Wired

She, too, laid down around midnight, and as she lay there she decided to leave well enough alone. If she ever found an appropriate time to talk to him she would. If not, well, he'd probably prefer that anyway.

Brooke was very relieved when Dalton left the house at 7 am. She didn't need to leave until 7:30 in order to drop Bo off at school and be to work by 8. She was so busy all day she forgot all about the drama at home until it was time to go pick Bo up from Casey's house.

Her friend had agreed to let him walk over there with her son each day after school. Bo was in 6th grade while Casey's boy, Chad, was in 4th. They went to the same school and got out at the same time, and Casey's house was just two blocks from the school. Neither of them had a problem with their boys being home alone for a couple of hours each workday until they got back from work, and it saved them money they couldn't afford to spend on childcare. While anything could happen anywhere in the world, Union was one of the safest places either of them knew of, so the odds of something going wrong, especially with them together, were very, very low.

Brooke pulled in just before 5:30 after leaving work at 5 then picking up her son at 5:15. She breathed a sigh of relief when his truck wasn't there, but Bo didn't.

"Momma? When can Dalton come over again?" he asked when he didn't see his truck.

"Oh, well, I don't know, ba...honey. He uh, he works a lot, you know. Being an electrician and all."

"I wanna be an electrician when I grow up," Bo told her as they walked inside.

"I thought you wanted to be a pro football player?" his mom said.

"Well, yeah, but after I retire I want to be an electrician so I'll have more money."

Brooke managed not to laugh and told him that sounded like a fine goal, and Bo didn't bring up their neighbor again the rest of the night.

Tuesday and Wednesday were repeats of Monday, and Brooke was relieved each morning and evening that she didn't have to deal with 'the situation'.

On Thursday, Bart called Dalton and Jeff and told them they'd be working at the elementary school for the next two days wiring a new 'portable' the school had just received from the county.

They had to finish up another project, but as soon as it was done, they were to head straight to the school and get started.

As it turned out, school had just been dismissed as they were arriving.

"Just our luck," Jeff Mercer said as they drove along the street in front of the school as one bus after the other pulled out.

"Yeah, it's a little cra...."

Dalton stopped talking when he saw someone he recognized. He saw Bo walking with a smaller boy, and rolled down the window to say 'hey' to him when four older, bigger boys ran up and started taunting them.

"Pull over, man," Dalton said.

"What? I can't pull over. There's traffic behind me and...."

"Pull over right now!" Dalton said.

Jeff shook his head but did as his partner asked, and Dalton flew out of the company truck before it stopped. He didn't even close the door before making a beeline to what had become a circle around Bo and his friend.

"His daddy's a drunk. That's why he lives all alone with his...mommy!" one of the larger boys said.

Dalton heard that just as he vaulted a chain-link fence. He stepped right into the middle of the circle and put his hand on Bo's shoulder and asked if he was okay.

"Dalton!" the boy said, a huge smile appearing on his face.

Dalton looked at each of the four larger boys then said, "I see you boys know my friend, Bo."

One of them said, "That's Dalton Burke."

Another said, "He's the best QB Union's had in...forever."

He looked right at the boy who made the comment about Bo's father and said, "My dad's the town drunk. But guess what? I'm not responsible for him or anything he does. And Bo's not responsible for his father, a man you boys don't even know. So before you go makin' comments, I suggest you think very carefully about it."

He looked each one of them in the eye then said, "Am I clear?"

The boy who made the comment said, "Yes, sir."

The others then followed suit.

"Just remember. If you give my friend here a hard time, you're givin' me a hard time. Is there anyone here who wants to give me a hard time?"

He looked around again and all the boys said, "No, sir."

"Okay. Good. Then I think we understand each other."

They went to leave, but Dalton said, "Boys?"

They all stopped and looked at him.

"I believe you owe my friend here an apology."

He bored a hole into the boy's head who made the comment and he immediately said, "Sorry, man."

"His name is 'Bo," Dalton told him. "Now you say it."

"Sorry...Bo," the older boy said.

"It's okay," Bo told him.

He'd already forgotten what the other boy even said because his hero was standing there, now with his arm around him, calling him his friend in front of these bigger kids.

"All right. You boys make sure I never have to come talk to you again, you understand?"

Dalton got one more round of 'yes, sirs' before he let them walk away.

