Ironman

Jason told Kendra about his past during dinner, so she knew how his brother talking about getting married at 27 might make Jason feel.

"And you're trying to protect him, right?" she said supportively.

"Yes and no. I mean, I don't want him to make a big mistake like I did, but he's a grown man and the smartest guy I know."

Jason smiled then said, "And do not tell him I said that, either, okay?"

Kendra laughed as Jason finished his thought.

"So if that's what he wants, then all I want is for him to be happy."

"Yeah. Same here. My mom's been through hell losing my dad. I just want her to be happy again. She loves 'trying' but I know it's a kind of...place filler. It keeps her busy and gives her emotional highs, but I also know what she really wants is the kind of love she had with my dad."

Kendra's eyes got glassy as she said, "She told me she'd pretty much given up hoping, and then Luke came along and made her feel like there was hope. And yet because he's so much younger than her, she feels guilty for even feeling that way."

Jason let out a long sigh then said, "I wish you weren't leaving Medford."

"Me, too, but I only have nine months left. After that...who knows, right?"

Jason drove her home a few minutes later then walked her to the door where he kissed her goodnight.

Kendra promised she'd stay in touch, but as he walked away, he wasn't sure she would, and for the first time he wondered if this was how the many women he'd 'bagged' then sent home had felt.

To her great surprise, Kendra's mom was up again when she got inside.

"How did it go, honey?" Ashton asked excitedly.

"It was really nice, Mom. I uh, I really like him."

"Are you going to try and make it work long distance?" she asked.

"I'd like to try, and Jason seems just as interested."

"Well, that's great, right? I mean, you can't ask for more than that, can you?"

"No. I guess not," her daughter said.

The way she said it told her mom there was more going on than her daughter was saying.

"What aren't you telling me?" Ashton asked, having no idea what her daughter was actually hiding.

When tears welled up in her eyes, her mom got very concerned and asked her to sit down.

"Kendra. Please talk to me. Did something happen?"

"What? No. Mom, nothing...happened. At least not with Jason."

"Then what's wrong? Why are you so upset?"

Kendra shook her head as the first tears fell.

"Honey! What is it? Please talk to me!"

Kendra couldn't look at her mother. She sat there staring into her lap for several seconds before finally telling her, "I...I betrayed your trust."

Her mom lowered her head and looked right at her daughter meaning she wanted her to look up.

"Mom. I am SO sorry. It just...came out."

"What just came out? What are you talking about?"

"I...I told Jason how you feel...what you said...about...Luke."

She finally looked up at her mom, and when she did, Kendra felt even worse.

Her mom's eyes were open wide, and when hers met her mom's, her mom looked away.

"Mom, I am so sorry. But Jason promised he won't say anything to Luke."

Ashton didn't say a word. She was sitting there while her mind was going a million miles an hour trying to figure out what to say. Or do.

"Kendra. How could you?" her mom finally said with less anger than hurt.

"I...I don't know. We were having such a nice time, and the age difference came up, and the next thing I know I'm..."

Ashton hadn't seen Kendra cry like that since her father passed away. The hurt she felt for her daughter overcame the anger and sense of betrayal she was feeling. She turned toward her then held out her arms and pulled her daughter close.

"I am...so...sorry, Mom," she said.

"It's fine, honey. Don't worry about it, okay? It's no big deal."

She pulled back, looked at her daughter, smiled, then said, "Really."

Kendra needed to make sure her mom wasn't angry, and once she was sure, she apologized again then hugged her mother for a good long while.

"This, too, shall pass, right?" Ashton said with another smile.

"Do you forgive me?"

"Of course. I did say those things, right?" her mom pointed out.

"Yes, but you trusted me. And I betrayed your trust."

"Love makes us do crazy things, honey. So stop beating yourself up, okay?"

Kendra sighed a long, shaky sigh then told her mom how much she loved her.

"You, too, sweetie."

"Mom? I just want you to be happy, okay?"

"Thank you, honey. That's what I want, too. For both of us."

"Promise me you'll try? I mean, not necessarily with Luke, but with...well, just keep looking, okay?"

Her mom smiled then said, "I will. I'll try. I promise."

The following morning, Ashton was up at 4am and out training by 4:30. Back home she showered and dressed before Kendra got up, and made breakfast for them both knowing her daughter needed to get going.

