Spring Break

"Does that happen often?" Kim asked, now the one doing the teasing.

"Um...no. Never."

"I have to say I do understand. I mean, were I that age and here on Spring Break, I'd be willing to risk getting shot down. If the guy was as handsome as you."

She was still smiling, but Trevor wasn't.

"I...I'm really sorry, Kim. I have no idea who they are or even why..."

Now she reached over for his hand, laughed a little, then said, "You don't owe me an apology. You're young, handsome, and single. They're single, very cute, and...extremely young."

Trevor'd lost track of time, but it was now 2000 or 8pm, and a piano player sat down and started playing. It was soft and pleasant, and after listening for half a minute or so, Trevor decided to take a chance.

"Kim? Would you maybe like to dance?" he asked her out of the blue.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. Very."

"Um...okay?" she said, a look of disbelief on her face as she kind of shook her head.

Trevor's mom had taught him to dance when he was still in junior high, and while he didn't exactly enjoy it, there had been many times when it had paid dividends.

"You're a very good dancer," Kim said as they found just enough space to move around on a small open area in front of the piano not covered by college students.

He laughed then told her she needed to thank his mom.

"I doubt I'll ever have the opportunity to meet her, but were that to happen, I most definitely will."

After they both smiled Trevor gently pulled her closer and Kim didn't resist. They danced cheek to cheek for the rest of the song, and when it ended, there was a Hallmark moment when they looked at one another in a way that said they both enjoyed the dance and weren't sure what to do.

"Would you like to dance again?" Trevor asked.

"Yes, but I should probably go get Khloe. I know the service is free, but I didn't come here to leave her alone."

Trevor smiled then said, "You see, you are a good mom."

"I...I had a really nice time talking...and dancing...with you, Trevor. And I'm really glad I had the chance to explain why I was so...obnoxious."

He didn't chide her for apologizing again. He only told her he enjoyed it, too.

"So I suppose this is...goodbye," Kim said as they walked toward the exit of the bar.

"Unfortunately," Trevor told her.

He walked with her until they got to the room with the 'Free Daycare' sign on it where she turned toward him and wished all the best in his next assignment.

"At Camp Lejeune."

"Which, as I understand, isn't all that far from Beaufort," he replied with a smile.

"No. No it isn't," she said as their eyes met for a brief moment.

"Well...goodnight," she told him before she began moving to open the door.

But as she did, Trevor reached out and gently touched her arm, causing her to stop.

"Yes?" she said as she looked at him again.

"I uh, I'd like to see you again, Kim. In North Carolina."

"Trevor, I'm flattered. I really am. And as I said before, were I, well, a lot younger, I'd..."

She smiled then said, "I'd have already invited you up to my room. But I'm not...younger, Khloe's here, and you have your whole life ahead of you so..."

He reached out and touched her hand then said, "So do you."

"I just have a lot less of mine to look forward to," she told him with a look of sadness in her eyes, eyes that showed the hurt she'd been through and perhaps the feeling of wondering if she would ever find true love before her time on earth was up.

"None of us knows how much time we have, Kim. But if two people feel an attraction for one another..."

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek then said, "I really did enjoy our time together," then opened the door and went inside.

As he stood there staring at the door he said out loud to himself, "At least we'll always have...Miami."

*****

Two Weeks later. Eugene, Oregon.

"It's been so good having you home, honey!" his mom said for the third time in less than a week.

"It's good to be home, Mom."

"I know I've said this already, but your father and I are really sorry about the timeshare."

"It's no problem. Really. You either take your two weeks or you lose them, and there's no reason to stay here just to hang out with me."

"You know you could come with us, right?" his mother suggested.

"No thanks, Mom. You and Dad go have a good time. I've actually got somewhere else I'm thinking about going."

Trevor's father walked in and overhead the remark and said with a devilish smile, "Oh, really. Would this 'place' possibly involve a pretty young girl?"

"Duane! Seriously?" his wife replied even though it was probably true.

"If Trev tells me I'm wrong, fine."

He looked at his son then asked, "Am I?"

Trevor laughed, looked apologetically at his mom, then told his father he was correct.

"Ha! Do I know my son or what?" the older Lucas said as he puffed out his chest and jutted his jaw.

"Is this serious?" his mother asked, drawing a look from her husband.

