Ali Vali - Love Match

The widower had met the tennis player two years prior when she wandered into his shop one day looking for new reading material. It amazed him that a young person still read the classics and enjoyed sitting with him and talking about them. When she bought the house, Parker had transformed one of the rooms into a library with comfortable chairs and a multitude of oak shelving. They had spent a great deal of afternoons after her practices just sitting across from each other reading a book. For Barnaby it was a treat in that since his wife had died he was left with no family, and Parker never made him feel like she was just humoring an old man.

"A mistake I'll correct when we get home, Barnaby. Now be good and call me this week for lunch. Oh and before I forget, I brought you something." Parker stepped out to the car to get a book she had gotten for him in England.

"She is a lovely girl, Parker is," said Barnaby. He was talking to Emily but looking at Parker get something from the back seat.

"Yes she is. I've only just met her but I can see that there is more to her than most people would guess. She seems to be a good friend to people she cares about." Emily was also looking at the bright young woman now walking back toward the storefront.

"You would consider yourself lucky to have her call you her friend, Emily." The bells over the door chimed and the old man put his hands out for his gift. "What did you bring me?"

"It's not in the greatest shape, but you will forgive that when you see the print date. Enjoy it and don't stay up all night trying to get through it." Parker handed over the leather bound edition of Shakespeare sonnets she had gone looking for during her off time at the tournament. Shakespeare was one of Barnaby's all time favorites and had one of the biggest collections of his writings she had ever seen. He looked at the book and just wrapped Parker in a hug.

The two women said their goodbyes and got back in the car for the drive into Tampa for dinner. Parker had put both of the books they had left with in the backseat after she had gotten Emily back in the car then waved to Barnaby who was standing in the window with his book under his arm.

"That was so sweet of you to do that for him." Emily took Parker's free hand back into hers as soon as they were back on the highway. She was glad that Parker wasn't one of those people that disliked their personal space invaded.

"I haven't gone to college yet, so I consider Barnaby my professor of life. He likes to find stuff for me to read and then talks to me about it. His wife died about four years ago and the big bookstores took a chunk of his business, but he perseveres through it all." Parker looked at her for a moment before turning her attention back to the road. Emily was starting to regret that she was leaving in the morning. There was so much more that she wanted to know about Parker King.

"Will you show me Barnaby's favorite room?" Emily turned her body without letting go of the big hand so that she was resting her back on the door giving her a better angle of Parker's profile. Without looking at her Parker smiled, nodded her head and squeezed her fingers, they didn't feel the need to talk about anything else for the rest of the drive.

The restaurant Parker picked was an Italian place with romantic lighting, a great view and even better food. The young woman that showed them to their table was the daughter of the owner and had met Parker on a few previous occasions. When Emily arched her brow at the friendly greeting the tall woman got, Parker just laughed. This must be the big workup to getting me softened up for later on tonight , was the one thought in her head when she realized Parker had eaten there before. Because, baby, you don't eat in places like this by yourself.

"How are Gary and Nick?" asked the hostess.

"They are fine, I'll tell them you said hello."

"They're not joining you tonight?"

"No it will just be Ms. Parish and myself this evening, Francesca. How about a bottle of Chianti while we decide on what to eat?" The young woman turned and headed for the wine racks along the back wall looking for the wine Parker liked.

"I thought…" Emily started not knowing how to finish her sentence. Parker looked at the dinner specials listed in the menu not looking up when Emily broke the silence left when Francesca walked away.

"I know what you thought. Candles, romantic music, wine and an ocean view add up to having to sleep with me later. I come here sometimes when I'm home with Nick and Gary, and trust me I'm not interested in sleeping with either of them. Francesca's father makes a great sauce and even better veal dishes that I thought you might like, but if you prefer we could go someplace, I don't know, better lit?" Before Emily could say anything Francesca came back to the table with the bottle Parker had ordered and two glasses. She poured a little into Parker's glass waiting for her to approve of it before pouring some into Emily's glass.

"I'm sorry, Parker."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Captain. In a way you are right, I'm that person all your girlfriends warn you to stay away from. But I promised you I'd behave and I intend to." Parker held up her glass and waited for Emily to do the same. She leaned forward to tap her glass with the blonde's and recited a verse from her favorite poem. "I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

"Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken," whispered Emily. She took a sip of the wine and enjoyed the warm feeling it gave her when it slid down her throat. "You could turn a girl's head with such romance, Parker. Somewhere ages and ages hence there will be a woman that will have loved her life because she got to share it with you." She lifted her glass in salute again and swore that nothing else that evening would bother her about Parker's much written about exploits. Spending time with the tennis player would help her to learn more about the person she was than from reading about her in The Enquirer.

The dinner lasted three hours by the time they had made it through the various courses, dessert and after dinner drinks. They kept the conversation light and the other patrons looked their way often as they laughed at a variety of things. It was just the type of evening Emily had looked forward to on her vacation, only she never imagined it would be shared with Parker King. Her idea of the perfect ending would have been a walk on the beach but a walk through Parker's vast collection of rare books was good enough.

Slipping out of her shoes Emily made one request. "Read me your favorite thing in here."

Parker walked to the other side of the room climbed the rolling latter to the top shelf and pulled down a book. She put it on the coffee table as she sat back to take her own shoes off loving the sound of Emily's laughter when she saw the title. " War and Peace? You do realize I'm leaving tomorrow don't you?"

"I just wanted to see if you were still awake after those two and a half desserts you ate." She ducked the small pillow Emily tossed at her in mock anger then got up to pull down another book.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that, the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.