great. Just chilly enough for the light jackets they both wore. Dani walked a little ahead of him, and he took a moment to appreciate the fact that her black jacket came only to her waist, leaving her very inviting denim-clad derrière uncovered. While he wasn’t ordinarily a butt man, he realized she might be able to swing the vote.
Instead of heading to her car, she led him down the sidewalk. He joined her quickly and soon they were striding next to each other on the well-lit street. His hands were in his pockets, as were hers. They were just far enough apart so that a random brush of the shoulder was unlikely.
He thought about moving closer to her, but he didn’t. His reactions to this virtual stranger were strong. Strong enough to make him concerned. He didn’t like the feeling that he wasn’t completely in control of his emotions. One thing Alex had learned from his father: It’s a fool who lets his gonads do his thinking for him.
But damn; his gonads felt awfully determined this time. Lust was something he respected, and when appropriate, he liked to respond. With Dani, it wasn’t appropriate. End of story. Best to concentrate on his surroundings, and get his mind away from thoughts of derrières and gonads.
“So you’ve always lived here, have you?” he said, hoping his impromptu opening line didn’t sound as lame to her as it did to him.
“Yes.”
They continued walking. Silently. The street itself held little out of the ordinary. Just a quiet block of family homes. Some folks had left the drapes open so he could see tiny snippets of domestic life as they walked by. A family of five at dinner. “Wheel of Fortune” playing on a couple of TVs. Some kid practicing the piano. It was ordinary, all right, and completely unfamiliar to him. He’d never spent any time in suburbia. The homes he visited usually had long driveways, butlers or maids to open the doors. Foyers big enough to fit two cars comfortably. He was a stranger here. As out of place as a bug on a cream puff. Yet he found himself interested in this world of Dani’s.
“Have any desire to live anywhere else?” he said. This time, the question wasn’t just intended to break the silence. He wanted to know what it was about this town that kept her here. That made her work so hard to succeed in it.
“Not really,” she said. “This is my home. It’s got its problems, but basically it’s a good place to live. A good place for Chloe.”
“They have special programs for her?”
“Yes, Mr. Bradley. Even here in Mayberry we’ve heard of accelerated programs for exceptional children.”
“I got that, you know. Mayberry. Andy Griffith. Opie. Aunt Bea.”
She slowed and looked up at him. The angle was just perfect, too. Her face was lit by a street lamp, the color of a soft tan. Her skin seemed to glow. Her teeth, when she smiled, were as white as new snow.
“Very good. I’m surprised they let you watch what the common folks watched.”
“Tell me something, Dani. Did a gang of rich people come and beat you up when you were a kid? Steal your dog? Take away the homestead?”
She coughed, and looked away. She started walking again, more quickly this time.
“Uh-uh,” he said, reaching out and grabbing her by the arm. She stopped, but she didn’t turn to him.
“Come on, Doc. Tell me why you hate my kind so much. I’m a big boy. I can take it.”
“I don’t hate your kind,” she said, but she didn’t try to break free of his hold.
“So it’s me personally? Right? I said something wrong? I wore the wrong shoes?”
She didn’t move for a long while. He wasn’t sure what she was looking at, only that she wasn’t looking at him. He wanted to prod her into her explanation, but he forced himself to wait. He didn’t want a smart-ass answer. He wanted the truth.
Finally she did look at him again. He let her arm go, knowing she wasn’t going to run away.
“I’m sorry. I’ve really been out of line. It’s not you. It has
Instead of heading to her car, she led him down the sidewalk. He joined her quickly and soon they were striding next to each other on the well-lit street. His hands were in his pockets, as were hers. They were just far enough apart so that a random brush of the shoulder was unlikely.
He thought about moving closer to her, but he didn’t. His reactions to this virtual stranger were strong. Strong enough to make him concerned. He didn’t like the feeling that he wasn’t completely in control of his emotions. One thing Alex had learned from his father: It’s a fool who lets his gonads do his thinking for him.
But damn; his gonads felt awfully determined this time. Lust was something he respected, and when appropriate, he liked to respond. With Dani, it wasn’t appropriate. End of story. Best to concentrate on his surroundings, and get his mind away from thoughts of derrières and gonads.
“So you’ve always lived here, have you?” he said, hoping his impromptu opening line didn’t sound as lame to her as it did to him.
“Yes.”
They continued walking. Silently. The street itself held little out of the ordinary. Just a quiet block of family homes. Some folks had left the drapes open so he could see tiny snippets of domestic life as they walked by. A family of five at dinner. “Wheel of Fortune” playing on a couple of TVs. Some kid practicing the piano. It was ordinary, all right, and completely unfamiliar to him. He’d never spent any time in suburbia. The homes he visited usually had long driveways, butlers or maids to open the doors. Foyers big enough to fit two cars comfortably. He was a stranger here. As out of place as a bug on a cream puff. Yet he found himself interested in this world of Dani’s.
“Have any desire to live anywhere else?” he said. This time, the question wasn’t just intended to break the silence. He wanted to know what it was about this town that kept her here. That made her work so hard to succeed in it.
“Not really,” she said. “This is my home. It’s got its problems, but basically it’s a good place to live. A good place for Chloe.”
“They have special programs for her?”
“Yes, Mr. Bradley. Even here in Mayberry we’ve heard of accelerated programs for exceptional children.”
“I got that, you know. Mayberry. Andy Griffith. Opie. Aunt Bea.”
She slowed and looked up at him. The angle was just perfect, too. Her face was lit by a street lamp, the color of a soft tan. Her skin seemed to glow. Her teeth, when she smiled, were as white as new snow.
“Very good. I’m surprised they let you watch what the common folks watched.”
“Tell me something, Dani. Did a gang of rich people come and beat you up when you were a kid? Steal your dog? Take away the homestead?”
She coughed, and looked away. She started walking again, more quickly this time.
“Uh-uh,” he said, reaching out and grabbing her by the arm. She stopped, but she didn’t turn to him.
“Come on, Doc. Tell me why you hate my kind so much. I’m a big boy. I can take it.”
“I don’t hate your kind,” she said, but she didn’t try to break free of his hold.
“So it’s me personally? Right? I said something wrong? I wore the wrong shoes?”
She didn’t move for a long while. He wasn’t sure what she was looking at, only that she wasn’t looking at him. He wanted to prod her into her explanation, but he forced himself to wait. He didn’t want a smart-ass answer. He wanted the truth.
Finally she did look at him again. He let her arm go, knowing she wasn’t going to run away.
“I’m sorry. I’ve really been out of line. It’s not you. It has
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