by Hope Ford
He reaches out to touch my shoulder but then pulls it back at the last minute. “Are you sure? I know Abby will want to see you.”
I turn around and start walking on the track toward the exit. He gets into stride beside me. “I’m sure. Plus, I’m having dinner with Abby tonight.”
I keep walking through the parking lot and don’t stop until I’m standing beside my car. “Thanks for everything, Ford. It was… it was good to see you again.”
He positions himself between the door and me sitting in my car. “Will I see you here tomorrow?”
I think about it. I did plan to walk every day, so I nod my head. “Yeah, I’ll be here.”
“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He stands up and shuts my door before waving to me. I wave bye and watch him jog back toward the track. When he disappears, a man comes around from a column and stares at me. He has a hooded sweatshirt on and it’s covering almost all of his face. I pull out and look at him, noticing that he’s still watching me. When I pull out, I look in my rearview mirror and he has moved out completely from behind the column and is turned back to the track, watching Ford.
But it’s not long before I forget about the strange man and start thinking about Ford. He still makes my knees go weak all these years later. It’s hard to believe all the times I’ve imagined being held in his arms, and today I finally was. Of course, he probably thinks I’m a blubbering mess.
3
Ali
The day passes by quickly and before I know it, Abby is picking me up for dinner.
She walks around the living room of my grandma’s house. “Oh my God, Ali. This place hasn’t changed a bit. I love it. Man, does it take me back.”
I smile at her because I know she’s remembering all the times we spent here in our younger days. “Me too. It’s crazy, isn’t it?”
She walks over to me and puts her hands on my shoulders. “Oh honey, I hate you staying here alone. Why don’t you come stay with me?”
I shake my head at her. “No, really, I’m fine. I like being here. It sort of makes me feel closer to her, ya know?”
She looks at me for a minute, probably trying to see if I’m really all right. When she must see it, she simply nods her head at me. “All right, let’s go. I’m starving.”
We walk out to her car and she drives us to a new pub downtown. It must be new, because I’ve never been here before.
Once we order, I ask about her. She gets a big smile on her face. “I met someone.”
She tells me all about her new boyfriend, Brent. And I can tell she is crazy in love with him already. They met on Halloween and have been steady ever since. And he’s coming to Thanksgiving dinner with her family.
“Which, you know, you need to come over for Thanksgiving,” she tells me as our food is put down in front of us.
I just laugh at her. “That’s the second invitation I got today for the Tate family Thanksgiving dinner.”
Her eyes widen. “Really. Who was the first?”
I know my face turns red. I try to hide it by looking down at my plate and putting some green beans on my fork. “Uh, Ford. I saw Ford today at the community center. He invited me.”
She looks at me heavily and then with a glint in her eyes. “So any of those old feelings come back?”
Shocked, I start to stutter. “What… what do you mean? What old feelings?”
She rolls her eyes at me. “C’mon, Ali. I know you had the hots for him.”
“Did not,” I argue.
“Did too,” she says before shoving a bite-size piece of chicken in her mouth then smiling widely at me.
I stare back at her. Obviously the gig is up. “Okay, I may have had a small crush on your brother. But that was a long time ago. Plus, I don’t look anything like I did in high school.”
Both her hands hit the table top. “Thank God for that. You were so tiny then, Ali. Geez! I was worried about rolling over and crushing you when we had sleepovers. Now you have curves. You’re beautiful.”
I roll my eyes and take another bite of food. When I don’t respond to her, she keeps going. That’s Abby for you. She’s a steamroller. Always has been. “So he invited you to Thanksgiving. What else did he have to say to you?”
I feel my face heat remembering. “Well, before or after I fell apart when he asked me how my grandma was doing?”
She puts her hand to her forehead. “Oh Ali, I’m so sorry. He probably didn’t know.”
I shake my head at her. “No, no, he didn’t. It’s fine. It’s just still a little fresh.”
