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BRENTON
Ismiled the entire walk back to my house with Samson. I was genuinely surprised at how excited I was to have Helen over for dinner tomorrow, especially after what she had done for Samson. Her immediate revulsion towards him was initially a red flag for me. Who didn’t fall for such a cute face? I looked down at Samson’s sloppy grin. His tongue was going wild as he trotted alongside me. I was extremely satisfied to see that Helen and Samson were finally getting along after all. She just needed some time to warm up to him, and I thought maybe the same was true for Oakville. Nothing comes easy at first, but I’d like to believe she could learn to love our little slice of heaven in the hills.
Istopped my thoughts in their tracks. What was I thinking? I didn’t want her to like it here in Oakville. If she stayed, I didn’t get Dudley’s tree. But if she left, I truly would be alone up here. I was practically alone living next to Dudley, but at the very least I was comforted in seeing a human walking around every once in a while, even if the human wanted to shoot me. Now with Helen, I got so much more than that. Her presence was warm and exciting. I was beginning to realize that the highlight of my day was when I’d see her panting up that damn hill. I groaned and Samson nudged my arm.Damn, I’m in trouble.
Sunday went by slowly. I paced my property, pretending to inspect the apple harvest, but in reality, I was just distracting myself from thinking of Helen. She had permeated my thoughts these past 24 hours. Rescuing Samson was the true turning point in my opinion about my stubborn, city-loving neighbor. Now I couldn't stop imagining how she’d react if I kissed every inch of her body again, but this time I’d do it slowly. I wouldn't be in a rushed, inebriated state. I’d savor each moment, each centimeter of her porcelain skin. I’d grab her voluptuous waist and pull her close, so that our bodies could touch in as many places as possible. I felt myself stiffen at my fantasies and immediately pulled myself out of the daydream.
No, I wouldn’t go there this evening. I couldn’t. Last time we had rushed into things and it ended terribly. I wanted to make a good impression this evening, to show her that I respected and admired more than just her amazingly addictive body. I needed to regain her trust, and honestly she needed to regain a bit of mine. I still needed to ask her about why she had lied to me regarding her ownership of Dudley’s property.
Nonetheless, I was preparing a beautiful feast for us this evening. I was thawing thick, juicy steaks to grill and a fresh fruit salad for the side. I trimmed my beard for the first time in months and I put on the nicest button up I could find. Tonight, I was preparing to get to know one another beyond our slight disaster of a first date.
“Date…” I repeated, out loud this time.Oh, shit. Was tonight a date?
A knock at the door halted my panic attack, but didn’t help my rapidly beating chest that now felt ready to explode. I rubbed my palms together and shook off the nerves, opening the door. My mouth dropped open slightly at the sight before me. Helen had gone with a different approach than mine for this evening’s attire. Her face bore no makeup whatsoever and an oversized beige crew neck hid her large bust. She was wearing loose ripped jeans that somehow still complemented her curvy frame beautifully.
“Uh, hi,” I greeted her with sweaty palms.
“Hi.” She smiled back at me, tucking a lock of straight hair behind her ear. I noticed she hadn’t curled it this evening. “Am I underdressed?”
“Not at all. I think I might be overdressed. I never—”
“You look great.”
She observed my trimmed beard, nodding in what I hoped was approval before walking through the front door. Without wasting a beat, Samson came bounding through the house, hurling himself at Helen with full force. Helen caught him in her open embrace, laughing as she did. I almost thought I was in a different dimension, but then I remembered how desperate Samson had been to see her these past 24 hours. He had kept planting himself at my front door, wagging and waiting. Every once in a while he’d bark at me to let him out, and as soon as I did, he had gone sprinting towards Helen’s. Needless to say, I was dragged through my own yard several times in my attempts to grab his leash and stop him from embarrassing the both of us in front of Helen.
Ifollowed Helen through the house, my old wood flooring creaking as we made our way to the back deck: the best place on the property.
“You kept the home’s original flooring?”
“Of course. It’s beautiful. A few huffs and scratches, but that just adds to the character.”
“Dudley kept his too. They’re oak, I think. I love them.”
Ismiled. “I suppose Dudley and I did have a couple things in common, despite our differences then, huh?”
“Um, about Dudley,” Helen began but stopped herself. “Nevermind.”
“What about him?” I prodded, wanting her to open up to me, to stop hiding.
“Nothing. I shouldn't have brought it up. Let’s just enjoy the evening.”
“Helen, you can tell me anything. I know you may think otherwise considering how horribly our last, dat— um, dinner went. But seriously. I promise to not go all hulk on you this time around.”
“The dinner didn’t go horribly. Just the morning after.” Helen laughed. “Which is usually the case with hookups. But you had every right to be upset about those photos, anyway. It was an invasion of privacy and I’m sorry.”
Ahookup? That didn’t sit right. I tried to shrug it off.
“Iappreciate that, but they were harmless, really. I shouldn't have gotten upset. It just brought up some reservations about my ex,” I said, unable to make eye contact with her.
“Actually, me too.”
“Really?” I led Helen to the blanket I had laid out for us next to the pool. I lit the candles that surrounded it.
“Um, yeah,” she said as she sat. “He was a pretty irritable man and the argument just brought me back to some not so happy memories, I guess.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I wonder how he’d fare against my ex-wife. She’s probably the most disagreeable person on this planet.” This made us both laugh.
Iopened a woven basket to reveal several bottles of bubbly water and glasses. “I thought maybe we should hold off on the wine tonight.”