"You okay, Bo?" he asked as he kind of shook the boy's shoulders.

"I'm good," the boy told him, a smile glued to his face.

"How about you, young man?" he asked as he bent down to talk to the smaller boy.

"I'm good, too, sir," he said. "Are you really Dalton Burke?"

"I believe I am," he told him. "And who are you?"

"I'm Chad. My momma's friend's with Bo's momma."

"Oh, okay," Dalton said. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"You, too, sir," Chad said as they shook hands.

Dalton knelt down and asked Bo, "So how's your momma doin'?"

"She's good," he replied. "How come you don't never come over no more?"

"Oh, well, it's...it's only been a few days, big guy," Dalton said hoping that would satisfy the boy.

"There's gonna be another Super Bowl game on Friday night on ESPN."

"Oh? Who's playing'?" Dalton asked.

"The Steelers and the Packers. From back in the day," Bo told him.

"Wow. Two good teams."

"Can you come over and watch it with us?" Bo asked.

"Um, well. I don't know, buddy. I been workin' a lot of overtime this week."

"Oh, okay," the boy said as the smile faded from his face.

Dalton knew it was a look of disappointment, something Bo had undoubtedly had more than his share of in his young life.

"Hey, we'll see, okay?" Dalton said with a smile as he mussed the boy's hair up.

"Really?" Bo said, the smile back on his face.

"High five?" Dalton asked.

He let both boys slap his hand then asked, "Where y'all headed?"

"Over to Chad's house. His momma lives just down the street."

"Okay, and you boys walk alone every day?"

"Yes, sir. It ain't far," Chad told him.

"It isn't far," Dalton ended up telling him.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Sometimes I forget," Chad said.

"Nah, it's okay," Dalton told him with a smile. "You boys go straight on home, okay?"

"We will!" Bo and Chad both said in unison.

"What and who the hell was that?" Jeff asked once Dalton got back in. He'd had to pull the truck up onto the curb to let traffic go by and sat there watching the drama unfold.

"That's my neighbor's son," Dalton said as he pulled the door shut.

"Oh, okay. The psycho woman from the party," Jeff said with a smile.

Dalton looked over and said, "Jeff, you might be my mentor, but if you ever say anything like that about her again, I'm gonna kick your ass from here to Sunday."

Jeff stared back for a few seconds then laughed.

"Well, well. Someone's got a thing for his hot, older neighbor."

He laughed loudly as he pulled back into traffic, but Dalton just sat there stewing in his thoughts. Making matters worse was that Jeff knew exactly what was eating at him without having to ask a single question.

It was a little after 8 o'clock that evening when Dalton finally got home. This time he didn't shut his headlights off. He wasn't going to try and hide from Brooke anymore. He had no intention of seeking her out, but he wasn't going to play this game any longer, either.

The lights were on on her side, but she'd hung some curtains so Dalton couldn't see much as he came up the sidewalk. He went inside and turned on the TV, but this time he left the volume on at a very low level.

He took a quick shower then threw something into the microwave and waited for it to cook as he popped the top on a diet Coke and took a long drink.

Bo told his mother what happened as soon as she picked him up, and when Casey arrived a few minutes later, Chad repeated the story to her.

She looked at Brooke and said very smugly, "Yeah, but he's only...a boy."

Then she poured salt in the would by saying, "A 19-year old boy, at that."

"Okay, I'll talk to him," she said with a shake of head.

"If he doesn't forgive you, can you let him know where I live?" Casey said with a smile.

"Who's gotta forgive you, Momma?" Bo asked hearing only the last of their conversation.

"Oh. No one, ba...buddy," she said with a weak smile. "Momma's just gotta eat a little crow tonight."

Brooke put Bo to bed around nine and he was out hard in less than ten minutes. She took a deep breath then walked outside and looked at the other door.

"Put your big-girl panties on, Brooke," she told herself as she knocked.

Dalton got up, opened the door, and when he saw Brooke, his heart involuntarily raced.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Hey," she replied. "Can I...can I come in? I won't stay long. I just wanted to talk."

"Um, yeah. Sure," he said as he stepped aside. "Can I get you anything?"

"Not unless you've got some humble pie. If so, I'll take a slice," Brooke said.

"Why would you be eatin' humble pie?" Dalton asked sincerely.

