by Kailin Gow
“Look, Landers, I only live just across the street, so if there’s anything I can ever do for you, particularly anything to do with Sean, let me know, and I will. We’re such close neighbors, that if you need something, I’m just there.”
“Thanks, Lacey,” Landers said with a nod. “That means a lot.”
Lacey squeezed his hand tighter. “I mean it, Landers. I know it’s the kind of thing people say and don’t mean, but I do. Even if you just want someone to talk to, I’m there. I know I don’t know much about autism, and I have no idea what it’s like being in your shoes, but it must be harder going through all this with no one that you can really speak to about it.”
Landers nodded. “You’re right about that. Most of the people in the crowd I hang around with just wouldn’t understand, or wouldn’t want to know. I mean, take Tempest.”
“Only if I get to take her a long way away and leave her there,” Lacey said. All right, maybe not the best thing to say in front of her ex. “But yes, I can imagine how she would react.”
“She bullies and puts down anyone who isn’t like her,” Landers said. “So you can imagine what she would be like about Sean. It’s why I never told her.”
“Her loss,” Lacey said with feeling.
“Probably.” Landers shut his eyes for a moment. “Sean is just wonderful. I mean, he’s so funny and smart, and we love him to death. He just has one or two… quirks that happen to put him on the autism spectrum.”
“He sounds great,” Lacey said. “I’d like to meet him some time.”
Landers smiled and stood. “How about now?”
“Now?”
“Well, do you have a ride home?”
Lacey only thought about it for a second, and that was just the shock of the sudden offer. “Uh, I’ll have to check in with my parents, but I think I can hitch one with you, if you’re offering.”
Landers nodded. “I’m offering. You can come have dinner with us.”
That was great, and also unexpected. Lacey walked with Landers back to the ice cream parlor, and looked in to find it almost empty. With the summer done, the busiest time of year for her parents was gone, just like that, but Lacey’s mother was still serving behind the counter.
“Mom,” Lacey called over, “I’m going to head home now. I have a lot of homework to get through.”
“Sure,” her mother said, “your dad and I will bring home dinner when we’re done here.”
“No need, Mom,” Lacey said.
Her father stepped out from the kitchen. “What was that about not needing dinner? You’re not on some kind of bid to lose weight are you?”
Landers spoke up. “If it’s okay, I’ve invited Lacey to come over and have dinner with my folks.”
Lacey saw her parents look Landers over. They weren’t generally the overprotective types, but Lacey should have guessed that they would want to vet any boy who was going to be giving her a ride home. Let alone one who wanted her to have dinner with his family. They seemed to relax once they saw who it was.
“Sure, Landers. Tell your father I said “hi”. Next time, you can come over to our place to eat.”
That was a lot easier than Lacey thought it would be. She had thought that she would at least need to persuade them, or that she would have to sit through some vague interrogation of Landers before her parents would let them go. Instead, it seemed that they actually approved of him.
Lacey and Landers said goodbye, heading around to the back of the parlor, to the large parking area that held, among other things, a familiar looking SUV with a surfboard on the roof and a wetsuit neatly folded in the back.
“It seems that your plans for after our interview didn’t include taking me home,” Lacey guessed. “You were planning on doing some surfing?”
Landers shrugged, and then gave Lacey a look that made her blush. “I was, but then something better came up.”
“Yes, but you shouldn’t have to just change your plans.” Even though she desperately wanted to spend the time with Landers, Lacey knew that she should offer. “We could do this another time, maybe.”
“Well, we could,” Landers shot back, “but I don’t want to. When something special happens, you can either change your plans to make the most of it, or you can walk away and then spend your time wondering about what might have happened.”
Lacey asked the question that made her heart beat faster. “And I qualify as special?”
Landers nodded. “You definitely do. Now, shall we go?”
Chapter 5
It was only a short drive back to the street where they both lived, but on the way, Lacey could hardly contain her excitement. She had never thought that Landers would actually invite her back to his house like this. The house in question was a spacious one in a Mediterranean style, much like the rest of the homes on the street.
As Landers pulled his SUV into the driveway, though, Lacey could see that there were one or two clear differences between Landers’ house and her family’s. She could see around to the backyard, for example, where there was a small basketball court and basket set up. Idly, Lacey wondered just how much time Landers spent out there.
Lacey soon saw more of the backyard, since Landers chose to take her into the house that way. It was a large space, split between the court, a neatly maintained lawn, and a swimming pool. It looked like a great place to spend time, especially with the flowers in the full bloom of late summer.
As they walked into the backyard, Lacey spotted a large golden retriever. It obviously noticed them too, because it rose and ran over, almost knocking Landers back with the enthusiasm of its welcome. It turned towards Lacey, wagging its tail and panting happily.
“This is Rusty,” Landers said, petting the dog, but the retriever seemed to be more interested in Lacey. He bounded over to her, rubbing against her legs. “He’s pretty friendly, and he obviously likes you.”
“I like you too, Rusty,” Lacey said, stooping over to pet and hug the animal.
