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A quick look at the clock as well as the darkness looming in Val’s kitchen window gave me another idea. I ran to the market to pick up a few things and raced around the kitchen when I got back home. Then I had a laugh when I thought about what the old me would have thought at the idea of shucking corn and marinating meat. Oh how a few months changes things.
I didn’t mind though, because this was just a new adventure with a more important outcome. Keri. I wanted to do right by my niece and make my sister proud of the woman she would become someday. But as I picked up my phone and looked at Val’s smiling face, I couldn’t help but think that maybe this new adventure in this quirky little town might have a pretty important outcome for me too.
T: Hot BBQ next door. Enough for five.
Valona didn’t respond so I focused on the food. If she didn’t come with Belle and Bridget, then Keri and I would be eating barbecue burgers, steaks and sausages for the next few days. I carried bowls of potato salad and chips out to the picnic table that had come with the house, along with ketchup, mustard, mayo and barbecue sauce. Corn cooked on the grill along with potatoes and meat. It was a perfect and well-balanced meal that a super mom like Valona would be impressed by.
Maybe.
The doorbell rang and the tension I hadn’t realized I’d been holding finally left my shoulders. I opened the door and the girls tumbled in as if they were being chased, chattering a mile a minute. “Did you really grill Uncle Trey?”
“Sure did. Hope you girls brought your appetites.”
“We did!” And then all three girls ran outside still giggling at…something.
“Hey Val.” She was beautiful and as my gaze raked over her tall, curvaceous frame, my body sprang to life.
“Hi Trey. Thanks for cooking dinner.”
“Hold the thanks until you’ve tasted it.” Her long legs were encased in denim. “You’re wearing jeans. I’ve never seen you in jeans before.”
She laughed and shook her head. “I do wear them on occasion.”
And I was so damn glad tonight was one such occasion. “I approve. A lot. Too much, maybe.”
Valona laughed again and handed me a pitcher. “Peach lemonade.”
“Wow. Thanks. Come on in.”
“You need help with anything?”
“Nope, I got it. But I wouldn’t mind some company while I grill the meat.” And the view would be amazing.
“I can do that.”
Just her presence put me at ease, which was weird because I didn’t feel like I wasn’t at ease before she showed up. “What kind of woman are you, Val? Steak or burgers?”
“Yes to both,” she said with a laugh. “Is that a problem?”
“Not for me. I love a woman with an appetite.” I winked and enjoyed the tiniest blush that stained the apples of her cheeks. “Hey, so I know you didn’t send those text messages.”
Valona blinked, genuinely confused. “How can you be sure it wasn’t me?”
I shrugged at her words because she was being coy. “It didn’t sound like you, so I’m not going to hold you to it even though I really want to.”
“Why? Because you didn’t mean it when you asked me out?”
“Are we back to that again Val? No, I won’t hold you to it because I like you. You’re beautiful and quirky and sexy and fun, and you don’t look at me like I’m just a piece of meat. I like that I have to prove myself to you because you know what you deserve, and it’s a hell of a lot more than a pretty face.”
“Hey Trey, look!” Bridget had been practicing dribbling the soccer ball and she was getting better. Some.
“Keep your eye on the ball. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s the key to avoid wandering out of place, and falling. Like this.” I showed off some of the soccer skills I’d picked up in Spain, enjoying the squeal of excitement and little girl applause. “Now you try it.”
She did and instantly she was better. “I did it!”
“Of course you did. The most important thing for all athletes is to be a good student, and you’re pretty good.”
“Thanks.” She turned back to Belle and Keri to show off her new skills.
“You’re good at this parenting stuff, Trey.”
“I’m all right. I got a word of the day calendar so I don’t fall behind Keri’s genius brain. But don’t tell her, I think she actually thinks I’m smart.”
Valona laughed. “You’re smart. Maybe not a genius like her, but who is?” She looked at me like I was something wonderful, and all I wanted to do was live up to that. No one ever made me feel special with just a look. Competent at my job? Sure. But I’d worked hard to gain the knowledge to please photographers, designers and fashion houses. It was a learned skill, but this was something else. Something new that I wasn’t sure I could master, but when Valona looked at me like that, I wanted to master it.
