Falling Into Love

by TC Rybicki

  “You can turn around now. I’m in the water.” My boxers were full coverage and decent unless she kept looking so beautiful and made me indecent.

  “No thank you. Just because you’re swimming doesn’t mean I’m swimming with you.” She stretched out her arms and let the weak current take her. She wasn’t getting away so easily. I did the same.

  Sydney eventually planted her feet and stopped herself. “So that’s it, you insist on following me?”

  “Nope, I’m following the river. I can’t help where she carries me.”

  She sucked in a huge amount of water and spit it directly at me. This woman spits at me and I felt myself getting turned on. Come to think of it that happened long before the water out of her mouth splashed my face. I remembered her dancing again.

  “So, what’s your deal, anyway?”

  “Deal? I don’t have a deal.”

  “Liar.”

  I’d been called a liar plenty of times, most the time it was a false accusation, but this time it was true. I lied to Sydney. I knew so much about her after digging up information on the web. My sole purpose in life currently was to convince her grandmother to sell this prime stretch of land. I felt like my inheritance, and my entire legacy was at stake. I had morals, my father might not, but I did. I imagined two Dane’s: the one that would do anything to make money and please dear old Dad and the other that wanted to be proud of myself regardless what my father thought.

  Who would I be at this moment? Who would I be for Sydney? I submerged myself in the water and jumped out with a mouthful of the Frio. I got her back.

  “Hey, that’s disgusting.”

  “Is it?” I laughed.

  “I barely got you. No fair.” She splashed me. I splashed back. She seemed perturbed or repulsed at first, but in no time, we were both laughing and playing in the water like a couple of children. Our splashes and water play turned into a game of chase. She’d disappear under the water, and I’d dive in after her. My searches turned up empty many times. She reappeared where I least expected her. It didn’t take long before I mastered her patterns. I grabbed her from behind. Sydney squealed and fought to get away, but I didn’t want to let her escape.

  “Gotcha.”

  Her squirming and wiggling made me want to hold on tighter. She felt nice in my arms. I remembered from the morning. Wet and chilled from the river made an urge rise within me that I should warm her up.

  “Stop fighting before you hurt yourself.” I cooed in her ear. Sydney stilled except for her heavy breathing. “I’m a nice guy, Sydney. Today was a surprise to me as well.”

  “Yeah, I bet.”

  I wrapped my arm around her waist a little tighter.

  “I’m not lying.”

  “And I bet you never lie, huh? You’re an angel.”

  “I never said that. Everybody lies, including you, princess.”

  I loosened my hold on her. Sydney spun around, but she didn’t back away. We were standing in waist deep water with barely a sliver of space between us. “Why did you call me that?”

  I reached into the water and pulled up her hand. She jerked back her perfectly manicured fingers.

  “I have a good eye for details. How’d those function with work today or did granny let you off easy?”

  “Ha. Gram doesn’t let anyone off easy. She told me to cut them.”

  “And you didn’t? Rebellious and pretty. I like it.”

  “Not yet. I’ll have you know I worked circles around the other new girl that’s helping this summer. You should have seen how they all looked at me. They practically snickered when Gram introduced me. I might have been a princess the day I got these, but I’m competent.” She raked one purple nail across my cheek and I almost lost my shit. I inadvertently leaned in to the point I could have kissed her. She didn’t flinch, not even a blink. I’ll be damned, Sydney wanted me to kiss her.

  I wrapped my arm back around her waist. Getting involved with her would be reckless and had never been my intention. The saying ran through my head, but I subdued those thoughts before I got to the part about hell being paved with good intentions. Sydney licked her lips and fluttered her eyelashes over those warm cinnamon eyes. She gave me the universal signal. To hell with intentions, right or wrong. It had been years since I wanted a kiss so badly. She held still until the slightest graze of my lips touched hers. Her hand promptly went in between us, and she pushed me away.

  I almost didn’t catch what she said. “I have a boyfriend.”

  Of course, she did. I should have known. The only thing left to do was to backtrack and pretend I wasn’t trying anything or blame her.

