Book Boyfriends Cafe Summer Lovin' Anthology 2015

by Melinda Curtis

  Without warning, Aaron jumped off the swing and flew through the air. He landed in a crouch on his feet, then turned and stood smiling at her. Hannah recognized it as a dare for her to make the leap, too.

  She swung forward a few more times trying to work up the courage. She hadn’t swung like this since she was a kid. Now or never, she thought and sprung herself out of the ass-sling, screaming with joy as she flew through the air. Her landing wasn’t so graceful. She turned her ankle in the sand and fell forward trying to keep weight off the pain shooting around it.

  She cried out and uttered a few choice words as she tried to recover without any luck.

  In two steps, Aaron was at her side trying to stop her forward moment. “Whoa, steady. Are you alright?”

  She turned and fell back in the sand, lifting her leg high in the air in hopes the elevation would slow the swelling.

  “I turned my ankle,” she said, trying to hold back the tears.

  “Let me have a look.” Aaron eased her leg down and rested her ankle on his thigh. Lifting her pant leg and lowering her sock, his hands on her skin had Hannah forgetting all about the pain.

  “Wow, you turned it good. It’s already swelling up.”

  “Mommy, are you ok?” Tabitha dropped into the sand at Hannah’s side.

  “You’re not going to be able to walk on this, Hannah. We need to get you home and get some ice on it.”

  “It’s not that bad. Really, I can walk.”

  She tried to get up, but Aaron had a firm hold on her leg, ensuring she stayed put.

  “You really shouldn’t put any weight on this. I’ll run and get my truck and take you home. Tabitha, can you sit right here so your mom can keep her foot elevated? That’ll help keep it from swelling too much.”

  “Aaron, really, I’m fine.”

  “Hey, I’m a runner. I’ll be back in five minutes. Five minutes. You can wait five minutes.” He looked at her with the sexiest smile she had ever seen. “I dare you!”

  “You’re a jerk.” She felt her eyes roll, but couldn’t help bite back the smile.

  “So sue me. Tabitha, can you make sure your mom stays put?”

  “I sure can.”

  Aaron took off at a dead sprint. Hannah couldn’t believe how fast he moved and wondered if he really was Spider-Man. No, more like Lightning-Man, the way electricity shot through her body whenever he touched her. In a minute, maybe less, he had disappeared up West Street and what seemed like just a minute later, he was pulling into the parking lot in his F-150.

  He looked at her ankle again, which was starting to bruise, and made a move to pick her up. Hannah resisted. “I don’t need to be carried.”

  “Ok, then lean on me. Don’t put any weight on that ankle.”

  She was forced to hang on to his strong shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her waist and practically lifted her off the ground. Hannah was almost grateful for the injury when she felt the electricity flowing between them like they were a couple of live wires that had just been cut.

  Tabs ran ahead and climbed into the back seat. Aaron lifted Hannah into the truck and was about to strap her in when she glared at him.

  “Seriously, Aaron. It’s a twisted ankle. I can buckle myself.”

  He smiled and let go of the seatbelt. “Sorry. I’m a nurturer by nature.”

  “Apparently.” She returned his smile but missed the strength of his hold around her.

  She directed him up Savageville Road to Hodge Hill. He pulled the truck up beside her Camry and tried to rush around to help her out, but Hannah took the initiative to get herself out of the truck. After stepping down on the foot lightly, she limped to the porch.

  Aaron tried to offer help, but she refused, hoping to give her pounding heart a rest from the charges surging through her from his touch. “It’s pretty badly bruised. I don’t think you should put any weight on it.”

  “I bruise easily. It looks worse than it feels. Really.” She wasn’t lying. She did bruise easily, and even though it did hurt, it wasn’t nearly as bad as it looked.

  “I don’t believe you”

  “Well, that’s your problem, not mine.”

  He followed her into the house and went straight to the freezer. “Tabitha, can you get me a plastic baggie so we can get some ice on your mom’s ankle?”

  While Hannah landed in a recliner, Tabitha helped Aaron get an ice-pack ready. Then he slid a pillow under her ankle and gently pulled her sneaker off. He rolled her pant leg up and placed the bag of ice between her ankle and the pillow.

