A Summer Romance (7 page)

They sat and began to eat as Maggie racked
her brain for something to say. She’d basically crammed an entire
lunch’s worth of conversation into the first five minutes because
she was so nervous. Aaron seemed at ease and he silently enjoyed
the food she’d prepared. He was a man of few words and he never
seemed to feel the need to fill the silence.

She, on the other hand, was always so
anxious, had been her whole life. Which was part of the reason
she’d come here, to learn how to relax. She thought of the utter
peace of floating in the lake and tried to draw on that memory to
once again find that level of calm, however, thinking of the lake
inevitably led to thinking of the dream. She flushed immediately
and looked up to find Aaron watching her. Of course she knew he
could never know what she’d been thinking, but she felt embarrassed
for thinking about it all the same.

“So what are you bringing to the barbeque?”
she blurted out the question to fill the silence.

“I don’t think I was invited,” he responded
calmly. There was no bitterness in his tone, just resignation.

“Of course you are, the whole town is
invited,” she insisted. He smiled at her kindly, like someone would
to a child who didn’t understand a situation.

“This isn’t my town,” he stated simply.

“I’m not from here either and I’m invited.
Surely…”

“It’s okay, Maggie, I don’t need to be
invited to the town barbeque.” His acceptance of his exclusion
bothered her, but she decided to leave it alone for the moment.

After several minutes of silence she tried
again. “So where are you from?” she asked conversationally.

“Atlanta.” His expression had changed. The
laughter was gone from his eyes. This wasn’t going at all how she’d
hoped.

“I grew up in the Hamptons,” Maggie offered,
“but I moved away to Boston for school, so that’s where I’ve been
living for the last six years.” She searched his face for any sign
of the carefree Aaron that she’d come to know, but something dark
was hovering over him now.

“Thank you for lunch, Maggie. The potato
salad was wonderful,” he said as he stood. His tone was muted. He
was averting his eyes, not meeting her gaze. She stood helplessly.
She didn’t want him to go.

“If you come to the barbeque you could have
some more.” She laughed at her own silly statement, trying to
lighten the mood. He smiled sadly.

“This isn’t a good idea, Maggie.” he said
finally, bringing his eyes to hers. There was a deep sadness in
their depths.

“What isn’t?” she asked weakly.

“This. Us. I’m… I’m not good for you. You
deserve better.” He turned and left with his head hung low. She
felt as if someone had knocked the wind out of her as she watched
him go.

“Wait,” she called out, just as he’d reached
the door. He stopped, but didn’t turn.

“You said you’d leave me your number. In
case I needed you,” she said as she crossed the room to him. He
made no move to turn around. “I still don’t have a car,” she
reminded him.

He turned to find her standing near him with
a pad and pen. He smiled slightly, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He
took the paper and wrote his number.

“For emergencies,” he said as he handed it
back to her.

“Of course,” she said innocently. He smiled
sadly and shook his head as he turned away again and left the
house.

~∞~

“I had lunch with Aaron today,” Maggie
blurted out over dinner. Andi’s head snapped up and she immediately
looked concerned.

“Maggie--”

“No, listen. Aaron is not who you think he
is. He’s a good guy!” Maggie insisted. She needed someone to talk
to about this, and she needed Andi to understand. “He’s sweet and
charming and funny and…” Maggie trailed off as a myriad of memories
of Aaron skipped through her mind.

“And gorgeous,” Andi finished for her,
smiling at her friend.

“So gorgeous,” Maggie sighed, “but he’s so
much more than that!” she quickly added. She told Andi of the first
time they’d met and how he’d kindly helped her re-plant her
uprooted fern and somehow convinced her to adopt a stray cat. She
told her about the lemonade they’d shared in the kitchen and how
charming and funny he’d been, and about him saving her in the rain
storm. She was embarrassed to admit that she’d basically thrown
herself at him in the garage and he’d politely denied her advance,
but pointed out that he’d acted like a gentleman and not taken
advantage of her. Andi listened quietly as Maggie relived each
memory.

