Mars with Venus Rising

by Hope Toler Dougherty

  He shifted his head to peer at her. “You like them that much?”

  “She loves them!” Winnie reached over and patted Penn’s knee.

  “You hate roller coasters but love fireworks?”

  “What’s wrong with that?”

  “Nothing. Just surprising.”

  Penn frowned. “Why is it surprising? How are the two related?” Did he consider her a science project to be observed and analyzed?

  “Surprising isn’t a bad thing, Penn. Just something else to know about you. Like the way you can knock a softball out of the park.”

  Her throat constricted. Was he keeping a list? Was that a good thing? She opened her mouth to ask, but a boom jerked her upright on the blanket. The corresponding light fastened her attention to the sky.

  Cheers sounded as the shimmering colors of red and blue sprayed above them.

  “That one looks like a chrysanthemum. I think those are my favorite.” Jancie likened all the types to her favorite flowers.

  They discussed each new image that appeared, commenting on the colors or how some lights lingered longer than others or the stars that glittered across the sky.

  Penn clapped with her aunts a few times if the effect was particularly stunning.

  Twenty minutes later, the last light of the finale burned out, and the crowd applauded the celebration.

  John helped pack up the chairs and offered to carry them home.

  Penn declined before Winnie could nod her head. “We’re just a couple blocks that way.” She pointed east. “You’re that way.” She pointed west. “Thanks, but we’ll manage.” She didn’t want another porch scene like the other night, and she could guarantee the aunts would maneuver it. She still needed to understand what had happened between them when he’d held her wrist.

  He made a face. “I don’t mind the walk.” He reached for the chairs she had slung on her back.

  “No.” At her aunts’ quick glance, she tempered her sharp refusal. “We appreciate it. Really, but we’re good.”

  He dipped his head, and guilt niggled in her mind, but she stood her ground. After that...that unsettling connection earlier in the evening, she needed some time by herself. As much as she wanted to explore what it had meant, she had to stop thinking about it until later.

  She caught the glance between the two sisters folding the blanket. She knew her words and actions disappointed them, seemed strange and ungrateful. She knew they wanted John to be a suitor, as they called it, but she wasn’t ready.

  “OK. If you sure.” John’s brow wrinkled.

  I know I’m being weird, but I can’t help it. “I’m sure.”

  “Hey, happy birthday tomorrow.” His mouth turned up in a slow, warm smile.

  He remembered. Her heart clenched. She schooled her features to remain calm and not betray the joy bubbling inside her chest. “Thank you.”

  Winnie clasped her hands. “John, have dinner with us. Just a little celebration.”

  “Thanks. I wish I could. I’m going out of town tomorrow.”

  A deflated feeling pressed against Penn’s insides. Melancholy? No. For sure, not melancholy. Fatigue, probably. Definitely not melancholy. What was wrong with her? One minute she pushed him away. The other, she wanted to pout because he’d miss her birthday. Was she six years old?

  “You take good care then.” Jancie draped the folded blanket over her arm. “‘Bout ready to head home, Winnie?”

  “Yes, indeed-y. Bye, John.” They stepped away from Penn.

  John touched her elbow. “Sorry about dinner tomorrow night. I hope you have a special day anyway.”

  “Thanks. The aunts always plan a good time.”

  “I’m sure.” He cocked his head. “You were fantastic at the game today.”

  Heat crept up her neck. Her breath stuck and hovered just above her lungs. All she could manage was a whispered, “Thanks.”

  “OK, then. See ya.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed toward the pavilion.

  15

  Penn tightened the reins, and Periwinkle stopped at the edge of the road. She checked for cars and tapped her heels into Peri’s flanks to urge him across. With traversing the backyards of kind neighbors, they’d have to maneuver only Stanton Avenue before arriving at the open farmland north of town.

  She’d studied for three hours straight this morning and longed for a change of scenery. Exhausted from numbers and definitions and from forcing John from her mind every six or seven minutes, she needed Peri time.

  The horse strained against the reins, revealing his desire for the ride as well.

