Somewhere in the Middle

by Linda Palmer

  “Good.” Mom smiled. “I didn’t really get to talk to him very much when he picked you up for the dance.”

  “Me, either,” said Dad. “Seems like a nice kid, though.”

  “He didn’t know who Batman was.”

  Thanks, Eli, I thought when everyone looked from him to me in shock. I downplayed it by shrugging it off. “Must not be read comic books.”

  “Or go to movies,” said Cory with a frown.

  “Or watch TV,” added Dad.

  “So he’s into other things. So what? I couldn’t tell you one thing about NASCAR, and you know how popular that is around here.” Talladega, anyone? “What should I cook for dinner? Something healthy. I’ve never seen him eat anything but salad.”

  Cory, our junk food junkie, shook his head in disbelief. “Then you two are perfect for each other.”

  Mom swatted him. “We still have some of the steaks we bought from Bruce Stephens.” He was an old school friend of my parents who had free-range livestock.

  “Perfect.” I was already planning what I’d serve with them and making a mental shopping list. But before I could actually complete it, I had to know one thing. That’s why I texted Roone as soon as the dishes were done and I was in the privacy of my room.

  R u vegetarian?

  He answered almost immediately. No.

  Excellent, I thought, moving ahead with my plans.

  Saturday I went by Nana’s to see if she needed anything. The first words out of her mouth when she opened her front door? “You’re glowing. Are you pregnant?”

  “Really, Nana? I mean really?” I brushed past her and went inside.

  Nana aka Lillian Rodale Sayers, my dad’s widowed mom, lived in a two-bedroom house just a few blocks from ours. Petite and dainty, she kept the place so spotless it always smelled of lemon furniture polish. Worse, her land-mine of a living room scared me stupid, as in I was always waiting for the moment when I knocked some priceless antique off a hundred-year old accent table and broke it. Or maybe I’d just spill cherry Kool-Aid on the mauve seat of a Queen Anne chair.

  Today Nana wore a periwinkle pantsuit that made her white hair look violet. “Then you must be in love. What’s his name?”

  “I’m not in love, okay? Now where’s your grocery list? I’m having company for dinner, and I have a lot of getting ready to do.”

  “You’re not going to visit for a while?”

  I mentally groaned. “I really don’t have time, but I promise I will soon.” Visiting with Nana was a lot like being lost in a maze with her. Though I might think I knew where we were headed conversation-wise, we always wound up somewhere else.

  “Hmph! Who’s eating with you?”

  “A friend.”

  “Dayna?” Nana knew both my closest friends. “That sweet Sidney?”

  “A new friend. Roone Thorsen.”

  “I knew it! Saw the dance photos on Rosa Garza’s Facebook page. He’s quite the hunk.” Nana, who was shockingly computer savvy and loved all forms of social media, handed over her shopping list with a sly smile.

  I left quickly and without another word. And when I returned with her groceries, I wouldn’t let her steer me in the boyfriend direction again. Thanks to her, I now wondered if my feelings for Roone were tattooed on my forehead.

  I kept my dinner menu simple—steaks, baked potatoes, fresh green beans, salad. I even bought yeast and extra flour so I could bake some bread. Though I could’ve done that the old-time way and often did, I simply put everything in our electric bread maker today and let it do its thing while I cleaned house and otherwise prepared for Roone.

  Around noon, I texted him with a reminder and a dinner time. He got right back to me with confirmation that he’d be there. Mom actually helped me in the kitchen when I finally began to prepare for the evening, a nice surprise that gave me a chance to get dressed without hurrying. I didn’t take too many pains. Dad would’ve noticed.

  But I did straighten my hair even more than it naturally was and took care to dress in something that looked halfway nice—a top that Dayna had left behind the night she dressed for the dance. Red with a sheer ruffle that could be worn off the shoulders, it had a built-in bra that hugged my curves nicely. A glance in the mirror told me I looked pretty dang good. I impulsively snapped a picture of myself and texted it to Dayna with a brief note: Do u mind?

  She answered right back: No. Ur lookin hot. Why?

  Me: Roone.

  Her: LMAO.

