Page 215 of Banter & Blushes

“Baseball fan?” He guessed instead of going for the cooking shows.

“I’ve watched a game or two,” she paused, “not recently,” she added laughing as she said it. She didn’t want to give him the false idea that she knew a lot about the sport.

A large smile took over his entire face, pushing his cheek bones up making his face look more chiseled than before. “We’ll have to fix that.”

“I just may take you up on that.”

Everyone said their goodbyes and shook hands with the members of Levy Court and the County oversee committee.

“Lunch at the restaurant if anyone wants it.” Elva called out before she turned to leave, “you too, Mitch.”

“Thank you very much. We have some work to get done here, though.”

“Of course you do. Dinner? Come by anytime.”

“Thank you. I just may take you up on that.” He winked at her before turning away.

CHAPTER 5

At 6:30 am, on the dot, Mitch drew a long drink from his tall gas station coffee. Bold and bitter, just like it was every morning. He wouldn’t have it any other way. He didn’t believe in wasting money on those fluffy fancy coffees everyone was so into now-a-days. A waste, he’d say and shake his head back and forth.

Though he was sure the pot simmered on the burner since about midnight, giving it the smokey flavor he’d grown to associate with the start of his day. Gritting through the first sip, he held back a grimace. The second sip was always a little better. “Probably because all your taste buds are turned off by the first sip,” his daughter always joked with him. She loved fancy coffees made by baristas in the artsy downtown of the city she lived in. And she might be right about the taste buds. Still, it was his routine. He thrived on his normal schedule. Up before the sun, coffee at 0630 followed by paperwork at the office and job site visits. After work, he’d hit the gym for an hour. Two nights out of the week he volunteered at the Red Bird Station. On the nights he went home he always had a project going at his house. Right now, he’s building a new path in his vegetable garden. A walk or a run with Dozer no matter the night or the time always finished out his day. Before he knew it he was up again, starting it all over. “That’s just how I like it.”

He nodded his head thinking about his no frills life. “No surprises. Right Doze?” He scratched the top of his dog’s head, who was sitting proudly in the passenger seat of the truck. His cell phone vibrated across the dash. Another normal in his day. Grabbing it he smiled, “good morning,” his voice mellowed into a calm harmony.

“Good… morning?” Her voice hesitated before asking, “what’s going on with you?”

“Going on with me? Can’t a father say good morning to his daughter, sweetie?”

Sweetie?“Oh, he can, and many do. Just not you. You’re usually… well, you know?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way dad, but you just sound almost,” she paused, not sure how he would take it. “Cheerful?”

He tried to hold back a laugh. “Am I not cheerful?”

“Well… no. I mean, yes. Just more, uh… on the grumpy side of cheerful?” She offered her dad, knowing she wasn’t breaking any news to him.

Nodding his head up and down in the cab of his truck he had to agree, “you’re probably right.” A chuckle escaped before he took a drink of coffee.

“I love hearing you laugh. What’s going on with you?”

“I’m not sure.” Dozer nudged his arm waiting for his answer, too. “I guess I’m just really excited about this new project.” He answered both his daughter and his dog.

“That’s great . But seriously, you work constantly. What’s the difference?”

Mitch set his coffee into the cup holder in the center console of his truck and adjusted the air-conditioning vent to make sure Dozer was getting enough. “Honestly? I’m not sure myself.”

She paused on the other end thinking that she’d never heard him excited about any projects. Focused, yes. Gung-ho even. Excited? No. Then a light bulb went off. “Tell me about the project manager?”

“Penelope Marie Mitchell,” he started in his stern dad tone.

“Yikes, my full name?” She smiled into the phone before smoothing down her dark chocolate colored hair causing it to flip out on the end.

He continued “I have no idea what you are implying, but this project is no different from any of the others. And you know that I’d never mix business with pleasure.”

“OH, I know it. And… well, maybe that’s what has been so wrong in your life?”

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