by Marie Harte
As his mom and Jenna talked, Simon realized he’d made a blunder in not telling Jenna how he felt. After all the crap he’d given Mitch about not telling Simon’s mom the deal, Simon had done the same with his girl. Or more to the point, the girl he wanted to be his.
Seeing his mom off her game didn’t help him feel any better. But when it came to money, there was nothing he could do.
After a while, he and Jenna went back out front to help and left his mom to brood. Two hours after that, they left for the movie, walking down the block to catch a rerun of Wonder Woman. He and Jenna had already seen it twice, but at the dollar theater, they planned to see it again, because, hey, it was Wonder Woman. Gal Gadot really knew how to wear the uniform—not that Simon would ever admit that’s why he liked the movie so much.
“Your mom is tough. She’ll figure it out,” Jenna was saying as they took their seats in the small theater. A few others sat near them, the scent of buttery popcorn overwhelming.
“Yeah, sure. But the money part could be a problem. I can’t help her with that.”
“You helped her with Flash.” Jenna kept her voice low. “You said she’s all in love and stuff, right?”
“I don’t know about that, but she’s weird around him.” He paused, then dived in. “Kind of like you’re weird about this guy at school. Come on, Jenna. What’s his name? Why won’t you tell me?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because you’re my best friend, and I care about you.” He remembered his conversation with Mitch. “You can do so much better than some guy you need to impress. Like a guy who sees you for you.”
“Yeah, and who would that be?”
“Me,” he blurted just as the room grew dim.
“What?”
Several people tried to shush her.
“Explain ‘me,’” she said in a harsh whisper.
Flushing and glad the darkness masked his embarrassment, Simon continued in a low voice, “Geez, Jenna. You’re cute and smart and everyone likes you. Why settle for some guy who doesn’t know how great you are?”
“Maybe because no one else acts like I’m great. Just you, and you don’t count.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re friends. I don’t know.”
“Friends can become lovers.” Or so he’d heard his mom and Aunt Nora say when talking about their favorite “book tropes.” Meh. He preferred YouTube over books.
In a strangled voice, Jenna said, “Lovers?”
“Not like, literal lovers.” Man, he felt stupid. “I meant, like, more than friends.”
“So, you want to be more than friends with me.”
He nodded.
“What?”
“Yes,” he hissed. “I know you. I like you, and I think you’re special. You don’t need some jerk to tell you that. I can tell you that.”
“Because you’re the jerk,” she said, sounding way too smug.
“Huh?”
“It’s you, Simon.”
He thought about all she’d said about the guy she had a crush on. “But you said he likes art and PC games.”
“So? I lied.”
“Jenna.”
“Simon.”
Relieved, he didn’t have it in him to stay mad at her. Instead, he put an arm around her shoulders. “I knew it.”
“You did not. You never looked at me as anything but your buddy. Then suddenly I grew boobs and you wouldn’t talk to me.”
“Now hold on,” he whispered. “I accidentally walked in on you this summer, and you went nuts. I don’t remember seeing anything.” A lie, but a guy had his pride. He couldn’t tell her he thought of little else lately. “Then you wouldn’t talk to me, and when you finally did, it was about some idiot.”
“Exactly. An idiot. You.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me it was me?”
“Because you needed to see what it would be like if I was with someone else. It bothered you. I could tell.”
“Maybe it did.”
“Right. And if it hadn’t, I’d have known you weren’t interested in me that way. I wouldn’t have liked it, but I would have moved on. Not from us being friends, but from having a crush on you.”
“A big crush.” Girls were too smart. He gave her a side glance, a little unnerved at her insight and cleverness. “You think that might help my mom see how much she likes Mitch?”
“Maybe. But let’s see if they can work it out between them. We’ll only pull out the big guns if your mom or Mitch get stupid.” She paused. “Though considering Mitch is a guy, it’s only a matter of time before we’ll have to fix things.”
“Hey.”
Someone near them yelled, “Keep it down!”
He felt soft lips against his cheek. Heat blossomed inside him. His first kiss from Jenna. He had to work to speak. “We’ll talk about this later.”
Jenna laughed softly. “Just call me Wonder Woman.”
******
Becca spent the rest of her day working hard and trying not to think about how to make ends meet. Granted, business leases normally kept pace with inflation. But a hundred and fifty dollars? A month?
The paperwork she’d initially signed stated a three percent annual increase upon renewal, a fair amount to which she’d agreed. But this new hike was more than double what she’d been paying each month.
She and Simon lived within their means. The car had a few more payments on it. The house, fortunately, had been paid off using Neal’s life insurance. But the business took an investment on her part. She put money into it with the hopes of getting money back out.
When the economy tanked, they saw less business. She’d found that out years ago and had been working to recuperate her losses. The climb to success came gradually, and after six years in the same place, they’d seen real progress. Word of mouth and the move to the Main Street location had certainly helped. Now people knew where to find them, and the foot traffic drew in customers daily.
If she had to move, the business would take a hit. So too might Simon’s college fund.