  Laughing my ass off? Yeah, she probably was. I stuck out my tongue at the mirror and sent her that shot, too. Then I set the phone firmly aside.

  “Everly? Roone’s here.” Mom’s shout barely made it to my room.

  Ach! Thirty minutes early. But I was ready, if oddly nervous. Barefoot, I ran down the hall to the front door, but Dad had beat me to it. “Come in. Come in.”

  Roone did. I immediately noticed a couple of things. One, there were raindrops on his hair and shoulders. Two, his clothes fit. As in perfectly. Which meant his long-sleeved chocolate brown T-shirt hugged his shoulders, biceps, and pecs, revealing much more of his body shape than his tux ever had.

  Click!

  My mom actually gasped. Dad’s jaw dropped. Cory’s eyebrows shot up. As for Eli, he reached out and actually poked Roone’s arm as if he thought it might deflate or something.

  I wanted to die and blurted the first thing that popped into my head. “You guys remember Roone.” As if they’d forget him in a week.

  “Of course,” said Mom, gushing now that she’d caught her breath. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

  “You, too.” Roone managed a smile even though he had to be feeling self-conscious. My family couldn’t take their eyes off him.

  “Dinner’s almost ready. I just have to grill the steaks. Want to help?”

  “Yeah, sure.” Clearly grateful for the rescue, he followed me to the kitchen. “You look amazing.”

  “Really? I mean, thank you. This top is Dayna’s. I don’t usually do shiny. Jeans are mine, though.” God, could I babble worse? “The, um, grill’s on the patio. I know it’s probably too cold to be cooking outside, but the meat will taste better if we do. You don’t have a problem with cooking over charcoal, do you? I know some people worry about carcinogens.”

  He just shook his head.

  I explained how healthy this particular beef was, more babbling. But I couldn’t seem to stop myself. Grabbing the tray of steaks and a barbecue fork, I headed for the back door.

  “Where are your shoes?”

  I looked down and laughed at myself. Deep breaths, Everly. “I’ll just get some flip-flops from the utility room.” There was a basket there full of shoes we’d taken off at the back door for one reason or another. I chose a red pair to match my shirt. Moments later we were standing on the deck. I handed Roone the tray to hold and began laying rib eye steaks on the hot grill. Amazing smells instantly rose from the sizzling meat.

  I felt Roone move away and found him standing at the tripod, looking it over. “Our telescope is an older model. It’s inside now because of the iffy weather, but in the summer we leave it out most of the time. Cory can spend hours looking at the sky, and you know I love to do that, too.”

  Roone nodded that he did, indeed, know.

  Once I shut the grill, we went back inside. I promptly ushered Roone to the den where my dad and brothers waited. I suspected they had questions for him about his workout regimen. Dad and Cory both had gym memberships and took their weight lifting way too seriously. But Dad was in the kitchen when I got back there. Just as I was noticing how nice he looked—T-shirt and jeans that weren’t threadbare—he pulled me aside.

  “Is Roone on steroids?”

  “As if. He won’t even take a Tylenol.”

  “Then he must have a hell of workout schedule.”

  “Actually, I think it might be genetic.” I set the tray down and began washing my hands at the sink. “His dad and brother look just like that.”

&nbs
p; “Where’s he from?” asked Mom, who’d joined us.

  “NowhereNear.”

  Dad frowned. “Huh?”

  “That’s all he ever says. If you’re that curious, you should ask to him. Maybe he’ll tell you.” As in, get out of the kitchen, you’re cramping my style. Dad took the hint and left. I immediately got busy checking on the bacon-wrapped green bean bundles, a family favorite, which were in the oven and always took way longer to cook than I expected. Meanwhile, Mom finished setting the table, using the good stuff. That made me smile. My parents were clearly trying to make a good impression.

  I went outside a couple of times to check on the steaks. The last time I detoured by the den on my way out to see how Roone was doing. I figured he might be tired of being interrogated by my deputy of a dad, who could be pretty intense without meaning to. I didn’t actually go in, choosing instead to linger just outside the door and out of sight.

  Eli had the floor. “You look like Thor.”