“Good!”
That came from above them, and Lacey looked up, to the balcony to one of the second story rooms. The boy who stood there could almost have been Landers when he was younger. He had the same dark hair, the same build, and the same deep blue eyes. He had to be Sean.
That thought was confirmed a moment later when Landers waved up to his brother. “Hi, Sean. This is Lacey. She lives across the street from us.”
“Hi Lacey,” Sean said. “You live across from us…in the white house with roses in front?”
Lacey laughed. “That’s right. It’s nice that you noticed the roses. I’ll have to tell my father. He’s the one with the green thumb at home.”
“Your father isn’t the only one,” Landers said, walking over to the flowers in his own garden and plucking out a red rose, which he handed to Lacey. “Sean grows these.”
Lacey took her time smelling the rose. Its color was deeper than most of those in her garden, and its scent was rich and heady. She looked up to see Sean smiling down at her. “This is lovely, Sean. You could give my father tips.”
“I try.”
Lacey felt herself smiling at that.
“Lacey is going to be having dinner with us tonight, Sean,” Landers said. “I’ll be cooking.”
Sean nodded. “I can help.”
Landers led Lacey inside then. “I guess I should probably give you the tour before I start cooking,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to do when you’re trying to keep an eye on things.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Lacey said.
Landers smiled. “I know, but I want to.”
It was, Lacey had to admit, a very nice house. Landers’ parents had decorated it very tastefully throughout, creating a space that was a lot calmer than the often hectic environment of her family’s home. The furniture was very modern looking, and there was plenty of space there. There were pictures on the walls, photos of old trips or of Sean and Landers at various ages. Landers certainly looked cute when he was younger.
Not that he didn’t look that way now, of course.
When they were done looking around, Landers led the way back into the living room where Sean joined them.
“Are we going to cook now?” Sean asked.
“I am,” Landers said, “but how about if you keep Lacey company here instead?”
Sean thought about it for a moment. “Oh. Okay.”
He didn’t sound completely enthusiastic about it, but he was quick to settle down on the sofa with Lacey, turning on an old sci-fi movie on the television and obviously enjoying it. Lacey found herself getting into it too.
“So,” she asked. “What’s it like having Landers for a brother.”
Sean nodded, looking around at her to answer. “He’s a good brother.”
Lacey remembered that brief look of disappointment when Landers had said that Sean should stay with her rather than helping. “Would you like to help Landers?”
“He said to stay in here with you.”
“What about if I go and help too?”
It only took Sean a moment to nod. “I would like that,” he said.
So they turned off the television and went through to the kitchen, where Landers was making spaghetti with meatballs. Pans simmered away on the stove, while Landers was just putting the meatballs into the oven. Lacey was impressed.
“When you said you were cooking, I thought that you were just throwing something into a microwave. Not doing all this.”
“What?” Landers demanded with a smile. “Because I’m a certified jock, I’m not supposed to be able to cook?”
“Well, how many of the guys on the football team do you know who can?” Lacey shot back.
Landers shrugged. “That probably depends on if you count TV dinners.”
Lacey laughed.
“So Sean,” Landers asked. “Did you get bored waiting in there?”
“No,” his brother said, “I just wanted to help, and Lacey wants to help too.”
“Well then,” Landers said, “you can help me make the sauce.”
Sean nodded.
The three of them spent an enjoyable half-hour cooking together. Lacey joined in as much as she could, and since she helped out at her parents’ shop, that was quite a lot. She liked the amount of attention Landers gave his brother, when a lot of guys would probably have focused more on her. That wasn’t to say that he didn’t pay Lacey attention. He did, with the occasional look across and smile, not to mention plenty of chat about what they were doing at school. Yet it was obvious that his brother came first with him.
When they were done, they went back to the living room to eat. Lacey talked as much to Sean as to Landers while they did so, asking him about his school and his garden. He was particularly animated when it came to the roses, telling her more about them than Lacey had thought that a boy that age would know.
Lacey found herself relaxing more as the meal went on. Despite everything that Landers had said, she had been a little worried about her first meeting with Sean. What if she said or did the wrong thing? What if she managed to upset him somehow? Yet the more she spoke with him and his brother, the more she saw that he was mostly just like other kids his age. He was perhaps inclined to take her a little literally, so that Lacey had to be careful about what she said and Landers had to gently steer him back off the subject of gardens once, but other than that, his condition really didn’t seem to make that much difference.
Afterwards, they washed up, and then settled down to watch the conclusion of the movie together. It was surprisingly fun, though the two boys had obviously seen the movie plenty of times before. At least, they both quoted several of the classic lines right on cue. Lacey, who hadn’t seen it before, couldn’t help giggling at the effect it created. Even if it wasn’t a movie that she would probably have watched on her own, she also found herself enjoying the experience immensely.
With the fun they were having, time flew by, and before Lacey knew it, Landers’ parents were coming back from their work. Mr. Lowe looked a lot like his sons, except that his hair was a middling brown with a few hints of grey in it. Mrs. Lowe was a little younger than him, not very tall, but she had the same deep black hair as her sons.
