DAVID
I would recognize those blond pigtails bouncing away from a near miss with Pogo anywhere. That hair belongs to Claire, and Claire belongs to Michelle, the woman I haven't been able to stop thinking about for the last week. With one hand over my eyes to shade them from the sun, I search the parking lot and find her just as Pogo comes running back to me, his ball abandoned in the grass. Pogo has plenty of room to run and play at the farm, but I need him to listen to me even when he's distracted. I bring him here where all the people coming and going keep us on our toes.
"Come on then," I say. "Let's get that ball." He bounds along beside me, bumping my hand with his wet nose as I bend to pick up his toy. I straighten and glance at Michelle.
I don't like her reaction when she recognizes me. First, she freezes. Then she smiles, a lovely thing that quickly becomes a frown. And after that? She sighs, her shoulders slumping under the weight of something awful. Talk about mixed messages. Her friend—Lexi, I think? She notices Michelle's reaction, freezes, follows her gaze until her eyes land on mine, and then beams.
Well, that's more the reaction I'd hoped for, only from the wrong woman. I wave and they wave in return, and we cross the distance between us like two armies converging on the battlefield.
"Well, hey there," says Michelle, crouching down to offer Pogo her hand.
"Oh, I see. Say hi to the dog, not the man." I sigh heavily. "At least I know where I stand."
"You know what they say." Michelle scratches Pogo behind the ears and chuckles as his tongue lolls out the side of his mouth. "Don't ever do anything that might encourage a stalker."
"You're still stuck on that stalker stuff? How can I be the stalker when you always show up after me?"
Michelle straightens. "That just proves how good you are. You're obviously advanced, using next-level techniques that mere mortals like me don't understand."
I laugh, all my senses lit up and twinkling like a clear night sky in the country. I want to run my fingers up her arms and into her hair, discover for myself what it's like to have it cascading through my hands. I want to bury my nose in her neck, breathe her in and see if she smells as sweet as I think she will. Trail my lips down her throat...
Well, shit. With thoughts like that in my head, maybe I am some kind of next-level stalker.
Michelle's friend holds out her hand. "I'm pretty sure we met last week, but just in case, I'm Lexi."
"Yep." I grip her hand and then let it go. "David, in case you forgot."
"Oh, believe me. There's no forgetting you," she says before turning to Michelle. "I'm going to play with the kids. The universe couldn't be more clear that it wants you guys to spend some time together and who am I to argue with divine plans?" She throws up her hands, smiling, and then heads off towards the playground, an overstuffed bag bumping against her legs with each step.
"Walk with me?" I ask, gesturing towards the large pond on the other side of the playground.
Michelle bites her bottom lip, takes a breath like she wants to say something, and then nods.
"It is strange that we keep showing up at the same places," I say after a few silent steps. "I don't know if I'll go all the way to divine intervention, I don’t really go for all that mystical crap, but you have to admit that this is one hell of a coincidence.”
"It really is." She glances up at me, her eyes searching mine. "Especially because they're all my favorite places."
"No way." I give her a funny look. "I can't believe we haven't run into each other before, then. Because these are all my favorite places, too." I pause to attach Pogo's leash to his collar before he launches himself into the water in a misguided attempt to herd the Canadian geese into the middle of the pond.
"The animal shelter is one of your favorite places?" Michelle slides her hands into the back pockets of her shorts.
I pat Pogo on the head before standing, doing everything I can not to noticeably stare at her legs. "For sure. I got this guy there. And I adopt all my barn cats there. It kills me when there are more animals in the last-chance cage than I can take home. Every creature deserves to be loved." I shrug. "Maybe I should build another barn."
Michelle brushes a stray hair off her face. "How many barns does one man need?"
The sun breaks through the clouds as we start walking towards the pond again. "Well, your average man doesn't even need one barn. But as you can tell, I am not an average man." I lead Michelle towards a bench that looks out towards the water.
"Okay, then." She laughs and rolls her eyes at my lack of humility. "How many barns does an above average man need?" She sits and crosses her legs, her perfect posture reminding of how proud her daughter was to proclaim her mother used to be a ballerina.