  “Makes perfect sense. I could tell he was on your mind when you pressed up against me.”

  That struck a nerve. I stepped way back; princess looked like she could spit fire this time.

  “How dare you, stalker? You have been after me since your first morning cup of coffee.”

  “Didn’t we agree today was a string of coincidences?”

  “No, I never agreed to anything. I never trusted you.”

  She was on her way out of the water even though we’d drifted several hundred yards from our stuff and Cash.

  My conscience screamed, let it go. Let her go, but I was on her tail.

  I reached for her shoulder just before she climbed the embankment. “Enough, Dane. I need to get away from you. You’re a jerk.”

  “I stand by what I said earlier. You’re a liar, princess.” I pissed her off royally. I grabbed her clenched fist before she slugged me. “I figured you for a slapper, but goddamn, you’re a puncher. That’s even better.” I held her fist in my hand. “I’m going to let you go. I’m sorry if I came across like an asshole. All I meant was we were having fun earlier. I think you’re bending the truth that you don’t trust me. I swear, Syd. I’m a nice guy and I’m not stalking you or have any desire to hurt you in any way.”

  I let her go, and she stopped trying to fight me. I extended my hand. “Truce?” She paused a total of ten seconds before accepting my handshake. “Friends?”

  We kept shaking longer than normal. “Yeah, I guess. See you around, Dane. I really do have to go.”

  Before she took another step, a recognizable voice broke our spell. “What in the hell is going on here, Dane Ellsworth?”

  Shit. Josie finding us with me standing in my wet underwear trying to hide what her granddaughter did to me wasn’t even the worst part of this predicament.

  “Wait, what? Did you call him Dane Ellsworth, but you said your last name is Wallace?”

  “I can explain.”

  All the voices rattled my brain at once. Dane lied.

  “Get out of here and get some clothes on. You’re lucky I don’t have my gun, boy. I know exactly where I’d aim.” Gram picked up my towel and threw it a Dane. He wrapped his lower half and started pleading his case. He said giving me the wrong name was accidental. (Dumbest excuse in history.) I can’t believe I almost cheated on Grant with this lying scam artist.

  Grant. I’d been with him for two years and today I barely remembered he existed. That’s what meeting Dane did to me. I felt like an idiot. Gram warned me first thing this morning and I fell under the spell of tall, sexy and dimpled. I lied. I wanted him to kiss me so bad; I could already taste it when we were in the water. He was so freaking hot, like impossibly hot for a regular guy. I knew he had money because of the truck and my special book, but he still acted like a country guy; he even rode up on gorgeous horse. It was straight out of the movies. He manipulated me from the first catch pretending to be a knight in shining armor.

  I ran alongside Gram who walked as fast as a marathon runner. Dane stopped yelling at us. I thought I heard Cash make a noise but didn’t dare turn around to spy on them leaving. I refused to give him that satisfaction.

  We got to the backdoor before Gram slowed down. “I can’t believe you, Sydney. What were you thinking swimming with that grown man in your skivvies?”

  “I’m wearing clothe
s.”

  “He wasn’t.”

  “Well, I didn’t look.”

  Gram rolled her eyes and made a funny noise. She didn’t believe me. I didn’t either. I caught a glimpse of the way his fitted boxers soaked in river water clung to every part of him, but Dane was off limits.

  Gram stepped inside and went straight to the sink to wash up before meal prep. She instructed me to do the same. “I hope you know a little about the kitchen. God knows your mother wouldn’t step foot in here without threats of grounding.”

  “Oh, I love to cook.”

  “You do? Are you any good? Is it edible?”

  “Yes, I’m very good, thank you very much. We had this chef, Mischka.”

  “Say no more, of course, you had a chef. Well, I hope she taught you to make some normal food that real folks eat. We don’t have any specialty markets around these parts, and I refuse to eat stuff I can’t pronounce.”

  “Mischka is a he.”

  “Now I get it. He was handsome, and that’s what attracted you to the kitchen.”

