“Why did you say that?”
Sonia laughed and Alison realized that it was the first time she had ever heard her laugh. “I said that for two reasons. First, it’s the truth, and second, I think you’re ready to hear it.”
With that, silence fell over the room for several minutes as Alison processed everything. She thought back to her observations of Stan the day before while they were helping Sarah move. Kelly had been right. When she looked at Stan as if she’d just met him, she saw a different man than what she had been seeing. Then she thought about the look he had given her a little while ago. Then she tied all that in with what Sonia had just said.
Alison fought to rouse herself out of her thoughts so she could focus on what Sonia was saying.
Sonia grinned and said, “I’ll ask that question again, since I’m sure you didn’t heard me the first time. How do you feel about Stan?”
How did she feel about Stan? What did she feel about him? Two weeks ago, that answer would have been simple. She liked him most of the time but he got on her nerves all the time. But now? How did she feel now? Mixed up!
She looked up at Sonia. “I really don’t know. I do know that he has changed . . . and maybe I have too.”
“How?”
“Well, yesterday, Kelly told me to look at Stan as if I’d just met him and go from there. I did, and now I’m more confused than ever. Somehow, I don’t think he’s quite who I thought he was. Did he change without telling me?”
Sonia laughed again. “I’ll tell you this much, Alison. Kelly’s right. You’ve been too close to Stan for so long that you haven’t been seeing him as he is now.”
Alison just stared back at Sonia without blinking.
“But that’s the limit of my advice.” She shook her head. “I think I’m in way over my head here. I’m not the one to be giving anyone relationship advice.” She leaned back in her chair. “Because I’ve never had one, not a real one anyway.”
She snorted. “Look at me! I’m six feet tall. I’m taller than most men are. What man would want to go out with a woman who was taller than he is? Not only that, but I have three older brothers who are all cops, not to mention my dad. Well he’s retired now. You should have seen it when I was in high school and college. They chased off every guy I ever tried to date.”
In spite of herself and her situation, Alison joined Sonia in her laughter now.
* * *
Stan had all his papers spread out on the desk Alison had given him and was trying to see if anything would jump out at him. He couldn’t concentrate with Alison just a few feet away in her office. Not only that, but her door was open and he could see her face. That wasn’t helping him concentrate on his notes either.
When he and Grant had returned from taking her car to Grant’s house, Sonia and Grant had left soon afterward. Alison had been rather businesslike when she showed him to this desk. She didn’t say anything more than necessary. But, what did he expect her to say?
Then he thought about the progress of the case. He had a feeling that even though Sonia had said this morning that he and Grant would still take the lead, it didn’t look like that was going to happen anymore. After all, how could they with Grant off the call out list and him being with Alison all day and into the evening every day? But, would he want it any other way? There was only one other person he would trust with Alison’s safety and that was Grant and he was sure Grant felt the same way too.
So, he’d just have to learn to go with the flow. Ha! Hadn’t he been doing that for most of his life? And where had that gotten him? He was alone in the world with no relatives and still living in the house his grandparents had left him.
He had to get rid of all these negative thoughts and concentrate on his notes. He was just getting into them well when he heard a sound and looked up to see Alison standing in front of the desk. His eyes traveled up to her face noticing the way her dark blue pantsuit complimented her blond hair so well. She looked great!
“Stan, I just remembered something from last night. Everything that happened later just wiped it out of my mind until now.”
He was alert now and waiting for her to continue.
“When we drove past my house, I noticed that my For Sale sign was gone. I didn’t see it on the ground anywhere either.” She shook her head. “No one here took it down.”
Stan looked at his watch. “Four o’clock, is it too early for you to leave for the day? We could drive by there and take a look. Don’t you want to see how the cleaning went anyway?”
She smiled and nodded. “That’s what I was going to suggest. Give me five minutes and I’ll be ready.”
With that, she hurried back into her office taking that beautiful smile with her.
On the way over to her house, Stan was afraid to say anything. Alison seemed to be deep in thought. He knew from experience that she wouldn’t take kindly to having that kind of thinking interrupted. So, he stayed silent.
After a minute, she turned as much of her whole body toward him that her seatbelt would allow. “Stan?”
He wasn’t sure he was supposed to answer but when she didn’t continue, he said, “Yes?”
She looked down at her hands which were clenched together in her lap. He could tell that she was struggling with what she was trying to say. But he didn’t know how to help her.
“How do you feel about me?” Before he could answer, which wouldn’t have been too quick anyway since she had wiped him out with that question, she said, “I mean, what do you feel about me?”
That one was even more potent. What could he say? More important, what did she want him to say?
She turned her body back to face the front again and her face flushed a pretty shade of pink. “Never mind. Pretend I never said that.”
Stan still wasn’t sure what to say, but he knew that if he didn’t say something right now, he may never get the chance again.
“No Alison, I fully intend to answer both of your questions. You just took me by surprise, that’s all.”
He glanced her way and realized there were tears forming in her eyes. Uh oh! He had better be really, really careful how he answered her.
He pulled into her driveway, turned off the motor, and turned to her.
