Tripped Up Love

by Farley, Julie

  Donna called that evening and apologized for being so short. Heather said she understood and knew how weird it must have felt. Heather thanked her for being open to all of this. Donna said she just didn’t want to ever lose part of Hank. That was her only concern. Heather wasn’t sure how to prove to Donna she wouldn’t let that happen. Donna and Phil meant everything to Heather too. Heather made a promise to herself to be proactive about reassuring Donna. After all, Donna, Phil and Lauren were a link to Hank for her as well.

  Chapter 9

  Heather sat down to write after everyone left for school the next morning. She checked her email first, hoping there wasn’t a message from Lauren. There wasn’t, but there was one from padamson@gmail.com.

  Wishing you a morning filled with words. Thinking about your lips and the smell of your hair.

  Peter

  Heather had never been romantic. She loved a good Harlequin romance novel but was embarrassed by displays of affection. She often found herself making sarcastic comments in response to Hank’s attempt at romance over the years. Hank was not overly romantic, so it didn’t really matter. After sex with Hank, Heather had had a habit of patting his ass and moving him along. No extra cuddling for this girl. Hank and Heather didn’t mark occasions with Hallmark. Now, here was this guy, this writer guy, who threw words and feelings out at Heather. She didn’t know how to respond. She had to admit she couldn’t stop thinking about the heat from his hands on her back or the way the hair on his leg felt when their knees touched. She wanted some more time with him before she could introduce him to the kids. Surely they would scare him away. They scared her away some days.

  Heather’s first reaction to his e-mail was to roll her eyes and laugh at Peter. But at the sheer mention of lips, she started to think about his lips. And his lips were pretty perfect. His kisses were strong and intense. His kisses stayed with her days after they took place. And then she started to blush. How could one email from a man she had only known for a short time make her blush? How was she supposed to respond? With sarcasm - her only tool.

  Your words are distracting me from writing my words. My hair is dirty and smells more like socks.

  But my lips…are wishing they were near yours.

  H

  Sarcasm and a bit of teasing. Where did that come from? Hank was probably rolling over in his grave, except for the fact he was cremated and in the bookcase in the family room.

  Heather opened up Scrivener and got to work. Heather hated editing, and with 70,000 words written, that’s where she was in the long process of writing a book. Heather was easily distracted and noticed the numbers increase in her inbox.

  Don’t think you can say things like that and not have to act on it. I’ll be over at 2:00. Now write.

  Peter

  Really? He would be over at 2:00? Heather smiled. He would be over at 2:00. She reconfigured her day. Edit for two hours. Clean up as much as she could with a cast. Try to work out using the hula-hoop. Shower. Kiss. Get the kids off the bus. Her day was looking up.

  11:45 Jenny: Just checking in. How’s your day? Need anything?

  11:48 Heather: Working on the book and doing stuff around the house. Peter popping in around 2:00 for a few minutes.

  Heather was too embarrassed to tell Jenny why he was stopping in. All of the sudden, she felt like an almost 40-year-old harlot.

  11:49 Jenny: WHAT?

  11:50 Heather: I’m irresistible. ;P

  11:51 Jenny: Guess so. I need to meet him to make sure he is ok for you. Set it up. If he passes my test, he can meet the kids.

  Jenny had a good idea. She happened to be a phenomenal judge of character. She said she could read people’s energy. Heather thought it was a bunch of hooey, but it didn’t hurt to see what she thought before the kids met him. He would have to meet her mom too. When Heather had talked to her mom yesterday, she left out the fact they had been on a second date. Her mom had done more Internet research on Peter than Heather had, so she knew almost everything there was to know about him. Assuming you thought all you read on the Internet was true, and Heather’s mom did. He was born on Long Island. He grew up in Maine. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1993. He resided in Richmond, VA but spent a great deal of time in Manhattan and the coast of Maine. It sounded to Heather like her mom had read some of his book jackets or press releases. In addition, she had a list of everyone he was photographed with on the red carpet and who he had dated and for how long. Peter turned up in quite a few gossip columns. His latest conquest was Page Six news. He had been photographed with Harrison Ford four times. Harrison Ford was the star in his movies. One picture included Calista Flockhart. All the information made Heather dizzy, and she pretended the middle school was calling on the other line and hung up. Heather wondered if her mom could hold it together to meet Peter.