She sighed. With no way around it, she’d have to move money around. Stop funding her retirement, maybe borrow a little from her personal savings to keep them afloat should they need it. That was all providing business stayed steady. In the winter months, people liked something warm to heat them up. Her holiday cakes and cookies were usually a hit.
But if the weather turned too brutal, people would stay off the streets. Then she’d start worrying. More than she was now.
Nora poked her head in the door, looking fit, trim, and tan. “Hey, sister from another mother. What’s going on?” She must have seen something in Becca’s expression, because she frowned. “What did he do?”
“Simon?”
“The Amazing Flash Flashman.”
Becca sighed. “Nothing. He’s fine. Linda Madison came to see me. Harris is raising my rent.”
“Well, you knew that was coming.”
“Yeah, but he used to increase it by about sixty bucks a month. Now suddenly it’s going up by one hundred and fifty dollars a month!”
“That doesn’t sound like Harris.”
Becca stared glumly at the center counter she’d just cleaned. “I doubt it’s his fault. He was probably too generous before, and with real estate values down, he’s not making what he used to. I wish he wouldn’t try to personalize it by sending Linda, though. I’d rather just get the shocking email.”
“Ah.” Nora gave her a sympathetic hug. “I bet she had something to say about you and Mitch.”
Becca glared at her cousin. “How the heck did you spread the word so fast?”
“I mentioned it to Marsha Gaines in passing yesterday. Now everyone knows.” Nora laughed, then coughed when she noticed Becca not laughing with her. “Oh, come on, Becks. You’re a success. You can get through this rent debacle.”
“Debacle?”
“I’ve been working that word into casual conversation all day. It’s for
an article I’m posting tomorrow.”
“Sure.” Nora’s job as a magazine editor and social media content provider paid the bills. Hmm…
“Hey, do you need help posting social media? I could maybe work part-time if you needed help.”
Nora stared, wide-eyed. “Are things that bad, moneywise?”
“Well, not yet, but I like to be prepared.”
Nora let out a relieved breath. “Oh, right. It’s been such a long time since you had a breakdown that I forgot how you get. The sky is falling… ‘Oh no, wait, we’re good. I just thought I’d announce the apocalypse just in case.’”
“I don’t find you amusing today.”
“Yeah, well, I’m a humdinger of an entertaining lackwit. No, wait. Lackwit isn’t what I wanted to use there.”
“Another of your words of the day?” Becca tried not to laugh. Her cousin was a doofus. “I’d say lackwit suits you just fine.”
“It means imbecile.”
Becca stared. “I know what it means.”
“Oooh. I’m feeling a burrrrn.”
Becca chuckled. “Okay, you made me laugh. That’s something.” But she didn’t think she had the energy to deal with Mitch later that evening. She’d see him and feel confused, try to rationalize why she could never be with a man so funny, good-looking, sexy, and wealthy, then grow more depressed. She’d reschedule for Friday night, when she’d hopefully be in a better frame of mind. No need to drag him down in her cesspool of emotions. “I still haven’t heard the whole story of your time in Maui. Why don’t you come over tonight and tell me over popcorn and Hallmark movies?”
“You’re on.” Nora scrounged a cookie from a tray in the sheet pan rack. “And you can tell me all about how you and Mitch happened in the first place. My money is on the night we all went swimming at his place.”
Becca sighed. “It’s sad that you have nothing better to do than gossip about my love life.”
“Yep. I was right. Deacon owes me twenty bucks.”
“And you can tell me how you and Mitch’s big brother are getting along.”
“Then you’d better add a few bottles of wine to popcorn night.”
Chapter Seventeen
Mitch didn’t know what had happened, but he found himself dateless Wednesday night. Determined to stop second-guessing the real reason behind her cancellation and take Becca’s excuse at face value, he sent her a text wishing her to feel better and accepted a raincheck for Friday night at his place.
He had better things to do with his free time than pine for a woman he couldn’t stop thinking about. Like planning the rest of his life.
Opening up to Becca had been like giving himself a relief valve, allowing him to let go of the stress because he wasn’t where he should be post-retirement. She’d been right. There was no hard and fast rule for when he had to start his new job, whatever that might be. But he did have time to research the hell out of his options.
By Friday evening, he had plenty to tell Becca…provided she didn’t cancel again.
The doorbell rang.
He felt like an idiot for rushing to the door. Mitch had never been so eager to spend time with a woman. But he knew that acting desperate and needy often worked against a guy. Just as it had worked against the few women he’d dated. He wanted a confident partner, one who liked him for himself and not his outward trappings. And he wanted a woman who had an independent nature but could also lean on him for support, both emotional and mental.
Wouldn’t Becca want the same?
The doorbell rang again. He answered this time.
She stood wrapped in a scarf, hat, and jacket. She looked like a purple Michelin Man.
“Why hello, Madame Grape.”
“You’re hilarious.” Her nose was red. “Are you going to let me in?”
“Wining already, eh? Come on in, then.” He stood back and shut the door behind her. “Get it? Wining? Like, without the H?”
