Chapter 53
A New Penny
Mike could see that she was considering his offer. “I’m not sure I can ever think of anything that will be as bad as camping so let’s do this. I’m not sure I’ll be up to a museum tour or a play. We may have to put them off to another day.”
“We can do that.” Mike stepped forward. He felt uncomfortable with his shirt off but pleased that he’d kept off the extra ten pounds that he’d lost. His stomach was flat, and though he didn’t think much about how attractive women would find him, he was curious about what Celia thought.
He stepped closer still holding the towel. “I’m going out to the pool to unwind. Want to join me? I could wheel you out there and then fix a couple of glasses of iced tea.”
“That would be nice. I’m in no hurry to go to bed. Could you grab that pouch on the table with my medicine on your way out?”
With Celia waiting, Mike went to the kitchen. He found Roger playing a game. “Want to join us by the pool?”
“Na but thanks. I thought you guys might want to be alone.”
Mike stopped and looked up, almost spilling the tea he was pouring. “What do you mean?”
“Come on man, I’m not stupid, and my phone didn’t ring. I can see the way she looks at you.”
“I don’t know . . . it’s too strange . . . I mean Martin and I are friends. I’m not sure it would work.”
“I know all of that, but who cares? It’s so hard to find someone that you have a connection with. Don’t let something good pass you by. My sister is not perfect but I think she’s finally getting on the right track.”
“I don’t know . . . she’s on the rebound.”
Roger turned to look at Mike. “Where is Sis?”
“Out by the pool,” Mike said, as he finished pouring tea.
“Good, don’t mention this, but she wasn’t into Martin. She was into having someone take care of her. You may think that’s terrible and maybe it is, but I think she’s learned her lesson. I don’t mean that like it sounds. My sister is not a terrible person. She’s just gotten off track and our home life could be why.”
“What do you mean?” Mike put the pitcher back in the refrigerator and pushed Celia’s bag next to the glasses.
“Mom and Dad were civil to each other, but the love wasn’t there. They’ve treated each other better over the last few years then they did when we were kids. They loved us, but they didn’t love each other. I think Dad might have loved Mom once, but it faded when she didn’t return his feelings.”
“Celia told me some of that, and it would be hard.”
“It was, and I think Celia gave up on love early on. When you don’t see your own parents sharing love with each other, you kind of feel if the two people who created you can’t make it work, what kind of luck will you have?”
“I was lucky. My parents loved each other and still do.”
“You are lucky. I think Mom stayed ’cause Dad could pay the bills, and he treated her well. That’s what Martin did. I’m glad that maid came along. I’d hate to see Celia spend her life like Mom. Celia needs someone to wake her up and make her see what life’s about. Maybe you’re that person and maybe not.”
Roger rose from the table with a shrug and left the room. As Mike heard Roger’s footsteps on the stairs, he placed the small bag under his arm, picked up the glasses and went out to the pool.
He smiled when he found Celia sleeping but he assumed she needed to take her pills so he sat down beside her laying the bag on the table. “Better take your meds, sleeping beauty,” he said softly.
“I’m not asleep, just resting and thinking.” Celia picked up the bag and took out several medicine bottles.
“A penny for your thoughts.”
“I was thinking about this house and how I thought I wanted it, but it’s a pipe dream. I need to come down to earth. If I want to sit by a pool on a moonlit night, I’ll stay in a hotel.”
“There’ll be a moon and some water when we go camping.” As he hoped, he made her laugh, and he went on. “I also have a nice home by a lake. The moon looks pretty nice shimmering off the water and it didn’t cost near as much as this place.”
“Good points all the way around. I just need to figure out what I want. I know I don’t want to pay the taxes on a place this huge and I don’t need this many rooms, even for my family.”
Mike laughed. “That’s a good reason to only have one bedroom.”
“Your house only has one bedroom?”
“It really has two but I don’t tell anyone.”
“Smart move.” Mike watched Celia in the dim light taking her medicine. When she was finished, she took a drink of her tea and let out a long sigh. “I feel like I’ve wasted so much of my life that it’s depressing.”
“I think a lot of us feel that way which may be the reasons for the saying, ‘tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life’.”
“I guess so. It’s just hard not to think about it while I’m in Martin’s house, sleeping in the room his maid slept in and wishing I was somewhere else.”
“Why don’t you go home? I know it would break Roger’s heart but he’ll get over it.”
Celia laughed. “You’re right. He loves it here. I do too. I just want it to be four months from now when I’m in a better place.”
“I understand and tomorrow will make you feel better. You’ll get to see the dealership then there will be the boring shopping and hours of sitting while you get all dolled up.”
“The shopping won’t take long, but I am looking forward to leaning back and letting someone wash my hair and do my nails. Better get you one of those manly mechanic magazines so your testosterone levels don’t drop while waiting.”
As she spoke she waved her hand and knocked a medicine bottle off the table. Mike sat his tea down and knelt to pick up the bottle. While still on one knee and eye level with Celia, he held the bottle out. The light was dim but he could see her expression.
His shirt was still off, and for a moment, her eyes dropped down to a gold cross that hung around his neck. His tone was low when he spoke, and though he was teasing her for her words about his manhood, he could feel sparks in the air.
“Do you really think I have anything to worry about?”
She didn’t speak, but instead reached out and took the bottle from his hand. When she had her fingers around the bottle he closed his grasp around her hand and she looked at him.
The smile on her lips said it all. “You don’t show this side often. I like it. You should let your confidence show more often.”
“Maybe,” he said, as he let his hand slide off hers and she sat the pills down. He didn’t rise and was glad he didn’t. She reached out taking the gold cross laying it across her fingers. When the back of her hand touched his chest, she didn’t stop.
She turned her hand over flattening it on his chest. She then moved her touch up to his neck, then to his shoulder and back down to his hand. He felt her become shy and she looked away from his gaze to their hands. “On second thought, I’ll have you wait in the car like all good men.”
“What about the bet?”
“It’s off. When I’m well, we’ll go camping.”
“Why the change of heart?” He didn’t want to move because he didn’t want to break their connection.
“When I was a little girl, I found a new shiny penny. I got it at the store in some change. It was so pretty it shimmered. I showed it to a friend. She liked it and was bigger than me so she took it. I know it was just a penny, but it taught me a lesson.”
He smiled and squeezed her hand teasing her. “And what does this have to do with me?”
She laughed and pulled her hand back and he moved to his chair. When she still hadn’t spoken, he said, “AND?”
While putting her pills away and not looking at him at all she shook her head. “You know what I meant.”
“Sure, you’re saying I’m only worth a penny.”
“You want me to say it, don’t you?”
“Yes. What man wouldn’t want to hear it?”
“Okay. Okay. I don’t want you going into that parlor full of women. You’re my new penny, and I don’t want to share you with anyone.”