Page 17 of Inherited Light
I knelt again and all I could think of was the kiss by the lake. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from doing it again. “I have time for a nightcap if it’s sans alcohol. I have to drive back to Little Ivywood yet.”
“I have some 7-UP for just the occasion,” she said, motioning me toward the couch. I sat while she disappeared, my senses telling me offering to help would only insult her when she was perfectly capable of getting a couple of cans of pop from the fridge.
She rolled back in and handed me the cans, then swung herself up on the couch next to me. She took a can and we both opened them, clicking the metal cans together before taking a sip. I glanced at the can as I lowered it.
“It sure doesn’t have the zip of a paloma, does it?” I joked. She snorted, and pop flew out her nose, causing both of us to break into a fit of laughter. I jumped up off the couch and grabbed a towel from the kitchen, handing it over so she could clean herself up.
“It has some zip when it goes through your sinuses,” she said laughing, when she could speak again. “Thanks for taking me out tonight, Ren. I had such a good time.”
She laid her hand on my thigh and I put mine over hers. “Thanks for taking a chance on this kid from Little Ivywood. Maybe you should start calling me Lorenzo. It might make me seem less like your friend’s little brother.”
She set the can down on the table next to the couch. “On the contrary, maybe I call you Ren because I never forgot you. You may have been my friend’s little brother, but you were your own you, and I respected the heck out of you for putting up with all those girls in the house, and being their protector even when they didn’t want you to. If it’s all the same to you, I like Ren.”
I nodded once and grinned sheepishly. “I didn’t look at it that way.”
“Well, you know what they say, there are two sides to every coin,” she pointed out.
I shook my head a little bit. “I’m embarrassed I can’t remember anything about you from when we were kids other than your laugh, your art, your eyes, and your sweet, curly hair. I’ve been trying to conjure an image of you from back then, but the only thing I see is you sitting in the front room of the shelter, with those beautiful brown eyes and those plump lips.”
“Considering the awkwardness of my teenage years, I don’t mind if you don’t remember much about me from when we were kids. I think you remembered what was important.”
I wiped my hands on my pants legs and nodded. “I guess I did. Well, I suppose I better be heading back to Little Ivywood. Are you going to be around tomorrow?” I asked, trying not to sound too eager.
“I’ll be here most of the day tomorrow, but Monday night I’m having a gallery showing, so I’ll be there all day.”
“A gallery showing of….” I left it open because I didn’t want to put my foot in it again tonight.
She laughed softly. “Yes, of my artwork. I always do a show in early summer of the work I’ve done since the Christmas show. I would love it if you could stop by.”
I picked up her hand and patted it between mine. “I would love to stop in and see your work. I have to admit I hoped to catch a glimpse of it here, but your walls are decidedly lacking.”
She laughed awkwardly. “Honestly, it feels incredibly egotistical to hang your own art on your walls. Besides, hanging pictures from a wheelchair tends to make it resemble a romper room for a four-year-old.”
I attempted to hold in my laughter, but it spilled out and I leaned forward, kissing her cheek. “Beautiful and a sense of humor. I’m in heaven.”
She shrugged. “You learn humor quickly, trust me.”
“I would love to trust you, but I have an awkward question I haven’t known how to ask,” I said. I noticed her expression changed from enjoyment to guarded, maybe almost resigned. “I ran into someone today who told me I should cancel our date because you already had a man.”
She cocked her head to the side. “What? I don’t have a man, not by a long shot.”
“Xavier Carellton seems to think you do,” I said, dropping the name to see her reaction.
She immediately sucked in air and crossed her arms over her chest. “Where on earth did you run into Xavier?” she asked. I couldn’t tell if her tone of voice was curious, accusing, or scared.
“I coach youth baseball for Little Ivywood and he coaches for Martindale. Our two teams played each other today. Somehow, he found out I had a date tonight and suggested I cancel it. He said you already have a man and don’t need another one.”
She laughed sarcastically and shook her head in disgust. “Xavier is nothing but a loud, arrogant blow hard who thinks he’s God’s gift to women. I wouldn’t date him if he was the last man on earth and it was only us left to repopulate. The human race would die off before I dated him again.”
I snorted with laughter, but hoped she understood I wasn’t laughing at her. “Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?” I asked, jokingly. “Needless to say, I didn’t cancel our date, even though he threatened to kill me.”
“He what?!” she exclaimed loudly. “He threatened to kill you in front of kids?”
I nodded. “He did, and I had to clear it up with the team and their parents while we ate pizza. Did you two have a relationship?”
“Hell, no!” she exclaimed suddenly. “Do you really think I would date a puke like him?”
I laid my hand on her leg. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. I didn’t think you’d still be dating him, but we all make mistakes when we’re young.”
