Waylaid

by Ruth J. Hartman

  If the women’s facial expressions were any indication, they were pissed. Annoyed glares were followed by intense whispering between them. Great. That set a good tone for the picnic. I had been going to ask Addy if she wanted to sit with some of them to get to know them better, but thought better of it. Besides, I wanted her to myself. We didn’t have all that much time left together before college.

  We took some hamburgers, chips, and drinks over to a table where nobody else was sitting.

  Addy took a drink and then angled her head toward the others. “Don’t you want to sit with your team?”

  “Not really. I can see them any time. But you… I don’t want to miss a minute of our summer together. That good with you?”

  A slow grin spread across her lips. “Fine with me.” After she took a bite of her sandwich, she stuck out the tip of her tongue to lick some mustard off her lower lip. My fingers ached to reach across and touch her mouth. Better yet, to grab her and take off in my truck so we could really be alone. My breathing hitched when she ran her tongue over her upper lip.

  “What?” Addy frowned. “Do I have mustard on my ear or something?”

  “If you did, it wouldn’t stay there for long.”

  “And why is that?”

  I leaned toward her and whispered. “’Cause I’d have to help myself to a little snack.”

  “You like mustard that much, or you have a thing for ears?”

  “I have a thing for your ears, Addy. And every other part of you, too.”

  “Good to know. And lucky for you, my ears aren’t even my best feature.”

  “Oh really? And what would—”

  “Hey, Stewart, gonna socialize with the rest of us?” Jones waved at us and snorted a loud laugh.

  Jerk.

  I waved in response. “We’re good. Thanks anyway.”

  Laughter from the guys’ table floated over to us. I leaned forward. “Sorry, Addy.”

  “For what?”

  “’Cause they’re making fun of us.”

  She shrugged. “If it means I can just sit and talk to you, it’s all good.”

  How had I gotten so lucky to find a girl who thought I was so special? “You’re something else, you know that?”

  “I’m not sure how to take that. I mean, like something annoying or something—”

  “Not annoying. More like…”

  “What?”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t get too deep sitting here a few yards away from the others.”

  “Oh, it’s gonna be that deep, huh?” Her dimple appeared when she gave me a one-sided smile.

  “Is that a problem?”

  Addy shook her head and offered me a chip. I reached out my hand.

  “No, Mr. Stewart. No hands.”

  With raised eyebrows, I studied her. “All right.” I opened my mouth, but just when I was about to claim the potato chip from her fingers, she pulled it out of my reach. “Now hold on, you’re not playing fair.”

  “But if I’m making the rules, then how can you say it’s not fair?”

  “You are a tease.”

  “Am I?” She wrapped her lips around the straw on her drink and widened her eyes.

  I shook my head. “You are incorrigible.”

  “Big word for a farm boy.”

  “Oh… so it’s gonna be like that, huh?” I reached across the table, but she leaned away. The warm ooze of ketchup when my elbow brushed against my hamburger was a rude awakening. “Okay, Addy. Why don’t we play a little game of mine? It’ll be my rules for that.”

  “Bring it on, giant.”

  We hurried to finish our food, threw away the trash, and walked toward my truck.

  “Where ya going, Stewart?” Jones stood to watch us.

  “Getting something from my truck.”

  “Oh, need a condom? I can help you out with that.” He shrieked with laughter too hard and too loud. How many beers had he drunk before we got to the picnic?

  My face heated as I took Addy’s hand. “Sorry. Again.”

  “It’s not your fault your teammate is a jackass.”

  She caught me off guard using one of my favorite words, and I chuckled. “I’m so glad you see things my way.”

  “Let’s not get carried away. I may agree with you on this, but I’m no pushover.”

  “You don’t have me fooled. Addy. I know you’re a cream puff.” I let go of her hand and raced her the rest of the way.

  She got there a few seconds after me. “No fair. You’re wearing tennis shoes and I have on sandals. Nobody can run in these.” She pointed to her feet.

