openness
and warmth. Ben was very much the way Tony used to be, open, curious, warm and
friendly. Inexplicably, her heart felt heavy.
Ben must have felt her staring at him because he suddenly
turned her way. "Are you really on TV?"
"Yes, I am."
"Wow, neat!" He ran ahead to the parking lot.
o0o
The Pizza Palace was the place to go if you were a Little
Leaguer. It crawled with little boys in uniforms. Tony led Lee to the side of
the Palace that had three enormous television monitors, each broadcasting a
different game--the Giants on one, the A's on another, and a tennis
championship on the third.
The video games were on the other side of the Palace, and
Tony gave Ben two dollars to play them while their pizza was being prepared.
Ben left, but immediately came back.
"I promised Lisa, Dad."
Tony looked at her, "She might want to eat
first."
The thought of sitting alone with Tony was disquieting.
"Now is fine. Let's go, Ben."
"Wait, son." Tony exchanged the two dollar bills
for a fiver. "You'll need a few tokens--and Lisa will need a whole lot of
them."
"Yeah, she probably will."
Lee gave them both a "That’s what you think"
look and followed Ben to the token machine.
Tony sat with his elbows on the tabletop, watching the two
of them make their way through the crowd. She was as puzzling to him as ever.
Lee Reynolds had the reputation of being one of the sharpest interviewers on
TV. She did her homework well, went for the political jugular and her
interviews had made a shambles of more than one career. He wasn't surprised.
Even in high school she had drive , sharpness, an edge to her that made people take notice...and be wary.
Yet, she'd come to a pizza parlor and she'd shown up at two Little League
games. He was afraid to speculate on why, but the attraction that had glued him
to her side when they were teens still sparked between them, like kindling
ready to ignite. It was there amazingly. Wonderfully. Frighteningly.
There was a cool control about her now, an odd formality
that spoke of experience and poise, yet was provocatively seductive. Once she
had been all freshness and promise, but now she was changed--much more a
challenge, much more a woman. He recognized her defenses because they mirrored
his own, and the hell of it was , they only made him
want to be with her that much more.
Christ, but he must have been an arrogant cuss when
he was young to think an intelligent, sophisticated woman like that would want
to stay with him. Even his wife had left him, and compared to Lisa, she was
nothing. He snorted. That was the problem with their marriage. He had always
compared her to Lisa, and she had always come up short. His failed marriage to
Catherine had been as much his fault as hers. Probably more.
He'd been a fool about Lisa once. And she'd stripped him
of everything--his pride, his self esteem , his very
manhood. He'd given her his heart and soul, and she'd turned her back on him.
He would never forgive her for that, as much as she might charm him now. He was
older, wiser. And he wouldn't make the same mistake about her twice.
Still, she was the most beautiful thing on two legs. And
her baby blues, he feared, could still tie him up in knots faster than a Cy Young winner could pitch one over the plate.
He hated the confused way she made him feel.
A good half-hour after ordering the pizza, Tony heard his
name called over the loudspeaker to pick up his order. The Palace liked its
customers to have plenty of time to lose money on video games before they ate.
He went in search of Ben and Lisa.
Lee was a study in concentration as she tried to get a
little plumber to make his way through some sewers without getting killed by
the monsters lurking within them.
"She's pretty good, Dad," Ben said.
At the words, she looked up, and flashed Tony a warm,
radiant smile that snagged his breath. Suddenly it was as if the clang and
cling and buzz of the electronic games were being played right in his head.
"I don't have
and warmth. Ben was very much the way Tony used to be, open, curious, warm and
friendly. Inexplicably, her heart felt heavy.
Ben must have felt her staring at him because he suddenly
turned her way. "Are you really on TV?"
"Yes, I am."
"Wow, neat!" He ran ahead to the parking lot.
o0o
The Pizza Palace was the place to go if you were a Little
Leaguer. It crawled with little boys in uniforms. Tony led Lee to the side of
the Palace that had three enormous television monitors, each broadcasting a
different game--the Giants on one, the A's on another, and a tennis
championship on the third.
The video games were on the other side of the Palace, and
Tony gave Ben two dollars to play them while their pizza was being prepared.
Ben left, but immediately came back.
"I promised Lisa, Dad."
Tony looked at her, "She might want to eat
first."
The thought of sitting alone with Tony was disquieting.
"Now is fine. Let's go, Ben."
"Wait, son." Tony exchanged the two dollar bills
for a fiver. "You'll need a few tokens--and Lisa will need a whole lot of
them."
"Yeah, she probably will."
Lee gave them both a "That’s what you think"
look and followed Ben to the token machine.
Tony sat with his elbows on the tabletop, watching the two
of them make their way through the crowd. She was as puzzling to him as ever.
Lee Reynolds had the reputation of being one of the sharpest interviewers on
TV. She did her homework well, went for the political jugular and her
interviews had made a shambles of more than one career. He wasn't surprised.
Even in high school she had drive , sharpness, an edge to her that made people take notice...and be wary.
Yet, she'd come to a pizza parlor and she'd shown up at two Little League
games. He was afraid to speculate on why, but the attraction that had glued him
to her side when they were teens still sparked between them, like kindling
ready to ignite. It was there amazingly. Wonderfully. Frighteningly.
There was a cool control about her now, an odd formality
that spoke of experience and poise, yet was provocatively seductive. Once she
had been all freshness and promise, but now she was changed--much more a
challenge, much more a woman. He recognized her defenses because they mirrored
his own, and the hell of it was , they only made him
want to be with her that much more.
Christ, but he must have been an arrogant cuss when
he was young to think an intelligent, sophisticated woman like that would want
to stay with him. Even his wife had left him, and compared to Lisa, she was
nothing. He snorted. That was the problem with their marriage. He had always
compared her to Lisa, and she had always come up short. His failed marriage to
Catherine had been as much his fault as hers. Probably more.
He'd been a fool about Lisa once. And she'd stripped him
of everything--his pride, his self esteem , his very
manhood. He'd given her his heart and soul, and she'd turned her back on him.
He would never forgive her for that, as much as she might charm him now. He was
older, wiser. And he wouldn't make the same mistake about her twice.
Still, she was the most beautiful thing on two legs. And
her baby blues, he feared, could still tie him up in knots faster than a Cy Young winner could pitch one over the plate.
He hated the confused way she made him feel.
A good half-hour after ordering the pizza, Tony heard his
name called over the loudspeaker to pick up his order. The Palace liked its
customers to have plenty of time to lose money on video games before they ate.
He went in search of Ben and Lisa.
Lee was a study in concentration as she tried to get a
little plumber to make his way through some sewers without getting killed by
the monsters lurking within them.
"She's pretty good, Dad," Ben said.
At the words, she looked up, and flashed Tony a warm,
radiant smile that snagged his breath. Suddenly it was as if the clang and
cling and buzz of the electronic games were being played right in his head.
"I don't have
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