by Noelle Adams
“No! We really don’t. It’s just—”
“It’s definitely something. You think I don’t see how you look at each other?”
Allison felt a little like squirming, but she knew Chelle pretty well now, and she trusted her. “We’re not telling anyone. It’s not a serious thing, and we don’t want it to get around.”
“I won’t say a word, but you might want to tell Rob it’s not serious.”
“What do you mean?” Allison asked with a surprised frown.
“I mean that man is obviously crazy about you. It’s as clear as day in the way he looks at you. He worships the ground you walk on, like you’re some sort of angel or goddess. He’s already imagining you having his pretty little babies. Don’t tell me you don’t see it too.”
Overwhelmed with the strangest mingling of pleasure and fear, Allison ducked her head and slid the napkin into her pocket. “It’s not like that.”
“Hey, I’m only telling you if it’s really not like that, you better tell him. He wants to make you his little wife, forever and ever, amen.”
“He does not! He knows it’s not serious. We have an agreement.”
Chelle chuckled and shook her head. “Okay. If you say so. I’ve got to get this food out.”
Allison stood for a minute and stared blindly as Chelle loaded up a tray with orders. She was wrong about Rob. She was imagining things or making things up. Rob liked Allison—a lot—just like she liked him, but they were simply having a good time together.
That’s what they’d agreed. They wanted to be together for now, but there were no promises or expectations of a future.
Early on, Allison had thought it safer to keep their nights together to just once or twice a week, but they were getting together almost every evening now, and Allison would spend all day looking forward to being with him. Last night Rob had shown up with his tools, insisting on fixing the lock on her front door, which often annoyed her by getting stuck. After he’d done that job, Allison had been inspired to do a little job on him, which had left him very happy indeed.
They were both having a really good time. That was what Chelle had seen in Rob’s expression. It didn’t mean Allison needed to start worrying or feeling guilty that she wasn’t really the kind of woman Rob needed to build a life with.
Feeling better about things after sorting them through in her mind, Allison went to take an order and was too busy for most of the day to worry anymore about things with Rob.
She was finishing up after three thirty when she heard a text message chirp on her phone.
It was Cali, who’d taken to texting her occasionally with random questions. This time the girl had sent two pictures of different outfits, asking which one would be better for a date. One of the outfits was much more appropriate for a teenager than the other, so Allison immediately responded, saying that one was better. The girl’s taste in fashion was a little questionable, as far as Allison was concerned, but she was a nice little thing at heart. She needed more attention than she got from her mother, which was probably why she’d decided to like Allison. Allison wanted to help, but she was always careful not to be too presumptuous or take up too much of Cali’s time. The last thing she wanted was for Dee to get angry or jealous over her daughter.
Cali texted her a Thnx, and Allison dropped her phone in her purse, deciding to walk over to Rob’s hardware store to get a new spotlight bulb for her back light, which had burned out a few nights ago. She waved across the street at Ernie, who was sitting outside the Laundromat again, and said hello to a friendly woman who often had lunch at Dora’s but whose name Allison had never known.
The store was kind of busy when Allison walked in. Rob wasn’t behind the counter, and all the clerks were helping customers. She knew where the lightbulbs were, so she walked over to that aisle. She was looking through the shelves for the bulb she needed when she heard Rob’s laugh. It was coming from the back of the store.
She took a few steps farther down the aisle and could see him, standing near the door to the back room, talking with a couple of guys who looked like they might be contractors.
Allison stood silently and watched Rob for a minute. He was completely unaware of her. He was smiling and talking as if he knew and liked the other men. One of them pounded Rob on the back in a jovial manner. “You’re a stand-up guy, West,” the man said, loudly enough for Allison to hear.
He was strong and handsome and sexy and kind and trustworthy. A stand-up guy if there ever was one.
For the first time, Allison wondered what it would be like to spend her life with him, to have him in her bed every night, to wake up with him every morning, to eat and sleep and laugh and work and talk with him all the time. To know he was actually hers—and not just a temporary enjoyment.
She wanted it—so intensely that she broke out in chills.
But she’d sworn to herself she wasn’t going to be dependent on a man again, and she couldn’t help but wonder if that was what she was starting to do with Rob. She wanted to be with him all the time. She wanted to turn to him every time she needed help. The other night she’d even caught herself imagining moving in with Rob. She could sell her house and get a nice little savings account that might one day get her closer to her jewelry shop.
Remembering those reflections now, she was horrified with herself. She was turning Rob into a paycheck, exactly as she always had with Arthur.
Rob was better than that. And so was she. She wasn’t going to do it again, which meant she had to take things slowly with Rob right now so she didn’t become another trophy wife—one of her doing, not his.
The idea was so upsetting that Allison pushed it from her mind. No matter what Chelle had said, she and Rob both knew that they were just together for right now. She’d been absolutely open and honest about that. Rob was a smart guy who always had things together. He wasn’t going to do something stupid like fall in love with her, when she’d told him over and over again that they had to take things slow.
