Dream On (Stories of Serendipity #2) (10 page)

“I like you Alyssa.
 I thought that...I thought you liked me too.  I thought we might be able to...I didn’t realize you were going to react like that.”  He blushed furiously, and it dawned on her.

She realized then, whatever his feelings for her were, he had brought her here for one thing only.
 “How did you think I was going to react?  Did you think you were going to have sex with me right here on this picnic table?”  She really wanted an answer to this one.

“Um...I don’t know.
 I was hoping, yes.  I was hoping you would.”  He looked at her squarely, then seeing the expression on her face, he looked back down at his feet.

“Take. Me. Home. Now.”

Chapter 7

Dalton spent the next two days by his father’s bedside at the hospital.  They had put him in the care of hospice, which meant he didn’t have long to live.  Because of his weakened state, the hospital staff had deemed it necessary to leave him where he was, and not move him to a different facility, so the hospice team came to him at the hospital.

His dad was unconscious, and Dalton an
d Renae had said their goodbyes and were waiting for his peace.  Mary was still hoping for a rebound, though, and her children were trying to be there for her, to pick up the pieces of her broken heart when their dad finally passed.

Dalton knew if his father was aware of the fact he was laying here, in this condition, he would just die right here and now.
 He would not want his family’s final memories of him to be of a withered gray shell lying in a hospital bed.

Dalton was sitting here with his dad, while his mom and sist
er were talking to the preacher and making final plans for Dad’s funeral.  Mary was telling herself they wouldn’t be necessary just yet, and she was going ahead and making arrangements for herself as well.

Dalton sh
uddered at the macabre thoughts and turned his imagination instead, to Alyssa.

She had a date.

Of course, she hadn’t called it a date, but she’d gotten ready like it was a date. That was the first time he’d seen her with makeup on.  She was gorgeous.  And all of that shaving, shit.  

Dalton shifted in his seat, and looked over at his Dad, as if to make certain his thoughts hadn’t woken him.
 He recalled the image of her in the mirror.  Now that was an image he would take to his grave.  He wasn’t sure what was coming over him.  He had seen bald pussies before, but none of them affected him the way this one did.

And then that pup had come sniffing around her skirts, like he had any business there.
 Dalton was pissed at himself.  What was his subconscious thinking, giving him this woman, to totally occupy his every waking thought, and then throw this asshole into the mix?  When the asshole had done the sloppy grabass kiss, Dalton had come awake, madder than hell.  Of course, after he managed to remind himself it was all a dream, make-believe, he had gone back to sleep and seen her reaction to it.  That’s my girl...

“Too bad she’s not real, Dad.
 I think you and Mom would really like her.”  Dalton said to his dad quietly.  Richard shifted in his bed, as if he had heard him.

Renae poked her head into the room. “Thanks, Dalton.
 You can go pick up Kelly, now.  Her school lets out in fifteen minutes.  I got this.  Mom’s coming up in a minute.  She went to get coffee from the cafeteria.”

“Okay.
 I’ll see you tonight?”

“Yeah, I’ll probably be late, though.”

“That’s okay.  You need me to fix you dinner?”

“That would be great.
 I’m about sick of McDonald’s”

He kissed her cheek and was out the door.

Alyssa had car rider duty this week.
 Of all the duties to have, this one was definitely the best.  High school kids did not enjoy being picked up by their parents.  They would rather ride the bus any day.  She just had to stand outside and make sure the overgrown kids didn’t get hit by a car or get into a fight.

She saw Kelly standing outside, alone, staring at the ground, biting her lip.
 Something inside Alyssa told her to walk over to the girl.

“Everything going all right, Kelly?”

“No, Ms. Fuller.  My grandpa’s in the hospital, and he’s not supposed to make it.”

Alyssa got a sudden chill when she heard these words.

She swallowed, “I know it’s hard to lose somebody you love.  Especially, if it’s family.”  She remembered the pain of loss as a teenager when her grandma had died.  That was one of the hard parts about being a teacher, watching the kids go through their growing pains.  Her reverie was interrupted by the loud rumble of a motorcycle coming into the parking lot.

“Oh! That’s my uncle! He brought his motorcycle today. So cool!” Kelly’s sour mood vanished as she ran to the man on the motorcycle.

Alyssa’s eyes followed her, making sure there was another helmet on the bike for Kelly to wear. What she saw made her stomach clench and her body react in ways she hadn’t imagined were possible.

The man on the motorcycle’s face was covered with his helmet, but everything else was visible. His white tee shirt clung to broad shoulders, which tapered into a beveled chest. Bulging biceps led to corded forearms, gripping the handlebars of the bike. On one forearm, there was a tattoo of a stylized ram, that looked familiar to Alyssa. His faded jeans outlined muscular legs wearing worn leather riding boots.

Inexplicably, saliva filled Alyssa’s mouth, and she swallowed hard.  She crossed her arms to alleviate some of the tingly ache in her breasts, and there was absolutely nothing to be done about what had just happened in her panties.

After watching Kelly put on the helmet the man offered her, she watched them ride carefully out of the parking lot, Kelly with her arms wrapped around his waist. Alyssa suddenly wanted to know more about this uncle...

Her knees weak, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and called Summer.

“A Summer Place.”
 Summer answered on the third ring.  Summer was at work.

“Summer, this is Alyssa.
 You know that dream guy I was telling you about?”

“Yeah,” Summer answered.

“Can we talk tonight?  Will you come over for dinner?”

“Sure.
 What’s going on?  You sound really weird.”

“Summer.
 I think I just saw him.”

