Seeing Stars

by Rachel Burns

  I’m looking forward to it too, baby. If you want, I can pretend to teach you a few moves, and then I’ll lose graciously.

  I love you, I sighed to myself as I stared at the screen. I wanted to marry him and live happily ever after. Could something like that happen? To me? I’ve always lived by the motto: if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

  Could it be that Keith was lonely? He had to be to fill out an online dating form. That was why I did it.

  Did that mean that we were a good match? We both didn’t want to be lonely anymore.

  Or did it mean that he might get to know me and then realize that I didn’t fit into his world?

  I told myself to give love a try, but my mind warned me to be careful and to not give him too much. I had to protect a piece of my heart by holding it back so I wouldn’t be left with nothing if he decided to move on without me.

  Chapter 18 ~ Keith

  Today was the big day. I was on my way to pick up my girl. I had a feeling in my heart like nothing I’d ever felt before. I wanted Sandy. Each time I talked to her, I liked what I heard more and more. She was the one.

  Sandy was the package deal. Her personality was on point. Her humor was great. I liked that. Being able to laugh with your partner was important. And her body had kept me awake into the wee hours of the night. I tried to envision her naked. It was my favorite pastime. I knew that her breasts would be more than a handful, but so was her fantastic ass. It wiggled a little when she walked.

  I wanted to touch her so badly that it was already an ache.

  I pulled up to her building in the small town she lived in. This place seemed like a different world. I could hardly believe that it was only an hour’s drive from Hollywood Hills.

  I carefully picked up the flowers beside me and went to her building. The door to her building wasn’t locked. In fact, it was propped open to let air in. That couldn’t be safe. I went up the wooden stairs to her door and rang her bell.

  Immediately, my eyes were treated to a vision. She looked adorable. She was wearing a summer dress with a cute jacket. “You look lovely,” I told her, holding the flowers out to her.

  “For me? Again? They’re beautiful.” Her eyes lighted up. She really did love them. Something about the way she reacted made me want to blush and say ‘Aw shucks, ma’am, it weren’t nothing.’

  “I told you I would bring you flowers often,” I reminded her.

  “I kind of thought that you covered that with the ones you sent ahead,” she replied, but she was smiling and smelling her flowers. “They smell nice.”

  “I’m glad you like them.” I was thrilled that she liked them. Making her smile was my job now.

  “Are you ready?” I asked her.

  “I’ve got my shoes on and everything. But I need to put these in water first.”

  She went in, and I saw that she still had her other flowers in vases.

  Sandy stood still for a moment, debating what to do with the new ones. Then she took the first roses I gave her out of the vase and put them in the plastic pitcher that she used last time.

  Then she was busy washing out the vase and arranging the new flowers in them. I sat down on the couch as I waited again. She had quite the pile of workout DVDs. On the floor, I also saw a pair of weights, the kind women liked to use. I hoped she wasn’t overdoing it. If she wanted to lose weight, I had an idea how she could burn a lot of calories. Bed-sport was the best way to do that.

  It was too early to mention something like that. It would scare her away and give her the wrong idea. But that was just what men liked to think about. A virgin like her could never understand that.

  I’d have to teach her everything. That did have some advantages. I could teach her what I liked, and she could show me with her reactions what she liked. We could be perfect for each other. I’d already made all of my mistakes with other women. I’d been a fumbling fool in the beginning, who only thought about what felt good for me. It took time to learn how to be a good lover. A teenaged boy doesn’t have that time. He’s blind with need.

  I was going to take my time with Sandy. “So how was your week, baby?” I called to her in the kitchen while I fought not to grab the remote control and switch on the TV. I always did when I was at home. I constantly had my TV on so it would make noise, and I wouldn’t feel so alone.

  I was looking forward to our first stay-in night together. We could watch a movie or two and cuddle up on the sofa, and maybe that would lead to something else. Damn, I was doing it again. Would I ever stop thinking about attacking her and having my way with her?

  “I’m ready,” Sandy announced.

  “Great, time to show me your skills.”

  She looked at me shocked, and I had to wonder what I’d said. Then it hit me. “I mean your skills on the course. The mini-golf course.” I was afraid she might think intercourse. There my mind went again.

  “I understand,” she told me, giving me a light smile.

  “I’m much more eloquent when I get a chance to think about what I want to say,” I stated. “You make me nervous,” I finally confessed.

  She gave me a look that said that she didn’t believe me.

  “I’m serious. I’ve always had that problem around pretty women,” I confessed.

  She shook her head. “I’ve seen you with the most beautiful women in the world.”

  “Yes, we were out on Tuesday. That has to be when you saw me out with the most beautiful woman in the world. She has adorable blond curls and not straight hair like everyone else nowadays.”

  She smiled at me a gave me a nod like a first-grade teacher would to the boy who liked to interrupt the class. It was an I’m-keeping-my-eye-on-you smile.

  I brought her down to my car and off we drove. It was a long drive, and we got a chance to catch up.