  Penn looked forward to the ride but also to the treat she’d promised herself every time John’s face appeared in her mind. Not yet, Penn. Accounting now. John later.

  Peri recognized the farm and broke into a trot.

  She laughed. “All right, boy. You want this ride as much as I do. Well, have at it.” She snapped the reins and nudged the flanks again. Peri’s gait quickened to a canter.

  Squinting against the wind whipping off Peri’s head, she let him run where he wanted. He knew what to do.

  Twenty minutes later, she lounged in front of a sugar maple, and Peri grazed a few feet from her. She broke off a piece of a granola bar she’d stuffed into her knapsack. She chewed the chocolaty oats and nuts, allowing the flavors to work with the scenery to soothe her.

  She loved this place. Timothy Martindale, a friend from church, allowed her access to his farm. During high school, she rode here at least once a week, usually twice. Now her visits came less often.

  Hidden from the road, the pasture lent much needed privacy to a hurting teen. A few cows occupied the area but never complained about sharing their domain. In the past, they ignored the horse and his rider.

  Today was no different. Penn didn’t want to be bothered. She’d earned her free time with Peri, and she allowed her thoughts to wander to the topic that filled her mind every day.

  John.

  He confused her so. What was going on with him? He was attentive and kind to her. He seemed interested to a point. Then he’d group her together with the aunts. He invited all of them to the festival. He’d said he’d enjoyed being with them at the festival, not with her.

  But then, for just a split second the other night, she was certain he’d intended to kiss her. He’d brushed his thumb over her lips. He’d cupped her cheek. He’d begun to lean toward her but stopped and tucked her hair behind her ears. Started talking about the porch, of all things.

  What if he’d done it? What if he’d kissed her? Would she have let him?

  Part of her wanted him to as much as she wanted anything. Part of her was scared to the point that her fingers trembled now at the thought.

  She dug inside her backpack and found her go-to thinking candy. She popped a nugget into her mouth and added another. Two was better than one. She held them in her mouth, letting the chocolate melt away to the caramel center.

  What about at the picnic? When he’d held her wrist, she’d seen a question in his eyes. What did he wonder when he searched her face? Did he see her as a timid loser, living at home with her aunts?

  He was surprised she liked fireworks. What did that mean? Did he see her as boring, a fuddy-duddy who wouldn’t try new things? That revelation from the arts festival still smarted a little bit.

  The first time they met, he’d grouped her as a teenager. Did he think she was too young? Was that the cause of his hesitation? How did he really feel about her?

  More to the point, how did she feel about him?

  She closed her eyes and pictured him, tall and dark. His strong hands tapered into long fingers. She could still feel them around her wrist.

  She smiled remembering the way his black hair parted and fell away from his temples, curling below his ear lobes. Longer than what she usually found attractive but perfect for a free spirit like John. A free spirit? A free spirit who flies planes? She pressed her hand against her chest hoping to slow its beating.

>   She fished another candy from the box.

  Could she fall for a pilot? Someone who flew planes for a living?

  Peri nudged her shoulder.

  She startled. “You ready to go home, buddy?” She rubbed his nose. “What do you think? Could I handle waiting for John to come back from a flight? Checking the weather? Listening to news reports?”

  Images from her childhood flooded her mind. Images she hadn’t thought about in years, not since Dr. Suzie had helped her work through that awful time after the accident when Abby’s mom had set her on her lap and explained that her parents’ plane had crashed.

  Mrs. Parker hadn’t relayed the entire story at that point. She’d hugged Penn and told her they’d find out the answers to all her questions the next day. Until then, she could stay with Abby for a sleepover.

  Penn could still see Abby’s wide, blue eyes and the scared look Mrs. Parker tried to hide.

  Abby. Her best friend until...

  Now Abby had returned for her Licensed Professional Counselor internship.

  Penn rested her head against the rough bark of the tree. Why in the world had she agreed to lunch? More time with Abby would give these old feelings another opportunity to rise out of her memories and break her heart all over again.

