“What do you mean?”
“What are we to each other?” Lisa asked.
“I don’t know exactly what you’re going for, but I guess we are friends working toward a common goal—the care of Rose.”
“I think you summed it up perfectly.”
“I did?”
“You did. We are friends. That’s it. Friends. No more, no less.”
“And your point is?”
“Whatever this charade was with me helping you with your jeans, don’t even think of tricking me like that again.”
“Tricking you?”
“Come on, Sully. You didn’t need my help.”
“Hey, I didn’t know that. Not at first.”
She grunted. “You could have called it off.”
“I could have.”
“Why didn’t you?” she asked.
“I was enjoying myself and enjoying watching you.”
“Isn’t that mature of you?”
“Hey, I never said that I was mature.”
“Friends,” she said. “We are just friends, and that’s all we’re ever going to be. Good night, Sully.”
Before he could say anything, she was gone.
Chapter Ten
Brett Sullivan is incorrigible, Lisa thought as she lay in bed listening to the soft rise and fall of Rose’s breathing. The little girl had snuggled up to her side, and Lisa put her arm around her niece.
Molly and Snowball were present, too. Molly was stretched out at the foot of the bed. Snowball the cat was curled up on Rose’s pillow.
She was glad that Rose had pets. They looked over her. Just like she believed that Carol and Rick were looking over her.
“Help me, Carol, please,” Lisa said, letting the tears fall from her eyes. She missed her sister so much; she couldn’t imagine how Rose felt losing both her parents. “Help me to raise Rose right and get along with Sully.”
Lisa wiped the tears from her eyes. There wasn’t anything specific that triggered the tears. Maybe she was just tired.
They’d have a good time at Disney World. But it should have been Carol and Rick taking their daughter there for the first time.
Lisa wasn’t exactly the theme park type. She was more like NASA’s Kennedy Space Center type, but that would bore Rose and Sully to death.
She resolved to try to have fun and act like a kid again, or at least a not-so-stuffy thirtysomething-year-old.
Sully wouldn’t have a problem being a kid. That was his middle name.
Morning couldn’t come fast enough. She wanted to get out of Fort Lauderdale. The sooner they left, the sooner they could get to Orlando and then back to Salmon Falls.
She figured that it would take about five hours to get to the park from Fort Lauderdale. In the morning, she’d call and get a reservation at the campground.
Sully would probably want to wing it, but she wasn’t that type.
She drifted off to sleep wondering why Sully was always on her mind.
* * *
“I’m ready to go, Sully. It’s oh-seven-thirty hours, and Rose and I have already had our breakfast.”
Sully was tickling Rose, and Rose was laughing and screaming.
“So shall we get on the road?” she said, feeling like a stick-in-the-mud. Why couldn’t she let Sully and Rose have a fun time together?
Probably because she felt like a third wheel.
“Sully, would you like some microwave oatmeal?”
“No offense, but I’d rather see what’s on the communal buffet.”
“I’ll go for you,” she said. “You can’t walk yet.”
She hurried to the food tent, amazed to find that a lot of motor homes had left already. She scooped some scrambled eggs onto a paper plate and added bacon and a bagel. That should keep Sully happy for a while.
She didn’t have anything to contribute, so she left ten dollars in the coffee can marked “Donations.”
Lisa took a deep breath and opened the door of the RV. Sully and Rose hadn’t moved from their position on the dinette. They were watching a cartoon on TV, or rather Sully was. Rose was talking to her doll.
She handed Sully the plate of food along with a fork she pulled from the drawer.
“It looks like we’re not going to leave on time,” she said.
“Would it matter if we left at oh-eight-hundred and ten minutes?”
“I guess not,” she snapped, then remembered her vow not to be so rigid. “Whenever you’re ready.” She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down on the passenger’s seat.
She watched Sully point out certain scenes of the cartoon and laugh with Rose. He fed scrambled eggs to Molly and scratched her behind the ears. She watched Rose ruffle Sully’s hair and eat some of his bagel.
Lisa sat alone in the front of the RV, waiting to hit the road. She organized her purse and pulled out her calendar.
She forgot that she had to cancel her charter to Vegas from Albany, New York, the same weekend as the Anaheim event! She was looking forward to flying again, but Sully had to ride to get to the top.
“Something wrong?” Sully asked, holding up a strip of bacon.
“I forgot something. Something important.”
“Can we pick it up along the way?” he asked.
“No. It’s not that kind of thing.
“I’ll be right back,” she told Sully, slipping out of the motor home.
Her first call was for a campground reservation.
Her second call was to her pal Luann at JFW Aviation to tell her that she couldn’t fly the charter.
She didn’t have any other choice.
* * *
Sully could sense that there was something wrong with Lisa. She wasn’t usually a ball of sunshine, but this was bad even for her.
Was it because he was playing with Rose and wasn’t adhering to her departure schedule? Gee, he hadn’t been able to play with Rose most of yesterday, and he missed her.
Would it kill her to wait a bit?
Probably.
