Blue Ribbon Summer

by Kelly Collins

  “Go and have fun tonight, sweetheart. Will you be home tonight?” He didn’t ask whether I would be home late; he asked whether I would be home at all.

  “I’ll be home tonight. It might be late, but I’ll be home. Love you, Dad.”

  Alex held my hand as he walked me to the car. He opened my door and got me settled before he jogged around to his side and entered. Out the front window, my dad watched.

  “I’m so sorry for the inquisition.” He started the engine with the push of a button. The car roared to life, and we were on our way.

  “It’s not a problem. He just wants to protect you, and I can understand that. I like your dad. He was fair.”

  “Why did you accept responsibility when he accused you of having me lie to him? You had nothing to do with that.”

  “I know, but it would have been unmanly of me not to take the blame. I wasn’t going to throw you under the bus, Tilly. That would be completely out of character for me.”

  “Who are you? I don’t know any guys that act like you.” I turned in my seat so that I could watch him. His eyes were focused on the road. He reached across the center console and held my hand. His touch was warm and comforting.

  “I was raised by a woman. She would never tolerate bad behavior, especially when it comes to dating.”

  “Tell your mom thanks. She raised a wonderful man. Does she advocate relieving sexual tension on the first date?” I squeezed his hand.

  “We haven’t been on a date yet. Tonight is our first real date. Do you think I might get a kiss when it’s done?” He briefly looked in my direction. My face had a full-on goofy smile. “As for my mom, I suppose she would be disappointed in me and think that maybe I took advantage of the situation. Are you disappointed in me?”

  “No, I’m grateful for your consideration. It was an amazing experience.” His face bloomed into a full-fledged smile. “Where are we going?”

  “On a real date. I mean, since you’re my girlfriend and all now, I should probably take you out and show you off. By the way, you look very pretty today. I love the curls in your hair, and you look hot in that dress.” His lifted his brows and bit his lip. Damn, that was hot.

  “Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Saunders, but you still haven’t told me where we’re going.” I held his right hand in mine and rubbed his arm with my free hand. The hair tickled my palm as I caressed his skin. He pulled his hand from my grip and put his open palm on my knee.

  “We are going to see a movie, and then we have dinner reservations at La Fondue. I thought a leisurely meal would give us a chance to get to know each other.”

  He’d given our first date a lot of consideration. Most guys would take you to the local burger joint and expect you to park with them after. Alex Saunders was in a league of his own.

  “That sounds perfect.” In the back of my head, I thought I would rather be laid out on that leather couch with his lips on mine. However, I was glad we were getting a chance to spend time together in a social setting.

  It took us thirty minutes to get around the lake to Ledo. It was a bigger town than Waycross and had a theater that showed new releases. We parked the car and walked hand in hand to the theater. There were two movies showing. One was a thriller, and one was a romantic comedy. Knowing that Alex was a writer of paranormal thrillers, I chose the scary movie. He seemed relieved that he didn’t have to sit through a chick flick, but I had a feeling that he would have smiled and happily watched if that was what I wanted.

  The movie turned out to be a really scary one about poltergeists and evil spirits. I spent most of the movie hiding behind my hands. I saw most of it looking through the space between my index and middle finger. There were moments when I just hid my face in Alex’s shoulder. He spent the entire time laughing at me.

  La Fondue was just a few doors down from the theater. We stepped out of the lobby and walked straight into Tommy, Jake, Brian, and Sam. As soon as Alex saw Sam, he immediately pulled me behind him. Sam stepped forward and pushed his shoulder into Alex’s. I heard him say, “asshole” as he walked past us. Alex stood his ground. For a quiet, soft-spoken man, he didn’t lack courage. His hand wrapped around me and pushed me with him as he turned to watch the four boys disappear into the theater.

  Alex turned around and held on to my shoulders. His eyes searched mine. There were so many unsaid words in his expression. “Are you okay? I didn’t consider that we would run into anyone tonight, especially him.” His concern was obvious, from the way his hands caressed my arms to the way his eyes probed mine for any sign of distress.