  The invitation had been along the lines of the let’s-do-lunch variety with no mention of a specific day. She doubted she’d see Abby again. Their paths had stopped crossing long before high school. No reason to think they’d cross again now. She blew out a long, slow relieved breath.

  Peri shook his head and nipped at her collar. “You’re right, Peri. I don’t need to think so much about all these things, especially about that time.”

  She nuzzled her face against his nose and breathed in his pungent, leathery smell. “I’m borrowing trouble here, worrying about something that will never see the light of day. John’s done nothing but be a kind friend. He wants to learn his new community, and we’re the ones he’s recruited to help him. End of story.”

  A twig crackled as she rose to hug Peri. “Thanks for helping me sort all this out, buddy. You’re very wise, you know that?”

  Peri snorted and stepped forward.

  She laughed. “Wise and modest, too.” She wrapped the reins around her fist. “All righty, let’s go home. I think I need some cookies.”

  ~*~

  Penn led Peri into his stall and freshened the water bucket. She offered him a sugar cube on her flattened palm. “Here you go, sweetie. A nice snack after a great ride.” She stroked his snout and kissed him at the tip of his nose. “It was a great ride, wasn’t it? We’ll go again soon. I promise.”

  Choosing a brush from a nearby shelf, she raked it through the black mane. “You were spectacular today.”

  “How do I warrant a compliment like that?”

  Flinching, she dropped the brush. Flutters in her chest chased away the peacefulness she’d garnered from her time with Peri. She bent to retrieve her brush, but John arrived first, grabbed it and appropriated the grooming duty. Concentrating on the small star on Peri’s forehead, she clutched the bridle.

  “Not scaring people to death might be on the list.” She scooted to the other side, putting Peri between them.

  “The list?” He focused on his task, leaving Penn to snatch a glimpse of John’s ivy-colored polo stretched over his chest.

  Her heartbeat quickening, she nuzzled her nose under Peri’s ear. “Of how to earn a compliment.”

  John winced. “Sorry about that. Jancie saw you come home and suggested I come down and see you.”

  Penn flattened her hand against the horse’s flanks, drawing strength from the heat emanating from him. “Wait. Start from the beginning. You were with Aunt Jancie?”

  “And Winnie. I’d called earlier. Found out you weren’t home. They invited me over to wait for you.”

  “So you visited with the aunts?” She clenched a hank of Peri’s mane. How long had he been with them? What did they talk about? More details about her childhood?

  “Yeah and ate a ton of cookies in the process.” He patted his stomach. “Too many, I’m afraid. They won’t let you eat just one.”

  “Welcome to my world.”

  “Glad to be here.” John, his attention fixed on the horse, transferred the brush to his left hand and worked on Peri’s front leg.

  Not able to think of a response to his words, she ignored them. “You’ve done this before.”

  “My grandparents always had horses. My little brother’s a trainer. I can bluff my way around equestrian circles.”

  “So...why are you here?”

  “Get right to the point, huh?”

  “I’ve noticed you do that, and it usually works better than beating around the bush, or the horse.”

  He rewarded her with a grin.

  “Cute joke.” He dragged the brush along Peri’s withers down the back to the dock of the tail. “Here’s the deal. I need your help.”

  “My help?”

  He slid around Peri, repeating the brush strokes on the other side. “And your aunts, too.”

  She lowered her chin. “I’m sure they’ve already agreed.”

  “Nope. I haven’t asked them yet. I kind of thought the same thing—they’d agree, and you’d be stuck.” He glanced at Penn. “I wanted to ask you first. If you agree, then we go to the aunts.”

  Good of him to give her first right of refusal. “OK, what is it? You got plans for your wraparound porch? You need extra hammer-ers?”

  He snorted. “Come on. That paper bag floor was your aunts’ idea. And they offered your help. I didn’t ask.”

  “True. But you’re asking now.”

  “Not for that. Still looking for an easy set of directions by the way.”

  “Landscaping, then. They’re both master gardeners.”

