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entrancing enough that she
could not possibly deny that the baby-faced stud standing before
her with the tight abs, muscular physique, short, spiky brown hair
and perfectly-chiseled face would be almost any girl's dream. Yet,
by the same token, she knew that he wasn't hers.
    "Um…"
    "You wanna sit for a while out back?"
she interrupted.
    "Uh…sure."
    With hands shoved deeply inside the
pockets of his shorts, Bobby followed Mira around to the side of
the house where the plum tree and lawn chairs were.
    She wasted no time sitting down and
stretching back while Bobby took the seat next to her.
    "So where's Rosie?" he
asked.
    "She's out with my
parents."
    Suddenly, she released a heavy sigh
and with eyes fixated straight ahead, she said, "Let's cut the
crap, Bobby. You knew exactly where Rosie was before you asked that
question. Mom called you before she left, didn't she?"
    Bobby was evidently taken aback as
guilt quickly shrouded his face. However, he was aware that the
bluntness of her tone was just Mira being Mira. "Um…yes." He held
his head down like a puppy dog.
    She looked at him. "What's with you
two anyway?"
    "Who? Your Mom and me?"
    "Yeah. Why are you practically the
topic of conversation every time I come back home?"
    Bobby grinned shyly. "I guess it's
because I see them a whole lot these days."
    Mira shifted to her side. "I hear
you've been helping around here a bit—Dad with the yard
work."
    "Yeah." He grinned again. "Your dad
really loves his yard work. He only allows me to do so much,
though."
    "Thanks." A soft expression
formed.
    "For what?"
    "Helping my dad."
    "Oh, that's nothing. He's a great guy;
been nothing but kind to me. Did you know he linked me up with that
job at the Mill?"
    "No, I didn't know that," Mira
replied.
    "I was down on my luck at that time
and good-paying jobs around here were pretty scarce. Your dad
looked out for me, so I feel greatly indebted to him. Furthermore,
I recently got promoted and now I'm taking up some courses at the
Community College a few evenings every week. All thanks to your
dad."
    "That's impressive, Bobby. Congrats on
your promotion."
    This time, he blushed.
    "So, I thought that since your father
always did his own yard work on the weekends, I'd pop by and help
him out," Bobby added.
    "That's really sweet of you," Mira
said. "Dad's older now and I know he refuses to entertain the
notion that he can't do quite as much as he used to before. He can
be stubborn sometimes."
    "You're telling me? I have to pretty
much fight to convince him to let me do the heavier work. He thinks
he can handle it, but I've been seeing how much his back has been
bothering him lately and my conscience wouldn't allow me to stand
by and let him do it."
    Mira shifted on her back again. "Dad's
been on me lately about going back to college."
    Bobby's ears were perked. "Are you
gonna?"
    "Eventually. I have a really good job
right now with great benefits, so I don't feel the need to rush
anything. I'll go back at the right time."
    There was a little silence, then Bobby
cleared his throat as if something was actually stuck inside of it,
yet nothing but pure nervousness prevailed.
    "I…I was wondering if you'd like to
have lunch with me tomorrow or we can go for a couple of cones
instead," he stated apprehensively.
    Mira was looking into space, obviously
giving his proposal some thought.
    "If you'd rather not, I understand."
Bobby needed to break the ice that had quickly surrounded
him.
    "I'd like that…lunch, I mean," Mira
answered.
    "What?"
    "I said, yes , Bobby—I'll have
lunch with you."
    He was now smiling from ear to ear,
his face alight with overwhelmingly relief. "Oh, that's…that's
great!" The excitement was clear from Mira's point of view. "Would
one o'clock be okay? You can bring Rosie along if you
want."
    "Yeah. I'll see about
that."
    "Sorry?"
    "My daughter's stuck to my dad's
ribcage, so I don't know if she'll be the least bit interested in
coming with us. Maybe if she hears 'ice cream',