Summer on Main Street

by Crista McHugh

  “Back atcha.” He smiled, giving her a quick peck on the lips as he rechecked the tightness of her seat belt and then shut her inside.

  No one has me jumping through more hoops, he thought as he came around the car and situated himself behind the steering wheel. He adjusted the review mirror so he could see her reaction as he asked his questions. He pulled out of the parking lot and into traffic, making a U-turn and heading back to the station.

  “So. The wet T-shirt contest. That your idea, Lollypop?”

  “Darcy’s. She’s brill-iant!” Lolly claimed, throwing her arms wide in exclamation.

  “Brilliant, huh?” Brooks looked into his rearview mirror. “Annabelle think it was a brilliant idea too?”

  Lolly used her hand to wave that idea off. “Annabelle! Pffft! She was all, ‘It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt,’” Lolly imitated in a high voice. “Annabelle can be a lot of fun. But a wet T-shirt contest is not her style. Besides, she has a boyfriend who took her to bed the first week they dated, so pfft! She has no idea what I’ve been up against. Oh! You know who did think it was a great idea?”

  “I truly cannot imagine,” Brooks said, turning off the main drag and heading into the station’s parking lot.

  “That guy! That magic guy. What’s his name? Harry! Harry the Bartender! The one who waited on us that night you and Vance asked me to have a three-way.”

  “Lolly!” Brooks shouted as he pulled into his parking space. “We did not ask you to have a three-way,” he growled into the rearview mirror.

  Lolly didn’t even try to hide her laughter. “Oh My God, you should see your face. And I know you didn’t ask me to take part in a three-way, but if you had I would’ve gotten laid by now.”

  “Fucking A,” he whispered, throwing the car into park. He turned off the ignition, sprung himself from his shoulder strap, and exited the vehicle. He pulled Lolly’s door open and reached in to unfasten her seatbelt. “Where did you run into Harry, and what the hell did that guy serve you?”

  “He was tending bar at the Club.” Lolly put her arms around Brooks’ neck, so he scooted his hands under her tight little ass and maneuvered her from the car. “Annabelle asked Darcy and me to meet her there. She wanted me to meet Tansy Langford, so Tansy could set the record straight about what happened with you two this afternoon.”

  “You started drinking this afternoon? With Tansy Langford?”

  Lolly straightened up and leaned against the police cruiser. “The wet T-shirt contest makes a little more sense now, doesn’t it?”

  Brooks saw it in her eyes. He’d hurt her. “I’m sorry about running off with Tansy,” he said circling his arms loosely around her waist. “It won’t ever happen again. Now tell me. What did Harry serve you?”

  “His famous tequila shots, of course,” she said swaying forward.

  “Of course,” Brooks nodded. “Lolly, I think you’re drunk.”

  “A little,” she agreed, dropping her forehead to his chest. “Your father served a couple bottles of wine at dinner. It was good wine. And then when it looked like we were going to have to go through with the wet T-shirt thing, Darcy and I slammed two more shots. I think that’s what I’m feeling now.”

  Brooks would have been hard-pressed to put into words what he was feeling now. He touched a finger beneath her chin to get her to look up at him. “Lolly. Are you sleeping this off in my bed or yours?”

  Lolly looked at her watch. “You know, I can probably make it back to the bar in time for that contest.”

  “Like hell.”

  Brooks pulled her off the car and led the way to his truck. “Why in the world would Darcy participate in the contest?”

  “Oh! That! You know. She’s my best friend, so we were going to do it together.” She stopped abruptly and pulled him back, giving him her best I’m-in-love-with-life and I-have-a-little-secret smile. “I’m in the wedding, you know.”

  Brooks smiled. “I did not know that,” he said, genuinely happy.

  “I am. Darcy asked me tonight at dinner.” Then Lolly waved that off and started walking again. “Mostly I think Darcy wanted to test Lewis. See if he’d even notice she was walking around a bar in a wet T-shirt.”

  “Lewis,” Brooks grumbled. “Darcy is going to ride roughshod over him.”