“Okay, here goes.” He swallowed against a dry mouth and throat. “I have known you for twenty years Alison.” He groaned. That wasn’t the best way to start. So he decided he’d just jump right in. “But I’ve loved you for the past ten years.”
There, he’d finally said it. He opened his car door, jumped out, and raced around to her door to open it for her. She still had her seatbelt attached and was looking straight ahead.
When she looked up at him, the tears were now running down her cheeks. She unfastened her seatbelt and turned toward him. She took his hand as he reached down to pull her out of the car and to her feet.
They stood there in her open door just staring into each other’s eyes. Stan didn’t know where he got the nerve, but he leaned down and kissed Alison. Her mouth was stiff at first, and then she loosened up and began meeting him half way.
When Stan pulled back, he looked into her eyes, which were glazed over.
Alison shook her head causing her long blond hair to wave back and forth gently. “You kissed me!”
Stan chuckled. “Yeah! And I’ve wanted to do that for ten years too.”
She continued staring into his eyes. After several long moments, she said, “Are you going to do it again?”
So, he did as he fought a laugh. This time he wrapped his arms around her waist and she placed her hands on his back as they deepened the kiss.
This time, when he pulled back, he looked around and realized where they were.
“Let’s go inside, Alison. We’re putting on a show for any of your neighbors who happen to be looking.”
She turned that pretty shade of pink again and took off for the front door. Stan followed her trying hard not to laugh, at least not so she could hear him.
At
the door, Stan said, “New keys?”
She nodded and opened the door. As she passed through each room, Stan followed at her heels feeling like a puppy dog. Then she opened the kitchen door into the empty garage. Good, she didn’t have to see the wreck the guy had made of her car.
“Well, everything looks good. I need to put that new sign up out there before we leave.” Then her eyes glinted and she took off.
Stan followed her as she went through the patio door into the back yard. He was surprised when she went straight up to the six-foot wood fence and tried to look over it into Stockton’s back yard.
She wasn’t quite able to see over the fence and she seemed to be looking around for something to stand on.
“Wait, Alison, what are you looking for over there?”
She groaned. “My sign, of course!”
Okay, he should have thought of that one first.
“I’ll look.”
When he stood on his toes next to the fence, Stan could see into the other back yard, and sure enough, there was her For Sale sign leaning against the wall on Stockton’s patio.
“Well, is my sign over there?”
He turned back to face her. “Yes, it is. I’m going over there to see if he’s home, and I want you to stay in your house while I do it. Okay?”
He was sure she was going to argue, but then she frowned, dropped her shoulders and said, “Okay. But if you’re gone long, I’m coming over there with my gun out.”
Stan couldn’t help it. He laughed at the picture she made with that determined look on her face. She reared back to hit him on the shoulder, but before she could, he pulled her to him and kissed her again.
As she was struggling to recover, he released her, went through the house, and out the front door. There was no answer when he rang the doorbell and then knocked. He remembered a trick he’d learned along the way. He walked over to the closed garage door and knocked on it loudly from one side to the other.
“What did you do that for?”
Stan almost jumped into the garage door.
“What are you doing here Alison? No, don’t answer that. I don’t think I want to know the answer.”
He looked at her hands to make sure she didn’t have her gun out. With visible relief, he looked back at the garage door. “If you knock like that on a garage door, it will sound hollow if there’s no car inside. And there isn’t one in there.”
After putting the new sign back up in Alison’s yard, they headed to Grant’s house.
When he stopped the car in Grant’s driveway, Stan turned to Alison. “Would you have dinner with me this evening, Alison?”
As he had expected, she looked as if she were about to say no. She opened her mouth then closed it again. When she did speak, she said, “Okay, but no Chinese this time.”
Stan laughed and said, “How about La Mexicana? I’ll be back over here at six, okay?”
She only nodded before getting out of the car. He watched her walk up to the front door, which Kelly opened immediately.
He couldn’t believe it. He and Alison were going to go out on a date, a real date. He had a date with the girl of his dreams.
* * *
As Alison passed through the door that Kelly was holding open for her, she realized that she should have recognized the big white car sitting out front. Sarah was here! She was sitting on a sofa facing the door wearing a black suit with a hem that looked like it went almost to her knees. Sarah wore a lot of dark just like Alison, and she looked good in it, just like Alison. She couldn’t miss the broad smile on the woman’s face, which she knew was directed at her.
She was disappointed though. She had wanted to discuss her afternoon with Kelly alone. She really needed to talk to Kelly about Stan and those kisses . . . especially the kisses.
She was still standing near the door when she noticed that Kelly hadn’t moved from behind her either. She must be waiting for Alison to sit on the sofa with Sarah. Okay, why not. Maybe this was a day for more than one first.
She walked over to the sofa without looking at Sarah and sat about a foot away from her. Sarah eyes followed Alison as she continued smiling at her.
Kelly wore a huge smile too as she situated herself in her recliner and raised her legs up in it.
“I’m sorry if this doesn’t make for good conversation, but I need to get my ankle up. We just came from the office and it’s been a long day.”
