His dad shook his head. “I really did praise you too much as a child, didn’t I?”
Mike smiled and tossed his dad the rebound. “I dunno. Why don’t we find out?”
His dad didn’t hesitate, moving to the court and dribbling up the side for a layup. It was tempting to let his dad score, but at the last second Mike changed his mind, stuffing him and claiming the ball.
“Gosh, Dad. What do you do all day?” he asked, back courting it. “Sit at a desk?”
“Ha-ha,” his dad said. “Come talk to me in thirty years, son. We’ll see how spry you are then.”
“Excuses, excuses.”
That got his dad riled up a little bit more, and the game was on. It felt good to be good at something. But in the end, when he won 20-16, Mike felt even more empty than when they’d started.
“You ready to talk yet?” his dad said, tossing him the ball after a rebound.
Mike shrugged, catching the ball and immediately shooting.
“And what I mean when I ask you if you’re ready to talk is, what’s bothering you, Mike? You’re making your mom frown. And I don’t like it when your mom frowns. It makes my life harder.”
That got a smile out of Mike. “Yeah? Then why isn’t she out here?”
His dad grabbed the rebound, this time keeping it for himself and dribbling it out. “Oh, I’m sure that’s her next step. But for now she’s sending me out here as a scout. You know, in case it’s a guy thing.”
“She told you that?”
His dad shrugged, then shot. “Well, her exact words were ‘You should go out there and shoot some hoops with Mike’ but I’ve been married long enough to know what she really means.”
“I’ll bet,” Mike laughed, angling for the rebound.
“So say something meaningful, will you? Something I can report back to her that will make her give a meaningful nod of understanding.”
“Wow. So much pressure.” Shoot and swish. The rebound came Mike’s way, so he grabbed it.
“I know,” his dad sighed before getting a little serious. “Is it the whole Luke-Kris thing? You okay with that?”
Mike grimaced, spinning the ball in his hands as he considered them. “I’m getting used to it. They’re just so different.”
“But in a good way,” his dad said, before holding his hands up defensively. “Trust me, I’ve had my fair share of freak outs about the two of them over the years, but your mom got me to see the light… or at least enough to get me to put down the lynching rope. Our Kris needs to calm down, and Luke needs someone to crack a whip on him every once in a while. He’s complacent and she’s an overachiever. If the two of them rub off on each other enough, they both might end up balanced people. Plus, Luke knows how to love, and that’s more than I can say for most the guys her age. Most of your generation are boys who have no idea how to be men and, hence, will forever be guys.”
Mike considered that as he ran a layup and missed. His dad caught it and watched him for a moment.
“You think Luke knows how to love?” Mike finally asked.
His dad nodded. “And don’t take this the wrong way, but I think he picked up from you a bit. If he’d had different friends, Luke would be the kind of guy who lived in a man cave and played role play games all day. He can be thoughtless. We both know that, but not because he has a bad heart. Because he has a clueless one. Hanging out with you and tagging along all those times your mom sent you out to deliver food, or mow a lawn, or take a shy girl to a dance, just showed Luke that he wasn’t the only person on the planet who wanted things. He learned how to give, and I have no doubt he’ll give everything he can to Kris. I’m sure of it.”
Mike considered that, then nodded. “So is that the difference between a guy and a man, do you think?”
“A man gives,” his dad said. “A man provides for others.”
“And a guy provides for himself?” Mike asked. “Does that mean I’m going through a guy phase right now?”
“You’re trying to get out of debt,” his father said. “You’ve never been in debt and you feel like you can’t truly give anything to anyone until you’re free of it. I know how your mind works.”
“Thanks.”
“That said, yes. You are definitely going through a ‘guy’ phase, son. Sun up to sun down all you’re thinking about is yourself. I think that’s one of the reasons your mom is worried. People who think only about themselves tend to get depressed.”
Ouch. Well that assessment was pretty much on the nose. “Three months and I’m out of debt. If I’m still acting like a guy then, feel free to yell at me.”
“Will do,” his dad said. “And just know that your mom will definitely be waiting for you to start dating again. She didn’t put all that effort into raising you so you could be a bachelor. She fully expects you to pamper a woman and make her some gorgeous grandkids.”
A face immediately came to mind. A face he would be much better off forgetting. “And if I find someone who doesn’t want me back?”
“Then you’re not being a man,” his dad said, dribbling the ball again.
Mike shook his head. “It’s different these days, Dad. Women get married for different reasons than they did fifty years ago. It’s all about love now. If a woman doesn’t love you, she’s not going to marry you because you’re a good, solid guy.”
His dad took a quick shot, banking the ball through the hoop and then catching it. “Your generation has it all backwards.” He tucked the ball under his arm and squared off with Mike. “You all seem to think that being in love is some over-the-top sensation that puts you in a constant state of euphoria. Then, as soon as the euphoria wears off, you all walk away and say you’re just not in love anymore so how can there be a marriage?” He tossed Mike the ball. “It’s a load of crap. Love is an action, not a state of being.”