She nods and then changes the subject. We talk about her work at the construction company and about my college classes. We finish our meals and are still talking. It’s just like old times. We pay for dinner and then walk down the block to the dance club. It’s already busy, and we find our way to an empty table by the dance floor. She picks up her phone a few times to send a text, but I don’t think anything of it. At least until she says, “Don’t be mad.” And then looks at the entrance of the club.
Ford
I spent all day thinking about her. Which is not a good thing. I really need to focus on my work, but I know I couldn’t wait until tomorrow to see her.
Once I get off work, I text Abby and she tells me she is at dinner and then they are going to the dance club. I stare at my phone for just a minute before picking it up and calling Brent, Abby’s boyfriend. I know that guy pretty well and I know that he isn’t going to just stand by while Abby goes to the dance club.
He answers the phone on the first ring. “Hey Ford, what’s up?”
“So did you know that Abby is going dancing tonight?” Yes, I have no shame, I’m calling my sister out.
“Yeah, sure, she told me,” he tells me and I can hear the shrug in his voice.
“Oh,” I say, surprised. I thought for sure he would have a problem with her going alone.
Interrupting my thoughts, he says, “Yeah, so you know that shit ain’t going to work. I’m going to the club. Abby already knows.”
I smile into the phone. “Great, I’ll meet you there.”
When I get to the club, I wait outside for Brent to pull in. Once he does, I meet him at the door. It doesn’t take long to spot them. Abby is waving her arms at us and Ali is staring at me as I walk toward her. I can tell she’s surprised when she sees me.
Abby squeals and jumps into Brent’s arms while he covers her in kisses. And I can’t resist. I lean down and put a kiss on the top of Ali’s head. “Hey,” I whisper against her hair before taking the seat next to her.
“Hey.” She smiles at me.
We all sit down and try to talk over the loud music. Abby introduces Ali to Brent and we order some drinks. A popular line dancing song comes on and Abby pulls Ali from her seat to follow her to the dance floor.
Ali, for the first time today, looks carefree. She and Abby are laughing together, having a good time. Brent and I try to carry on a conversation, but give it up when the music gets even louder.
We set back and watch the girls on the dance floor. Honestly, I can sit here and watch Ali move her hips all night long. The way she’s moving her body has my jeans fitting more snug. I adjust myself in my chair. When the song ends, a slow song starts and they both start to walk off the dance floor. But not before a man stops in front of them. I can’t see either of the girls’ faces, but I don’t care if they know them or not. Brent and I both jump out of our seats at the same time. Brent grabs a hold of Abby and takes her back to the dance floor. I get between Ali and the guy, put my arms around her and dance her backwards away from him.
Surprised, she looks up at me. “What if I wanted to dance with him?”
My smile falls. Here I thought I was saving her. I stop my feet from moving. “Do you want to dance with him?”
She looks at me with her eyes blinking. “No. No, I don’t want to dance with him.”
But I still don’t move. Because I have to ask her. And after the words come out of my mouth, I re
alize I’m asking her for more than just a dance. “What about me? Do you want to dance with me?”
She tilts her head to the side, like she’s weighing her answer. And then she smiles brightly at me. “Yes.”
Suddenly, I’m feeling faint or even tipsy. Even though I haven’t had a drop to drink. I gather her in my arms and press our bodies together. Her arms go around my neck, and she plays with the hair at my nape.
My hands slide down her sides and rest at her lower back. “That’s good, Ali. Because even if you wanted to, I wasn’t going to let you dance with him.”
She pulls her head back surprised. “Let me?”
I just nod and dip down until my lips meet hers. I lick along the seam of her lips until she opens up and allows me entry. There’s probably twenty other couples on the dance floor. Heck, my own sister is here and I’m sure she’s watching us. But I don’t care. All I care about is having Ali in my arms and her lips on mine.
