by Rita Hestand
Mark talked with her aunt a while then he started to leave, "See you in a day or two," he called to her.
Lori came out of her bedroom and thanked him for all his help.
"Thank you…." He winked.
Chapter Seven
"You got yourself a bike!" Her aunt laughed.
"Yes, it's great, it's baby blue and white, just what I need for going to work. I love it. And I'm so grateful for the idea." Lori smiled. "And we stopped off at Walmart and I picked up a few things, and a bike lock."
"I'm so glad. Now I don't have to worry about you walking so far to go to work." Her aunt smiled.
"It was a very productive day. I met Heather today, too." Lori smiled at her as she watched her pull some cookies out of the oven.
Lori loved chocolate chip cookies. She reached too soon and nearly burnt her fingers.
"You gotta let them cool a bit."
"I really like them warm though," Lori laughed.
"So, tell me about Heather. What kind of impression did she leave on you?" Her aunt asked as she came to sit at the table.
"She's very cute, blond and blue eyed and quite friendly." Lori remarked. "I think the real problem must be her father, because she walked straight up to him and started talking. He was a bit shy though. It's not that it was unusual, but he talks as though she doesn't give him the time of day, and I got a totally different impression. I guess I didn't expect his shyness."
"Did you speak with her?"
"Only in passing but she did take note of Mark. I don't think this is going to take long. They'll be dating by Christmas, unless her father objects. That is if she's not entangled in a relationship. She sure was curious who I was." She added as she grabbed a cookie again, this time just warm and oh so scrumptious.
"Did you like her?"
"Well, she's not the kind of girl I'd pick for a best friend, but yeah, she's nice enough. She seemed a little into herself. And I got the distinct impression she doesn't like living here in a small town. What's important is how he feels about her. He gets so quiet around her. I told him he had to learn to speak up. I mean, he talks to me easily enough, why not her?" Lori shrugged.
"That's interesting."
"What?"
"That he talks to you so easily." Her aunt had a twinkle in her eye.
"Oh now, Aunt Judy, Mark isn't interested in me like that." Lori tried to dispel her aunt's match-making charms.
"Maybe he doesn't know what's good for him." Judy smiled impishly.
"Nevertheless, don't start. I want this to be the best Christmas ever." Lori protested and took another cookie. "I'm going to get fat living with you. But I'm sure going to enjoy it."
Her aunt chuckled. "Not if you ride that bike every day to work you won't."
"You know one of the first things I want to buy, is one of those foot soakers, the kind you plug in the wall, and it heats up and massages your feet."
Judy chuckled. "Those are for old ladies."
"And young ones too, that have aching feet."
"If I ride the bike every day, I can have more cookies, huh?" she giggled.
"I'm so glad you are here dear. I love hearing you giggle." Judy watched her closely. "This house needed something and today I figured out what it was. Laughter."
"I have to admit; I haven't felt so relaxed in a long time." Lori was saying as she grabbed one more cookie. "Honestly, you'll have to swat my hand, to keep me out of the cookie jar." She giggled.
The ladies from the sewing circle came and Judy introduced them to her. She'd met them in Church, but she couldn’t remember most of their names yet. They were very friendly, and Lori felt comfortable leaving them to their hobby while she did some laundry.
They all were so sweet, and mostly her aunt's age. And they had samples of their work with them and Lori was quite impressed.
But she wanted to give her aunt some privacy too, so she went to rinse some things out in the sink in her small bathroom.
When she did, the faucet started spewing and she yelped.
Her aunt and two of the ladies came in to see what was wrong. They saw the water and Judy grabbed her cell phone.
"Mark, we've got a problem. No, it's the back bathroom, Lori's sink, the facet is spewing water all over."
She hung up the phone and smiled, "Mark's coming over to fix it."
"Well, maybe we could just turn the water off here and he could do it tomorrow?" She looked uneasy about Mark coming over at night.
"Nonsense, he'll have it fixed in no time."
They went back to their sewing and Lori looked for the place to turn the water off. She couldn't find it. So then she went to get the mop and bucket.
She was in the middle of mopping the mess up in her bathroom when Mark came in with his tools. He was dressed in nice fitting jeans and a clean red plaid shirt, his hair looked as though he'd just stepped out of the shower.
"I didn't want her calling you out at night. I was trying to find the place to turn the water off, but I didn't see it?" She explained. "You look like you were getting ready to go out."
"No actually, just showered and cleaned up after work. I've been fence building for the past two weeks, so I've worked late. Got it done tonight though. I sure was glad. That's hard work."
"Do you make house calls at night for everyone?" She studied him a moment as he inspected the faucet.
"No, just special friends." He smiled and cast her a glance. "Hey, this is what I do. No problem," He said and dotted her nose with his finger.
It was a simple act, but it shocked Lori for a moment.
He tried turning the knobs and they did nothing to stop the flooding.
She propped the mop up and asked, "So where's the cut off valve?"
He looked up from the spewing water, " Come here, I'll show you, in case it happens again."