"Because I showed you my a...my backside a second time by completely overreacting—again."

"Oh. That," Dalton said.

"Yes, that. I...feel terrible, Dalton. I can't expect you to forgive me a second time, but it's been eatin' me alive since it happened, so all I can do is ask."

"You didn't do anything wrong," he told her quietly. "I completely misread the situation, and I felt like I was lucky you didn't give me the back of your hand."

"What? No. I...wouldn't have...why would I have done that?" Brooke asked.

"Well, because you were disgusted by my behavior, I reckon," Dalton told her.

"No, I...I wasn't...disgusted, Dalton. I was just really surprised, you know?"

"Regardless, I'm the one who owes you an apology—again," he told her.

Brooke smile then looked down before saying, "Thank you for what you did today."

She looked up and said, "For my boy."

"Oh. He told you?"

"That is all he's talked about it. Chad, too. You were already Bo's hero, now you're like some kind of god or somethin'."

"Well, maybe some kinda...hillbilly deity...maybe?" he asked trying to lighten the mood.

Brooke laughed a little then laughed harder because she really needed to so she could let go of the guilt she'd been carrying around.

"That was very kind of you," she told him.

"I'm just glad I was there. I don't think they'd have hurt him—physically—but words like that hurt just as much sometimes," he told her.

"What...what did they say?" she asked.

"Bo didn't tell you that part?"

"No. Dalton, tell me. What did they say?"

He told her what he'd heard and when the words sank in, Brooke's eyes welled up with tears.

"Hey, they were just bein' boys," he told her hoping it would help.

"No, I know that," she said as she looked around for something to dry her eyes with.

Dalton peeled off a paper towel and handed it to her.

"Thank you," she said. "It's just that those words are true. I know it's not my fault, but that doesn't help me not feel bad for my son. His daddy is a drunk—and a pill head. And I'd never say it in front of Bo, but he really is bum, too. The man couldn't hold a job if his life depended on it, but Bo thinks he hung the moon."

"We all have our faults, right?" Dalton offered.

"Yes. Yes, we do," Brooke said as she tried to smile. "Like overreacting and treating a very kind, decent person, who's done nothing but be nice, terribly.

She mustered up a brave smile then said, "Can you forgive me one more time?"

Dalton crossed his arms and pretended to be mulling it over before saying, "Well, I suppose I could try."

Brooke smiled happily then said, "Jez do not let der be a turd," in some kind of accent he didn't recognize.

"It's from the movie Gotcha. You know, with Linda Fiorentino who plays the sexy Czech woman, Sasha Banicek, who falls in love with the um...19-year old Jonathan."

Dalton just looked at her with a blank stare.

"You've never watched Gotcha?" she asked as though everyone had or should have.

"No. Sorry. Never even heard of it," he told her.

She tried doing the Slavic accent again and said, "Then you must bee coming to my place and watch movie wiz me. I am having it on DVD."

"Hmmm. A 19-old guy falls in love with an older woman, huh?" Dalton asked.

Brooke remembered what Casey said and couldn't help but smile.

"It's...just a movie," she said very sweetly. "But it's one of my favorites, and yes, Jonathan, or Anthony Edwards in real life, did fall in love with her."

"I see. And she fell for him, too, you said?"

"She did," Brooke said very quietly as they looked into one another's eyes.

"Well, in that case, I guess it might be worth watchin'," he said with a smile. "But Bo wants to watch another Super Bowl rerun with me, so...."

"I wouldn't mind if you did both with us," she told him.

"Or y'all could come over here," he told her.

Only then did she notice the new television running in the background.

"Oh, wow. That's nice," she said.

"And I've got ESPN and the football package," he proudly announced.

"Well, how could I resist then?" Brooke said sweetly.

"So...tomorrow? Friday night?" Dalton asked.

"Yes. Friday night," she replied. "What time?"

"I could bring home a bucket of KFC," he told her as he remembered the last twelve bucks he still had. "Or maybe a family meal." A bucket was more than $12 but he could bring home enough to feed everyone some chicken and coleslaw.

"Maybe I'll bake a loaf of bread to bring over," she told him with a warm smile.

"That sounds right nice," he told her.

"Okay. Well, I'll see you then, and thank you for not making me eat the whole slice of humble pie."

Dalton laughed then said, "Come on. I'll walk you home."