  “I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised not to see anything about us in the news this week. I feared you might want to sell the story.” Why had I said that? That thought hadn’t crossed my mind until now.

  “What story?” she asked me. She didn’t have a clue.

  “The story about how a computer set me up with you. They’d love something like that.”

  “I would never do that,” she scolded me for thinking that she would.

  “I know. I trusted you, and I was right to.”

  “Is that why we’re on a second date? Because you want to know if I’ll tell people. Because I haven’t. I haven’t uttered your name to anyone. No one knows about us.”

  I nodded at her. “I think it’s great that you haven’t turned this against me, but I also have to wonder why you haven’t told anyone. Your friends at least.”

  “I told a few people that I wanted to …” She cleared her throat. “Find a man,” she finished her sentence. She was blushing so nicely that I wanted to kiss her red cheeks. “But they didn’t provide me with the positive support that I was looking for. Even my mom thought it was a bad idea.”

  “Your mom still doesn’t want you to date?” I asked her surprised.

  “Yes and no. It’s more that she’s gotten used to the idea that I’m alone in this world. She thought that my ship had sailed.”

  I grunted, not wanting to say anything bad about my future mother-in-law, but it hurt me that she thought that my Sandy would never find a man. I was so glad that the computer matched us together. We needed each other.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned it. I know you. You would never hurt me for profit,” I stated.

  “I swear I won’t, no matter how this ends, you won’t see a story about us in the tabloids. I would never do that,” she promised me.

  “That’s why I’ll never let you go. I’ve finally found someone who isn’t out to use me.”

  She nodded at me.

  I looked back at the rode, thinking that I was ready to propose right now.

  ~

  I pulled up to the gates of the Holt Estate. The Holt family had once lived here, but now the es
tate was used as a very private country club. Only the very rich and the very famous could come in. You had to sign in, and you had to pay a large fee for your membership. Today we were here on a trial basis.

  What I could see beyond the gate was lush and green. Tall old trees shaded the paths. This place looked great. It had been a great idea to come here. If this day went the way I hoped it would, then that lady was definitely going to plan our wedding.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Davenport. How can I help you, sir?” a young man asked me at the gate.

  “We have reservations,” I told him.

  He looked at a list, and I had to pay my fee for the day. We were instructed to follow the driveway to parking lot B and park there.

  “You’ve never been here before either, have you?” Sandy asked me. She giggled a little, and I fell in love with her laugh. It was a sound I wanted to hear often.

  “Nope, this place was recommended to me. I said that I was looking for something private, but that wasn’t showing off.” The house was coming into view, and it resembled a castle.

  “Well, it is private,” she said, making me smile. Clearly, she thought that it was showing off.

  This time she waited for me to help her out of the car, but it was because she was looking up at the main house in awe.

  “Thank you for waiting for me,” I praised her so she would know that this was what I liked.

  The parking lot was gravel, and she had trouble with her shoes. I offered her my arm, and we whispered to each other about our first impressions of the place.

  “This place has mini-golf?” she asked me.

  “I guess we’ll believe it when we see it.” We were sort of leaning against each other as we walked.

  When we hit the path, a woman walked up to us. “Mr. and Mrs. Davenport, I’m Michelle. I heard you might like to become members.”

  “Umm we aren’t married,” Sandy softly corrected her as she blushed.

  “Yet,” I added to make it clear how important Sandy was. “Miss Collins is with me.”

  “Of course. I’ll give you a short tour and explain the advantages of a private club like ours, and then I’ll drop you off at the mini-golf park. How does that sound?” She smiled at us, and I had to ask myself if we weren’t being set up by a well-meaning wedding planner.

  “That would be lovely,” Sandy replied. She was still hanging onto my arm, and it felt so right to have her on it.

  Then came the history of the house, and Sandy was full of questions. My girl was a history buff. It made me wonder why she worked in a factory. I could easily picture her in a museum or teaching in a classroom. I’d asked her later when we felt more comfortable with each other.

  Michelle was quick to point out all the places where people had married on the grounds and what famous people had gotten married here. “We think it’s very important to protect people’s privacy here. That’s why we are popular with the rich and famous, like your fiancé,” Michele told Sandy.

  This time Sandy didn’t correct her. But she did glance at me and smile. Her face said I give up. It made me chuckle.

  Michelle showed us the pool and the restaurant. She also showed us the bar that was famous for its burgers. Sandy and I traded glances. We wanted burgers.

  I looked around and saw several people who I knew. I gave them a nod of recognition as we followed Michelle.

  “We also have a smoking area. Our European guests often appreciate that. Do either of you smoke?” Michelle asked us.

  “No,” we both said together. I had no idea why I was so certain that Sandy didn’t and why she was so certain that I didn’t, but it made us sound as if we had been together for ages.

  Michelle walked us over to the mini-golf park. She turned us over to the staff there. We got clubs from a man dressed like a caddie. I saw a woman who I worked with a couple of times before. She was here with her husband and their three kids. We waved to each other.

