Shoe Strings

by Christy Hayes

  Jesse laughed. “Don’t be sorry, son. Even a mutt like you can get a little attention every now and again.” He reached over and mussed the thick brown hair on Ty’s head. The ends were touched with gold, both from the sun and his mother’s Nordic genes. “Good day at school?”

  “As good as any day at school can be.” Ty tossed his bulging backpack toward the rear and stretched out his considerable legs. “We going home or to the shop?”

  “Up to you. I’ve got a few things to do around the shop if you don’t mind.” Jesse maneuvered the roads and adjusted the volume of his voice over the rushing of the wind. “Ought to be a nice night. We could float some, maybe throw a line or two in the water?”

  The quick smile that lit Ty’s face told Jesse they’d be on the water within the hour. It meant something to Jesse for Ty to share and appreciate one of his most important pastimes. He and Cal had always had sports and, in Jesse’s absence, he’d found Cal sharing that love with Ty. Maybe that’s why Jesse never coaxed him into passing the pigskin or throwing pitches when they had time together. It would feel like an infringement on Cal’s territory. He’d already taken enough from Cal, of that he was now certain.

  “You have homework?” Jesse asked.

  “Nothing that can’t wait until Sunday night.”

  “Your mom hates it when I send you home with all the work for her to oversee. Why don’t you knock at least some of it out before we hit the water?”

  “I’m headed home tomorrow morning, remember? When you hit the water with the beautiful Lita.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll trudge through some paperwork I’ve put off while you get a good start on expanding your brain.” He swung into the gravel parking lot and waited for the cloud of dust to pass before jumping out. The wooden boards of the shop’s porch creaked as it took their weight. He’d have to replace it in a few years, maybe sooner.

  Jesse threw his keys in a coffee mug Ty had painted for Father’s Day years ago and sank into his old leather chair. The size of his desk allowed Ty to pull up one of the metal chairs Jesse kept leaning against the wall and spread his books and notepad out on an end. Without another complaint or cross word, Ty dove into what looked to Jesse like geometry. Thank goodness he didn’t need any help. The invoices and paperwork from his summer help were enough of a headache.

  An hour later, when they’d both had put a good dent in their work, they settled into a two-man raft, the fishing rods and a cooler at their feet between them. The air was cooling and the rocks and boulders sat in relief behind them as their shadows cast patterns on the water. These were Jesse’s favorite times, dusk floats with Ty, where they could talk and just hang out like pals.

  “So,” Jesse broke the peaceful silence. The lapping of the lazy water had held them both captive with their own thoughts for awhile. “Lita mentioned your mom and Bryce went on a date.” He scratched at what felt like a mosquito bite on his neck. Damn bugs. “How’d it go?”

  “You jealous, Dad?”

  Ty’s teasing tone made the muscles in Jesse’s shoulders relax. He found it extremely uncomfortable to talk about Kerri Ann with Ty and did so as little as possible. “Just curious.”

  “I’m only kidding.” Ty flipped the ball cap around so the bill rested against the back of his head. “She didn’t say and I didn’t ask. She seemed a little weird this morning, though.”

  “Weird how?”

  “Well, she put creamer on my cereal and milk in her coffee, which was fine for her and not so great for me. Then when I got to school, she’d packed me an apple and her cell phone instead of lunch.”

  Jesse laughed. “Sounds like your mom’s either exhausted or showing signs of early Alzheimer’s.” As he figured it couldn’t be the latter, he had to assume she and Bryce had finally consummated their friendship. Good for them.

  “Who knows, but he’s coming over for dinner tonight.”

  “Really? Two dates in two days. What do you think?”

  Ty lifted a shoulder, swatted away a bug. His gawky movements, his innocent eyes reminded Jesse of the boy trapped inside the man’s body. He felt his heart ache. “Bryce knows what he’s getting into. He’s always been around, helping mom, especially when you were gone.”

  Ouch. The truth, Jesse was reminded for the second time in days, had fangs. He had to wonder if Ty could see what was left of Cal’s teeth marks. “Your granddad and I were just discussing my time away last night.”

  “Discussing? Sounded more like arguing.”

  “Cal and I have our best discussions at top volume.” Ty casually glanced over, his eyes narrowed. Jesse wasn’t fooling him one bit. “He got a few things off his chest. It’d been building for awhile.”

  “About me,” Ty said with such certainty Jesse nearly cringed.

  “No, about me. About when I left for Atlanta years ago.” They’d reached their favorite fishing spot, a place on the river where the water babbled over shallow rocks and the trout were likely to lurk. Jesse got out of the Cataraft into the shallow water and tied the boat off on a nearby tree. “We’ve never really talked about when I was away, what it was like for you,” he said after he’d climbed back in. He handed Ty his rod, started fiddling with his.

