What if Eric
No, no, not a good...
A car bore down on her from behind, growing suddenly in the rearview mirror. A white sports car. A convertible.
In front of Sandy, a pickup truck sped by.
As she waited for it to pass, the sports car stopped behind her.
The driver raised a bare arm above the windshield, waved and smiled.
Terry?
Sandy opened her door and leaned out. No cars were approaching from up the hill, so she shifted to Park, set her emergency brake and hopped down to the pavement.
Terry stayed in his driver’s seat as she walked toward him.
He still didn’t have a shirt on.
“Hi,” Sandy said.
“We meet again,” said Terry.
“I noticed.” She thought that she ought to sound angry, but she couldn’t quite pull it off. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Making a nuisance of myself?” he suggested, and lifted his eyebrows.
“You followed us when we left the beach?”
“Did a pretty good job of it too, don’t you think? Did you ever catch on?”
“Not till just now.”
“Well, just now is when you were
'Really. So...now what?”
“I think we should spend some time together.”
“Why would I want to do that.?”
“Why not?” he asked.
“For one thing, I have other things to do. For another, I don’t even know you.”
'Teny Goodwin,” he said. He let go of the steering wheel and swung his left arm toward Sandy.
She shook his hand. “I’m Ashley.”
Keeping her hand, he asked, 'Ashley what?”
“Maybe I don’t
“Pfff! Yeah! I’d be a fool not to.”
She laughed.
Still holding her hand, Terry said, “I
She stared at him.
She felt strange inside. Warm and trembly.
“So what do you want?”
'I want you not to vanish.”
'I’m right here. Besides, you’ve got a pretty good hold on my hand. It’d be tough for me to vanish right now.”
'there do you live?”
'Get real. Do I
“Not in the least. Are you on your way home?”
“Not at the moment.”
He smiled gently and released her hand.
'I have to make a stop at the grocery store,” Sandy said. 'Do you want to come along?”
'You bet I do!”
'All right. See you there.”
Back in her pickup truck, Sandy drove to the grocery store.
Terry followed her. In the parking lot, he swung his little car into the nearest space. He climbed out and came toward her, pulling a T-shirt down over his head.
'Ah, you’re making yourself decent,” Sandy said.
'Not entirely.”
On the T-shirt, a cartoony wizard was pointing at Sandy as he intoned, 'Turn to shit.”
She burst out laughing. '
“I know. I really shouldn’t wear it in public.”
“But you do.”
They walked side by side toward the store entrance.
“Afraid so. Want me to leave?”
“Just walk a few paces behind me.”
He started to drop back, so Sandy caught his hand and dragged him forward.
Inside the store, she grabbed a shopping cart. It had a wobbly front wheel that made the cart shimmy as she pushed it along.
'I’ll push it for you,” Terry said.
'No, that’s okay. I can push my own cart.”
'You sure?”
'Are you trying to annoy me?”
'I just want to be friends.”
'Oh ho ho.”
She made her way slowly up an aisle, sometimes pausing to snatch an item off its shelf and set it into her cart. Terry walked beside her—or behind her when the aisle became crowded.
At the end of the aisle, she turned and started down the next.
'Do you live alone?” Terry asked.
'No, do you?”
'Me? All alone. I have a little beach cottage south of town. Which you’re welcome to visit any time of the day or night.”
'You’re a very hospitable guy.”
'You’re not married, are you?” he asked.
'No, are you?”
'No.”
'
'You ask a lot of questions.”
'You started it.”
'I’ve never been married,” he said. 'What about you?”
'Nope. How old are you?”
'Twenty-eight.”
'And you’ve never been married? Why not?”
He grinned. 'Who knows? How old are you?”
'Not as old as you. You’re
He laughed. 'Maybe I’m just picky. Who do you live with?”
Looking into his eyes, she said, 'My son.”
If Terry was put off by the news, he didn’t let it show. 'Really? What’s his name?”
'Eric.”