“I have to get up, kiddo,” he said to Rose. “Could you move a bit to let Uncle Sully up?”
“Okeydokey.”
Sully pulled himself out of the dinette and took the melted ice off his ankle. He hopped to the bathroom.
One look told him that he needed a shave, but he didn’t have the energy. Nor did he have the energy to take a shower.
He took a look at his ankle. It was twice the size of the other one, and Lisa was right—it was purple and swollen. He had to do what the doc told him to do: stay off it and keep it iced.
He had to ride this weekend in Connecticut even if it was still swollen and purple. He was number six in the standings thanks to his win last night, and he had to move up even higher.
He heard Lisa return to the RV and put the dinette back. He could hear her talking to Rose, who was helping her fold the sheets and blankets.
“Great job, sweetie!” Lisa said. “Are you excited to see all your cartoon friends today?”
“Yesss!”
“Okay. We’ll get going just as soon as Uncle Sully is ready.”
He’d better get his ass in gear.
He hurried as much as he could, deciding to keep his shorts on, but he needed a shirt.
Hopping to the bedroom, he waved to them. “I’m just getting a shirt, and we can leave.”
“Okay,” Lisa said.
He grabbed a PBR T-shirt and slipped it on. To be helpful, he made up the bed in the room. It looked like no one had slept in it, so it wasn’t hard to do.
He put on some flip-flops and then noticed a pair of crutches on the bottom of his closet. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d needed crutches. Oh yeah, he’d broken
his leg at the Billings event a few years back.
He hopped out of the bedroom. “Let’s rock, ladies. Time to visit all of Rose’s pals.”
Rose let out a shriek of excitement.
“Did you disconnect the water and the sewage?” he asked Lisa.
“Uh, no. I didn’t think—”
“And the awning has to be taken in. The highway patrol might frown on us driving with it open.”
“Of course.”
They were common mistakes for rookie RVers, but Lisa seemed rattled. “If you did a walk around like you do with a plane, you might have noticed things still connected,” he joked, trying to relieve her nervousness.
“If you would have moved your butt and helped me, maybe I would have known... Oh, forget it,” she said through gritted teeth. “Would you mind sticking your head out the door and giving me some help?”
“No problem.”
He led her through the unhooking procedures, and she was a quick study. He hit a button for the awning from the inside, and it retracted.
“Brilliant,” she said sarcastically.
“We’re all set to go now.”
She checked her watch. “Oh-nine-thirty hours. An hour and a half after I wanted to leave.”
He knew that she’d bring up again that they were running late.
“Well, what’s taking you so long? We’re burning daylight.”
He tossed her the keys, handed her the GPS and filled his ice pack.
Making sure that Rose was buckled in and had a tableful of books and toys, he took the passenger’s seat. “It’s only about four hours to Orlando from here.”
“Five,” she snapped.
“Okay, five. Relax, Lisa. We’ll get there without going crazy.”
She nodded.
“Turn the ignition on, Lisa.”
“C’mon, Sully.”
“Well, you need to turn the key.”
“I know that!”
“What’s stopping you?” he asked, puzzled.
“I just need to get my bearings.”
“It’s an automatic transmission, just like a car. All you have to do is just drive forward. No one is in front of you.”
“I know. I know.”
She was scared, he realized. But why? The woman flew jets, for heaven’s sake, and she was scared of a thirty-foot motor home.
“Talk to me, Lisa,” he said gently.
“It’s like a bus. A huge bus. I have to navigate this thing on roads. But flying, in the sky, it’s just...different.”
“You can do it. I’ll be your air traffic controller or, in this case, your earth traffic controller.”
She laughed, and the tension seemed to evaporate. Finally, she turned the key and drove out of the parking lot and onto the highway as if she’d done it a thousand times.
“Piece of cake,” Sully said.
“Yeah, I know.”
“No. I wish I had a piece of cake. Chocolate.”
She laughed again. “Sully, just set the GPS for the campgrounds. I jotted down the address in the back of my appointment book. It’s in my purse.”
After Sully found the address and set the navigation system, he found himself still holding Lisa’s appointment book. He noticed an entry for a week from Saturday: Charter from Albany to Las Vegas.
“Lisa? Are you scheduled to fly a charter?”
No answer.
He sat back down in the passenger’s seat. “Lisa? Talk to me.”
“Yes, I was scheduled to fly a charter, but I cancelled it because you have to ride, and I have to take care of Rose, so I called my friend, Luann and asked her to keep me in mind for another charter flying out of Albany, New York. So I don’t know when I’m going to fly again. Happy?”
“Hell, no. I’m not happy. I thought we were going to work things out,” Sully said, thinking about her tirade. “Why didn’t you tell me about the charter? You said you forgot?”
“I guess I did.”
The GPS told Lisa to turn left, and she made a perfect turn.
“Forget it,” she said.
“We could have worked it out.”
She was silent for a while. “I really and truly forgot, Sully. I guess I was actually having a good time.”
“Oh, no! A good time? How awful!”