  They were laughing and having a great time. They looked like a normal family. I leaned down to Sandy and told her what was going through my mind.

  “I was just thinking the same thing. This place is a goldmine for someone like you. As far as I can tell, no one has been taking pictures of the back of your head,” Sandy teased me.

  I rubbed my hand over my hair, messing it up a little.

  Sandy reached up and combed through my hair with her fingers to straighten it back out. It felt so good to have her touch me. I wanted her so badly.

  We were brought to the first hole, and the caddie explained the rules. If we wanted, he would stay to write down our scores.

  “But how can we cheat if you’re watching us?” Sandy asked him, making me laugh.

  “We’ll be good,” I promised him, slipping him a bill.

  He nodded at me and wished us a good game.

  I looked at Sandy. “Ladies first,” I told her.

  She went right to it. She wiggled her weight from one foot to the other as she got ready. Then she patted the ball, and it moved in a straight line directly into the hole. “Your turn,” she chirped, writing a one on the score card.

  I took my time, but I didn’t want to embarrass myself. I putted and missed.

  “The loser buys lunch, right?” Sandy asked me.

  I retrieved my ball and gave her an icy look. “I pay no matter what,” I told her strictly. She was my guest. Besides, it would feel wrong to have a woman pay for my meal. Especially, one who had to work so hard for her money. I could imagine that this place wasn’t cheap.

  “Sorry, I was just trying to be funny. My shot might have just been luck,” she apologized.

  “No, you warned me. You’re good at this. There’s nothing wrong with that. But there is something wrong with a man who would allow his date to pay for her meal,” I grumbled.

  “People can go Dutch too,” she pointed out.

  “Are you trying to upset me so I play badly?” I teased her, giving her a wink. This wasn’t the place to scold her. However, we would continue our talk later about who would be paying when we went out together.

  When I bent down to putt, she was as quiet as a mouse. Nevertheless, the ball didn’t roll into the hole again.

  In a soft voice, she told me what to do. Of course, I made that shot with her help.

  I looked up at her and smiled.

  She was so pleased with my accomplishment.

  We moved onto the next hole. It was Sandy’s turn again. I stood to the side and watched her. She was completely concentrated. She barely hit the ball, and it hit the side. From there, it bounced back and rolled directly into the hole, making a satisfying noise as it rolled around in the hole.

  It was my turn. “Let’s start with you telling me how to do this.” She obviously knew what she was doing. I could learn from her.

  She explained where I needed to aim and how strong I should hit the ball. She even put her foot on the outside of the metal boundary to show me where I needed to hit it. Now that her foot was there, I could see telltale signs that it had been hit often.

  I putted too hard and missed. She retrieved my ball and handed it to me. “This time you’ll do it,” she told me with confidence.

  I liked that. She was a good teacher. I could easily picture us playing this with our kids. I glanced over at my colleague and her family. They were still having a good time. I wanted that for us. But first, I had to prove that I wasn’t a sore loser. Because I was definitely going to lose the game.

  I tried again and missed again. But I made it on the third one. Sandy got excited and congratulated me. She jumped up when she did that, making her ample chest bounce for me.

  We continued on, and she got a hole-in-one every time. I started giving her a kiss every time she did that. It was making the game a lot more interesting.

  “How did you get so good at this?” I asked her.

  “I have an older brother and an older sister. It was their job to take me along when they wanted to go watch the baseball game. There was a course
there too, so I played while they flirted. My parents gave us money to take along. I spent mine on mini-golf instead of hot dogs.”

  “Money well invested. So what do you think of this place?” I asked her.

  “I doubt that I’ll be any good at the other sports they offer here. You just so happen to pick the only thing I’m good at.”

  “We could try golf,” I suggested.

  “I bet you play.”

  “Yes, I do. I’m only okay at it. I need lessons and practice, but I don’t see myself as the golf type.” I hit the ball, and it rolled directly into the hole. I looked at Sandy surprised. It was my first hole-in-one.

  She gave me a hug and told me she knew that I could do it.

  While she had her turn, I returned the subject to the club. “It’s hard to find a place where we can be left alone. I was thinking I should get us a year membership here. That way we can have some of our dates here.”

  “That’s sounds expensive,” she commented, looking up at me with a worried look on her face. I got the feeling that she wasn’t sure about me. Or was it because she didn’t believe that I would want her?

  I got a feeling that it was the latter of the two. Had she even asked herself if she wanted me yet? Or did she waste her time wondering about what I wanted?

  “I like you. I don’t even mind losing to your superior abilities. I think it would be an investment to join this place.”

  “But what if it doesn’t work out for us? You would have wasted all that money for nothing.”

  “Wasted? I beg your pardon.” Here we go again, I thought. She was going to tell me that she wasn’t good enough for me or some bullshit like that.

  “It’s just that, we don’t really have that much in common. I’m not from your world. Nothing in my world is as posh as this. The people here will notice that I don’t fit in. I fear you might have too much faith in the dating company’s computers skills. When you realize that I’m an Average Joe, you might be bitter about the costs for this place.”