The Rescue

Chapter 13

“Hey there! I wasn’t sure you two were going to make it,” Judy called out happily.

It was Saturday afternoon, a little after three, when Denise and Kyle made their way up the bleachers toward Judy, stepping around the other spectators.

The softball game hadn’t been hard to find-it was the only area of the park with bleachers, the field itself surrounded by a low chain-link fence. As they’d parked their bikes, Denise had easily spotted Judy sitting in the stands. Seeing them as well, Judy had waved as Denise held on to Kyle, doing her best to keep her balance as she made her way toward the upper seats.

“Hey, Judy . . . we made it all right. I didn’t know that Edenton had so many people. It took us a while to make it through the crowds.”

The streets downtown had been closed to traffic and were teeming with people. Banners stretched across the road, booths lining both sidewalks, as people examined the handmade crafts and drifted in and out of shops, carrying their recent purchases. Near Cook’s Drugstore, an area had been set up for children. There they could assemble their own crafts using Elmer’s glue, pinecones, felt, Styrofoam, balloons, and anything else people had donated. In the center square the carnival was in full swing. The lines, Denise had noticed, were already long.

Denise and Kyle had taken their time walking their bikes through town, both of them enjoying the energy of the festival. On the far side of town, the park was alive with more food and games. A barbecue contest was under way in the shaded area near the road, and the Shriners were operating a fish fry in the near corner. Everywhere else, people had brought their own food and were preparing hot dogs and hamburgers on small grills for family and friends.

Judy scooted over to make room for the two of them, and Kyle wedged himself between them. As he did so, he leaned into Judy almost flirtatiously and laughed as if he thought the whole thing were funny. Then, settling himself, he pulled out one of the toy airplanes he’d brought with him. Denise had insisted he put them in his pockets before he left the house. She didn’t even pretend that she could explain the game to him enough to keep him interested and wanted him to have something to play with.

“Oh, people come from all over for the festival,” Judy said in explanation. “It pretty much draws from the whole county. It’s one of the few times where people can count on seeing friends they haven’t seen in a while, and it’s a nice way for everyone to catch up.”

“It sure looks that way.”

Judy nudged Kyle in the ribs. “Hi, Kyle. How are you?”

With a serious expression, he pressed his chin to his chest before holding up his toy for her to see. “Owpwane,” he said enthusiastically, making sure Judy could see it. Though Denise knew it was his way of trying to communicate on a level he understood-something he often did-she nonetheless prodded him to answer correctly. She tapped his shoulder.

”

“Kyle, say, ‘I’m fine, thanks.’

“I’m fine, thanks.” (I’n fie, kenks) He bobbed his head back and forth in rhythm with the syllables, then turned his attention back to his toy. Denise slipped her arm around him and nodded toward the action on the field.

“So who exactly are we rooting for?”

“Either team, really. Taylor’s in the field now at third base for the red team-that’s the Chowan Volunteers. They’re with the fire department. The blue team-that’s the Chowan Enforcers. That’s the police, the sheriffs, and local troopers. They play for charity every year. The losing team has to pony up five hundred dollars for the library.”

“Whose idea was that?” Denise inquired knowingly.

“Mine, of course.”

“So the library wins either way?”

“That’s the whole point,” Judy said. “Actually, though, the guys take it very seriously. There are a lot of egos on the line out there. You know how men are.”

“What’s the score?”

“Four to two, the fire department is leading.”

On the field, Denise saw Taylor, crouched in his baseball stance, absently tapping his throwing hand into his glove, ready. The pitcher lobbed a painfully high pitch, and the batter connected with the ball cleanly, driving it to center field. It landed safely-a runner from third reached home plate, bringing the score to within one.

“Was that Carl Huddle who just hit that?”

“Yes. Carl’s actually one of the better players. He and Taylor played together in high school.”