Mike had heard his father’s words before. He’d been raised on them, for heaven’s sake. But for the first time he was having trouble believing them.
“But what if she doesn’t love you back?” Mike asked.
His father shook his head. “That’s the wrong question to ask. The question is, does the she feel your love, or are you just feeling it all by yourself? Love isn’t love if the other person doesn’t feel it, Mike. And it’s only when they feel your love that they can really make a choice of whether they want you in their life. The rest is just smoke and mirrors.”
Mike dribbled the ball, thinking not shooting.
His dad stood under the hoop and seemed to sense that his words hadn’t sunk in. “Ask yourself if you’re continuously showing this woman you love her, without demanding she meet you point for point.” He gestured to the house. “Like your mom loves you. That kind of love is work, son. Every night of your life, your mom has had dinner on the table for you. She held you when you were sick, and fixed you up when you got hurt. She’s gone to all your events and cheered for you—whether you won or lost. And when you did lose, she still made you feel like a winner. If you really want to make a relationship work, that’s how you’ve got to love. It’s just how it is. Everything else will fail.”
“Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re kind of smart sometimes.”
“Uh-huh. And I really did praise you too much as a kid. No question.”
Grinning, Mike moved to the hoop and made a slam dunk. “If you say so.”
“Smart ass.”
Chapter 35
Was it wrong when your own creation kind of turned you on?
It was a mental dilemma Rori tried not to think too hard about as she stepped back and regarded her sculpture. There would only be three sculptures in her entire show, and the other two were much more innocent. But this one?
Damn.
That was Rori’s only thought, right after, Did I really make this?
From its profile it looked like a lopsided heart with smaller side overlaying the larger one at the base. It was only when you moved around it that you saw that th
e shape was formed by two pairs of hips locked together. No genitals showed, but that kind of made it hotter to know that the man was hip-deep in the woman as the two strained to become one. The sculpture wasn’t even close to complete and it already had an impact on Rori. In her mind it was impossible not imagine how the rest of those two bodies would be positioned based on the hips—to imagine the expressions on their faces, the way their hands gripped each other.
Rori turned away, surprised to find herself so affected. Maybe it was time to take a break—to work on the butterfly painting or maybe the flower girl one with Mike.
She bit her lip, debating for the thousandth time whether to call Mike and officially request his permission to use the picture as a model. It was a professional courtesy, even if she knew him well enough to know what his answer would be.
She should still ask. In person. On the phone. Not via text or some lame Facebook post. Manners were manners. He’d been able to call her and keep things professional, now she needed to prove herself capable of the same.
Rori glanced at the clock. It was 1:00 a.m., which meant it was 11:00 p.m. in Mike’s time zone. He might even be asleep. Then she could leave a message and all would be right in the world.
Before she could talk herself out of it, Rori picked up her phone, found Mike’s number, and pressed Send. If he answered, she would just—
“Hello?”
For a moment after hearing his voice, Rori froze, and before she could stop them her eyes darted over to the sculpture. Then she blinked and turned away from it. “Hi. I, uh, wasn’t sure I’d get you this late. Thought you might have an early morning.”
“Not this time,” Mike said, his sexy voice sounding relaxed. “No filming for the next two days so I’m out in the desert doing time-lapse shots.”
“Sounds interesting,”
“Well, I don’t want to jinx myself, but I’m getting some sweet shots here. Definitely sell-able. But to what do I owe the honor of your call?”
“Professional courtesy,” she blurted before pausing awkwardly.
“Yeah?” he prompted.
“I, uh, was looking through some of your shots on Facebook and found some images that I would like to model pieces after. They won’t be literal, in most cases, but still. I thought it best to ask your permission before moving forward.”
“Of course,” he said. “I’m honored. Use whatever you need.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
This was the part where she should say ‘bye’—the end of the professional part of the conversation. And yet she was hesitating.
“How are your pieces coming?” he asked. “You stressing out yet?”
“Not totally,” she said. “I’m probably at about a seven on the stress scale right now. It helps that I’m not short on ideas. The trouble will be editing the options down into a cohesive show.”
Like he cared about that. She was totally rambling.
“Oh, I totally get that,” he said. “That pretty much sums up my daily dilemma: editing six hours of footage into a dynamic thirty-minute video. It can get pretty cutthroat.”
“Indeed,” she said, not envying him. “My cuts won’t be quite so dramatic, but they always sting nonetheless.”
“It sounds like you have a good theme.”
“I think so,” she said, glancing at the sculpture again. “It’s a study in connection.”
“Nice. And ambitious. I look forward to it.”
For a moment she panicked. Mike was going to see the sculpture. And damn if imagining him looking at it didn’t have her turned on all over again. “I hope you like it. It’s a bit different than what I usually do.”
“Different is good.”
“Or a disaster,” she amended. “With art it’s usually one or the other.”
“And either extreme is better than just plain ol’ boring.”
She laughed outright. “Touché.”
The conversation had reached another stopping point, and for a moment there was an awkward pause. One her subconscious apparently decided to fill.
“So are you out in the desert with anyone?”
He hesitated. “Like a date?”