  Hannah’s whole body tingled, from where Aaron touched her foot to every other extremity. The man was electric. She tried to focus on the pain so her heart would stop that racing thing it kept doing.

  “Tabitha, we’re going to need another bag of ice. Can you help?” he said.

  Tabitha got a second bag of ice together and brought it over to Aaron, who placed this one on top of the ankle. “How does that feel?”

  Did he mean the tingling or the ice-pack? Both felt good, so she figured she couldn’t go wrong with a simple answer. “It’s fine, thank you.”

  “You go to quite the extremes to get out of having dinner with me.”

  “I told you, it looks worse than it feels.”

  “So we’re on for dinner, then?”

  He wasn’t a quitter, that was for sure. One date wouldn’t do any harm, and maybe it would end with sex. That’d be perfect. Then she could go back to her formula. She smiled nodded.

  Aaron smiled back. It wasn’t cocky, but he did appear to have a total look of satisfaction. The smile disappeared as he stood up and looked past her toward the entertainment center.

  She turned to see what had grabbed his attention. The TV wasn’t on, so it must be a picture, or maybe one of the many books stacked on top of the unit. Aaron moved slowly across the carpet, before staring at a framed picture on the TV, a snapshot of her and Steven that Malinda had taken at Moore Dam just before he was diagnosed.

  It was one of her favorite pictures. They had spent the morning out on the reservoir in their kayaks and enjoyed a picnic lunch on the shore on the edge of the woods. They met up with Malinda and her boyfriend in the afternoon. In the picture, Hannah was looking up at Steven. She tried to remember the joke she had told him that got them both laughing, but couldn’t seem to recall what it was. Steven’s gaze was just to the side of the camera, but it was mostly a straight-on shot of his face. He was so handsome, so happy. They were both so happy.

  ~*~

  “Is that Steven?” Aaron asked, knowing it must be. Hannah looked almost the same. Her eyes were different. Filled with happiness. Filled with love.

  Steven was happy, too, and familiar. Aaron recognized him. He remembered the exact day, the exact occasion when the man in the picture had shared a moment of joy with him. Until now, he had just been a random stranger.

  Hannah’s husband had also been a stranger. Aaron knew of him through the memories she had shared, but he hadn’t seen a picture of him, so the only image he had was of his own imagination. Now he had a face to go with the name.

  What was funny to Aaron was that Steven was just how he had pictured him: a man who was going home to celebrate life with his wife and daughter. Ever since Hannah had told him about Steven, he had used the memory of that random stranger to put a face to the man he would never meet.

  “You look happy. Both of you,” he finally said. He didn’t want to tell Hannah he had met Steven. It seemed too strange. The world sure was small.

  Aaron’s heart ached seeing how happy Hannah was in the picture. She carried a sadness with her now. It wasn’t obvious, but it was there, weighing her down ever so subtly. He wondered if she would ever be that happy again, if he could bring her that happiness. He hoped.

  He turned away from the photo, aware he had probably been looking at it far too long. He touched her hand as he paused. “I’ll be back at six to pick you up for dinner.”

  When Hannah smiled, Aaron was over
whelmed with the urge to kiss her. Well, maybe he’d had that urge all morning, even before Tabitha put the idea out there. He shook it off and stepped away, his hand growing cold as it left the warmth of her skin. It was soon filled with another warmth as Tabitha grabbed his hand and walked him to his truck.

  Chapter 7

  “Ok, L, you gotta help me out here. I have no idea what I’m doing.”

  Hannah had the phone on speaker as she waded through her closet trying to find something to wear. It had been hours since Aaron had left her in the recliner with her ankle wrapped in ice-packs. Plenty of time to get ready but she hadn’t been on a date in years and for some reason she couldn’t fathom, she wanted to look hot. Have sex on a first date kind of hot.

  “Do you have a date?” Malinda asked.

  She didn’t bother to answer, aware from Malinda’s tone she already knew. “So my question is: does this qualify as a second date or a third date? I mean, I saw him on Sunday and had breakfast with him this morning. Though Tabitha set that up. I’m not sure it qualifies as a date if it’s based on trickery, but I guess it doesn’t matter. All I’m interested in is sex. Is it too slutty to sleep with him already? I mean, I’ve only known him a week. Oh, hell, what do I care!”