  “Yes, I’m okay. My heart was beating so fast. It would have been four against one if they had decided to fight.” The tension I was feeling ebbed as soon as the boys entered the theater. I was happy there wasn’t a confrontation.

  His eyes danced in the glow of the theater marquee. The blinking lights made his irises sparkle. “You would have left me to fight by myself?” He opened his mouth in mock horror. “I wasn’t worried. I learned how to defend myself early. Bookish boys get picked on a lot in school.”

  He pressed a kiss to my forehead and led me toward the restaurant. Alex approached the girl at the hostess stand, and we were seated right away. The little corner booth was perfect. I slid in first, and Alex slid in after me. We ordered sodas and looked at the menu.

  “Do you want to try a bunch of different stuff? We can get the surf and turf or the wild game if you want. The best part is dessert.”

  “That all sounds great, except for the wild game. I’m not a fan. I don’t like that taste. It doesn’t matter what you do with it. It tastes gamey to me. My dad likes to hunt, and we still have all of last year’s elk in the freezer.”

  “Okay, so no wild game, I’m not a huge fan either, but I’m always willing to try anything twice.” He sipped the soda that the waitress brought while we were talking. His hand slipped under the table and settled on my thigh. He didn’t move it; he just left it where he placed it.

  “Twice?” Most people said they were willing to try anything once.

  “Well, I’ve found that once is often not enough to make a good decision. Most things you have to experience twice before you know whether you like them or not.” He shrugged as if to say that’s just me.

  “I think that’s sound advice.” I liked to try new things too. I’d have to consider his try-twice philosophy.

  The waitress had brought our hot fondue. One was cheese, and the other was some kind of broth. A platter full of seafood and meat sat in front of us. Another tray loaded with veggies and bread bites was placed between us. It was enough food to feed a regiment. We began by placing a piece of raw meat in the broth. While that cooked, we both dunked veggies into the hot melted cheese.

  “Why did you come here alone? I would think that your mom would have come since it was her dad.” He was facing a difficult task by himself. Closing up a house was hard work.

  “She hasn’t seen or talked to him since he gave her the boot. She had no interest in anything to do with him.” His tone was matter of fact. There was no animosity present.

  “I can imagine. I don’t think anything would cause my dad to turn his back on me. Even if I came home and told home I wanted to date girls, he’d still love me.”

  “God, please don’t go home after our date, and tell him you want to date girls. I don’t think my ego could take that.” He popped a carrot into his mouth.

  “No risk there. I can’t get you out of my mind. I haven’t thoroughly investigated your body, but I’m pretty sure you don’t have a vagina.” I nudged him with my shoulder.

  Alex began to choke on his last bite of food. I patted his back, hoping to dislodge whatever he was choking on. I was trained in the Heimlich, but I preferred not to have to try it out on Alex.

  He took a sip of soda and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Nope, one hundred percent male.”

  “I believe you. You were kind enough to give me an eyeful yesterday morning.” I thought back to the
tent in his pants and blushed.

  The waitress came forward to clear off our dishes. We’d put a significant dent in the meat and veggies. Alex ordered chocolate fondue with orange liquor and two decaf coffees with cream.

  “What do you do for fun, Tilly?” He scooted slightly to the side so that he could turn and look at me.

  “I read. I have a huge appetite for words. I like mysteries and murder stories. I like to try to figure things out. It probably comes from being the daughter of a lawman. I used to love it when my dad would bring home a case he was working. I got to look at the pictures and read the reports, and I’d always make up a story in my head.”

  “Maybe you should give writing a go. I bet you would be really good at it. All you need is an imagination. One of my favorite things to do with my mom was play ‘what’s their story.’ We would choose a person or a couple in a restaurant or at the mall, and we would give them an entire story. I think that’s when I started to see a story in everything.”

  I looked at him for a moment and then glanced around the room. There was a couple sitting across from us. He looked much older than her. He was attentive, and she looked bored.