“And then today at lunch, it had started out
kind of flirty and fun like usual. I was a total basket case of
course, but sometimes it kind of seems like he likes that about me,
you know? He doesn’t act all annoyed when I’m being neurotic, he
just smiles.” Maggie smiled at the memory of his amused expression
as she’d rambled in the kitchen.

“But then I asked where he was from. It was
like it reminded him of something. He pulled away again, just like
in the garage. He told me that we weren’t a good idea, that he was
bad for me.” Maggie could hear the desperation in her voice as she
said this last part, she wanted so badly not to believe it.

“Maybe you should listen,” Andi said softly.
“Look, I’ll admit he sounds great, but if he’s warning you to stay
away, maybe you should.”

“But I don’t want to!” Maggie insisted.
“I’m… drawn to him. Not just because he’s handsome, but because
he’s kind. He’s good. I know he is, but I don’t think he does. He
knows that people don’t want him at the town barbeque and he just
accepts that. Like he doesn’t think he deserves to belong.”

“I told you, he has a past.”

“Everyone has a past! So what if he made
some mistakes in his life, does that mean he’s not allowed to be
happy ever again?” Maggie was angry, not at Andi, but at the
situation.

“No, it doesn’t,” Andi admitted. She thought
over everything that Maggie had said. “Okay fine, if you like him,
I’ll like him. But be careful! If he hurts you, you know I’ll have
to kill him.” Andi smiled at her friend and Maggie relaxed a
little.

“I’m going to bring him to the barbeque,”
Maggie said, suddenly determined.

“You think he’ll come?”

“I don’t know, but it’s worth a try.”

Maggie was nervous as she dialed the number.
She thought of the speech she’d rehearsed and hoped she could
remember it, but after the third ring she didn’t think he was going
to answer.

“Hello?” Aaron’s voice rang clearly through
the receiver just as she was about to hang up.

“Hi, Aaron?” she said a little breathlessly
as she scrambled to bring the phone back to her ear.

“Maggie, are you okay?” his instant concern
warmed her heart.

“Oh, yes, I’m fine,” she assured him. “I was
just wondering if you had a really big basket. Like a picnic basket
maybe, but it has to be very large,” she emphasized.

“A picnic basket?” she could hear the smile
in his voice, and was relieved that he sounded like his usual
self.

“Yes, a very large one, preferably. I have
quite a bit of food that I need to carry to town for the Fourth of
July barbeque. I’m afraid it won’t even fit in the basket on the
bicycle, I’ve already tried. So I’m going to need to walk, but I
just don’t think I can manage to carry all of this without some
sort of large basket.” She hoped that sounded natural and
unrehearsed.

“You’re walking to town?” he asked
incredulously.

“Without a car I really don’t have much of a
choice.” She gave her best impression of a damsel in distress and
waited to see if he’d take the bait.

“You don’t have any friends that might be
willing to pick you up?” he suggested. She could tell that he saw
straight through her little ploy, but she wasn’t going to let him
off that easy.

“I thought of that, but realized yours was
the only phone number I had.” She let the statement hang in the
air, smiling at her own cleverness.

“What time do you need to be there?” he
asked.

“Around five,” she said innocently. “So I
was thinking I better start walking around four to give myself
plenty of time.”

“I’ll pick you up at four thirty,” he said
dryly.

“Really? Oh that would be so sweet!” she
gushed. “It’s not too much trouble?”

He chuckled and she could just imagine him
shaking his head at her antics.

“Well, I can’t have you walking. You’ll
probably drum up another storm with your luck,” he teased.

“It is a possibility,” she laughed with him.
“Alright, if you’re sure you don’t mind. Guess I’ll see you around
four.” She tried to get off the phone before he could change his
mind.

“Maggie?” he caught her before she hung
up.

“Yes?”

“I’m not staying at the barbeque.” His tone
became serious. His moods could shift so quickly.

“Oh sure, no problem. I’m sure I’ll be able
to find a ride home,” she assured him. “See you soon.” She hung up
and immediately began forming the next part of her plan.

