by Lisa Emme
Mike looked at Allie in amazement. “I think you neglected to tell me you used to play in the majors.”
Allie laughed. “Nah, just the high school championship team.”
The crowd cheered Allie on as she stepped up in front of Mike. He was dressed in a loose t-shirt and black shorts. She eyed him with appreciation, wondering what he would look like under that t-shirt.
“Come on Allie, we haven’t got all day. You gonna throw your last ball?”
Allie looked over in surprise at Pat Jenkins, the man in charge of the dunk tanks, her cheeks colouring. “Sorry. Got distracted.” She took a deep breath and with a quick apologetic look at Mike, threw the ball straight at the target. It was a little high and to the side, but it still hit enough of the target to sink him.
Dougie laughed and clapped his hands as Pat handed him his prize - a small stuffed teddy bear with a bright, blue bow. “Yay! You did it Mommy.” He ran over and gave her a big hug.
She looked from the dripping wet Rowdy to Mike in his now form-fitting wet t-shirt. “Best five dollars, I ever spent.”
When a drier looking Mike roared up the drive on his motorcycle later that day, Allie couldn’t help but smile. Complication or not, the man looked damn fine.
“Omigod! Could he get any sexier?” Becky sat up in her chair and gawked as Mike brought the bike to a stop on the drive.
“He’s like sex on wheels,” Lori added, getting up to carefully slip her sleeping daughter into the mosquito net covered basinet.
Allie spluttered, almost spilling her lemonade down the front of her shirt. “You two are impossible.” She glared at her two friends where they sat with her on the patio in the shade of the house.
After coaxing Dougie home with Aunt Elaine for a much needed afternoon nap, Allie had returned to the fair to close down the booth with her uncle – they had sold out of everything by mid-afternoon – then hustled home to do her chores around the farm. It had been a very busy day and she was exhausted. It felt good to sit with her feet up in the shade, sharing a cool glass of lemonade with her two best friends.
The tree house had been a big hit with Becky’s boys, Christopher and Carter, and they and Dougie had disappeared up into the tree where they’d been playing a very loud and boisterous game of pirates ever since. Tommy and Brian, who had assumed the roles of chef, had been engaged in a heated conversation over cold beers discussing who had the better technique for barbequing ribs when Mike roared up.
Allie’s eyes drifted back to Mike where he stood by his bike, surrounded by Dougie and the boys, all animatedly chattering about the motorcycle. As if sensing her gaze, he looked up and smiled his 1000-kilowatt smile.
“Holy crap! Do you see how he looks at you?” Becky hissed at Allie. “That man has it baaaad.”
“Oh, don’t be silly. He’s just being friendly.” Allie waved her friend off.
“No, he wants to jump your bones, no doubt.” Lori threw a sideways glance at her friend and smiled cheekily.
Choosing to ignore the teasing of her friends, Allie got up and ambled over to the crowd of men and boys. “Hey Mike. Glad you could make it.”
“Hey yourself, Allie. Thanks again for the invite.” He leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek and Allie silently cursed her fair complexion as she felt the heat rush to her face.
Brian clasped Mike on the shoulder. “Hey man. Want a cold one?” He gestured to the cooler sitting by the barbeque.
“Yeah, sure. Sounds good.” He paused and smiled at Dougie who was regaling the boys with details of Mike’s bike.
“And it’s a fuel-injected, air cooled, twin cam.” Dougie rushed along, his eyes full of excitement.
Allie laughed. How did he remember all that when he couldn’t even remember to flush the toilet? “Okay boys, run along back to your game and leave poor Dr. Mike alone.” She shooed the reluctant boys away and shook her head with a smile. Boys and their toys.
Mike bent over the back of his bike and pulled something from the saddlebag. Allie found herself staring at his ass when he suddenly stood up, catching her mid-ogle. He smiled at her, a gleam in his eye, and Allie blushed again.
“Here, I didn’t want to come empty-handed, but didn’t really know what to bring.” He held out a rectangular shaped plastic food container and a bottle of red wine.
