by Anne
Sara and the girls watched the attendant put the gas nozzle into the tank.
"Why don't you walk around a bit?" Mike suggested. "Ill take care of this."
"I thought I'd pay first," Sara said. "Then we could park the camper and all walk around." They had only a few more hours together, and she wanted to spend them with him.
"Oh, Mom, look at all the neat stuff." Kari said, pointing to an open-air souvenir stand next to the gas station.
"Go ahead and look." Mike said, laughing. "I'll tell the attendant he can cut off ray hand if you run away without paying."
His smile seemed so special, so much for her alone, that Sara found herself nodding and hurrying after the girls, lost in a private pleasure. She caught up with the girls at a display of Indian costumes,
"Aren't they beautiful. Mommy?" Kari asked.
"They sure are neat," Megan added.
Sara sighed. Her own ridiculous longings for Mike made her even more sympathetic to the girls' longing for treasures beyond their reach.
"They're just too expensive, girls," she said gently. "And they aren't something you'd have much occasion to wear."
"We could wear them on Halloween," Megan pointed out.
Sara shook her head slowly. "We just can't afford to spend that much for a Halloween costume. How about these headbands with feathers?"
They agreed without enthusiasm and replaced the dresses on the rack. Sara knew just how they felt. When someone wanted something so badly, it was almost impossible to count the cost. Look at how badly she wanted Mike, she thought, and at the price she'd have to pay in disappointment when he left. Yet, even knowing that, she would not have done anything differently if she could have.
"Hi, girls. Anything terrific around here?" Mike noticed the girls wistfully touching the Indian dresses.
Startled by his voice, Sara looked up at Mike.
The camper all ready to go? We 11 just pay for these headbands and then we'll be all set too."
"No hurry," Mike said, his hand gently squeezing her arm. "I want to get a newspaper."
Sara paid for the headbands, then she and the girls went over to the station to pay for the gas. She saw that their camper had been moved off to one side and hoped that the attendant wasn't too irritated about waiting for her to come back.
"Sir," she said, "I'd like to pay for my gas."
The man gave her a strange look. "Your husband already paid."
Sara felt her cheeks redden and her body warm. but chose to ignore his mistake. "He wasn't supposed to payf"
Kari wanted things clear, though. "He's not her husband. He's just riding along with us."
The man glanced from Sara's burning face to the girls, then shrugged. "I really don't care, lady. You re all square and can leave anytime you want." Another customer appeared and he turned away to write up the charge slip.
After hesitating a moment, Sara stalked out, pulling both girls along. Her eyes were filling with angry tears.
"It was nice of Mike to pay, wasn't it, Mommy?" Megan said quietly.
"Yes, It was." Sara spoke through clenched teeth. She had thought the money issue had been settled before. She didn't want his money, and what she did want from him she couldn't have.
They got to the camper just as Mike came rushing over with a package. "Hope I didn't make you wait too long," he said brightly,
"I told you I was going to pay for the gas." Sara said without preliminaries.
"Yeah, I know," Mike said with a nod. "But they wanted me to move the camper so I had to pay. You know how pushy those people can get."
Sara felt an immediate rush of guilt for misjudging his motives, and her tone softened. "Well, I'd like to pay you back.1'
"Sure," he agreed. "Ill look for the receipt. I'm sure 1 stuck it in one of my pockets." They went inside. "Want me to drive now?"
"No, it's still my turn," Sara said. "You look for the receipt."
But no receipt was forthcoming after they had been back on the road for a while. She looked suspiciously into the rearview mirror. The three of them were playing Old Maid at the dinette table. "Mike, the receipt."
"Oh, yeah." He glanced up at her with a smile. "I'm looking. I don't know where I could have put it."
"Maybe it's in the bag from the souvenir store," Kari suggested.
Mike grinned. "Good idea, Kari. I'd better look there."
She heard the rustle of paper as he opened the bag, then twin squeals of delight. Her eyes jerked back to the mirror.
