“I’ll go grab some drinks. I’ll be right back.” She started to say something but let him go. She pondered on the idea. He was her business partner and it would make things simpler. Also, he had been helpful. She hated to take advantage of him but she would need someone around to run errands. She hated this situation she was in, but she had no money to pay for help.
Why was she always doing or saying the wrong thing? She felt the tears starting to sting her eyes. This medicine she was on was making her cry way too often. She hadn’t told Mike, but she had cried while reading the Bible story. It had reminded her too much of Martin, Randi and herself.
She managed to not have an all-out cry, but a few tears did escape. When Mike came back she hoped she looked normal. She laid her tissue on the bed and smiled.
He looked at her strangely. After he’d opened her soda for her and the box of pizza, he forced a sad smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to spring it on you like that. I should have been more tactful. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Celia smiled. “I’m sorry if I sounded ungrateful. I’m really not the witch Martin makes me out to be.”
“I never thought that. I can understand if you wouldn’t feel comfortable with my staying. We don’t know each other that well.”
“Oh, my! That’s not what I meant. I’m sorry. I trust you. It’s not that at all. It just drives me crazy that I can’t pay you for all the help you’re giving me, but until I get a job, I’m short of funds.”
“I’m not looking to get paid.”
“Maybe not, but I feel terrible. I’m sure my mother and I are keeping you from something. Your family, your girlfriend, your job…”
Mike pulled up a chair and sat where he could look her in the eye. He picked up his pizza box and seemed unsure of what he should say. After shrugging he spoke, “At this moment, my job isn’t taking up too much time. I go into work when I’m needed. My family time consists of dinner once a week and random phone calls.”
He didn’t say anymore and took a bite of pizza. They’d never talked about his personal life. She hadn’t noticed anyone calling or leaving texts for him. She highly doubted he was gay and wasn’t about to ask, but she did want to know. She waited a moment, ate a bite or two of her pizza and then went on with her thought. “No bossy lady taking up all of your time?”
He smiled, shook his head and looked down as he spoke, “Just you.”
Chapter 24
Faith
Randi was dreading and looking forward to her date with Martin. The night before they’d said some serious things, and she was excited about their relationship. On the other hand, she worried that something would happen to show one of them they were not meant to be a couple.
Her parents were at church, and she’d taken the pups out for a long romp in the backyard. After playing with them and working in the flower garden, she took a shower and started getting ready for her date.
She didn’t know if it was her doubts about Celia, or the fact that Martin was a star, but every day she sat wondering what new text or call was going to break her heart. The fact that Celia was going to move into Martin’s home was going through her mind. Should she have thrown a fit? Complain that he’s making a mistake?
Maybe he could have gotten her an apartment, or just flew her home to be with her parents. Now that would make Randi happy . . . seeing Celia leave California.
The dogs startled her with their barking and she glanced at her watch. Her parents were coming in from church and a Sunday dinner out. She’d talked them into not giving up their treat of a day out once a week. They were trying to conserve but it would do them good to be out and enjoy some time together.
Her dad didn’t seem to be as worried about the job situation as her mother, but he’d always been more laid back. He did have several questions about Martin. It had been great to talk about the man she was falling in love with.
They had sat at the table until midnight talking about Martin, his life and how they’d met. She could tell her dad didn’t like the whole story, but he didn’t say anything negative, and that was a relief.
Her mother had gone to bed early and that had left the two of them alone to chat. Since her dad worked so much she’d not spent as much time with him and she’d missed that. He listened more than he talked until it came to the part about Harley’s and trucks.
She assumed most men enjoyed talking about those things and promised that the next time Martin was driving around in the old Ford, she’d have him bring it by to show him. Her dad then told her a story about an old truck he owned years ago and how much he enjoyed taking it fishing.
The talk with her dad had given her an idea and she moved from trying to figure out what to wear to sitting on the bed and sending Martin a text. “Want to go fishing for our hot date?”
Five minutes later she picked up her phone. “Perfect. Don’t worry about fishing gear. I’ll pick you up at 2. Love, M.”
She smiled. This would be something that Martin would love. He’d talked about Celia not being an outdoors person, so she wanted to prove that she was. Also, it might take some of the pressure off if they were outside fishing instead of at some romantic restaurant, dancing.
Since they weren’t doing anything fancy, she dressed in jeans, a white t-shirt and pulled her hair back in a ponytail. She put on her tennis shoes and she, and the dogs, went downstairs to wait for Martin.
Her parents were sitting on the front porch enjoying the afternoon. They both had a glass of iced tea. Her mother was reading the paper and her dad was listening to a ballgame. The yard was fenced in so the dogs came with her as she stepped up on the porch. She took one of the empty chairs near her dad and took a sip of his tea.
He took out his earpiece, grinned at Randi and said, “You can have your own glass if you’d like; there’s plenty in the kitchen. What happened to your date?”
“Thanks, and nothing. We’re going fishing. I’m not sure there’ll be easy access to a bathroom, so I better lay off Mom’s tea.”
