by Debby Mayne
Early the next morning, Amanda downed the last of her coffee before grabbing her gear and starting for work. Lacy intercepted her before she got to the door.
“I won’t be home for dinner tonight,” Lacy said, grinning from ear to ear.
“Neither will I.”
Lacy’s smile faded as she pulled back and squinted her eyes. “So where are you going?”
Amanda had spoken too quickly. “Sun, Sand, and Swing Festival.”
“By yourself?”
“What do you think?” Amanda popped her helmet on her head and snapped the strap under her chin. “I’m going with a friend.”
A slow smile tipped the edges of Lacy’s lips, and she batted her eyes. “It wouldn’t just happen to be Jerry Simpson, would it?”
“Okay, yes, I’m going with Jerry. So how about you? Where will you be?”
Lacy grinned. “I’m going to the festival, too, and I bet you’ll never guess who I’m going with.”
Rather than play one of Lacy’s favorite games, Amanda opened the door, stepped halfway out, then turned to face her sister. “So who are you going with?”
“You’ll see,” Lacy said with a giggle.
“Fine, don’t tell me.” She started to pull the door closed but paused when Lacy reached out and flung it open again.
“Are you coming home to change before you leave?”
“No,” Amanda said slowly. “Why should I?”
Lacy grimaced and shook her head as she pointed to Amanda’s clothes. “You’re going like that?”
Amanda glanced down at her bike shorts, sports top, and Windbreaker. “What’s wrong with this? I wear it almost every day, and you haven’t said anything about it before.”
“But you don’t normally have a date after work.”
“This isn’t exactly a date,” Amanda tried to explain. “He’s just looking for something to do, and I said we could go to the festival.”
“Trust me, Amanda, this is a date.” Lacy reached out and gently pulled Amanda back into the house. “It’s fine if you want to wear that for work, but you need to change into something a little more flattering afterward. C’mon, I’ll find you something that’ll knock his socks off.”
Rather than waste time arguing with her sister, fashion icon and basic shallow thinker, Amanda allowed Lacy to rummage through both of their closets until she came up with trousers from Amanda’s wardrobe and a cute little tunic from her own.
“I’m glad I bought this in a size smaller,” Lacy said as she shoved the tunic into a tote. “I thought I was going to lose a little weight, but since it didn’t happen, at least you can get some use out of it.” She grabbed a necklace from the wicker table and dropped it into the side pocket. “Put this on, too.”
“Thanks.” Amanda took the tote and headed out the door before her sister thought of something else she might need. As it was, she had a little difficulty maneuvering everything while steering her bicycle toward the shop.
Between customers, Amanda thought about the clothes in the bag and wondered if she really needed to worry so much about what to wear. If Jerry really liked her, would it matter if she put on that cute little top of Lacy’s?
The day seemed to drag, but a half hour after the high school let out, Tiffany arrived to take over. Amanda handed her the reservation book then headed for the back room where she’d stashed the tote from her sister.
When she heard the bell on the door, she stilled and listened for Jerry’s familiar voice. Her heart pounded when she was sure it was him.
“Just a minute,” Tiffany said. “I’ll see if she’s ready to go.”
Amanda hadn’t changed yet, so when Tiffany stopped at the door of the back room and eyeballed her before speaking, she made a decision. She wasn’t changing clothes. This wasn’t a date, and she’d decided it would be easier and more fun to ride bikes to the beach.
“Tell Jerry I’ll be right out,” she said. “Oh, and does he have biking clothes?”
Tiffany slowly shook her head no. “He’s a little overdressed for riding a bike.”
“That’s fine.” Amber glanced around the room until her eyes settled on some returns she’d kept on hand for emergencies. “He can wear that. Why don’t you send him back here?”
“Okey-dokey.” Tiffany disappeared as Amanda searched until she found everything Jerry would need.
“You wanted me for something?” Jerry asked.
Amanda crooked her finger and motioned for him to join her. “You’re a little too dressed up for riding bikes, so I found something for you to change into. I hope you don’t mind.”
His lips formed a straight line as his forehead crinkled. “We’re riding bikes?”
She nodded. “I thought that would be fun.”
After a brief pause, he looked at the clothes. “I’m game.” A goofy expression spread over his face as he raked a gesture over his outfit. “You don’t approve of what my mother picked out?”
She laughed. “You look nice, Jerry, but next time, you might want to remember where you are. This is Treasure Island. The beach. We like to go casual around here.”
“Good thing I keep sneakers and workout socks in my SUV.”
“Perfect!”
Jerry picked up the bike shorts and T-shirt then glanced around. “Where should I change?”
“The restroom is over there in the corner. Just hang your stuff on the hook.”
As Jerry went into the restroom and closed the door behind him, Amanda thought about what a great sport he was. Not every man would be so agreeable.
She went out to the front of the store to chat with Tiffany while she waited. “He’s cute,” Tiffany said softly, “for an older guy.”
Amanda smiled. “Yeah, he’s okay.”
She started to add that they were just friends when she heard the sound of Jerry clearing his throat behind her. She spun around in time to see him doing a model pose in his shorts and logo tee.
