The Sweet Spot

by Joan Livingston

  Dean parked, and boot heels clattered against the floorboards as the two men went through the front door. Edie was stocking shelves, but she quickly left the aisle as if suddenly she had something more important to do. She rushed past the deli counter to the rear of the store. Walker winced. A short time ago, she would’ve waited for him to pass, giving him a smile and a giggle, maybe a secret touch.

  Walker flicked his head toward the tables.

  “Sit down, Dean, and drink your coffee. I got somethin’ to do.”

  He went out the front door and around the back of the store. Edie wasn’t outside. When he opened the screen door and slipped past the storage room, he found her in the office, her back to him. She spun around.

  “Edie, sweetheart, don’t be afraid. I only wanna talk. I drove by your house last night, but you were at your aunt’s. I wasn’t gonna bother you there. But I wanted to tell you myself Sharon and I are through. I heard what happened at the store. I’m sorry about that.” He paused. “I just got back from court. You might’ve heard I got myself in a little jam. But I’d sure feel a whole lot better if things were right between us. I miss you, baby.”

  Walker spoke in such soothing tones he could have been negotiating her surrender. Edie stared, saying nothing as tears slipped down her cheeks. He kept up his talk while he made a creep toward her so slowly she didn’t seem to notice. She wore a blue dress he liked, deep at the neckline and narrow at the waist. She nearly always wore dresses or skirts. It was another thing special about her.

  “How’s your little girl? I saw her at my folks’ house yesterday. Did she say? She’s such a cute little thing. You know I always wanted a daughter.”

  “Walker.”

  She stepped back, and Walker followed her in this tense little dance.

  “I know things have been hard lately, but I’ll be free soon, a little broke, but so what? I started with a box of tools, and look where I’m now. Even after I give Sharon half, it’s more than when I started. I could make us a good life.”

  “I told you I can’t see you anymore.”

  “Course, you can.”

  He pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and dabbed her cheeks.

  Walker positioned himself in front of Edie. Her back was to the wall, and her breath came in short bursts. He felt dreamy and shameless as he pressed his body against her. He got a whiff of the rosy scent she wore, mixed with her salty sweat. He wanted to lap her neck and arms. Surely, that would ease his pain.

  “Baby, you know I’m right.”

  He pushed back her hair and kissed her neck. Again, she resisted. Her eyes were bright with anger or fear, or both, and he chuckled.

  “Let me go, Walker. This isn’t funny.”

  “No, it isn’t, baby. I love you, and you love me. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.” His hands were on her. “I understand about Gil. Who didn’t love my brother? I sure as hell did. But now I’m the one. I’d do anything for you.”

  Both turned as the door flew open. His mother blinked fast, calling their names and asking what they were doing. Edie bolted from the room. Walker tried to get past his mother, but she moved in his way like an irritated bird. His mother was yelling, “Walker, what’s the matter with you?”

  Choices

  Edie ran up the back stairs to the second-floor apartment, flinging herself against the door until it popped open, and then she locked it. She pressed her hands over her thumping heart, trying to breathe. She waited for Walker’s footsteps, but all she heard was the pulse of the store below.

  She went to the window overlooking the road in front of the store. Walker talked with Dean near his truck. He jerked his head. His face was so mournful she felt another cry come on. Edie retreated into the apartment, so she wouldn’t have to see him.

  Edie waited to go back to work when she was sure Walker was gone. Someone finished stocking the shelves, and Marie was at the deli counter trying to handle lunch orders from the workingmen lined up in front of her. She washed her hands and took a place beside her mother-in-law, whose only acknowledgement was to give her room.

  “What can I get you today, handsome?” Edie said to the man across from her. She tilted her head to the one behind him. “Hey, Bobby, heard your daddy’s coming around. When’s he getting out of the hospital? Tomorrow? Tell him hi for me.”

  She kept up her banter as her hands filled slices of bread with each man’s request. She made more until everyone got what they wanted, and then Marie was lathering her hands at the sink’s deep tub. Her rings, their diamonds so large they seemed fake, were stored on the counter. Edie came beside her.

  “What happened back there, it’s not what you think. I don’t see your son anymore.”

  Marie concentrated on scrubbing her hands. She wiped them with a towel and reached for her rings.

  “It looked pretty bad to me. It makes me wonder what goes on at your house. Maybe it’s not the best place for Amber.”

  Edie pressed her lips. She glanced back at the full tables.

  “You and Fred have been good to Amber, but if you’re planning to make my daughter choose between you and me, then you don’t love her the way I think you do.” She leaned, so her head nearly touched Marie’s. “And Gil would hate you for it.”

  Marie warbled, “Oh,” and her hands shook so wildly, her rings clattered into the sink. She gasped as Edie caught them before they fell into the drain.

  “Marie, you better hold onto these,” Edie pressed the rings onto her mother-in-law’s hand. “They probably cost Fred a pretty penny.”

  Marie squawked, “Thanks.”

  Without another word, Edie returned to her spot behind the deli counter. She was ready to quit although her shift wasn’t over. She had enough of this family, Walker, his wife, and now his mother. She played Marie’s words inside her head as she cleaned.