He squatted down and opened the cabinet under the sink and twisted his head a bit, then he pointed to it, it was way up near the bowl. The way she had to almost get inside the cabinet to see, put them closer than she realized, but she did want to know where it was.
"Oh, good, that's nice to know." She nodded and hit her head on the cabinet as she tried to raise up.
"Easy," He held her at the back of her neck, his eyes meeting her shocked ones. "We don't want an emergency trip tonight too."
"I'm fine, just clumsy." She tried to laugh it off. But it had hurt.
He reached to touch her head and she gasped.
Her eyes were huge when they met his, and her mouth was hanging open.
He moved away and finished his job as she went back to mopping. But there was a moment there when she was sure he was about to kiss her. Nah, that couldn't be, could it?
The curiosity of the moment had her head spinning. Trying to make light of things, she chuckled. "I had this happen to me before, in New York, and stupid me, I tried to turn the toilet water off. Couldn't for the life of me figure it out why the sink was still running. I felt like such a fool."
"I don't think I'd ever call you a fool, Lori." His voice lowered, and he stared at her. "That sink probably hasn't been used in a long time, and sometimes things just don't work right when they sit so long."
She licked her lips.
He glanced around her bedroom, noticing she had no family pictures out. She did put a pretty quilt on her bed and one stuffed rabbit in the center of her bed. He smiled, but said nothing.
She took the mop and the bucket into the back kitchen pantry where Judy kept it.
He followed her.
"All done. No problems." He smiled.
"Thanks, and I'm sorry she called you out like this."
"I'm not…" He said and told Judy goodnight, winked at her and left. "Oh, we'll be stringing some light for the city Saturday morning. If you aren't working, I could pick you up and you could help me?"
"Sure…" her voice seemed raspy.
"Good night."
"Good night," she called after him. Something about his demeanor tonight ha
d her wondering what that near kiss might have been like. But he had a crush on Heather, and she imagined his interest in her.
Lori stood there staring again. He had such a way about him. She hadn't been this aware of a man in a while now. Her relationship with Jason had soured long ago and they barely even kissed by the time she pulled up stakes and moved to Texas again.
Funny thing was, she wouldn't have minded Mark kissing her. After all, he was very attractive, and so easy to talk to.
But that silly little warm fuzzy feeling went right through her, as she hugged herself from the chill of the open door.
Chapter Eight
Three days later, she was relaxing by the fire, and soaking her feet in a plastic pan, when Mark came over.
She started to get up, but instead just hollered, "Come in?"
He opened the door hesitantly, "Judy, Lori?"
"My aunt's at choir practice, come on it." She sighed.
He glanced at the pan and her barefeet wiggling in it. "Tough day?" He asked.
"Just for my feet," She chuckled.
He looked down at her and suddenly, he bent to take her feet from the water and dried them off with the towel she had lying on the floor next to the pan. "Looks like you need a foot massaged." He laughed.
But the minute his fingers began to work around her aching feet, she had to sigh aloud. "Oh, My God! That feels wonderful."
He chuckled. "You are tired."
"We were very busy. Once Frances customers saw she had help, she seemed to be swamped with people coming in wanting up-do's for parties and such."
He glanced up at her as he manipulated her foot between his large hands.
"Oh…"She sighed again, "You could get a lot of money for that."
"You think so?" He chuckled again.
"I'd pay you!" She laughed.
"Just relax, we'll have you feeling better in no time." He smiled up at her as he watched her facial expression change from pained to total relief.
"So, you didn't sign up for the choir too?" He asked.
She glanced down at him and made a mock frown, "Me, I can't sing."
"Everyone can sing; it's just some don't sound as good as others."
"Yeah, and I’m one of them." She replied, as she leaned her head back and let the feel of his hands on her foot take her to another realm.
"Is this why you came over, to rub my feet?" She asked in a teasing tone.
"I came over to see how you liked your job?" He said taking her other foot out of the water and drying it. The way he handled her feet, so gently made a tingle run through her.
"I love it. The people here are so friendly, a little noisy too, but very friendly. Frances turned half her clientele over to me. She said if I stay she might actually get a vacation every now and then." Lori was saying as she relaxed and let him work his magic.
When he was finished, her eyes popped open and she saw him staring at her.
"Maybe you should invest in some better shoes." He told her as he sat down at the table by her.
"Yeah, I guess I should, I haven't bought any in a while and these are pretty worn out." She glanced at the clogs she had worn for the past five years.
"Maybe the first paycheck I get I can invest in a pair." She sighed. "So, what have you been up to?"
"Working. I've been patching Bernie's roof on his shed so he can work in there again."
"Bernie?"
"The mechanic."
"Oh, kind of chilly weather for that, isn't it?"
"A little. All work has its hazards, I guess."
She looked at him and smiled, "Want some coffee or cocoa?"
"Hmm…cocoa sounds wonderful." He smiled and stretched.
She liked the way he seemed so comfortable around her, even though they hadn't known each other long.
Her cell phone rang and she glanced at it and ignored it.
"Aren't you gonna answer that?" He asked curiously.
"No…"
"Why not?"
