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“Come on Benny! Let’s go. We are going to be late.” I turned around in Delilah’s kitchen looking for him. He pitter-pattered down the hall, crashing into the wall on the side of his missing eye.
“Oh, Benny! Are you alright?"
I ran to where he was and picked him up into a tight cuddle. He wiggled and his pink tongue whipped out to catch my cheek. When I placed him on the ground, he ran to the door emitting high pitched yelps of excitement. He always had a way to make me laugh. I grabbed the large red and white cooler off of the table and clipped his leash to his collar. We were headed out the door, on our way to Sunnydale.
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MY OLD HONDA PULLED into the dusty streets of Sunnydale, as the factory bell tolled the end of the day. Swarms of people headed towards their cars in the factory parking lot. I turned left and drove down Main Street, passed the bank, then the library, and the crumbling townhall. I continued down the tree-lined street until it came to an end at a small city park. The car quietly sputtered when the ignition was turned off. The sun, visible in the western sky, was a large red fireball hovering above the horizon. The sky was turning a magnificent orange color with pink streaks. Benny hopped out as soon as the door was open. He ran around, treeing squirrels with his beagle bays. I hauled an old quilt out of the car, spreading it out on the grass of a little knoll overlooking the sunset. I leaned back against the rough bark of the tree and closed my eyes. It had been a long week already. My parents each had called to check in with me. I am not sure that they cared if I was ok or if it was embarrassing for them to have their only daughter flake out and hide in Texas instead of facing her life. Then, there was Vance. He called, and called, and called. He sent text messages every day, trying to apologize. I found myself not wanting his apology and not missing him in the least. Then, there was Pete. Could I trust myself to make a good decision about a man or will he break my heart?
In the last couple of days, Delilah took some time to show me around San Antonio when she was done with work. I found I love this little piece of Texas. Everything called to me: the history, the art, the food, and the weather. It is so different from New York.
“A penny for your thoughts.” A deep voice rumbled.
I opened my eyes, but all I could see was the outline of him as he stood in front of the setting sun. Boy, did he look good as his work shirt stretched across his chest as he held his hands behind his back. He smiled a crooked smile, showing his perfect white teeth. Then, he brought his hands forward. A bottle of wine was in one and a small bouquet of yellow daisies in the other.
“I couldn’t show up empty-handed, even if you had arranged the ‘date’.” Pete drawled.
“You don’t think this is a date?” I inquired.
“It could just be a beautiful woman, sitting on a blanket, watching the sun go down. While her Beagle torments the native wildlife.” His eyes twinkled as he smiled.
“This is totally a date.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Person 1 asked Person 2 to meet them somewhere they wouldn’t normally go. Person 2 said yes. Person 1 made plans, put on her make-up, changed clothes five times, and is so nervous she sweated more than normal.”
“Yep, that covers most of the parameters for a date. At least in my experience. Minus changing clothes five times.” He grinned down at me. I gave him a goofy grin, in response.
“Since Person 2 finally made it, would he like to start the date?” I asked innocently.
"Oh, he most definitely does." Pete’s voice got huskier, and I looked up to meet his eyes. The gold highlights in his brown irises seem to be swirling. A faint heat crept up my cheeks as I looked into his eyes. Benny barked and jumped into my lap at that moment breaking the spell.
“Thanks for the flowers and the wine.” I stood up to accept his gifts. A spark jumped from his hand to mine as our fingers touched. I looked up to see him gazing down at me. Then, he slid his hand down to my elbow and helped me down to the blanket. My emotions were out of control. My face was flushing. There was a tightening in my belly and my palms started to sweat. Come on, Melanie, hold it together. Pete sat down next to me. He seemed reluctant to let my hand go. He stretched out his long jean-clad legs and leaned slightly into me. Benny jumped onto his chest and enthusiastically licked every inch he could reach. Pete chuckled as he gently held the small dog away from his body. Benny’s tongue darted in and out, licking the air.
“He has an anteater tongue. It just goes in and out even if he can’t reach.” He set Benny on the ground and ruffled his ears. Benny got the hint and wandered a short distance away.
An awkward silence stretched between us. Pete pulled up some grass and twirled it around his fingers. He looked down, seemingly fascinated with the grass. Benny was off sniffing at the base of the tree, and here I was becoming uncomfortable.
“So,” I began. “I was thinking that you might be hungry, you know, after a long day at work and all.”
“I might be.” He tore his gaze from the grass.
“Oh, great,” I said with false bravado. “I brought along fried chicken and the ‘fixin’s’ as Delilah would say.” I reached into the cooler and pulled out a bunch of boxes of food. Pete scooted closer and inhaled the scent of chicken.
“That smells amazing.” He leaned against me to take out the package of brownies. He was so close I could see his 5 o’clock shadow coming in. “Brownies are my favorite.” He opened the container and took the biggest one to pop it into his mouth. “These are good.”
“Thanks. It has been forever since I have baked.” I watched him enjoy every crumb. “Help yourself to seconds.”
After we ate the fried chicken, Pete slid closer to me. He wrapped an arm around me and tucked me into his side. I rested my head on his shoulder and gazed out at the sky. The sun was peaking over the horizon as the sky darkened. The stars twinkled in the navy-blue background.
“It’s a nice night.” Pete murmured against the top of my head as I snuggled in closer to him.
“Pete, I want to apologize for the date. It was a very nice place with excellent food. I was just terrible company.” I sighed, hoping he’d interrupt me. No such luck. “I’m sorry. My life fell apart a couple of weeks ago and I am trying to figure out my next step.”
“Hmmm.” Was all the response I got.
As it was getting darker, Benny came running up the hill to settle himself in between us. He closed his eyes and let out a loud snore.
"He can sleep anywhere." Pete chuckled, stroking Benny’s ears.
