by Morgan Henry
Karen tried to keep the edge from her voice. “Actually, Sunday’s pretty busy in the summer. You should stop by one day when you’re at the cottage.”
Karen’s parents still had their cottage near Hardwick Bay, though they rarely visited anymore. They had never been to her store.
“We are at the cottage now. We thought you could join us for an early dinner before we head back to the city.”
Her parents both worked in Toronto. Her mom, LeeAnn, was a corporate lawyer who also lectured at the University of Toronto for the law school. Her father, Howard, was a chemistry professor at the U of T, researching something Karen really didn’t understand all that well, and was in line to be dean. Her sister, Mary, was a certified professional accountant (CPA) with a big firm. That made Karen the serious loser in the family.
“Sorry, Mom, but I already have plans. If I’d known you were coming I would have changed them, but it’s too late now.” Ah, if only she was actually sorry.
“Oh, really? I thought you were busy working. Where are you going?”
“Batting practice,” Karen answered absently as she was scribbling down yes on a piece of paper, answering Sara’s question.
“As in baseball bats? Since when do you participate in sports?” The distain in her mother’s voice oozed through the phone and into Karen’s hand.
“Well.” Karen quickly tried to figure out what to say. She opted for a brief version of the truth. “Well, Lisa and Hanna talked me into playing softball this summer. You know, just for fun. It’ll be good. You know, fresh air, exercise, camaraderie, and all that.”
“Hmm, I’m sure it will be fun. They certainly wouldn’t be a competitive team if they invited you to play. And really, what good is going to come out of a beer league team in a small town?” LeeAnn’s exaggerated sigh was one that would be more appropriate coming from a widow whose third child had died. “Sport was never your strong suit, but then neither was anything academic.”
“Yeah, Mom, I know. Well, I really have to go. There’s some stuff I need to do before we leave. Sorry I missed you, maybe next time,” she said hurriedly, speeding to end the dismal conversation. “Bye!”
She hung up and resisted the urge to throw her phone against the wall. It was an awesome phone, and it wasn’t the phone’s fault that her mom was so…her mother. Her parents really didn’t take her business seriously. They were sure it was going to fail, and she was determined to prove them wrong. Abysmally, crushingly wrong.
At some point, they would have to acknowledge the store was a success and that she wasn’t the massive failure they made her out to be. Just because she hadn’t gone to university and gotten multiple degrees, didn’t mean she was less of a person.
Oh, wait. In her parent’s eyes, that did make her less of a person.
They were such snobs about education. She went to community college and took a basic business degree, but unless a person had at least a master’s, in her parent’s eyes they were lesser beings. If they knew she was going out with Allan and Zander to the batting cages it would really cement her loser status in the family.
The two men had done an extensive apprenticeship program and had an amazing amount of training to do what they did, but that wouldn’t matter to LeAnn and Howard. They would be seen as merely laborers, and not worth their notice. It made Karen so mad that they were such elitists.
And yet, she tried so hard to prove herself to them.
Hence, her lack of dismay that she couldn’t join her parents this evening. And she really did need the batting practice. There had been more than one barbecue at the VanLindts working on throwing and catching.
Hanna’s coworkers, Cailynn and Lisa were on the team. They each brought along their men. Dan and Andrew Harris were Cailynn’s fiancées. Dan was an IT wizard who worked for various businesses and Andrew was an accountant. Mike and Craig Barber were Lisa’s husbands. Mike worked the family farm and Craig was a dentist in town. The nine of them had fun together and the women’s skills were improving.
The first couple of softball games were not a rousing success for Karen, however. Oh, she hadn’t done anything truly stupid, and her catching and throwing were getting better, but she still couldn’t hit worth beans. This would be their third time at the batting cages, and she hoped she would finally show some improvement.
Promptly at three, Allan and Zander waltzed into the store. Karen was waiting on a customer and gave them a brief smile as she finished up.
Zander flashed her a grin and winked in greeting.
“Hi, sweetness,” Allan said as they walked over to her. “You just about ready?”
“More or less,” Karen replied. “Just let me hang up my apron and grab my purse.” She walked to the back room and the two men followed her.
“Hey, I’ve never been back here,” Zander said. They entered the production area for her confections. His blue eyes moved around the room like leaves in the wind, resting on each piece of equipment briefly then tumbling along.
“Oh, well, I don’t let many people back here because it’s the place where I make everything. It has to be kept strictly clean and up to code or the health department could shut me down or cite me for violations,” Karen explained as she hung up her apron and grabbed her bag.
“We won’t touch anything,” Allan promised. “It’s just interesting.”
“Really? I didn’t think…” Karen’s head gave a little hitch backward and her eyes slid away from them.
“Oh come on, how many people do you meet that make chocolate from scratch? It’s almost a bit mysterious,” Zander said, inspecting the rack where she stored her molds. “Hey, you have ones that look like leaves!”
His enthusiasm made Karen perk up. “Yeah, I do. They’re great in the fall. I can make them autumn colors.”
“One day, it would be great if you would show us how this all works, but we should get going.” Allan sounded wistful that he couldn’t stay.
