A breeze cut in and out along the pier. Clouds gathered, providing cover against the heat of the day. They moved on to the bumper cars. The ride was deserted. Twenty cars were grouped along one wall, in numerical order. All were metallic black with racing stripes down the middle and silver numbers on the back. Thick rubber bumpers wrapped the frames.
Danny chose number one. Alyn went with three. Halo took sixteen. They settled into their cars and strapped on their seat belts. One size bumper car did not fit all. Halo struggled to sit. His knees banged the steering wheel. His elbows poked out the sides. He was uncomfortable as hell.
“Start your engines,” the operator shouted.
Small electronic cards drew power from the floor and ceiling. The cars vibrated. The metal floor gave a smooth ride.
Halo was at an immediate disadvantage. He couldn't fully straighten out his foot to accelerate. The slight press of his toe was the extent of his power. He watched as Danny sped around the perimeter. Steering like a pro. Alyn was pedal to the metal. They soon got together and tag-teamed Halo.
“The sign at the entrance said
NO HARD BUMPING
,” Halo growled as Danny bumped him from the back, and Alyn rammed him head-on. Hard enough he went all bobble-head.
He managed to sideswipe them both. Only to have them gang up on him once again. Somehow they managed to angle in, bump, and spin his car around. Full circle. Brother and sister were getting the better of him. Halo let them. Their laughter rose above the noise of the cars. They high-fived each time they passed. They were having fun. The rides and games allowed grown-ups to be kids. He felt twelve, but quite big for his age.
The operator eventually shut off the power, and the cars stilled. They unbuckled and climbed out, meeting at the entrance. A crowd had gathered, and a line formed. Halo was recognized. He shook hands and signed autographs. Talked baseball. He introduced Danny as his contest winner. He looked around for Alyn; located her against the pier railing. She openly watched him with his fans, accepting his popularity.
The operator called for the next round of riders, and the line edged forward. Halo nudged Danny toward his sister. Then took her hand. She laced her fingers with his. There were curious stares and a few craned necks, which he ignored. Alyn might wish to remain his mystery woman, but he wanted her acknowledged. Wasn't that the purpose of having a fiancée? Having her with him? Visible and available.
Danny bopped along beside them. Checking out every kiosk. Wide-eyed, he watched as a vendor hurled a boomerang out and over the Gulf, then it came back. He loved the colorful kites that lifted on the breeze.
He peered into the amusement arcade as they passed. “What's next?” he asked Alyn. “Whack-A-Mole? Pinball?”
“Let's check on Mom, Eleanor, and Quiggie,” she suggested.
Late afternoon, and the crowd had thinned considerably. Enough so that Quigley easily caught sight of them. He was beside himself to reach Alyn. He barked, whined, and began to scoot. He was awkward, but fast, and got past Martha. The older woman panicked.
Alyn raised her hand, eased her mother's fear. “Let him come to us,” she said. Twenty feet separated them.
On the worn wooden boards of the pier, a very determined Quigley rolled his body side-to-side, generating enough energy to partially rise on one knee. He shook out his leg, as if trying to wake his paw. To stir feeling. Wobble, limp, wobble, his gait was lopsided, but steady.
Nearly to them, he quivered, breathed heavily, and tilted left. Alyn rushed to him then. She dropped down and cuddled the pug close. She massaged his stronger leg. Tears came with her praise. “Look at you, big guy. Trying to walk. Soon, Quigs, soon. You'll be running to us.”
Halo stood beside her. He curved one hand over her shoulder, squeezed his own reassurance. “He's getting sturdier.”
Martha was all choked up, and Danny, too. Eleanor joined them, talking to her cane. “The little fellow scuttled, Herman. A sign he's healing.”
Halo had a good feeling, too. Quiggie Sparks deserved a reward. He left them, returning to the dog carrier near the bench. There, he located a small bowl, a bottle of water, and two biscuits in the zippered pocket.
Alyn delivered Quigs just as he filled the bowl. The pug chomped his Milk Bones. He had the occasional leg spasm, and his spine rippled once. Settling down, he rested his chin on his front paws, yawned. Content.