  “No excuses. Especially when we’re playing by my rules.” I opened the back of the truck and took out an orange Frisbee. I waved it in front of her. “Ready to play?”

  Addy reached out to grab it but I positioned it just high enough that she couldn’t catch it.

  “Oh come on. Didn’t I get enough of this from my brothers when I was seven?”

  “Poor, little short girl. Do I feel sorry for you? Uh, no.” I took off running again, this time in the direction of the pasture next to the picnic tables.

  Footsteps and giggles followed me to the pasture. “Wait! I can’t run in these.”

  I got to the middle of the grass and stopped. She finally caught up, breathing hard. “Well, Miss I-hate-shoes, maybe you should just take them off?”

  “What a great idea!” She removed her sandals and flung them toward the picnic area. Her shoes landed with a thud in the dirt, several feet from the women’s table. One of the wives glanced up and frowned, but went right back to her conversation with the others.

  As Addy stepped closer to me, I could see small drops of moisture across her forehead and upper lip. “Getting hot, Addy?”

  “Maybe that’s something that should also wait until we’re alone.”

  This girl was going to be the death of me. “Whatever you say.” I gave her the once-over. “Ready to play?”

  “Tell me the rules. Although, I have played Frisbee before.”

  “I doubt you’ve ever played with complicated rules like these before.”

  “How bad could it be?”

  I leaned toward her. “You throw, I catch. I throw, you try to catch.”

  “Ha-ha. Just give me that.” She snatched it from me and ran a few yards away. “Ready?”

  “Go ahead.” I waited. Nothing happened. What was she doing? “Uh, Addy?”

  She shimmied, quivering her entire body. “I thought I had a spider on my arm. Just a butterfly. False alarm.”

  “My, you really are a city girl, aren’t you?”

  “Someone has to be, right?”

  “You have a point. Not everyone is lucky enough to live with cows. Okay, now are you ready?”

  “Here goes.” She pulled her arm out to the side.

  “Wait. Why are you using your left hand?”

  “Because I’m left-handed.”

  “Since when?”

  She laughed. “Um, always.”

  “Why didn’t I know this?”

  “Probably because you never asked.” She let out a breath. “Stop stalling.”

  “Fire away.”

  Addy turned to her right, extended her left arm toward me and let loose of the Frisbee.

  It flew three feet and dropped like a rock.

  She frowned. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

  “I thought maybe you were playing a different game than I was.”

  “Oh, be quiet.”

  She leaned over to get the Frisbee from the grass, which gave me a very nice view of her cleavage in the process. Thank you.

  “This time will be better.”

  “Sure it will.” I stuck my hands in my back pockets as if I wouldn’t be needing them to catch anything she tried to throw.

  She flung the Frisbee again and this time it went ten feet, but still fell way short of me.

  Addy put her hands on her hips. “I think your Frisbee is defective, Graham.”

  I laug
hed and retrieved it, then walked it over to her. With a mock bow, I held it out. “Your Frisbee, my queen.”

  Before I could straighten back up, said Frisbee bonked me on the head.

  I gave her the stink-eye.

  She widened her eyes, but the corners of her mouth rose. “Oops. My bad.”

  I reached for her waist but she jumped to the side. The face-plant I did on the grass brought applause from my teammates. As I spit out a few blades of grass, I gave an exaggerated scowl. “Oh, you’ve done it now.” I stood and she took off running, uttering a sound that could have been a squeal or a squeak. It was a toss-up.

  Addy got back to her original spot on the lawn and faced me. “Now, let me try this one more time.”

  “I don’t think the rules call for that many turns in a row, Adelaide.”

  When I used the dreaded first name, she stomped her foot.

  “Gosh, that would have been so much more effective if you weren’t standing in grass. Without shoes.”

  “You asked for it now.” She flung the Frisbee, and it waffled back and forth, up and down like a drunken dragonfly.

  It landed on the ground, but this time it was only a couple of feet in front of me. I gave her the thumbs up. “Hey, at least you kept it in the pasture this time.”