She blushed. “Or a buddy, or someone who can go for help if you get trapped by a boulder or something?”
“No buddy, although I did text Kris my GPS coordinates, so she knows where I am if I don’t return on schedule.”
“Oh. Well, that’s better than nothing, I guess.”
“I do it all the time,” he said dismissively. “I’ve been coming down to Southern Utah since I was a kid. It’s like my backyard.”
So no girlfriend? Rori had no idea where the question came from, but she barely stopped herself from asking it. It didn’t matter if he was dating someone. She wouldn’t let it matter.
“It’s okay,” he said softly. “You can ask.”
Ask? “Ask what?” Had he read her mind?
“About Luke,” he said carefully. “And Kris. I can tell you’re holding back a question.”
Well, if that’s how he wanted to interpret her awkwardness, Rori was more than happy to go along with it. “Are they happy?”
“Yeah,” he said gently. “They are. I hope that doesn’t hurt you to hear, but at the same time, I’m pretty sure they would still be dancing around each other if it weren’t for you.”
“No, I’m happy for them,” she said honestly. “And while Luke would have made a great husband, I’ve already made arrangements with my matchmaker for a man that will fit the bill just as well. I’m glad that Luke and Kris can build on a lifelong relationship. I think they’ll be happy together.”
“Yeah,” Mike said, his voice suddenly much more stiff. “I’m starting to see that, too. I think I’m the last to see it, but that’s not a first.”
“On the contrary, you seem like a man who picks up on things rather quickly.”
“Nah,” he said. “No more than any other guy.”
Something was wrong. Somewhere in the past ten seconds something had shifted between them, and Rori wasn’t sure what. More than that, she wasn’t sure why she cared so much.
“Oh, wow. I just got a great shot,” he said out of the blue.
“Yeah? Wish I could see it.”
He hesitated. “Well, you could. I could post it to Facebook.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but I would need to get off the phone with you first.”
“Sure. No problem. We’re done anyway.” Or were they?
“Cool. Well, watch my wall then. You should see it pop up in a minute or so, and then you’ll see the view I’m looking at tonight.”
“Sounds good. It was good talking with you.”
“And you,” he said. “Always good to hear your voice.”
Okay, it was just outright stupidity that her heart fluttered at that. “You, too. Bye.”
“Bye.”
An instant later he was gone and Rori was staring at her phone. “Why do I feel like I just got ditched?”
No one answered her, of course, and after a moment of telling herself all the reasons she shouldn’t care enough to try to answer the question herself, she pulled Mike’s profile up on her phone. Sure enough, thirty seconds later a picture popped up.
A perfect picture unlike anything she’d seen—and that was saying a lot.
In the foreground was the entrance to cave. Beyond that entrance lay a scene so picturesque she would have sworn it was Photoshopped. The next layer was a redrock arch, its color somehow visible in the night, but the real star of the picture was the sky. The stars—so many stars. And a cloudy mist that went from the top of the frame all the way to the horizon line. She’d never seen the Milky Way look so clear and even multi-colored.
So this was what Mike Cannon did on his day off?
Rori took a slow breath, and decided she was probably better off not knowing as little as possible when it came to Mike Cannon. If she had met him a few years earlier things would have been different. She would be
seducing him and telling herself that their common ground was greater than everything else. She would convince herself to give him a shot.
But no. Rori had been there and done that. She knew how everything played out because she had lived it. Multiple times. The phase of her life where she wasted time on common men with seemingly good hearts was over. In the end the money always got in the way. One way or another the relationship couldn’t survive.
So why even start?
Rori had learned her lesson the hard way. Chasing after men like Mike led to heartbreak and regret. And why deal with that when you had a sure thing on its way?
Putting her phone down, Rori walked over to a fresh canvas and got to work.
Chapter 36
Rori “liked” his picture. That meant she’d seen it, but she hadn’t used the opportunity to leave a comment or call him back. Why should she? She had her damn matchmaker.
There was no playbook for this—especially when a guy was in the middle of the desert and more than a hundred miles from the nearest gas station. He was just a lone guy out in the middle of the desert. It was like a metaphor.
It was tempting to call his sister and ask her thoughts, but that just felt desperate. Besides, it was late. She and Luke were probably… baking… or something.
Great. Just great. Mike was striking out while Luke was scoring… with Mike’s little sister. Maybe it was best that Mike was in the middle of the desert. No one could hear him scream.
Just then his phone chimed with a Facebook message.
“Yesss!” he breathed, pulling the message up. Rori had followed up! She’d—
Mike looked at the message and blinked.
I see she’s FB stalking u. Have u grown some balls and fucked her yet?
Definitely not Rori. He knew it was Sydney before looking up and seeing her name.
To answer, or not to answer?
What the hell?
Not yet, he typed. She’s in New York.
Pansy ass, she typed back. U no wut I do when I want sumthing in a different state? I get on a fucking plane n go get it.
Yes, she most definitely did. Mike couldn’t argue that point. She’s making it very clear that she’s going with a matchmaker and she’s not interested in me.
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