Martha returned to the bench. “Quigley will be fine now that he's seen you, Alyn. He worries when you're gone too long.”
“I worry about him, too.”
Halo gave Danny the choice of what to do next. “Your call, dude.”
Danny sighed. Rubbed his stomach. He glanced from the amusement arcade to the rollercoaster; from the food carts to the beach. He weighed the decision carefully. There was so much to do. More than one day could hold.
His stomach growled, and Martha made his decision for him. “Your tank's running low, son. How about a basket of chili-cheese nachos? We could all use a snack.”
Danny was all for eating. Eleanor, too. She offered to treat them. Halo refused to let her pay. “Got it covered, Ellie,” he said. Eleanor blushed, seemingly pleased at his shortening of her name.
Martha gave Halo the eye, suggested, “Why don't you and Alyn ride the Ferris wheel while we eat. Danny likes action rides like the chair swing over the Gulf, but he doesn't like heights. Alyn could climb a mountain.”
Martha the matchmaker. Halo liked her idea. “I'm good with that. We'd have privacy to talk.”
Alyn nodded slowly, somewhat unsure, but agreeable.
It took Halo and Danny little time to locate the vendor who served nachos. The next metal cart over sold soft drinks. Halo bought an assortment. Once the snack was delivered, Halo pressed his palm to Alyn's spine, and steered her toward the Ferris wheel. They arrived as the ride was being loaded. One passenger car remained. They slid onto the suspended aluminum seat.
Halo flashed the all-day pass. “We'd like a long ride,” he told the man. “We'll signal when we're ready to get off.”
“Sure thing. Not a problem.” The operator lowered the bar across their laps.
Another tight fit, Halo thought, but in this case, snug felt good. It beat the hell out of the bumper car. Alyn sat flush against him. Their shoulders brushed, and their hips and legs bumped. He took her hand as the ride jerked slightly, then swept upward. The wheel lifted them high. The view was magnificent; the entire boardwalk and pier stretched out before them. They sat in silence for three turns of the wheel.
Until he said, “You've gone quiet on me, babe.”
She gave him a small smile. “I was thinking how much my life has changed in a week.”
“For the better?”
“For the uncertain. We've a lot of variables between us.”
“Name one.”
“Can we pull off being engaged?”
“So far so good.”
“Four people know we're a coupleâEleanor, my mom, Danny, and Shaye Cates-Saunders.”
He leaned forward. “You want me to stand up and shout it from the Ferris wheel?”
“Don't you dare shake the seat.”
He settled back, grinned at her. “Let's talk. A crash course in Halo 101. Ask me anything.”
“Where did we meet? Don't go all rooster on me, and say a Rogues baseball game. We wore costumes at the game show. No one knows we were contestants.”
“Let's keep the show between us. Our secret.” He ran his thumb along the side of her hand. Gentle, intimate, deepening the contact with his woman. “People see me as someone who'd never settle down. I've raised hell, drunk myself under the table, been with”âpauseâ“more than one woman.” He kept the number low, although given Alyn's expression, she knew he'd had his fair share of ladies. They'd been available. He'd indulged.
She worried her bottom lip, mulled over possible scenarios. “You're good with Quigley. We met in Richmond, while I was walking him, before his accident. Afterward, you stuck with me during his recovery.”
“You paint me in a good light.”
“You'd rather I paint you black and bad-ass?”
“That's how most see me.”
“I don't.”
He was damn glad she was giving him a chance. “I'm fine with the Quiggie angle. I like your dog. So where were you walking him? Park or sidewalk?” He needed visuals. Specifics.
“Centennial Park,” she decided. “Near my neighborhood.”
“What was I doing at the park?” He hadn't been at a park since he was a kid. Not since he'd bounced his end of the teeter-totter hard on the ground, and sent his best friend flying. His buddy had bruised his tailbone on the landing. And later punched Halo in the nose. Made it bleed. Not an even trade-off.
“There's a recreational center on the grounds. Do you ever participate in youth activities?”
“On occasion. Workable.” In the off-season lots of ballplayers made impromptu stops to hang with the kids and meet their fans. To toss a baseball.
“You were immediately interested in me, but took it slow.”
