I tried not to let his absolute refusal to share a bed with me bug me, but I didn't think it worked. I focused on my sandwich-making efforts. I felt Ann Marie come up behind me. "Would you like the 'fancy' mayonnaise on your sandwich, Mrs. Valente?"
"Call me Ann, sweetie, and yes, I've gotta taste the fancy mayo." I felt her hand squeeze my shoulder. I looked up to see where Daniel was, because it was suddenly quiet. "He went to change the bedding. Gabby, don't let him discourage you. He's always been very shy about those kinds of things. He's a good boy, a good Catholic boy, like you're a good Catholic girl. He takes things very seriously. Just because he's moving slow and not making the moves you'd expect, it doesn't mean he's not interested. I promise you, honey, he really is."
"I don't know…"
"I'm not the only one who sees it. Santino and Luke gushed about how perfect you were together."
It was my turn to blush. "I'm not…"
"Sweetie, I saw how your face fell, when he said no so adamantly. I see how you watch him. You don't notice it, because he's sneaky about it, but he's watching you, too. He hasn't complained once about you being here, and he's so happy. He's smiling. I've waited a long time to see that happy smile come back to his face. He's a good boy, but he's very careful with everything in his life."
I could see what she was saying. I saw some of what she said in our everyday life. I loved Daniel's smile and his laugh. I loved how we were…fun, goofy and ourselves. We didn't hide ourselves or try and be something we weren't. We were just Daniel and Gabby. We were best friends, and we were at the stage where we didn't bother with others. That had to be something.
"I take it by your silence you know what I'm talking about," she pushed, curious.
I nodded my head. "Yeah, I do, and slow seems to be working for us."
She kissed the top of my head and squeezed my shoulders. "Thank you."
I didn't know what she was thanking me for, but I kind of felt like thanking her. "Thanks for sending me out here."
"What are you girls chatting about?" Daniel sounded happy.
"Oh, we were just talking about this cute boy I know Gabby likes," Ann Marie teased.
"She does?" The hurt in his voice was clear.
I bumped her with my elbow. "She's pulling your leg, Daniel. You know we don't bother."
"Bother?" Ann Marie asked, looking between us, but neither of us answered.
"We were talking about us," I ignored the unanswered question.
"Yeah?" He didn't sound all that convinced.
It was time for the big guns. I was really going to lay myself out there. I hoped everyone was right, and I didn't get my heart ripped out. "It hurt my feelings when you said you wouldn't share a bed with me. She said not to worry, that you'd want to take things slow. That we should take things slow," I added, hoping he knew I was okay with slow.
"Oh." He looked at the ground, and then he shuffled forward nervously. He took a deep breath and then leaned in. I thought he was going to whisper something in my ear, but he kissed my cheek fast, and then pulled back quickly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
That little kiss on my cheek had my insides flipping with excitement. He was so damn sweet. "It's fine, thank you. I like how we are, we don't have to…to…I like us," I finally settled, and he eventually made eye contact. I knew I was grinning like an idiot, and my face was so hot it could have started a forest fire, but his answering smile was worth it. I doubted anyone in history had ever gotten as excited as I was over a little kiss on the cheek.
There was a flash, and we both turned to see Ann Marie had taken a picture of us. "You two are just adorable. Now, Daniel, honey, can you help me get my bag out of the car?"
I finished up the sandwiches and set the table, while she got settled in. It was weird getting to know Ann Marie as Daniel's sister and not Marky's mother. She was the same, but different. She babied Daniel, like he was her own, but there was a much higher level of respect and trust between them. I had to admit I was a little jealous of their connection. Daniel seemed so much more at ease, and they talked about silly stuff that had happened when he was growing up…water fights, Christmas pageants, haircuts gone wrong, Mass mishaps (they weren't uncommon in their family), and my favorite, stupid things their brothers did. They had story after story of jumping off a building to fly, bike tricks gone wrong, trying to bridge the gap over the creek in their vehicles, attempting to play tricks on the neighbor's cat, only to have the cat get the better of them, multiple times (Sprocket was a wicked smart cat).