"Louise. For cryin' out loud. Give the kid a break. He's too young to get serious."

"He's 26 years old and we'd been married for two years by that age," she reminded him.

"It isn't serious," Trevor said, stopping the conversation. "I met her in Miami and we uh, we really seemed to click. Or at least I felt like we did."

"You clicked with a girl. On Spring Break. In Miami. Really?" his father asked and said. "You sure you're not confusing a roll in the hay with connecting?"

He got another look from his wife but ignored it.

"I did. And there was no roll in hay or anywhere else. And she wasn't exactly a girl."

Both sets of eyes that were looking at him got very big causing their son to laugh.

"No. Not that. She's a she. Trust me. She's just not a co-ed."

"That sounds very nice, honey," his mom said, hoping in her heart of hearts that her son would settle down one day in the not too distant future and make her life complete with a grandchild or two.

"There's nothing wrong with dating someone your own age, Trevor," his dad informed him.

"She's uh, she's a little older than me."

His parents looked at each other then back at their son.

His mother told him she didn't see any problem with that, either.

"And she has a daughter named Khloe."

"Oh," his mom said, now wanting to ask a bunch of questions.

"A daughter? How old is this daughter?"

"She's eight, Dad."

"Let me guess. Pregnant at 18?"

What started out as an innocent attempt to talk about Kim wasn't going well, so Trevor told his dad it wasn't like that.

"Hey, just don't let some divorcee rope you into marrying her because you've got a decent job."

Before Trevor could respond, his dad asked another question.

"Speaking of jobs, when are you supposed to be making captain?"

"Looks another couple of months or so."

"That's a pretty big pay raise, right?"

"It's not bad."

"Well, all the more reason for a single mom to latch onto a guy like you."

Trevor managed not to shake his head then said he thought he'd go for a run.

After he walked out he heard his mom say, "I hope this...woman...isn't married. You don't think she is, do you?"

His mom was the worry wart and his father was the cynic. So when he heard his father boom out, "Where the hell do you come up with that kind of crap, Louise?" he just shook his head and laughed.

It was indeed good to be back, and having his 30-day leave at home reduced to ten days no longer seemed like such a bad thing. After his run he was going to book a flight to Charlotte, North Carolina.

He was able to get a nonstop flight on American whereas he'd have to change planes twice and spend over 12 hours to fly into Jacksonville, NC, which was closer to Camp Lejeune. So he took the easier itinerary and would rent a car in Charlotte that could be dropped off near the base when he was done with it.

The flight was actually cheaper for the government in terms of reimbursement, and he'd saved a ton of money as an OSO as there'd been precious little time to do much else. He'd made another $3,500 on his car after paying off what he owed, and, as his dad had said, his upcoming promotion meant even more money, so that wasn't a factor in his decision.

He'd been driving his parents' car while home on leave and had planned on buying a new one while he was in Eugene, but now what had seemed like a pleasant 3-4 day drive across country felt like a waste of time. Buying a new car could wait until he got to North Carolina.

He'd already looked up the name Kim Kirkland in Beaufort several times. Just that morning he'd spent a few dollars on a site that provided everything from names to criminal records to find out her last known address and phone number and had every intention on paying her a visit. He only wanted an address and phone number and didn't care about anything else. If they somehow hit it off they could go car shopping together one day. If not, he'd get back in his rental car and head to the base and buy one on his own before reporting in.

His parents' timeshare was in Vancouver, British Columbia, so it worked out perfectly for them to drop him off at the airport in Portland on their way north. He felt bad for almost feeling relieved when he hugged his parents goodbye, but he knew that's just the way things were. He loved his mom and dad and they loved him, but they were on very different wavelengths—especially his dad.

Once he landed in Charlotte he picked up his keys at Avis which had offered him the best rate on a mid-sized car with unlimited mileage, and in a few minutes after picking up his baggage, Trevor was on the road and headed toward the Atlantic coast.

Beaufort was five hours away, and this was his chance to have some of that relaxing drive he'd thought about so many times the last three years. It would just be a couple of thousand miles shorter. He stayed on I-74 which changed names a couple of times before reaching Jacksonville, a city that was was just north of Camp Lejeune and much smaller than its namesake in Florida.

It was Friday night so he stopped at a decent motel on the east end of the city. It would be too late to drop in on Kim, and this would give him time to go for a run in the morning, eat breakfast, and still arrive well before noon. With any luck he might end up taking Kim and Khloe to lunch somewhere.

