by C. J. Corbin
I walked down the steps. “Hi,” I said when she reached me.
A couple of inches shorter than me, she was a beautiful girl. She wore her straight shoulder length blond hair pulled up in a ponytail with her bangs brushed to the side. Her blue eyes framed a cherubic face with deep dimples on the corners of her mouth.
“Are you Elizabeth Sommars?” she asked breathlessly.
“Yes, I am. Do you live next door?” I pointed to the two-story house.
“Oh my gosh! I knew it. You look just like your pictures. Debi told me that you lived next door. I love your books. This is so exciting!” Her exuberance threatened to take her over.
When her companion reached us, it was clear that they were sisters. She reached out her hand to me, and I immediately noticed her long and delicate fingers with short cut nails. I would bet she was a piano player.
“I’m Katy, and this is my sister Tammy. We moved here about two months ago with our dad.” Katy was slightly shorter and thinner than Tammy. Her face was longer and her blond hair had more curl than Tammy’s.
While I was away, Debi had told me that a family had moved in after making renovations to the interior. The house built in the twenties, was the first home in the cove and it had needed the repair badly. The family who had previously owned the house used it only in the summers, and after their children grew, they let it fall into disrepair.
“It’s nice to meet you. Would you gals like some coffee?” I asked.
Tammy responded immediately. “That would be great!” She came up the steps, Katy and the dogs followed her. Tammy turned and looked at the dogs, “You two stay here.”
“Oh that’s okay, let them in.” I went into the house and tried not to trip over the four dogs moving around my feet.
“Your website said your new book is coming out soon, isn’t it?” Tammy inquired as I pulled mugs out of the cupboard.
“The release date is in six weeks,” I nodded and poured the coffee. “I have freshly baked coffee cake, Debi made it.”
They helped me carry the cups and plates to the table. Tammy’s excitement bubbled over, “I can hardly wait for the book, it’s another Jessica story isn’t it?”
“Well, it’s a good thing you know the author,” I winked and rummaged through my briefcase. I pulled out a book and laid it in front of Tammy, “This is a pre-publish copy all for you.”
She snatched the book up quickly, “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” Tammy held the book to her chest her blue eyes sparkling. I thought she was ready to swoon.
Katy and I both laughed.
“Tammy, get a grip,” Katy admonished.
Tammy stuck her tongue out at Katy, “Oh don’t tell me you don’t read them too!”
“Would you like me to sign it?” I offered.
Tammy thrust the book back at me, “Oh yes!”
While we drank our coffee and ate Debi’s delicious caramel and pecan coffee cake, I learned more about the new family who lived next door. Tammy was eighteen and had just graduated from high school before moving to Mintock. In September, she planned to attend our junior college in Ashley the town closest to Mintock before transferring to UC Davis in January. Recently, she had decided to study veterinary medicine. Topper and Samantha certainly fell in love with her because they sat right next to her. It was either that or she was dropping coffee cake to them.
Katy, two years older than Tammy, was considerably quieter. Katy attended Julliard in New York and was on summer break. When she confirmed she played the piano I just smiled and nodded. The air about her was more composed and sophisticated.
Our conversation turned to their father. “I know my dad will want to meet you when he gets back. He was interested in your boat when he saw Don parking it at our dock yesterday.” Katy laughed, “Dad loves anything that goes fast.”
I laughed too, “Yeah, it is a little too much for our lake. I like to water ski and I wanted something fast. Is your dad away?”
Tammy piped in, “Dad’s out shooting animals.”
I was glad the phone rang at that instant so I could cover the horror on my face her comment had brought. A wave of nausea came over me when I answered the phone. “Excuse me. Hello?”
“Elizabeth? I didn’t wake you, did I?” The voice on the line hesitated.
“Oh Debi,” I answered, “no, in fact I have Katy and Tammy here, my new neighbors. We’re enjoying your great coffee cake.”