"I'll be a son of a gun," Mike exclaimed. "They must have given me someone else's bag."
"You got the Indian dresses," Megan said breathlessly.
Sara looked back to see two Indian dresses in Mike's lap. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Boy, I sure can't wear these," Mike said with a laugh. "I guess you girls will have to take them."
"We can take them back," Sara said quickly. Seeing a turn around up ahead, she moved into the left lane.
"ltd be a waste of time to go back. I threw the receipt away," Mike said.
There was dead silence behind her.
"I don t know what I can do with these dresses if you don't want them." Mike said slowly. "I can't use them myself. I guess I'll just have to throw them away." His voice sounded remarkably like Megan's when she was trying to get her way.
It was quiet, but Sara could feel the tension behind her. She heard a soft sound and could see the girls staring down at the table. He must have put the dresses back in the bag.
"Are you sure you girls don't want them?" he asked casually. "Like I said, I can't wear them.'1
Again there was silence, and Sara gripped the steering wheel so hard, she could feel her shoulder muscles clench. This was no accident, she decided, and neither was his paying for the gas. He was just playing some kind of game. But was it fair to hurt the girls because she and Mike were having a disagreement?
Finally she exhaled slowly. "If they want them, they can have them."
There were screams of delight behind her and a scrambling of little feet. "Can we wear our headbands with our dresses. Mom?"
"Yes," Sara said quietly.
There was a great deal of laughing as they changed into their Indian dresses. Mike came up to sit next to her. He looked terribly pleased with himself.
"Silly of me to throw away the receipt," Mike said. "I'm always doing that. Drives my accountant nuts."
"I imagine you did that with the gas receipt too," she said tightly.
"You know," he said earnestly, "I bet I did."
Sara didn't seem very receptive to his company and. since it was still a while before his turn to drive, Mike decided to take a short nap. He hadn't slept too well the night before. Sara's presence had disturbed him somehow, and she had lingered in his thoughts far later than she should have. Might be just as well If he could get in a few hours of sleep now, he thought.
He rolled over on his side and looked toward the wall, a warm smile covering his face. He had enjoyed surprising the girls with those costumes and taking care of the gas for Sara. He knew that Sara was a little miffed about it, but he suspected that was mostly her pride. Once she cooled down some, he was sure she'd see how nice it was having a man to lean on. And he was surprised at how much fun it was to take care of someone.
There were so many things he'd like to do for them, things that would make them smile and laugh. Sara in particular. How he'd like to keep that little frown of worry from ever appearing on her forehead again. It didn't seem right that someone so gentle and kind and loving should have so many burdens.
She was such a beautiful woman, he reflected, and in so many ways. Twenty, thirty years from" now shed still look great, because her beauty was all through her, not just on the surface.
Of course, her surface was pretty terrific too. He'd had a few chances to check it out over the last couple of days and only wished he'd had more. Those few minutes of contact in the water and their all too brief kisses had only served to whet his a
ppetite. He'd like to have the chance to touch her without a bathing suit hampering his enjoyment and two little girls cooling his ardor.
Suddenly Mike's dreams erupted into a painful need. He wanted to make love to Sara, to feel her body next to his. He wanted to touch her, to hold her, to make her want him the same way he wanted her.
"Are you awake, Mike?" Kari asked from right behind him.
"He can't be asleep already," Megan insisted.
Oh Lord, what timing! he groaned silently. If he lay still, would they go away? He forced himself to relax. In an effort to make his body behave.
"1 think he's Just faking," Megan said.
Damn. Why wouldn't his body act in a civilized manner? He had never known this intensity of feeling for any other woman. Why for Sara? he wondered. He rolled onto his stomach.
"Hold him down and I’ll tickle him to death.'
Mike's eyes flew open and he stared at the wall In front of him. "Hold who down?" he was able to ask. But before his question could be answered, he felt the bed bounce slightly and two little bodies scramble on top of him. Little fingers wiggled into his armpits.
"Hey/'he cried.