For the next hour Denise and Judy watched the game, chatting about Edenton and cheering for both teams. The game was only seven innings and was actually more exciting than Denise thought it would be-lots of scoring and not nearly as many dropped balls as she’d expected. Taylor made a couple of plays to throw the runners out at first, but for the most part it was a hitter’s game, and the lead went back and forth every inning. Nearly every player succeeded in smashing the ball into the outfield, giving the outfielders some serious exercise. Denise couldn’t help but notice that the men in the outfield tended to be a good deal younger-and sweating far more profusely-than those in the infield.

Kyle, however, had grown bored with the game after only an inning and had taken to playing under and on top of the bleachers, climbing and jumping, running here and there. With so many people around, it made Denise nervous to lose sight of him, and she stood up to look for him on more than a few occasions.

Whenever she did, Taylor found his eyes darting that way. Earlier he’d seen her arrive with Kyle, holding his hand and walking slowly as she scanned the bleachers, oblivious of the fact that men were turning their heads as she strode past them. But Taylor had seen the stares, had seen them admiring the way she looked: her white shirt tucked into black shorts, long legs stretching down to matching sandals, dark windblown hair flowing past her shoulders. And for a reason he didn’t quite understand, he found himself envious of the fact that his mother-not he-would be sitting with her.

Her presence was distracting, and not only because he kept thinking about the things Melissa had said. The bleachers where she was sitting were between home and first base; his position at third base made it impossible not to see her sitting in the stands. Still, he couldn’t seem to stop glancing her way, as if to make sure she hadn’t left. He chided himself whenever he did it-wondering why it mattered-but would catch himself at it a moment later. Once, his stare had lasted a little too long, and she waved.

He waved back with an embarrassed grin and turned away, wondering why on earth he suddenly felt like a damn teenager again.

“So that’s her, huh?” Mitch asked as they were sitting in the dugout between innings.

“Who?”

“Denise, the one sitting with your mother.”

“I didn’t really notice,” Taylor said as he absently twirled his bat, doing his best to appear uninterested.

“You were right,” Mitch said.

“About what?”

“She is pretty.”

“I didn’t say that. Melissa said it.”

“Oh,” Mitch said, “right.”

Taylor turned his attention to the game, and Mitch followed his eyes.

“Then why were you staring at her?” he finally asked.

“I wasn’t staring at her.”

“Oh,” Mitch said again, nodding. He didn’t even try to hide his smirk.

In the seventh inning, with the score 14-12, the Volunteers were trailing when Taylor was waiting for his turn at bat. Kyle had taken a break from his activities and was standing near the fence when he saw Taylor taking his practice swings.

“Hewwo, Tayer,” he said happily, just as he’d done when he’d seen him at Merchants.

Taylor turned at the sound of his voice and approached the fence.

“Hey there, Kyle. Good to see you. How you doing?”

“He’s fowman,” Kyle said, pointing.

“I sure am. Are you having fun watching the game?”

Instead of answering, Kyle held up his airplane for Taylor to see.

“Whatcha got there, little man?”

“Owpwane.”

“You’re right. That’s a nice airplane.”

“You can hold it.” (You kin hode it)

Kyle handed it through the fence, and Taylor hesitated before taking it. He examined it as Kyle watched him, a look of pride on his little face. Over his shoulder, Taylor heard his name being called to the plate.

“Thanks for showing me your airplane. Do you want it back?”

“You can hold it,” Kyle said again.

Taylor debated for a moment before deciding. “Okay, this’ll be my good-luck charm. I’ll bring it right back.” He made sure that Kyle could see him put it in his pocket, and Kyle rolled his hands together.

“Is that all right?” Taylor asked.

Kyle didn’t answer, but he seemed to be fine with it.

Taylor waited to make sure, then finally jogged home. Denise nodded in Kyle’s direction. Both she and Judy had seen what just transpired.

“I think Kyle likes Taylor,” Denise said.

“I think,” Judy answered, “the feeling’s mutual.”

