by Debby Mayne
“You’ve been a big—”
Something caught her eye, and she forgot what she was about to say. Straddling the bicycle-built-for-two were Jerry’s parents, as they peered into her window. She knew the glare on the south side of the building prevented them from making out specific faces inside. All they’d be able to see were moving shadows.
“Isn’t that your friend’s parents?” Matthew asked.
“Yes.” Amanda came around from behind the counter and headed for the door. “I wonder if everything’s okay.”
“While you’re out there, tell the man to put his helmet on.”
She smiled at Matthew. “Aye-aye, sir.”
The second she opened the door, both Rosemary and Harold snapped their heads in the other direction, as if they didn’t want her to know they were looking at her. She had to force herself not to laugh, they were so cute.
“Hey, Rosemary, Harold! Is there something I can do for you?”
Rosemary glanced over her shoulder with a half smile. “No, sweetheart. Harold and I were just taking a spin around town. It’s such a beautiful day.”
“It’s a wonderful day.” Amanda took a few steps closer and lifted the helmet off the back of the bicycle. “Harold, I’d really like for you to wear this. We’ve had some pretty bad spills on bicycles around here, and I’d hate for you to get hurt.”
He made a noise, but he took the helmet from her and plopped it on his head. “Happy?” he asked.
“I will be as soon as we get the chin strap fastened.”
Harold stood still but scrunched his face as Amanda snapped the chin strap in place. A couple of middle school boys walked by and lifted their hands in a shy wave. Amanda motioned for them to go on inside.
“There ya go,” she said. “We’re about to have our last safety clinic. It’ll only be an hour. If you’re still out and about, why don’t you two stop by for some snacks? I always have way more than enough.”
Rosemary shook her head, while Harold nodded. “Whatcha got?”
“Oh, Harold, you don’t need Amanda’s snacks. We have plenty of food at the condo.”
He winked at Amanda. “Yeah, but I bet she has better stuff than we have.”
Rosemary groaned. “Probably.” She took a deep breath and slowly let it out as she looked back around at Amanda. “If we’re still out, perhaps we’ll swing by. I don’t want to keep him out too long.”
After they left and Amanda went back inside, she found herself actually hoping they’d come back. She liked Rosemary and Harold, even though they bickered constantly. She knew they loved each other and were just letting off steam.
Matthew was about to get started, but first he asked if everything was okay. “I’m glad he didn’t put up too much of a fuss about the helmet,” he added. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if he took it off as soon as they left.” He chuckled. “He didn’t seem happy about it at all.”
“Oh, I think he liked me fussing over him,” Amanda said. “He just likes to growl. Makes him feel more manly, I think.”
With a smile, Matthew turned and whispered, “Yeah, we guys do like to roar just to let our voices be heard every now and then.” Then he turned to the waiting kids and introduced the clinic.
Amanda recognized about half the kids from the year before. Some of them had brought friends who were new to the area, and others had found out about the clinic through fliers she’d posted and left in other businesses.
As soon as the clinic was well underway, Amanda pulled out her order book and listed the items Matthew recommended. Then she switched over to her computer and clicked around to order as much as she could online. Her distributors were good about getting things to her quickly.
At the end of the class, she rang up a few sales and let everyone know when she’d have all of Matthew’s recommended items in stock. He thanked her and ran to meet someone for private lessons. She was glad when she finally had the place to herself.
The day went by fairly fast and without anything major happening. Occasionally she walked over to the window and glanced up the street for a sign of Jerry or his parents. But she didn’t see a thing besides the usual foot and car traffic. She sold two high-priced bicycles and several hundred dollars’ worth of skateboard gear.
When she got home from work, Lacy was in the kitchen cooking on all four burners. That was odd. The only thing Amanda had ever seen her sister cook since the stew was something from a box—mostly frozen.
“So what’s for supper?” Amanda asked.