  “Thor from ÁsgarÐr?” Roone, who apparently knew at least one superhero, sounded surprised. I noticed that he didn’t pronounce Asgard the same way we did.

  “Uh-huh. I have a hammer just like his. Want me to get it?”

  “Sure.”

  Eli shot out of the den and right past me, his little legs pumping as he flew down the hall and into his room. A nanosecond later, he came hurtling back, his trusty shield and hammer in hand. That made me smile. Cute. Definitely cute.

  Click!

  “This is so cool.” I heard a smile in Roone’s voice and could imagine him looking over the plastic gear.

  “Everly got it for me. We love superheroes.”

  “Who’s her favorite?”

  “You.”

  All the guys laughed, my dad loudest of all.

  “Believe me, I’m no superhero,” Roone told them.

  Eli wasn’t having it. “But you look just like one.”

  Was my baby brother poking Roone’s muscles again? Mentally groaning, I ducked inside the den to rescue our dinner guest. “Hey. Help me outside please?”

  Roone jumped up and followed me onto the deck again.

  I immediately began apologizing. “I’m so sorry about Eli. Once he gets an idea in his head, he won’t let go of it, and superheroes are his current obsession.”

  “He said you like them, too.”

  “Well, what’s not to like?” I handed Roone the tray and began to fork the steaks onto it. Then I shut the grill top for the last time. He followed me inside. “Dinner’s ready!” I yelled to alert everyone to hot food. Yeah, we were all about formality at the Sayers home.

  Three males instantly spilled out of the den. Mom, just setting the last dish on the cloth, pointed to the head of our table for six. Roone went there, but didn’t sit until he’d helped me with my chair, manners not lost on my parents, who beamed at him. Clearly my boyfriend was a hit.

  Chapter Ten

  Un-boyfriend, I sternly reminded myself. I felt what could only be a pang of regret that everything was just an illusion that would inevitably end. When, I didn’t know. But it could be very soon since the girls at McAlister seemed to have moved on. That made me a little sad.

  What on earth would I think about all day every day if not him? Roone definitely dominated my every waking thought, and the idea of only being entitled to wishful contemplation made me sad. As for the possibility he might move onto another girl, well, that idea was nothing but unbearable.

  Everything was delicious, thank goodness, and the meal a success. The only bad thing about our time at the dinner table was my constant need to pull up Dayna’s shirt to cover my shoulders. Roone made a “happy plate,” a preschool term for eating everything you were given. Eli praised him for it, much to everyone’s amusement. For dessert we had apple pie, thanks to Mom making several and freezing them a couple of months ago. Hot from the oven, each piece melted the vanilla ice cream she scooped onto it.

  Though Roone volunteered to help us clear the table, I wouldn’t let him. Then Mom shooed me out of the kitchen, too, once the guys retired to the den again and we finished stacking dirty dishes in the sink.

  “Save Roone,” she told me, no doubt referring to the football game that was about to come on. Cory and Dad always got way involved in them and usually ended up shouting at the TV.

  So I stuck my head through the doorway and caught his eye, motioning for him to make his escape. We walked to my room together. I gave him the tour, if you could actually call a short trek down a single hall that.

  “Bathroom, parents’ room, Eli’s room, though Cory may soon be in there full time, too.” I shared how miserable my big brother was living where he was now. “He thinks he won’t mind sharing a bed with Eli, but believe me, he will. Eli flips like a pancake when he’s sleeping, which means it’s not uncommon to wake with his big toe stuck up your nose.”

  Roone grinned. “Cory can’t get another apartment here in town?”

  “He’s looked before, but didn’t have any luck. And apartment living can be very expensive if you don’t split the rent, which means he’ll have to deal with another roommate. But I’m thinking he’ll still have to eventually. Mom and Dad will be all up in his business if he doesn’t.” We’d reached my door by then. “This is my room.”

  Roone glanced around, his gaze lingering on my frilly curtains, my packed bookcase, my posters, and my flat screen TV.

  I sat on the bed and patted the spot next to me since there wasn’t a chair in there besides my vanity stool, which just might collapse if someone as big as he was sat in it. Roone hesitated, oddly ill at ease considering how well dinner had gone.

