Page 67 of Love's Bloom
Misty smiled at him. He was right. This wasn’t the same situation.
As luck would have it, as soon as they left the rock and were walking toward the food, JoEllen brought Harley over to them.
“David, Misty, and Hazel, I want you to meet Harley Kirk, a friend of mine.” She clung to his arm. “He works on construction at The Meadows.”
Harley didn’t return JoEllen’s adoring looks but did nod politely at them. David, Misty noted, did not offer to shake hands with Harley; he merely said hello.
Whenever she looked at Harley, she felt herself knotted up with concern for Brody.
###
Misty was sitting on the lawn with David and Dani, watching a badminton game going on. Harley and JoEllen were challenging Taylor and Cooper. For all her dislike of her, Misty had to admit JoEllen was quick on her feet. Though not as fast, Taylor and Cooper were better about cooperating as to who should go for the shot. And that’s when the trouble started.
Harley and JoEllen bumped into one another several times, and each time, Harley became madder. At one point, he threw down his racket and walked away until JoEllen went to him and apologized. Harley, aware of a crowd now, tried to play again, but when he missed a shot, he swore and tossed his racket at JoEllen.
Cooper walked over to Harley and talked to him. Then, Harley left.
JoEllen burst into tears and went into the house.
“Okay, everyone,” said Whitney. “It’s dessert time, and then David has promised to set off a few fireworks.”
Misty turned to David. “You brought fireworks?”
David grinned. “Yeah. Everyone knows how much I love them. I keep them year-round for group celebrations.”
Misty laughed. David was full of surprises.
###
As it grew dark, people sat on blankets and towels on the lawn, waiting for the fireworks down by the water. Brad helped David get them arranged for a show, and when the first one lit the sky with color, Misty clapped with the others.
She noticed Whitney had put earmuffs on her son, Timothy. He was walking now and seemed to delight in the colors. She observed the excitement on David’s face and felt a surge of appreciation for him, thinking how unexpected it was that this sweet man, who tended to be quiet, loved making so much noise.
When the show was over, Misty helped with the cleanup, said goodbye to David, and then went to her car. JoEllen was standing next to it. “Do you mind taking me home? I thought Harley would come back, but he hasn’t.”
“Sure. Hop in. I’m going straight home because I have to teach tomorrow.”
“Okay, thanks,” said JoEllen, climbing into the passenger seat.
They rode home in silence. Misty forced herself not to ask about Harley, and JoEllen didn’t want to talk about him or anything else.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The next morning, Misty hurried to get ready for school and needed to pick up Hazel. Thankfully, Sugar cooperated by going outside and taking care of her business. School was beginning in earnest, and the lazy days of summer were over.
Hazel came out of her cabin and quickly got into the car. “After the picnic, a few of us went for a nightcap at Jake’s. Now, I’m regretting it.”
“Who went to Jake’s?” Misty asked.
“Nettie and Jason, Aaron, Mike, Melissa, Ross, and me. It was fun. None of us could figure Harley Kirk out. The fact that he came to the picnic with JoEllen said a lot about both of them.”
“We all saw how temperamental Brody’s father is,” said Misty. “I’m taking a karate lesson from David tonight. Do you want to join us?”
Hazel shook her head. “I can’t. I promised Mike I’d go to dinner with him. He’s here for a short time and then will go to Florida for a while to check on his tennis camp there.”
“Where’s he going to live when the sports center is done? Here or Florida?”
“I understand he’ll be traveling back and forth. It seems like the best of both worlds,” said Hazel.