Lacy frowned. “I was practicing cooking chicken and dumplings with all the sides, but I think I messed up.”
“Why chicken and dumplings?” Amanda walked over to see for herself. “It doesn’t look bad. What’s the problem?”
“The chicken is still raw.” She stuck the fork in and pulled out one of the pieces from the pot.
Amanda glanced at the knobs and chuckled. “Did you forget to turn on the burner?”
Lacy gave her a look of frustration. “See? I’m such a mess-up. I never do anything right.”
“That’s not true,” Amanda said. “You know fashion and makeup better than anyone I know.”
“Maybe so, but that won’t accomplish anything when I promised Brad I’d come over and cook for him and Timmy on Saturday night.”
Amanda walked over to the counter where Lacy had a couple of cookbooks open and a page she’d printed from the Internet. “Let me see if I can help you figure this out.”
Lacy’s face scrunched in concentration as Amanda gave instructions from the cookbook. “I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here.”
“You’d eventually figure it out.” Amanda pointed to the pot of green beans in the back. “Keep an eye on the water in that pot. After it comes to a boil, you’ll want to turn down the heat.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “I need to go wash up, so why don’t you just finish everything?”
“You’re leaving?” Lacy looked frightened.
“No, I’ll be in the house.”
Amanda hadn’t been away from the kitchen more than five minutes when she smelled something burning. She scurried back to the kitchen, where smoke billowed up from the pot of beans.
“What’s going on here?”
Lacy looked at her with tear-glistened eyes, her chin quivering. “You said to turn down the heat, but I turned it up by accident.”
Amanda grabbed the pot and removed it from the burner. When the smoke died down, she carefully lifted the lid. The beans were burned beyond saving. “We’ll just have to steam a package of frozen mixed vegetables.”
“I’m such a loser,” Lacy whined.
“Stop it. This happens to everyone when they first learn how to cook. You’re just learning a little later than most.” The instant the words came out, Amanda realized how harsh she sounded, and she regretted it. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
Lacy shook her head. “No, you’re right. I never really cared about cooking before, but now…” Her voice faded and she swallowed hard. “I really want to show Brad I can do this.”
Amanda understood and nodded. “We’ll work on it, but you won’t be a great cook overnight. That comes with time.”
For the first time that night, Lacy smiled. “I doubt I’ll ever be a great cook. All I care about is getting a decent meal on the table.”
The two of them finished cooking dinner, and even though it wasn’t the best chicken and dumplings Amanda had ever had, it was okay. The vegetables were crisp, which was how Lacy said Brad liked them.
“At least he won’t think I was lying,” Lacy said as she scooped up some of the chicken and a dumpling and looked at it.
Amanda studied her sister for a moment. “Exactly what did you tell Brad?”
A grin flickered across Lacy’s face before she glanced downward to aviod Amanda’s glare. “I said I cooked all the time.”
“Why would you say something like that? You never cook.”
Lacy shrugged. “I want Brad to lik
e me.”
“He likes you whether you can cook or not. Did you enjoy doing all this?”
“Not really.”
“Listen, sweetie.” Amanda reached out and took Lacy’s hand in hers. “Don’t ever try to be anything other than who you are.”
Lacy hopped up from the table, grabbed her plate, and carried it over to the counter. “I do need to learn how to cook at least a few things. You can’t keep taking care of me for the rest of my life.”
“True, but it’s a slow process. You can’t do it all at once. This was a tough meal to tackle, with all the different items. Maybe next time you can try something simple, like pasta and sauce, or meat, potatoes, and a salad.”
“Well,” Lacy began as she glanced around at the mess, “that would be three meals—this one and the two you said. If I can do a couple more things, then I’d have a week’s worth of dinners. We can eat out on weekends.”
“Sounds like you have something up your sleeve. What’s going on?”
Lacy grinned and lifted her eyebrows. “I know for sure now that I’m totally in love with Brad, and if I’m reading him correctly, he’s falling in love with me.”