When they first came through the door, Lacey was a little nervous. After all, they hadn’t known that she would be there. Yet they were both very friendly, joining them in the living room briefly before heading through to the kitchen to get their own dinners ready. They asked Lacey about her day at school almost as much as Landers, and seemed very happy to hear that Lacey was working on the school newspaper with him.
Sean went through to the kitchen with his parents to help them make dinner. Apparently, he just liked cooking. It left Lacey alone with Landers for the first time that evening.
“Your family is nice,” Lacey said.
Landers smiled. “I know. You were great with Sean. I needn’t have worried.”
“You were worried?”
“Only a tiny bit. He is my brother, after all. But I shouldn’t have been.”
“I’m glad you think so,” Lacey said. She looked at her watch, and winced as she saw the time. “I should be getting home. My parents were back ages ago, and yours will probably want at least some peace and quiet to eat.”
“You don’t have to,” Landers said.
Lacey nodded. “I do, but this was nice.”
“Yes,” Landers said, “it was.”
Deciding that she should probably say goodbye to everyone else, Lacey went through to the kitchen, where Sean was helping his parents.
“I just wanted to say goodbye,” Lacey said.
Mrs. Lowe looked up. “You’re leaving us already?”
Lacey nodded, feeling surprisingly happy at that response. She had been worried that Landers’ parents would be eager to get rid of her. “I need to get home, but it was nice being here.”
“It was nice having you here,” Mr. Lowe told her. “And let your father know that I’ll be around for that poker night we’ve been planning.”
“I will,” Lacey promised. “Goodbye, Sean.”
“Goodbye, Lacey.”
Mrs. Lowe insisted on showing her to the door, which turned out to be an excuse to get her alone. She leaned in closer, whispering. “Don’t tell him, but you don’t know how glad it makes me that Landers is with you now rather than that horrible Tempest girl. It’s wonderful that he has a girlfriend I can finally approve of.”
Girlfriend? Approve of? It seemed that Landers’ parents had jumped to one or two conclusions when it came to her. As much as Lacey found herself thinking about how nice it might be if those conclusions were true, she knew she had to set the record straight.
She didn’t get the chance, though, because Landers showed up then.
“I thought I’d walk Lacey back to her house, Mom,” he said.
“Go on then, but don’t be long.”
They walked back across the street together, pausing at Lacey’s front door. For a moment, just a moment, it looked as though Landers might say something. He even took hold of Lacey’s hand for a second or two. Unfortunately, Lacey’s mother chose that moment to open the door.
“Lacey, there you are. We were just about to go over and get you. Hello again Landers.”
“Hello Mrs. Lu.”
“Did you have a nice dinner with the Lowes, Lacey?”
Lacey smiled. “Yes, it was nice. It was very nice. I’ll see you tomorrow at school, Landers.”
Landers nodded. “See you then. Goodbye, Mrs. Lu.”
Chapter 6
Lacey found herself practically skipping her way into school the next morning. Things had gone better the other day than she could possibly have hoped for. In particular, Lacey found herself thinking back to that moment at her front door when it had seemed like Landers had been about to say something. To do something. She imagined so many ways that moment could have ended, and smiled.
Lacey was still smiling when she reached her locker. Penny, Valerie and Sandy were there already
, getting ready to go to their first class. They looked up from whatever they were talking about as Lacey approached.
“What are you so happy about?” Valerie asked.
“I bet it is Landers,” Penny said. “Did your date go well?”
“It wasn’t a date,” Lacey replied. “It was an interview.”
“Sure it was.”
“It was,” Lacey insisted.
“Well then,” Valerie asked, “how did your interview go?”
Lacey wondered how much to tell them. The other three were listening in closely, and Lacey knew that she wouldn’t get away with telling them nothing. In any case, there were some parts of the evening that she definitely wanted to share. Yet there were things she knew that she ought to hold back too. If Landers didn’t want the whole school making a big deal out of his brother, for example, then Lacey probably shouldn’t tell them all about Sean.
“It went great,” she said. “We met out on the beach.”
“Oh, romantic,” Sandy said.
“It really wasn’t a date.”
“You keep saying that,” Penny pointed out.
“That’s because it wasn’t. Do you want to hear this or not?”
“You spending time with the hottest guy in school?” Valerie said. “Of course we want to hear it.”
“Then stop calling it a date,” Lacey warned. “It was… well, I’m not really sure what it was. We started off, and I was just asking questions I need for the piece about cliques. His answers were really making me think, you know?”
“So he’s gorgeous and smart too?” Penny asked. “Please tell me that you didn’t just keep it to the article.”
Lacey smiled and shook her head.
“What happened?” Valerie asked. “Come on, you can’t just keep this to yourself.”
“He invited me back to his house for dinner.”
That got some impressed stares from the other girls. Even Sandy, who presumably hadn’t had much chance to see Landers in the flesh yet, seemed to be a little envious.
“Just like that?” she asked.
