Ironman

Kendra laughed, thanked him again for his time, then suggested they head back over to the 'gang'.

"I call it 'the posse' but 'gang' works," Luke told her as he offered her a hand to help her stand up.

She thanked him then followed him back over to where the noise level had increased by another 20% since they left.

It was around 9:30 when Luke made his first attempt at an early exit. But Jason had already had a few and told his brother to stick around.

"Just sing us a song, okay, bro?" he asked loudly.

The others who knew Luke could sing joined in the chorus, too.

"No. No thanks," Luke said. "I need to get home and get to bed. I need my beauty sleep."

"Oh, you got that right!" Jason called out. "But you ain't goin' home yet, little brother!"

Kendra was smiling at him, and when Luke looked at her she just shrugged. He started laughing then noticed her grabbing her phone. She sat there and texted someone for a few seconds then, through the noise, asked him to stay.

Luke sighed loudly then relented.

"Okay. I'll hang around a while longer."

He sat back down and Kendra said, "I didn't know you could sing."

"I don't advertise it. And I'm not really all that good," Luke told her.

She sensed it was more of the modesty she'd already experienced while talking to him and let it go at that.

Jason pounded another beer before the karaoke bar opened up at 10 o'clock, and when it did, he got up and hollered, "Let's hear it for my baby brother who finished 10th at Ironman in Hawaii this year!"

His entire posse exploded, as did the rest of the room that was mostly feeling pretty good, too.

"Go on, Luke. I want to hear you," Kendra said.

"Okay. At least I can get this over with early," he told her as he got up.

There was more raucous applause as he walked up to the small 'stage' in front of the karaoke screen. On the way he passed a very attractive woman he'd never seen before. It was dark enough that he couldn't see her face in great detail, but it was light enough for him to know she was beautiful. She had long, blonde hair, and she smiled politely at him as he walked by her.

He forgot about her just seconds later when he grabbed the mike then hit 'random play' and waited for a song to come up.

When the first notes sounded, Luke recognized the oldie and started tapping his foot. It got a lot quieter as he raised the mike and began singing. He curled his lip, and got another round of laughs before singing:

"We're caught in a trap. I can't walk out. Because I love you too much, baby. Why can't you see? What you're doin' to me? When you don't believe a word I'm saying."

The place exploded in even louder applause, and that's when Luke noticed the attractive blonde was sitting next to Kendra, who was smiling and pointing at him as he continued to sing.

"So if an old friend I know. Stops by to say hello. Would I still see suspicion in your eyes?"

The blonde woman was now smiling, too, and singing along with him. Unable to take his eyes off of her, he smiled back then finished the song.

When it ended, he bowed and said, "Thank you. Thank you very much," trying to do his best Elvis impression.

"One more!" Jason hollered. "Come on, bro!"

Luke shrugged as everyone else cheered.

"Okay. One more. But that's it," he said, hoping they'd let him go after that.

He hit random play again then waited. While he did, he saw the blonde woman talking to Kendra but looking at him. She was still smiling, so Luke smiled back.

When the first notes sounded, he saw the beautiful blonde cover her mouth while Kendra called out something Luke couldn't hear. He gave Kendra a confused look, but she was trying to push the attractive blonde to go up on stage. The older woman was having none of it until Jason got up, grabbed her, and literally picked her up, and carried her there.

"Sorry," Luke told the woman who was now standing next to him and still shell-shocked.

"Here," he said handing her the mike before reaching for the other.

"This is...this is..." she tried to say as the first words appeared.

Luke smiled at her as he started singing:

"I realize the best part of love is the thinnest slice, and it don't count for much, but I'm not letting go, I believe there's too much to believe in."

"Come on," he said after lowering the mike. "Sing with me."

She gave him a look, but he could tell she wasn't upset at him just as she raised her mike and sang:

"So lift your eyes if you feel you can, Reach for a star, and I'll show you a plan."

Luke moved closer and sang with her:

"I figured it out, what I needed was someone to show me."

They looked at each other then sang together:

"You know you can't fool me, I've been loving you too long. It started so easy, you want to carry on."

She finally smiled then sang:

"Lost in love, and I don't know much. Was I thinking aloud and fell out of touch? But I'm back on my feet and eager to be what you wanted. So lift your eyes if you feel you can. Reach for a star and I'll show you a plan. I figured it out, what I needed was someone to show me."