"He’s so confident; I wish I had an ounce of it."
"You don’t give yourself enough credit.” He twirled a lock of my hair and pressed his lips to my temple. It felt so nice, so right, to be held in his arms like that. A small sigh escaped my lips as he smiled into my hair.
“You smell so nice,” he stammered. “I mean this evening is nice. So, tell me about the problems in your life.”
“Where would I even start?” I rubbed Benny’s soft ears; my hand bumped into Pete’s. “You know I lost my job... and I don’t know what to do about that.”
“Did you like it?”
“I thought so. I loved sewing clothes for people. And spending their money." I smiled cheekily at him. Pete’s eyes sparkled back. “I studied fashion design in college. I would love to have my own business to design what I want.” I paused, not sure how to continue. “I want to be in control of my own destiny. Show my parents that I can be successful without their money.”
“Really? How in the world did you ever become friends with Dee?” His hand slid from Benny to my legs. He drew my knees over his lap as his thumb ran up and down the side of my knee. A shiver ran up my legs.
“We were college roommates freshman year. It has been history ever since.” I shrugged.
“You’re into fashion?” He gave me a thoughtful look. “Any particular style?”
“I was working in super-rich chic dresses and wedding dresses. Why?” I leaned away to get a good look at his expression.
“I don’t know. Just curious, I guess.” He shrugged and his thumb stilled on my legs. His gaze went to Benny. “Ok, next question. What was with the other night?”
The stars were out in full force and the half-moon watched over us. I gazed out at the stars and rolled my head. A deep breath was what I needed. In and out, Melanie. Here goes nothing.
“My fiancé, well technically he is my ex, called me, wanting me to forgive him and come back home." I twisted a strand of hair around my fingers. “Evidently, now he’s concerned about my welfare, that weasel.” Sarcasm dripped from my lips. “Sorry, I’m trying not to be bitter.”
“First off, you have nothing to be sorry for. He sounds like a gem.”
I glanced over at him, a smile quirked at his lips. He pulled me back to his side.
“Second, its ok to be bitter. My nanna says to feel the emotion at the time and then allow yourself time to heal so you experience the next emotion.”
“She seems like a very wise lady.”
“She is. Do you miss him?”
“Not at all...we’ve been drifting apart for a while now. I think it was convenient and what our parents wanted. So, we stayed together.”
Pete was silent after that, staring out toward trees at the edge of the park. It was getting dark. Owls hooted and alley cats meowed in the distance. The high schoolers raced their cars down Main Street. Pete sighed and squeezed me tighter against him.
“Melanie, I think it’s time to be heading home. You’re shivering."
I turned towards him and our eyes met in that moment. His gaze dropped towards my lips, and I, instinctively, leaned a bit closer. His hand slid to cup the back of my neck. As he leaned in, our lips met with a feather-light touch. Electricity surged between us. The proverbial butterflies made their appearance, dancing and twirling in my stomach. Pete parted my lips with his soft tongue to dive into my mouth. Our tongues twirled and battled each other. Pete’s breathing came out in ragged breathes against my skin. I entwined my fingers in his hair to draw him closer to me. I needed this, this escape. He was a lifesaver for a drowning man, and I was the drowning man. A flashlight beam stopped on us, causing us to jump apart like a firecracker was thrown between us. Benny startled from his sleep, barked at the uniformed deputy smiling down at us.
“Hey kids, park closed.” He shined the light into our squinting eyes. “Howdy, Pete. Sorry buddy, but you gotta go somewhere else.”
“It’s alright.” Pete helped me to my feet as I was trying to straighten my clothes. “How’s the wife and the kids?”
“They are good. Jenny is pregnant again.” He said as he helped us pack up what was left of our picnic. “The twins are doing good. They start pre-K in the fall.”
“Congrats, man.” Pete clapped him on the back as we loaded everything into my car and put Benny in the front seat.
“I better go yell at some high schoolers before someone complains about the noise. Take care, Pete. Ma’am” He tipped his hat and climbed into his cruiser.
“He seems nice.” I turned towards Pete. The magic was gone and all that was left was awkwardness.
“He’s an old friend.” He took a step closer and placed his hands on either side of me, caging me in against the car. “I had a great time tonight.” He leaned in closer until I could see the gold flecks in his irises dancing in the streetlight. “I will call you.” He brought his lips just above my lips.
“I would like that,” I whispered as he brought his lips to touch mine.
“ ’Night, Pete.” I ducked out from under his arms and wiggled my hips at him. “Call me.”
He waved as I backed my little car out of the parking spot and headed back to San Antonio. What a night!
SHE WAS A LITTLE MINX with her hip wiggle. Oh, so sexy. Damien told me to be careful, but I was a moth to her flame. Ever since she called me in the middle of the night to beg for another date, I couldn’t get her out of my mind. She was the one problem I couldn’t solve, the puzzle with missing pieces, the broken woman who needed to be mended. As I watched her little red car drive away, out of Sunnydale, all I could think about was what would have happened if Deputy Mark had not shown up. I looked at the screen on my phone. It was only 9:00 PM, definitely not too late for a phone call.
“Hello,” her voice came over the line.
“What do you think of renting out Miss Elizabeth’s place?”
“It’s nice to talk to you too, dear. That might be a good idea. Why?”
“Nothing just wondering.”
“Does this have anything to do with the young lady you have been mooning over for the past week?”
“Good night, Nanna. I love you.”
“Good night, Pete. I’ll see you in the morning.” I could hear the gears turning in her brain as we hung up the phone. I made my way back to where my old truck was parked to slowly drive my way back to my place. I had some planning to do. Sunnydale needed her, and I am pretty sure I needed her. She seemed to need both of us too. She just didn’t know it yet. I bet Dee would like my plan.