  Ty took his time selecting the perfect fly, his ritual since he’d been old enough to sling the rod. Once he’d plucked one from amongst the thirty or so Jesse kept in the storage seat, he went about attaching it to the rod. Jesse did the same, waiting for Ty to finish with his fly and think of how he wanted to answer his dad.

  When his shoulder jerked again, Jesse knew Ty had been sorting out what to say while he worked. “I don’t think about it much. Seems like such a long time ago.” He let out his line, began to expertly flick his wrist to begin the dance of the fly fisherman. “It was hard on Mom, but Granddad was around and so was Bryce.” He looked at Jesse for the first time since the awkward conversation began. “I mostly remember it being fun, coming into the city, all the stuff we did. The dinosaurs at the museum, the water park, the ballgames, and that great ice cream shop by your condo.”

  He should have known Ty would make it easy on him. Or was it the protection mechanism that kept kids unaware of the struggles around them. It may have been fun for him, but Jesse knew it was nothing close to fun for Kerri Ann. For that, he’d always love her.

  “It was fun, just us guys, back then.” Jesse threw in his line, sat back, and settled in for what qualified as fun these days.

  Ty jerked his line, thought he’d gotten a big one. “Did you see that, Dad? Damn fish took my favorite fly.”

  “You jerked too hard. And don’t say damn.” He drew the fly case out of the dry box and passed it to Ty.

  Ty meticulously picked another fly, then threaded it through with just as much care as the first. Despite what he’d said, they were all his favorites.

  “Tell me about your hot date with the very hot Lita.” Ty cast his line in the water again.

  “You already know I’m taking her rafting. And I doubt she’d appreciate you calling her hot.”

  “Why not? She’s a total babe. If I were a few years older….”

  He was thankful Ty wasn’t any older, for he’d be serious competition. “She’s more than just hot, Ty. You shouldn’t want to date a woman based only on her looks.”

  “Easy for you to say.” He jerked again, not as hard, and was rewarded with a twelve-inch rainbow. “Hand me the net, Dad. Quick.”

  Jesse passed over the net, admired Ty’s catch. “Good-looking fish.” Ty freed the hook and gently placed the fish back in the water.

  Ty cast again as Jesse missed what looked like close to a two-footer. “She’s nice too,” Ty continued. “She always comes outside to talk to me when I’m at Granddad’s. And she makes the best cookies.”

  “Cookies, huh?” Jesse imagined Angelita baking wearing nothing but a white apron. He figured she had lots of hidden talents up her sleeve. He intended to find out most of them over the weekend. He still hadn�
��t told her they were staying overnight and wondered just how pissed she’d be when she figured it out. “What kind?”

  “Chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin.” Ty continued to cast, jerking the boat every so often when he’d get a little too eager. “You like her a lot. I can tell.”

  More than he’d anticipated and much more than he should, considering the number of times they’d been together. But logic didn’t seem to factor into the equation with Angelita. He could only chalk it up to fate. She intrigued him, aroused him, and confused him like no other woman ever had. It was too heady a combination not to explore. “Yeah, I do. You okay with me dating? Haven’t done a whole lot of that in awhile.”

  “As long as it’s not one of my teachers. That thing with Ms. Ferguson was just weird.”

  “Jenny,” Jesse sighed to annoy Ty. “I haven’t thought of her in years. How is she?”

  “Married, so don’t even go there.”

  Jesse laughed. The sun dipped below the tree line and he knew they only had a half hour or so before they’d have to head back. “I’ve better places to go.” He thought of Angelita. He had to wonder, was she thinking of him?

  Chapter 15

  Kerri Ann had called and very simply thanked Bryce for the date. Her deliberate use of the word had pleased him, but not as much as the dinner invitation she’d quietly, shyly issued. He’d felt his shoulder and neck muscles relax as the conversation proceeded. It was like being frozen and then dipped into a vat of hot wax. They’d be alone, in her house, for an entire evening. Ty wouldn’t be joining them, she’d pointed out, as he’d planned to spend the night with Jesse.

  A man couldn’t hear talk like that and not assume she’d left the door open for…anything. Please, God, he silently prayed as he shut down his computer and readied to leave the office. She hadn’t given him much notice and he wanted to catch a quick shower and get a nice bottle of wine. But it wasn’t just the shower he needed, it was Kerri Ann. He’d thought of nothing but her for nearly twenty-four hours and the sultry kiss they’d shared.

  He’d damn near gulped her whole and was hungry for more. But this time he’d take it slow, painfully, seductively slow. He’d have to because, if the sound of her voice were any indication, she’d be a bundle of nerves an hour from now. She’d cooked for him many times, mostly at the restaurant, sometimes at home when he and Ty had been working on some project or another. It would relax her, keep those nervous hands busy while he plied her with wine. It’d be a damn wonder if he didn’t just jump her when she answered the door. Dinner seemed like a positive step, one that would hopefully lead him straight to her heart and her bed.

