Alexis
Chapter One
Twenty years later
I’m meant to be getting stuff out of the closet, but I keep getting sidetracked by what I find.
Five of us Bells kids means we have a lot of old sentimental junk, even with regular clear outs. My Mom likes to get all the old toys out so the grandkids can play when they come over. Now Bette’s pregnant and my brother Alfie’s working in the city, I’m the last one still at home.
We’re a close family and I see a lot of my sisters, but sometimes it’s like I’ve been left behind.
Particularly now my twin, Taylor, is so happy with her little boy Oscar.
She somehow managed to find her dream man right here in Snowflake Falls, in the house next door to where she was sharing with her friends.
And now she has the perfect set up, with a handsome military husband, lovely home and the sweetest little kid.
I joke about it, but I wonder if I’m ever going to have my own happy ever after.
I’m on tiptoes reaching right into the top of the closet when a whole box of our old toys falls on me with a crash.
The dogs start barking as I wail at my Mom to come help me.
The box has actually fallen on top of my head but luckily it’s mostly made up of squeezed out inflatables, plastic rings and other light stuff. My old baseball bat teeters on top of a shelf before it falls. I manage to catch it on the way down.
My Mom starts laughing when she sees me on the floor, surrounded by toys and dogs, clutching a baseball bat.
“Mom. It’s not funny.” I can’t help laughing too. “Help me out here.”
She’s shaking her head at the sight but comes over and helps me up. I use the baseball bat to lean on as I stand up.
“Is that your old bat?” Mom peers down and lifts her glasses in front of her eyes to take a closer look.
“Sure is. The one that saved Dax on the Fourth.” There are scorch marks running up to the top.
I can still remember the feeling of connection as I instinctively swung the bat to connect with the rocket.
There’s a buzzing sound outside; Dax must be cutting the grass next door.
It’s all systems go in the days before Independence Day.
“I’ll finish this later Mom, just going to go show Dax the bat.” I run downstairs into the sunshine.
The smell of freshly cut grass is overpowering and I shade my eyes from the sun to admire Dax’s handiwork.
He’s cut alternating strips of lawn up and down the Shelby’s front yard in neat lines.
He has his headphones on and is singing slightly off key to something I can’t hear over the sound of the lawnmower.
He gives me a wave and walks over, pulling off his headphones and turning off the machine as he approaches.
“Want a game?” He winks and gestures at the bat I’m holding.
“Do you think you’d fit into your old baseball shirt?” I smile back, since Dax isn’t wearing a shirt and his tan, muscular chest wouldn’t have a hope in hell of fitting his teenage baseball outfit. In my head I guess I still see him as a lanky teenager, not this big, handsome, muscular guy.
“Probably not. Is that the famous lifesaving bat?” He reaches out his hand and I give it to him.
He runs his fingers up and down the scorch marks.
“You really saved my ass Alex. I could have lost an ear - or an eye.” His deep brown eyes twinkle at mine as I crane my neck to meet his.
I always forget how tall he is until I’m standing right next to him.
He had a phenomenal growth spurt when he was 15 and now he’s 6’4” at least.
“Now that would be a tragedy. I don’t think you’d get many girls with an eye patch. Unless they like the pirate look.” I scrunch up one eye to make him laugh.
“Arrrr. Girlzzzz. I don’t be having time for no girlzzz.” He’s doing his best Jack Sparrow impersonation. It kind of suits him with his dark hair and tan skin.
And he’s right.
He doesn’t have any time for girls. Dax works harder than anyone else I know, and I’m from a family of worker bees.
I think after his Dad died he felt responsible for making sure there was enough money coming in, so he took on after school jobs and always worked on construction sites over summer vacation.
He’s done well for himself, climbing his way up so now he’s managing big teams and lots of different projects at the same time. It would drive me crazy, but Dax seems to enjoy the challenge.
He peers down at me. “How are the little darlings?” That’s his joke name for the summer school class I coach.
I was offloading to him about a terrible day when I first started and he cocked an eyebrow at me and said “...but they sound like little darlings!” which made me laugh, so now he always calls my class that.
“They’re all behaving themselves. Which makes me suspicious. We’ve been drawing pictures of fireworks for the Fourth of July. I should get them to draw one of a boy being saved by a girl with a baseball bat - huh?” I hold my hand out for the bat.
He hands it back to me but as I grasp it he keeps hold of it so we do a little tug of war to try and wrestle it away from each other.
We’ve been like this for years - jostling to try and be the one who has the last laugh.
He cheers me up when I take things too seriously and vice versa.
I love my girl friends and my siblings, but my relationship with Dax is really special.
Maybe because he’s been in my life, right next door, for so long, I know him so well.
Or maybe because he’s just such a great guy.
He ticks all the boxes - funny, smart, hardworking.
He’ll make someone a wonderful boyfriend.
I wince, imagining him with some awful girl who doesn’t appreciate him.
Dax sees my pained expression and immediately stops wrestling for the bat. “You okay Alex? Too rough?”
“No, just thinking about something. Is your Mom making her famous potato salad?”
“She’s left the ingredients with her secret recipe so we can recreate it since she’s staying with Aunt Della this week. You’re going to have a full house with all your siblings back. How’s Bette coping with pregnancy?”
“Making a big deal out of it. It’s like she’s the first person to ever have a baby. My sisters roll their eyes when she mentions her birth plans. But she’s just worried, I think. Are you coming for the whole day on the Fourth?”
His face falls. “I’d love to but I have this work thing.
It’s in the afternoon so I’ll get it done and then come back in the evening for the family stuff.
We have a potential client who we need to impress, so I’ll be doing some schmoozing when I really just want to be kicking back with a beer and a hotdog. ”
I’m disappointed too.
It’s such a tradition that our families are together on Independence Day that it will feel like something’s missing.
And I was going to tell him all about my success coaching my summer school kids this year.
He’s been so busy with work I haven’t been able to get him to help out, so I was going to bug him about it.
But seeing his face, I want to make him smile again.
“Oh arr. A top secret pirate meeting. Don’t forget your parrot! ”
He laughs. “I will try not to, me hearty.”
“Good job with the yard. I’ll leave you to it. My Mom will have a fit if I haven’t finished the closet by tonight. See you later.” I gesture at him with the baseball bat, and he mimes flinching and ducking.
As I walk away the sound of the mower starting up drowns out the sound of the birds and the smell of freshly cut grass becomes even more powerful.
I climb the steps to the porch, running my fingers over the weathered wood of the baseball bat. It’s a shame Dax won’t be here and for some reason that makes me feel a little low.
I shake my head as I open the screen door. He’ll be there in the evening.
And I need to get this Fourth of July show on the road.
There’s only two days to go and so much to do.