Chapter 19

`~Karly’s P.O.V~
 I smiled comfortably as I helped my patient off of the exam table. She waved as she went out the door and I proceeded to flop into my office chair. My phone rang and I tried to resist the urge to roll my eyes, “Hi, Mary Kay. What’s up?” A muffled voice with the sound of a screaming baby in the background replied, “Karly! I need your help! He won’t stop! He’s been crying and crying.” I took a deep breath, “Ok, have you tried to feed him?”

“No! I never thought of that- Of course I have! He won’t take the bottle!”

I sighed and tried to remind myself that she was still just a teen, “Ok. Give me five minutes and I’ll walk over.”

 I put away the papers on my desk and shut down my computer. I was about to grab my coat when the phone rang, “Mary Kay, I said I just need five minutes!” I snapped. A low voice hit my ears, “Sounds like you’re having a tough day.”

My eyes widened and my cheeks instantly flushed, “Rory! I’m so sorry-”

“Don’t even worry about it.” He laughed.

I cleared my throat awkwardly, “So how can I help you?”

“I was actually calling you to……well…..ask you out.”

“Oh. I don’t know. I’m not sure.”

“I think I get why you’re hesitating but let me clarify something. I loved my wife. Just because I’m not waiting a whole year or some ridiculous, amount of time set by society and other people who don’t know. It’s been ten months, I am a lonely man. I’ve been on a few dates and you’re the only person who’s made me feel even a tiniest shred of happiness. And that was at the cemetery. Imagine how happy we could be on a date!”

I tried not to smile at enthusiasm in his voice. Before I knew what was happening, I heard myself agreeing, “Alright. Let’s go out.”

“Well, don’t sound so excited. Meet me at Dragonfly Falls, tonight at 7.”

We said our goodbyes and I hung up the phone.

A few minutes later, I was walking through the front door, sounds of a screaming infant hitting my ear.
 Mary Kay proceeded to thrust the baby into my arms. I cooed softly at the red-faced baby. I sniffed his diaper and began to rock him slowly. Eventually the baby grew calmer.  Mary Kay hung her head, “How did you do that?” I put my hand on her shoulder reassuringly, “Honey, he’s only a month old. Peyton is just a fussy baby.” She put her hands over her face and shook her head, “Can you watch him while a grab a nap and a shower?” I nodded my head, but stopped her before she left the room, “I’m going out tonight and I need you here to watch Leo and Peyton.” She rolled her eyes, “No, Alicia is coming over and we’re going shopping for bathing suits.” I arched one eyebrow, “So, you got someone to watch Peyton?” She shook her head, “No, I figured it was a weeknight and that you’d be home.” I put a hand on my hip, “Well I’m not going to be home, so I need you to stay here. I’ll pay you, just like every other time you’ve watched Leo before. She sighed dramatically and left the room, letting the door shut behind her.

I began wondering anew, how I got into the middle of this. Of course I would do it again if the situation presented itself but nevertheless, I’m the one caring for Peyton.   As if he knew I was talking about him, Peyton began to holler again. I grabbed a clean bottle off of the shelf and mixed in the formula. I managed to get the baby to drink the milk, while rounding up Leo and helping him with his homework. I burped the baby as I made dinner for the kids. When the baby was finally changed, fed, swaddled, and sleeping, I set him in his bassinet while I got ready for my date. Yeah, you read that right, Peyton sleeps in my room with me, because Mary Kay needs to sleep so that she can do well in school. I keep telling myself it’s only temporary, but we are on the cusp of summer, and I’m not seeing any indication that this bassinet is moving. Don’t get me wrong, I love Peyton as if he were my own son, but I wish Mary Kay didn’t rely on me so much for everything. I realized I was muttering to myself when I began to work on my makeup. I shook my head to try to clear all of the bad thoughts and create a happy mood for this date. I was pretty nervous. I had only gone on a few dates since Leo and I moved. Most guys my age aren’t ready for a ready-made family.