Summer showed up at 6:00 with a bottle of wine, appropriately called "Mommy’s Time Out."  After a quick supper of chicken alfredo and a salad, Alyssa started telling Summer about the dreams in a little more detail than she had previously.  When she finished up with the mysterious motorcycle rider who picked up Kelly, Summer let out a whoosh of air.

“Wow.”
 

“I know.”

“I don’t know what to say.”  Summer took a sip of her wine.  “How long have you been dreaming about him?”

“Three weeks?
 I think?  It seems like I’ve been dreaming about him my whole life though.  I know that sounds weird, but I dream about him all night long, every night.  And now I think he’s real, I’m wondering why am I dreaming about him?”

“Do you think he’s dreaming about you too?”

Alyssa blushed furiously at the prospect.  “God, I hope not!”

Summer finished her glass of wine, “I’ll ask around with some people I know, and see if anybody’s ever dealt with this kind of thing.
 I’ll call you in a couple of days. “ She kissed Alyssa on the cheek, gave her a tight hug and left.

That was why Alyssa had called her initially.
 Summer knew all kinds of people.  While she did all kinds of international trade online with the bookstore, she was also an open lesbian, and her partner lived in Dallas.  Her ties to the LGBT community, in addition to her partner’s ties to the paranormal community, and her own sixth sense gave her a lot of contacts that “normal” people didn’t have.

After Summer left, Alyssa went to her bedroom and pulled out her vibrator.

“Well, will I ever get to meet him?”

Vibrator just stared at her, silently.

“Are you mocking me?  Do you think I’m going crazy?”  She wondered if it was all just an elaborate hoax in her head, like the Dennis LeHane novel about the detective in the mental asylum on the island.

“It would be amazing if he was real, though.
 And if we met, somehow.  Don’t you think?”

Vibrator continued to stare.

“If we met, do you think he would do a better job of kissing me than that idiot coach?”  She closed her eyes and let her memory of his escapades take over.  She imagined his lips on hers.  She ran her hands over her breasts, pretending they were his.  She opened her eyes and cocked an eyebrow at the vibrator, “I’m at least getting better at touching myself, yes?  Now it sort of feels good.”  The vibrator continued its silent gaze, as she closed her eyes again and allowed her fantasy man to make love to her in her mind, until she fell asleep to dream about him some more.

Chapter 8

Dalton had a rough beginning to his week.
 For some reason, the highlight was going to pick up Kelly from school.  Something about that one experience every day made him feel really special, like somebody was appreciating him.  Not anything he could put his finger on, but it was definitely there.  It was probably just because Kelly seemed so excited to see him every afternoon.  He would have to take his bike out more often.  It was certainly enjoyable to ride.  And his dream girl seemed to like it.

He decided his subconscious had gotten bored with just showing Alyssa’s life to him every night.
 Now it was showing Alyssa to him, while she watched Dalton.  It was almost comical, like a hallway full of mirrors, each one showing it’s other’s reflection into infinity.

He could remember her reaction to his motorcycle picking up Kelly that day.
 He enjoyed feeling the tightening of his loins from a woman’s perspective.  It felt completely different, more intense.  And the way her nipples rose to stiff little peaks at the sight of him was astounding.  They actually tingled a little.  He had to admit, there was nothing else quite like it.  The damp spot he felt in her panties was a little disconcerting, even though he knew exactly what it was and what it meant.  He had woken from that dream with the biggest hard on of his life, and he wasn’t sure what would make it go away.

Well, there was one thing.
 Dalton got ready to go to the Gin on Wednesday night.  It wasn’t The Church, but surely there would be willing, able-bodied women there, and surely one of them would be amenable to his desires.  He just needed to find somebody to let some of this pent-up sexual frustration out with.

Once he got there, he was reminded once again this was definitely not The Church.
 The giant cowboy belting out George Strait at the karaoke machine almost made him walk out the door, until he remembered Alyssa’s rendition of "Turn Around Bright Eyes," and he turned himself around and walked over to the bar.  

Drink in hand, he surveyed the sparse crowd.
 Not much here.  There was a woman over there, but she didn’t look like Alyssa.  What was that all about?  If he wanted a woman who looked like Alyssa, he might as well just leave.  She was a figment of his imagination, and he wouldn’t find anyone like her.  If that was what he wanted, he needed to leave right now.  There.  There was a woman.  That was all he needed.  She appeared to have the necessary equipment.

He watched her for a little while, sipping his drink. She was dancing alone, wearing a short gathered skirt and cowboy boots. She had on a halter-top that showed an ample amount of cleavage.
 Yes, she would do nicely.

Abruptly, his thoughts turned to Alyssa, and her plans for next weekend.
 He remembered she was supposed to work a booth at the Hot Pepper Festival.  It might be fun to go to that, even if she wouldn’t be there.  His subconscious must want him to go.  Why not?  He could take Kelly, it might get her mind off of her grandpa.

He continued to stare at the woman on the dance floor.
 He enjoyed watching her dance, but he found even though she had all of the right equipment, he wasn’t interested in fucking her.  He wanted a figment of his imagination.  He tossed back the rest of his drink and went home.

Alyssa was barely making it through this week.  Between parent conferences at school, teaching classes, and avoiding Coach Ridley, she was busy at work.  Then when she got home with the kids, she had all of her home stuff to do, in addition to fielding calls from her mother and Steven, each having their own opinions about what she should be doing with her life.

Tuesday night, when Cayden came into the kitchen to tell her the bathroom was full of soggy toilet paper, she followed him to find that sure enough, it was.

“What happened?”

“Sierra flushed the roll of toilet paper down the toilet.” Cayden patiently explained.