you okay?” He sounded all excited.
“Yes. Are you?”
“No, I’m pretty upset.” He came around the front of the pickup.
“What are you upset about?”
“You,” he said. And then he threw his arms around me.
I tipped my head back and looked at him, astonished.
So he kissed me. Thoroughly.
I enjoyed it thoroughly, too. In fact, it felt so good I had to fight an impulse to throw him in the back of the pickup and tear his clothes off, beginning with his puffy nylon jacket and working down to the long underwear I could see peeking out at his cuff. But a little voice kept nagging in the back of my head. What brought this on? it asked. And, Is this a good idea?
It was about five minutes before I could ask my questions out loud. “Wow!” I said. “I’ll have to upset you more often. What’s the occasion?”
“Chasing burglars! What would have happened if you caught ’em? Don’t you know I couldn’t make it if anything happened to you?” Then he kissed me again. For just four and a half minutes this time.
When he worked around to nibbling my neck, I was able to talk. “Nothing did happen to me,” I said. “I’m enjoying this, but I don’t quite understand it.”
Joe moved his head back, but he didn’t let me go. We were standing sternum-to-sternum and talking nose-to-nose. “You and that kid! What were you two doing waltzing around with burglars?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea, when you get down to it. How’d you find out about our adventure?”
“I had coffee with Tony out at the truck stop.” Tony Herrera was married to one of my friends, Lindy. Tony, who happened to be the son of Warner Pier’s mayor, drove into Holland every day for his job as a machinist. He and Joe had been friends since elementary school.
Joe went on. “We ran into Jerry Cherry.”
“I see that the Warner Pier grapevine is in good shape. How come Jerry realized you’d want to know about our excitement?”
“He didn’t. There was a whole table of us. I tried not to seem too interested.”
He had tried not to seem too interested? Suddenly I was hopping mad. I pushed myself away from Joe.
How could he act as if I mattered to him when we were alone or when we were talking on the telephone, but pretend he hardly knew me in public?
“Oh, I think you could justify some interest in a local burglary,” I said. “After all, you’re a Warner Pier property owner. All the Warner Pier citizens are shocked and appalled by local crime, right?”
“Sure. Everybody was interested. But—” He cocked his head. “Are you mad?”
“No. I’m furious.”
“About the burglary?”
“Not exactly.” I stopped talking then. It was awfully hard to tell a guy that your relationship stunk when you didn’t have a relationship. I decided I’d better not try. “I suppose I’m just tired.”
“Well, yeah. You’ve been up all night.”
“That’s not what I meant, but I guess it’s close enough.”
“Hop in, and I’ll drive you up to the house.”
“Better not! Chief Jones is up there. He might see you.”
I guess my sarcasm finally sank in. Joe’s lips tightened, but he didn’t say anything.
“I’ll talk to you later,” I said. Then I pushed on past him, but he caught my arm.
“If you think I like this situation, you’re wrong.”
“If you think I like it, you’re wrong, too.”
We stood there, glaring at each other. Then I pulled my arm away. “I’m completely out of patience with adolescent piccalillis—I mean peccadilloes.”
“Thanks! I’m really thrilled at being lumped in with that kid.”
“Actually, you and Jeff are acting quite differently. He won’t talk at all, and you won’t do anything else.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know! But it’s not real complimentary if you don’t even want people to know—” I broke off. “Oh, forget it! It’s a dead end anyway.”
I stalked across the road. Joe followed me. “I didn’t come to quarrel,” he
“Yes. Are you?”
“No, I’m pretty upset.” He came around the front of the pickup.
“What are you upset about?”
“You,” he said. And then he threw his arms around me.
I tipped my head back and looked at him, astonished.
So he kissed me. Thoroughly.
I enjoyed it thoroughly, too. In fact, it felt so good I had to fight an impulse to throw him in the back of the pickup and tear his clothes off, beginning with his puffy nylon jacket and working down to the long underwear I could see peeking out at his cuff. But a little voice kept nagging in the back of my head. What brought this on? it asked. And, Is this a good idea?
It was about five minutes before I could ask my questions out loud. “Wow!” I said. “I’ll have to upset you more often. What’s the occasion?”
“Chasing burglars! What would have happened if you caught ’em? Don’t you know I couldn’t make it if anything happened to you?” Then he kissed me again. For just four and a half minutes this time.
When he worked around to nibbling my neck, I was able to talk. “Nothing did happen to me,” I said. “I’m enjoying this, but I don’t quite understand it.”
Joe moved his head back, but he didn’t let me go. We were standing sternum-to-sternum and talking nose-to-nose. “You and that kid! What were you two doing waltzing around with burglars?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea, when you get down to it. How’d you find out about our adventure?”
“I had coffee with Tony out at the truck stop.” Tony Herrera was married to one of my friends, Lindy. Tony, who happened to be the son of Warner Pier’s mayor, drove into Holland every day for his job as a machinist. He and Joe had been friends since elementary school.
Joe went on. “We ran into Jerry Cherry.”
“I see that the Warner Pier grapevine is in good shape. How come Jerry realized you’d want to know about our excitement?”
“He didn’t. There was a whole table of us. I tried not to seem too interested.”
He had tried not to seem too interested? Suddenly I was hopping mad. I pushed myself away from Joe.
How could he act as if I mattered to him when we were alone or when we were talking on the telephone, but pretend he hardly knew me in public?
“Oh, I think you could justify some interest in a local burglary,” I said. “After all, you’re a Warner Pier property owner. All the Warner Pier citizens are shocked and appalled by local crime, right?”
“Sure. Everybody was interested. But—” He cocked his head. “Are you mad?”
“No. I’m furious.”
“About the burglary?”
“Not exactly.” I stopped talking then. It was awfully hard to tell a guy that your relationship stunk when you didn’t have a relationship. I decided I’d better not try. “I suppose I’m just tired.”
“Well, yeah. You’ve been up all night.”
“That’s not what I meant, but I guess it’s close enough.”
“Hop in, and I’ll drive you up to the house.”
“Better not! Chief Jones is up there. He might see you.”
I guess my sarcasm finally sank in. Joe’s lips tightened, but he didn’t say anything.
“I’ll talk to you later,” I said. Then I pushed on past him, but he caught my arm.
“If you think I like this situation, you’re wrong.”
“If you think I like it, you’re wrong, too.”
We stood there, glaring at each other. Then I pulled my arm away. “I’m completely out of patience with adolescent piccalillis—I mean peccadilloes.”
“Thanks! I’m really thrilled at being lumped in with that kid.”
“Actually, you and Jeff are acting quite differently. He won’t talk at all, and you won’t do anything else.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know! But it’s not real complimentary if you don’t even want people to know—” I broke off. “Oh, forget it! It’s a dead end anyway.”
I stalked across the road. Joe followed me. “I didn’t come to quarrel,” he
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