She tried to quietly sneak into the back of the class and into her desk. She had thought for years that she could will herself invisible and felt it work many times in the past.
It didn’t work today.
“Thank you for joining us, Ms. Denton,” her teacher said. “We’re discussing the homework assignment. Have you finished reading the assigned book?”
As luck would have it, her English class was reading Catcher in the Rye. When Cassie saw the book in Piper’s backpack, she had been so excited.
Piper had reluctantly accepted the invitation to join her aunt’s book club, secretly happy, and feeling quite grownup to be a part of the coffee house discussions. She had never been in any kind of club, and she liked the feeling of being included. She liked Aunt Cassie’s friends. Sunny was always nice to her, and Maggie cracked her up. She didn’t know what to make of the old lady yet. She was funny, but didn’t act like any other old person Piper had ever met.
“Yes, I’ve finished it,” Piper answered the teacher. She didn’t like the attention of the whole class looking at her.
In the seat next to her sat a boy with dark hair who she had noticed watching her at times when they were supposed to be studying. He was cute and athletically built. She had plenty of experience with boys looking at her, but usually in a more predatory way. This boy looked at her with kindness, and she sometimes felt him study her from across the lunchroom while she sat alone at a table, reading a book, and eating the sandwich Cassie had packed for her. When she would look back at him, he’d always look quickly away, engrossed in his lunch or his work. The way his cheeks tinged a slight red gave her a funny feeling in her stomach, and she found herself watching the halls or glancing around at lunch in search of his tousled dark hair.
“Would you like to share your thoughts on the book?” the teacher asked.
“Um, sure,” she stammered. She tried to recall what the women had said about the book the other night at Starbucks. They had veered off topic, planning blind dates for Sunny, but she had such fun being included in the conversation and the plans.
“I think it felt like I was reading a sixteen-year old’s blog who was venting all his anger at the world and at grownups in general.” She hated being put on the spot and could only think to mimic Maggie’s thoughts on the book.
She snuck a glance at the boy next to her and found he openly smiled at her.
“I agree,” the boy said, without raising his hand. “I think Piper nailed Holden right on.”
Shocked he knew her name and had spoken on her behalf, Piper could only stare down at her desk and try to keep a goofy smile from taking over her face.
“Well, thank you for your opinion, Drew,” the teacher said. “Who else would like to share their ideas?”
Beginning a new thread of discussion, the class moved on, once again forgetting the new girl with the weird black clothes.
The bell rang, and Piper collected her things, and filed into the hall.
“That was good, what you said about Holden.”
Piper looked up, stunned someone spoke to her, and found the boy walking alongside her.
“Oh, thanks,” she said.
“I’m Drew.”
“Piper.”
“Yeah, I know. My mom is friends with your aunt. I think she had the same opinion about this book.”
“Really? Who’s your mom?” Piper asked, confused.
“Maggie Hayes.”
“Oh, cool.” She flushed at being caught using a quote from this boy’s mother. Trying to come up with something to change the subject, she said, “Your mom’s funny.”
Drew smiled at the description of his mother. “Yeah, I guess she is funny sometimes. So I packed my lunch today. Mind if I sit with you?”
Piper grinned down at her feet. “That would be okay, I guess.”
“Great.”
They spent the lunch hour talking and laughing. Drew filled her in on the kids at school and who was going out with whom. He had a way of talking to her that made her laugh and feel at ease with him, and she found herself explaining why she showed up at a new school with only a few weeks left before graduation. She didn’t explain that this was not the first time her mother had dumped her somewhere to run off with some guy.
“That sucks about your mom. But I’m glad you’re here,” Drew said.
“Me too.” Piper looked at this boy and smiled. A true, honest, genuine smile, and she felt those funny butterflies once again in her stomach.
“I better get to class,” Drew said, as the lunch hour drew to a close. “You want a ride home from school today?”
“Sure, I usually take the bus.”
