Free Violet Eyes by John Everson Page A

Susan smiled. Her eyes flashed and her teeth seemed to grow just a shade whiter as she said “cute”. Rachel forced a smile and reminded herself that Susan was helping her.
    “He is,” Rachel said.
    “Well, just remember,” Susan advised. “Give him just enough to make him want to come back. But you want to still keep him guessing.”
    “Thanks,” Rachel said. A twenty-something was trying to give her dating advice. The girl looked like she had just walked out of the sorority. Did Rachel really look that clueless? “I’m right here,” Rachel announced, avoiding any pursuit of that conversation and pointing at her house as they turned down her street. Saved by a quick commute!
    “If you ever need me to watch your son?” Susan offered. “I love kids! Got two little brothers.”
    “Thanks,” Rachel said opening the door. “But I think I have this one covered. Maybe next time though.”
    Susan nodded, blonde locks bouncing across her shoulders and covering one eye. “See you Monday!”
    Rachel watched the Mazda pull away. Maybe she should have seen if Susan was free tonight. She just wasn’t comfortable going there yet, though. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure if she wanted Terry seeing Susan when he picked her up. He might think better about which woman he wanted to have dinner with.
    She laughed away that insecure thought, and began to walk across the street. Billy was out, which was perfect. At his age, Eric really could stay at home for a couple hours on his own, but she didn’t really want him to.
    Billy crossed the street to talk to her, asking “What’s up?” with a white-toothed grin that looked as bleached by the sun as his hair. The kid looked…fresh, she thought. Healthy, strong and ready for anything. She was pretty sure college kids hadn’t looked as good as him when she’d been in school. She could have introduced him to Susan, and the two could have passed as a real-life iteration of Barbie and Ken.
    Figures , she thought. We got the dogs when we were in school, and the kids these days…they got it all.
    She shook off the thought about how Billy’s pecs probably looked with his shirt off and instead focused on the topic at hand. “Do you think you could keep an eye on Eric tonight?” she asked. “He’s really almost too old for a babysitter, but…I’ve got a date, and I don’t really want to leave him totally alone in a new place…”
    Billy smiled. “Say no more!” he said. “We were talking the other day. Eric needs to work on his fastball. I’m there for him.”
    He blinked quickly, three or four times, and then shook his head, as if to ward off a mosquito. Then he grinned.
    “Awesome,” she grinned. “I owe you big time.”
    “Great. Do you do landscaping?” he asked with an innocent gleam.
    Rachel shook her head. “Afraid not. But I’ll contribute toward the bill!” She smiled.
    “Fair enough,” he said. “Babysitters make $50 an hour, right?”
    Rachel raised an eyebrow. “I was thinking more like $5.”
    “What’s a zero between friends?”
    “Uh-huh. Thanks, Billy,” she said.
     
     
    Terry picked her up at seven, and Eric was already across the street and practicing his fastball pitch on the front lawn with Billy when he pulled in the drive. Rachel had gotten a long branch from a pile near her back fence and stripped it of twigs and dead leaves. It served well as her walking stick. When she hobbled up to answer the door, Terry grinned.
    “I was hoping you were a nature lover,” he said. “But wow…you’re like a mountain man.”
    “Bite me,” she answered.
    “I might,” he promised. Then he took her elbow and helped her to the truck. “I thought first though, we might check out some normal food. I was thinking Boudreaux’s, down by the docks. Okay with you?”
    She shrugged. “Whatever. I have no idea what’s good around here or not.”
    Fifteen minutes later, they were seated at a riverside table, staring out at the cypress trees and