He shook his head. “We had instant chemistry. Made love that night.”
She laughed in his face. Almost hysterically. “Never happened.”
“Two dates, then.”
“No one's going to ask when we slept together.”
Sex made for a better story. “We've dated for what? A couple months.”
“Followed by a long, platonic engagement.”
He released a frustrated breath. “Platonic stays with us. No need to share my blue balls.”
She ducked her head, blushed. “It has to be that way, Halo. Sex complicates relationships. We're complicated enough.”
The Ferris wheel slowed, stopped to let several groups off. Halo saw Danny wave, and he waved back. The boy sat on the bench beside his mother, leaning against her side, his head on her shoulder. Recharging.
“Danny's a neat kid,” he told Alyn.
“He's so happy to be here. No one would fault you for choosing him as your contest winner despite the connection of our engagement. We recently lost our dad. He wrote a sympathetic letter. You gave him the gift of spring training.”
“Danny was a shoe-in.” No one would dare argue with his choice. His decision was his own. Period. He had additional questions for her. “How do we share a free Saturday afternoon? Movie, shopping mall, sporting event?”
She eyed him. “I can't picture you antiquing.”
He couldn't either. Neither would his buddies. Too girlie.
“How about if we volunteer at a senior citizens retirement village,” she suggested. “Play games. Bingo to horseshoes.”
“I like old people.” Frank Cates, Rylan's grandfather, was one cool dude at eighty-eight.
“What about fun, Alyn? Since we're not having sexâ”
Yet
, he assured himself. He hadn't given up on sleeping with her. “What sets you free?”
“I like to rollerblade. Read. Take long walks.”
“I've never rollerbladed. I prefer to see the movie before I read the book. I jog instead of walk.”
“We have so much in common.”
Alyn's sarcasm made him smile. The Ferris wheel again turned. Halo shifted on the seat, sliding his arm about her shoulders. He kissed her temple, her cheek, then blew in her ear, bit her earlobe. Lightly. She lurched forward.
Lady's ears were sensitive. Good to know. He braced his free arm across her chest. “Careful, babe, no nosedive.”
She tried to scoot away from him, but he squeezed her even closer. “Your best and worst trait?” he asked her.
“I believe in people, covers both.”
He understood. She saw the best in people, took them at their word, yet they continually let her down. Still, she kept believing. Some would say that was good; others would call her foolish. Halo had no intention of hurting her feelings.
“My best and worst traits walk a fine line,” he told her. “I push myself. I'm aggressive, competitive, and like to win.”
“Strong traits for an athlete,” she said admiringly.
“I've made life a competition,” he admitted. “I thrive on rivalry. Sometimes I find myself holding my breath, unable to exhale.”
“Holding your breath will only turn your face as blue as your balls.”
No truer statement was ever spoken. She was teasing him, and he liked it. He realized in that moment that Alyn brought a calm to his life that he'd never experienced with another woman. She allowed him to breathe. She didn't expect him to show up nightly at bars, to buy drinks and get drunk. To be the center of attention. To get rowdy. To spin out of control. She anchored him. He liked being grounded. It was new to him. But felt right.
She pointed to a couple near the entrance to the Ferris wheel. The ride had stopped, and they stepped forward. Both carried boxes of popcorn and soft drinks. They appeared nervous. “First date?” Alyn wondered.
She'd no sooner spoken, than the man tripped. He fell forward, into the woman, and they both went down. Their popcorn got tossed and their drinks spilled. The operator was quick to help them up, then to sweep away the mess. The couple brushed popcorn off each other's clothes, and their smiles curved. The woman actually laughed.
“Shit happens,” said Halo. “No harm, no need to be self-conscious. Snacks can be replaced.”
Alyn nudged him with her elbow. “Your most embarrassing moment?”
He ran one hand down his face. “Besides wearing the rooster costume?”
“There has to be something worse.”
There was. Halo didn't embarrass easily. However there was that time when he was fourteen. “I dated a girl in high school who had braces. And really big boobs. Her father was a minister. Really strict dude. No hand holding. No kissing. He'd read a Bible verse before each date. I faced an interrogation when I brought Mary Theresa home.”