Page 53 of Sweet Summertide

All of the existing businesses were open. The little boutique had a constant stream of shoppers coming and going. A food truck, smoking some barbeque, had set up in front of an empty storefront. Down by his shop, a young man stood below a shade structure making balloon animals for the kids. Another shadetent housed a woman who was painting children’s faces with flags and butterflies.

A kid ran by, bumping Theodor’s elbow, and then another child pushed between him and Alfonso while brandishing a balloon sword and wearing a balloon pirate hat. “Reminds me of a Hallmark movie,” Theodor commented as he scanned the crowd for Holly’s unmistakable golden ponytail.

“What is Hallmark movie?” Alfonso said.

Theodor had only ever watched one a few years ago. “When I had my wisdom teeth out, my grandma and I binged-watched a bunch of movies. It’s an American TV channel that plays these cheesy movies and shows that are so not realistic, but the stories show a kind of life that I think we all long for. A happy one.”

“Si. Rai MovieinItaliasame. Alfonso like the kissy kissyamore.” He made the smooching sound towards Theodor’s cheeks and swiftly took an elbow to the ribs.

“Look, look, look,” Theodor said and stopped in his tracks, pulling Alfonso to a stop beside him and patting his chest.

The crowd parted just enough for him to see the hottest women in town walking down the sidewalk towards them. Millie wore a white button-down shirt tucked into a pair of tiny denim shorts. She was cute, but Holly was … “Gorgeous.”

Her hips swayed back and forth along with her ponytail. A fluffy blue ribbon floated on the breeze behind her head, and little red crystals glittered on the straps of her heels. She wore a skin hugging white dress with red and blue sequin stars dotting the surface. The whole Miss America ensemble left little to his feverish imagination.

“Go get your woman,” Theodor said to Alfonso who wasted no time jogging ahead towards Millie.

The action got Millie’s attention, and Holly searched the crowd of faces for a second before her gaze fell on him. She stopped and smiled while preforming a little curtsy. Theodorswirled his finger in the air, and she did a little twirl with her hands held out by her hips. When she came all the way around, she kicked up her heel and tilted her head like a little girl showing off her new outfit and it was the best thing he’d seen in days, since their boat ride. The Chamber had done their inspection a couple days ago, and he hadn’t seen her since, though he’d looked across the street dozens of times.

The wait was worth it. He liked seeing her all fixed up, but he had also enjoyed seeing her in her red one-piece bathing suit and matching linen shorts that she wore on their ice cream date. He watched as she whispered something to Millie and skipped the short distance to where he had stopped, halting only when her body collided with his.

Holly reached up on her toes and kissed his cheek with her pillowy soft lips. “Look at this.” She backed away, raised a brow, and started scrambling her hands over the little stars on her dress. The red sequins flipped to gold and the blue sequins flipped and became silver. Her face lit up with excitement at the trick.

“How long have you been waiting to show someone this dress?”

“Longer than I want to admit,” she said with wide eyes, waiting for approval. “I thought you’d appreciate the flair.”

He kissed her nose. “It’s adorable.” He pecked her lips. “And so are you.”

Theodor took her right hand and held it high over her head, leading her into a twirl like a dance. “You might as well be Miss Independence Day in this dress. All you’re missing is a crown.” He had an idea and, with Holly in tow behind him, hastened towards the young man twisting balloons under the shade tent. He leaned in, cutting in front of a few patient children, and asked for a crown for Holly.

“What are we doing?” she said and giggled nervously. “I don’t need a sword or a poodle or whatever he’s making.”

Theodor placed a finger against her painted red lips and watched the boy go to work with a pair of golden balloons the length of his arm. He twisted and manipulated the rubber to within an inch of its life, and after what didn’t seem like enough time to create such a masterpiece, the boy presented Holly with a grand tiara. Theodor handed the boy a few bucks and fit the crown onto Holly’s head.

“My princess,” he said and bowed.

A little girl, maybe four years old, pulled on Holly’s arm and she squatted down to the girls’ level. “Are you a real princess?” Her clear eyes were opened wide with a smile to match.

“I am today. And you can be one too.” Holly removed the crown and stuck it on the girl’s head. “There, now you look like a princess too. All you have to do is be a kind person and hold your head up high.”

The girl turned to her father and pointed her finger at his face. “Bow down to me, servant,” she demanded, causing Holly to bite her lips between her teeth to stifle the giggle threatening to escape her throat.

“I tried.” Holly turned around and finally let out the laugh. “I have a surprise for you.” She led him down the sidewalk, not in a hurry, but determined.

He didn’t care where she took him, so long as they were going together. He walked just behind her, as the sidewalk was packed with crowds. It would have been nice to open his shop with all the extra foot traffic, but as it was, the final health inspection was scheduled for the first Monday of the month. In this case, he and Holly had to wait through the holiday weekend.

By the look of her in her star-spangled dress, she was making the most of the waiting. As she snaked through the crowd, the setting sun dipped below the rooflines. The shade cut the outsidetemperatures by what felt like half at least, and his skin relaxed into what promised to be a merry evening. For one thing, he could watch her ponytail swing back and forth all night.

They approached the fountain end of the street, and the air filled with the sounds of a live band. The woman on stage began to sing, accompanied by a single acoustic guitar. Theodor leaned over Holly’s shoulder and whispered, “Dance with me.”

At his request, she turned around, right into Theodor’s arms. His arm casually circled around to her lower back, and he moved his hips in time with the music towards the dance floor set up in the middle of the road. They joined several other couples and some kids swaying to the song. He shouldn’t have been surprised that she was eager to follow his lead, but he was.

Her body became part of his as he led her around the floor in an improvised dance. She responded to every subtle command of his hand and every suggestion of his body. They moved as one, making an entire loop until the song ended. Using his arm as a brace, he dipped her backwards, her hair fell and exposed her beautiful long neck to him. He would have liked to kiss her then, but he would reserve the delight for a later time when they weren’t surrounded by throngs of complete strangers.

He brought her upright and the crowd clapped for their little display. “I didn’t know you could dance like that,” Theodor said in a low voice.

“Me?” she said and clapped along with the others. “What about you? That was amazing.”

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