She smiled. “After I got over my meltdown, comparing my communal life to a gathering of your friends, I began to have a good time. Everyone is so nice and friendly. And before you ask, that includes Chase Gatlin.”
“He’s okay,” Sully admitted. “But I’m going to knock him out of first place.”
“I hope you do.”
“We need to discuss the Connecticut event this weekend,” he said.
“If you think you can ride, I’ll take care of Rose. From Salmon Falls you can make it to Connecticut in about five hours,” she said. “Can you get a ride there so you don’t have to drive?”
“I probably could.”
“I could drive you but I really should keep Rose in Salmon Falls. She needs to be home again. And aren’t we expecting a surprise visit at some point from the lawyer?”
“I forgot about the lawyer.”
“I think we should have told him that we left with Rose.”
“You’re probably right. That’s a big strike against us, huh?”
“Sully, I think we have more strikes against us than just not calling the lawyer.”
“No, we don’t. I think we’re doing great. Rose had a good time at the PBR, and she’ll have an even better time at the theme park.”
“That’s just stuff, Sully. We have to raise her. We have to get serious.”
He shook his head. “How can I convince you that a little girl needs to have fun? She’s had enough seriousness. She needs to laugh and run and splash and giggle.”
“I know all that, Sully, but there’s day care and preschool. She can play with kids her own age and learn while she’s at it.”
“There’s time for that stuff when she starts kindergarten.”
“If she goes to preschool, she’ll have a head start in kindergarten.”
“Who cares? I didn’t go to preschool and I’m doing okay,” he said.
Lisa passed a slow-moving farm truck. “I won’t even answer that.”
“Did you go to preschool?” he asked.
“I was raised in a commune, remember? School was sitting on a blanket talking about everything but academics. When I went to regular school in seventh grade, because my parents were ‘between communes,’ I was hideously behind. I don’t want Rose to be behind.”
“She’s three years old. She needs to enjoy being three!” he said.
“You aren’t listening to me.”
His ankle was throbbing, and his brain was throbbing. “You aren’t listening to me either. She should enjoy her young years. There’s plenty of time for school later. Let her have fun. She’s been dealt a bad hand.”
He lifted his leg and stretched it out on his gear bag to elevate his ankle and wondered if they’d ever reach a compromise on this one.
Chapter Eleven
They rolled into the campgrounds a few hours later, no thanks to Sully. He had fallen asleep while sitting across from Rose at the dinette.
“Where’s my dolly? Where is Princess Mary Ann?” That was the first thing that penetrated his brain. “Aunt Lisa, Uncle Sully, where’s my princess dolly? I lost her.” Once they were stopped, Rose unhooked the seat belt of her car seat in one fast movement and scrambled out of the dinette.
Sully pulled a doll out from behind his back. “I must be like the princess who slept on a pea. I could feel something in my back when I was sleeping.”
Rose giggled and Lisa swallowed
a smile.
“I hope Princess Mary Ann is okay.” He smoothed down the doll’s scraggly hair and wrinkled pink gown and handed the beloved Mary Ann to Rose. “Oh, wait...she’s missing a shoe.”
Sully felt around the dinette and turned up a small white plastic heel. He studied it for a while before handing it to Rose.
“Thank you, Uncle Sully,” Rose said, slipping the heel on Princess Mary Ann’s foot.
“I’m going to check us in at the office,” Lisa said.
“Lisa, wait.” Sully reached for his wallet and handed Lisa a credit card. “This is for the campground cost.”
Lisa waved him away, although she was impressed by his thoughtfulness. “It’s on me.”
“No way. I’m the big PBR winner.” He pumped the air with a fist. “Let me buy.”
She thought for a while. “We really should have a mutual account, Sully.”
“We’ll do that later, but for now, I’d like this to be my treat.”
She smiled slightly and took his credit card. “We thank you.”
“I have to put my special dress on,” Rose declared, running into the bedroom. “And my special sandals.”
As Lisa walked down the stairs of the RV to check in, she remembered her vow to lighten up. She needed this time away. She wanted to enjoy it with Rose and Sully.
“Rose, you have to buckle in,” Lisa stated when she returned. “I’m going to drive us to our campsite now.”
“I’m not dressed yet,” Rose replied.
“You can finish later. Let Uncle Sully help you buckle in.”
Lisa waited until Sully gave her the sign that Rose was ready. Soon she was driving into their site, which was surrounded by a copse of trees. She pushed the button to lower the awning. “Sully, I’ll hook up the hoses.”
“Remember how?” He stood with his crutches.
“Of course! I’m a seasoned RV-er now!”
It didn’t take her long to get the RV ready. It was as if she’d done it a million times before. She liked their site with grass, palm trees and other conifers. There was a picnic table and a grill.
Lisa wanted a cookout, complete with steaks and potato and macaroni salads. She hadn’t had a cookout since she’d left the commune—if you could call that a cookout. The steak probably had been some sort of mushroom and soybean concoction.
Lassoed Into Marriage Page 11