On the second pitch, Taylor smashed the ball into right field-he batted left-handed-and took off at a full clip toward first base while two others in scoring position made their way around the bags. The ball hit the ground and bounced three times before the fielder could reach it, and he was off balance when he threw the ball. Taylor rounded second, charging hard, considering whether to try for home. But his better judgment won out in the end, and the ball reached the infield just as Taylor arrived safely at third. Two runs had scored, the game was tied, and Taylor scored when the next person batted. On his way to the dugout, he handed Kyle the airplane, a big grin on his face.

“I told you it would make me lucky, little man. That’s a good airplane.”

“Yes, the airplane is good.” (Yes, ee owpwane ess goo)

It would have been the perfect way to end the game, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. In the bottom of the seventh, the Enforcers scored the winning run when Carl Huddle knocked one out of the park.

After the game was over, Denise and Judy made their way down from the bleachers with the rest of the crowd, ready to head over to the park where food and beer were waiting. Judy pointed out where they’d be sitting.

“I’m already late,” Judy explained. “I was supposed to be helping set up. Can I meet you over there?”

“Go ahead-I’ll be there in a couple of minutes. I have to get Kyle first.”

Kyle was still standing near the fence, watching Taylor gather his gear in the dugout, when Denise approached him. He didn’t turn, even after Denise had called his name, and she had to tap him on the shoulder to get his attention.

“Kyle, c’mon, let’s go,” Denise said.

“No,” he answered with a shake of his head.

“The game’s over.”

Kyle looked up at her, a concerned expression on his face.

“No, he’s not.” (No, eez not)

“Kyle, would you rather go play?”

“He’s not,” he said again, frowning now, his tone dropping an octave. Denise knew exactly what that meant-it was one of the ways he showed frustration at his inability to communicate. It was also the first step toward what often led to a genuine, knock-down, drag-out screamfest. And boy oh boy, could Kyle scream.

Of course, all children threw tantrums now and then, and Denise didn’t expect Kyle to be perfect. But for Kyle, tantrums sometimes arose because he couldn’t get his point across well enough to be understood. He’d get mad at Denise for not understanding, Denise would get angry because he couldn’t say what he meant, and the whole thing would spiral downward from there.

Even worse, though, were the feelings that those incidents triggered. Whenever it happened, it always reminded Denise point-blank that her son still had a serious problem, and despite the fact she knew it wasn’t his fault, despite the fact she knew it was wrong, if the tantrum went on long enough, she sometimes found herself screaming at her son in the same irrational way he was screaming at her. How hard is it to just run a few simple words together? Why can’t you do that? Why can’t you be like every other kid? Why can’t you be normal, for God’s sake?

Afterward, once things had calmed down, she’d feel terrible. How on earth, if she loved him so much, could she say those things to him? How could she even think them? Never able to sleep afterward, she would stare at the ceiling for hours, honestly believing herself to be the most mean-spirited mother on the planet.

More than anything, she didn’t want to have that happen here. She steadied herself, vowing not to raise her voice.

Okay, start with what you know . . . take your time . . . he’s trying his best . . .

“He’s not,” Denise said, repeating after Kyle.

“Yes.”

She held his arm gently, in anticipation of what would come. She wanted to keep his attention focused.

“Kyle, he’s not what?”

“No . . .” The word came out with a whine, and Kyle made a low growling sound in his throat. He tried to pull away.

Definitely on the verge of a screamfest.

She tried again with things she knew he understood.

“Do you want to go home?”

“No.”

“Are you tired?”

“No.”

“Are you hungry?”

“No.”

“Kyle-”

“No!” he said, shaking his head and cutting her off. He was angry now, his cheeks turning red.

“He’s not what?” she asked with as much patience as possible.

“He’s not . . .”

“He’s not, what?” Denise repeated.

Kyle shook his head in frustration, groping for the words.

“He’s not . . . Kye,” he finally said.

Denise was completely lost now.

“You’re not Kyle?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not Kyle,” she repeated, this time as a statement. Repetition, she’d learned, was important. It was something she did to find out whether or not they were both on the same wavelength.

“Yes.”

Huh?

Denise thought about it, trying to figure it all out, before focusing on him again.

“What’s your name? Is it Kyle?”