  He headed out of town toward the small bungalow he’d called home since his mother died and he’d decided to live there instead of some run-down apartment. It was as good a place as any to hang his hat at night. Of course, when he’d first come back to town, he’d expected to make some headway with Kerri Ann and buy them a place where they could raise Ty and the other children he planned to have with her. Maybe, just maybe, his dream of sharing a life with her had a chance. That’s all he’d ever wanted--a fair chance.

  Just around the bend in the road, he passed Jesse and Ty in the Scout. He slowed down and pulled off onto the shoulder when he saw Jesse brake and swing the car around. Bryce let the window down and shut his eyes for a moment as the crisp air touched his face.

  “Bryce,” Jesse said as he pulled up next to the sedan.

  “Hey, guys.” They’d been fishing; Bryce could smell the faint odor and see that Ty’s shirt was wet. “Catch anything?”

  “I caught one, but the old man here didn’t even get a nibble.” Ty spoke with the easy confidence of a teen with his whole life ahead of him. Bryce knew he’d inherited the competitive gene from both his parents.

  Jesse turned down the country station and looked back at Bryce. “You headed to see Kerri Ann tonight?”

  “Yeah.” He couldn’t possibly object to their seeing each other after all this time.

  “I’d told her I’d bring Ty back early in the morning before I left, but I’ve decided to take him over to Cal’s.” He winked and, with his head turned, Bryce could only hope Ty hadn’t seen. “Tell her to sleep in and pick him up there whenever she’s ready.”

  Nothing like the whole damn town knowing he hoped to get laid that night. “Sure thing.” Bryce hoped he hadn’t blushed. “See ya around.”

  ***

  Lita’s nerves made a return appearance as she sat by the cabin’s open window and watched a small, dark brown bird Cal had identified as a winter wren forage along the ground for bugs. She’d learned a great deal about the bird from Cal after finding a white egg covered in rust-colored spots. Her temporary landlord had vast knowledge of the birds that occupied the woods around his home.

  He’d explained how the winter wrens, despite their petite size, had exceptionally loud and varied songs. Cal had hoped she’d be able to distinguish their singing from the other birds, but she just couldn’t figure out what kind of bird was singing when she happened to notice the music of the forest.

  He’d told her other facts about the winter wren she’d found even more fascinating than their beautiful voices. He’d said the male bird built four half-done nests for the female he’d lured with his voice to choose from. She’d then help the male complete the nest of her liking. It tickled Lita to think of birds behaving like humans. She thought of the homes of the few men she’d dated and the few she called friends. Their places were sparsely furnished with what each had considered life’s necessities—big screen televisions, massive stereo equipment, leather couches, and a bed. Even the men with money to spend on decorating seemed to be in wait for the right female to come along and bring a little color and fabric into their lives.

  Lita watched the small bird hop into one of the many fallen tree stumps at the edge of Cal’s drive and wondered if that was his home. Cal had said their technical names meant cave dwellers because they make their nests in places that provide cover. She hadn’t seen Jesse’s home and wondered if he lived with barren walls and mismatched manly furniture. Something told her he waited for no woman to decorate his walls or his life.

  She leaned her head against the window casing and sighed. She’d learned so much in the week and a half she’d spent in the mountains, in a place that seemed her life and problems in Atlanta couldn’t touch. If only that were the case.

  Her father had called several times over the last twenty-four hours. She hadn’t answered, but knew she couldn’t put it off forever. She could only hope Jesse had made some headway with his friend at the paper. After hours of racking her brain for ways out of the mess her father had put her in, she found herself as stuck as when Jesse had forced the truth from her. What was is about him and his ability to pry loose her usually tight lips?

  Lita had heard him and Cal fighting after she’d returned to her cabin. She’d been shocked at first and then saddened. She hadn’t heard the words they’d said to each other, but from the tone she knew they’d been harsh. She’d have known something was wrong even if she hadn’t heard them arguing for Cal had spent the day stalking and scowling around the grounds where he usually ambled and whistled. His mood had kept her inside, watching the birds from the window where she’d sat to watch the sunset, so as not to disturb Cal as he rocked forcefully on his porch. Whatever he and Jesse had fought about hadn’t been resolved and she wasn’t about to put herself in the middle of another family situation. Her own was enough of a train wreck at the moment.

  And yet she’d agreed to spend Saturday rafting with Jesse as if she hadn’t a care in the world. What had she been thinking? But Lita knew underneath her fear and worry about home lay an undeniable attraction to a man she barely knew. It drove her to tuck away her problems and focus only on the man who had taken up a large chunk of space in her brain.

  A person didn’t have to know much about another person to be attracted to him, but Lita anticipated that attraction leading to places she was
n’t sure she was ready to go. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel the scratch of unshaven beard against the delicate skin of her neck. And thinking of it made her pulse dance as if he were still inches away, his sultry mouth ready and willing to take hers again, damn the consequences. It had to be his reckless, devil-may-care attitude that drew her so intensely.