Page 17 of Love Me In Color

Me: Looking forward to it!

I shook off my doubt about last night and focused on Richard for a minute. Gabby might have some weird vendetta against him, but my time with him was enjoyable. He was not the most outgoing or creative person, but he was sweet, and the conversation flowed. Everything about us was simple and predictable.

Before I realized I had forgotten to wash off my makeup last night, I thought I had gotten into a fight. I had only had two beers, so I would remember that. Going to sleep with makeup still on was a bad habit I had to break. I got ready for the market. My jeans clung to my hips, imitating the feeling of Parker’s hands on them last night. I sprayed myself with a few pumps of pineapple mist and walked outside.

There was not a cloud in the sky. The temperature was comfortable, but the sun was intense. It beamed up high, making me long to see its effect on the colors around the city or the way it contrasted with the sky.

I followed the path I took every Saturday to the white tents by The Boardwalk. It was still relatively early, so little maneuvering was necessary as I walked. Parker sat at the entrance on a metal bench beside Mr. Alder’s coffee cart. I stepped in front of him, landing with a slight hop. He peeked at me through the top of his sunglasses. A slow smile spread across his face.

“Please don’t think I’m weird,” he said, stepping back from a quick hug hello and looking me up and down.

“That’s a great way to start this,” I laughed.

“You smell delicious. Is that pineapple?”

“Yeah!”

I sniffed the ends of my hair. He was right; I smelled delicious. By the way that the ends of my hair split from each other, I could tell that I was due for a haircut. My mom wouldn’t be visiting until Thanksgiving, so my hair would have to wait.

“Did you rub pineapple on your hair or something?”

“Out of all the products in the world that you could name like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, or perfume…you go with rubbing a pineapple on my hair?”

He laughed at his comment after I pointed out the absurdity of it. His laugh was melodious and deep.

“Wouldn’t that make my hair all wet and sticky?” I pointed out.

He put both hands on my head, covering almost all of it. “Well, it’s not wet or sticky, so I guess you didn’t rub a pineapple on your head.”

“Of course not!” I laughed. “That would be ridiculous.”

“No need to come at me like that, okay? It’s early, I haven’t had my coffee, and someone kept me out until late into the night. Just take the compliment that you smell good.”

“Well, thank you,” I chuckled. “I do think you’re weird, by the way, but I think we can still be friends. Let’s get some coffee.”

“Yeah…maybe weirdly awesome…” he muttered as we walked to Mr. Alder. I tried to stifle a giggle as he side-eyed me.

For the three years I had been here, I had only missed the farmer’s market a few times. I had become a creature of habit, and this was one of my favorite things to do. Many vendors had come and gone during the time I had been coming, but a lot of them were as predictable as I was.

“Good morning, Blake! Iced vanilla latte and blueberry muffin?” The edges of Mr. Alder’s wrinkled eyes crinkled as he smiled at me.

Every Saturday morning, my first stop was Mr. Alder’s coffee cart, and my order was the same. His muffins were delicious, almost as good as Gabby’s, but they often crumbled. It was a pain to eat them, but I loved seeing how his aged eyes lit up every time I ordered mine. I could live with crumbs on my shirt to put that smile on his face.

“Yes, please!” I smiled back. “You know me so well.”

“Who’s the fella with you?” he eyed Parker while making my coffee.

“This is my new friend Parker. It’s his first time here, and he needs coffee for his brain to function. I was thinking we give him the special…so I trust you know what to do.”

“Absolutely!”

Parker also ordered a chocolate chip muffin. I would have to warn him to eat them carefully and with a napkin underneath for when they crumbled. I reached out to pay, but Parker snatched the card. He handed Mr. Alder his card and gave mine back. The action earned him a smile from the older man and a glare from me.

“You paid for ice cream yesterday. I can pay for the coffee!” I objected.

“Nope. My mom would smack me upside the head.”

“That’s ridiculous, Parker. I can take care of my stuff.”

---