Chapter 11 #2
was hightailing it to the pumpkin patch when normally they walked together. Could she be any more obvious?
A minute later they walked through the arch and saw her standing by the pile of hay bales nearby. “How about we divide and
conquer?” Dora said, moving away from them again.
Via grabbed Dora’s parka sleeve before she escaped. “How about not?”
“Dora!” A stocky man with deep brown skin and wearing an orange cap with the Dipstick Depot emblem on it waved as he approached them, holding a little girl’s hand. A smaller version of the hat was perched on her soft, curly brown hair as she licked an orange dream ice-cream cone.
“Charlie?” She rushed to them. “What are you doing here?” She looked at the girl. “Hi, Phoenix.”
“Hi.” Lick. Lick. A thin drip of ice cream ran down her chin.
Dora opened her purse and pulled out a tissue. “Let me get that for you.” She knelt and wiped off the drip. “Better?”
Phoenix nodded and looked up at her dad. “Can we take a picture with Mr. and Mrs. Pumpkinhead?”
“Sure thing, sweetie.” He looked at Dora. “Want to join us?”
“I thought you were staying in Akron tonight.”
“Changed my mind. P wanted to go to the pumpkin patch and the orchard instead of the zoo. Kesha was fine with us switching
weekends.” He grinned. “Couldn’t get back here fast enough.”
Dora looked over her shoulder at Via, who immediately nodded. “See ya later.” She took Charlie’s other hand and the three
of them walked away.
“Cute kid,” Leo said.
“They’re all cute at that age. But P is one of the cutest.” Via was still watching them. Dora was just an inch or two taller
than Charlie in her sneakers. This was the first time she’d seen her with Phoenix, although she’d met the child a few times
at church when Charlie had her on his weekend and summertime visits. He was a good dad, and her sister would be a good stepmom
if things kept going as well as they were now.
Alone now, she and Leo walked farther into the patch.
There were mostly families and plenty of kids, but there were a few groups of teenagers and some couples walking around, enjoying the popcorn, ice cream, lemonade, and of course, picking out pumpkins.
They didn’t talk, but it was a comfortable silence after a rocky start to doing the bucket list.
Leo’s hands were stuffed into his jacket pockets and he was looking around the patch with newcomer interest.
“Let me guess. You’ve never been to a pumpkin patch?”
He sidestepped a toddler who escaped his mother. He nodded at her shout of “Sorry!” as she whisked him away. “What would I
do with pumpkins?” he said.
“Decorate?”
“I hire people to do that.”
Leo wasn’t the pretentious jerk she initially thought he was—another wrong conclusion she’d jumped to—but there were plenty
of reminders that they lived in different worlds. The only reason they were briefly converging was because of Earl.
They stopped in front of the Mr. and Mrs. Pumpkinhead cutouts. Unlike the horror movies of the same name, these were adorably
painted wooden props with the faces cut out. Mr. Pumpkinhead had on green overalls and held an ear of corn while the missus
wore a blue gingham apron, a bright red bow on her stem.
“You seem to enjoy decorating,” he said.
“I do.”
“You’re pretty good at it.”
She smiled at the compliment. “Thanks—”
“It’s not my style, but it works for you.”
“Oh.” So much for a compliment.
“My clients would think I was a little nuts if I had cat decor stuffed in every nook and cranny of my office.”
“That makes sense,” she said, feeling better now that he explained himself.
He paused. “I like the plaid couch, though. And that red necklace you had on the other day.” He peered down at her ear. “Your earrings are cute.”
Those delicious tingles she felt when she was pressed against him in Gold Yeller returned.
“Creative dedication to the theme.”
The playful glint in his eyes was unexpected and amped up her already revving pulse.
“Picture time!” Dora appeared in front of them, beaming.
Via jumped, and Leo took a step back. She couldn’t stop the salty look she threw at her sister, although it was a good thing
she interrupted them. Via had no business getting caught up in Leo’s effortless charm.
Dora handed Via her small Polaroid camera. “Can you take our pictures?”
She took the camera, glad for the diversion from Leo and his tingles and pointed it at the Pumpkinheads. Dora had the camera
ready to go. First it was Charlie and Phoenix. Dora held her so her little face could appear in the hole. The child giggled
and Via pressed the button. A miniature instant photo slid out of the camera slot. She grabbed it.
“Now Dora and P,” Charlie said. Phoenix laughed at Dora’s big grin and Via snapped another photo.
“P, stay right here.” Charlie put her down on the hay bale next to the props. “It’s me and Dora’s turn.”
Via smiled as they made goofy faces, then super-serious ones. When the picture taking was over, Charlie picked up Phoenix
and put her on his shoulders while Dora got the camera and Polaroids from Via. “Thanks!” She thumbed through them quickly.
“These are really good.” She showed Via the Charlie and Phoenix one. “He’s going to like this.”
She took the pictures from Dora again and found the one she wanted—one of her sister and Charlie looking at each other adoringly. She handed it to her. “I think he’ll like this one just as much.”
Dora’s cheeks turned rosy as she accepted the photos. Then she nudged Via toward the Pumpkinheads. “You and Leo’s turn,” she
said as she put the pictures in her pocket. “I’ll hold Sir.”
“Oh no,” Via said. Although she and Dora always got their pictures taken during their sister visits, she didn’t expect Leo
to engage in this part of the tradition.
But Dora was already pulling one of the catpack straps down Via’s arm. “C’mon. Charlie and Phoenix are waiting on me.”
“All right.” She unbuckled the belt. “Leo, you don’t have to—”
But he was already walking toward the cutouts. “It’s just a picture.”
He was right—she was making a big deal over nothing. Via slipped off Sir and hurried to stand behind Mrs. Pumpkinhead. Leo
had to crouch down a little in order to center both their faces.
His arm slid around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
She gasped—
“Say cheese!” Dora took the picture.
Leo’s arm dropped and he quickly moved out from behind Mr. Pumpkinhead as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
“Via!” Dora waved her over, breaking her out of her shock.
When she reached her, Dora was looking at the almost developed Polaroid picture, her smile growing. “You two are gorgeous,”
she said, handing the photo to Via.
She hid a groan. The picture was awful—at least her part of it was. She looked like a dork with her mouth partly open and
her eyes wider than dinner plates. Dora could have taken another picture for Pete’s sake, one where she wasn’t gasping in
surprise at Leo’s thrilling touch.
But Leo . . . ah, Leo. Of course he was perfectly photogenic.
“Let’s see.” He peered over her shoulder. She breathed in the familiar scent of his honey-leather cologne as she glanced at
him, seeing a tiny freckle at the inner corner of his mouth that she hadn’t noticed before, right by the dimple.
Without a word, he took the picture from her, slipped it into the pocket of Earl’s jacket, and stepped away.
Via turned to Dora, stunned. But Dora just gave her yet another knowing look and joined Charlie and Phoenix, who were walking
toward the popcorn machine.
“What’s next?” Leo asked.
“Um . . . why did you keep the picture?”
He seemed surprised by her question. Reaching back into his pocket he said, “Sorry, did you want it?”
“No, I look like a lunatic. I’m wondering why you do.”
“I like it.” He shrugged, as if she should have already known the answer. “And you don’t look like a lunatic.” The corner
of his mouth lifted in a partial smile. “Well, maybe a little.”
She matched his half grin. “In my defense, I wasn’t ready for her to take the picture. I was—” She caught herself before she
said that she’d been distracted. Quickly, she picked up Sir and put his catpack on her shoulders. “We need to get a cart.”
She’d spent enough time embarrassing herself over Harvard Boy.