“Oh, you didn’t need to bring anything.” Allie opened a corner of the container and peeked in. “ Mmmm! Rice Krispie squares. I love these. Thanks!” She smiled up at him and then looked at the label on the bottle of wine. “Hey, ‘Finn’s Folly’ by Finnovar Estates. Isn’t that funny? Did you pick it because of the name?”
“Yeah, something like that.” Mike shrugged.
“Mike, come on. I need you to tell this lunkhead what he’s doing wrong,” Brian shouted.
Allie smiled and shook her head, “Go on, or we may never get to eat.” With a laugh, Mike headed over to the barbeque.
Allie sat down with her friends again, angling her chair so she could watch the men at the barbeque. The three seemed to have already become fast friends and were now in at heated debate over coals versus gas when it came to the perfect barbeque. Allie sighed.
“What’s up girl?” Becky asked.
“Oh, I don’t know…”
“You’ve got it bad for him too, don’t you?”
“What? No. Well…” She looked at her friend’s knowing glare. “Okay. Yeah, I do.”
“So? What’s wrong with that? The guy obviously has the hots for you too.”
“I don’t know. It’s just…”
“Complicated.” Becky and Lori intoned together.
“Well, it is.” Allie scowled at her friends and crossed her arms over her chest. “I mean it’s not just me, there’s Dougie to think about too. And, my life is such a mess right now. I don’t know what I’m doing or how long I’m even staying - ”
“See? You’re totally over-thinking again.” Lori wagged an accusing finger at her. “Why can’t you just enjoy the guy’s company? It’s not like you have to plan out your entire life this very second.”
“Yeah, but you should definitely plan to get some action from that fine hunk of man.” Becky leaned forward and with a quick glance at the men whispered, “Do you have condoms?”
Allie laughed and threw a small pillow at Becky. “You’re incorrigible.”
***
When the ribs were just a pile of discarded bones and the pies and Rice Krispie squares eaten, the kids returned to their game in the tree house while their parents and Mike retired to the patio. Allie’s aunt and uncle opted to sit in the cool air-conditioned house after their long, exhausting day. They’d be ‘holding the fort’ as her uncle said, rather than returning to town for the fireworks.
The friends chatted and traded banter, and Allie was amazed at how Mike fit right into the group like a long, lost friend. It was nice, really nice. She smiled to herself, letting the conversation flow around her.
“A dollar for your thoughts.” Mike smiled at her as he flopped down beside her on the wicker loveseat.
“A dollar?” Allie looked at him curiously.
“I figured with inflation and all that…” Mike shrugged. Allie laughed and gave him a playful swat on the thigh. Mike grabbed her hand and enclosed it in his larger one. Allie felt a moment of surprise, but didn’t pull her hand away. His hand felt too nice on hers.
“Mommy, is it almost time for the fireworks yet?” At the sound of Dougie’s voice, Allie snatched her hand back from Mike and jumped to her feet. Her attention focused on Dougie, she didn’t notice the sympathetic look Becky gave Mike who just shrugged good-naturedly.
“Almost, little man. You going to be able to stay up?”
“Uh-huh. I’m not a baby anymore you know.”
Allie laughed and tousled his hair affectionately then glanced at her wa
tch. “Why don’t you come with me and you can take your medicine so you’ll be all set to go?”
Throwing a smile at Mike and her friends over her shoulder, she led Dougie into the house.
***
When Allie disappeared inside the house with Dougie, Becky looked over at Mike, her eyes narrowed. “You’ve got it bad for her. What are you planning on doing about it?”
“Becky!” Brian shook his head in exasperation. “Quit your meddling.”
Mike shrugged unperturbed. “Depends on what she wants to do, I suppose.”
“You’ll be waiting a long time, if you wait for her to make a move.” Lori stepped back from the basinet where her daughter lay sleeping and sat down beside her husband.
