The Sloth Zone, page 6
“That makes a lot more sense.”
They reached a white minivan, and he clicked the key fob. The doors slid open, and lights clicked on.
“Oh, fancy.”
It must be for his kids.
“Not really, but it’s practical.”
Gemma climbed into the passenger seat. “I’ll wager that it makes it a lot easier to shuttle your kids around in.”
Henry closed the door, inserted the key into the ignition, and stared at her with a confused expression on his face.
“My kids?”
“Yeah, you know . . . your tiny humans?” Gemma chewed on her lip. “I’m surprised. I thought they’d be with you tonight.”
“Some of them were here.”
“Some?”
“Yeah, I think about twenty made it.”
Gemma blanched. “Um, exactly how many kids do you have?”
Henry started the engine. “Thirty-five.”
She gripped the armrest attached to the door. “Thirty-five,” she sputtered.
“Uh huh.”
Slowly backing the car out, he looked both ways, ensuring there was no approaching traffic, then turned out of the car park onto the darkened State Highway Three.
“I assume not all of them have the same mum, or um . . . live with you. You’d need to have an enormous farm, and about fifty washrooms.”
“Live with me? Fifty bathrooms?” His eyes suddenly widened, and he roared with laughter. Pulling over to the side of the road, Henry wiped the corners of his eyes. “Gemma, I’m not the father of seventy-plus kids. I’m a teacher.”
Chapter 7
Gemma wanted to disappear. How could she be so wrong as to assume he had so many kids? The only word she could manage was, “Oh.” She placed her hands over her face.
Henry continued to laugh. “As much as I would love to be a dad in the future, I’d have to be in a relationship for that to happen.”
Gemma slowly lowered her hands. “You’re single? I assumed you were off the market.”
“Uh-huh. I thought you would’ve picked up on that.” He winked. “I thought I was being pretty clear that I’m interested in you.” He rested his hand on his stomach. “Oh, my abs are gonna be sore from laughing so hard.”
She sat taller. “You read me right. I’ve been thinking about you since Hobby Land, but you mentioned having kids the day we met.”
“I did?” He cocked his head to the side.
“You said you were planning to let your kids choose your Halloween costume this year. I thought . . . well, we both know where my mind went.”
“Ah. I can see where you might’ve thought I had kids.” He shook his head.
“Now that we’re talking about it out loud, the whole thing does sound pretty ridiculous.” She hung her head, giggling to herself.
“So you’ve been thinking about me that long?” Henry joked, pulling back out onto the road.
“You made an impression on me.”
“I have a confession to make. You made an impression on me too. I’ve been thinking a lot about the beautiful, funny, and obviously smart angel for days.”
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Me too. You’ve made me watch all three Indiana Jones movies.
Henry continued. “I’m just sorry I had to turn down grabbing a coffee with you. It’s not that I didn’t want to. It was more that I’ve been swamped trying to sort out some of the last-minute details for the festival. I agreed to take over organizing it this year.”
Hearing him say that left her momentarily speechless. “Wait, coffee? I didn’t text you. I don’t even think I have your mobile number. I scrolled through all my contacts.”
“I think that’s my fault. I should’ve clarified this earlier, but Henry isn’t my real name.” He blanched. “I told you it was at Hobby Land because I thought it was a fun nod to Indiana Jones.”
Suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle started clicking together to reveal the full picture. There had been a person she’d texted about coffee. But it wasn’t Henry. It was another guy from the list Suzy and Mr. T had given her.
“You’re Tim,” Gemma said slowly.
“I am. You can call me Tim, Timothy, Timmy, or Mr. Lyons. I answer to pretty much anything.”
She face-palmed. “I do have your number.”
They both laughed.
“Our relationship definitely has gotten off to an interesting start, that’s for certain,” she said.
“You can say that again.” Tim glanced to his right.
“My friends are never going to let me live it down when I tell them what happened.”
“Oh, I bet they will, especially Suzy. She’s got an awesome sense of humor. She’ll probably say that it was the universe’s way of making your visit to town memorable.”
“You’re right. She will.” Gemma smiled. “I’ll have to call her in the morning. I wish I could tell her in person, but I’m flying out tomorrow.”
“Is your work flexible? Maybe they’d give you another two or three days if you worked your magic on them.” Tim wiggled his fingers. “Sprinkle a little pixie dust on their heads and poof. More vacation is magically granted.”
“I wish it were that easy, but no, my work isn’t flexible about extra time off unless somebody is ill or injured. I’m a figure skater with Dreams on Ice.”
“Wow, an ice skater.” Tim let out a long whistle. “I bet that’s an awesome job. I can see where that could get tricky with certain cities and venues booking things way in advance and how you might only have so many people to take on certain roles.”
“That’s exactly it in a nutshell.”
“If it makes you feel any better, it’s that way with teaching too. We have subs when we’re sick or if an emergency comes up, but as a rule of thumb, any vacations we take have to line up with the school calendar.”
“What grade do you teach?” Gemma asked.
“Sixth.” His lips twitched. “I may be biased, but I think I won the lottery. My students are the best.”
Gemma winced. “Preteens?”