“I’m ready.”
They headed off to the batting cages in Port Seguin, the modest city south of Hardwick Bay. Karen sat between Zander and Allan in their truck. As usual, Zander had his arm around Karen’s shoulders while Allan had his hand on her knee. They both seemed to like touching her an awful lot. If she were truly honest with herself, she had to admit she liked it, too.
The two men really weren’t bad. In fact, if Karen thought hard enough about it, they were downright great. Good-looking, hard-working, fun, and kind. They had it all going for them.
Too bad she was just too busy to get involved. The store took up almost all of her time and she couldn’t allow her focus to waver. She had almost paid off her line of credit that she used to start up her business, a fact that she was really proud of. After that she could invest in more equipment and expand further.
The trip to the batting cages took little time and soon the three were getting ready to hit. Karen had her helmet on and was trying to get herself lined up like the men had taught her. She placed her feet, got her body into the right stance, raised the bat… and missed.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” Zander called from outside the cage. “Just relax. You’re going to get this.”
Allan entered the fenced in area with her. He stepped behind her and corrected her stance a little. Damn, his hands felt good on her hips. No, focus. He gripped the bat with her, his strong arms around her body. “Now,” he spoke quietly but clearly in her ear, “just let the ball connect with the bat. You know where the ball is and the bat is an extension of your arms now. You can do this Karen, I know it.” He kissed her lobe lightly and stepped back out of the cage.
The next ball flew toward Karen and she concentrated on watching it and letting the ball connect with the bat. It worked!
“Hot damn!” She leapt into the air after she hit it.
“Awesome!” shouted Zander.
“Great! Keep going,” encouraged Allan.
Both men were wearing expressions of such enthusiasm and pride Karen couldn’
t help but laugh for joy.
Over the course of the next half hour or so, she hit more balls. Sure, she missed a bunch as well, but she hit more than she had over all the other batting sessions combined.
She exited the cage with aching arms, but the happy chemicals flowing through her body made it so she didn’t care. Karen felt as though she might actually come to enjoy playing softball if she could hit a few at the games. She handed the bat to Zander and took off her helmet.
“So which of you are next?” she asked.
“We’re not batting tonight,” Zander responded as he held out his hand for her helmet.
“What? Why not?” Karen was confused. They always took turns.
“We wanted to have dinner with you and still have you home in good time,” answered Allan.
“Oh! You didn’t say anything about dinner.” Karen looked down at herself. She wasn’t exactly dressed to go out. Her shorts and T-shirt were clean but they weren’t anything special. In fact the jean shorts and turquoise T-shirt were a little drab. And did she have enough cash in her purse to pay her share?
“We didn’t want you to have a chance to say no. Don’t look so worried, we have everything planned.” Allan grinned at her.
“Um, what are we doing? For dinner, I mean.” Karen couldn’t keep the anxiety from squishing her insides.
“Relax, we thought we’d go to The Cottage and then maybe get some ice cream and eat it at the park.” They were in the truck now and Zander gave her hand a squeeze.
“Oh, okay.” Karen was dressed fine for the little diner in Hardwick Bay. It was a casual little spot frequented by locals and cottagers alike. The food was homemade and excellent.
“Yeah, we hear there’s a little store on the main street where you can get really, really good ice cream,” Allan said with enthusiasm.
“You have to know the owner to get it after hours on a Sunday, though,” added Zander, laughing as he traced the little frown on Karen’s forehead with a rough finger.
It suddenly dawned on her that they were talking about her ice cream. “Oh,” she said as she blushed. “Actually, you can get it at The Cottage now. They’re buying it to use for their desserts.”
“That’s awesome, Karen! When did that start?” Allan turned to look at her more directly.
“About a week ago or so. You know Gina, Owen, and Bruce, they like to use local stuff if at all possible. We’re giving it a try and seeing how it goes.”
“Congratulations! How come you didn’t tell us?” asked Allan.
“What do you mean? I just told you.”
“He means, you’ve obviously known about this for a couple of weeks, why didn’t you tell us sooner?” explained Zander.
“Well I, I just didn’t think you’d be interested.” Karen looked from Zander to Allan. She genuinely didn’t even think to tell them. Why would they want to know?
“We’re interested in everything about you,” Allan said softly. He gently grabbed her chin and forced her to look directly at him. “Make no mistake, we want to know everything about you and your life. Your health, happiness, and success are very dear to us.”
The anxiety that had squished her insides a little came back with a large vise.
“I don’t know how to respond to that,” said Karen, shifting in her seat and staring directly out the windshield. “I told you I don’t have the time for a relationship right now. I really am too busy.”
They pulled up to the diner.
“We’ll work it out somehow, sweetness. For now, let’s have dinner. I’m starving.” Zander put out his hand to help her out of the truck, and then on the small of her back as he ushered her inside.
Chapter 4
They entered to the clatter of dinnerware and the tantalizing smell of savory, home-cooked food. Nothing that Allan could identify specifically, just the aroma that permeated the air when food was cooked, not just fried to death.