"Me?" I take a seat next to her. "I'm a farmer. So, I don't know. A few?"
"A farmer?" Michelle's eyes go wide. "You don't look like a farmer."
"I wasn't aware that farmers had a look." I infuse my voice with my typical sarcasm. Pogo plops his head on my lap and I scratch behind his ears.
Michelle blushes from head to toe and ducks her chin so her hair covers her face from view. "I'm sorry. I guess that was silly of me." She tucks her hair behind her ear and plays with the hem of her shirt before peeking up at me, those big blue eyes wide and so very beautiful. "I didn't mean to be insulting."
Usually, she's so witty, catching my little sarcastic jokes and throwing them right back at me. I just assumed she'd play along again today. I put a hand on her knee. She jumps at the contact, and I run a finger across her skin to soothe her. "Hey.” I lean forward to look her in the eyes. “No need to be sorry. I was just playing."
"That's good. Sometimes I put my foot in my mouth." She drops her gaze to where my hand still rests on her knee and the corner of her lips twist up in a smile. "So. A farmer, huh? I'll be honest, I've always been attracted to that lifestyle. At least what I think of as that lifestyle. Getting up with the sun. Living with my hands in the dirt. Knowing that all my work goes right back into making life better for me and Claire."
"What do you mean? Isn’t that the way all jobs work? You work, you get paid, you use that money to provide a decent life for you and your family." I slide my hand from her knee and drape my arm over the back of the bench, shifting to face her.
She bites her lip and looks at her hands. "I guess, in my head, it’s different somehow. With a normal job, you work for money that allows you to provide for your family. But with a farm, I always imagined that what you provide would come more as a direct result of your work. Like, fruits and veggies you grow would end up on the table. And even though the work is hard and money might be tight, at least you're self-sustainable in a crisis." She glances at me. "I could be way off base."
"You're not that far off. Although if you do it right, money isn't all that tight." I run a hand through my hair. "But it is a lot of work. A lot of sweat. A lot of dirt finding its way into the weirdest places. Farm life isn't as glamorous as being a ballerina."
Michelle laughs. "You remembered that, did you?"
"How could I forget? A beautiful woman with a unique past? You might be the most memorable person I've ever met."
Her eyes search mine as wind rustles the leaves of a tree behind her. "Life in the ballet world is far from glamorous," she says. "People see the beauty and perfection of the finished product but no one ever thinks about all of the hard work, early mornings, late nights, and lack of social life." She stares out over the water, watching the Canadian geese paddle towards the shore.
"Sounds a lot like life as a farmer. Hard work. Early mornings. No time to socialize." I tick off the points on my fingers and then shrug and drop my hands. "But, I find the payoff outweighs the challenges."
"You must love it to put up with all of that and still be happy."
It's a weird thing for her to say, considering she just admitted to putting up with all of the same things as a dancer, but I let it slide.
"I do." I smile and bob my head. "I'm almost completely self-sufficient as far as food and energy go, and I'm able to give back a little, too. My to-do list is unending, but I fall into bed happy at the end of a day, no matter how tough it was. That feeling of contentment is what reminds me I'm on the right path, you know?"
"Kind of." Michelle licks her lips and I couldn't drag my eyes off her mouth if I wanted to. "I felt that way when I was dancing just for myself." Her eyes go to mine and I force my gaze up to meet hers. "But being part of a professional company was different. I put too much emphasis on what other people thought of me, and that whole industry is a little twisted. As much as I loved it, I ended up hating myself. I couldn't handle the pressure of trying to be everything everyone wanted all at the same time."
"Is that why you started teaching? Because you decided to take control and step out of a situation that wasn't good for you?"
Michelle gives a little shake of her head and then tosses her hair over her shoulders. "I wish it was because of something that self-empowered, but no. My Achilles tendon ruptured and that pretty much put a hard stop on pointe shoes."
I cringe. "Yikes."
"Yeah, it was bad. But luckily, my mom owns a dance studio, so I came back home and I teach for her now. It's wonderful to still be part of that world." She sighs, the light in her eyes fading as she looks out over the expanse of water glistening in the sunshine.