"What's going on back there, girls?" Sara asked quickly.
"We're just playing with Mike," Kari said sweetly.
He tried to turn his head and look up at her, but she was sitting solidly on his shoulders. He was about to tell her to get off when a giggle warned him. He was almost able to tighten his muscles before a little cannonball with knees bounced on the small of his back.
"Are you girls playing rough?11
"Not real rough, Mommy," Megan answered. Mike was amazed at how sweet the little assassin's voice sounded.
"It's real cramped back here, girls," Mike said, raising his voice slightly. "Someone could get hurt if we fool around."
The girls did not move.
"Girls, get up here, please." Sara's voice was sharp. The girls slowly slid off the bed and trooped back up to the front of the van.
Mike sat up slowly. His body was relaxed. If a bit sore. He swung his feet to the floor. On the edge of the bed lay two pieces of paper which he picked up. They were letters to him from the girls, thanking him for the Indian dresses.
He read them slowly, then looked up to where the girls were sitting. Hell, he was going to be real sorry to see this trip end. He had enjoyed the girls more than he had thought possible, and he wanted even more to get to know Sara better. He felt so drawn to her and hated just to let them all walk out of his life. If only there was a way to make it last longer, he thought.
He rose, walked slowly to the Jump seat across from the dinette table, and sat down. "Want me to drive?"
"No, thank you."
The ice in her voice told him he wasn't quite back in her good graces yet. He smiled at the girls, then turned to stare out the window. Why was she so upset about his spending a little money on them? If he could just figure out a way, he'd do even more, He wanted to give them all kinds of things, to share with them as they had with him. The problem was getting around Sara's stubbornness. He turned to watch the girls, an idea forming in his mind.
"How about a little game of auto bingo?" he asked them.
"Okay," they agreed quickly.
"But with some new ground rules,1' he added.
Their smiles faded and suspicion grew, but they followed him to the back of the camper.
"Okay," he said in a low voice. "To make this game a little more interesting, let's make a bet. You girls know what a bet is, don't you? We each have to offer something that well give up if we lose."
The twins nodded in unison.
"Fine," Mike responded. "If I lose, I’ll buy dinner for everyone tonight in a restaurant."
They looked at each other, silently pondering the possibilities. Finally Megan turned to him. "If we lose, we'll promise not to beat you up anymore."
"That's really swell of you two,' he said, accepting the offer.
"And we'll also take your turn at washing dishes tonight," Karl added.
Mike nodded and picked up the cards. "Now we're going to make this absolutely fair," he said. "I'm going to mix the cards up and lay them face down. Then we'll pick."
He muffled a chuckle over the looks of concern on their faces. They obviously had not been planning on leaving things up to fate.
He had reviewed the cards and found the one that would easily be the hardest. He kept his eye on it as he put them all face down on the bed and mixed them up.
"Okay, here we go," he said.
"Ladles pick first," Megan pointed out.
"Ladies don't stand on somebody's head and jump on his back,1' Mike pointed out sweetly.
Two pairs of green eyes glared at him as he picked his card. Still looking daggers at him, each girl picked a card.
"We'll play until It's my turn to drive. Okay?"
The girls nodded and scurried up front to get the best seats. Mike followed more slowly and sat down In the jump seat across from the table.
The time passed quickly, and he was careful to make sure that the girls called out more things than he did. When Sara announced that it was his turn to take the wheel, the girls looked worried. They brought their cards back to the table.
"I found five things," Mike announced.
"I got seven," Megan said.
"I got eight,'1 Karl added.
They stared seriously at each other. "We win," they cried, and started to jump up and down.
"Goodness," Sara laughed as she slowed down to turn into a parking lot. "What's the fantastic prize you girls have won?11
"Mike's gonna take us all out to dinner," Megan shouted.
"Yeah," Karl added. "And we can order anything we want."
"What?" Sara sounded confused. "Someone had better explain this bet to me."
"Mike said if he lost, he'd buy us all dinner in a real nice restaurant."