  “He is crazy geeky.”

  “He’s also crazy rich.”

  “And you’re crazy cute,” she said, pushing firm breasts up against him after he opened her door. He caught her hand and pulled it free just as she was going for his crotch.

  “Laura Leigh,” he warned.

  “Remember what we did in your truck the night I found out I was completely illegitimate?”

  “Fondly,” he said. “Which is why, if you want to get the Brooks Bennett house tour, you’re going to need to keep your hands to yourself.”

  “Maybe you should cuff me?” she said, holding up both her fists.

  “Be careful what you wish for,” he said, pulling a pair of cuffs from the inside pocket of the truck’s door. He dangled them in front of her.

  Her eyes went wide. “They’re red!”

  “To match those bad-girl boots you’ve got on.” He slapped one on her right wrist.

  “Oh.”

  “In you go.”

  Lolly obeyed, stepping up into the cab looking mesmerized by the cuff dangling off her wrist. Brooks pulled the shoulder strap down and reached over to secure it across her lap. Then he took the dangling end of the handcuff and clipped it around the handle attached to the ceiling.

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah,” he said, laying a kiss on her. “Oh.” He closed the door and thought he probably shouldn’t be enjoying locking her up this much.

  “When I mentioned handcuffs, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Lolly huffed, testing their sturdiness as they drove toward his house.

  Brooks couldn’t help but make a sardonic sound.

  “What?” she insisted.

  “Trust me,” he said, glancing over. “I know exactly what you had in mind. That night of your so-called illegitimacy, you spelled it out for me in no uncertain terms. And when I say no uncertain terms, I mean you painted a very…colorful and elaborately detailed picture.”

  “Ah! I did not!”

  “Well, that’s how I remember it,” he smirked. A few moments later he asked with all seriousness, “Are they hurting you?”

  Lolly looked up and twisted her captured wrist. “No. But my fingers are starting to tingle from my hand being raised over my head.”

  “We’re almost there.”

  “I’m not complaining. I’m just giving you a very colorful and elaborately detailed picture,” she said primly.

  “I expect nothing less,” he said with a smile, pulling into his driveway.

  ***

  Lolly was a little giddy entering Brooks' home. After all, up until now it had been forbidden territory. The cuffs were off and she stood in the center of the great room with Brooks at her back.

  She tucked her hair behind her ears, taking in the gleaming blond hardwood floors, the whitewashed brick fireplace and walls, and the surprising splash of color in the orange chenille couch and chairs complete with handsome throw pillows. The feel was comfortable and modern, not sparse, but uncluttered and neat.

  Beyond the sitting area was the kitchen, shiny white and sparkling stainless steel. Fruit spilled over a beautiful green glass bowl that sat on the granite countertop. There were even window treatments on the windows. Masculine but customized. It was so far beyond what Lolly had expected that she was struck speechless.

  And then an agonizing thought slithered into her awareness, all the more constricting her efforts to speak. Tansy Langford. Brooks' ex. For all Lolly knew, he’d gutted and rebuilt this house for her. Was this supposed to be Tansy’s house? Did she design and furnish it? Is that why it had taken Brooks so long to bring her here?

  She heard Brooks move behind her. Probably tossing his keys into a dish som
ewhere. He cleared his throat, and she realized that she was standing perfectly still, unable to move. There was a ringing in her ears, and she knew the alcohol she’d consumed was probably responsible for the wave of emotion expressing itself in tears. She really didn’t want him to see that, didn’t want to have to explain it, so she moved toward the kitchen, away from him.

  “Laura Leigh, in all the years I’ve known you, you have never once been at a loss for words.”

  She nodded her head. It was all she could give him at the moment. Her anxiety escalated as she felt him come up behind her.

  “Talk to me,” he said, his broad hands cupping her shoulders as he placed a kiss on the back of her head. “I’m dying here. I cleaned it all up. Even have a little champagne in the refrigerator. Although maybe a cup of coffee would be a better choice at the moment.”

  She swallowed and prayed her voice wouldn’t give her away. “It’s…it’s….”