~∞~

“Just how much potato salad did you make?”
Aaron laughed as he helped Maggie carry the four large bowls to the
truck.

“Do you think it’s too much?” she asked
innocently. “I wanted to make sure I made enough.”
To warrant
needing your help to get it to town
, she added silently.

“I think there will definitely be enough.”
He smiled as they climbed in the truck. She loved to see him
smiling. He once again seemed like the carefree Aaron that she’d
first met.

“I hope everyone likes it.”

“I’m sure they will. But don’t worry, if
there are any leftovers I’d be happy to help with those.” He looked
over at her and winked playfully. She loved this side of him, even
though it confused her. He was definitely flirting now, but in the
blink of an eye she knew he’d push her away again.

“Or you could just stick around and make
sure I don’t have any leftovers,” she suggested casually, trying
her luck. She looked over at him from the corner of her eye. His
smile had faded.

“They don’t want me there, Maggie.” His tone
was quiet and his smile gone. The sad man was back.

“I want you there.” She’d never felt so
vulnerable. Once again she was putting her feelings on the line.
Would he reject her again?

“You shouldn’t,” he remarked sadly.

“Why?” her tone was pleading. She just
wanted to understand.

He pulled the truck to a stop just outside
the town square. Maggie could see the crowd in the distance. She
made no move to exit the truck. She turned to face Aaron he
continued to stare out the windshield.

“I like you, Maggie.” Her heart thrilled at
the confirmation “I like you enough to tell you that you’re better
off without me. You should just go and enjoy the barbeque.”

“I don’t want to. I’d much rather sit here
with you,” she answered honestly. At the moment there was nowhere
else she’d rather be. But would he push her away again? She could
feel her heart racing with anxiety. She waited patiently as she saw
him struggling with his own emotions.

“You don’t make it easy to stay away from
you,” he said quietly as he shook his head.

“Then stop trying,” she suggested softly. He
fell silent for a few minutes. She had the feeling that this moment
would be the turning point for them, he would either push her away
for the final time or he’d finally let her in.

“What about your potato salad?” he finally
said, and she could hear a note of playfulness in his voice. He
turned toward her for the first time and she saw the smile in his
eyes. She took the first deep breath she’d been able to take since
this conversation had started.

“It will take us quite a while to eat it
all, but I think if we really put our minds to it we can manage
it,” she said with mock seriousness. He cracked a small smile and
she answered it with a huge smile of her own. He shook his head,
laughing softly.

“You don’t give up easily, do you?” he
asked. Maggie turned away from him, hiding the guilt that was
suddenly weighing down on her. His words reminded her of just how
easily she actually had given up.

“Come on. Let’s get this spectacle over
with,” he said, stepping out of the truck. She smiled as he came
around and opened her door for her. But something was still a
little off about her smile, something haunted her, and this was the
first time since arriving in Georgia that she’d acknowledged it.
She knew she couldn’t hide from her past forever.

As they approached the park where the crowd
was gathered Maggie felt her spirits lifting. She could see rows of
tables set up under some large oak trees and headed in that
direction with her offerings. As they placed the bowls of potato
salad on the table Maggie saw an adorable little blonde girl
darting between the tables giggling. She ran out in front of Maggie
and Aaron, nearly colliding with them in her excitement. Close on
her heels was Lacey, carrying a toddler on her hip.

“Courtney Marie, I said stop right there,
don’t you take another step, young lady!” Lacey called out to the
little girl before glancing up to see Maggie and Aaron standing
nearby.

Maggie smiled at her, but Lacey’s reaction
was closer to fear. Her eyes opened wide as she came to a sudden
halt. Her gaze rested on Aaron for a brief moment, before her
little girl came skipping up to her side. Lacey protectively pulled
her daughter against her and immediately turned from them hurrying
away without a word. Maggie was dumbfounded by her reaction. She
glanced over to Aaron and saw the sadness in his downcast eyes. The
reality of the situation hit her and angered her all at once.
Whatever Aaron’s past might hold she just couldn’t believe he
deserved that kind of treatment. She reached over and took his
hand.