  I frowned at him. “I won’t bite.”

  “I know.” But he still didn’t sit.

  “Would you like to watch TV or a movie?”

  “Yeah, sure. Anything.”

  I scooted so that my back rested against the headboard and reached for the remote. Roone just stood there, looking at me. “You can sit right here.” Now I patted the side of the bed I wasn’t sitting on.

  He cleared his throat.

  “It’s okay.”

  “But your parents…”

  “They’re used to it. Besides, there’s nowhere else for my friends to sit but on this bed.”

  He walked around the foot of it, once again hesitating instead of sitting.

  Good grief. “Haven’t you ever watched TV from a girl’s bed?”

  “No, and I’m surprised that you want me to now.”

  Huh? My cheeks began to heat. “I’m not going to jump your bones if that’s what you’re thinking. Oh my God. Is that what you’re thinking?” As incensed as I was shocked, I leapt off the bed. “There, feel better now?”

  “I should go.”

  “Maybe you should.”

  With a short nod, Roone turned on his heel and left me. I heard him thanking Mom and Dad before the front door opened and then firmly shut. Two seconds later, Mom was peeking through my door. “What happened?”

  “I have no idea,” I told her, an answer straight from the heart. Realizing I was near tears and not about to give in to them, I grabbed my bag and a light denim jacket. “I’m going for a drive.”

  “Use the back door. Your dad will waylay you if you pass the den.”

  Knowing that the game was all that kept him from doing that now, I took her advice and escaped through the deck door. Shortly after, I was in my Trans Am, headed to my lookout, a surefire refuge when I felt like crap, which I definitely did at the moment. Though my rock was damp, I sat on it anyway. A heavy mist fanned my face, thanks to a chilly winter breeze. I wished for the stars, but the skies were too overcast for any tonight.

  Had Roone seriously thought I was going to go bimbo on him and attack? I couldn’t think of another reason he’d say what he did, and that told me I must’ve been acting like a lovesick fool tonight. Why else would he presume such a thing? Clearing having him over for dinner had been a bad idea. In retrospect, I wasn’t sure why I’d done
it. Was I that desperate to be near him?

  Oh how I wished I’d told him off. In truth, if any other guy had said what he’d said, I definitely would’ve. So what made Roone so special? Love? I snorted at the idea, which had definitely been planted inside my brain by Dayna. Sure I liked him—no doubt the reason I was sitting there with tears streaming down my face—but the day had not come when any guy, especially an un-boyfriend, could make me feel bad for simply being myself.

  The sudden crunch of pebbles behind me broke into my reverie. I jumped up with a gasp and spun to see Roone, standing just a few feet away.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, turning my back on him and sitting again. Surreptitiously, I wiped stray tears from my cheeks.

  I heard him step closer. “May I sit down?”

  “Sure you want to risk your virtue?”

  “I’m thinking it’ll be safe enough.”

  You got that right, dude. I crossed my arms over my chest and didn’t look as he joined me on the rock. His thigh brushed mine in the process. I scooted over until it didn’t.

  “I’m sorry you’re upset, Everly.”

  I didn’t answer.

  “I swear I’d never purposely say or do anything to hurt you.”

  “Honestly, I don’t know how you did,” I told him after a second’s thought. “It’s not like we’re in love or anything. And when have I ever cared what some guy thinks?” I caught Roone’s wince from the corner of his eye. “Sorry. That was harsh.”

  “I probably deserved it.”

  I exhaled in a long, tired whoosh. “Actually, you didn’t. I’m unusually touchy tonight, which must be why I didn’t explain to you that it’s perfectly acceptable for friends to sit on a bed together and watch TV. At least in McAlister. I don’t know about NowhereNear. What’s allowed there?”

  “First I should explain that women are treated very differently there than they are here. Being the fairer sex and so vital to procreation, they are naturally respected and cherished by men.”

  I couldn’t believe my ears. “So you prefer your women barefoot and pregnant?”

  “No, no, no. There are actually way more female leaders there than here.”