  “What the—?” Brooks spun her around. His face held a mixture of shock and incomprehension as he searched her eyes, then her limbs and her body, checking to see what could possibly be so wrong.

  She tapped her chest, indicating the pain was inside. That the struggle was internal. When he wrapped her up in his arms, the dam broke. Pent-up tears and emotion flowed out of her onto his chest. She tried to push away, to turn away from him, but he held on. “Sweet Jesus,” he said, clutching her to him. “Whatever it is, I’ll make it all right. I promise.”

  When she still couldn’t get any words out, he picked her up and carried her to the couch, sitting down with her folded into his lap. She sank into him then, relaxing in the security of his arms. She realized she’d never felt more secure than when she was in Brooks' arms. Lately, his arms weren’t around her nearly enough, leaving her feeling exposed and vulnerable. So she burrowed into his chest, getting as close to him as she could. She closed her eyes, relishing this opportunity, which seemed to do a lot for stemming the flow of her tears.

  “You have got to talk to me, honey. Was it the handcuffs?” He found her right wrist and inspected it, running his fingers over and under, feeling for any problems. She shook her head and reached her arms around his neck.

  “That’s not it,” she croaked.

  “Then the house?”

  She nodded into his neck.

  “What about the house?”

  She breathed deep and let out a long sigh. “I…I don’t want to tell you. It’s petty jealousy that is terribly unbecoming,” she sniffed.

  “You’re jealous of this house?” he questioned, astonished.

  “Not the house. Tansy Langford. And whatever she had to do with this house.” There. She’d said it. And the whole thing felt so uncomfortable that she had the compulsion to extract herself from the very arms that soothed her. She started to move off his lap, wanting to be out of his sight. Wanting to go home, get in her bed, and hide under the covers. And the more Brooks tried to hold on to her, the more desperate she became to leave. To reverse time. To go back to the beginning of the summer. To say ‘no’ to the best first date she’d ever had.

  “Lolly, stop! Tansy had nothing to do with this house. Nothing whatsoever.”

  “I don’t believe you,” she said as she continued to scramble to get off of his lap. To untangle herself from his arms. “The house is too perfect.” She stumbled off of him, catching herself just before falling into the large, glass-topped coffee table.

  Brooks stood and made a move for her, but she spun and put her hands out in front of her. He immediately stopped, palms out.

  “Lolly, I want you to call Darcy.” The more sane part of her mind noticed that Brooks spoke in a manner he might use when trying to talk someone off the ledge of a very tall building. He slowly pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and held it out to her. “Confirm with her that she is the one who helped me decorate the house. The architect I used is David Gaudreau. It’s too late to call him tonight, but he’ll confirm that he and I came up with the plan we used to renovate this place. He’s never met Tansy. Never once heard me mention her name.”

  She knew he spoke the truth. Brooks Bennett was nothing if not honest. And she of all people knew he was so much more. “I’m scared.” The words came out of her mouth before she knew they’d entered her head.

  “Scared?” he repeated, the cell phone still halfway between them.

  “I’ve never been jealous before.”

  “I’m not following.”

  “I know. I know,” she said, moving in a circle, hand on her forehead. “I just—I walked in here and…and it’s so beautifully done. So perfectly put together. I was expecting more of a man cave. You being all single and into sports. So at first I was just in shock. And then it popped into my head about Tansy, and I figured she was in on this. All of it. That you built it for her. That you did this together. And this sick wave of jealousy crashed over me to the point that I couldn’t breathe.” Her breath hitched, and she was afraid she was going to cry again. “I’ve never experienced anything like that.”

  “Okay. First of all,” Brooks said, being very patient and careful with his words, “I will never lie to you. So when I tell you that Tansy happened to be the girl I was dating on the day I settled on this house, and that is the complete extent of her involvement, you need to believe me.”

  “I do. I believe you. But just the thought of it made me crazy. Obviously,” she said, indicating the state of her being. “Because it made me aware of how much you mean to me. How much I’ve come to depend on you. How secure I feel having you in my life. How completely….” Her breath hitched again. “How completely devastated I would be if you wanted somebody else.”