Kyle shook his head. “He’s not Kye. He’s linno man.”

She ran through it again, making sure she understood what he was saying.

“Little man?” she asked.

Kyle nodded triumphantly and smiled, his anger suddenly receding as quickly as it had come.

“Eez linno man,” he said again, and all Denise could do was stare at him.

Little man.

Oh Lord, how long was this going to last?

At that moment Taylor approached them, his gear bag thrown over his shoulder.

“Hey, Denise, how are you?” He took off his hat and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

Denise turned her attention to him, still flummoxed. “I’m not exactly sure,” she answered honestly.

The three of them began walking across the park together, and Denise recounted her exchange with Kyle. When she was finished Taylor patted Kyle on the back.

“Little man, huh?”

“Yes. Eez linno man,” Kyle said proudly in response.

“Don’t encourage him,” Denise said with a rueful shake of the head.

Taylor seemed to find the whole thing extremely humorous and didn’t bother trying to hide it. Kyle, on the other hand, was gazing at Taylor as though he were one of the seven wonders of the world.

“But he is a little man,” Taylor said in Kyle’s defense. “Aren’t you?”

Kyle nodded, pleased to have someone on his side. Taylor unzipped his gear bag and dug around inside before pulling out an old baseball. He handed it to Kyle.

“Do you like baseball?” he asked.

“It’s a ball,” Kyle answered. (Ess a baw)

“It’s not just a ball. It’s a baseball,” he said seriously.

Kyle considered it.

“Yes,” he whispered. “It’s a baseball.” (Yes . . . Ess a bessbaw)

He held the ball tightly in his small hand and seemed to study it, as if looking for a secret that only he could understand. Then, glancing up, he spotted a children’s slide in the distance. All of a sudden that took priority over everything else.

“He wants to run,” Kyle said, looking expectantly at his mother, “over there.” He pointed to where he wanted to go. (Ee wanta wun . . . O’er dare)

“Say, ‘I want to run.’ ”

“I want to run,” he said softly. (I wanta wun)

“Okay, go ahead,” she said. “Just don’t go too far.”

Kyle dashed toward the kids’ play area, a bundle of unharnessed energy. Luckily it was right next to the tables where they would be sitting-Judy had chosen the spot for just that reason, since nearly everyone involved in the game brought their children with them. Both Denise and Taylor watched Kyle as he ran.

“That’s one cute kid,” Taylor offered with a grin.

“Thanks. He’s a good boy.”

“That little man thing isn’t really a problem, is it?”

“It shouldn’t be . . . he went through a phase where he pretended to be Godzilla a couple of months ago. He wouldn’t answer to anything else.”

“Godzilla?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty funny when you think back on it. But at the time, oh my. I remember we were at the store once and Kyle slipped away. I was walking through the aisles calling for Godzilla, and you wouldn’t believe the looks that people were giving me. When Kyle finally came back, there was this one lady-she stared at me like I was an alien. I knew she was wondering what kind of mother names her kid Godzilla.”

Taylor laughed. “That’s great.”

“Yeah, well . . .” She rolled her eyes, communicating a mixture of contentment and exasperation. As she glanced at him, her eyes caught his and lingered just an instant too long before each of them turned away. They walked on in silence, looking exactly like one of the other young couples in the park.

From the corner of his eye, however, Taylor still watched her.

She was radiant in the warm June sunlight. Her eyes, he noticed, were the color of jade, exotic and mysterious. She was shorter than he was-maybe five six, he guessed-and she moved with the easy grace of people who were confident of their place in the world. More than that, he sensed her intelligence in the patient way she dealt with her son and, most of all, how much she loved him. To Taylor those were the things that really mattered.

Melissa, he knew, had been right after all.

“You played a good game,” Denise finally said, interrupting his thoughts.

“We didn’t win, though.”

“But you played well. That counts for something.”

“Yeah, well, we didn’t win.”

“That’s such a man thing to say. I hope Kyle doesn’t turn out that way.”

“He will, though. He won’t be able to help it. It’s in our genes.”

