LITMIR.BIZ

       2

      THE HIGH SCHOOL cafeteria buzzed with activity. And it was loud. Really loud. Ben wasn’t a huge fan of big crowds or noise, but this was for a good cause. There were booths with everything from wooden toys to homemade candles to miniature Christmas trees. He’d never seen anything like it.

      “Explain to me again why we’re here and not watching the game? It’s almost the end of football season,” Matt complained.

      “I bought the toys, you guys have to help me haul them in to get them wrapped.” It would have taken him thirty trips from the car and back without his friends.

      He searched the throng of people for the pretty blonde, but he didn’t see her. Dang if he hadn’t thought about her all night.

      Jake grinned and tightened his grip on the bags he was carrying. It was as if his buddy could read his thoughts.

      Mari, Brody’s wife and mother of his child, bustled up next to him.

      “I think it’s sweet that you’re doing this,” Mari said to Ben. “You’re helping the Toys for Tots program and the fund-raiser for the drill team. You’re my hero.”

      Brody cleared his throat. “I thought I was your hero.”

      “Oh, honey, always. Always.” She kissed him, and Ben had to look away. Sometimes their intimacy bothered him. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe because he’d never been that close to another person. He’d dated a lot of women, but none that made him feel the way that Brody talked about his wife. And his friend Matt was a goner, as well, with his fiancée, Chelly. His buddies were so wrapped up in their women, and Ben just didn’t get it.

      He was attracted to the women he dated, but his interest waned after a short while. The guys on the base where he taught helicopter maintenance classes, tested the machines and helped out with training missions called him Casanova because he had a different girl every week.

      There was one woman he definitely wanted to spend time with, but he had a feeling she was far beyond his reach.

      It took a few minutes but they finally found the booth set up for gift wrapping. It was staffed by a bunch of young girls, with ponytails, in stretch pants and T-shirts that read Dance with Me.

      “You want us to wrap how many?” one of the young girls asked. She had her hair piled so high on her head it almost added another foot.

      She gave him a once-over, and it was all he could do not to laugh. Where was Ainsley?

      “Yes, and I’ll donate two dollars a package, which is a dollar more than you guys usually ask for,” Ben said. Even at this young age, money talked.

      The girl’s smile grew, and then a woman came up behind her. She held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Coach Kaylie. That’s very generous of you. May I ask who these toys are for? There are a lot of them.” She didn’t look much older than the girl giving him a tough time.

      “Toys for Tots,” Jake said, as he patted Ben on the back. “Our boy here picked them all out, but we need help wrapping them.”

      “Terrific,” Kaylie said. “That’s so kind that you’re doing this for kids. Of course we’ll help you. And we really appreciate the donation. We’re trying to get to three different dance competitions this year, so every penny counts.” She batted her eyelashes at Jake.

      This time Ben did chuckle. Jake had that effect on women. Never failed.

      “Wonderful,” a woman’s voice said. He glanced down to see Ainsley. She was here, and she looked every bit as beautiful as she had the day before. He’d been sure his imagination had been playing tricks on him.

      Today, she wore jeans and boots that came up to her knees. But it was the tight white sweater that nearly did him in. Her body was the stuff of fantasies. His fantasies.

      Once again he found himself clearing his throat, and he positioned the bag he was carrying so no one would see the sudden tent in his pants.

      Crap. Sad puppies. Old, crinkly people. He had to think of something that was not the beautiful woman beside him.

      “Hi,” he said. Well, that was brilliant.

      She beamed up at him. “I’ve brought the rest of your gifts. Got them first thing this morning. Since they’re for the nursing home, I asked the girls to put them in bags with tissue so it would be easier for those arthritic hands to open,” she said sweetly. “They should be just about finished with those.”

      “You really do think of everything.”

      “Part of the job.”

      “Oh,” Kaylie said. “This is the guy you were talking about?”

      “Yes,” Ainsley, said waving a hand to the group of kids wrapping at the tables behind the coach. There was now a bunch of boys, as well. “I’m glad you picked up some more volunteers.”

      “Yeah, I never seem to have a hard time getting the football and basketball teams to help out the dancers. Though, keeping a constant eye on them isn’t always the easiest.” Kaylie laughed. “We should be done in about thirty minutes with the seniors’ gifts, and we’ll need a few hours for the tots.”

      Brody groaned behind him.

      “It’s okay, guys, if you want to go on home.” He turned back to Kaylie. “Can some of those players help me load the truck later?”

      “Absolutely,” she said.

      “I’ll stay,” Jake offered. “I don’t mind volunteering if you need help,” he said to Kaylie. “I’m not much good at wrapping, but I’m good at other things.”

      Kaylie and Ainsley both roared with laughter.

      “What?” Jake asked innocently. “I meant I can keep an eye on the players to make sure they aren’t trying to put the moves on these lovely young ladies.”

      The dancers giggled and whispered to one another.

      “I might take you up on that,” Kaylie said. “You two,” she called out, pointing to Ainsley and Ben, “go look around and come back in a couple of hours. We’ll have everything ready.”

      “That sounds like a good plan,” Brody said. “I’m going to search for Mari. Make sure she doesn’t need help with anything. Matt, I can give you a ride back.”

      They waved goodbye and then left.

      Ainsley crooked her arm through his. “Come on, Marine. I’ll buy you lunch and we can check out the booths. I have a few homemade gifts on my list. I might find them here.”

      He’d walk across hot coals to spend a little time with her, so he could easily handle the loud noise of the craft fair a little longer. “Only if you let me buy,” he said.

      “Sure. If you really want to.”

      “Hey, you’ve donated a lot of time and like I said, I owe you a meal at the very least.”

      “Whatever. Come on.”

      He thought they’d head back to the parking lot. He planned on taking her somewhere nice. Instead, she pulled him through a maze of booths to reach the other end of the cafeteria.

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