  “This is music to my ears.”

  “Well it’s making me a stark, raving lunatic, and I don’t like being out of control.”

  “Lolly. If you had any idea—any idea at all—how long I’ve been in love with you, there would be no way…. Oh, shit. Oh, sweetheart. It’s okay. Please don’t cry.”

  But she couldn’t help herself. The rest of her emotional dam burst forth with a combination of fear and relief. Joy and anguish. It had her doubled over until she felt herself pulled up against the solid wall of his chest. She wrapped her arms around him and clung tightly.

  The words ‘how long I’ve been in love with you’ rang true so deep in her soul she hadn’t understood what had been happening until now. Brooks had been filling the needy places in her for as long as she could remember. In middle school, he was her sports hero, her protector, and even her disciplinarian. Later, he became her coach, her teacher, and her confidant. She never longed for her missing father after she met Darcy Bennett. Because Brooks had filled so many of the missing parts, throughout her whole life. And this summer, he’d finally become her suitor, her inspiration, and the outlet for her wildest dreams.

  Yes, he was the one who spoke the words ‘how long I’ve been in love with you,’ but those were her words. Her thoughts. Her feelings. And that was the reason why she’d eventually slept so well that night after realizing he was playing for keeps.

  Because she loved him. And had for a long, long time.

  Chapter Thirty

  Brooks didn’t have a lot of experience with weeping women. And he sure hadn’t ever sent one into a crying jag by confessing his love. How was this such a shock to Lolly? he wondered. How could she not know how he felt? And why was she crying, for God’s sake? For a woman who was willing to stick her tongue down his throat in public earlier, you’d think a confession of love would have borne a different reaction.

  It was the strength of her arms around him that convinced him this wasn’t necessarily a bad turn of events. She was wrapped around him something fierce, sobbing into his chest. It wasn’t gale-force sobbing though. Just shaking shoulders, lots of tears, and breathy intakes and sighs. Brooks had to agree with the majority of his sex—he was never going to understand women.

  “Lolly,” he whispered, using both hands to try to tilt her face up to his
. She was having none of it. So he scooted them over to the couch and gently pulled her arms from around him, lowering her onto the cushions. He sat next to her and pulled her down so her head rested in his lap. She curled her feet up and tucked her hands against her chest, pulling in deeper and deeper breaths. Brooks ran his hand along her hair, along her shoulder and her back, over and over until he thought she’d fallen asleep.

  He laid his head back and closed his eyes, his thoughts drifting back to the very first time he recognized Lolly as something extraordinarily special.

  He’d thought he was doing a pretty good acting job that night. The night they won the State Championship. The victory party was at his parents’. Half the town showed up to celebrate. Everyone was exhilarated over the first State Championship ever won at Henderson High. It was a banner night for the team, the school, and the town.

  Brooks knew he ought to feel like the rest of them, but he couldn’t get out of his own damn way. Frankly, he’d expected people to acknowledge what had almost happened. It’s not like anyone watching didn’t realize Brooks had a perfect game going.

  But no one said a word.

  His father didn’t take him aside and commiserate with him. His mom didn’t shoot him one of her I’m-so-sorry smiles. Or hug him, knowing that inside he was torn in half. Happy he’d pitched the winning game, but frustrated and angry that for the second time in his high school career a perfect game had slipped from his fingers.

  He’d wanted it bad. And it had been right there. The crowning glory of his storied high school career. He could see the headline in the paper.

  Perfect Game. Perfect Season.

  And now he just felt like an ass. He was part of a perfect season. A big part. And everybody acknowledged that. He’d been slapped on the back so many times he was sore. But it did nothing to soothe his bitter disappointment. He should have had that game. He was thirty seconds from a perfect game when the shortstop took a split second too long to throw the ball to first and the umpire called the runner safe. It was a routine play. He’d thrown a great pitch. The batter, known for relentlessly knocking it out of the park, couldn’t do a thing with it. Yet fucking Dale Sixby couldn’t get the job done.