  Addy crossed her arms. “You think you can do so much better? Go ahead.”

  “Watch and learn.” I grabbed the Frisbee and flipped it to her. It sailed about two feet above her and then slowly descended right before it reached her.

  “Ha! I caught it.”

  “That’s ’cause it was such a great throw.”

  “Was not.”

  “Hey, I’m a pitcher. I know what I’m doing.”

  She flung it back to me, almost getting it to my feet. “Bet you can’t do that again.”

  “Watch me.” I replicated the throw almost exactly.

  She caught it. “You got lucky.”

  When she returned it and it actually reached me, I snagged it out of the air. “Hey, you did it!” I waved the Frisbee at her and laughed.

  She tapped her bare foot in the grass. “There is no way you can do it a third time.”

  From across the field, Jones’ voice called, “Aww Stewart, bet she’s said that to you before!”

  This time a few more of them burst out guffawing. Lennie, might wanna shut off their beer supply.

  Anger coursed through me. I just wanted to rip Jones’ a new one. Why couldn’t he keep his damn mouth shut? I pulled my arm back farther than before and let the Frisbee go.

  It sailed right toward Jones. I wasn’t even thinking about Addy trying to catch it.

  Oh no…

  “Addy, don’t—”

  Her mouth dropped open as she watched the Frisbee high above her. Running backward, she kept her gaze on the Frisbee and not where she was going.

  “Addy, watch out!” I took off running toward her.

  Too late.

  She banged into the end of the picnic table, but it didn’t end there. She flipped over the table top, knocking over bottles of beer and scattering potato chips everywhere. With a crash, she landed on a lawn chair. Thank goodness no one was in it.

  When I reached her, she lay in a heap on the broken chair and frowned up at me. “Dang it! And I didn’t even catch the Frisbee!”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Addy

  I couldn’t believe it was graduation day! I stood in line in my white cap and gown, hoping I didn’t fall on my butt in my heels when I had to climb the steps to accept my diploma. It was really happening. My plan was in motion. In a couple of months I’d be at college. Not Oregon, though to live with my sister. My parents won that round, but still… I was going to college. Away from this town.

  What about Graham?

  I pushed aside thoughts of having to say goodbye to him. Maybe it wouldn’t be as hard as I thought it would.

  You know it will be awful.

  Why did my inner voice have to talk so loud?

  The girl in front of me got my attention. She pointed behind me. Kendra was waving wildly and smiling. I waved back and gave her the thumbs up. There was a time there when she hadn’t been sure she’d graduate since her grades weren’t all that hot. I was so relieved she’d passed her classes.

  I never did get a straight answer from her what she planned to do once high school was over. Get a job? Marry Marcus? All she wanted to do was have fun. Fun was overrated.

  Not with Graham.

  Shut up, voice. You’re not making this any easier.

  The music started, which was our cue to start moving the line forward. I located my parents and brothers in the audience. My sister couldn’t make it from so far away. I’d given Graham a ticket, though. Would he show up?

  A quick glance around didn’t produce sight of him, but there were lots of people in the auditorium. Maybe I just couldn’t see him. Although, he was bound to be one of the tallest people there.

  The line moved steadily forward, each student in alphabetical order stepping up to claim his or her prize. Then it was my turn.

  “Adelaide Hildegard Lafollette.”

  A few snickers came from the line and also the audience. I’m sure my mother was crying, though, proud to have her daughter graduate using Grandma’s name. I kept my eyes on the stairs until I’d cleared them, just glad I didn’t fall. Gazing up, I caught the nod of the principal, Mr. Howard, as I walked across the stage.

  “Adelaide’s been accepted at Purdue University and plans to study Veterinary Medicine.”

  Wild clapping and a couple of hoots came from the middle section. My goofy older brothers. I bit my lip against a giggle as I accepted my diploma. Sheer exuberance filled me. I’d done it! Phase one of the plan completed. I walked off of the stage, negotiated another set of stairs and made it to the group of those who had gotten their diplomas. Now all that was left was to wait until the rest of the class was announced.