Our feet are barely moving. We’re not dancing; if anything, we’re swaying back and forth. My hands come up to each side of her face, and I deepen the kiss until she moans in my mouth and reluctantly I pull away. Resting my forehead on hers, I try to catch my breath. Her lips are swollen and her eyes are huge. Man, I hope I haven’t scared her off.
“You okay, baby?” I brush the hair off her face.
“Uh, yeah,” she says, looking anywhere but at me.
I’ve obviously made her uncomfortable. She’s going through so much and the first chance I had, I’m pushing myself on her. I need to back off and give her a little space. I need her to come to me.
“C’mon, let’s get something to drink.” I lace her fingers with mine and pull her off the dance floor. Abby and Brent are already at the table and she’s sitting on his lap as they kiss.
“Okay, guys. Enough. This is not how I want to see my little sister,” I grumble at them. I swear if it was anyone else, I would have probably already kicked his ass. But Brent obviously loves my sister. There’s no doubt about that.
The ladies have a few more drinks and I keep drinking water. I never drink and drive and I need a level head around Ali anyway. Once the girls are tuckered out, I offer to take Ali home since Abby lives in the opposite direction.
“Is that okay with you, Ali?” Abby asks her with a sly look on her face.
Ali looks like she might argue, then finally agrees.
I help Ali to my truck and start driving to her house. I remember exactly where she lives, I’ve had to pick up Abby there a lot through the years.
When I pull into the driveway, I look at the one-story house with no lights on. I get out of the car and walk around and meet Ali on the sidewalk. Any other time, I would tell her to wait for me to open the door for her, but I can tell she’s a nervous wreck.
“Ali, it’s okay. I just want to double-check the house and then I’ll leave,” I promise her.
She pulls the key out of her purse and puts it in the door. “No, you don’t have to check it. It’s okay.”
I put my hand on her shoulder. “I know I make you nervous. I promise. I won’t touch you again, unless you ask me to. But I know I won’t sleep tonight unless I know your house is safe and secure.”
She starts to argue, but I hold my hands up at her. “Sorry, it’s a part of my job. It makes me super vigilant when it comes to the safety of my family.”
She opens the door and walks in, allowing me to walk in behind her. “But I’m not your family.”
I shrug. “You’re like family,” I assure her.
I walk around the old house making sure all the windows are locked and then go and check the rooms and closets. When I walk back to the living room, she’s standing in the same place I left her.
I look around at the half empty living room. “Wow, you’ve already made a big dent in the house.”
She shrugs, and I can see the sadness in her eyes. “Yeah, I should have it done before I leave on Sunday.”
I tense up when she talks about leaving. I hate the thought of it, but I know that she needs to go back to school. Now, if I can talk her into coming back home when she graduates in December.
I walk toward the door and pull it open. “So I’ll see you in the morning.”
She looks confused, so I tell her, “To walk.”
“Oh yeah, yep, I’ll be there.” She laughs.
I point to the knob on the door. “Lock this when I leave.”
“I will. I promise.” She walks over and puts her hand on the door.
I want to kiss her, but I made her a promise that I plan to keep. It might kill me waiting for her to come to me, but I’m willing to try.
I shut the door and walk out to my truck. I watch the house for a few minutes before I finally pull out of the driveway and go home for a sleepless night.
4
Ali
After tossing and turning most of the night, I pull myself out of bed, get ready real fast, throw on another pair of leggings and drive over to the community center. I look around the track and see Ford already there, running. I put my ear buds in and start walking. When Ford comes around the track, he slows down beside me and I pull my ear buds out, looking up at him. His face is flushed and he has sweat trickling down his face and neck.
“How’d you sleep?” He pulls a towel out of his waistband and wipes his face off. I couldn’t take my eyes off him if I tried.
“Good. I slept good. How about you?” I ask him, tearing my gaze from his and watching the pavement in front of us.
His voice is husky. “For shit.”
“Why? What’s wrong?” I ask him worriedly, looking up at him again.