She’d been standing too long, staring at him, and he finally noticed her presence. His expression transformed into surprised pleasure, and he gave her a little wave.
She smiled and waved back, but she ducked over to the lightbulbs when the other guys turned to see who’d distracted Rob.
After a minute of staring at bulb boxes, Rob came around to join her.
“Hi, there,” he murmured softly, leaning over to grab a box that had the bulb she needed. He must have noticed the light was out when he was at her place last night.
“Hi.” She felt strangely embarrassed, so she just stared down at the box. “I needed this.”
“I know you did. Why else would you come into my store?”
“Not to see you.”
“Of course not. Nothing much to see here.”
“I think there is.”
She could feel him smiling, although she still wasn’t looking at him. “That’s good to know.”
It was a silly conversation, especially since they weren’t even looking at each other. But it felt special to Allison, and it made her pulse jump in excitement. Despite her reflections just a few minutes earlier, she couldn’t bring herself to suggest they get a little distance from each other to ensure that things didn’t get complicated.
She didn’t want distance from Rob. She just didn’t.
“I know that’s a very good lightbulb, and you’ll be happy with it. But I have something else you might want to see in the supply room.”
This surprised her enough to look up at his face. He looked adorable—a suppressed smile twitching at the corners of his lips. “What did you want to show me?” she asked.
“It’s hard to explain. Come and see.”
She followed him without further questions. The truth was she’d probably follow him anywhere.
He led her to a cluttered room filled with all kinds of boxes and boards and shelves. He walked to the back wall and then turned down a narrow aisle that was piled floor to ceiling with boxes.
&n
bsp; “What—” Allison began, but Rob turned her so her back was against the wall and then pressed his body into hers in a passionate kiss.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, responding to the kiss immediately, instinctively. They were in this far, hidden corner, and no one was around, but it still felt a little risky, a little dangerous. Her heart throbbed with excitement.
“Rob, what are you doing?” she mumbled, when she was finally able to break the kiss. Rob was nuzzling her neck, one of his hands sliding down to cup her bottom.
“What did you expect me to do, when you show up at my place of work looking so irresistible?”
“I’m not irresistible. I’m still wearing my Dora’s shirt.”
“I love you in that shirt. I love you in anything.” He gave her an almost predatory smile as he raised his head and stared at her hotly. “Or in nothing.”
She gave him a little hug, overwhelmed with affection and appreciation but still a little nervous about their location. “It’s good to see you too, but don’t get any ideas about going any further right here. Someone might come in.”
Rob gave an exaggerated sigh and straightened up. He didn’t look disappointed, so he must not have genuinely thought they were going to do anything other than kiss. “How was your day?”
“It was fine. Busy but not impossibly so. What about you?”
“My day got a lot better when you walked into the store.”
She laughed and reached up to stroke his face. “Seriously, anything going on?”
“Not really.” His expression changed slightly. “Actually, I was wondering if you’re free on Saturday night.”
Her eyebrows shot up, and her heart jumped. It wasn’t with apprehension, though. Irrationally, she wanted him to ask her out—despite all the reasons she knew they shouldn’t. No matter how logical she tried to be, she wanted to be closer to him and even wanted other people to know. She really hoped that didn’t make her as soft and clingy as Arthur had always thought.
“Not a date,” he said quickly, evidently misreading her surprise. “There’s this thing at the high school with the athletes and cheerleaders. Everybody goes.”
“In the middle of the summer?”
“Yeah. They do it every year—a kind of rally to build momentum and raise some money for the school year. I’ll be going with some friends and thought you might enjoy going too. Cali is on the cheerleading squad. Did you know that? She’d really appreciate it if you can go.”
Allison knew she shouldn’t go. No matter what Rob said, if she went with him, people would assume they were dating. People would talk. Then there would be pressure, expectations. Things would get a lot more complicated.
But he looked so hopeful, like he really wanted her to go with him, and she couldn’t bring herself to kill that light in his eyes. She didn’t even want to. She wanted to go out in public with him, and she told herself there was no good reason not to.
People dated all the time without having a future, without getting married. She’d be making no promises to Rob or anyone else.
It was just a not-quite date.
“I guess that would be okay,” she murmured, feeling a little embarrassed for no good reason.
She dropped her eyes, so she didn’t see his expression, but she felt him brushing her lips with his very gently. “I’m not pressuring you,” he said.
“I know. I appreciate it. I don’t feel pressure. I think I’d like to go.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
He didn’t sound inordinately happy about her acceptance, just generally pleased. Things were fine. She was blowing things out of proportion—as she always did. People dated all the time without it meaning anything permanent. Chelle was wrong. Allison didn’t have to feel guilty.
She could enjoy Rob for a little while longer.
—
At five thirty on Saturday evening, Rob had to tell himself to get a grip.
He’d showered, shaved, and dressed in jeans and a Fielding high school football T-shirt. He wasn’t sure Allison would be impressed by his outfit, but he had to make sure to act casual and natural.