When no one commented, she said, “I hope you don’t mind Alison but dinner will be a little late tonight since Grant is running late.”
Alison shook her head. “That’s all right. I was just about to tell you that I’m not eating here tonight anyway.”
That grabbed the attention of both of the other women. But before they could ask, she said, “I’m having dinner with Stan tonight.”
Both women looked stunned for a long moment, then Kelly clapped her hands together and said, “That’s just marvelous, Alison. I’m so excited. Where are you going?”
“Need you ask?” She laughed. “We’re going to La Mexicana!”
Kelly clapped her hands again and Sarah smiled at Alison and said. “I’m so happy for you dear. Stan seems like such a wonderful man.”
“Wait a minute.” Alison held up her hands. “Don’t get carried away. It was only one kiss and it’s only one dinner.” Oops, she didn’t mean to say that. She wanted to run back out the door now.
Kelly jumped on it right away. “Kiss? What kiss? Did Stan kiss you?”
Alison knew her face had to be bright red. It sure felt hot. She didn’t trust her voice, so she held up two fingers.
Kelly noticed that right away as well. “Two? He kissed you twice?”
After Alison related the entire afternoon and plans for the evening Sarah stood to leave. Alison had known for some time that the next step in her relationship with her mother would have to be taken by her. Everyone else, including Sarah, was just sitting back waiting for her to make that next move.
That was when she realized that Sarah had to be there right then for that very purpose. After all, she and Kelly worked in the same office now. There could only be one reason for Sarah being there right then. That should have made her angry, in fact it would have just a week ago, but she felt different now than she did a week ago. She felt like something new and exciting was about to happen. . . was happening.
Remembering her thoughts as she had walked into the room earlier, she thought again, why not? She stood when Sarah did, reached out her arms, and her mother stepped into them. They hugged for some time, just holding onto each other.
Sarah leaned back with tears in her eyes and said, “Thank you Alison. I want so much to love you again. Won’t you let me?”
Alison, fighting tears of her own could only nod her head. They tightened their embrace again. After a few more minutes, Sarah left.
When she closed the door behind Sarah, Kelly turned to Alison. “That was wonderful, Alison. You just made her so very happy.”
Alison couldn’t say anything right then but Kelly seemed to understand. She went into the kitchen as Alison went into the room she was staying in to get ready for her date with Stan. Date with Stan? Didn’t that sound weird? But she didn’t want to think about that right now. She was going to enjoy the evening in spite of Stan . . . in spite of herself.
Alison was ready and sitting in the living room looking out the window, watching for Stan when she saw a car slow down as it drove by. Then she realized that she knew that car. It took her a moment to remember, but when it hit her, she jumped up out of her chair and started yelling at Grant who had just come home.
Grant came running out of the kitchen with Kelly limping along right behind him. “What’s wrong Alison?” He was shouting too. She realized that he was afraid something had happened to her.
She pointed to the window. “I just saw Spencer’s car go by out front. He slowed down as he passed here.”
Grant muttered under his breath then said, “Did he move out of hi
s mother’s house in the country?”
When Alison shook her head, he said, “Then I doubt if there is a good reason for him to be in this part of town. His mother’s house is almost ten miles away on the other side of Sycamore and his office is downtown.”
Alison had a terrible thought and looking at the other two faces, she knew they were thinking the same thing. She only had one other thought going around in her mind. Not Spencer! It can’t be Spencer!
Out of her daze, Alison realized that Stan was there now and Grant was telling him about Spencer. Then she thought about their finding her missing sign in Blaine’s back yard that afternoon.
“Stan, what about my sign in Blaine’s back yard?”
Stan smiled at her and she forgot that she’d just asked him a question. It startled her when he did speak.
He turned his gaze from her to Grant. “We saw Alison’s For Sale sign in Stockton’s back yard this afternoon and Sonia is getting a search warrant to go in and look the place over. She’s going to try to convince the judge that some of Alison’s personal belongings could be inside to get a broader warrant.”
Alison was coming out of her stupor now, and she didn’t miss the look of longing in both her brother and Stan’s eyes. They wanted to go with the other detectives when they went into Blaine’s house. She wouldn’t feel bad about that. They were doing everything they could to keep her safe.
Grant was calling Sonia to tell her about Spencer when Alison and Stan left on their dinner date.
* * *
Stan was more excited than he’d been in many years, nervous too. He was having trouble sitting still as he drove to the restaurant. After ten years of admiring and loving Alison without being able to declare himself, he had done it. And the most amazing thing was that she hadn’t laughed at him or told him he was crazy like he knew she would have done not so long ago.
Then he thought back to yesterday when they were all helping Sarah move. Several times, he’d caught Alison looking at him like she’d never seen him before. It was like she was trying to figure out who he really was. She’d never looked at him that way before. Yesterday, it had made him uncomfortable, but tonight he was wondering if it just might have been a good thing. In fact, if she was now looking at him in a different way than she always had, then that was great, wasn’t it?
Accepted Memories (Sycamore P.D. Series Book 2) Page 15