“No, I don’t get it. Because my brain has frozen over.” It seemed to take her forever to unravel herself from her many layers. But when she emerged, she wore jeans and a simple long-sleeved T-shirt with a lame logo.
“Seriously? Soccer Moms Do It Better?”
She smirked. “What can I say? This is one of my favorite shirts.”
“When did Simon play soccer?”
“Four years ago.” She sighed wistfully. “I really miss the parents.”
He grinned. “You ready for our movie night? I would have fed you, but you told me you’d already eaten.”
“I’m stuffed. We had ravioli earlier.”
“I’m having a sub. Sorry, I didn’t get to eat yet.”
“No worries.”
She followed him into his media room in the back of the house, and they settled in for a rousing rendition of Wonder Woman. The new one he’d recently purchased on DVD.
“Oh, I love this.”
He grinned. “I thought you would. They’re playing it at the cheap theater downtown, but I thought, hey, I can do cheap right here.”
“Great. You think of me and think cheap.”
“Exactly.”
They both laughed.
After he fetched her something to drink—of the nonalcoholic variety—they watched the beginning of the movie while he ate.
“You weren’t kidding about being hungry,” she said as she watched him finish his sandwich.
“I spent the day talking to people and looking around town.”
“For what?”
He paused the movie. “I thought about what you told me the last time I saw you, and I realized I like working with kids. And that I love football, even after all these years.”
She watched him, her attention a hundred percent focused on Mitch. “And…?”
“And I’ve decided to start a sports program for kids. One that can dovetail to the current park program. You know, make sports available to everyone, not just parents who can afford it.”
She smiled. “That’s great.”
“You don’t know how good it feels to have a sense of direction.” He meant that. “I don’t need the money, but I need the validation,” he admitted. “I need to know I’m good at more than throwing around the pigskin.”
“Mitch, come on. You have to know you’re more than a football player.”
“Well, I am a son and brother too.”
“Oh please. Are you fishing for compliments?”
He frowned. “No. I’m being serious.”
“You’re smart, successful, and driven. You can’t rest because you figure you have to do something with yourself, even though others in your position would live a life of leisure and go yachting or skiing all the time.”
“Would you, in my position?”
“No, but we’re talking about you.”
“We aren’t. You are.”
She ignored him. “So, instead of trying to make even more money than you already have, you decide to help children in need.”
“I have enough money. I don’t need more.”
“Everyone needs more,” she said, and she sounded angry.
“Becca?”
“Sorry. It’s been a rough week.”
He reached for her hand and squeezed. “I’m sorry. What happened?”
“Nothing to worry about. Same old, same old.”
He had no idea what her same old might be. “Tell me. Hey, you listened to me whine. Least I can do is listen to you bitch and complain.”
She chuckled. “Yeah? Well, I found out my landlord is raising the rent, and it threw me for a loop.”
He frowned. “Is he—”
“Or she.”
“Sorry, she—”
“No, it’s a guy. I just wanted you to realize women can be real estate moguls too.”
He sighed. “If you’re done with your teachable moment… Is he trying to take advantage of you?” He’d break the guy’s teeth.
“Yes. No. Not really.” She sighed. “We have a provision for increased re
nt, and I have an out. But I hadn’t realized I’d need to deal with a new lease. I understand why, and it seems legitimate. Unlike you, the rest of the world revolves around making money.”
“Now that was bitchy.”
She blinked and gave a startled laugh. “You know, it was.”
“So, if I offered you money to take care of the problem, you would…?”
“Slap you silly.”
“I figured.” Yet he planned to look into the situation regardless. “What are you going to do?”
“Deal with it. I manage my money wisely. Always have. This is just another obstacle to overcome.”
She had a sparkle in her hazel eyes, a brightness that came from working hard and doing her best.
“Is Simon worried?” he asked, concerned about the boy.
“No. I don’t share these kinds of problems with him. I’m not sure why I shared it with you, if you want the truth.”
He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “I always want the truth, even when I act like I might not want to hear it.” He let her tug her hand away. “Becca, do I scare you?”
“Yes.”
“See? I didn’t want the truth, but I did.”
She laughed. “That’s not confusing.”
“I know. I’m a conundrum wrapped in a riddle around a puzzle.”
“Have you been talking to Nora?” she asked with suspicion.
He grinned. “She called me earlier asking for Deacon’s email address. How did you know?”
“Conundrum sounds like one of her words.”
He laughed. “It is. I get ten points for using it. Witness,” he said, pointing at her.
She shook her head. “Well, Mr. Riddle, how does me admitting you scare me make you feel?”
“Good.”
She scowled.
“Because you scare the crap out of me, too.”
“Me?” Her eyes widened.
“Honey, the moment I saw you, I was hooked. I don’t do deep relationships. Watching my parents spend blissful years together while my brother married a demon from hell, it was confusing. And tough to deal with. Deacon wanted the same things I do—love, a family, a future. And Rhonda shit all over it. Other men, debt, tabloids… He took it hard, and I guess I did too.