  “Okay, tell me—what’s their story?” He followed my gaze to the couple. Our coffee and melted chocolate were delivered with a plate full of fruit, pound cake, and marshmallows.

  He contemplated for a minute and then he rubbed his hands together like he was getting ready for something big. “He’s a divorce lawyer; she’s the client. She lured him into a relationship so that he wouldn’t charge her his exorbitant fees. She has a lot to lose. She’s a trophy wife, and after years of cheating on her husband and the birth of a biracial baby, her husband finally figured it out. She wants a car, the house, and a sizable alimony. The lawyer just told her that the ex wants a paternity test. She’s been trying to convince him that it’s a recessive gene.”

  I burst out laughing. The couple across from us looked at me, and I laughed harder. Alex picked up a strawberry, dipped it in chocolate and fed it to me to stop my laughter. I opened my mouth and bit the tip off the berry. He took the remaining part and popped it into his mouth.

  “You’re really good at that game. How often do you do it?”

  “I can’t help it. It happens in my mind all the time. Pretty much anyone I meet gets a story.” He avoided eye contact and stabbed a marshmallow. He coated it with chocolate and offered it to me.

  “No, I’m not a marshmallow fan. So…do I have a story?” He shoved the chocolate-coated confection into his mouth. With his mouth full, he must have thought he was safe from my question, but I could wait him out.

  I waited patiently and stared at him. He took his time, it was like he was savoring this one piece because it might be his last. Depending on his story, it could be.

  “Spill it, Saunders.” I put my hand on his knee and squeezed that sensitive spot right around the kneecap that will make you scream uncle. He scrunched his nose up and grunted as he took the pain.

  “It’s hard to say because I know some of your story. In all honesty, I walked in and saw you. Even though you looked unhappy to have someone coming into the diner so late, you were willing to serve me. You were staring intently at me, and I wasn’t sure whether you recognized me.”

  “I was checking you out. I was also trying to figure you out. You have these amazing smoky eyes and sexy curly hair, but you had dark circles under your eyes, and I thought that you were either really tired or you drank a lot.”

  “Really? So you went straight for the drinking or tired scenario. I could have been a rock star that just got off tour.” He tsked and shook his head.

  I rocked my shoulder into him. “You don’t look like a rock star. If you were a musician, I would say that you would be a John Mayer type.”

  The waitress showed up and placed the bill in the center of the table. I offered to help pay. “It’s a date, Tilly. Don’t take my masculinity away by offering to pay. I asked you out, and I expected to pay.”

  “Thanks for dinner, Alex. All the girls would be so jealous if they knew how lucky I was. I’m not sure that I ever want you to sell that house and go back home. Where is home, by the way?”

  “I live mostly in Dallas, although I have to spend some time in California for the scriptwriting for Satan’s Ring. That brings me to a bit of bad news. I’m going to be leaving earlier than I thought. I expected to leave for Los Angeles in a month, but the date has been moved up by two weeks.” He inhaled and held his breath.

  My world seemed to fall out from under me. Here we were, having a great date; I really liked this guy, and now he was going to walk out of my life. He’d met my dad and got the seal of approval––the only boy who ever had. I knew it from the start, so I didn’t know why it came as such a shock. We had only known each other for a few days, but it felt like a lifetime. I wished it were this easy with everyone.

  “Wow, that soon?” My heart lurched, but I buried the feeling. “I’m really excited for you. Is it exciting to see one of your books become a movie?” I was excited for him, but I was sad for me. The first good thing to come my way would be leaving too soon.

  “It’s amazing. I feel like a parent who has a child going off to kindergarten. I feel protective and proud.”

  His face lit up as he talked about the process. It sounded like a tedious endeavor, but I could see how he would want to be around to make sure the story got told accurately.

  “You’ll have to call me and tell me how it’s going. I was hoping that maybe when you get back to Dallas, we can see each other occasionally. I’m going to the University of Texas, so I’ll be close when you’re home.” My voice was filled with hope.