“So you’ve met the Hoffman’s?” she asked with curiosity in her voice. “What do you think?”
“Well, just the girls. Their father is away at the moment.”
“Just wait ‘til you meet him. He is an absolute dreamboat. I mean he is freaking hot! He’s someone I would go after…well… if I were still single.”
I laughed. Sometimes Debi sounded like her teen-aged daughter.
“Okay Debi,” stopping her rave, “I’ll see you in a bit.” I could hear her giggle as I hung up the phone.
Katy and Tammy moved to get up as I replaced the phone in the cradle. They helped carry the dishes into the kitchen. With many thanks from Tammy for the book, they left to continue with their Saturday.
The walk along the lakeshore to Debi and Don’s house was one of my favorites. On the other side of my new neighbors, there was an empty cabin about the same size as mine. Next was a large two-story old Victorian style home, belonging to my friends Angel and Lewis. Their kids were playing outside and came running when they saw me.
Angel walked down from her porch and reached up to hug me, “Welcome home! We missed you!”
A few years younger and a head shorter than me, Angel’s face had a delicate bone structure with high cheekbones and full lips. Her hair cut straight around her shoulders with full bangs was a mixture of light brown and dark blond. The most dramatic feature was her large chocolate brown eyes, which could show a depth of understanding unlike any other.
“I missed you guys too. I heard about Lewis’ knee, is he okay?” I said hugging her back. Her husband was the manager of our baseball team and the fire department captain for Mintock.
Angel bent over to pick up her youngest daughter and said, “Yeah, he’s okay, but he’s out for the rest of the season. The doctor said no more baseball for the year although he is still able to manage us all. He was excited when he heard you were coming home. We desperately need you back because you know how he feels about my pitching.” She groaned and then laughed.
I laughed too, Angel was better at third base. “I can’t wait to get back to the game, I’m sorry I was gone for so long. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.” I waved goodbye to her and the kids.
Finally, I reached Debi and Don’s house at the start of the utility road. She ran out to greet me. Her face and the hug showed me how much she had missed me. “I have so much news for you! I’m glad you’re finally back. I can’t believe how long you’ve been gone.”
Debi was substantially shorter, the top of her head barely reaching my shoulders. She had her wavy dark blond shoulder length hair streaked with blond highlights, which matched her light brown eyes. Her face was round and full and when she smiled the area around her eyes crinkled.
Her hug took my breath away. It was always like that with us. Don came out of the house wiping his hands on a paper towel. He gave me a hard hug too, almost crushing me against him. “Damn girl you cannot go away for so long again!”
I just laughed. “Oh you two, stop it. I wasn’t gone that long.”
“Three months is way too long.” Debi’s voice sounded like a mom. I was glad to be home.
“Thanks for dropping the Range Rover off at the airport.” I said to Don.
“Glad to do it, Jason came with me. He needed to pick up some schoolbooks at Stanford, school starts in a few weeks. You know he wants to get a head start on the studying.” He said proudly.
Don was rugged from top to bottom. He owned the local garage and was responsible for keeping my Range Rover running after all these years. He was one of the most c
onsiderate men I had ever had in my life, well, except for my father. I had always teased Debi that if she hadn’t stolen Don away, I would have snatched him up for myself.
Don was born and raised in Mintock. The town knew his family well. Don’s father became the police chief twenty-five years ago and his mother, a Native American from the local Pomo tribe was famous as a local artist. We had culled our friendship over many years and he was more like the brother I never had. I had spent many summers up here with Aunt Ruth and her cabin. My parents felt it would keep me out of trouble spending time in a small town. Nothing had been further from the truth. Remembering some of the pranks we played I was surprised we did not land in jail, and maybe it had been a good thing that his dad was the police chief.
Debi accompanied me to Mintock during the summers while we were in high school. When we graduated, Debi decided to move to Mintock, because she and Don had fallen in love. They married immediately and Jason, their son arrived two years later. Their daughter Betsy, my namesake, followed three years after Jason. Both of the kids had taken on Don’s Mexican and Native American darker looks instead of Debi’s Southern California blond look.