  But she glanced up, smiling, when she heard Amber’s voice. She ran down the aisle with Pop strolling behind. Edie left Marie to greet the girl, so giggly a couple of the men remarked. Pop wore a sly grin as he peered over the counter, checking to see whether Edie had any food for him. He winked when she angled her head toward Marie, who stared pucker-mouthed.

  “You both look like you’ve been up to something,” Edie said. “Are you gonna make me guess?”

  “Our lips are sealed.” Pop winked at Amber. “You’ll just have to find out at the Fourth of July parade.” He waved to the lunch crowd. “You all will, so get a front row seat.” He winked at Amber. “Right, sweetie pie?”

  It was a joke because the town’s Fourth of July parade was so small, it really should go twice around to qualify as one. The town fathers and veterans marched, as did the American Legion Band. Kids decorated their bikes with ribbons, and the old-timers got their antique cars running.

  “Wait till you see, Ma.”

  Edie smiled at her giggling daughter. Amber kept on even after Marie came around the counter.

  “Are you all set for sleepover camp?” Marie bent for a kiss from Amber. “Did you pack your new things yet, Amber? You did? That’s fine. Edie, dear, why don’t you get our girl something to eat?”

  Split Vote

  Edie stared at the softball field and gripped the steering wheel of her car. She wanted to bang her head hard against it, but Aunt Leona sat next to her, saying, “Buck up, Edie.”

  “Patsy told me the team’s gonna vote whether to kick me off the team,” she told her aunt. “She said it’d be close.”

  Leona grunted.

  “That’s gratitude for you. You’re one of the team’s best players,” she said. “Always have been.”

  “You and I both know it’s got nothing to with that. It’s this thing with Walker.”

  Leona’s lips formed a deep, red frown.

  “Sharon does have powerful allies on the team, what with family, but there might be a
couple of swing votes. I bet you could twist Robin’s arm a little to get her on your side.”

  Edie turned toward her aunt.

  “Aunt Leona, truth is I really don’t care about Robin’s vote or staying on the team. I’m planning to quit before they kick me off. If I don’t, half the team is gonna walk. Then there’s no team.”

  Leona raised an eyebrow.

  “Edie, you okay?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “It’s Walker. He won’t leave me alone. He keeps calling. Now he’s parking outside my house.”

  “I thought I heard his truck. Child, why didn’t you say something?”

  “What’s that gonna do? The other day he cornered me in the store’s office. He came through the back door. He scared me bad. Marie walked in on us, and now she thinks I’m a terrible mother.”

  Leona’s red hair shook as if it were on fire.

  “What!”

  “If I was really in love with Walker, I’d be happy his wife threw him out. I’d be hoping he’d be a good step-daddy to Amber.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Right now, I just want him to stay the hell away from me.”

  “I don’t like the sound of this at all,” Leona said.

  Edie sighed.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to take care of it.”

  Edie peered over the steering wheel. The rest of the team was gathered with Vera at the home bench. Some of the players stared at her car. Robin nibbled her nails.

  “Looks like they’re waiting for you,” Leona said.

  “Uh-huh. I’m gonna get this over with.”

  “Shoot, Edie.”

  “Maybe next year, things will be different. Vera won’t be coaching. Or I can join another team.” She shrugged. “Maybe Amber would like to play ball, and I can help out. We could go to her games instead.”

  “I see you’ve made up your mind. Well, hold your head up high, Edie. We Sweet women are good-looking and tough.”

  Edie smiled.

  “You wanna wait for me in the car? It shouldn’t take very long.”

  “Nah, I wouldn’t miss it. Amber’s with Alban, so I can make a complete fool of myself if I want without her being here to see it.”

  Edie got the lawn chair from the trunk and walked with her aunt toward the team. She wore her uniform as if she were suited up to play. Her teammates watched their slow approach.

  “Hell, make ’em wait,” Leona snarled.

  Edie got her aunt settled in her chair, a couple of feet from the bench, and then she approached the team. Her eyes went from one woman to the other. Aunt Leona was right. The vote would be close. Vera stepped forward to speak, but Edie cut her off.

  “I’m gonna make it easy on all of you. I heard there’s supposed to be a vote about whether I should still be on the team.” Edie paused. “I’m gonna disappoint you, Vera. I know this is all your idea.” She narrowed her eyes. “I quit. It’s not fair for a player to do it mid-season, but it’s better than half the team. I wish you all luck.”

  A few of the girls hugged Edie. They went up to Leona, who told each one, “Atta girl.” The rest stared dumbly or walked with Vera to the diamond, ready to play.

  “Edie, what about the uniform?” Vera yelled.

  Edie flipped her off. Leona’s red lips were clamped tightly as she nodded.

  “You did just fine, Edie. I’m proud of you. Let’s hit the road. I could use a stiff drink. First one’s on me.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll race you there,” she said, as she put out her arm for the old woman to clutch.

  Angel Doll

  Walker left the crew mid-day and drove to his camp. He sat on the dock drinking beer and watching boats glide across the water. This place seemed so far from everything happening to him. It was that way when he was a boy, and his father took Gil and him to hunt, fish, and just be guys. They swam or went out in the canoe. Walker’s arms and back were strong, so when he paddled, the canoe moved quickly, its bow pushing the water in steady thrusts.