  11:54 Heather: Stop by around 2:30.

  11:55 Jenny: K

  Cleaning was Heather’s least favorite task. Her definition of cleaning was more in tune with most peoples’ idea of straightening. She had incentive to get it done though. The rest of the morning and afternoon flew by. Heather was on a new diet and made herself a green detox soup heralded by Gwyneth Paltrow. It was healthy and green and devoid of any taste, but Heather had no choice with out her ability to really work out. She hula hooped but ended up with bruises around her abdomen that were not attractive. Heather questioned how much good hula hooping could do anyway. She had always been the first to jump on a fitness bandwagon in hopes it would answer all her prayers for the perfect body.

  Peter was prompt. The doorbell rang at 2:00. Heather had a long sleeved dress on and had her hair up in a messy bun. She had her glasses on but made a last minute decision to put her contacts in as the glasses may get in the way of kissing. Peter walked through the door and kissed Heather before she could even get the door closed. Heather was thankful her door didn’t have a window in the middle of it. She didn’t want her kiss plastered on Facebook. After reminding Heather what his lips felt like, Peter strolled into the kitchen and sat at the table. Sitting at the table was part of his plan. If he was on the couch, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop. Less could happen at the table. Technically, he knew that wasn’t true, but it was the only way he could think of to control himself.

  “Your lips happy now?”

  “Ummm…yes they are,” said Heather turning the shade of crimson now a constant in Peter’s presence.

  “How was your day?”

  “It was fine. Got some work done on my book and around the house.”

  “Are you able to get out much with your cast?”

  “A bit. Jenny is going to take me to Kroger with her tomorrow. I have to drive to school to volunteer in the classroom on Thursday and Friday. I should be able to make it less than a mile to school. I’m kind of a homebody anyway.”

  “People think stay-at-home moms have all kinds of free time, but my sister is always complaining about how fast the time goes by.”

  “Yeah, it’s not as relaxing as you would think. Now I do all the things Hank used to do like the bills, gardening and all the yucky jobs like plunging toilets. My honey-do list could keep me busy for a month.”

  “What are your weekend plans?”

  “Bunco on Friday, baseball on Sunday. I think the kids may stay at Donna and Phil’s on Saturday.”

  “I’ll come over on Saturday evening, check some things off your list and we can have dinner at my place.”

  Peter could see Heather’s mind working. Her eyes were moving side to side. She looked a bit panicked. The doorbell rang. Heather got up to answer the door knowing full well it was Jenny.

  “Hey. Can I borrow some cornstarch?” Jenny asked, walking right into the kitchen feigning surprise at seeing Peter sitting there. Peter stood up when Jenny walked in. She looked him up and down. He was in an outfit similar to the one he had on the day Heather had met him. T-shirt, jeans and Doc Martens. An outfit very few 40-year-old men could pull off unless it was Halloween. Today, Peter
’s t-shirt was a mauve rose color. His shirt was short-sleeved leaving his tattoos visible.

  Peter stuck his hand out to a star-struck Jenny. “Hi. I’m Peter. You must be Jenny.”

  Jenny collected herself and tried not to stare at the man standing in front of her. Heather had failed to mention how much sex appeal he exuded. The way his words rolled off his tongue with such confidence, the way he stood close enough to you to make you feel uncomfortable and wish you were undressed all at the same time. In Jenny’s opinion, Peter was yummy.

  “Yes, I am, and you must be the knight in a shiny Lexus.”

  “That would be me. Nice to finally meet you.”

  “Finally? It really hasn’t been long since the two of you fell into each other.” Jenny’s candor made Peter laugh. He knew he liked her right away. She had Heather’s back.