  “Gram, I’m not boy crazy.”

  “Could have fooled me after what I just witnessed.”

  “It was a string of coincidences.” I regurgitated Dane’s claims without hesitation.

  “Humph.”

  “Yes, Mischka is handsome. He’s also mid-fifties and has a longtime lover. We were strictly friends, more like instructor and student. He taught me a little from all cuisines. I might surprise you.”

  “Fine. Start with those potatoes. We’re having meatloaf and mashed potatoes tonight. I have green beans out of the garden you can snap next, but I’m not sure if I’ve got any bacon grease for them.”

  I winced at the fat content she suggested.

  “Are you using real beef?”

  “You’re damn right. I pride myself on never trying tofu and I ain’t about to start.”

  “I meant ground turkey is an appropriate substitution and I can steam the beans, no need for added fat or grease.”

  “Sydney, take a long look at me. I’m not going to wear a bikini or go braless with a man I hardly know, but I’m not heavy or out of shape especially for my age. I eat what I want, and I don’t sacrifice taste. Here’s what’s wrong with all you calorie counters. You don’t move enough. I’m in motion sun up to sun down. I work and that’s why I’m healthy.”

  Mashed potatoes did sound awesome, the good kind with real butter, salt, and cream. I could eat red meat occasionally, I guess. I started peeling while Gram mixed her secret recipe ingredients into three pounds of ground chuck.

  All her health and wellness chatter reminded me of earlier. “Hey, Gram. Why do you need so much medicine?”

  “Did you snoop?”

  “No, but you sent me to the pharmacy. They gave me a giant bag.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t say I was perfect; I’m healthy and that’s all you need to know.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, sweetie. A touch of arthritis. My daddy had it. Can’t fight genetics.”

  I accepted that answer. She probably took a lot of supplements for improved joint health. Gram was right. She looked and acted healthy. I felt exhausted. I wished I could sit to peel the potatoes, but she stood, so I stayed on my feet.

  Dinner came out tasting better than I would have predicted. Gram even liked how I prepared the green beans. She didn’t miss the bacon grease, thank God. She asked if I understood all my responsibilities because tomorrow, I’d have new ones.

  “Yes, Loni says I’m a natural.”

  She lifted my hand off the table. “Didn’t chop off those nails, I see.”

  “No, they didn’t slow me down either. I’m way faster than the new girl, Nina.”

  “Fine, keep ’em. You wear gloves most of the day, I suppose, but don’t expect me to replace them when they wear out. Foolish and frivolous.”

  “Well, I’ll have a paycheck by then, so…” I didn’t even finish that statement after the look she gave me.

  “I hope you have better things to do with the money you make. Aren’t you trying to save for college?”

  Gram could afford to send me to college, but she didn’t believe in that. She said a child only appreciates college if they provide the way themselves.

  I shrugged.

  “Why? You change your mind already?”

  “I don’t know. I wanted to go to be with Grant.”

  “Grant? Another boy. How am I supposed to keep track?”

  “Nothing to keep track of, Gram. I told you I have a boyfriend going to UT this semester. His name is Grant Minsky. There are no other men in my life or on my radar.”

  “Oh my, let that sink in. If you marry him, you’ll be Sydney Minsky, sounds made up, almost stupid. You can keep my name if you want.”

  “I’m not marrying him. We’re dating.”

  “So, you have no intention of marrying him.”

  “Um, well, I don’t know. I’m only 18 and I’m not sure Grant’s the marrying type, but he’s great, smart and driven. Cute too, like super handsome. All the girls at our school were so jealous of me.”

  Gram was less than impressed. “Waste. Of. Time.”

  “Excuse me? I can show you a picture.”

  “I don’t need a picture. You said he’s not the marrying type, but would you like to be married one day, have a family?”

  “Yes. I am a hopeless romantic. I think true love and marriage sound magical, but also so rare. I want rare and magical… poetic.”