Tommy rolled his eyes and goosed his wife in the side. “Not you too. Can’t you both just leave the poor man alone?” Lori laughed and swatted his hand away.
“No, we can’t,” replied Becky adamantly. “She’s our best friend. We’re supposed to meddle. It’s what girlfriends do.” The two women exchanged a look of solidarity, while the guys threw Mike looks of sympathetic apology.
Mike put his hands up in surrender. “My intentions for Allie are completely honourable…honest.” He made a show of crossing his heart with his finger.
“Well, good. It’s about time that girl started living her life again. But if you hurt her…” Becky cocked an eyebrow. “Just remember, my husband owns a gun and we know where you live.”
“Hey, don’t drag me into this…” Brian threw up his hands and then looked at Mike with a shrug. “Although, you know it’s true. If you hurt her, I’ll have to break your kneecaps or something.”
Tommy laughed and gave Mike another look of sympathy. “Huh. Man, it’s nice to see someone else get the screws turned on him. I thought it was just me.”
Lori looked at Brian and Becky in surprise. “Did you threaten Tommy when we first started dating?” she asked.
Brian and Becky looked at her sheepishly. “Well, we might have…” Becky shrugged, trying to keep the grin from her face.
“Yeah, only Brian threatened to throw me in the meat grinder if I hurt you.” They all laughed, and Mike joined in. He was glad Allie had such good friends looking out for her and he silently vowed not to let them, and especially Allie, down.
***
“They’re too loud, Mommy,” Dougie cried as another cluster of coloured lights burst overhead. “I don’t like them.”
Allie cuddled him close and pulled the blanket tighter around him. She put a hand over his exposed ear, “There, is that better? Don’t you like the pretty lights?” The little boy shook his head.
Mike looked at the two of them, concerned. “Do you want to leave?”
“No,” replied Allie, frowning down at her son. “He’ll be okay. He’s never really liked loud noises, but I hoped that maybe this year…” She shrugged. Dougie was different than most kids, it was something she had learned to just take in stride, but sometimes it was harder than others. She looked over at Becky’s boys, both younger than Dougie, as they jumped up and down excitedly, oohing and ahhing at every explosion. Mike gave her shoulder a sympathetic squeeze and she leaned back against him. The town had really done a great job of the fireworks this year, and despite her concern for Dougie, it felt nice sitting with Mike’s strong arms wrapped around them, surrounded by her friends.
It had been a wonderful day. Before the fireworks began they had caught the last hour or so of the family street dance. Dougie had a great time ‘ bustin a move’ as he put it and Allie and the girls had all gotten their groove on to some old eighties hits. Evan had come along and taken her for a twirl around the dance floor and even more surprisingly, so had her Uncle Randy. Best of all, Mike had proven once again that he was more than just a pretty face, when he proceeded to two-step her around the floor like a pro. It had been a lot of fun and Allie couldn’t remember the last time she had acted so carefree.
As the last sparkling light faded into the night and the crowd started to disperse, Allie looked down at Dougie, surprised to find him fast asleep. “Come on, little man. Let’s get you home to bed.”
Mike got to his feet and scooped Dougie up out of her arms and after Allie had said her goodbyes, they headed back to the car.
Mike insisted on following them home and then even carried Dougie up to his room. Allie tucked him into his bed and tenderly placed a kiss on his forehead. Mike looked on, enjoying the domestic scene before him.
“He sure is conked out,” he whispered. “Pretty busy day for a little guy, I guess.”
Allie smiled ruefully, “Yeah. If only wearing him out like this meant I could have a sleep in tomorrow. But he’ll be up with the chickens as usual, I’m sure.” She pulled his door closed, leaving it slightly ajar. “Would you like a drink before you go? Beer, wine, soda?”
“A beer would be nice, thanks.”
Allie led him downstairs and into the kitchen where she grabbed a beer out of the fridge then poured herself some white wine. They took their drinks to the veranda and Allie lit a couple of candles and then sat down beside Mike on the old sofa and sighed.