“Cool. Meet me by the bike racks in the front of the school. I have to take my brother to his soccer game, maybe you could come along, or I could take you home after I drop him off.”
“No, I’ll come with you,” Piper said. “I like soccer.”
“Cool,” he said again. With another grin, he loped off down the hall, calling out a greeting to two boys who passed in the other direction.
Yeah, cool, Piper thought, and she smiled again.
6
Maybe he’s a spy. Sunny fluffed out her curly blonde hair and gave it an extra squirt of hairspray.
It was Saturday afternoon, and her thoughts careened from her suspicions of Jake, to her imminent date today with an ex-football player, to how bad her roots were, and whether or not she was due for highlights again. She was a woman. That’s what women do. They can spend four minutes on the phone with each other and cover seventeen different topics while loading the dishwasher and baking a pan of cookies.
The sound of her front door opening and a deep voice calling her name rousted her from her musings. What the heck? Who lets themselves into someone else’s house?
Holding the can of hairspray outstretched in her hand, as if it were mace instead of Super Hold, Sunny’s heart thundered in her chest as she cautiously descended the stairs. A huge bear of a man stood in the entryway grinning up at her.
“Hey. You must be Sunny. I’m Hank. Matt was right when he told me you’d be pretty,” he said, good-naturedly. His gaze traveled up her body, appraising her curves, but his expression changed when he saw the hairspray can clutched in her hand. “Sorry if I scared you. I’m just used to small town policy of letting myself in.”
“Hi, Hank,” Sunny said, lowering the makeshift weapon. Relief flooded her as she realized that her intruder, although rude, was her expected guest. She relaxed her stance and smiled at Hank, as she took in his large frame and well-muscled forearms. He wore his light blond hair in a military style crew cut he probably hadn’t changed since high school. He was good-looking and wore a big open grin. Though well built, he carried an extra twenty pounds, mostly in the belly, making him look like he had lifted more beer cans than weights.
“You ready to go?” he asked, his tone light, but the finger-drumming on the side of her door revealed his impatience. “They have a pregame show we don’t want to miss.”
Hank had in fact called Wednesday night about an hour after she arrived home from Edna’s and invited her to attend a baseball game.
This seemed like a good idea for a date with someone she was meeting for the first time. She knew a little bit about baseball, and if the conversation lagged, she could use the game as a distraction. The last date had been such a bust, she was determined to try harder to make a connection with this one. Hank was good-looking and seemed friendly enough. Possibly too friendly, as evidenced by his comfortableness in letting himself into her home.
“Of course. I’m ready to go.” She smiled and indicated the hairspray. “Let me just put this away.” Sunny ducked back into the bathroom, tossing the can into the basket on the edge of the sink. She took one last look in the mirror and checked her teeth and nose for any unwanted tidbits. Taking a deep breath and praying for courage, she stepped back into the hallway.
Her jean shorts, pale blue tank top and sneakers seemed appro
priate attire, as Hank was dressed similarly in long shorts and a sleeveless red and white sports tank that promoted the local baseball team, the Sky Sox. The sleeveless shirt only emphasized his enormous muscled arms.
Her driver’s license, cell phone, twenty dollars, and a tube of lip gloss were stuffed in her front pockets so she wouldn’t have the hassle of toting her purse around the game.
“We love your dog,” Hank said, as he looked out the front door.
We? She scurried down the stairs to see what Hank was watching. On her front lawn, Beau nestled around a small boy of nine or ten who lay in the grass ruffling his neck and stroking his yellow fur. He laughed as Beau licked his face. The boy had on shorts and a red Sky Sox t-shirt. He wore his hair in a crew cut style that matched Hank’s, whom Sunny assumed was his father.
“This is my boy, Hank Michael, Jr. We call him Mikey. I brought him along to meet you. He’s a good judge when it comes to finding him a new mommy.”
New mommy? She gulped. “Nice to meet you, Mikey. It looks as if you’ve already met Beau. He must really like you.”
“I really like him. He’s neat.” Mikey’s smile beamed from ear to ear.