They finished the song together, and the place went berserk.

"I think they liked you!" Luke told her.

"Me? No. That's for you!" she yelled back.

"I'm Luke," he yelled over the noise.

"Hi, Luke. I'm Ashton."

"Wait? Kendra's mom? That Ashton?" he asked as he looked a little closer.

"Yes. That Ashton," she told him with a laugh as he helped her off stage.

"Oh, my goodness. I thought you didn't come to bars," he said as the noise died down a bit.

"I don't. But Kendra texted me and practically begged me to so..."

"Mom! That was SO awesome!" Kendra said as her mom neared the table.

Before she could thank her, Jason hollered, "Hold on there! That woman—that very HOT, blonde woman—is your mother?"

Ashton couldn't help laughing even though Jason was pretty drunk.

"I hope you don't drive anywhere tonight," Luke heard her say loudly but very pleasantly to his inebriated brother.

"He won't, Mom. I'll make sure of that," Kendra answered for him as they all sat down, Luke included.

Ashton tried asking Luke a question, but had to shout so loudly she gave up.

Luke held up his phone then hollered across the table and said, "We can text each other!"

Ashton laughed then shook her head, then yelled, "Or we could step outside where we don't have to yell!"

Luke gave her a thumbs up then saw her say something to Kendra who looked at Luke then nodded to her mom. Kendra listened some more, nodded again then hugged her mom.

The place was packed, and Ashton was having trouble getting around people so Luke extended a hand, and a smile, and after seeing how insanely crowed it was, she accepted it. Luke interlaced his fingers with hers then put his arm behind himself so she could walk closely in his wake while he zigzagged through the throng of noisy patrons.

Once they got to the foyer where it was quiet enough to think and even talk, Luke moved his hand back down to his side but didn't let go of Ashton's hand until the got to the door.

"Wow. That was...an obstacle course," he told her as he opened the door.

"Thank you, and yes, that was...awful."

Once they were outside she said, "Not your signing. That was very good. But the noise. Oh, my goodness. I just don't enjoy that kind of thing at all anymore. This is so much better. No noise, no yelling, and no booze."

It wasn't cold, but it was getting cool outside, so Luke pointed across the street to a coffee shop and asked her if she'd like to sit down and talk somewhere quiet.

"Heavens, yes!" she said as he led her across the street.

He opened that door for her, too, then asked if she'd like anything.

"No, thank you. It's too late for coffee, and I don't eat sugar anymore."

Luke smiled then said, "You really are serious about trying."

"I guess you could say the bug has bitten me pretty hard."

They found an empty table then Luke said he wanted to at least buy a bottle of water to justify sitting there.

"Would you like one, too?" he asked.

"Oh...no thanks. I'm fine," she told him, her smile even more beautiful inside in the light than in the dim bar.

When he sat back down, Ashton smiled but didn't speak.

Luke opened the bottle, took a sip, then said, "This may be the strangest way I've ever met anyone before."

Ashton laughed and told him she agreed.

"Honestly? If Kendra hadn't begged me, I'd never have gone to a place like Gypsy's. Even when Patrick, my late husband, was still alive, that kind of place wasn't somewhere I'd ever intentionally go."

"I'm with you," Luke said. "Jason twisted my arm—hard—to go have a beer with him, and after each triathlon I allow myself one. I only drank about half of it, and that was plenty."

She had no idea what her daughter had already said to Luke so Ashton told him she didn't have an issue with people drinking.

"I understand," Luke replied. "Kendra mentioned how you lost your husband as well as how your concern is with driving under the influence rather than just...being under the influence."

"I think I've probably said that so many times she's sick of hearing it, but yes, that's my take on it. I don't care what people do as long as it's legal...and consensual...but I care very much when they hurt other people because they did it."

"Ashton? I just wanted to say how sorry I am that happened."

"Thank you. Me, too," she told him.

Her smile faded briefly before it came right back as she said, "I am so impressed by your finish at Ironman. I'm just hoping to be able to be good enough to compete there and finish the event next year."

"How long have you been trying?" Luke asked her before taking another sip.

An hour passed before either one of them noticed as they discussed the sport and went from the general to the specific on a number of topics. Ashton was hungry for information, and Luke was an excellent source.