“Busy day for you too.” Mike reached over and pulled her close, his arm across her shoulders. Allie leaned in and rested her head against him.
“Yeah, but it was fun. I’m really glad you joined us,” she replied.
“Me too.”
They sat in companionable silence, sipping their drinks. Allie liked how she felt comfortable with Mike, how she didn’t feel the overwhelming need to fill the silence with inane chatter. Finally, when she couldn’t stop herself from yawning any longer, Mike grabbed her almost empty glass from her hand and put it on the side table. He jumped to his feet, pulling her up beside him.
“Come on you, you can barely stay awake. Time for bed.” At Allie’s raised eyebrow, he added, “Time for you to go to bed and for me to head home.” He blew out the candles and grabbed his empty beer bottle and her wine glass and took them inside to the kitchen. Allie followed along behind him, obviously on autopilot.
“You look like a zombie.” Mike laughed and pulled her close. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly. He wanted nothing more than to take her up to bed and crawl in beside her, holding her tight. The thought was foreign to him – to want to go to bed with a woman and not be thinking about sex. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this way about anyone before. “Goodnight Allie,” he said giving her one more chaste kiss.
“Goodnight Mike.”
“So much for Sunday being a day of rest!” Allie complained to herself with a sigh, leaning back against the cool shade of the house. With the berries ripening quickly, they were preparing to open the strawberry patch to self-serve customers. It was a good way to get them picked and sold quickly. Tomorrow would be the first day of picking and so Allie had spent a good part of the afternoon laying out fresh straw between the rows of plants to keep customers from getting muddy while they picked. Thank goodness for the tree house. Dougie had spent most of the day lost in play with the many toys he had dragged up there. Luckily, he had always been good at entertaining himself. It sure made it easier on her as a single mom, to get things done, and, as usual, she had a lot to get done.
She had been so busy in fact; she hardly had time to think about Mike and the dilemma he presented. She couldn’t deny her growing feelings for him, but on the other hand, she didn’t really know if she was ready for a relationship. What if it didn’t work out? She didn’t want to be hurt, or worse, hurt Mike. And what about Dougie? He was already growing attached to Mike. If things went south between them, what would that do to Dougie? Argh! Maybe Lori is right and I am over-thinking everything.
Allie shook her head, trying to clear away the confused thoughts and surveyed the strawberry field. Rows and rows of low bushy, green plants lay out before her. It looked quite prett
y with the gold straw rows in between. The plants were positively bursting this year. Hopefully they would have a good turn out of people wanting to pick their own berries. Otherwise, they were going to have a hard time keeping up with the picking to ensure the strawberries didn’t go to waste. They were already struggling to make good use of all the early berries that had ripened. Her aunt was busy making more strawberry preserves and later Allie would make and freeze some pie fillings. She had also taken an order for four dozen mini strawberry cheesecake tarts from the café in town. The tarts had been a big hit yesterday at the fair and the café wanted to sell them in addition to her pies. It was great news since it helped to supplement the meagre income she was getting from the bar, but it also meant even more work. Allie was beginning to look forward to the end of strawberry season.
She watched as her uncle came out of the nearby tool shed, scratching his head. When he caught sight of her, he changed directions, veering her way.
“Allie, have you seen the metal cutters?” he asked.
“No. I haven’t. I take it they’re not in the shed?”
Russ shook his head. “Don’t know where they could have got to. I was sure I put them back last time I used them.”
“Do you want me to help you look for them?”
“Nah. They’ll turn up and I managed to make do without them.”
“Land sakes!” Her aunt’s exclamation could be heard from around the far side of the house. With a quick look at her uncle, she bolted around the corner to find her aunt standing with her hands on her hips staring at the wash line, or rather what was left of it. The long plastic covered wire that usually stretched from the back of the house out to wrap around the pulley secured to a post in the centre of the yard was instead dangling uselessly from the side of the house, the once clean laundry that had been hung to dry, now lying in a heap on the ground.