"That's what I bet." Mike agreed, trying not to gloat at outmaneuvering her again. "They won fair and square."
Sara shook her head as she stopped the camper. "I don't think we—"
"Mom," the girls wailed. "Isn't a bet sorta like a promise?"
"Yes." Sara said reluctantly.
"Don't grown-ups have to keep promises?" Megan asked.
Sara did not reply.
"I think they ought to," Mike said.
The twins stared anxiously at their mother -
"We all made the bet in good faith," Mike said quietly. "If the girls had lost, I'd have expected them to keep their part of the bargain. I think they have a right to expect me to do the same."
"All right," Sara said through tight lips as she got up from her seat.
The girls broke into a cheer.
"We'll have a great time, you'll see. I know just the spot to take you. It's one of my favorite restaurants," Mike said with a smile. "Besides, I do owe you a meal."
"Just remember we have to be at our campground by eight," Sara pointed out.
"No problem." Captain Wonder knew just what he was doing.
Sara was relieved to see that Mike's favorite restaurant was a small, homey place. Neither she nor the girls were dressed for any place too spectacular, and a cozy family-run restaurant seemed just right. She tried to relax and forget her Irritation with Mike. Then she saw the prices.
The cheapest dinner on the menu would buy new gym shoes for the girls, and the price of the shrimp cocktail was exactly the same as the price of her wrinklep roof jersey print dress after its third markdown.
The girls did not seem to be sharing her discomfort. Dressed In sundresses that she had made, they were deep in a discussion of the menu with Mike. What would they find to eat here? she wondered. They were strictly hot-dog-and-h am burger kids,
"I'm going to have lobster," Karl announced.
"Lobster?" Sara stared at her. "You'll never eat a whole lobster by yourself."
"Then she can have the rest for lunch tomorrow," Mike said, unconcerned. "You have a refrigerator right outs
ide."
Sara bit back an impatient reply. What was there to get upset about? The girls were having a new experience that they would talk about for years. In fact, their last few days had been filled with new experiences. It had been good for them to have a man around, someone they could roughhouse with as they had with Mike that afternoon. Someone whose attitudes were a little different from hers.
She hadn't realized how much they had been missing, living an all-female existence, until she had seen them with Mike. Her divorce had deprived them of more than just a slightly higher standard of living. Sara decided that she had to be careful not to see everything Mike did for them as a criticism of her and what she wasn't able to give the girls.
"What was that I wanted?" Megan asked.
Mike pointed to an item on the menu. "Veal Cordon Bleu. Bleu means blue."
Megan nodded. "But its not really blue, is it?"
"No," Mike assured her, and turned to Sara. "Have you decided yet?"
"Not quite," she said, biting her lip.
She was torn between sauteed chicken livers with raspberry sauce, the cheapest thing on the menu—which was far from cheap, actually—or snails in a casserole with salsify, which was fifty cents more. The problem was, they both sounded awful, and yet her conscience wouldn't let her order anything more expensive.
The menu was suddenly taken out of her hands.
"How about if I choose for you?" Mike said.
Before she could protest, the waiter was at their table. Mike helped the girls order, then ordered Chateaubriand for the two of them. Sara managed not to cry out in protest. The double tenderloin cost more than a tankful of gas. More than a week's worth of groceries for the three of them. She gulped down some ice water and listened numbly as Mike went on ordering—an array of hors d'oeuvres, salads, and a bottle of wine.
"'I hope you have money this time," she said weakly when the waiter had left.
"Afraid you'll have to pay again?" He laughed and reached across the table to squeeze her hand gently. "Don't worry about a thing. Just relax and enjoy yourself."
That was easier to say than to do, though. The food was delicious, Sara had to admit, and the wine went down all too smoothly, but she couldn't really relax. She was conscious of each minute that ticked by, conscious that they were Inching closer and closer to the end of their evening and the end of their shared vacation. In another hour or so, Mike would be gone from their lives forever.