Amanda decided to skip the lecture. Besides, what could she add to what she’d already said?
“So you think you two might get married one of these days?”
“That’s the plan,” Lacy replied and turned toward the sink. “Wanna help me with this? I can’t believe we made such a mess.”
As much as Amanda wanted to tell Lacy to do it herself, she couldn’t. So she took off her watch and started clearing the table. A half hour later, they finished wiping the cabinets, and everything was done.
“Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Lacy brushed her hands together.
The next morning, an hour after Amanda opened the store, Tiffany came strutting in. “You look mighty chipper today. What are you up to?”
“Your man said he wanted you to hang out with him and his parents today, so I figured I’d come in so you could have a little time with them.”
Amanda tilted her head and squinted at the teenager. “Speak English, Tiffany. What are you talking about?”
Tiffany giggled. “You know. That guy you’ve been seeing. Jerry. The one who’s vacationing with the old people.”
“Okay, so what makes you think I need time with them?”
With a puzzled expression, Tiffany tilted her head. “He asked me if I was working today, and when I said I might, he said good, and I said why, and then he said—”
Amanda held up both hands to stop her. “Whoa, slow down. Where did you see Jerry?”
Tiffany glanced over her shoulder and pointed. “He was right around the corner getting his parents a treat. I’m sure he’ll be here any minute.”
“Okay, thanks for letting me know.” She thought for a moment about what to do. There wasn’t much going on today, and she did have Tiffany right here, willing and able to work. “How long can you stay?”
Tiffany shrugged. “As long as you need me. There’s nothing else to do.” She grunted. “Summer can be so boring.”
The bell on the door jingled, and they both turned toward it. In walked Rosemary, looking like she had something up her sleeve.
“Hi, Rosemary. Where’s the rest of your crew?” Amanda asked.
“Outside arguing. Jerry wants the four of us to do something fun, and Harold insists we should go looking for treasure. Honestly, I don’t know what’s gotten into my husband. He’s always liked treasure hunting, but I used to be able to distract him. Not anymore. Nowadays that’s all he ever wants to do. Can you believe he wants to get one of those metal detectors we see all over the place?”
“A lot of people use them,” Amanda said in his defense. “I’ve heard they find some valuable stuff.”
“I’m sure,” Rosemary said with a frown. “But that just seems wrong. When people find valuable things, they should turn them in.”
Amanda already knew that Rosemary had a strong sense of right and wrong, even if no one else understood it. “I don’t mind hunting for treasure,” Amanda said. “I’m up for a nice long walk anyway. It’ll be good to go outside and get some fresh air.”
“See, Rosemary?” They jumped at the sound of Harold’s voice by the back door. He chuckled. “Did I scare ya? I saw the back door open, so I figured I’d slip in that way.”
“I must have left it open when I took out the garbage.” Amanda leaned forward and looked around.
“If you’re looking for Jerry, he refused to follow me in the back door. He said he didn’t think you’d like that.”
Amanda was about to tell him it didn’t matter when she heard the front door. The whole group of them turned around as Jerry walked in, a goofy look on his face.
“What?” he said.
“Took you long enough to get in here,” Harold said.
Jerry rubbed the back of his neck and smiled at his dad. “I had to find a place to park your bicycle.”
Rosemary stepped up. “I hope you found a safe place for it.”
“We can see it from here.” Jerry pointed outside. “So, Amanda, how’s business?”
“Can you go out and play with us?” Harold asked.
Amanda laughed out loud. “I thought you’d never ask. But I have a question.”
“Uh-oh.” Harold took a step back. “Looks like one of us is in trouble now, and it’s probably me.” He made a grumpy face. “It’s always me.”
“No, you’re not in trouble, but there are three of you and only two seats on the bicycle. How—”
“Jerry walked.” Rosemary reached out and gave her son a pat on the back. “He only had to run a couple of times to keep up with us.”
