knees, and laughing at Jessica every time she scolded Kyle for slipping table scraps to Lady and her last, unspoken-for puppy.
Travis called the puppy “Skipper.” He was supposed to stay in the laundry room, but he kept mysteriously “skipping” into the dining room behind Lady, who knew that Kyle would be the soft touch when it came to table scraps.
Little Sara settled herself on Leah’s lap and nodded off as the conversation continued around the table. The afternoon sunshine danced through the lace curtains, sprinkling Sara’s back and Leah’s legs with a delicate pattern of fairy light. Leah kissed the top of Sara’s head and thought how perfect all this was. The only element missing was Seth. He would have enjoyed this. A real family. A big, holiday dinner. Where was he? With Franklin? By any chance was Seth thinking of her? She was mad at herself for not taking the initiative to invite him to Kyle and Jessica’s. They gladly would have welcomed him. Why didn’t she think of it sooner?
From Sunday afternoon until Leah saw Seth again on Tuesday, she went through a gigantic loopty-loop of emotions. She wanted to see Seth. Did he want to see her? Why hadn’t he called? Should she call him?
On Monday she decided to make cookies for him. That would give her an excuse to stop by his work on Tuesday and see him. She didn’t know exactly what she would say, but it would come to her. What guy didn’t like receiving a batch of homemade cookies?
All the ingredients were lined up on her kitchen counter when Leah felt overwhelmed with feelings of rejection. If Seth wanted to see her again, he would have called her. How could she have been so foolish as to think he had been captivated by her the way she was captivated by him? She knew she had frivolously allowed herself to dream about Seth in the first place.She was only setting herself up for defeat.
Leah bent over the sink and began to cry. She knew this feeling. It was anger. Anger at having her goals blocked. Her wishes would never come true nor would her prayers ever be answered. A man like Seth would never be interested in someone like her. She was mad that he had come into her house and sat on her couch and called her George. She was angry with herself for admitting her secret about being the Glenbrooke Zorro.
Hula padded into the kitchen and stood beside Leah, comforting her as her tears fell. “Why did I do it, Hula? Why did I let myself open up like that? Why?”
Leah didn’t trust herself to make cookies in her emotional state. She didn’t trust herself to do anything. She hated the power of her feelings. The only way to gain control over them was to shut them down, to allow the old tapes to play themselves over in her mind, reminding her that she “had neither the frame nor frame of mind to attract anyone stable.” “Behold, it was Leah.”
By the time Leah saw Seth again Tuesday night at the Little League game, she successfully had shut down all her feelings. The evening was cool and drizzly, and the bleachers were dotted with umbrellas. Definitely a smaller crowd had gathered for this game than had been there the week before. Seth showed up at the Snack Shack during the second inning and bought a hot chocolate.
“I guess you’re not doing much of a Sno-Kone business tonight, are you?” Seth asked.
“No. You’re my tenth hot chocolate order,” Leah said.
“Is this pretty typical spring weather for this area?” he asked, while he stood there with his hands in his jeans pockets.
“Yes, sometimes the rain hangs on through June.”
“What you’re trying to tell me is that my first week herewas just a tease. It’s usually not that sunny and nice.”
You got that right
, Leah thought, as she turned her back on him to stir the cocoa mix in the boiling water.
Your first week was just a tease for both of us
.
She handed him the cocoa and matter-of-factly said, “Be careful; it’s hot. We don’t print a warning on our cups, so I have
Travis called the puppy “Skipper.” He was supposed to stay in the laundry room, but he kept mysteriously “skipping” into the dining room behind Lady, who knew that Kyle would be the soft touch when it came to table scraps.
Little Sara settled herself on Leah’s lap and nodded off as the conversation continued around the table. The afternoon sunshine danced through the lace curtains, sprinkling Sara’s back and Leah’s legs with a delicate pattern of fairy light. Leah kissed the top of Sara’s head and thought how perfect all this was. The only element missing was Seth. He would have enjoyed this. A real family. A big, holiday dinner. Where was he? With Franklin? By any chance was Seth thinking of her? She was mad at herself for not taking the initiative to invite him to Kyle and Jessica’s. They gladly would have welcomed him. Why didn’t she think of it sooner?
From Sunday afternoon until Leah saw Seth again on Tuesday, she went through a gigantic loopty-loop of emotions. She wanted to see Seth. Did he want to see her? Why hadn’t he called? Should she call him?
On Monday she decided to make cookies for him. That would give her an excuse to stop by his work on Tuesday and see him. She didn’t know exactly what she would say, but it would come to her. What guy didn’t like receiving a batch of homemade cookies?
All the ingredients were lined up on her kitchen counter when Leah felt overwhelmed with feelings of rejection. If Seth wanted to see her again, he would have called her. How could she have been so foolish as to think he had been captivated by her the way she was captivated by him? She knew she had frivolously allowed herself to dream about Seth in the first place.She was only setting herself up for defeat.
Leah bent over the sink and began to cry. She knew this feeling. It was anger. Anger at having her goals blocked. Her wishes would never come true nor would her prayers ever be answered. A man like Seth would never be interested in someone like her. She was mad that he had come into her house and sat on her couch and called her George. She was angry with herself for admitting her secret about being the Glenbrooke Zorro.
Hula padded into the kitchen and stood beside Leah, comforting her as her tears fell. “Why did I do it, Hula? Why did I let myself open up like that? Why?”
Leah didn’t trust herself to make cookies in her emotional state. She didn’t trust herself to do anything. She hated the power of her feelings. The only way to gain control over them was to shut them down, to allow the old tapes to play themselves over in her mind, reminding her that she “had neither the frame nor frame of mind to attract anyone stable.” “Behold, it was Leah.”
By the time Leah saw Seth again Tuesday night at the Little League game, she successfully had shut down all her feelings. The evening was cool and drizzly, and the bleachers were dotted with umbrellas. Definitely a smaller crowd had gathered for this game than had been there the week before. Seth showed up at the Snack Shack during the second inning and bought a hot chocolate.
“I guess you’re not doing much of a Sno-Kone business tonight, are you?” Seth asked.
“No. You’re my tenth hot chocolate order,” Leah said.
“Is this pretty typical spring weather for this area?” he asked, while he stood there with his hands in his jeans pockets.
“Yes, sometimes the rain hangs on through June.”
“What you’re trying to tell me is that my first week herewas just a tease. It’s usually not that sunny and nice.”
You got that right
, Leah thought, as she turned her back on him to stir the cocoa mix in the boiling water.
Your first week was just a tease for both of us
.
She handed him the cocoa and matter-of-factly said, “Be careful; it’s hot. We don’t print a warning on our cups, so I have
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