The stories continued past dinner, and they went on as we ate s'mores around the fire. It was finally time for bed, and Daniel left to shower.
Ann Marie pulled out a stack of papers from her oversized purse. "I have your college applications. I was able to get them and saw some were out of date, so I got you the new ones for the next fall semester. I also took the liberty of adding a couple of other colleges for you to consider."
I took the stack of papers from her. My chest tightened, as I looked down at my old home address scrawled across the top of one of them. "Did they ask about me?"
"So, I brought out some summer wear for you, now that it's warming up." Her deflection gave me my answer.
I wrapped my arms around my applications, as if hugging them would somehow give me back my crappy parents. I could hear Ann Marie talking, but I couldn't focus on the words. I couldn't comprehend anything that was being said. I walked into the study and got my bed ready. I hadn't even realized I was crying, until Ann Marie pulled me into her arms.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me today," I tried to excuse my tears.
"Baby, it's okay to cry about your parents. They may come around. They just need time."
I felt stupid for wanting them to miss me. I wondered who was buying my mother's liquor now. Did she even notice I was gone? Did either of them notice? I had spent the last several years trying to be invisible. I guess it worked. I was gone, and they didn't miss me. It was like I had never even been there.
Chapter 21 – Paving, Pains and Poop
The next morning, I woke up to fingertips in my hair. "It's morning, are you going to wake up and join us for breakfast?" I opened my eyes to see a pair of happy copper ones looking back at me. "Good morning, sleepyhead. Ann Marie has breakfast about finished."
"Daniel, let her sleep," I heard her hiss from the kitchen.
Daniel moved back so I could sit up. "No, it's fine. I don't like to eat breakfast alone. Thanks for waking me."
Daniel wore a huge grin. "Any time." He headed for the table and then stuck out his tongue at his sister. "See, told you. I know my girl."
Just like that, he swept yesterday's crap away, and my day was perfect. Daniel called me his girl. It didn't get past Ann Marie, either. She had a grin the size of Texas on her face. "Yes, Daniel, you do know your girl."
After breakfast, Daniel helped bring a couple more things out of the trunk of Ann Marie's car. She had brought out my summer wardrobe, and it was thankfully more conservative than what I would imagine her sisters, Teresa and Dora, would have brought.
She left before lunch, and Daniel settled back into his study to work. I tried to head out to the swing, but I shivered a little, thinking about being outside by myself. I decided to take up residence on the couch again instead.
Daniel got up to take a bathroom break and noticed me on the couch. "Everything alright?"
I shrugged.
He frowned, but hit the bathroom without saying anything else. He grabbed himself an apple and was headed back past me, but paused. "Are you sure you're alright? You're usually on the swing. Has it been too hot?"
"No." I looked away when I said it.
He pushed my feet aside and sat next to me. "You've been staying inside the past couple of days. The weather has been nice out. Do you want to tell me what's going on?" I didn't answer. "Gabby, if anyone could understand, it'd be me."
"I don't like being out there by mysel
f." I peeked up at him, wondering if he would laugh at me. I should have known better.
He pulled me into his arms and gave me a tight hug. "You'll get the hang of it. How about you start with the doors being open? I'm right here. You trust me, right?"
"Yes."
"You know I'd never let anyone hurt you or put you in danger, right?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, doors open, it'll let the air blow through the house, too." He got up and opened both doors, flashing me a smile, before he went back to work.
I read until dinnertime. I didn't disturb him to cook. He had taken so much time off lately. I made dinner myself and then called him to come eat.
He shut the doors before he sat at the table. "The bugs come out in force this time of day, though they aren't as bad here as they are in other parts of the forest. The birds keep them under control, especially now that they have houses and live right in the yard. Maybe we should get some more."
I perked up. There were some cute ones I wanted to get my hands on. "Yeah, that'd be fun."