Tiffany came around from behind the desk and gave him a slow once-over. “You look just like a professional biker,” she said.
Jerry grinned and winked at the teenager then turned to Amanda. “Better now?”
“Much better,” she said. “We need to get going. I have a couple of bikes ready and waiting. I need to go drop something off with a friend at John’s Pass. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Fine with me,” he said. “You lead the way.”
Amanda heard a long, dreamy ahh from Tiffany as they left the store. She made a mental note to squelch any romantic notions the girl had before it got around that she was dating a man. Rumors, particularly among the Treasure Island high school crowd in St. Petersburg, traveled fast and knew no limits.
They took off, starting on the road then bumping up onto sidewalks where the traffic was heavy. Amanda had to stop and wait for him a couple of times as he maneuvered between cars.
“This is interesting,” Jerry said as they pedaled along. “The traffic keeps getting worse.”
She nodded. “If you think this is bad, you should have seen it a couple months ago.”
They were approaching a bridge that was slightly trickier to maneuver. She was glad there was no westerly wind, or they’d have had to deal with the salt spray. Most of the time she didn’t care if she got the frizzies, but for once, her hair was behaving.
After they crossed the bridge, Jerry veered to the side, stopped, and pulled off his helmet. He straddled his bike as he lifted his hand and shielded his eyes from the sun. “This place blows me away.”
She maneuvered her bike closer to his. “You like it?”
“It’s breathtaking.”
“If you like this, maybe we can go on a longer ride sometime.”
As he turned to face her, his expression changed. He slowly nodded. “Yes, I’d like that.”
Her heart hammered, and her lips quivered. She hoped he didn’t see how he was affecting her. After this was all over, she’d make a list of reasons it wouldn’t be good to fall for this
guy—the first one being that he was a tourist and nothing would ever pull her away from her sister and the business she’d worked so hard to build. The second one being the fact that she stunk at relationships.
After positioning her foot on the pedal, she motioned for him to step it up. “Let’s keep moving. I don’t want to miss more than we already have.”
Jerry felt a sliver of hope. Amanda was fun. She’d definitely liven up his vacation. He’d have to keep it on just-friends terms; otherwise he could see himself falling for her, which would be a disaster. He didn’t need any distractions to keep him away from taking care of his parents when they needed him most.
They took turns with the lead for most of the trip, but after they crossed the bridge, Jerry followed her the rest of the way to John’s Pass, where she delivered some fliers at a friend’s surf shop. Then they hopped back on their bikes and headed across the bridge to Treasure Island. She obviously knew exactly where she was going, and she was focused. He liked that about her.
“I was hoping we could catch at least part of one of my favorite bands,” she hollered as they drew closer to the activities.
“What band is that?”
“It’s an old-time swing band.”
“Sounds interesting.”
They parked their bikes in a rack and locked them together. If he’d had any doubt about how to dress, he shouldn’t have worried. People wore anything from golf clothes to swimsuits—and everything in between. No one looked out of place—not even the businessmen who appeared to be networking. The beach was packed, and the crowd spilled out from the sidewalks to the road.
“Look.” Amanda pointed to something behind him, so he turned to see what it was.
An elderly gentleman sat in front of an easel and was painting the crowd before him. Even though movement was fluid, he managed to capture the essence of what was around him.
“This is really great,” Jerry said.
“I know,” Amanda said. “There’s always something fun going on here. When I was younger they had pirate festivals, but that ended a few years ago.”
Jerry squinted an eye, flexed a muscle, and said, “Arrgh....”
Amanda chuckled. “Very good.”
He dropped the pose and grinned. “Did I scare you?”
“Can’t you see me shaking?” Her broad smile was warmer than the sunshine reflecting off the white sandy beach.
They watched the artist for a few minutes then headed toward a makeshift stage, to where Amanda pointed. “I think we made it here in time.”
It didn’t take long for Jerry to get in the spirit of things. On the way to the stage, he ducked into a small shop, bought a T-shirt with the Sun, Sand, and Swing logo, and slipped it on over his bike clothes. He held up a tiny plastic treasure chest. “For my dad,” he said. “He’s always on a treasure hunt.” Amanda’s smile flooded him with warmth.
“Hey, Amanda!”
Amanda whispered, “That’s my sister, Lacy. Remember her?”
Jerry nodded, although he only vaguely remembered another slightly taller girl with lighter blond hair. “Did you know she was coming?”
“Yeah.” Amanda turned her attention on the woman who quickly approached. “So where’s your date?”
Lacy offered a coquettish shrug. “I’m supposed to meet him here in about an hour. I was just so excited, I got here early.”
“Would you like to hang out with us until he gets here?” Jerry offered.
She looked over at Amanda, smiled, then glanced back at him and shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. Some of the other teachers are here, so I’ll just go talk to them. See ya at home tonight.” She started to walk away, until Amanda called after her.
“Lacy!”
She turned around to face Amanda. “What?”
“You never did say who you were meeting here.”
Lacy cast a quick glance in Jerry’s direction, shifted her weight from one foot to the other, then shrugged and flipped her hand from the wrist. “It doesn’t really matter. I’ll tell you later.”
