Sunshine Hunter

by Maddie Cochere

  Chapter Six

  Darby’s bed was more comfortable than the bed in my room. I snuggled deeper into his pillows while I waited for him to get out of the shower.

  When we returned to our rooms from the races, he sat on the floor outside my bathroom door while I showered and changed. I wanted him close by in case I passed out. I was feeling better now that the heatstroke symptoms had mostly passed. We were going to order room service for dinner, but I didn’t have much of an appetite, so I planned to encourage him to go out by himself for the evening.

  I closed my eyes and thought about everything that had happened since Saturday.

  Mick, for starters. He was always in the back of my mind, but I’d been forcing myself not to think too hard about him. Maybe I would call him this evening. We really did need to talk.

  Then there was Jerry. He seemed like such a loner, and it hurt my heart to think he really was alone and died before ever getting married or having children. I sensed there was something behind his heart attack, and it had to do with the man who visited him on Thursday nights. I had to find a way to track him down when I was back in Carbide City.

  And now, here I was in Florida with Darby. I couldn’t help smiling.

  I met Darby Tapley almost a year ago when I moved into my apartment. He had already been in the building for over two years. Larry had rounded up a couple of guys from Barney’s Beverage, and they helped me move from my previous apartment. I had hated the gloominess of the building I was living in. It was an older building in need of remodeling, and I never had enough hot water. The new apartment was a much nicer building with a faux Tudor facade – and plenty of hot water.

  On the day of the move, Darby came out into the hallway to introduce himself and to say hello. He set up two lawn chairs in the wide hallway, brought out two glasses of raspberry iced tea, and convinced me to sit down and let the moving guys do all the work. He laughed when he saw the guys come up the stairs with a bowling bag, a set of golf clubs, baseball bats, a basketball, ice skates, and finally a couple of gym bags with racquets sticking out of them.

  “You had brothers, right?” he asked. “You’re a tomboy.”

  When one of the guys came up with an ironing board, he said that was the sign of a good woman. We talked for nearly three hours while the guys made several trips from my old apartment to my new. It was then that I found out he liked cooking shows, dabbled at being a cook himself, and he was self-employed as a freelance web and marketing writer. He was fun and easy to talk with. I told him about cheater Louie and my jobs at Slimmers and the racquetball club. Once the beverage guys were done moving all of my belongings, he came over and helped me hang curtains and position furniture. I made Reuben sandwiches for us that night, and we’d been fast friends ever since.

  Last on the list of things running through my head was Skinny Guy. What was up with him? Darby thought I watched too much television and was being paranoid. Maybe he was right.

  He came around the corner in a pair of Bermuda shorts while towel drying his hair. Of course, it was more tousled than usual now. He flopped on the bed beside me, raised himself up on one elbow, and gave me a big smile. “Are you feeling better now, Sunshine?” he asked.

  He certainly was adorable.

  The next words out of my mouth were uttered without giving them thought first.

  “Why haven’t you ever asked me out?”

  I don’t know why I asked the question. I never really thought about dating him, and I certainly didn’t want to date him now. But something about the moment – his closeness, his attractiveness, his concern for me – the question just popped out. I instantly wished I could take it back. I felt a deep blush rush into my face.

  He leaned in close and looked deep into my eyes. “Susan, honey, you know I love you.” He paused. His eyes had a gleam in them. “And I would date you in a heartbeat.” I held my breath. This was not what I wanted to hear right now. “But I’m gay,” he said. He leaned in to kiss me on my nose. Unfortunately, his comment caused me to bolt straight upright, and we clunked heads.

  “Ouch! What? Darby, you are not gay!” I exclaimed.

  “I am,” he said, laughing while rubbing his forehead.

  “Oh my gosh,” I blurted out. “Not only can I not tell when a man is married, I have no gaydar.” I flopped back onto the pillows. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

  “You never asked,” he said. “I don’t hide the fact I’m gay, but I don’t flaunt it either. I haven’t been in a relationship for a long time, so we never had a reason to talk about it.”

  “Aha!” I bolted upright again. Darby scooted back farther on the bed. “You aren’t meeting a girl on Thursday night, are you? You’re meeting a guy.”

  “Yep, guilty as charged,” he said, laughing again. “And you are, too. Remember, you’re coming with me.”

  “I can’t wait now,” I told him with a smile. “Tell me about him.” I flopped back onto the pillows.

  “We-e-ell,” he drawled, “I’ve been talking to him online for about six months. It feels like I’ve known him for years. We decided it was time to meet and see if we’re more like friends, or if there are sparks.”

  “What’s his name?” I asked.

  “I don’t know yet. We haven’t exchanged names other than screen names. We’ll do that on Thursday.”

  “Why on earth did you decide to meet at a Polynesian restaurant?” I asked. “Wouldn’t Busch Gardens or The Tampa Bay Zoo have been more fun?”

  “He’s a dancer at the restaurant. He dances with feathers and flaming batons.” He moved his hands as if to imitate a hula dancer. “We have to look for the guy with the purple lei around his neck.” We both burst out laughing at the cliché.

  After assuring Darby I wanted to rest, and that I’d be fine staying in by myself, he finally agreed to go out for the evening by himself.

  When he left the room, I decided it would be a good idea to talk with my mother. I went back to my room to find my phone. I could use a little sympathy about my situation with Mick, and I knew Mom would give it to me.

  It was really no surprise to see my phone was dead. I found my charger, plugged it into a wall socket, and plodded back over to Darby’s bed. I was tired and decided to rest there until he came back. I closed my eyes.