Once I had finished, I grabbed my purse and kissed Leo on the forehead, explaining what was for dinner and where it was. I went to go let Mary Kay know that I was leaving, but there was no response as I knocked on her door. I gently pushed the door open, only to find her sleeping form snoring softly on her bed.  Peyton began to scream, so I rushed back into my room, grateful for the perfect alarm.  I walked back into Mary Kay’s room and set Peyton beside her. His cries grew louder and she finally popped her head up, “What’s going on?” I tried not to smile at the very confused tone in her voice before replying, “I’m leaving now. Dinner is in the microwave so that it stays warm. Peyton just wants to be snuggled. He’ll be ready for a bottle around 8 and Leo is to be in bed by 9 at the latest, okay?” I kissed her forehead before saying, “I’ll be back probably closer to 11 or 12. I’m not really sure. If I’m not home by the time you want to go to bed, just crash in my room so that you have the bassinet for Peyton, okay?” She nodded sleepily before grabbing Peyton and snuggling him close. I left them both that way before walking out the door.   Rory and I arrived at the same time, so it worked out fine. Upon setting up our blankets, Rory handed me a present. “What’s this?” I asked. He smiled wide, “Just open it.” I ripped it open, hoping and praying it wasn’t expensive. It turned out to be a set of sparklers, one for him and one for me. He laughed at my expression of confusion, “As cheesy as it  sounds, I wanted there to be sparks between us on our first date.” I playfully pushed his, “Well, I’m glad to know that you realize how corny this is. Thank you.”   We sat down and took in the stars, making small talk all the while. I had thought this would be so awkward, considering how we first met, but to be honest, I think it’s better. Okay, that’s a weird way to put it, but I know his situation. I know how he became a widower and how long. There’s none of the uncomfortable ‘death talk’. I sighed and tried to focus on what he was saying. He stopped and turned to look at me, “You’re bored aren’t you?” I shook my head vigorously, “I’m sorry. It’s been a long day and I’m tired but I’m definitely not bored. I’m having a great time, I promise.” He looked at me with a curious glint in his eye, “An adrenaline rush is just what you need, eh?” I couldn’t tell if he was joking, “Um….yeah….I guess that would be nice….maybe.” He jumped to his feet, “Well, then let’s light those sparklers!” He led me over to a darker area of the park, “I took the liberty of coming up here earlier and setting this up.” He gestured to the nearby area, and my eyes began to focus on fireworks?  He grinned mischievously and handed me my sparklers which were now lit. I had never done this before, so I was really nervous at first. I kept them a safe distance from my face, until I saw him next to me, dancing away to some kind of beat in his head, with his sparklers in hand. I decided that it was my night off and I didn’t care who saw me doing what, so I threw my head back and began to twirl my sparklers around.

He glanced over at me and laughed, “I told you this was fun! Now you’re getting it.” We danced until the sparklers ran down to the bottom of their sticks and we collapsed in a fit of giggles on the ground.

~Meanwhile~

**Leo’s P.O.V**

 I stared in confusion at the blonde haired girl before me, “Mary Kay?” I asked nervously. She glanced at me over her shoulder as she finished moving her clothes around, “What, Leo!” I tried my hardest not to make her even more mad when I asked, “Why’d you change your hair color? and your face looks weird.” I blurted that last part out on accident. I quickly clasped my hands over my mouth. She snorted, “It’s so no one will recognize me, and the reason my face looks weird is because it’s makeup. It’s supposed to make you look different.” I scratched my head, curious now, “Why don’t you want anyone to recognize you?”   She put her hands on my shoulders and looked around, as if she were afraid of something, “You can’t tell anyone, okay?” I nodded, unsure of what I was agreeing to. She took a deep breath, “Someone offered me a job as a waitress in Bridgeport. They said I will make great tips and be very welcome up there. So I decided to take the job and leave town.” I tried to stop myself from crying, but a few tears escaped before I could stop them., “Why?! Don’t you like it here?” She nodded, “Yes, I’m so grateful to your mom for putting up with me and Peyton, but I can’t be a burden anymore.”