Her answer doesn't ring true, but I let it slide like I let the other comment slide. Something tells me she's not very happy in her job, but I’m not ready to call her on her bullshit. Not before I get to know her better.
"Maybe you can create your own little non-toxic corner of the dance world at your studio. You know, teach your students to always dance for themselves and never give a shit about what anyone else thinks."
Behind us, children squeal with laughter and Michelle grins. "I hope so." She runs a hand up into her hair and shakes it out over her shoulder. "I’ve made it my mission to be a positive influence in my students’ lives. If they don't leave a class or rehearsal with a smile on their face, then I need to reevaluate how I run that class."
Several of the Canadian geese make their way out of the water and come waddling towards us. Pogo leaps to his feet and I wrap the end of the leash around my wrist in case he decides to take off.
"I always think they look like tourists," says Michelle, uncrossing her legs and shifting on the bench.
"What? The geese?"
She smiles. "Yeah. Look at them. Wandering around in large groups, looking confused by everything they see." She sits up even taller and does an impersonation of the geese, stretching her neck and looking around her with wide eyes.
I study them as they waddle their way out of the water and damn if she isn't right. They look just like a herd of confused Midwesterners trying to navigate Times Square. "I will never look at them the same way again," I say, laughing.
"I giggle every time I see them." She taps the side of her head. "It's a strange place up here."
Sunlight filters through the tree behind her, shining in her hair, catching the swoop of her eyelashes and the curve of her cheeks. I wonder if she knows how beautiful she is. How alluring I find her downcast eyes, her quiet words, the blush that flares across her skin nearly every time she speaks. She's nervous, that much is clear. Is it because of me? Or is that just her nature?
"You know," I say as Pogo settles down in front of us, ears up, eyes on the geese. "Lexi might be right."
"She usually is." Michelle crosses her legs and turns to me. "Just ask her. What's she right about this time?"
“I don’t usually buy into any of that mystical crap, but you should let me take you to dinner." I give her my best smile. "I'd hate to suffer under the wrath of the universe."
Michelle drops her gaze to her hands which are balled into tight little fists in her lap. "The wrath of the universe sounds pretty terrible." Even though her words sound relatively positive, the look in her eyes makes it clear she's going to turn me down anyway. Disappointment sits bitterly at the back of my throat, but maybe it's for the best.
"Who's incurring the wrath of the universe?" asks someone behind us. We spin in our seats and find Lexi with a sweaty Claire holding one hand and a red-faced little boy holding the other.
"It looks like we are." I gesture back and forth between Michelle and me. "I asked her out and she's going to turn me down."
"I never said no," Michelle replies, looking appalled.
"You never said yes, either."
Lexi shakes her head. "She most definitely says yes. In fact, she's free tonight because I'm going to have Claire over for an overnight."
Claire's eyes light up. "Really? Yay!" She pulls out of Lexi's grasp and clasps her hands together, pleading with her mom. "Please say yes. Please!"
Michelle looks first at Lexi, then at Claire, and then at me before a shy smile lights up her face. "As long as David is free tonight."
"Nope," I say. "I am most definitely not free. I've got plans with a beautiful woman."
Four pairs of eyes blink in silent confusion.
“You, silly." I hold up my palms and smile at Michelle. "I have plans with you. You just said yes, right?"
She laughs nervously as she wraps her arms around her stomach. "You can't do that to me. I take things way too seriously."
"Or maybe," I say, reaching out and tapping the tip of her nose. "Maybe I need to joke around with you more often so you don't take things so seriously."
"Good luck with that." Lexi wraps an arm around Michelle's shoulders. "This one takes serious to an Olympic level."
"Looks like I've got my work cut out for me, then." I lift my chin. "Good thing I'm up to the challenge."
I make plans to pick her up at seven and we say our goodbyes. After they leave, heading off towards the picnic tables to enjoy the rest of the afternoon with the kids, Pogo puts his head into my lap and wiggles his barely-there tail.
"I know." I scratch him behind the ears. "I swore it would always just be you and me, but I can't ignore that woman." I stand and start towards the parking lot, wondering if it might be better for all of us if I tried harder to keep my promise to Pogo.