He was impressed with her understanding of triathlon jargon as she talked about things like VO2max, T1 and T2, plyometrics, mashing, and LSD with relative ease.

Two police officers came in for a cup of coffee, and one of them turned around when Ashton mentioned 'LSD' which was tri-speak for 'long, slow distance'. He gave her the once over then realized it was highly unlikely she was either buying or selling drugs.

Luke noticed and commented on it as the police officers left.

"I was wondering why he was staring at me," she said once Luke mentioned the dual usage of the abbreviation.

Ashton laughed then Luke said, "You can't blame him for staring, though, right? I mean, how often do you hear a woman as beautiful as you talking about LSD?"

He laughed, but Ashton suddenly stopped.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked, his smile also gone.

"No. I...I just wasn't expecting to hear you say that," she told him.

"I feel like I should apologize," Luke let her know.

"Oh, no. I...I wasn't...offended. At all. I was just...surprised. That's all," she told him, the smile back but not as bright.

"I've probably taken up too much of your time already," Luke said almost apologetically.

Ashton realized what was going on, and tried to explain.

"Luke. I honestly wasn't offended. It's just that, well, you're a...I feel so silly saying this, but..."

"No. Please don't. Whatever it is you'd like to say, please say it."

"Thank you. I was just trying to tell you that you're a...very...nice-looking young man, so when you used the word 'beautiful' I think maybe it struck me as...I don't know...a kind of throwaway line or something. But I wasn't offended in the least."

Luke shook his head in a kind of disbelief now that he knew what she was thinking.

"Wow. That actually surprises me," he told her. "It not only wasn't a throwaway line, it was an honest, sincere compliment. I'm still trying to wrap my head around you being Kendra's mom. Not in terms of age. That's clear now. Still, and this isn't a line, either, you just don't look anywhere close to being old enough to being her mother. But both of you are very beautiful women."

"That was very nice of you to say, Luke. Thank you."

This time she smiled warmly and thanked him sincerely, and yet something still seemed wrong, but Luke wasn't about to ask. There was a moment of silence before Ashton asked him what he did for a living.

"Or do you have enough sponsors to let you 'try' for a living?"

"No. Not hardly. Even a 10th-place finish isn't enough to attract a sponsor. Jason and I own a bike shop here in town. As in—bicycles."

"Which one?" she asked, her interest suddenly peaked.

Luke told her the location, and Ashton said, "Oh, okay. I live on the other side of town, so I go to one of your competitors. Sorry."

She smiled then said, "But I'll make it a point of coming to yours from now on."

"You have no idea how much I'll look forward to that," Luke told her, the smile now back on his face, too.

Ashton laughed quietly then said, "I'm not going to get in trouble again by questioning your sincerity. I'm just not sure that's much to look forward to."

Luke sat there for a few seconds just looking at her as he tried to decide if she could possibly believe that or if she was just being modest. Her long, blonde hair and blue eyes were amazing. Her smile was perfect, and her face really was very young looking. Even when she smiled, he couldn't see anything but the faintest of creases around the corners of her eyes, and she wasn't wearing makeup to try and hide them. She was obviously extremely fit, and were she anywhere close to his age, Luke would have already asked her out.

He smiled then told her, "And yet I find myself already looking forward to seeing you again, so...go figure, right?"

Ashton smiled pleasantly then said, "I've taken up a lot of your time, Luke, and if you're like me, you're rarely up this late."

"No. Not at all. I mean, 'yes' to the not normally being up this late part, but I'm still readjusting to the time after getting used to Hawaii. But you haven't taken up my time at all. In fact, it's been a real pleasure being able to talk 'tri' to someone else who understands it."

Ashton laughed then said, "Your brother used to run triathlons, didn't he?"

"He did. In fact, Jason is the better athlete between the two of us. He just had a kind of rough go at things, and ever since he hasn't really had any interest."

"I know better than to ask personal questions so I'll stop right there," she said politely.

"It's not a big secret. Jason fell head over heels for a girl several years back, and he gave up the sport for her only to have her give him up for some other guy. To say it wrecked him would be an understatement."

