Amy
“Mimi! Mimi!” the twins yell for Mia the moment we open the front door.
So much for my suggestion we enter quietly, since their aunt continues to write.
I hurry after them. “Boys, Aunt Mia’s writing. We talked bout waiting until supper to tell her,” I remind them over their yells.
“Tell me what?” Mia asks, exiting the tiny office space.
William and Harry talk a million miles per second over the top of each other. Mia’s wide eyes look at me.
“Freeze!” I demand with a raised voice.
The boys cease talking and moving under my practiced magic word. I smile at Mia, letting her know nothing is wrong.
“William, you go first,” I prompt, and he smiles proudly.
“We saw dogs!” he shares, his arms motioning. “They jump high and swim!”
“Really?” she acts shocked by this news even though the four of us talked about attending the Dock Dogs competition yesterday and at breakfast this morning.
Harry jumps in. “They jump for toys! And swim like this!” He moves in circles, imitating the dogs paddling.
“So you had fun?” Mia inquires, with a giggle.
“Lucas bought us ice cream,” Harry informs.
“And we sat on a blanket on a hill so we don’t get wet,” William shares.
Mia glances at her watch. “Wow! You were there for a long time.” She looks at me. “Did Lucas stay with you?”
“Lucas took me on a ride on his shoulders!” Harry tells his aunt.
“Me, too!” William says.
I smile and nod to answer her question. Mia’s smile widens. With my eyes closed, I shake my head. I know what she’s thinking. She likes the idea of Lucas and me spending time together. She thinks he puts up with the boys just to spend time with me. She hasn’t seen him with the twins. He’s just a bigger version of the boys.
“Snack time!” I announce. “Go wash your hands.”
The twins trot to the nearby restroom, climbing the step stool at the same time.
Mia bumps my shoulder with hers. “You should have invited Lucas back here. Once the boys nap, the two of you could have enjoyed adult time.
Adult time?
Seriously?
I know exactly what she means by ‘adult time’.
I guess I had better confess. She’ll find out in a couple of hours, anyway.
“He asked me to join him at the concert tonight,” I blurt. “I don’t know how it’s possible, but he claims the town comes even more to life tonight with the first concert of Wild Bill Days. It was so crowded today, I’m not sure how they’ll fit any more people on Main Street.”
She holds her palms up between us, halting my rambling.
“You have a date!” she squeals.
I release a deep, audible breath.
“O-M-G! You’re going on a date with Lucas!”
“I told him I’m supposed to watch the boys so you may concentrate on your writing.” I turn my back to her as I pull cheese and fruit from the refrigerator.
“Stop it!” she chides. “You know you can take the night off for a date.”
As I place cheese, fresh fruit, and crackers on two plates, I see Mia bouncing with excitement.
“So, where are you going? What are you doing? What will you wear?” she rapid fires questions in my direction.
With the twins’ attention on their snacks, I return my attention to Mia.
“He’s coming here at four,” I say with a shrug. “He mentioned dinner, drinks, and the free concert on Main Street. It’s all part of Wild Bill Days… that’s all I know.”
My nerves spiral with the realization that I have a date with Lucas tonight.
A date.
Me on a date.
I haven’t been on a date in… Holy crap! I haven’t been on a date since high school.
“What’s causing that face?” Mia asks, swirling her finger around my head.
“What face?” I play dumb.
“Your worried, scrunched-up face,” she states. “What did I say that made you nervous?”
I shake off her worries. “You need to get back to work.”
“Uh-huh,” she protests. “I’m taking an extended break. We’re going to have a drink, chat a bit, then I’ll help you get ready for your date.”
I begin to argue, but she shushes me with a pinch of her fingers in mid-air.
“Last one upstairs is a rotten egg!” Mia announces, and the twins scamper away. “Grab two beers and meet me on the patio,” she orders, closing the bathroom door.
Exhausted from a big day outside, the twins lie down without protest. I turn on their light-up globe projecting the galaxy onto the ceiling and the monitor before closing their door. Descending the stairs, I watch the black and white video screen, finding their eyes closed.
I sort of hoped they’d fuss a bit, so I could avoid the looming conversation with Mia. She’s team Lucas and will tell me I’m silly for dragging my feet.
With two beers in hand, I walk to the backyard like I’m walking to my execution.
Under the shade tree, I join Mia in lawn chairs, quickly popping the cap off and enjoying a sip of my beer.
“It’s okay to be nervous,” Mia begins, placing her beer on the tree stump between us. “Tell me what’s holding you back with Lucas.”
Where do I begin?
I’ve explained away my solo nature as protecting myself from my brother’s fans, but that’s not the entire story.
“I haven’t been on a date in…”
She interrupts me. “You’ve worked for me for over a year and haven’t dated once. I assumed some jerk screwed you over and you were healing.”
“I haven’t been on a date since high school,” I confess.
“That’s a long time to be alone,” Mia whispers.
“I… I have a friend to hook up with if I want to,” I share against my better judgement.
Something about Lucas makes me want Mia’s help, and to help me, she needs to know everything.
“Remember how I mentioned people trying to get to Hamilton through me?” I wait for her to nod before I continue. “It started long before he became a Major League pitcher. In high school, his baseball talent allowed him to play on the varsity team his eighth-grade year. Colleges began inviting him to their camps all over the United States. Girls pretended to be my friend to get closer to him, and guys thought dating me might bring them in favor with the colleges interested in him.”
I sip my beer while tamping down the pain rekindling within me.
“You know how things are in Athens. Everyone in all the neighboring counties knew Hamilton. I had to protect myself. I did that by…”
“Putting up your walls,” she finishes for me. “Amy, I understand why you did it. I understand your need to protect yourself. But here in Deadwood, you are Amy, not Hamilton Armstrong’s sister. You are whoever and whatever you choose to be. That’s why I encouraged you to take the twins on so many adventures with Lucas. I thought in spending time, you might lower your walls a foot or two while having fun. You are an amazing woman, so full of life and love. It hurts to see you hold yourself back from finding someone to share your life with.”
I sit quietly as she takes a swig of her beer.
“My advice, if you care to hear it, is to go on this date with Lucas. No one knows you here, and no one knows about your brother. This is your chance to go out and have some fun. I’ve seen you have fun, so I know you know how to.” She turns to face me, sitting on the edge of her chair. “I’ve asked Oliver a thousand questions about Lucas, and everything I’ve learned tells me he’s the perfect man for you to go out with while we are here and let your hair down.”
“Is it really that simple?” I ask her.
Mia nods. “You’ll be surrounded by more than one-hundred-thousand strangers attending Wild Bill Days, so you won’t be alone on your first date. I think that’s great for your first time out with a guy. There will be events going on everywhere you look, and that will give you much to talk about. You won’t have to worry about the long, awkward pauses. You like spending time with him, don’t you?”
I don’t fight the smile that slips upon my face, and I nod. “He makes it easy.”
“I knew it!” she giggles. “You’ll have so much fun. Trust me. I see it in both your eyes. Come on, I’ll help you choose an outfit and get ready.”
“Why did I ever agree to this?” I mutter.
“Stop,” she drawls. “You’ll have fun. Just wait and you’ll see.”