She took Beau by the collar and led him back inside while Mikey climbed into his dad’s black Chevy Avalanche.
Hank pulled the front door shut and slung his arm around her as they walked toward the truck. “Some men like those real skinny girls,” he leaned down and whispered into her ear, “but don’t worry; I like my women with a little extra train in their caboose.” He finished his statement by giving her caboose a friendly pat before he opened the door of the truck.
Shocked speechless by his forwardness, she climbed into the seat, conscious of his obvious gaze at her behind as she did so. He slammed the door and jogged around to his side.
The drive to the stadium was spent with Hank explaining the full rules and regulations of baseball to both she and Mikey.
Their side of the conversation consisted of alternate “I know that already, Dad,” from Mikey and assorted ohs and hmms from Sunny.
Her determination to make this date work sank with each know-it-all comment that uttered from Hank’s mouth. He was a sports guy though, and sports guys loved to talk about every aspect of the game. He did include Mikey in the conversation, and she admired that Hank was taking the time to teach his son about baseball. Sunny couldn’t help but smile as the groan that just emanated from the backseat proved this may not have been the first lesson Hank had imparted on the subject.
She was glad to pull into the arena parking lot. Most of the fans had already gone in, except for a few straggling tailgaters, their pennants waving from truck antennas, and the scent of grilled bratwurst in the air. Hank wasted no time bustling them into the stadium, and they found their seats with only a few minutes to spare.
“Who wants a hot dog?” Hank asked. Those words began a two hour feeding frenzy. Between the three of them, they had hot dogs, peanuts, cotton candy, nachos, M&Ms, five Cokes, and one beer for Hank. Memories of her last date and the meeting with her azalea bush helped make her decision to stick with Diet Coke an easy one.
Hank came back to their seats after another food run and plunked a new bright red Sky Sox baseball cap on Sunny’s head. “There ya go. You look pretty,” he said, with a wink. “Doesn’t she look pretty, Mikey?”
Mikey looked over at her and shrugged. “Yeah, she’s okay, I guess.”
Hank put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. “See, he likes you already.”
“Great,” she mumbled.
“Hey, I also got you some more nachos, since you liked the other ones so much.”
Sunny had enjoyed the nachos, but she usually stuck to one helping of nachos a month. She smiled, told him thanks, and took the plastic container of tortilla chips and oozing orange cheese sauce.
He looked so happy and eager to please her that she had to kind of like him. He reminded her of a golden retriever, a little bit goofy and annoying, but they tried so hard and were so cute, you still wanted to cuddle them. The references to their impending marital status and to her well-rounded caboose had to stop though.
Suddenly, half the stands were on their feet as a Sky Sox hitter put one over the back wall. Hank and Mikey were screaming and yelling, and Sunny got caught in the excitement as she jumped to her feet.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have quite the hold on that little plastic container that she thought she did, and the nachos went flying.
As if in slow motion, she watched in horror as the cheese flew in a saucy spray to land in orange speckles across the backs of the two Sox fans who cheered in front of them.
The runner slid into home as the two men realized they had been assaulted by a curly- haired blonde with a container of nachos.
They turned to her in unison, one actually getting out the words, “Are you crazy, Bitc–” before they spotted Hank.
“I’m so sorry,” Sunny cried, as she passed them a pile of napkins. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Mikey doubled over with laughter.
“It’s all right, Sunny. It was just an accident. Right, fellas?” Hank asked the two nacho cheese victims.
“Sure, it’s fine,” they grumbled. They wiped what cheese they could reach off of their arms and shirts with the napkins she had handed them.
They all sat back down in our seats. Sunny looked over at Mikey who was still laughing. “That was hilarious,” he said, before stuffing another handful of cotton candy into his mouth.
“Yeah, hilarious,” she agreed, sinking low into her chair. She tried to focus on the game and eventually, after what seemed like (and was, in fact) hours, the Sox won five runs to two.