  “That sounds fabulous. We’ll definitely see each other. I hope my bad news doesn’t change how we approach the next two weeks. I want to see you as often as possible. I really like you.” His warm palm rested against my cheek.

  I thought about the next two weeks and decided right then and there I would have the best two weeks of my life. Forget blue ribbons—it was going to be a banner summer. “Well, Mr. Saunders, we better get on with our summer. If I only have two weeks left with you, then we shouldn’t waste any more time here. Since I thought we would have a month, you are going to have to give me twice as many kisses over the next two weeks.”

  We slid out of the booth and walked together to the car. He opened my door and kissed me before I entered. I definitely needed more of those kisses.

  “Where do you want to go? Should I take you home, or do you want to come back to the lake house? I’m in the middle of packing things up to donate, so the house is a mess, but if you don’t mind we can go there.” His voice had a hopeful edge to it.

  “I don’t care if it’s a mess. I’m not there to see the house.” It could have been vacant, and I would have rolled on the floor with him. “Are you going to keep anything from the house?”

  “No, I didn’t know him, so there’s no value, emotional or otherwise, to his belongings. I did put some of the books aside for you. Things I thought you might enjoy. I’ll make sure you get them before I leave.” He put the car in gear, and we were on our way to his place.

  “That’s so sweet. You know, I can help you box everything up during the week. I work Tuesday through Friday, and the Fourth of July fair is on Saturday, but I’m free outside of that.” I silently prayed that he would say yes.

  “That sounds great, Tills. I almost forgot about the Fourth of July. What is the fair?”

  I explained all of the happenings surrounding the fair. The 4-H events and the pie making contest were the highlights. There were the normal events like three-legged races and water balloon fights and of course fireworks. When I got to the part about the kissing booth, he scowled.

  “Why are you in the kissing booth? Why can’t Rachel do it? From what it sounds like, she’s probably already kissed everyone in town.”

  “That’s probably why they asked me. Who wants to kiss someone who has been kissed by everyone? It�
��s for a good cause. The money goes to the firefighter's fund. It’s not like they expect you to take on tongue. It’s a little peck.”

  He appeared to think on that for a moment. His facial expressions were funny. His face went from “thinking” to “I’ve formulated a plan.”

  “How about I make a sizable donation to the fund, and you spend the day kissing me?”

  “Are you jealous? Geez, Alex, we’ve known each other a few days, and you’re dashing off to attack the rest of your life in two weeks. How about this: I’ll fulfill my commitment, and why don’t you go and work in the boys’ booth? I know a couple of people who would love to lock lips with you. There’s Justine and old Mrs. Payson. I bet they haven’t kissed a hot young man in years.” I thought how I’d enjoy watching him squirm while Mrs. Payson pressed her pruned lips to his.

  I reached across the center console and rubbed his leg. I could feel his muscles tense under my palm. How could I feel so connected to a man I’d known for two days? Was it because he’d saved me? I was aware of him in the diner. The heat of his handshake seared me to my core. We did have a crazy connection. We both felt it. It was impossible to ignore.

  A rush of air escaped his lips. His hand came to rest on mine. “I’m jealous. I don’t have any right to be. You’re right, I’m leaving, and I don’t have any claim on you. It’s just going to kill me to see other men kiss you, no matter how innocent the kiss may be.”

  We pulled into his driveway. He rushed around to open my door and led me inside. There were boxes everywhere. It was pretty sad to see things packed up. It made the fact that he was leaving real. We took a seat on the couch. The same couch that he pleasured me on, the place where I experienced my first release. It hadn’t taken much. He’d barely touched me, and I had exploded in his hands.

  He pulled the remote control out from the side of the cushion and pressed the power button. I had no idea what was showing. It didn’t take long for our lips to lock. I was attracted to him like a bug to a light.

  He pulled away and licked his lips. “Are you sure you want to do this? It doesn’t sit well with my conscience knowing that I’m leaving in two weeks.”