  “You’re right, I suppose. I’m glad our paths intersected,” Peter said, winking at Heather.

  “Cornstarch,” said Heather as she walked towards the pantry.

  “Jenny, I was just telling Heather I will come over on Saturday and check off some of the things on her list that need to be done around the house. She hasn’t answered yet, but I’m sure you can tell me some ways I can help her.” Peter picked the perfect words to win a doting friend over.

  “Yes, you can change all of her outdoor light bulbs,” said Jenny smiling. He was a keeper. “Cornstarch and I’ll be out of your way.”

  Heather handed her the cornstarch and walked Jenny to the door.

  Jenny whispered on the way, “He can meet the kids.”

  Heather smiled. Peter had won Jenny over. When Heather returned to Peter, he was still standing. He grabbed her around the waist and smiled.

  “Your house is like Grand Central Station. I can see if we are ever going to have any privacy it will have to be at my house.” Peter devoured her lips. Heather wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted herself up on one of her tiptoes. Peter was almost a foot taller than Heather.

  “Your hair doesn’t smell like socks anymore.”

  “I showered for you.”

  “No need to do that just for me. I have seen the not showered Heather, and I think she’s adorable.” Peter lifted Heather onto the table. He knew between the height difference and the cast she was not comfortable. He kissed her again leaning down to meet her lips. Heather rubbed her hands up his stomach and felt a full six-pack under his shirt.

  “I can’t stay. I just wanted to keep your lips company for a bit. I’m headed to my sisters to watch my niece and nephew.”

  A babysitting, tattoo sporting, six-pack donning man. Heather knew she was in over her head.

  “I’ll see you Saturday, if not before.”

  Chapter 10

  Heather didn’t see Peter again that week. They talked and emailed but were both busy. Peter called each morning after the kids got on the bus just as Heather was settling into her routine. Friday came around, and Heather had not heard from Lauren all week. She wondered if Donna had mentioned meeting Peter. Heather called Donna on Thursday just to touch base and say hi. Donna was anxious to have the kids on Saturday night.

  Heather and Jenny went to Bunco at Tanya’s house on Friday. The kids stayed at Jenny’s with her husband, and Jenny and Heather walked across the street together. The cast made even an easy task difficult, but it gave them more time to talk alone. Jenny had given Heather the thumbs up on Peter and gave Heather a hard time about not accurately describing how yummy Peter was.

  “So, tomorrow night, dinner at his place?”

  “Yep. I’m nervous.”

  “You think you’re going to take things to the next level with Mr. Delicious?”

  “I don’t know. It’s so soon. I googled the average number of dates before a person has sex.”

  “Shut up! You didn’t Google that, did you?”

  “I did. On average, most people have sex after 4-6 dates. I’m not sure what to count as dates though. I’ve seen him five times. The first time we went to Ortho on Call, and he brought me lunch. Second time he stopped by with coffee. Third time was dinner. Fourth time was lunch. Fifth time was the kissing pop in.”

  “You are totally doing it tomorrow.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of! It’s been so long, and even when I was having sex I was married and probably kind of boring by most people’s standards. You’ve seen all those women he’s dated.”

  “I bet he never stopped by any of their houses for a quick kiss. He wants you. You and all your baggage!” Jenny said it with a smile, like only a best friend could.

  “Exactly. I have a ton of baggage. How do you have sex with a cast on?”

  “It will be easy. Just pretend it’s one of your Uggs and don’t think about it.”

  “What if my girl parts have fallen apart in the last year and a half? What if they don’t work?”

  “Come on. Let’s face the crowd and have a drink. You have way too much to think and worry about.”

  As soon as Heather and Jenny walked into Tanya’s house, Heather knew she shouldn’t have come. Jenny had convinced her it was good for her to get out. Heather thought she might be developing a social anxiety disorder lately. She found social situations painful. Especially when they involved only women. Tanya welcomed Heather and got her a seat at the kitchen table right away so she could get off her foot. Jenny grabbed Heather a beer. The firing squad lined up. Tanya was first up.