At this point, her stomach was cramping from all the greasy snack food she had consumed, and her arms and chest were tinged with pink from too much time in the sun.
They trudged from the stadium, making their way through acres of baseball hats and waving pennants. The kid walking in front of Sunny hit her in the head with a big red foam finger at least six times.
“Ya know, I like your name, Sunny,” Hank told her as they piled into his truck. “It reminds me of my favorite drink, Sunny Delight. Are you delightful, Sunny?”
Her cheeks flamed, and she didn’t know the proper response so she busied herself with the seatbelt and tried to get Mikey situated in the back.
Hank was still laughing at his own joke as he climbed into the truck and started the engine. “How about we go out for pizza? What do you think, Sunny D?”
She had heard many versions of nicknames, but this was the first time she had been referred to as a sugary orange sports drink.
She crossed her arms around her full stomach. “I couldn’t possibly eat another bite.”
“Dang. I was just getting hungry again. What about you, Sport?” He directed his question toward Mikey.
“I’d rather go back to Sunny’s house and play with her dog,” Mikey answered.
“Good idea,” Hank said. “Sunny and I could probably amuse ourselves while you play with the dog.” Hank winked at her and dropped his hand onto her upper thigh.
As they drove back to her house, she tried several subtle maneuvers to dislodge Hank’s hand from her leg, but nothing worked. His giant hand gripped her thigh as if it was a football and letting go might cost him the game.
Since her mother raised her right, she invited them in, and put together a tray of tea and glasses of ice. Mikey and Beau wrestled in the backyard while she and Hank sat on the porch sipping iced tea.
Setting his glass on the table, Hank rose, grabbed her hand, and pulled her to her feet. “I want to show you something.” He led her to the side of the house, her hand still gripped in his.
No sooner were they out of Mikey’s sight, than Hank turned, pushed her against the house, and bent his head toward hers. Before she knew what was happening, he had his mouth crushed against hers, kissing her fervently while his hands roamed from her breast to her ample behind. He had an
other think coming if he thought he was gonna be the engineer of that caboose!
Sunny tried to shove against him, but he was like a giant bear, and she thought he must have misinterpreted her hands against his chest as passionate foreplay. Every part of him was huge, including the part currently pressed against her leg. She felt smothered and trapped between her house and this giant hulk of a man.
“Hey, Sunny?” a deep voice asked from behind them. Sunny had never heard anger in Jake’s voice before and was surprised to hear it barely concealed in his tone.
Startled, Hank stepped back, and she squirmed free from her position against the house.
She had no idea she could be so glad to see a man that hours earlier she had considered to be either a criminal or a spy.
“Jake! Hi,” she said breathlessly, moving to his side. “This is my neighbor, Jake, and this is my date, Hank.”
“Nice to meet you.” Hank engulfed Jake’s hand in his meaty paw, but his smile didn’t quite meet his eyes, and he seemed to hold the handshake just a few seconds too long. “Any friend of Sunny’s is a friend of mine.” He moved to Sunny’s other side, and put his arm protectively around her shoulder.
“I came over to see if you were ready to help weed those flower beds you promised you would do this afternoon?” Jake asked her.
“Oh…uh…yep. Yes sir. How could I have forgotten about those flowerbeds? We better get right to those.” She smiled apologetically up at Hank. “Sorry I’ve got to go, but a promise is a promise.”
Hank looked crestfallen, but smiled in understanding. “That’s okay. You go ahead. Mikey and I will go get that pizza.”
He yelled for his son, and Mikey came running around the corner.
“We gotta go, boy. Tell Sunny goodbye.”
Mikey gave her a half-wave and mumbled, “See ya later”.
“Thank you for the baseball game,” she said, as she dislodged herself from under Hank’s arm.
“No problem,” he said, and leaned down to plant another kiss on her lips. She turned her face just in time to receive the kiss half on the lips and half on the cheek.
Another Saturday Night and I Ain't Got No Body (A Page Turners Novel) Page 5