  “No, but good to know. My yard’s a mess.”

  She smiled. “Well, don’t mention it unless you want us showing up with shovels, rakes, and flats of flowers.” She tilted her head. “What do you need?”

  “Actually, it’s my boss who needs the help.”

  She froze. “John, I’m not—”

  “No, no. Nothing to do with the airport or flying.” He rested his arm on Peri’s back and faced her. “My boss has box seats to the Pirates game this weekend, but his niece is getting married. Since he can’t use them, he gave them to me. Four tickets behind the catcher. Sweet, huh?” He grinned at her, hope shining in his eyes.

  Sweet all right. The aunts would dance a jig and hug his neck and bake a couple batches of celebration cookies. They’d been to a few home games before but never sat behind home plate.

  “You don’t have to fly him?” An edge crept into her voice.

  “Nope. Wedding’s in Oakmont.”

  She weighed her options. Saying no would produce loads of guilt from denying her aunts this opportunity. A no would also mean another boring night at home with accounting books piled beside her, but saying no now could help her withstand John’s charms.

  Not that he’d be charming her anyway. He clumped them together, the aunts and the scared-to-try-new-things geek.

  Saying yes would mean raves from the aunts, a spectacular view in arguably the most beautiful stadium in the country, a break from accounting law, and...more time with John. That thought pumped adrenalin through her body, made her feel more alive than she had in...since...her whole life. And that thought petrified her, just like his vocation. She opened her mouth, but he held up his hand.

  “Uh huh. Before you think up a reason to say, ‘no,’ let me remind you that the Pirates are in first place, as of last week anyway. And did you hear me say, ‘seats behind the catcher?’’’

  “I don’t have to think up a reason to say ‘no.’” Her eyebrows knitted together. “Why’d you think I’d refuse you anyway?”

  Peri stepped sideways, reminding her she hadn’t fed him yet. She hoisted a bag of oats.

  John took it from her. “Let me help.” He poured the o
ats into the trough. “Because your aunts usually have to talk you into things that involve me.” John’s chin trembled, and he sniffed, feigning tears. “I’m getting a complex.”

  A laugh sputter from her lips before she could rein it in. “That’s not true, but I’m sure a big, strong man like you isn’t bothered by the likes of me.”

  He caught her gaze. “You’d be surprised then.”

  Laughter withered in her throat. Why did he say things like that? And look at her like that? Then ask the aunts to tag along with them? “Oh, really?”

  “Yes, really. Now quit with the suspense. Yes or no? Boring night at home alone or exciting night with me at the ball park.” He weighed his hands like a balance again, raising and lowering each one as he spoke.

  “Well, the thing is, I really do have to study for my CPA exam.” She fingered the mane between Peri’s ears.

  He ignored her for his oats.

  “Penn, you can’t study every minute of every day. You need breaks. I think I’m brushing proof of what I’m saying.” He smoothed Peri’s back.

  She sighed an exaggerated surrender. “OK. I agree. The game will be fun. Thank you for thinking of us.”

  “Fantastic. You’re welcome. Your enthusiasm is overwhelming me, by the way.” He placed the brush on the shelf over the stall. “Let’s go tell the aunts.”

  “Fine, but I’m warning you. At the very least, they’ll hug you. They jump up and down and clap, too.” She cocked an eyebrow. “They’ll probably kiss you.”

  “I should be so lucky. As long as they don’t offer me another cookie, let them kiss all they want.”

  ~*~

  John caught Penn’s gaze over the aunts’ celebration and winked. They missed the exchange because they were busy dancing a do-si-do in the middle of the kitchen, singing a jaunty version of Take Me Out to the Ball Game complete with harmony.

  Penn’s eyes twinkled at their joy.

  They punched the air as they sang, “For it’s one, two, three strikes you’re out at the old ball game” and slumped in the wooden chairs with breathless smiles.

  “Oh, John. If I had the energy and could rise from this chair, I’d kiss you again.” Winnie patted her chest. “Give me a minute to catch my breath, and I think I can go for another round.”