  “Ok, Palindrome. SHUT UP! It’s obvious you’re interested in more than just sex. Don’t even think about denying it. So yes, it would be too slutty for you to sleep with him tonight. If it was anyone other than Hawk, I’d say screw it though, and screw him, too.” Malinda laughed. “But I don’t think he’s a sleep with you on a first date kind of guy – or third date. Whatever. Anyway, he’d probably see you as being more desperate than slutty. Does he know you haven’t had sex in five years?”

  “God no. I mean, I haven’t said anything like that. You didn’t tell him, did you?”

  “Not my place to tell hot reporter about your lack of sex life. I may scheme, but I do have limits.”

  “Yeah, I know. Sorry. So what should I wear? Wait, what do you mean, scheme? Did you set this up?”

  “Would I do something like that?”

  Hannah caught the fake sound of innocence in Malinda’s voice and imagined her batting her long eyelashes and letting her long wavy hair fall across her face, but Hannah knew better. “You would. And you did, didn’t you?”

  “Does it really matter? You like him. He likes you. You have a date. So, where are you going?”

  “I have no freakin’ idea. He’s picking me up at six. He didn’t say where we’re going.” She wasn’t quite in a panic, but was so nervous it felt like a panic. Maybe a near-panic.

  “So call and ask him. Then call me back,” Malinda insisted.

  “Umm, ok. Ask him what I should wear?”

  “No, silly. Ask him where you’re going so you can decide what to wear. Then call me back. Bye.” Malinda disconnected the call.

  “Shit,” Hannah muttered as she paced the room. Wasn’t this awkward? Here she was, going on her first real date in years, and she didn’t know what to wear. Ok, just ask him where we’re going.

  She started to dial, but hung up before punching in the last number. She paced for a minute then repeated the drill, again, giving up before the last number.

  Hannah caught her reflection in the mirror and laughed at herself. “You are a grown woman. Successful. Mature. Attractive. You can call a man and ask him where he’s taking you to dinner. You can do this.”

  Wow, too many self-help books, she thought as she dialed the number again. This time it rang, and she let it. Twice. Three times. Four. Then she hung up. He wasn’t there. She wasn’t going to leave a message. Seconds later, her phone rang. The caller ID proved her impatience, or lack of nerve.

  “Hello,” she sang in a pleasant, fake tone.

  “Hey, Hannah. I wasn’t able to get to the phone before it stopped ringing. What’s up?”

  “Umm, well, I was just wondering where we’re going for dinner.”

  “It’s a surprise,” he answered in a playful tone.

  “Oh, umm, no. I don’t do surprises. Just tell me.”

  “Nope, not telling. I’ll see you at six.”

  “No wait. How do I know what to wear?”

  “It doesn’t matter, Hannah. Wear whatever you want.”

  “What are you wearing?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. See you at six.” This time he hung up before she had a chance to plead with him more.

  Great. Hannah herself on the bed as she dialed Malinda’s number again. She didn’t bother to say hello when Malinda answered.

  “He won’t tell me where we’re going. Told me to wear whatever I want.”

  “Did you ask him what he’s wearing?”

  “I did, actually. He wouldn’t say. Said he hadn’t thought about it. Please tell me guys obsess over what they are going to wear as much as women do!!”

  “Some guys do, but they’re mostly gay, or trying to get laid. I bet Hawk knows exactly what he is going to wear. He’s really into you and I don’t think he would just wing it. He probably had the whole date planned before he even asked you.”

  “Great.” Just what she needed. A guy who had a grand plan and all she wanted was a satisfying roll in the hay. Really, that was all she wanted. She was sure of it. “So what do I wear?”

  “Do you still have that purple pencil skirt?”

  “Yeah … it’s in my closet somewhere.”

  “Ok, wear that with that silver lace shirt you got at Kohl’s the last time we went shopping. And wear those strappy heels.”

  “Strappy heels are out.” She stretched her foot, testing the capabilities of her ankle. Shooting pain, not good. “I turned my ankle this morning. I’ve got a limp.”