"It's Jason. And I know what he wants. I really am through with him and don't want to encourage him." She told Mark as she brought the cocoa to the table.
"You're kind of hard on him aren't you? I mean just because he doesn't like Christmas?"
"That's not the only thing."
"Oh…."
She set her mug down and run her finger over the edge of the mug. "Our relationship was fading into nonexistence. I don't want that anymore. He doesn't respect my work."
"That can be a drawback. I mean look at me. Why do you suppose Heather isn't interested in me?"
She turned her head in question. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, I'm not ambitious, I'm not a go getter like her dad wants for her. She wants big things, big opportunities. I just want to enjoy my life." He smiled. "To me, working, and helping means happy."
"I totally get that." She sighed. "Jason used to ask why I was a hairdresser in the first place, if my feet hurt every day and I was wasted tired."
"What did you tell him?"
"I told him I enjoyed my work, seeing the ladies and men's faces when I was done, was a real boost, and when I came home tired, I knew I had put in a good day's work. I feel as though I accomplished things."
"And his reply?"
"Hairdressing was not an accomplishment. I should have higher goals, better education and want to better myself. Where was my pride? He just never understood."
"Well now, let's see. You take an ordinary lady, turn her into a princess so she can go home and impress her husband or her boyfriend. You build her confidence in herself so she can face her tasks. I'd say you accomplish a lot in very little time, too." He reflected.
She stared at him and for the first time in a long time, she felt very proud of herself, and was a bit in awe of Mark that he even noticed. Most men wouldn't.
She tried to shrug it off, "I guess it takes someone who feels the same about careers as I do, to see it. Just like I see your worth when you fix something for someone and they appreciate it. When you use your time to help others. Why doesn't everyone seem to recognize that it takes all of us in different capacities to make this world function right?"
"Now that's profound," He chuckled.
"When you help someone else, and you do your job well, why should anyone feel as though they should be ashamed of themselves for not going to college?"
"Jason thinks you should have a degree and make big money?"
"Exactly. I make enough money to support myself and to have a little thing I want. I don't have a huge appetite for things. Give me a decent television, a good laptop, a few clothes, and I'm happy."
"What does he say about you not driving?" Mark asked her.
"Oh," she rolled her eyes, "We don't want to go there. He thinks I can't emotionally get over things. But I can. I just allow myself the time to. Driving isn't a top priority for me. And it only serves to remind me of my folk's deaths, which, I've made peace with lately. Aunt Judy and I have talked about it a lot. Jason never would talk about death with me. Maybe someday I will drive again, but I'm not ready for that."
Mark stared at her. "When my father died, I didn't have time to grieve much myself. My mother came unglued and needed me to be strong for her. I tried my best to be. Mainly because my other siblings weren't around as much. But I'll admit, I haven't totally gotten over it myself."
"I'm so sorry. I know how you feel. But, you've got to let yourself grieve before you can ever, 'get over it'." She told him.
He looked at her, all over, and that look went through her like an electrical current. "You're right."
"How old was your father?"
"He'd have been fifty this year."
She nodded. "My folks would have been in their fifties too. And to tell the truth, I'm a whole lot better than I used to be about them. I was young when it happened, but I'm over it now. Although I still miss them every day."
"I don't know if you ever get over that."
"No, I don't guess you do. Someone o
nce told me that you don't really grieve for them, but for yourself. I didn't understand that for a long time. But now, it makes sense to me. I think if I had more family, I would have gotten over it sooner."
"I believe that too! My brother Seth kept me hanging on."
"You have a nice family, what I've met of them."
"I guess I do." He looked at her, this time deep inside her. "At least you have your Aunt Judy."
"I've come to realize though, that if anything happened to her, I’m not sure I could go on…"
He reached for her hand and his thumb absently stroked it, "Yes you could…We all go on."
She smiled. Then looked at their hands. When she glanced up, he was staring again.
He stood up and he stood right over her. She tossed her head, and her curls fell over her shoulder as she looked up at him. He bent and touched his lips to hers, and suddenly the door burst open and her aunt came inside.
Whether she knew she had interrupted anything or not, she was surprised to see Mark, and Lori couldn't stop the immediate blush that rushed to her cheeks.
"Why Mark, glad to see you hon." Her air of confidence nearly gave a hint of her insight.
He cleared his throat and smiled down into Lori's eyes.
"Just thought I'd check to see how Lori liked her new job." Mark moved away.
Judy took her jacket off and turned to look at them, "Well, what did I miss?" the twinkle in her eyes told them she knew exactly what she missed.
"Miss?" Mark questioned in haphazard innocent way.
"You both look like someone stole the mouse's cheese." Judy chuckled. "I know I must have missed something important."
"Oh…" Lori composed herself. "We were just into a heavy discussion…" She glanced at Mark. "That is after he gave me a foot massage."
Judy chuckled, "Now that's a handyman for you!"
Making light of the situation seemed to ease away the tension between her and Mark. Even though her aunt knew what they'd been doing, she didn't bring it to their attention. Obviously, they were mulling over what had happened in their own minds.