She helped Kendra load up her car then hugged her for quite awhile before telling her, "Okay. Go. Go before I start crying."

They hugged one more time then her daughter got in and started the car. She beeped the horn as she pulled out, and Ashton waved, a smile on her face until her daughter was out of sight. She didn't cry, but she did allow herself a moment of sadness before going back inside.

All during her bike ride, she'd been unable to stop thinking about their conversation the night before. And in the end, she realized that if her own daughter had shared something so personal, it seemed very likely Jason would say something to Luke. And if he did, and if she couldn't set things straight...

At 10 o'clock, she made her decision, and headed across town to the bicycle shop she'd never been to hoping to fix the mess her daughter...no, the mess that she had made.

Before she left, Ashton nearly changed clothes before telling herself that was ridiculous.

"This isn't...a date. It's a...cleanup."

So the sleeveless, dark-yellow knit top and black shorts she was wearing would have to be good enough. She also left her hair pulled back in a ponytail after dismissing the thought of letting it down along with changing.

Her flat, white sandals clopped as she walked up to the door of the bike shop where she stopped and took a deep breath before opening it and walking inside.

"Be right with you!" she heard a male voice say.

It was a male voice she recognized, and just the sound of it gave her goosebumps as she tried to remember everything she wanted to say. She'd rehearsed it several times on the way, but now she suddenly felt confused and her thoughts were all jumbled up.

When she saw a head raise up behind a bike that was being worked on she felt sick to her stomach. Then when that face saw hers and smiled, the sick feeling turned to warmth as she smiled back and said 'good morning'.

"Ashton?" Luke said as he tried to wipe his hands clean.

"Luke. Hi," she replied as he walked her way.

"I uh, I'd offer to shake your hand, but..."

He held them out and showed her the streaks of grease that hadn't come off.

She laughed nervously then said, "That's okay. I...I was just, you know, in the neighborhood, and I...I thought I might stop by and say 'hello'."

"I'm very glad you did," he told her. "Can I get you a bottle of water? I had my first light workout since Ironman, and I could some myself."

"Um...well, if you're getting some for yourself then...sure. Yes, please.

Luke grabbed a clean cloth to pick her bottle up with then handed it to her.

"Thank you," she said, her confidence returning.

"You...you look really nice," he told her sincerely.

"Oh. Um...thank you. I...I had a really good workout myself this morning."

Her confidence waned again when she realized the 'workout line' came out of nowhere.

"Gee, just like my daughter telling this..."

She looked at Luke in his bicycle shop tee-shirt and shorts and thought, "This gorgeous, young man's brother...what I said about him."

"So to what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked as he showed her to a small area with a tiny table and three chairs.

He put another clean cloth on the seat then invited her to sit down as he opened his bottle and took a long first drink. Ashton's mouth was suddenly very dry, and she, too, opened hers and took a sip.

"Jason said Kendra's leaving for school today," Luke mentioned trying to be careful the way he said it.

"Yes. She uh, she left this morning."

"Last year, right?"

"Yes. Right. She'll be done in late May."

"That's great," Luke said as he sat there looking at her thinking she was quite possibly the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, and how she was probably there to let him know how deeply offended she'd been during their brief time together.

"I'm very proud of her," Ashton told him.

"You should be. She's an amazing young woman."

Ashton thanked him then tried to tell Luke the reason she'd stopped by.

"Luke. I...I think there's been a kind of mis..."

The front door opened, and another male voice called out, "You done with that FX.4 yet?"

"No. Not yet. We have a visitor," Luke called back.

The FX.4 was a decent, lower-end Trek bike that sold for just over $1,200. It was in for a tune up, and Luke was finishing it up when Ashton walked in.

When Jason walked in, Ashton wanted to melt into the floor from embarrassment, but she forced a smile and said, "Jason. Hi!"

"Mrs. Michaels," he replied, the formality surprising both her and Luke.

"Ashton. Please," she said, sensing his discomfort.

"Okay. Ashton," he replied. "What brings you to our humble abode?"

Jason hadn't said a word to his brother but his 'spider senses' were tingling, and he smelled trouble.

When she didn't immediately reply, Jason told her, "I had a really nice time last night. Kendra is a very special girl."

"Yes. Yes, she is. She said she had a nice time, too."

"Oh. Great. That's really...great," Jason said nervously. "Did she um, say...anything else?"

