Road.” Mary lifted herself enough that she could look into Ellis’s eyes.
“In the immortal words of Mary Chapin Carpenter, shut up and kiss me.” Ellis cradled Mary’s face in her hands and pulled her close.
Their lips touched, lightly, then with more force.
The knock at the door all but lifted Mary off the bed.
Natalie’s muffled voice came from the other side. “Mom, we’re out of milk!”
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
“Hi, I’m Nathan Kimbrough. I’m here to pick up Natalie.” Nathan had let himself in through the kitchen door. He strolled into the living room and extended his hand to Ellis who was, once again, propped in the corner of the sofa with an ice bag on her foot.
“Nice to meet you,” Ellis said as she told him her name. “Thanks for taking care of those shrubs for me yesterday.”
Nathan sat in the glider that was in its new spot near the sofa. “Glad to do it. Mary told me you’re going to be laid up for a while.”
“About three weeks, according to the doctor. Good thing it’s my slow time of year.”
“Not that there’s ever a good time for a sprained ankle.”
“Right.” Ellis couldn’t help but wonder what the nice-looking man chatting with her would think if he knew she had kissed his ex-wife a few hours earlier. Ellis sized him up. She guessed him to be only slightly taller than Mary. His short, light brown hair had a few flecks of gray at the temples, and his eyes were—like Mary’s—a nice shade of blue, but they lacked the expressive highlights that made Mary’s eyes so intriguing. He was handsome enough, pleasant enough, and obviously good-hearted, since he had done a mercy trimming of Fredrick’s hollies the day before. While accepting his firm handshake, she had noticed that his hands were rough and calloused—a workman’s hands. She wondered what he did for a living.
“I’m a linesman for Georgia Power,” Nathan said, as though he’d read Ellis’s mind. “I’ve had a lot of practice trimming trees. Those bushes on Ponderosa were kid’s play compared to the pines I’m usually dealing with in my cherry picker.”
“I bet. Thanks again for doing that.” Ellis cast a glance down the hallway, then realized Nathan had seen her do so.
“I told Mary I’d be here at twelve-thirty.” He looked at the LED readout of the time on the DVD player. It said twelve-forty. “I’ll never know what takes Mary so long to put a couple of things in a backpack so that Nat can spend the night with me. You’d think she was going on a month-long trip instead of spending one night at my apartment.” Nathan rubbed his hands together nervously, then jammed them in the pockets of his pants.
Since Ellis knew precious little about how or why Mary did anything—with the possible exception of kiss delightfully—she was at a loss for a reply. Two more silent minutes rolled slowly by. Finally, Natalie roared up the hallway and into the living room.
“Hi, Daddy. Can we eat at McDonald’s tonight?” She wrapped her arms around Nathan’s neck and perched on his lap, which was no easy task, given her long body.
“We haven’t even had lunch yet. What’s the rush for picking where we eat tonight?”
“No rush. I was just asking.”
Sam trotted into the room and went directly to Nathan and Natalie. “This is Sam,” Natalie said.
“I know. I met him yesterday.”
“Not him, Daddy. Her. Samantha.”
“Oh. My mistake.”
“I forgive you.” Natalie slid off his lap and stood by the chair. “We should go.”
“We can’t until your mom brings us your backpack.”
“Oh, right. I’ll be out in the backyard with Sam.”
Girl and dog sped toward the kitchen door.
Nathan raised his voice in hopes of being heard before Natalie was out of earshot. “Don’t get dirty, or you can’t go to the movies.”
“It’ll be dark in the theater. Nobody will know.” Natalie and Sam dashed outside.
Nathan said, “She’s always got an answer for everything.”
Ellis
“In the immortal words of Mary Chapin Carpenter, shut up and kiss me.” Ellis cradled Mary’s face in her hands and pulled her close.
Their lips touched, lightly, then with more force.
The knock at the door all but lifted Mary off the bed.
Natalie’s muffled voice came from the other side. “Mom, we’re out of milk!”
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
“Hi, I’m Nathan Kimbrough. I’m here to pick up Natalie.” Nathan had let himself in through the kitchen door. He strolled into the living room and extended his hand to Ellis who was, once again, propped in the corner of the sofa with an ice bag on her foot.
“Nice to meet you,” Ellis said as she told him her name. “Thanks for taking care of those shrubs for me yesterday.”
Nathan sat in the glider that was in its new spot near the sofa. “Glad to do it. Mary told me you’re going to be laid up for a while.”
“About three weeks, according to the doctor. Good thing it’s my slow time of year.”
“Not that there’s ever a good time for a sprained ankle.”
“Right.” Ellis couldn’t help but wonder what the nice-looking man chatting with her would think if he knew she had kissed his ex-wife a few hours earlier. Ellis sized him up. She guessed him to be only slightly taller than Mary. His short, light brown hair had a few flecks of gray at the temples, and his eyes were—like Mary’s—a nice shade of blue, but they lacked the expressive highlights that made Mary’s eyes so intriguing. He was handsome enough, pleasant enough, and obviously good-hearted, since he had done a mercy trimming of Fredrick’s hollies the day before. While accepting his firm handshake, she had noticed that his hands were rough and calloused—a workman’s hands. She wondered what he did for a living.
“I’m a linesman for Georgia Power,” Nathan said, as though he’d read Ellis’s mind. “I’ve had a lot of practice trimming trees. Those bushes on Ponderosa were kid’s play compared to the pines I’m usually dealing with in my cherry picker.”
“I bet. Thanks again for doing that.” Ellis cast a glance down the hallway, then realized Nathan had seen her do so.
“I told Mary I’d be here at twelve-thirty.” He looked at the LED readout of the time on the DVD player. It said twelve-forty. “I’ll never know what takes Mary so long to put a couple of things in a backpack so that Nat can spend the night with me. You’d think she was going on a month-long trip instead of spending one night at my apartment.” Nathan rubbed his hands together nervously, then jammed them in the pockets of his pants.
Since Ellis knew precious little about how or why Mary did anything—with the possible exception of kiss delightfully—she was at a loss for a reply. Two more silent minutes rolled slowly by. Finally, Natalie roared up the hallway and into the living room.
“Hi, Daddy. Can we eat at McDonald’s tonight?” She wrapped her arms around Nathan’s neck and perched on his lap, which was no easy task, given her long body.
“We haven’t even had lunch yet. What’s the rush for picking where we eat tonight?”
“No rush. I was just asking.”
Sam trotted into the room and went directly to Nathan and Natalie. “This is Sam,” Natalie said.
“I know. I met him yesterday.”
“Not him, Daddy. Her. Samantha.”
“Oh. My mistake.”
“I forgive you.” Natalie slid off his lap and stood by the chair. “We should go.”
“We can’t until your mom brings us your backpack.”
“Oh, right. I’ll be out in the backyard with Sam.”
Girl and dog sped toward the kitchen door.
Nathan raised his voice in hopes of being heard before Natalie was out of earshot. “Don’t get dirty, or you can’t go to the movies.”
“It’ll be dark in the theater. Nobody will know.” Natalie and Sam dashed outside.
Nathan said, “She’s always got an answer for everything.”
Ellis
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