The little diner was mostly full, not an unusual occurrence for a Sunday in July. Allan steered them to a small booth in the back. It was semicircular, so they put Karen between the two of them. One of the young waitresses dropped off menus, took their drink orders, and promised to be back shortly for their dinner selections.
Allan looked at Karen as she perused the menu. She really was lovely. Her cheeks were still a little flushed from their discussion in the car. He loved the way her eyes had sparkled and widened when she was finally able to hit the balls at the batting cages. He loved that he and Zander had played a part in that success.
It bothered him that Karen would think dating them would somehow impinge upon her ability to run her store. They wanted her store to do well, but they wanted her to have a happy life outside of it as well. With them.
Allan was a planner. He always had things mapped out in his head. He was the one who made sure that finances were in order, bills were paid, and life was organized. Easygoing and spontaneous Zander helped to balance him out when he acted like he had a stick shoved up his ass.
Allan knew it was because his childhood was chaotic. His family was loving and happy, but careened from one bit of drama to the next. They never seemed to have much money. He knew his parents weren’t very educated, and that made decent paying work hard to find. They got by, but that was about it.
They also always seemed to be in one scrape or another. The car would die, or the rent would increase. Or there would be the promise of a better job in another city, so they’d relocate again. It went on and on. Allan had attended three different high schools in four years.
When he finally got out on his own and was hired by a tree removal firm, he felt like he had found his niche and some control over his life. The apprenticeship program really helped to cement his independence. There he met Zander and they became fast friends.
But back to the present. Plan A, to get Karen to play softball and fall in love with the two men was not quite a dismal failure, but wasn’t working out as well as he had hoped. The two would have to devise a Plan B. Or rather, Allan would devise a Plan B and Zander would help execute it. And possibly do something completely unscripted. For now, the two men would have to charm Karen over dinner.
“I’m going to have the ribs and wings combo,” Allan announced. “What do you want, sweetness?”
“I was going to have the same thing, cutie pie,” responded Zander in his highest voice, reaching over to hold Allan’s hand.
Allan gave Zander a look that said he was barely able to restrain from hurting the other man.
Zander hastily added, “Oh, you weren’t talking to me?”
“When have I ever, ever called you sweetness?” Allan asked as his eyes attempted to bore bloody holes into Zander. He slapped the hand away.
“Oh, I could so see you calling him sweetness,” piped up Karen, her whiskey-brown eyes narrowing just a little and her lips thinned out with barely restrained laughter.
“I’m afraid not,” Allan pointed out in a rather sharp tone. “I love him like a brother, but not like you, sweetness. Now behave.” He pecked her on the cheek to show he wasn’t really mad.
The waitress arrived with their drinks and took their orders. Service was quick at The Cottage and their food arrived without delay.
“I swear I don’t know where you put all that food,” Karen observed as the huge platters of ribs, wings, and fries arrived for the two men. The men’s meal smelled far more appetizing than her club sandwich and salad.
“Well, we’re growing boys,” Zander said defensively.
Allan snorted. “You haven’t been a boy for years. If we didn’t do the job we have, we’d be as wide as a house eating like this.”
“I guess that’s true.”
They chatted more casually over dinner, the topic of Karen dating the two men banked for now. As they finished, Bruce came over to say hi.
“Where’s Gina and Owen tonight?” Karen asked. The three owners of The Cottage were another ménage in town.
“I sent them home to have a r
omantic night together. Gina was looking a little tired, so Owen’s giving her some pampering.” Bruce spoke with great affection for his partners.
“That’s nice. It must be great to have another person to make sure your wife is cared for,” observed Zander.
“Yeah, that’s one of the great things about a ménage. So, are you going to try our new ice cream for dessert?” Bruce asked with a glint in his eye. “It’s on the house tonight for you.”
“You don’t have to do that, Bruce. But we are going to have some ice cream. Can we get it to go? We wanted to go down to the park to eat it,” Allan explained.
“You bet. We figured that would be a popular option. What flavor?”
Allan opted for blueberry, Zander for rhubarb, and Karen for chocolate. Allan noted she seemed pleased to hear that they had already needed more vanilla and the blueberry was quite low.
The trio walked down to the large park on the bay. It was a lovely night, but it was July so the bugs were out. Fortunately Allan and Zander kept bug spray in the truck so they were protected. They stretched out on the grass to eat their ice cream as they looked at the calm waters. It was pleasantly cool by the shore and there were several families enjoying the beach.
“This is such a nice town,” mused Karen.
“It is, in many ways,” agreed Zander.
“Hard to believe all the kink that underlies the bland front, though,” observed Allan. “Does it bother you, Karen?”
“Hell no! I love that everyone can be who they choose here. It almost seems too good to be true at times.” Karen sounded wistful, as though she expected it to come to an end.
“So it doesn’t bother you that we want a ménage with you,” Zander stated.
“No, that’s not it at all!” Karen protested as she shifted on the grass. Her voice was a little louder. “I keep telling you, I just don’t have the time a relationship demands.”
“We’ve heard you, but don’t understand,” Allan said patiently. At least he tried to keep his voice patient. Inside he was giving his feelings of frustration a serious and bloody beatdown to keep them from surfacing.