“You’re not the first one to give me that look.” Tim chuckled. “My kids really aren’t that bad. As a whole, they’re well-behaved. But then again, I have the permanent mind of a twelve-year-old. I share a lot of interests with my students, so I don’t usually have many problems.”
She cocked her head to the side. “What type of interests?”
“Oh, you know . . . stuff like baseball, comic books, and cartoons. What about you? What types of things are you interested in?”
Gemma fidgeted. “Uh . . .”
I only have one shot to make a decent first impression. Do I tell him the truth? What if he judges me by it?
Tim’s eyes darted to the right. “Gemma, if you’re not comfy sharing, it’s okay. There’s a ton of other stuff we can talk about.”
No. I made a promise that I’d go all in on this dating thing. I have to put myself out there and just be me.
Her cheeks seared with heat. “My guilty pleasure is watching reality dating shows,” she said in a squeaky voice. “I love all the drama.”
“That’s great.” He sat up taller. “Have you seen Cupid’s Arrow?”
Relief flooded through Gemma. “Er, yeah. That’s my favorite show.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You seem surprised.”
“I am.”
“Normally it isn’t a show I’d gravitate to, but some of the other teachers at school talked me into watching a couple episodes. I tried to be open-minded about it and I’m glad I was. I enjoyed it. It wasn’t what I expected.”
She exhaled. “I thought you’d consider it a rubbish show and . . .” She trailed off.
“Gemma, I’m not the type of guy who’d ever judge a person based on what they like or dislike. If you enjoy something, embrace it. Life’s too short to care or be worried about what others think. Look at me—I waste most of my weekends reading Batman comics.”
Hearing Tim’s thoughts brought a rush of adrenaline through her body. Was he real? Had she actually found a guy who enjoyed the same telly programs as she did?
“What makes Batman your favorite superhero?”
“That’s easy, he’s a self-made hero. He doesn’t need any magical powers to save the world.”
Think. What else do I know about Batman? He drives a Batmobile, doesn’t he? And there is some villain called the Joker.
“Oh, he doesn’t have any powers? I’d assumed he did.”
Tim grinned. “Nope. Batman is just ultrarich. He hires other people to make his gear.”
“That’s a smart strategy. I suppose I’d do the same if I were a millionaire.”
Signaling, he turned left and started up the tall hill to Charlie’s cabin. “What else would you do if you had endless piles of money? Travel? Buy a mansion?”
“I’ve never actually thought about it. You’re really putting me on the spot here,” she teased.
“Sorry.”
“While I’m having a think about it, you tell me . . . what would you do?”
Tim slowed the car around the windy road up the hill. “Probably buy my own baseball team and have a real-life Batmobile made up.”
“Oh, that’s a brilliant idea. It’s better than anything I could come up with.” Gemma sighed. “The truth is, I don’t know what I’d want. Touring with DOI, I’ve done enough traveling to last a lifetime. And I wouldn’t need a mansion either because most of the space would sit empty.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I guess I’d buy my mum and dad their dream home, pay off their debt, and save the rest?”
A few moments of quiet passed between them. The sound of the tires running over dry pine needles filled the silence.
“That’s the best answer I’ve ever heard. It tells me that family is more important to you than frivolous stuff like a baseball team.”
The car stopped in front of the dimly-lit cabin. Tim turned and gazed directly into Gemma’s eyes. “I wish the ride were longer. I don’t want our conversation to end. I felt like I was just starting to get to know you.”
Gemma shivered at hearing his words. She felt very much the same. There was so much she wanted to ask him. She wished she could just sit here and chat with him all night, unraveling the mystery of the man in front of her.
“You know, we don’t have to stop talking,” she said. “We could stay in touch through texts and video chat. That’s the beauty of technology. There’s no need to wait for a Bat-Signal.”
Tim grinned. “I’d like that.”
Gemma unbuckled her seat belt. She knew that if she didn’t leave the car now, she’d lack the willpower to do it. Tim’s presence was intoxicating to her. She wanted to spend all night talking to him.
Forcing herself to open the door, she said, “Thanks again for the ride. I appreciate it. I hope I didn’t take you too far out of the way.” Climbing out of the van, she said softly, “Good night Tim.”
“Good night Gemma.”
Tim waited until she was at the front door and let herself inside before driving off. Gemma closed the door behind her and rested against it.
I wonder what other types of heroes Tim admires. Would it only be self-made ones? Or does he also like heroes like Captain America and Thor? I guess I’ll just have to ask him. But first I have a little homework to do on Batman. I wonder if the new film is available to stream.
Chapter 8
Gemma had a difficult time keeping the cheesy smile off her face every time she and Tim exchanged texts over the next few days.
Gemma: What’s your stance on capes? Should superheroes have them?
Tim: That’s a tough one. It depends if it’s more for looks or if it adds to the hero’s powers. What about you?
Gemma: You didn’t answer the question, but I’m all for them. Capes add to a hero’s coolness factor.
Tim: If I had to pick, I’m team no capes. If you’ve seen The Incredibles, you’ll know why.
Gemma: That’s one of the few Disney Pixar films I haven’t seen. Is that one I should add to my must-watch list?