When we were walking around the store that weekend, I noticed the patio furniture. The weather was nice, and I thought it would be cool to have a set to eat breakfast and lunch at.
I was feeling cooped up and thought if I could get Daniel to sit outside with me for a while, it wouldn't be so bad. I needed to pull myself together and get over it. The fact that men had been watching me, ready to kidnap me, had freaked me out. I knew those men were dead, and Ann Marie swore she had taken care of things for good, but it still gave me the creeps to go outside. I needed to feel comfortable with being alone outside again, if I was going to keep my sanity at Daniel's tiny place.
I noticed a nice patio set ran a few thousand dollars. Daniel saw me looking at the sets and was about to say something. "I want to get it," I cut him off before he offered.
The set was pretty, and there was a chaise lounge, perfect for napping on, with other furniture that matched it. Daniel said his family complained about feeling cramped when they visited, and I wondered if they would come out more often if we had this set. The table was larger and seated six. We really needed one that size if we were going to entertain.
He was looking at his phone, while I calculated the cost in my head. I finally gave in, when I realized I'd have to figure in taxes. "Can I use your phone?"
"Sure, I was just transferring the money so I could get it."
"No, I want to get it. I have money from my trust. You buy everything else. I want to get this."
"Gabby…"
"Please, Daniel. Let me do this."
He finally gave in, after I begged my head off. I told him he could consider it a birthday present. His birthday was only two weeks away. He said it was too much, but I said it wasn't, because I'd get to use it, too. "It's like I'm buying something for myself and saying it's your present. You should feel gypped."
He laughed, but didn't fight me anymore. I was downright giddy, as I skipped over to the patio furniture workers and told them what I wanted. Daniel was shocked by the amount of stuff I was getting. He thought I just wanted a table, and here I was getting a whole living room-like set with a gazebo thing to cover it. It had mosquito nets that zipped up around it, too. It was awesome.
"Well, we're going to need paving stones."
"Paving stones?"
"Yup, to put this stuff on." He smirked at me and shook his head as he walked off, not telling me what he was thinking. I wondered if he was upset, but when I found him by the brick and "paving stones" area, he was grinning at the worker and flashed me his sweet smirk. He turned back to the guy and pointed out where his truck was.
When it came time to pay, I saw him going for his wallet, but I whipped out my new bank card and swiped it before he had a chance. He shook his head at me, but I knew he would come around once we got home.
"You know, Gabby, this was too much. You should let me pay you back," he said, as we unloaded the truck.
"Really, Daniel, when will you believe I'm doing this for myself? Now get back to work." I snapped a pretend whip. "Move it, slave, your very time-consuming, back-breaking, supposed present is waiting for you."
"Well, when you put it that way…"
Turned out, there was a lot more to laying out paving stones than I thought. I was pretty sure I was crippled, when I stumbled in and flopped on the couch. "You go shower first. I think it's gonna be a while before I can move."
"That's what you get for buying me an expensive birthday present. You should've gotten me a birdfeeder or a doormat for the raccoons to steal," he laughed.
"Raccoons steal doormats?"
"Yup, why else wouldn't I have one?" he said, like it was obvious, and headed for the bathroom.
I closed my eyes, ready to nap, when I felt something hit my foot. I jumped a little, moaning in pain at the movement.
"Hey, I thought you might like some painkillers." Daniel handed me a bottle of medicine and a glass of water.
I took the pills and fell asleep fast. I woke up the next morning in my bed, tucked in and feeling a bit better. I blushed, thinking about how Daniel must have moved me. I was a little sad that I had missed being carried by him.
Since that little kiss on the cheek, he hadn't made another move. He smiled a lot and had me blushing more. He didn't necessarily have to say anything, but I could see something in his eyes, and I liked it. It was silly, though. He hadn't really changed his behavior, and I wondered if he had liked me from the get-go. He still did simple things for me as naturally as breathing.
