Page 11

Mike

N ot to jinx it or anything, but things might finally be starting to look up for me. Practice went well. I think Coach might start putting me into the regular rotation. Rodriguez only ribbed me a little bit for ditching him last weekend. Jordan is back and gave his stamp of approval to the jeans and short-sleeved Henley I’m wearing tonight, and I’m on my way to see Danielle.

I’m not exactly sure if I should call this our first date because we’re just hanging out at her place. Well, her grandmother’s place. Still, I asked her to accompany me to a movie and she said yes, which means I am going to be prepared. There’s a condom in my wallet and a gift bag stuffed with snacks on the front seat of my truck, along with two small bouquets that I picked up from the grocery store near the stadium. One bunch of flowers is white and the other is yellow. When I scanned them at self-checkout the receipt said they are carnations. The only options were these or roses, and the roses were twice as expensive, so carnations it is. I already spent enough on the bag, but what can I say? It made me laugh. I hope Danielle likes it, too.

After I pull to a stop in their driveway, I gather the flowers and the silly gift bag and head up to the house. Before I can knock, the door opens, revealing a tall, full-figured woman with bright pink flowers on her dress and equally bright lipstick.

“I heard there was a man coming for my granddaughter, that you?” She scowls, but it seems exaggerated. I think she’s already teasing me. Or maybe testing me?

“Yes, ma’am,” I answer, hoping my smile is as charming as I want it to be.

She barks out a laugh, and the scowl disappears just as quickly as it crossed her face.

“Well, come on in. I’m Honey. No need to tell me your name, I already know everything this town has to tell about Mike Miller. Heard you’re our new shortstop, here all the way from Idaho. Met our DeeDee over at Edna’s restaurant, did you? I saw you drive her home last week, you know. And I’ve since heard you might know a little something about my busted-up car.” She raises her eyebrows and lowers her chin on that last point, but she doesn’t seem angry, more amused.

“I can’t deny any of that,” I offer, holding out the yellow bouquet. “I’m sorry about what happened to the car, but it wasn’t her fault. That deer came out of nowhere. Danielle handled herself well. These are for you, ma’am. Thank you for having me to your home.”

Another voice floats toward us and Danielle appears, bouncing down the hall.

“Sucking up to my grandma is a solid strategy. I respect it. Don’t worry about the car. Insurance is covering it, and Frank at the auto repair shop says it’ll only take two days to fix, so it should be ready tomorrow morning,” she says, then turns to address Honey. “Leave the poor man alone, you’ll scare him away.”

Honey waves one hand dismissively. “Eh. Any man who can be scared off that easy wasn’t worth keeping in the first place. I like this one better than that old fuddy duddy you had coming around here last year. Philip never brought me flowers.”

Danielle’s eyes widen, but she is still smiling. “You know his name was Steve, and can you not? Poor Mike just came to watch a movie.” It’s fun to watch the rapport she has with Honey, but I like it even more when Danielle takes my arm and leads me into the living room. I thought we would be watching a movie in her apartment, but she seems to have changed the plan. I can roll with it, but if we are hanging out with her grandma today, I guess this means that condom will be staying in my wallet.

Honey’s place is an eclectic mix of mismatched furniture and knickknacks that somehow manages to feel homey rather than cluttered. There are two patchwork quilts folded and thrown over the back of the sofa and about ten framed photographs lining the top of the credenza, which has glass doors showcasing the other knickknacks inside. Along the left wall, the doors of a wooden armoire are swung open, revealing the television.

“Is it okay if we watch in here? The TV is so much easier to see than trying to watch on my laptop. Plus, if I’m being honest, I didn’t have time to clean up after work and there is laundry all over my bed.”

“Of course.” I chuckle and hand Danielle her own bouquet. “Your house, your rules.”

“I’m glad you feel that way,” Honey’s booming voice interjects as she pushes past us and sets herself in the recliner in the corner, lifting the lever to raise her feet and propping a throw pillow under them. “Because this is actually my house.” Danielle rolls her eyes, but Honey makes me laugh. She certainly has no problem making herself comfortable around me, which makes me more comfortable, too. Usually, I would be hesitant to meet a girl’s family on the first date. But Honey’s big, welcoming energy actually helps to take some of my own nerves away.

“Thank you. These flowers are beautiful. I’ll go put them in some water and get the popcorn,” Danielle offers.

“That reminds me,” I say as I hand her the gift bag. “I also come bearing snacks.” Then I turn to Honey and add, “No worries. There’s enough for everyone.”

Danielle lets out a loud laugh when she notices the ridiculous design on the outside of the bag. “Is this a Christmas tree with jack-o-lanterns, turkeys, dreidels, and Easter bunny ornaments on it?”