Tim: Yes! And when you do, look out for Edna Mode.
Gemma: Is that a superhero mode?
Tim: *Face-palm emoji* You’re killing me. No. She’s an important character in the movie.
Gemma: I’ll take your word for it. Have a great day at school and send me photos of your haunted classroom when you can.
Tim: Likewise, and I will. Have a good show in Dallas.
* * *
Gemma: How are you and Charlie feeling going into the Maple Leaf Trophy this weekend?
Frankie: Like a million dollars! I can’t believe we managed to win Skate United States.
Gemma: It was never a question of if you were going to win. It was a when. You and C were amazing!
Frankie: It also helps that we were one of the only teams to skate cleanly.
Gemma: Don’t tell Charlie I said this, but I think he might’ve been right. The judges love you two.
Frankie: That’s the funny thing. We always seem to score better internationally than domestically.
Gemma: Oh, I have some news to share too!
Frankie: ???
Gemma: I received an email from Cupid’s Arrow!
Frankie: And?
Gemma: They want me to send them a short video answering three questions they gave me.
Frankie: I’m so excited for you. You’ve got this. We can brainstorm your answers when we video chat tomorrow if you’d like.
Gemma: Sounds good. I’m excited just to have gotten this far, but I know it probably doesn’t mean much.
Frankie: Don’t give up yet. Gotta run. Talk to you later.
* * *
Suzy: I saw your young man Tim this past weekend. He was helping out at his father’s hardware shop. I needed some new brackets for a bookshelf Rich and I are putting up in the den.
Gemma: He’s not my Tim. We’re just getting to know one another.
Suzy: Uh-huh. Well, whatever you want to call it, he remembered that my first husband was Scottish and was asking an awful lot of questions about Scotland.
Gemma: Maybe he was just curious?
Suzy: Or maybe he wants to find a way to impress you. *Winking emoji*
Gemma: *Blushing emoji*
Suzy: You’ve turned that boy’s head. About time too. His mother and I are tired of seeing him come up with excuses.
Gemma: Excuses for what?
Suzy: *Zipper mouth emoji* That’s for you to discover.
* * *
Later that evening, Gemma stepped onto the ice, and the cool surface beneath her skates sent a shiver of excitement through her. Although it was darkened, she could tell that the arena was filled to capacity. The audience buzzed with anticipation. As she took her starting position, the spotlight suddenly found her, casting a radiant glow that made her feel like a true Cinderella.
The opening notes of the music filled the air, setting the tone for the performance. Gemma’s heart raced. The first few glides were like a dream, her skates carving graceful arcs on the ice. She mouthed the lyrics to “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” as the crowd watched with rapt attention. Suddenly, the ensemble skaters dressed as mice appeared.
I have a little leeway in this section. Should I do a flying camel or a layback spin? She contemplated the issue. I still have the transformation scene, the ball, and the finale with Fernando. I’d better keep it simple. I felt good today. I need it to stay that way.
As the performance neared its climax, Gemma executed a series of spirals that left the crowd applauding wildly. With a final set of back crossovers, she wound up and stepped into a fast-forward scratch spin. She held her ending pose for a few seconds, catching her breath. Hearing the “ohhs” and “awws” of the audience never grew old.
An hour later, it was over. Removing her makeup and stowing her costume away, she transformed from Cinderella back into Gemma. A knock sounded on her door. “It’s open,” she called out.
“Special delivery for you,” her frequent skating partner Fernando called out. “Do you want it in here?”
A skater from Spain, Fernando stood about six feet tall, and had dark-brown hair and large, expressive brown eyes. He’d been a pairs skater for most of his career and was well-known for his partnering skills. Since Frankie had left DOI, he had been asked to skate with Gemma. She appreciated having a partner who was self-assured and confident in all his moves.
She turned her head, spying a massive box in his hands. “Um, sure.” Twisting her hair up into a messy bun, she quickly wrapped a hair tie around it and walked over to the box. “What on earth is that? I didn’t order anything.”
“The delivery guy was asking for a Gemma-rella. I knew it had to be for you, so I risked my life and signed for it.” Fernando rubbed his hands together. “Are you going to open it?”
Gemma rolled her eyes. Fernando was like an excited child. His eyes were as wide as saucers. “I suppose.”
She leaned forward to inspect the box. It had several red-and-white “Fragile” stickers pasted to the side and an arrow pointing to which side was up. As Fernando had mentioned, it was addressed to Gemma-rella. There was no return address.
“You don’t happen to have—”
“A box knife? I do.” He whipped the item out of his pocket with surprising speed.
Gemma gestured to the top of the box. “Have at it. Just open it carefully, please.”
Fernando made quick and efficient work of opening the box. As he peeled the top flaps of the box open, he retrieved a black envelope, with white block letters that read For the Fairest One of All. “You’d better read this first.”
Accepting the envelope from his hands, she felt her heart flutter. There were only two people she could think of who would send her a package with a fairy-tale reference. One was Frankie and the other was Tim.
As she turned the envelope over, her hands trembled, and she pulled out an orange pumpkin-shaped card.