In the absence of good fortune, he'd turn around and be at the base that afternoon and start checking in (in-processing in the Army) the following day.

Male Marines had to get their hair cut every week without exception unless they were deployed, and Trevor hadn't had a haircut in nearly a month, the longest he'd ever gone since getting commissioned in 2016. So he'd hit the barber shop the first morning, shower, change into uniform, then report in, and while he did he'd have time to do some car shopping before going to work.

He ran six miles for the first time in months and felt exhilarated when he finished. Running had been his stress relief on OSO duty, but time constraints limited him to 3-4 miles most of the time.

After a huge breakfast at a Waffle House, he got back in the Nissan Altima at 10am and plugged in what he believed was Kim's address into his phone's GPS, and headed toward Beaufort with his fingers crossed and high hopes.

It was 11:12 when he heard a female voice say, "Arrived. Destination is on the right."

He looked at the modest house, took a deep breath, then opened the car door. He'd stopped at a flower shop in town, also thanks to Google and GPS, and had a bouquet of something the cute girl at the shop convinced him would be perfect for someone who wasn't a girlfriend—yet.

"With this bouquet and as cute as you are, she might just BE your girlfriend," she told him with a bright, warm smile.

As she rang him up, she gave him a different kind of look and said, "And if she isn't interested, you know where to find me."

As he walked up the driveway Trevor realized he'd never done anything like this before in his life. It wasn't just dropping in unexpectedly, it was the bouquet and the feeling that there was something special about a woman; a woman who was clearly older than him and who also had an eight-year old child. The closest thing he could think of was walking up the sidewalk to pick up his date for the prom in high school, but that wasn't exactly what he was doing here.

Trevor stopped at the front door, took another deep breath, then pushed the doorbell button.

"I'll get it!" he heard.

Knowing it was Khloe's voice made him smile as he heard footsteps approaching.

When the door opened, it took her a second to realize who it was. When she did, she smiled and said, "Trevor!" just as her mom called out, "who is it, honey?"

"Come in!" Khloe said as her mom walked toward the door.

Trevor put his index finger on his lips, so Khloe kept their secret, a huge smile on her face.

"It's a surprise!" she called back.

Trevor's heart was pounding as he waited for Kim to appear. When she did, it was obvious she'd been cleaning the house, but she looked amazing to him even in an old tee-shirt and jeans.

"Who's the surp..."

"Hi," Trevor said once he was sure she recognized him.

"It's Mr. Sand Castle Man!"

"Trevor. What...what are you...?

"These are for you. I...I hope you like them," he said as he extended the bouquet.

Kim's hair was pulled back in a ponytail making her look even younger than he'd remembered, but she was embarrassed by the way she looked.

"They're beautiful, Trevor, but I...I wish I'd known you were coming. I look...hideous!"

Trevor saw Khloe looking up at him and saw she was still smiling.

"I don't think your mom looks hideous. Do you?"

Khloe giggled as she said, "No! She's pretty!"

"See? You don't look hideous," Trevor teased as he stood there smiling at her.

"Well...gee. Um, please come in and give me a minute to go change, okay?"

"Kim? You don't need to change. You look...just fine to me."

"Uh...o...okay. I'll just put these in some water then and..."

"I apologize for dropping by unannounced," Trevor said. "I thought about calling, but I wasn't sure if I had your number, and now I'm here in North Carolina, and thought..."

"No. It's fine. It really is. I just feel so..."

"Don't say 'hideous' again, okay?" Trevor said, smiling at Khloe who was still smiling at him.

"Okay. How about 'unprepared'?" she said, a sweet smile on her face that told him she was happy he dropped by, unannounced or otherwise.

"I can live with that," Trevor said then asked them if they'd had lunch yet.

"No. I was just finishing with the laundry and then I was going to make us something. Would you like to join us?"

Trevor started to say he hoped to take them somewhere when Khloe said, "Can you? Please?"

"I can, but I'd rather take you guys out somewhere instead. Would that be okay?"

Kim had turned around and when their eyes met, she tilted her head and said, "I wouldn't be caught dead out in public looking like this!"

"Well, maybe we could give you a few minutes to change," Trevor told her, the smile now directed at Kim.