  Letting out a breath I must have been holding, I finally took the time to look carefully around the auditorium. Was he here? Had he made it?

  You’re wild about him. Leaving will be torture.

  Much as I tried to stuff the voice in a virtual box somewhere to silence it, this time I couldn’t seem to manage. In a very short time, I had grown attached to Graham. If I really admitted it to myself, it was more than attached. But I still had the itch to get away, live on a campus. Meet new people. There wasn’t anything wrong with that, was there?

  Will it satisfy your heart?

  My inner self was playing dirty. I still had a few weeks with him before I left town. And I could see him when I came home for breaks, right? My thoughts played tug-of-war with my heart. While I did want to go away to school and have new adventures, I really did not want to leave Graham. When I thought of it, my chest actually hurt.

  “Addy!” Kendra moved up the line to stand beside me as they congratulated everyone on receiving their diplomas. Hugs and smiles were prevalent all around us. But I was still searching for Graham.

  I leaned over to Kendra. “Is Marcus here?”

  “Of course.” She pointed way up to the very last row in the far corner of the tiered seats. “Graham’s there, too.”

  My mouth curved up. “Yes, he is.” I gave him a little wave, hoping he could see me from way up there. He nodded and gave me the thumbs up. My heart beat wildly inside my ribs. He was so far away I could barely see him and still he had the power to nearly make me wilt.

  After Kendra and I turned in our caps and robes, we hugged good-bye.

  Kendra brushed aside a tear. “We’ll still see each other, right?”

  I smiled. “Of course we will. Is your mom having something for you tonight?”

  “Yeah. Aunts, uncles. The whole thing.” She rolled her eyes. “She said Marcus couldn’t come. How is that fair?”

  “Sorry. I’m sure you’re disappointed.”

  “Very. How about you? Anything at your house tonight?”

  “Just a cak
e and stuff with my parents and brothers.”

  “Have fun!” She hugged me again and made her way through the crowd.

  I turned. There he was, standing with his hands in his front pockets just grinning at me from a few yards away. A whole bunch of people were in between us, but since he was taller than the clouds, we could see each other just fine.

  I waited, pretty sure he’d have an easier time busting through the groups of people than I would.

  “Hey Addy.” He reached forward and gave my hand a squeeze and then let go.

  I wanted so much more than that, but it definitely was the wrong place and time. “Hey, yourself. I wasn’t sure if you’d show.”

  He gave that mischievous grin I was coming to know pretty well. “You know… I had some spare time on my hands and didn’t have anything better to do so…”

  I smacked his arm. “Graham!” Then I laughed. Everything in me wanted to just take off somewhere with him so we could be alone. But my mom would have had my head. “Thanks so much for coming. Hey listen, I’d love to do something with you tonight but—”

  “Don’t worry about it. I already have plans.”

  “Oh.” Thoroughly deflated, I chewed my lip. Who was he going to go see?

  “Yeah. Ran into your mom a few minutes ago in the general melee of the room. She invited me to your house for cake.”

  “Oh.” I stared wide-eyed at him.

  “But if you’d rather I didn’t—”

  “No. I want you to.” I wanted to spend every minute I could with him before I had to leave town.

  “I wasn’t sure since you were using only one word of your vocabulary.”

  “Sorry. Really, I’m so glad you’re coming.” I grabbed his hand but didn’t let go. “I’d like to ride with you, if you don’t mind. But I need to tell my mom.”

  “When she invited me, she asked if I could bring you home since she had to go and uncover some food or something.” Graham checked around and then lowered his voice. “I said that if it was something she felt strongly about and if there wasn’t any other alternative that I guessed I could be persuaded to take you.”

  “Yeah, right. Come on.” I tugged his arm and we made it through the crowd in no time. One glimpse of Graham and people stepped to the side. Having a big boyfriend had its perks.