He took care of me out of instinct, which made him all the more wonderful. He had taken hold of my elbow, anytime we had crossed a log or wobbly rock. He always brought me a drink. I had never had to ask for one and rarely had to get one myself. Of course, if I did, I would get him one as well. He had always offered me the shower first, and he would let me make the first move in chess. He picked up a little nightstand to put next to my chair/bed in his office. When he put it in the cart, I asked what he was getting it for. He said, "You need somewhere to stack your books and stick your things. I know I let you use all of my places, but I thought you might like one of your own."
I wanted to kiss him so hard right then, but he turned away and headed down another aisle. I wondered if he knew how much he made me love him. I was willing to admit it now. The silly sweet man had me wrapped around his chaste finger. If I wasn't afraid to scare him off, I would have jumped him and made out with him right there in housewares.
I think the only thing that helped me hold it together was how much fun we had. We made paper boats to float in our little pond, had picnics and discussed what we would've named things if we had been the first people on earth. We took up juggling and practiced together. I decided I wanted to learn after watching Jerry try, and my sweet Daniel found it amusing.
We started a fancy meal challenge. We would try to see who could come up with the coolest meal on a five-dollar budget. It ended up being a bunch of meals that were laid out to make silly faces. My favorite was the kissing veggies I had made. He thought they were butterflies, and he blushed when I pointed out that they weren't. I wondered if he ever thought about kissing me again.
We did things for each other, too. I made his bed one morning, and I later found my socks all matched and lined up in my drawer. He was right, it was nice to have them lined up. I decided to try and do more things like that for him. I even alphabetized the medicine cabinet. He thought that was pretty cool, and he hung a little shelf in the shower for my toiletries.
The sound of bacon sizzling brought me out of my musings, and I knew the smell of heaven was most likely what had woken me. I felt a little stiff, as I struggled to get up.
"How are you doing this morning? The painkillers are on the table," he nodded to the bottle, and I made my way over to them. He set breakfast on the table and brought me a glass of water.
"How are you not crippled this morning?" I moaned, jealous.
He smiled. "I drank a lot
of water and stretched out good after my shower last night. Not to mention, I'm doped up on painkillers, too. Why don't you go take a hot shower after breakfast, and I'll get to assembling the gazebo?"
When I got out of my glorious hot shower, I found Daniel outside, tightening a bolt on the last leg of the gazebo, which was lying on its side. "Didn't the box say this side up on it? I don't think it's the right way up."
"Ha, ha, very funny, you're just in time to help me turn this thing over."
It was definitely a challenge, but we got it standing. After wrestling that thing to its feet, Daniel looked dead on his. We decided to take a break, and I fetched us both water to sip and pain pills to take, while we relaxed on the porch swing. I wondered momentarily if I could get matching cushions for it as well. I saw you could buy separate seat cushions…
"Whatever you're thinking, stop it," he warned.
I laughed and went back to admiring our handiwork. "The gazebo is smaller than we expected. There's room for a grill on the extra space."
He looked over at me and then dropped his head back, not saying a word.
"Do you think the furniture will be hard to assemble?" I asked.
"Nah, I think a lot of it's assembled already. We just have to unbox it."
"Awesome."
"Yeah, I'll get right on it," he said and closed his eyes.
I was still feeling good, so I got to work. "I'll get the boxes open and let you know if I need your help moving stuff around."
He gave me a thumbs up with his eyes still closed, making me chuckle. I had really overworked him yesterday and today.
I unboxed the chaise lounge and dragged it under the gazebo. I thought Daniel deserved to try it out first. Once I had the cushions in place, I went and woke him up. "Hey, why don't you go try out your birthday present, while I work on the rest of the set?"
He peeked at me through one eye, and I pointed to the lounge tucked safely in the shade of the gazebo. He made his way over to it with a smile
Once I had all the furniture, cushions and pillows in place, it was time to hang my favorite piece, the chandelier. It was a glorified flameless candleholder, but it was made for this kind of setting.
Straight Up Interfererence Page 15