  “So, you went out with Peter Adamson? How do YOU know him?” asked Tanya.

  “His sister lives around here. She has two kids at Weaver Elementary,” informed Nicole.

  “Still, how do YOU know him?” asked Tanya again.

  Jenny came to the rescue since she could see Heather was rather shell-shocked.

  “He found Heather when she fell and broke her ankle.”

  “Oh, that’s why he took you out,” said Tanya.

  “Actually, Heather’s seen him five times since then. He seems to be smitten with her.” Jenny was quick to defend her friend.

  “Smitten?” asked Anna Kate.

  “Smitten by the risqué skirt she wore the other night I’d say,” said Tanya.

  “I met him on Tuesday. If you could see him look at her, you would know how taken he is with her.”

  Heather sat back and drank her beer.

  “He’s pretty hot,” said Anna Kate.

  “He’s quite a catch,” said someone from the back of the crowd.

  “So is Heather,” Laura chimed in.

  Heather smiled. She didn’t know what she would do without Jenny and Laura.

  “I’m not sure what kind of catch I am, but he is pretty amazing. I had no idea who he was when he stopped to help me on the side of the road,” said Heather making sure to dispel any notions she was a gold digger.

  “You deserve some happiness, Heather. Let’s play Bunco,” said Laura trying to divert the turkey vultures.

  Jenny brought Heather another beer, and they made their way to the designated tables. Each table Heather moved to brought a new set of questions. He has a tattoo, right? What does your mom think of that? Have the kids met him? He obviously doesn’t like kids since he hasn’t had any, right? Is he helping you write your book? Do you know his sister? Is he as high strung as she is? The questions seemed unending. Jenny kept a drink in Heather’s hand. By the end of the night, at least she had a good buzz and didn’t really care what anyone thought. Heather also felt a tinge of excitement for Saturday night.

  Heather and Jenny walked home, and Jenny called her house to have Heather’s kids come home. Jenny helped Heather get everyone settled in and headed home to do the same at her house. Heather wasn’t sure she deserved anyone like Jenny, but she was too tired to worry about it. Heather grabbed her iPhone and iPad and made her way up the steps to get in bed with Gracie. Gracie was still awake when she got there.

  “Mommy, did you have fun with the other moms tonight?”

  “I guess, sweetie. Did you have fun at Jenny’s?” />
  “Yeah. I miss Daddy.”

  “Me too, sweetie. Me too.”

  “I’m nervous about you dating.”

  “No reason to be nervous honey. Mommy will be very careful.”

  “I don’t want a new Daddy.”

  “You will never have a new Daddy. There will always only be one Daddy for you, honey. There might be other men that like to do things with you Daddy used to do, but there will never be a new Daddy.”

  “That’s good because I don’t ever want to forget about him.”

  “Me either. Curl under his shirts and let him get wrapped all around you. Love you, Gracie girl.”

  “Love you more, Mommy.”

  Heather knew this wasn’t going to be easy. She looked at her phone and saw a text.

  9:35 Peter: Hope you survived Bunco. Looking forward to tomorrow night. I’ll be over around 6:00.

  10:21 Heather: I survived…barely but only thanks to the beers Jenny kept me supplied with.

  10:22 Peter: Glad she was there for you.

  10:22 Heather: They asked a lot of questions.

  10:23 Peter: About me?

  10:23 Heather: Yes. Like y would u want to be w someone like me.

  10:24 Peter: Did you tell them I like the smell of dirty socks?

  10:24 Heather: :)

  10:25 Peter: Go to sleep, sweet one. You have a big day tomorrow.

  10:26 Heather: night

  10:26 Peter: Good night.

  Heather was worried about tomorrow night. Was Peter another Christian Grey? She had read all of the 50 Shades books along with the rest of the mommies in the area. Hank and Heather had never been very exotic or erotic. Exotic had been having sex while spooning. Heather made sure all of her parts with hair were neatly coiffed, but there was no other way to prepare for this night. The only thing Heather knew for certain was it would be different than sex with Hank.