Robyn Carr - The Family Gathering

“God, that was perfect.” He moved a little. “I’m not leaving.”

“That’s okay. I’m feeling very safe right now. Safe and satisfied.”

“That’s so good to hear.”

“That lock really turned you on,” she said.

“It wasn’t the lock,” he said, snuggling closer. “Please don’t let me fall asleep...”

“Tom, we should talk about something...”

“What?” he asked, lifting his head from her shoulder.

“The lock—it’s probably a good idea. A better idea is telling the kids we’re more than friends. They’re old enough that they deserve to know.”

“I don’t know. You have boys. I still have a young girl. Brenda is sixteen...”

“It’s no different with boys,” she said. “The kids all have to know the facts of life, the dangers and responsibilities, the joys. We’ve both been left by our spouses and have made good families while unmarried, but we’re entitled to be happy, too. Do you worry that your kids still hope you’ll reconcile with Becky? Because my boys don’t want that for me, for us. They’ve probably already guessed that we love each other.”

He smiled and moved a little. He moved a little more.

“You can’t be ready again,” she said. “That’s inhuman.”

“It’s just what you do to me.”

She put her arms around his neck. “Fine. We’ll talk when we have our clothes on.”

“Probably a good idea,” he said.

* * *

Dakota went to Rob’s bar for dinner on a Thursday night. It had become his habit for several weeks now and it had not gone unnoticed. When Sid saw him she just shook her head slightly and gave him a half smile. She slapped a napkin down on the bar in front of him.

“Back again, I see,” she said.

“Great seeing you, too, Sid,” he said, treating her to his sparkling grin. “How have you been?”

“Excellent. The usual?”

“Beer, then I’ll consider dinner.”

“And if Alyssa shows up, you’ll bolt?”

“I’m afraid I’ve been a big disappointment to Alyssa,” he said. “She wants a boyfriend and I’m not him.”

She put his beer in front of him. “Alyssa seems to be more tenacious than I gave her credit for.”

“Then I’ll be an even bigger disappointment. Because I’m tenacious, too.”

“I’m getting that.”

“So, what’s on your agenda for this weekend?” he asked.

“I’m pretty good at relaxing,” she said. “I have a couple of things scheduled. Nothing terribly exciting.”

“I’m off on Sunday,” he said. “Saturday night, too. What’s it going to take to get on your schedule?”

“We’ve been over that...”

“I could get a background check,” he suggested with a grin.

“Just give up, Dakota,” she said.

And then he noticed a little movement beside him.

“Isn’t this a nice surprise,” a woman’s voice said. And just as quickly, Sid was moving down the bar, asking people if they needed anything.

Neely. He hadn’t seen her in weeks. “Hi,” he said. “How are things?”

“Excellent. And you?”

“Good,” he said, lifting his beer.

“I’m Neely,” she reminded him.

“That’s right,” he said, as if he’d forgotten. “Dakota.”

“Oh, I remember.” She snapped her fingers, bringing Sid back. He frowned at that action. “Can I get a chicken Caesar and a club soda with lime?”

“Absolutely,” Sid said. “Dakota?”

“Nothing for me,” he said.

“So, you’ve been in Timberlake for over a month now,” Neely said. “Does that mean this little town appeals to you?”

“It’s a nice little town.”

“And have you settled in for a long stay?” she asked just as Sid put down her drink.

Dakota didn’t really feel like discussing his plans with her, but on the off chance that Sid might overhear, he told the truth. “I have a job here and I’ve rented a place, but long means different things to different people.”

“So tell me what you’ve seen and done since we last saw each other,” she said, sipping her drink.

“Nothing very interesting,” he said. He told her about the job, secretly hoping to put her off with his career as a garbage collector.

Then she told him she’d gone to a concert in Denver and she’d been shopping for things for her town house—area rugs, throw pillows, art. She suggested she’d have to show him sometime.

Dakota frowned. She would just invite him over? She didn’t know him. They had no people in common as far as he knew. All she knew was his first name and that he was a trash collector. That kind of rush to intimacy always made him suspicious.

She talked on, asking very few questions of him and those few he answered with one word if he could. He was thinking he would have to skip dinner tonight if she was going to hang around, but when she finished her salad she put her money on the bar. “Well, I’m off,” she said. “I hope we run into each other again soon.”

He was so grateful to see her go that he said, “I’m sure we will.” And when she cleared the door, he sighed.

“How does it feel to be a chick magnet?” Sid asked with laughter in her voice.

“Do not make fun of me,” he said. “There’s something about her that’s a little scary.”

“She seems perfectly nice,” Sid said. “Are you ready for your dinner now?”

“Almost,” he said. He picked up a menu and opened it. “Give me a couple of minutes. I think I might have to try something different tonight.”

“I thought you were close to doing that...but she gave up,” Sid said, walking away with a laugh.

Dakota looked through the menu while Sid waited on other patrons and mixed drinks for the waitstaff to take to tables. She paused for a moment to laugh with young Trace, the seventeen-year-old busboy. Dakota was thinking about wings and potato skins when Neely appeared out of nowhere. He jumped in surprise.

“I’m so sorry to bother you,” she said. “I have a flat. I could call AAA but I thought maybe you wouldn’t mind helping me out. I could make it up to you one of these days by buying dinner or even cooking for us.”

He thought about telling her to call AAA. But he couldn’t. He’d always considered it a point of honor to be kind and helpful to women. He said, “No problem.” Then he called out to Sid. “Hey, Sid! I’ll be right back. I’m going to help with a car problem. Reserve my spot, please.”

“Sure thing,” she said.

He held the door for Neely. He tried to walk behind her but she looped her arm through his.

“It’s down this way,” she said as she led him past the diner and around back. “The BMW is mine,” she said. Her flashy little BMW sat in the dark alley, just two spaces away from his Jeep SUV. He wondered immediately if that could possibly be a coincidence. He bent at the waist, looking at the tires.

“Which one?” he asked, straightening.

Neely pressed herself up against him and her lips were on his so fast he didn’t see her coming. Dakota had had many interesting experiences with women but this kind of aggression was a first. He gripped her upper arms and tried to move her away from him but it was hard—she was determined. Finally he managed to get some space between them. “What the...? Flat tire?”

She smiled and shrugged. “I thought maybe we’d get to know each other a little. Away from the nosy barmaid.”

He wasn’t sure what made him more angry—being tricked into leaving the bar for a potential tryst or Sid being referred to as a nosy barmaid. “Don’t ever do this again. It’s a bad idea.”

“Little uptight, aren’t you, Dakota?” she said, rubbing a hand over his chest.

He stepped back, out of her reach. He was seething inside, but he kept his cool. “Here’s a lesson in manners. If you want to get to know someone, you ask them. If they say no, you move on. You never trick them. This is creepy. Now go home.”