I tried to think of something that would make her stay, “What about Peyton? He’s going to miss us if you take him away!” This time, a few tears slipped down her cheeks, “Oh Leo, Peyton’s going to stay here, okay?” You’re going to look after him for me, alright? You can be his big brother!”    I got on my knees and cried, “Please! Please don’t go! Peyton needs his mom! And I’m only seven! I don’t know how to watch a baby! Please!” I stood up and wiped my cheeks with my shirt, embarrassed that I had been crying. She knelt down in front of me and said, “I promise you, it’s better if I leave.”   We stood there for a while, I was unsure of what to say next when Mary Kay interrupted the silence, “How about this? I’ll stay until you’re in bed. You can sleep in your mom’s bed and I’ll wait until you fall asleep before I leave, okay?” I nodded my head, but I secretly planned to stay awake until my mom got home.    Bedtime came too swift, an hour later I was told to crawl into bed. I snuggled under the sheets and asked her to read to me. It was our usual routine when she watched me, but tonight she just shrugged and walked out of the room. I proceeded to jump out of bed and follow her, “Why are you being so mean?” She pointed her finger at me and yelled in my face, “Go to bed! I need to leave!” I stood stone still as she blasted me with her words. When she was finished, I stood there with my arms crossed, waiting for an answer to my question. She sighed in annoyance, but answered me anyway, “It makes it easier to leave, if I’m mean.” I looked at her, confusion all over my face. She sighed again and said, “You know how I’ve been real moody with your mom and Peyton this last week or so? I am doing it on purpose so that my leaving will be a relief and not make anyone sad, okay? So please, just hop into bed.” I couldn’t argue with that so I went to bed and tried to keep my eyes open, but the covers were so warm, and my eyelids….were……….so……….heavy……………….

~Meanwhile~

Karly’s P.O.V.

Rory and I began to light the fireworks, one by one, to make them last longer. I think he might have awakened some sort of inner pyromania that even I wasn’t aware of, because even just lighting the little suckers was nothing short of a thrill rush.   We watched in awe as firework after firework painted the night sky in color.   When it was over, I pulled Rory into my arms and kissed him. I immediately pulled away, ready to apologize when his lips met mine. We made our way back to the blanket we had laid out and proceeded to have quite the intense makeout session.   Before it could turn into…well more, I pulled away for just a minute and whispered breathlessly, “I hope you realize that I don’t usually do this on a first date.” He winked at me before ripping off his shirt. I held one hand up to stop him, “See the thing is…um….I’ve never done it outside before. I’m a little nervous.” He sat up and held my hand, “We can stop if you need to. I am perfectly happy just sitting here looking at you.” I was glad for the darkness because I turned tomato red. I realized that we were in a secluded area and that no one was around this late at night. I began to unbutton my shirt, but I kept fumbling around like some kind of senseless floozy. His strong hands guided mine as I made my way down my shirt.   Before I knew it, we were making passionate love….in nature! Me, Karly Starch! Who knew?  When things ended, it wasn’t nearly as awkward as I thought it would be. He helped me get my clothes back on, and we gathered our stuff up. He kissed me on the cheek, “So, can I call you this weekend?” I went for a full on kiss on the lips before answering, “You can call me tomorrow.”

When I got home a short while later, Peyton’s loud cries were heard, even before I entered the door. I took a deep breath and opened the door.  “Leo? What are you doing up? Oh baby, what’s wrong?” His eyes were gleaming with tears as he held Peyton in his arms, “Oh Momma. She left. She left and I don’t know what’s wrong with Peyton. He just cries and cries!” He was crying again as he finished the outburst. I moved closer to him and put my hand on his knee, “Okay, honey, tell me what happened.” I saw him take a deep breath as he launched into his story, “Mary Kay said not to tell you but she left Peyton here with me for some job. Peyton cried the minute she left she was just mean cuz she loved us momma. I don’t know what to do.” I racked my brain, trying to make sense of what I had just heard, “Okay, let me get this straight, Mary Kay left you and Peyton here, and she said something about a job. Peyton’s been crying for a while and then something about loving us and being mean?”  He held on tighter to Peyton before nodding his head, “Uh huh. She was mean this last week cuz she didn’t want to be a burden. She had a job in Bridgetown or something like that. She’s not coming back!” I took Peyton from his arms and tried to soothe both of them at once. We all ended up on my bed in an exhausted heap. The next morning, I awoke to find a note on Mary Kay’s dresser,

Karly, 

I can’t thank you enough for all of the support you’ve given me. I am so sad to leave, but I will be back someday! I have received a job offer in Bridgeport, waiting tables. The guy who hired me is so nice! He even calls me his snowbunny! Isn’t that cute? Anyways, I need you to look after Peyton while I’m gone. I know it’s a big thing but I promise I will repay you as soon as I can. Thank you again for all of your help!

Mary Kay