After high school, our paths diverted. I went on to college in Southern California, and Debi concentrated on raising her family. While in our twenty’s we kept in touch mainly by the phone and short visits a few times a year. After graduating from college I went on to work at a magazine, not as a writer as I had dreamed, but in the production department working with the advertising.
While at the magazine, Kevin and I met and started dating. He was the writer and I was enamored with him. Neither Debi or Don were fond of Kevin, I should have taken that as a hint. Mostly they put up with him for my sake.
Debi and I went into the house while Don went back to the garage on the side of the house. Their home had a relaxing effect on me. It was comfortable, not fancy, but richly decorated. As I looked around the kitchen remembering all the memories from the knick-knacks and the pictures hanging on the wall. I had shared every one with them, sometimes traveling with them and sometimes just hearing about the adventures.
She put the mugs on the table in front of us and sat down. “So, Kevin trapped you again?”
I sighed and nodded my head. Taking a sip of tea, “I really wish he would leave me alone. I don’t know what to do anymore. I just don’t get it.”
“Well it’s a good thing you’re up here. He’d have to have a very big excuse to come up here. Kevin wants the control over you like he had when you were married. You know it isn’t love, it’s all a matter of making you bend to his will.”
Don walked in through the back door, “Bend to whose will?” He sat down at the table.
Debi crinkled her nose, “You know Kevin.”
“Oh, that jackass?” Don reached out and patted my hand, “Don’t let him bother you. You want me to take care of him?”
I laughed and smacked him on the shoulder, “What are you going to do?”
Don yawned and stretched, “You know we mechanics can make many things go wrong.”
“Don, don’t even joke about that!” I admonished him.
“Well if I can’t help, I’m going to go out and work on Jason’s motorcycle. I’d like to surprise him and actually get it running today.” Don stood up, and kissed Debi on mouth. “Call me when lunch is ready woman,” he growled possessively.
“You got it baby,” she squeezed his butt.
I rolled my eyes, “You two want to get a room?”
Don laughed and pulled in my braid as he passed me, “Remember you’re in my house.”
We heard the back door slam and Debi turned to me, “So spill everything!”
Debi and I talked about everything at length while she put lunch together. Their house was my second home. An invitation to lunch was a natural assumption. Filling her in about my lunch with Kevin made me feel better about the situation. Debi had been my rock during my divorce. She had been there with plenty of tissues as I backed my garbage truck up to her door. Not once did an “I told you so” escape from her lips.
More importantly, Debi filled me in on the local gossip, especially the happenings at the weekly town baseball games. Tomorrow our team would play one of the teams from Ashley, and everyone expected my pitching arm to be at the ready for the game. Pitching was probably in my blood, my aunt Ruth had been a pitcher too.
Our conversation finally got around to my new neighbors. Debi could not believe that I hadn’t met their father, but she assured me he would be at the game since he now played first base for the team. I pursed my lips, not admitting that I was not going to be fond about someone who hunted. Kevin had gone big game hunting in Africa while covering a story there and each time I saw the pictures of the dead animals, waves of nausea almost overtook me. Debi had the overwhelming need to fix me up with someone even though I kept reminding her that I did not need fixing because I was not broken.
After lunch, our afternoon was just as relaxing. As it started to get dark, I gave my thanks to both of them for the great day. Don had gotten Jason’s motorcycle running and he wanted to take it out for a spin, with me on the back.
“Now Don, all you need to do is take me up to the cabin.” I put on the helmet he handed to me.
“Aw come on. Let’s take it for a real spin!”
Debi waved to us and yelled, “Have fun!” as we took off.
I wrapped my arms around Don. “Hey not so fast!” I squealed with delight.
The episode was too reminiscent of high school when his motorcycle was our main mode of transportation. The feel of the cooling evening air felt good against my skin. He cranked up the speed as he headed for the highway. We drove to the edge of town, turned around and headed back toward my cabin.