He’d told her this wasn’t a date. He might be so excited he wanted to jump out of his skin, but if he started to act like this was a date, she’d get spooked and withdraw from him.
He couldn’t believe she was going somewhere in public with him. This was more progress than he’d expected. He wasn’t going to blow it all by acting like an eager teenage boy on his first date.
He was just really glad he wasn’t pinning his hopes on a lost cause like his previous relationships.
They were only eight blocks away from the high school, so they’d agreed to walk. Nearly everyone in town came to these events, so the parking lots and streets were always packed in the surrounding blocks anyway. At exactly 5:35, when they’d agreed to meet, Rob stepped outside and looked over at Allison’s house. In another minute she came out and waved at him.
She must have understood the dress code for this evening, because she wore jeans and a fitted white T-shirt. Her hair was loose, and she looked pretty and more like part of Fielding than he’d ever seen her.
They met in the middle of the street. “You look nice,” he told her.
“You have no idea how hard I had to search before I found this top.” She was smiling as she spoke. “All my other clothes looked wrong for this kind of thing.”
“You look perfect.”
She slanted him a playful look but didn’t say anything as they turned in the direction of the school and started to walk.
“So who else are we meeting there?” she asked after a minute.
“Keith—my buddy, you know, who comes into Dora’s sometimes.”
“Oh yeah. I know him.”
“And his wife and their younger kids. Plus Mitch. He’s a sheriff’s deputy.”
“I think I met him at your cookout.”
“Yeah, he was there. It’ll be casual. We all just sit in the bleachers anyway. There’s no pressure.”
“I’m sure it will be fine.” She was still smiling and didn’t look nervous, so Rob assured himself that he wasn’t pushing her to do more than she was comfortable doing.
He wanted to be with her—in any way she would allow. But he’d be lying if he said he wanted things to stay like they were forever.
He wanted them to really be together. He wanted everyone to know it. He wanted her to stop holding back parts of herself. But it wouldn’t be fair of him to dump all that on her, since they’d agreed to a certain arrangement.
Things were moving in the right direction. He could be happy about that.
As always, the sidewalks and streets got more and more crowded as they approached the high school. Rob put a hand on Allison’s back to keep her beside him as they made their way through the crowds, and she didn’t pull away. In fact, she moved closer to him, occasionally taking his arm when they were crossing a street or entering the football field.
“I had no idea there were this many people in town,” she said when he’d steered them over to where Keith and Martha were holding their seats.
“It does look like a lot when they’re all gathered together.” He checked her face. “You okay?”
“Of course.” She smiled at him. “It feels like everyone is staring at us, but I’m sure that’s just my imagination.”
“Definitely just your imagination.” Despite his words, he recognized that a lot of people were watching them as they walked partway down the field and then up the steps to where Keith and Martha were waving at them. He could see interest and curiosity on a lot of faces, and he knew there would be talk about the two of them.
He hadn’t dated anyone in a while—definitely not in the three months since Allison had moved in across the street. The news would travel fast.
He really hoped she would be okay with it. Maybe he should have suggested something else for their first outing.
Everything seemed to go smoothly as they took their seats, gree
ted Keith and Martha, and introduced Allison to the kids. Mitch came a few minutes later and immediately started telling Allison about his suggestions for improving the menu at Dora’s, which took her attention for several minutes.
While she was distracted, Keith leaned over to say to Rob, “This doesn’t count as a date. It’s a group thing. Don’t even think about claiming our bet.”
Rob had actually forgotten about that stupid bet he’d made ages ago, and he aimed his friend a cool glare. “Shut up about that.”
He didn’t want anyone to hear about that bet. He definitely didn’t want Allison to hear.
Keith gave him a light punch on the arm. “Good going, though, West. Didn’t think you’d get this far.”
Rob knew Keith was joking the way they always had, but he felt strangely uncomfortable about it. He wasn’t even sure why. He’d always joked about women with his buddies. There was no reason Allison should be different.
He turned his head to look at her and saw her smiling rather bemusedly at Mitch, who was still rambling on about what needed to be added to the menu. Even in the crowded stands she stood out. No one was as beautiful and elegant and poised as she was. And more than that—she was so brave and gentle and sweet. He couldn’t believe she was really here with him.
Pretty soon the activities began. There were a couple of routines by the cheerleaders. Then a few short speeches and explanations. Then a short scrimmage by the football team. Then a couple of numbers by the school band. Then more cheers and a couple of concluding speeches.
Rob enjoyed it all well enough, but he was preoccupied with making sure Allison was having a good time. She’d probably never been to something like this before, and she obviously didn’t know football, because she kept asking him questions during the game. But her face was relaxed, and her posture seemed natural, and he didn’t see anything on her face that worried him.
He was feeling better as the event wrapped up. Things had gone fine. He’d been worrying about nothing. Allison wasn’t about to retreat from him. A step forward wasn’t necessarily followed by two steps back.
When everyone was dismissed and people started pouring down the steps to get out, Rob said, “Let’s wait a few minutes until some of the crowd clears out.”