Denise laughed, and they took a few steps in silence.

“So why did you get involved with the fire department?” she asked him.

The question brought his father’s image to mind. Taylor swallowed, forcing the thought away.

“It’s just something I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid,” he answered.

Though she heard a slight change in his tone, his expression seemed neutral as he studied the crowds in the distance.

“How does that work? Since you volunteer, I mean. Do they just call you up when there’s an emergency?”

He shrugged, suddenly relieved for some reason. “Pretty much.”

“Is that how you found my car that night? Did someone call it in?”

Taylor shook his head. “No, that was just lucky. Everyone at the station had been called in earlier because of the storm-there were already downed power lines on the roads, and I was out setting flares so that people could stop in time. I just happened to come across your car and pulled over to see what was wrong.”

“And there I was,” she said.

At this he stopped and met her gaze, his eyes the same color as the sky. “And there you were.”

The tables were piled high with enough food to feed a small army, which about equaled the number of people milling about in the area.

Off to the side, over by the grills where burgers and franks were being cooked, were four large coolers filled with ice and beer. As they neared the coolers, Taylor tossed his gear bag to one side, piling it with the others, and grabbed a beer for himself. Still bent over, he held up a can of Coors Light.

“Would you like one?”

“Sure, if you have enough.”

“There’s plenty. If we get through all these coolers, you’d better hope nothing happens in town tonight. No one would be able to respond.”

He handed the can to her, and she opened it. She’d never been a big drinker even in the years before Kyle, but the beer was refreshing on such a hot day.

Taylor took a long pull just as Judy spotted them. She put a stack of paper plates in the center of one of the tables, then walked over to meet them.

She gave Taylor a quick squeeze. “Sorry your team lost,” she said playfully. “But you owe me five hundred bucks.”

“Thanks for the moral support.”

Judy laughed. “Oh, you know I’m just playing with you.” She squeezed him again before turning her attention to Denise.

“Well, now that you’re here, can I introduce you around?”

“Sure, but let me check on Kyle first.”

“He’s fine. I saw him when he came up. He’s playing on the slide.”

Like radar, Denise was able to zero in on him almost immediately. He was indeed playing, but he looked hot. She could see how red his face was, even at a distance.

“Um . . . do you think it would be okay if I got him something to drink? A soda or something?”

“Absolutely. What kind does he like? We’ve got Coke, Sprite, root beer . . .”

“Sprite.”

From the corners of his eyes, Taylor saw Melissa and Kim-Carl Huddle’s pregnant wife-coming over to say hello. Melissa was wearing the same triumphant expression that she’d had the night he’d been over for dinner. No doubt she’d seen them walk up together.

“Here, let me bring it to him,” Taylor offered hurriedly, not wanting to face her gloating. “I think a few people are coming over to say hello.”

“Are you sure?” Denise asked.

“I’m positive,” he answered. “Should I bring him a can, or would he like it in a cup?”

“A cup.”

Taylor took another pull from his beer as he headed for the table to prepare Kyle’s drink, narrowly avoiding Melissa and Kim.

Judy introduced Denise around the circle, and after visiting for a few minutes, they dragged her off to meet some other people.

Though Denise had never been comfortable meeting strangers, in this case it wasn’t as difficult as she imagined. The casual setting-kids were running from here to there, everyone was dressed for summer, people were laughing and joking-made it easy for her to relax. It felt like a reunion, where anyone and everyone was welcome.

Over the next half hour or so she met a few dozen people, and as Judy had mentioned, nearly every one of them had children. Names were coming quickly-their own and their kids’-making it impossible for her to remember them all, though she did her best for those who seemed to be the closest to her own age.

Lunch for the kids came next, and after the hot dogs were pulled from the grills, kids came rushing to the tables from all over.

Kyle, of course, didn’t come to the table with the rest of the children, but strangely, she didn’t see Taylor, either. She hadn’t seen him since he’d headed off to the play area, and she scanned the crowd, wondering if he’d slipped back unnoticed. She didn’t find him.