  “Then you are wasting your damn time. Dating is a precursor to marriage. Another example of how your generation drops the ball.” Gram stood up to clear the table. Of course, I planned on helping. She tried to send me to my room because I worked hard all day, but I wouldn’t hear of it. I thought about what she had said about Grant. It was clearly an old-fashioned school of thought. Dating wasn’t always related to marriage. I wasn’t wasting my time.

  Was I?

  “Before you go to bed, you understand why spending time with the Ellsworth boy is not a good idea, right?”

  “Yes, Ma’am. He’s not actually a boy though.”

  She chuckled, “I guess not. We saw him in those drawers. I’d say he’s all man.”

  “Gram.” She embarrassed me so easily.

  “Truth be told, he’s too old for you, but Cora adores him. She says he’s a good man, not like his father. I haven’t drawn my own conclusions just yet, but people around here are quick to spread rumors and I doubt what they say is true.”

  “What do they say?”

  “That he seduced the Widow Reynolds to give his Poppa her property. She’s rather whorish. I doubt he tried too hard or took advantage. She screwed me over. We were supposed to stick together. She promised not to sell, and now I’m the only holdout.”

  “But Cora says it’s not true?” Why did I want Dane to be nobler than the rumors?

  “Cora trusts people. I don’t. Anyway, I had enough Ellsworth when your mother was a teenager, don’t give me déjà vu. I’m too old for that shit. Excuse my French.”

  “Mom knows Paul?”

  “Go to bed, honey. I can’t have you dragging tomorrow.” She gave me a brief hug and told me she loved me.

  I wanted to ask more questions, but Gram had a way of ending conversations that she wouldn’t open back up. My mom knew Dane’s father, the enemy? That was odd, but then she rarely mentioned her teen years to me. I wondered how well? They must have gone to school together.

  I decided on another long soak in the bathtub. I imagined it would be my nightly ritual considering how sore I felt from my long day of moving as Gram liked to put it. I had the upstairs to myself, so I didn’t even bother taking my pajamas. When I opened my bedroom door, I was glad I wrapped in a fluffy towel because I had a damn peeping Tom.

  I should scream, but I knew it was Dane, not any guy named Tom. I pulled the towel tighter and went straight to the window which connected with the end of my bed. I pointed at
him, and he pleaded with his hands clasped in front of him.

  I couldn’t hear a word he was saying, so against my better judgment, I opened the window a crack.

  “Please, Sydney. I want to explain.”

  “I’m not dressed.” Dane took off the screen and pulled up the window before I could stop him. “I don’t mind. Just listen to me.”

  I opened my mouth. “I should scream. Gram’s not teasing about keeping a gun handy.”

  “You won’t and I’m sure she does.”

  I needed to scream, but I couldn’t bear to picture him disfigured by Gram’s shotgun.

  “Go put some clothes on, so we’re not distracted and give me five minutes. That’s all I need.”

  I scooped some clothes off the dresser and went back to the bathroom to dress. I came back to find Dane pacing around my bedroom.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “You should be. How’d you get up here?”

  “The trellis.”

  “Oh, I forgot about that. It’s kind of old. It could’ve broken. That would’ve served you right.”

  “Come on, Syd. Admit it, you kinda like me and don’t want to see me hurt or dead.”

  “Talk. Your five minutes just started.”

  Forty-five minutes later, I was propped up on my bed reading Yeats with Dane. How the hell did I get to this place? His speech moved me. I believed him. He told me everything. Dane told me about his father’s development plans and how badly he wanted Gram’s property, but Dane knew they would never acquire it. He was working on something in secret but had to finalize that new deal before his father would accept the change, and all those real estate maneuvers would take a little time.

  He explained the situation with Mrs. Reynolds. I believed him a second time. He didn’t seduce her, and she seemed disappointed, but she ditched her property, anyway. She felt bad for lying to Gram, but her place held painful memories. He didn’t get into all the particulars about the widow. He wanted her signature, nothing more.

  Then Dane changed the subject and grabbed my poetry book off the nightstand. He wanted to know why I was so enthralled with a book to risk my life.

  I opened the book to a random page. A Coat should be an easy one to recite for him.