"Yeah, we'll give you a few minutes, Mom!" Khloe said, chiming in and piling on.

"We really can just stay here," her mother said.

"I don't think your mom wants to be seen with me in public," Trevor said to Khloe in a voice that made her laugh.

"Or her mom is embarrassed to be seen in public looking like she's been cleaning her house."

"Either way," Trevor told her, "you better go change. We're both hungry."

"Yeah, Mom. We're starving!" a very excited Khloe told her mom.

"Well, okay. I'm getting pretty hungry myself, so give me a minute, okay?" Kim said as she gave Trevor a playful look that him smile.

While Kim changed Khloe asked how Trevor had found their house.

"Well, I knew you guys live in Beaufort, and I also knew your mom's name. So...I got out my rusty, trusty smart phone—which is very smart—and it told me where you live."

"Oh, okay," Khloe told him before asking him if he wanted to see her room.

"I would love to see your room!" he said as she grabbed his hand and started pulling him that way.

On their way, Khloe explained the obvious.

"So that's the bathroom in our hallway, and this is my bedroom, and that one at the end is my mom's."

"Very nice. You should be a tour guide."

"I wanna be a nurse when I grow up so I can help people."

"That's also nice, but you could be a doctor if you want to, too."

"I know," she told him before showing him her treasures which were mostly stuffed animals and all things pink.

Trevor oohed and awed appropriately as Khloe went from one thing to another so fast he had to try not to laugh. But when she pulled out a small photo album, the urge to laugh stopped.

"You can sit on my bed," Khloe told him as she sat down herself.

"Is that a family album?"

"Yes, and this is my daddy," she told him after opening the book.

Trevor saw a man who looked to be maybe 35 who was very good looking. That made sense as Kim was an extremely attractive woman.

As Trevor looked Khloe said, "I love my daddy and he loves me, but he makes mistakes sometimes so he can't live with us anymore."

"I'm really sorry about that, Khloe."

"Me, too, but it's okay because you're here!" she told him as she looked up at him and smiled.

"Honey? Trevor is just visiting, okay?"

Kim's voice made them both turn around, and when Trevor saw her he did a double take and stood up.

"How did you do that?" he asked as he smiled indicating his approval.

"Do you mean go from hideous to homely?"

She smiled, too, but mostly to avoid being scolded again for using that word.

"Um, no. You went from cute to...wow. That's what I mean."

The comfortable clothes she'd been wearing to clean in became a very cute, form-fitting white top and a pair of pink shorts with white sandals. Her ponytail was gone and she'd brushed out her hair and applied a bit of makeup which was more than enough to genuinely impress her visitor.

She laughed as she thanked him and said that she was at least dressed nicely enough to hang out at a Burger King.

Trevor also laughed and told her she didn't give herself enough credit.

"So what did you have in mind?" Kim asked before she saw her daughter flipping through the album.

Trevor noticed, too, but didn't mention it for obvious reasons.

"I was thinking maybe The City Kitchen. Unless you know something I don't."

"Oh. That's not cheap," Kim told him.

"But is the food as good as the online reviews say it is?"

"It's been several years since I ate there, but it was very good food as I recall."

"Then let's go!"

"Or we could just go to iHop or..."

"We could, but I didn't travel two thousand miles to fail to impress you," he said with a little tilt of his head and two raised eyebrows.

Kim looked at him in a way that made him wonder if she wasn't impressed with him or his sense of humor, but as they walked to the front door she said, "You already made a rather big impression on me in Miami."

She grabbed her purse and they were on their way.

The City Kitchen was on the waterfront and the weather was spectacular making the view even more amazing.

The food was equally wonderful, and as they ate, Kim found herself asking the same questions she'd asked since they danced in Miami. How and why could this very attractive younger man possibly be interested in her, a divorced woman who was 40 years old who had an eight-year old daughter? Just as important and just as puzzling to her was how she could even be considering the possibility of anything more than a friendship with someone so much younger than her.

She didn't have the answer to either question. All she knew was that she enjoyed being with him, and she loved the way he treated her—and her daughter. He took the time to listen carefully to Khloe no matter how silly her chatter might be then answered her in a way that showed he cared. Unless he was teasing, and even that was always playful and appropriate. And it was obvious that Khloe already liked him very much. And even more inexplicable to her was the growing awareness that she liked him, too.