puffing.
He laughed. âNeed to add a little cardio to the routine, hey?â He leaned forwardâmoving in for a kiss? I gasped. He pressed two fingers against my throat and held them still as I gulped air. âYour pulse is dangerously fast! Iâm serious.â
At least it was too dark for him to see me blush.
He let his hand fall. âMaybe we should do that again some time. Get you in shape. I could be your personal trainer.â
I was gaining control of my breath. âGet real! Have you seen what Iâm riding? Look at how fat these tires are. Letâs just switch bikes next time. Iâll kick your ass.â
He dropped his chin to his neck and grinned at the ground. âThat sounds like fun.â He mounted his bike. âSo long, Natalie.â
He rounded the corner and vanished. I didnât know where he was staying or when I might see him again. I stood in the driveway long enough for my heart to slow down, then stowed my bike and headed for the shower.
Sunday, July 18th
This morning I woke up to the sound of a softball landing in a glove, mixed with Paigeâs chatter. The soft noises drifted through my bedroom window, much more pleasant than the squawk of an alarm clock. Sunday: nowhere to go. I stretched and resettled, then remembered: this kind of movement was Petraâs raw material. As I rolled and flopped, I paid attention in a new way.
A deeper voice rumbled in response to Paigeâs. I flung off the covers and pried the blinds apart. Paige was playing catch on the front lawn with a man Iâd never seen before. I pulled on shorts and ran outside. âPaige!â
âHi, Nat. Youâre finally up. Mom says teenagers need more sleep than anybody else, but I donât see why.â
The man chuckled and looked at Paige like she was the most adorable thing heâd ever seen.
âWho are you?â
He shifted the ball to his left hand and stuck out his arm. I ignored it until he let it fall to his side. âPhil Ainslie. My parents live across the street; you must have met them?â
I looked at this Phil person more closely: salt and pepper hair, receding hairline, a paunch forming over the waistband of his Bermuda shorts. âThereâs an old couple across the street,â I said.
âThatâs right, theyâre my parents. They moved out here to retire. Iâm just visiting. from Ontario. Got here last night. Theyâre having a rest right now, and I was just heading out for a walk when your sister here,â he winked at Paige, âasked me to play catch with her.â
I put my hand on Paigeâs shoulder. âOntario. Isnât that a little far? What happens when thereâs an emergency? Youâre not much good to them way out there. We had snow this winter, you know. I saw your dad out there shoveling and I was a little worried about him. He could have keeled over from a heart attack.â I was getting off topic. âDo you always play with little girls?â
Philâs expression hardened. He set the ball down on the grass and backed away. âIâm sorry I intruded. I wouldnât have done this back home, but it seems so small town here, I thought a person could be neighborly withoutââ
Paige whined. âHe was playing with me!â
â Iâll play with you.â I picked up the ball and let it smack against my palm several times, as if it might come in handy as a weapon to bean Philâs head. He kept retreating until he reached the pavement, then he turned and strode back to his parentsâ house. Apparently, heâd changed his mind about the walk.
Paige placed her fists on her hips. âWhy were you so mean to him?â
âIâll get Mom to explain it. Come around to the back.â
âHey! You said youâd play with me.â
âI will, I will, just let me eat breakfast first. Mom!â I sprinted to the back porch with Paige in tow. Mom was