“Yep. The tag said ‘for any special occasion.’” I’m glad she seems as amused by it as I was. Not everyone likes my cheesy sense of humor. In college, I went on two dates with a snobby girl who dumped me for, in her words, “thinking puns were a passable attempt at wit.” Her loss. I still think puns—and ridiculous gift bags—are hilarious. At least Danielle seems to get me.

“Is that what this is? A special occasion?” Her voice softens as she looks up at me. I can feel something melt in my chest. That stupid gift bag cost eleven dollars, which seemed like way too much to spend on a paper bag at the time, but I hoped it would make her laugh. And it did. Now that I know it also made her look at me like this, I would have spent five times that much.

Nodding at the bag, I say, “Of course it is. It’s the day I met the famous Honey Daniels. Plus, I have it on good authority the peanut butter and the pretzel flavors are the best ones.” I hint at the contents of the gift.

As she looks inside, Danielle starts to laugh again. “What, did you buy out the store? This must be every flavor of M&M’s ever made.”

“All that the stores of North Bay and Marnock had to offer, except the coffee flavors. Well, there is one coffee flavor. I got the Caramel Cold Brew because I was intrigued, but I won’t be offended if you abstain from that one. You mentioned a few I’ve never tried, and then I saw even more at the store, and I got curious. I may have gone overboard.”

I definitely went overboard. There are twelve different kinds of M&M’s in that bag. I’ve been collecting them from everywhere I’ve been for the past few days. At the vending machine in the locker room, the gas station, Major Dollar, the grocery store, every time I saw them they made me think of Danielle and I just had to grab a bag. Then it turned into sort of a scavenger hunt to find as many different flavors as I could. I had Jordan scouting the candy aisles for me, too. He added a few packs he picked up from rest stops on the way back from his weekend trip.

I smile at her. “I thought we could have a taste test. I never realized they made so many options. My sisters always put their candy in their popcorn at the movies. Maybe we could try that?” Pointing, I add, “There’s also something else in there, under the mountain of chocolate.”

She digs for a moment before pulling out two movies: The Sandlot and A League of Their Own. There was a bin of old DVDs being sold on clearance at Major Dollar. I took a gamble and grabbed a couple of them. I hope she still has a DVD player.

“Lady’s choice,” I tell her. Two baseball films, sure. I love my sport, so sue me. But they also both seemed like safe options Danielle would enjoy as well. Hopefully Honey, too, now that she’s joining us.

“Maybe we’ll have time for a double feature? I love both of these. Thank you.” Danielle steps forward and kisses my cheek. It takes a surprising amount of strength to hold still. I force myself to look straight ahead and not to turn to meet her mouth with mine.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Honey says from her recliner. “Mike? What do you say you help me figure out this remote, and Dani can go pop us up the rest of our snack. There’s a fresh pitcher of sweet tea in the fridge, too.”

I take The Sandlot from Danielle before she heads to the kitchen and I set it up on the TV while she handles the food. It isn’t long before she returns carrying a big tray containing three bowls filled to the brim with fresh popcorn, a pitcher of tea, and three stacked glasses. It takes an impressive amount of balance to carry all of that, but then again, she is a professional. She sets the tray down in the center of the painted turquoise coffee table. Settling on the sofa next to Danielle while we watch the movie, with Honey offering her colorful commentary from the corner chair in her even more colorful living room, I realize how much I’ve missed the feeling of family. I could get used to this.

I try my best to pay attention to the movie, but my eyes keep wandering over to Danielle. She’s mouthing the words right along with the actors, like she remembers every line. When she catches me staring, she offers a shy smile then presses her lips together to make herself stop. Maybe she’s embarrassed, but I think it’s cute. And I can’t say I’d mind staring at her mouth all night.

When the movie nears its end, Honey notices the M&M’s are still on the table.

“We oughta play Pick My Poison with those,” she tells Danielle.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“Oh, I had almost forgotten about that. It’s a game Honey and I made up when I was little. One of us would close our eyes or wear a blindfold, and the other would put some kind of food in the blindfolded person’s mouth. You have to guess what you’re eating.”

“The only rule was it had to be edible,” Honey interjects and Danielle nods and continues the story.

“Yep. We had some interesting combinations over the years. Remember that time I gave you a grape coated in peanut butter and hot sauce?”

“Sure do. That one was better than the ice cream mixed with vinegar.”

“Oh, you got me right back with my own creation that time. The vinegar milkshake was the worst.” Danielle twists her face and before long she is shaking with laughter. Honey is hooting and slapping her own thigh. Their joy is contagious and I can’t help but join them.

“You two aren’t selling this very well,” I admit through a deep laugh.