Amanda glanced around the store. “I have an idea.”
“Everyone be quiet,” Harold announced. “The lady has an idea, and we all need to listen.”
Amanda was having more fun than she could ever remember—and it was just a bunch of people standing around acting lighthearted and goofy. She laughed.
“So, Amanda dear,” Rosemary said. “What’s your idea?”
“My other tandem bicycle came back from the repair shop yesterday, and it’s not booked until sometime next week. If you don’t mind…” She glanced at Jerry, who smiled. “Do you mind?”
“I’d be honored to ride with you on a bicycle built for two.”
A lump formed in Amanda’s chest. She hadn’t ridden on a tandem bicycle since Eric—and she’d had to talk him into it because he didn’t think it was a cool thing for a guy to do. Jerry obviously didn’t mind in the least. There hadn’t been a second of hesitation when she suggested it.
“Okay, Tiffany, you can hold down the fort while the rest of us go play. Anyone up for a treasure hunt? I think I know where we might find something cool.”
“All righty, then, let’s go!” Harold was out the door in two seconds flat. Rosemary joined him.
Jerry helped Amanda get the tandem bicycle from the back room. “I want to thank you for being such a good sport,” he whispered. “I haven’t seen my dad this happy in…I don’t know…years?”
“He’s on vacation. He’s supposed to be happy.”
Jerry muscled the back end of the bicycle around a rack and then rolled it toward the door. “Until he met Timmy, he’d been a grouch ever since we got here.” He looked at Amanda. “You want front or back?”
“Since I know where we’re going, I’ll take the front first. Then we can switch on the way back.”
“Good idea.”
“Hey, listen!” Harold hollered. “Music!”
Amanda slowed down. “That’s the clock tower.”
“I like it,” Harold said. “Especially the love song that’s playing now.”
Amanda wondered what Jerry was thinking. She couldn’t see his face since he was directly behind her, but she could tell he’d slowed down his pedaling.
“Come on,” she said as she pointed. “Let’s go that way.”
When they
came to a stop at the next intersection, Amanda turned around and noticed that Harold wasn’t wearing his helmet. She knew he hated it, but she’d also seen some bad accidents where helmets had saved lives.
“I think your dad forgot his helmet,” Amanda said. “Did he leave it in the store?”
Jerry folded his arms, shook his head, and closed his eyes for a second. “Nope. He refuses to wear it. Says it’s for kids.”
“I have some extras in the store. Let’s go back and get one.”
He held up a finger then turned toward his parents. “Hey, Dad, will you wear a helmet?”
“I already told you, no!” Harold grabbed the handlebars on the back of the bicycle and motioned for Rosemary to start pedaling. “Let’s go before they start treating us like kids.”
“Harold, they’re telling you this for your own good.”
“I don’t care.” His tone sounded more juvenile than most teenagers. “If you want to wear a helmet, that’s your business, but I’ve gone seventy-something years without one, and I do just fine.”
Rosemary cast an apologetic glance at Amanda before pushing off and pedaling. “You two lead the way. We’ll be right behind you.”
“What do you think?” Amanda asked.
Jerry squared his shoulders. “I agree with you, but I don’t want to make a scene. Dad’s not gonna do anything he doesn’t want to do.”
“Okay, I guess since he’s not going to change his mind, we might as well accept it.” Amanda resisted the urge to call the whole rest of the bicycle ride off, but she didn’t want to make everyone miserable. Besides, chances were, nothing would happen if they didn’t go very far.
Jerry pedaled harder, while Amanda steered and did her share of pedaling. “The only time I’ve ever ridden one of these things is when I took Mom for a spin on the one we rented, and I was up front.”
“Are you having trouble being behind me?” she called over her shoulder.
“Oh, yeah, I can handle being behind you any day.”
Amanda resisted the urge to stop, turn around, and face him. His closeness reminded her of how easy it was to fall for a nice guy who said all the right things and was good-looking to boot.