  “Then the lace up boots. Wrap your ankle like you used to in basketball.”

  “Seriously! Like I could remember how to do that. It was a lifetime ago.”

  “It’s not rocket science, Palindrome. I’m sure you’ve got an ace bandage and tape in your bathroom. Just wrap it tight. If you can’t get it right, give Mr. Perlin a call. He still coaches girl’s basketball. I’m sure he’d be happy to help one of his star forwards.”

  “Yeah, I can picture that call now. ‘Hey, Mr. Perlin. I’ve got a date with a super sexy reporter and I turned my ankle on a dare. Can you wrap it for me so I can wear my fuck-me boots?’”

  Malinda laughed hard in Hannah’s ear. “Like I said, you were one of his star forwards. I’m sure he’d be happy to help you get laid. So you turned your ankle on a dare? Dish.”

  Hannah replayed the entire morning, from Tabitha’s impatience to the not-so-chance meeting at the coffee shop to the playground adventure.

  “How’s the ankle now?”

  “Bruised as hell, but it doesn’t hurt too much. Nothing a little ibuprofen can’t take care of. I’m still not confident about wearing heels, even if it’s wrapped.”

  “I’ve got a nice pair of black leather boots I left over at Mom’s. They are pretty close to flat. I’ll give her a call, have her bring them over.”

  “Oh, L, I really don’t want your mom knowing I have a date.”

  “Han, she knows. It’s not like your daughter can keep a secret. Mom is thrilled, by the way. We all think it’s about damn time! So dig out that pencil skirt and I’ll give her a call.”

  Malinda hung up and Hannah dove into her closet. She hadn’t seen the skirt in years. Couldn’t remember the last time she had worn it. In the very depths of her closet was a skirt hanger holding three different skirts with the same clip. The purple pencil skirt was among them, and it didn’t even need ironing.

  Hannah slipped it on, surprised it still fit perfectly. Catchy a glimpse of herself in the mirror, realization dawned – she had no sexy underwear. She’d been dressing practical for years. Hanes were comfortable and inexpensive. Since her flawless formula revolved around never dating or having sex again, she didn’t need anything sexy. So, no sex for her tonight. She wasn’t about to humiliate herself by sho
wing Aaron how practical she was in the underwear department.

  It was probably better that way. One date. No sex. Because if the sex was good, which she was sure it would be, she didn’t need to get hooked on that reality. If it wasn’t good, well, who wanted that for a memory?

  She slid on the shimmering silver lace shirt over the practical bra. She’d never worn the pretty shirt but Malinda had insisted she buy it. It worked perfectly with the pencil skirt, both in style and color. She decided to take the curling iron to her hair to give it a little body and was just about finished with make-up when she heard Donna in the kitchen.

  “Hannah, honey. I’ve got Malinda’s boots for you.”

  When Hannah met her mother-in-law in the kitchen, Donna gasped. “Oh, honey. You look beautiful.” She must have come straight from the garden, her full-figure jeans stained at the knees and hands were clean except for the dirt wedged into her fingernails. She still wore a gardening hat over the short brown hair that framed her long face.

  Hannah felt bad her date preparations pulled Donna away from the garden she loved to frolic in. Standing in front of her mother-in-law, preparing for a date with some other man, frayed the hem of Hannah’s nerves. Yes, Steven had been gone for five years, so she wasn’t cheating, but it was still awkward as hell.

  A tear streamed down Donna’s cheek as she held out the boots. “I just want you to know how happy I am for you. I know how hard it must be for you, without Steven, but you deserve to be happy.”

  “Thanks, Donna, but it’s just dinner. Really, it’s not a big deal.”

  “It’s whatever you want it to be, honey, and though it shouldn’t matter, I want you to know that Frank and I approve. Steven would, too. He would want you to be happy.”

  Ok, this wasn’t what Hannah wanted right now. Though as awkward as it felt, she did need Donna’s approval. She didn’t know why. Maybe it was a way of getting permission from Steven, even indirectly, but she needed it.

  “Thanks. And thank you for bringing the boots over.” Hannah wanted to cut the discussion short before she tested her mascara’s tear-proof guarantee.