Ashton took a deep breath then said, "Actually, yes. She did say something else, and well, that's why I'm here. To, you know, clear up the...misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?" Luke said as he glared at his brother who immediately broke eye contact.

"Well, yes. About the things I said—about Luke. After he and I talked. I had no idea my daughter would..."

"You did not say anything, right?" Luke said tersely to his brother, cutting Ashton off in the middle of her sentence.

When he broke eye contact again, Luke shook his head in disgust.

"What is wrong with you, man? I trusted you with something that personal and you turn around and blab it that fast?"

"Wait. I'm confused," Ashton said looking at Luke then Jason then back at Luke.

"Ashton? I am so sorry," Luke said.

"You're sorry? For what?" she asked, her confusion mounting.

"Wait. What are you talking about?" Luke asked.

"My daughter. She...she's the one who...blabbed. To Jason."

"What...what's going on here?" Luke asked, drilling holes in his brother's head.

Jason finally looked at him then confessed.

"I...I kind of mentioned to Kendra that, you know, you kind of have a thing for..."

"Oh, my God! That's just great! You finally open up, and we talk about personal stuff, and you drag mine out of me then you turn around and tell your girlfriend what I said about her mom just hours later. Wow. Nice. Thanks a lot—bro!"

"Okay. Can both of you just stop for a moment?" Ashton asked, the look of bewilderment on her face growing worse by the second.

"I never meant for you to find out like that," Luke said ignoring her request, and assuming she knew what he'd said.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Luke," she told him. "I'm here to apologize, and clear the air, about things I told my daughter—in private."

Luke shook his head then asked, "What things? I'm the one who said them."

"He did," Jason chimed in.

"What...things?" Ashton repeated, only from a completely different frame of reference.

"Am I the only person totally lost here?" Luke asked.

"No. There are at least two of us," she said as she turned to stare at Jason, too.

"Maybe I should sit down," he said, pulling the third chair his way to stay out of arm's reach from his brother who was still glaring at him.

"We're waiting," Luke said with a severe edge to his voice.

"Yes. We're waiting," Ashton added, just not so sternly.

"I kind of need some water," Jason said.

As he went to stand up, both Luke and Ashton said, "Sit down!"

"Now talk," Luke told his brother.

"Okay. I did...talk. I...blabbed. I let Kendra know how you feel or...felt...about her mom. But that was only after she told me how her mom felt about you, so..."

"What?" Ashton said in total disbelief.

She looked at Luke then said, "What feelings is he talking about?"

"Oh, God," Luke said as he took another drink.

Luke was starting to understand what was going on, and realized Ashton was still missing a piece of the puzzle. He drew a long, deep breath then exhaled loudly.

"Okay. After you and I talked—at the coffee shop—I kind of went away thinking I'd really offended you by bringing up how...beautiful...you are. I said it several times even though we'd only just met. But I also realized you were the first woman I've ever, you know, who...well, I guess I kind of walked away thinking you were the most amazing woman I've ever met, and then I shared that with...Blabbermouth over there...and he...blabbed it to Kendra last night so obviously you're here to tell me I'm...crazy or...out of my league or...out of my mind."

Ashton sat there staring at him, her jaw dropped, and shaking her head.

"You. You thought... You said...?"

"Can I say something?" Jason asked.

"No!" both of them said at the same time.

"This is the last thing I'll say. I swear," Jason told them.

"Oh, gee. And where have I heard that before?" Luke asked bitterly.

"Just listen, okay?" Jason pleaded.

Luke leaned back in his chair while Ashton crossed her arms and waited.

"You're both missing something, okay? Luke. You think she knows what you told me, but she doesn't. Or at least she didn't until just a few seconds ago. And Ashton? You think Luke knows what you told Kendra, but he doesn't. He doesn't because that's the one thing I didn't...blab. But it seems to me both of you like each other. Both of you think it's crazy, and yet neither of you knows each other. Or would that be...the other person? Or that each of you...likes the other person—back?" Jason said, talking so quickly it was comical.

"Wait," Luke began.

He looked at Ashton and said, "So when you left the coffee shop, you weren't thinking I was some kind of...idiot?"

The light was starting to come on for Ashton at the same time it was glowing brighter for Luke. As it did, she finally realized he had similar feelings for her.

"No. Not at all. In fact, I left there feeling...confused. I had all these feelings I shouldn't be having because you made me feel...beautiful. And even...special. And I felt guilty for feeling them. And at some point I shared them with Kendra never dreaming she'd..."