“You have a point, and fishing? Whose idea was that?”
“Mine. He likes to fish, camp, hike, he just doesn’t get to do much of it.”
“Not much of a date,” her mother said from behind the paper. “Remember, you’re setting the tone of what you’re willing to do. Don’t forget that. Unless you want to go fishing all the time, be careful what you initiate.”
“I don’t mind fishing. I’m willing to give and take. Martin may be rich but he’s blue collar. I think I’d enjoy about anything, as long as it was with him.”
Her mother made a noise, but Randi ignored it. It was easy to see her mother was still pessimistic about her new relationship. No matter. At least she had one parent on her side. She looked at her dad and asked, “What was your first impression of Martin? We talked about him but you never really said what you thought.”
“He’s a well mannered young man. I liked him, and I think once your mother gets to meet him, her opinion will change. Not all Hollywood actors are the same. He seems well grounded. You’ll have to invite him over for dinner.”
Again her mother scoffed with the sound of her voice. “I doubt seriously that he’d consider dining in a place like this. I’ve seen pictures of that monster of a house he lives in. I could be wrong but my guess is he’ll be busy that night.”
Randi tried not to show how much her mother’s comments were hurting, instead she looked at her dad. “I guess we’ll see in time. I better go make sure the pups have water before I run off.” She didn’t say anything else as she rose and walked through the house.
It took her a moment or two to get over the anger and hurt she was feeling. She checked the water and was walking back to the door to tell her mother that Martin would be out back in a few minutes, if she would like to meet him.
She stopped when she heard they were talking about her. She didn’t normally eavesdrop, but this time she did.
“You really should ease up on her. She’s falling in l
ove and you’re going to miss it,” her dad said, and she could hear a bit of anger in his tone.
“I don’t think he’s the right man for her, and she’ll see I’m right in time. Wait until she comes home crying with a broken heart and we’ll see who’s right.”
“Where’s all of that Christian faith, my dear? Don’t you have any faith in all of the prayers we’ve sent up that she’ll find the right man?”
“You don’t find the right man by dating someone who’s seeing someone else. I can’t believe she thinks he could ever be faithful when he cheated on a woman he was living with.”
Randi sighed. A part of her had thought the same thing many times. She turned, walked back into the kitchen and to the back door. She stood leaning with her head against the door frame, a little disheartened and wondering if she was doing the right thing by dating Martin.
Was she being naïve? As she saw the new used white truck pull up and watched the window roll down to see Martin smiling, she knew that there was only one way to find out. She stepped out the door and walked toward the man she was falling in love with. She didn’t know if he was the one or not, but she was willing to put her heart on the line to find out.
Chapter 25
Pity Date
Mike was surprised how quickly Celia could fall asleep. Thankfully, she’d drifted off just after his comment about her being the only bossy woman in his life. He’d meant it to be a joke, but wasn’t sure how it sounded. He finished eating his pizza and drank most of his soda.
He rose, covered her food and slipped into the bathroom to wash his hands. He was just stepping out when his phone vibrated. He walked over to his chair and sat down. It was a text from Martin. He read it and responded.
“Fish all day. You know where the key is.”
“Thanks. We may end up switching houses for a while.”
“We? Randi, I guess?”
“Yes. She wanted to go fishing.”
“Have fun.”
Mike was putting his phone away when he spoke in a low tone, “You better not catch old Ol’ Henry. He’s mine.”
“Who’s Henry?” Celia asked, getting a piece of pizza out and taking a bite.”
“He’s a very large catfish that’s in a pond at my place. I almost caught him today but he broke my line. He’s becoming a legend. No one can catch him.”
“I’m not sure I understand why people enjoy fishing. I could see it if you liked the taste of fish, but just for the fun.”
“Have you ever tried? If you’ve never pulled and pulled trying to bring in a fish, you’re not going to ever understand.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it,” she said, taking a bite.
“You’ll have to fish with me sometime. You might have beginners luck and catch Ol’ Henry.”
“I thought you said someone was going to catch him today.” She stifled a yawn and took another bite. “Let me take a guess. Is it Martin?”
Mike hesitated, and when he did, she nodded. “I suppose Martin has her with him. He should be happy. That’s what he always wanted . . . someone to fish and hunt with.”
“Yes. It’s Martin, and Randi is there, too. Some women like that sort of thing. To be honest, I can’t imagine a person not wanting to be outside. Did you ever go with Martin? Just because you go doesn’t mean you have to fish. You could take your reading device, a laptop, or you could work on your tan.”
“I suppose I could have. I don’t know why I never went. Maybe I felt like Martin was trying to put me in some kind of a mold. I don’t ever recall him asking like he really meant it. He would always tell me what he was going to do. I don’t remember him inviting me to go more than a few times.”
“He seemed to have an idea that you didn’t like fishing.”
“Really?” she asked, trying to come awake. “Did you all talk about me? I didn’t know men did that sort of thing.”
“We don’t do it as much as women, but now and then he’d ask my opinion. I’m not sure why. I don’t date. I’ve never had a long lasting relationship. I suppose I was his only male friend. I’m not sure that’s a good reason though.”