Curious, she looked toward the play area, and it was then that she saw the two of them, facing each other a few feet apart. When she realized what they were doing, her breath caught in her throat.

She almost didn’t believe it. She closed her eyes for a long moment, then opened them again.

Frozen, she watched as Taylor gently lobbed the baseball in Kyle’s direction. Kyle stood with both arms straight out, his forearms close together. He didn’t move a muscle as the ball sailed through the air. But as if by some magic, the ball dropped directly into his little hands.

All she could do was stare in wonder.

Taylor McAden was playing catch with her son.

Kyle’s latest throw was off the mark-as many of them had been-and Taylor scrambled as the ball went past him, finally coming to a stop in the short grass. As he stepped over to retrieve it, he saw Denise approaching.

“Oh, hey,” he said casually. “We were just playing catch.” He picked up the ball.

“Have you been doing this the whole time?” she asked, still unable to hide her amazement. Kyle had never wanted to play catch before. She’d tried numerous times to get him interested in it, but he’d never even made the attempt. Her surprise, though, wasn’t limited simply to Kyle; it had to do with Taylor. It was the first time that someone else had ever taken the time to teach Kyle something new, something that other children did.

He was playing with Kyle. Nobody played with Kyle.

Taylor nodded. “Pretty much. He seems to like it.”

At the same time, Kyle saw her and waved. “Hewwo, Money,” he called out.

“Are you having fun?” she asked.

“He throws it,” he said excitedly. (Ee frows it)

Denise couldn’t help but smile. “I see that. It was a good throw.”

“Ee frows,” Kyle said again, agreeing with her.

Taylor pushed up the bill of his hat. “He’s got quite an arm sometimes,” he said, as if to explain why he’d missed Kyle’s throw.

Denise could only stare at him. “How did you get him to do it?”

“What? Play catch?” He shrugged, clearly unaware of his accomplishment. “Actually, it was his idea. After he finished his soda, he sort of sailed one at me. Almost hit me in the head. So I tossed it back and gave him some pointers on how to catch it. He caught on pretty fast.”

“Frow it,” Kyle called out impatiently. His arms were straight out again.

Taylor looked at her to see if it was all right.

“Go ahead,” Denise said. “I’ve got to see this again.”

Taylor took his position a few feet from Kyle.

“You ready?” Taylor asked.

Kyle, concentrating hard, didn’t respond. Denise crossed her arms in nervous anticipation.

“Here it comes,” he said, lobbing the ball. It hit Kyle on the wrist and bounced toward his chest like a pinball, before finally falling to the ground. Kyle immediately picked it up, aimed, then threw the ball back. This time the ball was on target, and Taylor was able to catch it without moving.

“Good one,” Taylor said.

The ball went back and forth a few more times before Denise finally spoke.

“You ready for a break?” she asked.

“Only if he is,” Taylor responded.

“Oh, he could keep doing this for a while. Once he finds something he likes, he doesn’t like to stop.”

“So I’ve noticed.”

Denise called out to Kyle, “Okay, sweetie, last one.”

Kyle knew what that meant, and he eyed the ball carefully before throwing it. It went off to the right, and once again Taylor wasn’t able to catch it. It came to a stop near Denise, and she retrieved it just as Kyle started toward her.

“That’s it? No argument?” Taylor asked, obviously impressed by Kyle’s good-naturedness.

“No, he’s pretty good at things like that.”

When Kyle reached her, she picked him up and gave him a hug. “Good job playing catch.”

“Yes,” Kyle said happily.

“Would you like to play on the slide?” she asked.

Kyle nodded, and she lowered him to the ground. Kyle immediately turned and headed toward the play area.

Once they were alone, Denise faced him.

“That was really nice of you, but you know you didn’t have to stay out here the whole time.”

“I know I didn’t. I wanted to. He’s a lot of fun.”

She smiled gratefully, thinking how seldom she’d heard someone say that about her son. “The food’s ready if you want to go grab something,” she said.

“I’m not all that hungry yet, but I would like to finish my beer, if that’s okay.”