“Oh, we wouldn’t subject you to anything like that,” Danielle promises. “At least not yet.” Her own laughter has subsided, and she’s out of breath. The way she’s looking at me with her soft smile and her eyebrows raised in anticipation makes my stomach warm with promise, like the ascent up the first hill of a rollercoaster.

She touches my arm. “You were smart to bring all these flavors. We could do an all-M&M’s edition and just try to guess which one we are eating.”

“I could get on board with that.”

That’s how I find myself wearing Honey’s polka dotted sleep mask while Danielle pops a brownie-flavored candy in my mouth.

“Want to try another one?”

“Sure.” This time it’s peanut butter.

Honey takes one turn, but it isn’t long before she excuses herself from the next round.

“Well, this has been fun. Thank you for the flowers and the candy, Mike. You sure know how to make an old lady feel special. But I don’t think I can make it through another movie, I’m headed off to bed.” Honey exaggerates a yawn and stretches both arms dramatically. “I’m so tired I bet I could sleep through a tornado. Wouldn’t even hear a sound.” She winks at Danielle, who just rolls her eyes. “You younger folks should keep this party going a bit longer.”

Honey is not subtle at all. She’s totally giving me her blessing to hook up with her granddaughter in her house, which strangely makes me even more apprehensive about acting on my feelings for Danielle.

I want her to know she means more to me than just a casual hookup. Which, to be honest, is really inconvenient because I wasn’t planning to catch real feelings for this girl. I don’t know if I have the capacity for something serious right now, but the connection that is building between us feels too real to ignore.

We both say goodnight to Honey, and then Danielle and I are left alone on her overstuffed plaid couch. The TV goes silent as the credits roll to an end. Danielle scoots a little closer and turns her whole body to look at me.

“My turn.” She pulls the sleep mask over her eyes and opens her mouth. Seeing her full lips form a perfect circle puts ideas in my head. Now is not the time to act on them, but when she’s ready I know exactly what to do with that pretty mouth.

“You up for this?”

“For anything but the coffee flavor. Can I trust you?” I feel her question stir something inside me.

“You can.” I pop a pretzel-flavored candy in her mouth, but after three guesses she still doesn’t know what kind it is, so she takes the mask off to peek.

“Cheater,” I tease.

We go back and forth, taking turns until there are four empty bags on the table, and several more laying open. I haven’t laughed this much in a long time. Danielle leans back into the couch and sighs contentedly.

“Maybe we can get out of here one night soon. Sneak off somewhere by ourselves?” she says.

“Are you asking me out, Ms. Daniels?”

“What if I am?”

“Will Honey think I’m corrupting you? I’m scared of her.”

I can see her try to hide a smile. “No, you aren’t. But she wouldn’t mind. Honey lives for gossip. It’s more likely she’ll throw us a parade if she thinks we’re up to no good.”

“Then sure. Let’s make a plan to go get some ice cream or tea or something.”

“As long as you pick me up, because I’m never driving you anywhere ever again. It’s bad luck. Actually, maybe we skip the food and just make out in your truck instead? Then we don’t have to drive at all.”

I chuckle because I’m pretty sure she’s teasing, but I definitely don’t hate the idea.

“Does this mean we’re planning our first official date?” I ask. “What will it be? Ice cream or tea?”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I can’t even think about dessert. That was a lot of chocolate.” Her giggle flits through the air like wind chimes and she rests one hand on her belly. “I’ll take you up on a tea instead. I never turn down a good cup of chai. It’s not going to be our first date, though.”

“It’s not? Please refresh my memory. That doesn’t seem like the kind of thing I’d forget.”

“Nah. We already had a waterfront seafood dinner with your friends, and you drove me home after. Very chivalrous, by the way. Then we took an impromptu road trip together, and tonight we saw a movie. Plus, you’ve met my grandmother, I’ve gone to visit you at work, and I’ve slept in your bed. I think we’re past first date territory by now, don’t you?” She inches even closer and her gaze lowers to my lips. “I hope so, anyway, because I don’t kiss on the first date.”

I lower my forehead until it’s resting on hers, our noses almost touching. “Well, when you put it that way. I guess tonight is what? Our third or fourth date? Do you kiss on the fourth date?”

“Definitely,” she breathes out the word and it floats from her mouth into mine, minty and laced with chocolate and anticipation. I watch, mesmerized as Danielle closes her eyes and tilts her head. Between all the M&M’s and her toothpaste, she smells like Christmas has come in spring. I don’t know if Danielle leans in first or I do, but our mouths are on each other now, and this night is perfect.

At least it was, until the doorbell rings and there’s an aggressive pounding on the front door. Danielle startles and leans back, her eyes wide.

“Dan-Dan!” a deep voice yells. “Let me in.”