping, vacuuming, and sopping with the dozen or so towels now piled on the garage floor, everything was dry and as good as new.
Sam put the vacuum away.
Katherine sat down at the kitchen island with the laptop. “Cassie, does Mom, I mean, Dad have a regular appliance repair person he uses?”
Cassie shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Katherine sighed and opened the computer. “I guess I’ll look online. Don’t know if I’ll be able to get anyone out here today since it’s a Saturday. But a dishwasher’s not a necessity of life. It can wait until Monday.”
“What can wait ’til Monday?” Sam stepped back into the kitchen, holding her Dad’s tool chest.
“Repairing the dishwasher.”
“If you think your dad would be OK with me borrowing his tools, I should be able to get it fixed for you. I’m pretty sure I know what the problem is. Just need to run to the store for some parts.” He set the tool chest on the counter.
“I can’t ask you to do that, Sam. You’ve already helped enough. Besides, we can live without a dishwasher for a few days.”
“You didn’t ask. But you
need to get it repaired today unless you like cold showers. I turned off the hot water, remember?” He lifted his eyebrows and extended his hands, palms up. “Your call.”
~*~
Steam billowed up from the kitchen sink as Sam washed his hands under the faucet. “You’re good to go.” The dishwasher was repaired and back in place—no evidence of the miniature tsunami other than the towels tumbling in the dryer. The forgotten water bottle had ended up being a blessing.
Cassie jumped off the barstool and gave Sam a sideways hug. “Thanks, Sam. You’re the best. If I had a brother, I’d want him to be just like you.” She stared right at Katherine and grinned. “Isn’t that right, Beth?”
Katherine couldn’t look him in the eyes. “Well, I, uh...” After last night’s final dance, “brother” was not what came to mind. She probably should hug him, too, but what she’d mean as a casual embrace wouldn’t feel casual. “No—yes—what I mean is, we really appreciate your help. I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t been here. How much do I owe you?”
“I’d say some ice cream ought to just about do it.”
Her resolve to end their relationship, if one could even call two dates that, weakened more every moment he was around. If she could last a couple more weeks, her dad would be back, and she’d have hopefully heard from work and Clark. Maybe by then she could move back to Dallas. Right now, she needed to stand by her decision. Positively no more dates with Sam.
He turned toward Cassie. “What do you think, Cass? Does ice cream sound good to you?”
“You bet.” Cassie grinned. “Come on, Beth.”
With Cassie along, getting ice cream would be more like a family outing than a date. Besides, Katherine couldn’t refuse and let Cassie go out alone with him. It wouldn’t be proper. She trusted Sam, but with her dad out of town, she was the responsible adult. “Sure. That’s the least we can do after all the help you’ve given us today.”