  He was always disappointed going home.

  Walker didn’t mind the cabin was crude, but he might sink some money into the place. This could be just the spot for Edie and him to get away. He hummed as he thought about her sitting across from him in the canoe. Her dress would flutter above her thin, white thighs. Her smile would be encouraging.

  On the way back to Conwell, Walker stopped at Ray’s Tavern, a bar he spotted along the way, nothing more than a shack in the woods. He didn’t recognize anyone among the haggard faces fixed on the TV set above the rows of liquor. People left him alone, and it was the way he liked it until a woman, maybe in her early forties and still decent enough in the room’s dim light, played her eyes on him. She came from the other end of the bar when he nodded hello. Her round bottom rolled onto the stool next to his.

  “I was sitting there wondering why a man as handsome as you should be drinking by himself. You seem kinda lonely over here,” she said. “Maybe I can fix that. What do you say, darlin’?”

  It only cost Walker five bucks worth of booze to get what he needed: a quick wrestle with her top off in the cab of his pickup, her big tits pushing into his face, and then a blow job. It was nothing like sex with Edie, but it helped curb the edge. The woman didn’t mind when he brought her back inside, and to be a good sport, he bought her a cocktail before he left.

  “I’ll look you up when I’m driving through again,” he told her.

  Walker killed the headlights of his truck when he drove past Leona Sweet’s house and let the wheels roll to where he parked the night before. This location gave him the best view of Edie’s bedroom windows. He checked his watch. It was after ten. He tried calling her earlier from the Do, where he went after Ray’s Tavern, but he hung up when her daughter answered. He stayed put at the Do, drinking himself into another foul mood.

  He lit a cigarette and watched the lights in Edie’s house, the shadows passing behind the drawn shades. She mostly stayed home these days with her daughter. He smiled.

  Edie caught on right away what he was doing, spying on her, and she told him off the next time he called. She wouldn’t let him talk as if she was afraid he’d say something that might change her mind. She was hurting him worse than what he did to her. He couldn’t stop thinking about Edie, even when he was working, and yesterday he dropped a hammer on the new kid’s foot.

  He swiped at the mosquitoes on his forearm, rubbing them, so their bloody bodies burst and smeared on his skin. He thought he saw Edie peek out the window.

  “Baby, just give me another chance.”

  He lit a joint as he set the bottle between his thighs. He stowed his handgun beneath the seat. He was supposed to take his boys to the dinky Fourth of July parade tomorrow, and he didn’t want them to find the gun rifling around the glove compartment for gum or change. Good kids, but dumb enough to point it at each another. Walker didn’t know why he brought the gun. Was he expecting Edie to have someone over? No one was with her tonight or any of the nights he parked here. So far, so good.

  He laughed, feeling goofy from the weed, as he pictured his nutty mother getting in his way in the store’s office the other day. Edie acted so skittish when he rubbed against her, like a schoolgirl who’d never been with a man. He exhaled. Edie was just a bit confused right now.

  Walker sat for hours, smoking and drinking, keeping his vigil at Edie’s house. The only sounds came from the small critters in the woods. The lights inside stayed off. He got out of his truck and moved forward in an unsteady march to her bedroom window, where his boots crushed the brush below. Heavy chintz curtains hung over the window, but he could see her bed through the crack where they parted. A small lamp from the hall gave Walker enough light for a glimpse of her face, pretty and peaceful. He murmured her name and called her, “My angel doll.”

  He snuck back to his truck.

  Wa
lker thought about climbing into her window, finding her in bed, naked and waiting for him. She opened and closed her legs. “Do you like this game?” she asked him. He unzipped his pants in awe of his lust for her.

  The second time, he fantasized she wore a nightgown when she walked to his truck. She begged him to follow her inside the house, and then she lay back on the kitchen table, pulling up the fabric.

  “She’s asleep, so we can’t make any noise,” she whispered.

  He glanced up when headlights shined in the rear-view mirror. The pickup belonged to Harlan Doyle, and the man slowed, staring at his truck although he didn’t stop. Walker decided he’d better leave.

  Fourth of July

  Walker swore and pounded his pickup’s horn although the noise hurt his head. His boys weren’t coming from the house fast enough, and the last thing he wanted was to go to the door. He reached into the glove compartment for a fresh pack of smokes and hit the horn again, but still there was no sign of the kids. He held the lit butt in his lips and put the truck in gear. Finally, after driving several yards, his boys, dressed in their baseball uniforms, came flying from the house, yelling for him to stop.

  They got the truck door open, and their identically worried faces stared up at him. He scowled while one boy then the other climbed into the cab.

  “I told you two to be ready.”

  The son closest to the door held a shaking pile of papers.

  “Ma said to give you this.”

  “What is it?”

  The truck’s engine idled while Walker read the messages in Sharon’s handwriting. The his and her lawyers from New York had been trying to reach him. Now they would find someone else to renovate the old house they were buying. The lumberyard called, and so did the building inspector. There was a letter from a lawyer, hers. He chucked the papers on the floor.