Jerry quickly turned to Amanda to see her response. He watched a flicker of pain then a look of resignation.
“Fine,” she said then briefly hesitated. “Don’t stay out too late.”
Lacy looked like she was about to argue, but she didn’t. Instead, she looked down then back at Amanda. “I won’t.”
After Lacy turned and walked toward the restaurant on the corner, Jerry frowned. “Did her behavior seem strange to you?”
“Not really.” Amanda shook her head. “Lacy has always been like that.”
“Did you want to stick with her and meet her date?”
“I don’t think she wants us to. I’ll deal with her later.” The set of her jaw was firm, and she seemed less carefree than just a few minutes earlier.
Jerry got the impression that Amanda was more like a mother to Lacy than a sister. He wanted to ask questions, but it wasn’t any of his business.
They spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening listening to music, watching the dancers, and browsing through the art in the booths throughout the festival. Jerry stopped off at some of the vendors and got some snacks to keep up their energy. He couldn’t remember having this much fun in a very long time, in spite of the fact that Amanda kept looking around, most likely for her sister.
Finally, shortly after the sun barely hovered over the water, Amanda turned to him. “I guess we’d better start heading back before it gets dark.”
Jerry agreed. He wasn’t about to let his disappointment show that the day was quickly coming to an end. After all, she was right. Not only did they need to get back before dark, he didn’t want to leave his parents alone too long. He’d reminded his mother to call his cell phone if there was an emergency. But he also knew she wanted him to find a nice girl, and Amanda just happened to be the only prospect in sight. He’d have to talk to his mother later and set her straight on what was really important to him.
The ride back was quiet, with the exception of the times when Amanda pointed out things they’d missed on their way to the festival. They were back at her bicycle shop in fifteen minutes.
“I had a great time,” he told Amanda as they approached the front door. “Where do you want me to put this bike?”
“Inside. I’ll hold the door while you wheel it in.”
She didn’t even look him in the eyes as she spoke. She reminded him that his things were still in the restroom.
“I’ll launder the shorts and shirt and bring them back tomorrow,” he told her.
“No rush. In fact, you can keep them if you want. I have plenty more just like them.”
He stood at the door until she finally glanced up at him. “Thank you for everything, Amanda.”
Her cheeks turned pink as she blinked and forced a smile. “My pleasure.”
There was no doubt in his mind that she wanted to be alone now. So he left.
The next day, Amanda arrived at the store exhausted. She’d tried to wait up for Lacy, but midnight came and went with no sign of her. She finally left a note for her sister and then crawled into bed, hoping for a good night’s sleep. But it didn’t happen.
For more than an hour she tossed and turned as she rehashed the day with Jerry. She’d had a great time, but nothing out of the ordinary had happened between them. In fact, it was one of the most eventless festivals she’d ever attended. However, she felt as though she’d been turned inside out.
Being in the bicycle business had exposed her to plenty of attractive, single men, so she knew that his physical good looks had nothing to do with how she felt about Jerry. He was kind and gentle, but so were most of her steady customers. There was some sort of chemistry with him that she couldn’t define.
She’d been with him most of the day, and she still didn’t know if he was a Christian. He didn’t curse, and she didn’t see him act in a non-Christian manner. However, there were plenty of people with good morals who weren’t believers. The couple of
times she’d thought about bringing it up didn’t seem appropriate, so she kept her questions to herself. Besides, what did it matter since he was only there on vacation?
She got up and went to work with a lack of sleep and an unsettling feeling that something had changed between her and Jerry. Every time the door opened, she jumped. By noon, she felt like she’d been beaten and dragged through the shell-encrusted parking lot.
“What happened to you? Was Jerry mean? You look awful,” Lacy said as she entered the store midmorning.
“No, Jerry wasn’t mean. And thanks a lot. What time did you get in last night?”
Lacy narrowed her eyes in defiance, but she didn’t say anything. Amanda decided to keep trying to get through to her.
“What are you doing here? Don’t you have school?”
Lacy shrugged as she glanced at her fingernails to avoid Amanda’s scrutiny. Amanda saw the tiny smirk of defiance that lifted the corners of Lacy’s mouth. “I took a sick day and called a sub.”
“You don’t look sick to me.”
Lacy scowled and folded her arms, reminding Amanda of when Lacy first hit puberty. “Don’t talk to me like that, Amanda. I’m sick of it. You’re always telling me what to do.”
Amanda started to argue that someone needed to tell her what to do then thought better of it. She shook her head. “Sorry about that.” She minimized the window on the computer then stepped around from behind the counter. “Did you need something?”
“Why would you think I need something?” Lacy pouted and scrunched her forehead, further enhancing the prepubescent look.
“I dunno,” Amanda replied, “maybe because you came by in the middle of the day when you’re supposed to be sick?”
“I just wanted to tell you that I thought you and Jerry make a cute couple.”
Amanda sputtered before she was able to talk. “Um, first of all, we’re not a couple. He’s simply a customer who wanted something to do. I thought it would be fun to go to the festival. His mother invited me to have dinner in their condo, and, well, I just thought that might be a little too uncomfortable.” Whoa. Too much explaining was always a sign of guilt.