He just shrugs with that panty-melting smile on his face. “I couldn’t get my mind off that kiss last night.”
I trip over my own feet… again. And he catches me… again. I swear he has to think I’m such a klutz and I tell him so.
“I don’t think you’re a klutz. Plus, I don’t really care if you are. It just means I get to hold you in my arms. And well, honey, I’m all right with that.” His arms are around me and he pulls me up until I’m steady on my feet again.
When he releases me we start walking again. I try to quicken my pace, but who am I fooling, there’s no way I can keep this up. Frustrated, I point to the ground in front of us. “Look, I know I’m holding you back. You don’t have to walk with me.”
“You’re not holding me back. Plus, I want to walk with you,” he confesses. He reaches out and holds my hand, tugging me to slow down. When we get to a normal walking pace, he doesn’t let go. It’s like we’re a couple out on a stroll instead of two people trying to burn some fat and calories.
He asks me about the house and how he can help me. He invites me again to his mother’s house for Thanksgiving the next day. I quickly turn him down. I just know that I’m not going to be good company. He tries to convince me that he will just skip it then and come spend the day with me, but I turn him down. “Your whole family would hate me if you skipped a holiday meal.”
“I can’t just let you eat alone,” he begs , but I don’t give in.
“Okay, I’m going to Mom’s, but I’ll be at your house afterwards. And be prepared, because I will be bringing way too much food with me,” he promises.
I hate for him to do that. I’m fine being on my own tomorrow. But there’s no convincing him. “You don’t have to do that.”
He just smiles at me and changes the subject. Before I realize it, an hour passes and we start walking to my car. He helps me in and then tells me he’ll see me tomorrow for our daily walk.
“But tomorrow’s Thanksgiving. Are you still going to walk?” I ask him.
He answers me by asking me a question. “Are you going to walk?”
I nod my head, and he replies, “Well, I’ll be here too.”
He shuts my door and I watch him walk through the parking lot like I did yesterday. Almost last minute I remember the strange man from the day before and he’s there again watching Ford walk across t
he parking lot.
My whole body shivers at the menacing look on his face. So I do the only thing I know to do. I open the door and holler for Ford.
He starts jogging back toward me, and I meet him halfway. I open my arms to him, and he puts his around me.
He’s so happy, I almost get sidetracked with the smile on his face. I pull in close to him and wrap my arms around him, pulling myself up until I can talk into his ear. “I’m sorry. I should have told you yesterday. There was a man watching you yesterday and he’s here again doing the same thing.”
He starts to turn his head, but I put my hands on each side of his face to stop him. “No, don’t look. I just wanted to make sure you knew.”
I start to back out of his arms, but he grips me tighter. “Honey, I have some things going on at work and it sounds like I’ve brought it home with me.”
Ford
She starts rubbing up and down my arms. The worry is evident in her face. “Oh, God, Ford. Please take care of yourself.”
I lean down and lay my forehead against hers. “You’re going to need to go with me.”
“What? No. Why?” She looks alarmed.
“Honey, I’m sorry to drag you into this. But obviously the man has seen us together. I won’t have you in danger. I need to know you’re protected until I figure this out,” I tell her calmly before lacing my fingers with hers. I pull her over to my truck and help her in. I make sure that I don’t look up as I get in and turn to her.
“So, where is he?” I ask her.
“He’s by the column at the front of the building,” she tells me as I pull the seat belt around her.
“Okay. Get down in the seat a little bit for me, honey. I’m going to pull out.” Once she does what I tell her, I look out the side of my eye and see the man staring at us as we drive off. My windows are tinted pretty dark, so he probably doesn’t see us clearly inside. In my rear view mirror, I see him get into a black four-door car. I pull out of the parking lot and drive quickly across town, making sure to keep my eye on the rear view so that we’re not being followed. Damn it. I can’t believe this. It’s my ex partner’s dad. I know that he was a poor excuse for a father, but it’s obvious he’s trying to make up for that to his son.