“I guess when we first started dating I may have turned him down a few times. I don’t know, maybe he was right. Maybe we just didn’t care for each other enough. He was never interested in the things I wanted to do and vice versa.”
Mike put his phone away. “What did you want to do?”
Celia raised her bed, grimaced at the pain and spoke, “I like to go to auctions. I like concerts. I wanted to take a pottery class.”
“You? Pottery? I can’t imagine you wanting to get your hands dirty.”
“See. Martin had no clue what I’m about. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty. He thought because I didn’t want to hunt or dig for worms that I was some kind of snob.”
The anger Celia was feeling seemed to be bringing her fully awake. She sat her bed up and looked at him. “I would have loved to have a greenhouse and grow roses but the only thing he wanted to grow was food. Most men care less about roses and ivy.”
“True, but they should care enough about the woman in their life to work at it.”
“Right. Like you would go to a pottery class or an exercise class?”
Mike laughed. “You might be right, but I’ll go to a pottery class if you’ll go fishing and try to catch Ol’ Henry.”
She looked at him as if he was crazy or just pulling her leg. “Don’t do something just because you feel sorry for me. I don’t like pity dates.”
“Who said anything about pity? I’m hoping you’ll pull Ol’ Henry out and we can weigh him and see how much he’s grown. I’m not kidding about beginners luck. People who have never fished seem to have all the luck when it comes to pulling out the big ones.”
“I can’t fish in a wheelchair.”
“Sure you can. We’ll lock you down so Ol’ Henry can’t pull you in. Besides, you’re not going to be in that wheelchair for the rest of your life. You can sign me up for a couple of pottery classes and after we’ve made a bowl or something, we’ll go fishing.”
“I may take you up on that offer, but first I want to take you up on the job offer. I’ll be honest, I don’t know a thing about it but I’m tired of being dependant on someone else.”
“Sure. Selling is all about knowing cars and the people who want to buy them. You have the perfect time to study while you’re stuck here in this bed. By the time you’re ready to start, you’ll know what you’re doing.”
Celia shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never even bought a car much less tried to tell someone else what they might or might not like.”
“You can learn any and all of that. You’ve got a great smile. The men will pick you over the salesmen because you’re attractive, and the women will want your opinion because you’re a woman.”
“I remember you saying that. I’m game if you are.”
“Good. If you don’t have an iPod, I have an old one at the house you can use. You can get started reading and learning and leave the rest to me.”
Chapter 26
Fishing & Kissing
It was a beautiful day and Martin was so glad that Randi had suggested they go fishing. He knew she was trying to let him know she was willing to do some things that he enjoyed, but he could also see she was very much at home with a fishing pole in her hands.
He didn’t have to bait her hook or untie her line from the trees. Over the years he’d taken a few girls fishing, but it had never been this much fun. It was nice to be outside in the sun, sitting in a chair on the edge of a bank, just fishing….
“Be honest with me,” he said, lazily. Randi turned to look at him.
“Sure. About what?”
“Fishing. Do you really enjoy this or are you just doing it to make me happy?”
“I’ve fished on and off all my life. I can’t say that I would go fishing alone, but sure with friends or family, yes, I like it. I don’t enjoy cleaning fish, and I don’t like to fly fish, b
ut that’s mostly because I’m not good at it,” Randi replied, good-naturedly. She felt a slight tug on her line and realized she had a bite.
“Good. I like to fish. Mike said we could come here and fish any time we want. We also have access to the house if you need the bathroom or want something to eat or drink.”
“You and Mike are good friends. You trust him. I’m pretty sure I know you well enough to understand that doesn’t come easy for you.”
“You do know me, and you’re right. Mike and I go way back. We know each other’s deep, dark secrets and met long before either of us had a dime to our name.”
“To exchange houses, the trust runs deep. I don’t know anyone that well, except my parents.” Randi stopped talking and worked on pulling in a fish.
It was a small bluegill. She took it off the hook, showed it to Martin then walked down to the edge of the water and tossed it back in. She washed her hands off in the water and returned to her seat.
She tried a different kind of bait, set up her reel to cast, but instead, laid the pole down and moved her chair closer to his. “I like to fish, but I also like to just sit and watch a handsome man do his thing.”
Martin smiled, turned, and as he hoped she would, Randi leaned in to kiss him.
“That’s fun, too,” she said, teasingly. “Maybe more fun then fishing.”
They shared one more kiss and Martin leaned back. “Maybe? I’m not sure I like that comment.”
“Okay. Kissing is a lot more fun, especially with you.”
This time, she leaned in, placed her finger on his chin and he turned for another kiss. It lasted longer than the first and he turned in his chair. He reached up to touch his hand to her face.
“No you don’t! Not with those wormy, fishy hands,” she said, giving him a disgusted look.
“I thought you liked worms.” Martin laid down his fishing pole and reached into a can by his seat and pulled out a worm. “My friend wants a kiss.”
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