The jeep up ahead of us was not moving very fast and true to Don’s character, he decided to pass the jeep on the narrow utility road leading to my cabin at the end of the lane. The driver of the jeep was polite and moved over to the side of the road to allow us to pass. Don and I waved as we passed and got a glimpse of the handsome man driving. At least he was smiling until we cut him off to make the sharp turn into my drive.
The jeep stopped at the house next door. As Don pulled up in front of my back porch, I smacked him on the back, “Oh no! That was my new neighbor you just cut off!”
“Oh relax he had plenty of room!” I handed Don my helmet and he gave me a big bear hug. “See you tomorrow at the game. Don’t be late, and make sure you warm up first!”
I saluted him, “Yes sir!” I gave him another hug, “Thanks for the ride!”
Don scooted off back down the road toward his house, driving at a considerably slower speed. Watching my new neighbor unloading his jeep, he caught me staring. I immediately felt a blush creep on my face. He waved and I waved back. I quickly let myself into my cabin.
CHAPTER THREE
Sunday afternoon in Mintock meant baseball. I had been on the Lakeside team for as long as I could remember. My fastball was a legend in Mintock and Ashley. Even better, though, I could hit the ball too. When not playing the other Mintock team we played the teams in Ashley. This was serious business because this was baseball. The weekly summer event was popular with the people of the town, and we even managed to draw our fair share of tourists too.
For me, there was a whole Zen thing to prepare myself mentally for the game. When Don told me to warm up yesterday afternoon this was exactly what he meant. I followed the ritual carefully, from braiding my hair, to making sure my socks were on straight and even. My uniform purchased new at the beginning of the summer was white and clean with no stains. By the end of the day, I knew that there would be stains covering most of the uniform, and I wore them like a badge of honor because of their cost to earn.
Checking my reflection in the mirror, I placed my cap on my head and turned to check the back too. The pants were snug and clung to my long legs. With the shirt tucked in, I looked like all legs, but I was reasonably happy with what I saw. The c
urves were in the right places and the jogging had kept me thin, that and forgetting to eat while writing.
I stuffed a pair of jeans, a tank top, and a pair of sandals into my sports bag for later. The team usually ended up at our local restaurant and bar after the game. Sitting around in a uniform never suited me so I always changed clothes.
The dogs ate early on Sunday. When I returned from the game, I would give them a little snack. They were contented after a long walk and settled down for naps while I prepared to leave.
Stowing my stuff on the passenger side of the Range Rover, I glanced over at the neighbor’s house. The jeep was already gone. Guessing that they had already left for the game, I checked my watch to make sure I still had plenty of time. I rolled down all the windows of my ancient car. The warm summer air felt good, and again this was a Zen thing. Getting my mind into the game.
Arriving at the park with plenty of time to spare, I carried my bag over to join the group that had already gathered at the dugout. Lewis, the manager of our team acknowledged me with a wave since he was deep in conversation with one umpire. The rest of the Lakeside team welcomed me with hugs and kisses all around.
Debi grabbed me, “Let me introduce you to your neighbor. Michael?” She called to the tall blond man standing with his back to us.
As he turned around, I stopped breathing. His eyes were the lightest blue and his smile was broad showing his white teeth. There were the cutest little dimples at the corners of his mouth, and when he grinned, he had deeper dimples in his cheeks. His short-cropped hair was blond and curly. I was not used to having to look up at someone since I towered over most people, but he was at least four inches taller than I was. With his square jaw and prominent Roman nose, he could have stepped out from the cover of one of my books.
Debi pushed me forward, “Elizabeth this is your new neighbor Michael, Michael this is Elizabeth. I’ll let you two get acquainted.” She turned and left us alone.
Michael looked down at me while his warm hand covered mine and held it a little longer than normal. “Hi Elizabeth, I’ve heard a lot about you.”