The look on Ashton's face was genuine as she said, "Oh, my. I feel so bad for him. I can't even imagine. Of course, I didn't run much after college, but my marriage was...pretty wonderful. So just the thought of ever doing that to someone is something I can't even imagine."

"It was tough to watch, but I know that was nothing compared to what Jason went through himself. I mean, she, and their baby, was his whole world, but evidently, he wasn't enough for her."

Ashton looked down then back at Luke before saying, "I know looks aren't everything, but like you, Jason is a very handsome guy. Again, that doesn't guarantee anything, it just makes it more difficult to understand."

"She was a former model, and every bit as beautiful and my brother is handsome. I just don't think she was really ready for a long-term commitment and although our bike shop does really well, she was the kind of girl who needs constant attention in the form of expensive gifts. Don't get me wrong, Jason tried hard, but it just wasn't ever enough, you know?"

"I can only chalk something like that up to one of the mysteries of life. As I said, my marriage was so...fulfilling. We didn't have a lot of money, but I was always very happy."

She forced a smile then said, "I don't know whether or not I'll ever get married again, but if I do, it'll be with the intention of it being for life with someone I truly love and who loves me just as much."

Luke stopped staring at her and looked down at his water bottle.

"Now I'm concerned I may have said something wrong," Ashton told him.

"No. Not at all," he said as he looked back up at her. "It's just that, well, lately..."

He looked down again then finally said, "This isn't the kind of thing I could ever tell my brother, and he's the best friend I have, but..."

He looked at Ashton, and when he saw her sitting there looking at him as though she was genuinely interested, he told her.

"This last year or so, I've been almost...obsessed...with finding someone. Well, not just...someone...but, I don't know, the 'right' one, maybe? Or if you believe in such a thing...my soul mate?"

She smiled then suggested he'd been bitten by a bug, too.

"Just not the 'trying' bug," she said.

"Please don't say 'the love bug'," Luke told her with a smile.

Ashton laughed then asked him if he knew the song.

"You mean..."

He did a kind of 'shuck and jive' hick sort of thing then started quietly singing the old George Jones tune.

"Well, I was rulin' the roost, had all the chicks to myself."

Ashton covered her mouth as she laughed while Luke hammed it up by exaggerating the southern accent and making goofy faces as he sang.

"Stop!" she said by the second stanza. "I can't breathe!"

Luke stopped singing but didn't go out of character.

"Young lady? You look like you might be in that there an-a-fleck-tick shock. Have you dun bin bit by one a them there Love Bugs? Cuz that'll do 'er, you know!"

Ashton was holding up one hand and holding her side with the other.

"Sorry. I'll stop now," Luke told her.

"Oh, my goodness! I haven't laughed like that in...ages!"

Caught up in the moment, Luke started talking before his brain could override his mouth.

"I'll tell you what. If you could see yourself when you're that happy, you'd understand why I said you were so beautiful a little while ago."

Ashton stopped laughing so quickly Luke felt almost sick to his stomach.

"It...it really is late. I...I should get going," she told him as she looked away from him and at her purse.

"Oh. Sure. It...it is getting late," he replied, certain he'd just made a complete fool out of himself.

He got up when she did and walked her to the door then asked if he could walk her to her car.

"Oh, no. You don't need to do that. Thank you for offering, though," she told him, barely even glancing his way.

Now unsure if he should say anything more at all, he decided to tell her he'd enjoyed talking with her and hope she might walk away not thinking he was an utter and complete flake.

"Oh, yes. Me, too, Luke," she told him. "You were very helpful. I'm going to try and incorporate some of your tips in my training regimen, and start saving for an even better bike."

There was a long, awkward moment of silence before Luke said, "It...it was a pleasure meeting you, Ashton."

"You, too," she said very quickly. "And thank you again."

Luke nodded then said, "Well...goodnight."

"Goodnight," she said with a slight smile but, again, she barely even glanced his way.

He watched her until she got to her car then noticed she seemed to be texting.

"Probably telling her daughter what an ass you just made of yourself," he said out loud.

A minute later she pulled away and drove off without even looking over at him.

"Way to go..."

He was going to use another, much more vile pejorative but decided not to beat himself up any further. He'd completely blown it with her, but then there wasn't really any 'with her' to blow, so all he could do was be thankful he wouldn't have to ever see her again and be reminded of what an... idiot...he was.