"Blab?" Jason suggested.

For the first time, Ashton allowed herself to breathe, and when she did, she also laughed.

"Oh, my gosh! So...you had no idea I told my daughter those things?" she asked Luke.

He leaned forward in his chair, smiled at her as relief washed over him then said, "No. Not until just now."

"And Ashton didn't know you felt the same way until..." Jason began saying.

"You be quiet," Luke said, as he held up a hand to his brother who knew he was no longer angry at him.

Ashton laughed nervously again then said, "I...I think I'm glad I stopped by. At least now we both know how...silly all this is...and we can...move on, right?"

"Right! Yeah, this was...bizarre," Luke said with a shake of his head.

"Except that..." Jason began to say.

He waited to see if either of them was going to blast him again before he continued.

"Except that, unless someone wasn't telling the truth, both of you have...or at least had...feelings for the other person. So, wouldn't it make sense to maybe sit here and talk about that or get together again rather than pretend it was just some big...misunderstanding?"

"I'm sure Luke has had time to...come to his senses," Ashton said. "Now that he's had time to realize how old I am, what more could there be to talk about?"

"No, wait," Luke said. "I was about to say that you've probably realized I'm not exactly someone you'd want to, you know, spend time with because of my age."

"No. That's not it, at all," Ashton told him. "It's just that, well, I'm...I'm old enough to um...be Kendra's mom."

"May I?" Jason asked again.

"Yes, please," Ashton said, feeling like her head was spinning.

"Luke? Do you care about Ashton's age?"

"No. Not at all."

"Ashton? Does Luke being 27 bother you?"

"I...I just assumed someone as young and well, honestly, as handsome as Luke couldn't possibly, you know, think I'm..."

"Beautiful?" Luke said quietly.

"Well, yes," Ashton said, her heartbeat quickening when she looked over at him.

"Then you would be incorrect," he said quietly and with a smile. "Because you are."

"I...I don't think I'm...unattractive," she began, "but..."

"I uh, I think I've worn out my welcome here," Jason said as he stood up and pushed the chair back in place. "I'm gonna...I'm gonna go out to the car and look for that five-gallon can of prop wash I forgot to bring in."

Ashton had never heard the joke before, and assumed such a thing existed, as well as his way of giving them some privacy. Regardless, she was grateful and said she hoped they could talk later on.

"So, yeah. I'll get right on that. And it may take me a little while to find it," he said as he backed out.

Luke smiled at him and his brother nodded before turning and heading outside.

"My brother isn't always the brightest bulb in the shed, but he's a good guy, and his heart is always in the right place."

Before Ashton could respond, Luke said, "Even when his foot is in his mouth."

She laughed mostly to relieve the built-up anxiety then told him she agreed.

"And every now and then he even comes up with reasonably good idea. Like you and me. Sitting down and talking."

Luke's eyebrows were raised in hopeful anticipation, and Ashton happily told him she thought that was a really good idea.

"You do?" Luke said, causing her to laugh again.

"Yes. I think it's a very good idea. For you and me to...talk."

Luke smiled then said, "About us?"

"I don't see how it could hurt? Do you?" she asked, her voice soft and sweet.

"No. It couldn't possibly hurt. And who knows, right?"

"Right. Who knows?" she repeated.

"So could I maybe get your phone number...Ashton?" Luke asked as they sat there smiling at each other. "You know, in case we want to really sit down and talk?"

"Oh. Yes. Um...you ready?" she asked.

Luke pulled his phone and told her he was. She gave it to him, and as soon as it was entered, her phone buzzed.

She looked down and laughed.

"I can't wait to talk with you, either, Luke," she told him.

"May I walk you out?" he asked as he stood up.

"I'd like that," she said.

As she started to stand up, Luke offered her a semi-greasy hand, and Ashton took it without hesitation.

"Thank you," she said just as sweetly as she stood up in front of him.

"I apologize if you have grease on your hand," he told her as he let go of it once she was standing up.

"I'll live," she let him know with a smile.

"Ashton?" he said as they got near the front door.

"Yes?"

"I'm really glad you were...in the neighborhood."

She smiled then lowered her head.

"I don't know why I said that," she told him apologetically.

"It's okay. I don't really care how or why you stopped by. I'm just really glad you did."