His can was sitting on the bench, near the edge of the play area, and Taylor and Denise walked that way. Taylor picked it up and took a long pull. From the angle of the can, she knew he’d barely been able to touch it. She could see beads of perspiration dripping down his cheek. His dark hair peeked out from under his hat, curling slightly, and his shirt was tacked to his chest. Her son had kept him busy.

“Would you like to sit for a minute?” he asked.

“Sure.”

Kyle, meanwhile, had turned his attention from the slide to the jungle gym. He climbed up, stretched his arms as high as they would go, then began to cross the monkey bars.

“Mommy, watch!” Kyle suddenly yelled out. (Money, wash!)

Denise turned away and watched Kyle jump down from the bars, a fall of three or four feet, landing with a crash. He stood up quickly and brushed the dirt from his knees, a big grin on his face.

“Be careful, okay?” she called out.

“He jumped,” Kyle responded. (Ee jumped)

“Yes, you did.”

“He jumped,” Kyle said again.

While Denise’s attention was focused on her son, Taylor could see her chest rising and falling with every breath, and he watched as she crossed one leg over the other. The movement, for some reason, seemed oddly sensual.

When she turned back to him, he made sure to keep the conversation on safe ground.

“So, did you get a chance to meet everyone?” he asked.

“I think so,” she answered. “They seem like good people.”

“They are. I’ve known most of ’em since I was a kid.”

“I like your mom, too. She’s been a real friend lately.”

“She’s a sweet lady.”

For the next few minutes they continued to watch Kyle as he made the circuit through everything the playground had to offer. Sliding, climbing, jumping, and crawling, Kyle seemed to have saved an untapped energy source for something like this. Despite the heat and humidity, he never seemed to slow down at all.

“I think I’m ready for a burger now,” Taylor said. “I take it you already ate.”

Denise checked her watch. “Actually, I haven’t, but we can’t stay. I’ve got to work tonight.”

“You’re leaving already?”

“In a few minutes. It’s almost five, and I’ve still got to feed Kyle and get ready for work.”

“He can eat here-there’s plenty of food.”

“Kyle doesn’t eat hot dogs or chips. He’s kind of a picky eater.”

Taylor nodded. For a long moment he seemed to be lost in thought.

“Can I give you a lift home?” he finally asked.

“We rode our bikes here.”

Taylor nodded. “I know.”

As soon as he said it, she knew it to be a moment of recognition for both of them. She didn’t need the ride, and he knew it; he’d asked despite the fact that friends and food were waiting just a few steps away. It was obvious that he wanted her to say yes; his expression made that clear. Unlike his offer to bring her groceries home, this time, she knew, his offer had less to do with being kind than it did with what might happen between them.

It would have been easy to say no. Her life was complex enough-did she really need to add something more to the mix? Her mind was telling her that she didn’t have the time, that it wouldn’t be a good idea, that she barely knew him. The thoughts registered in quick succession, making perfect sense, but despite them all, she surprised herself by saying, “I’d like that.”

Her answer seemed to surprise him as well. He took another drink of beer, then nodded without a word. It was then that Denise recognized the same shyness in him that she’d seen at Merchants, and she suddenly acknowledged the very thing she’d been denying to herself all along.

She hadn’t come to the festival to visit with Judy, nor had she come to meet new people.

She’d come to see Taylor McAden.

Mitch and Melissa watched as Taylor and Denise departed. Mitch leaned toward his wife’s ear, so that others wouldn’t overhear him.

“So, what did you think of her?”

“She’s nice,” Melissa said honestly. “But it’s not just up to her. You know how Taylor is. Where this all goes from here will really depend on him.”

“Do you think they’ll get together?”

“You know him better than I do. What do you think?”

Mitch shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

“Yes, you are. You know how charming Taylor can be when he sets his sights on someone. I just hope that this time he doesn’t hurt anyone.”

“He’s your friend, Melissa. You don’t even know Denise.”

“I know. And that’s why I’ve always forgiven him.”