Page 44 of Trophy
He wanted her to stay here a long time.
On Saturday Allison kept looking out the window at people arriving for Rob’s cookout. There was quite a crowd—at least twenty cars she could see.
It would be fine. She used to go to social outings all the time in the city, many times without Arthur. It was easy enough to make small talk and pass the time. This would be fine too. She was getting used to the culture here, and she’d met many very nice people. She could go over there, introduce herself to people she didn’t know, eat a hamburger, and then come home if she wasn’t having fun.
No one was going to assume that she and Rob were together and start putting pressure on them to be serious.
It was just a cookout.
She was wearing a red sleeveless top and her favorite pair of shorts—they were gray and made her butt look really good. She’d tried three different hairstyles until she’d finally pulled it back in a braid. She didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard.
It was entirely possible that some of these people would assume she was after Rob, simply because they were both single and in close proximity.
At four thirty she finally made herself walk over there. Rob had said she shouldn’t bring anything, but she felt kind of sillywalking across the street empty-handed. The people were spread out on his yard and patio, and several kids were sliding down a long piece of plastic, wet by a hose and stretching down the steep bank on one side of his lawn. Rob was standing near the grill, laughing warmly with a young couple she didn’t recognize, looking completely relaxed, completely at home.
She felt a pull in her chest at the sight of him, as if he could draw her to him like a magnet. The feeling was confusing and a little disturbing. She stopped walking for a moment to process it.
He glanced in her direction and saw her. He smiled and waved her over. “I’m glad you could come. Come meet some folks.”
She was introduced to all the people standing around, and there was no way she could remember all their names. They all smiled at her, and some of them looked at her curiously, as if they couldn’t quite figure her out.
She knew the feeling.
Doing her best to keep up, she talked about when she’d moved to town, how she was working at Dora’s, and what she thought of the beautiful sunny day for several minutes, until the group broke up into smaller groups.
Rob was now talking to another latecomer, but he looked in her direction a few times, as if checking to make sure she was comfortable.
She went to get a beer—which she’d drunk more of since she’d moved to town than she ever had in her life—and then looked around for someone to talk to. Everyone was involved in their own conversations, but there was an empty chair next to an older couple. They looked nice. And safe.
She walked over. “Is anyone sitting here?”
“Oh no,” the woman said. She had salt-and-pepper hair and a very warm smile. “Please sit with us. We haven’t met yet. I’m Tari, and this is James.”
“Howdy,” James told her with a funny little wave. He had a huge mustache, tanned skin, and looked in very good shape for his age.
“I’m Allison. It’s very nice to meet you.”
“So you’re friends with Rob, dear?” Tari asked.
“Well, yeah, I guess.” She swallowed, feeling like her answer had been stupid. There was no reason to feel flustered. No one would know how she and Rob had been spending their nights. “I mean, I live across the street—there—so we see each other some. Plus, I work at Dora’s, and he comes in every morning for breakfast.”
“That boy,” Tari said, tsk-tsking. “I tell him he needs to watch his cholesterol.”
“I tell him that too. He doesn’t listen.” Allison looked back toward him and saw him glancing at her again. Probably making sure she had someone to talk to.
“He never did. That boy.” Tari shook her head, smiling fondly.
James added, “Stubborn.”
Allison pulled her eyebrows together. “How long have you known him?”
“For a very long time.” Tari reached over and patted Allison’s hand. “We’re his parents, dear.”
“Oh my goodness, I had no idea! I’m so sorry.”
“No reason for you to know,” Tari said. “We don’t live in town, and James doesn’t like to travel anymore. We’re fortunate that Rob comes to see us every week.”
Allison couldn’t imagine a world where a half hour’s drive amounted to traveling, but she wouldn’t dream of expressing her surprise to these kind people. Now that she knew, she could see the resemblance in Tari’s smile and James’s brown eyes. “Rob said you have a dairy farm?”