Brooke laughed again, and felt like everything was behind her.

They stopped at her door and Dalton said, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Okay," she told him. He went to walk away, but Brooke reached for his arm and stopped him.

"Dalton?" she said very quietly.

He turned around and raised his eyebrows indicating he was listening.

"I...I wouldn't mind if...if you kissed me again," she said, her heart thumping like crazy in her chest. "For real this time."

"Is this some kind of setup?" he asked after kind of cocking his head to one side.

Having lost her nerve, Brooke said, "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm just gonna go inside and...shoot mys...."

Dalton reached over and gently lifted her chin up, stopping her before she could finish then leaned down to kiss her.

He stopped then said, "If you yell at me again...."

Brooke's eyes locked with his as he spoke.

"I won't," she whispered. "I promise."

As their lips met, she put her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

"See? No yelling," she told him when he pulled away.

"That was really nice," Dalton told her.

"Yes, it was," she agreed.

"Well, I uh, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," he said.

"Yes, you will. Oh. Dalton?"

"Uh-huh?"

"You...you didn't misread anything. When you kissed me the other time."

"It sure seemed like I did," he said.

"I...I just didn't want...I couldn't admit...how much I liked you, so I...I lashed out, and I'm really so...."

"No more apologizin', okay?" he told her in a way she found both very masculine and very charming.

"Okay," she agreed. "Well...g'night."

Dalton again pretended to tip a hat and said, "Evenin', ma'am."

Brooke not only didn't get upset she laughed and said, "I'm so glad we talked."

"Yeah. Me, too," he told her before going back inside.

That night Brooke couldn't remember the last time she'd felt that happy. It didn't matter whether it would be an occasional movie or possibly something more. She was just so relieved to have smoothed things out with Dalton, and were she to have to say it out loud, she knew she'd have to admit she'd really enjoyed the kiss. Maybe even both of them.

Bo was chattering about Dalton almost from the moment he woke up, and his mom finally told him they'd be going next door to watch the Super Bowl that evening.

Bo started jumping around and hollering, "Yes!" before his mom could tell him to keep it down because Dalton could hear.

"Sorry, Momma! I'm just so happy!"

"Yeah. Me, too, baby," she said without drawing a rebuke. In fact, she even got a hug from her very-happy son.

Dalton left early again so she didn't see him go, but Brooke smiled when she saw a note under the wiper blade of her car.

She opened it up and read, "If I misread last night, I'm probably in big trouble again, but I just wanted you to know I checked out the trailer to Gotcha on line last night, and you can be my Sasha Banicek anytime. Just don't start smokin', okay?" referring to 'Sasha' who did.

He signed it 'Jonathan' then crossed it out and wrote his own name followed by a smiley face.

"Why are you smilin', Momma?" Bo asked as he watched her smile so broadly he couldn't help but notice.

She laughed out loud then said in her terrible Czech accent, "I think leetle boy'z momma eez very much liking older boy."

"Momma? You have done gone crazy!" Bo told her as he got in the car, shaking his head at her silliness.

"You may be right, baby," she said quietly enough that he couldn't hear as she realized she might well be falling for her own 19-year old 'boy' who wasn't named Jonathan.

When Brooke picked up Bo late that evening, Casey was already home.

"My, my, my! Someone can't stop talkin' about how he and his momma are gonna watch football with their neighbor tonight. Did someone apologize?"

Brooke had been so excited all day she could barely concentrate at work, and she was dying to tell someone.

She leaned closer and quietly said, "More like we...kissed and made up."

"Get outta here!" Casey said. "You kissed? Who kissed who?"

Brooke knew it was 'whom' but didn't care.

"He kissed me!" she admitted then explained how it happened.

"You are so gonna be gettin' it tonight," Casey said with what was clearly envy.

"Oh, stop! That is not gonna happen. It's just dinner and a movie. And a Super Bowl."

"A movie, huh? Would it maybe be a...romantic movie?" Casey asked, hoping to hear it would be.

"Well, kind of," she said.

"Stop that! Just tell me already!" Casey demanded.

"You ever seen Gotcha with Ant..."

"Anthony Edwards and Linda Fiorentino? Only like five times!" Casey told her.

She looked at Brooke then said, "If your hair was short, I swear you could pass for her back in the day."

Brooke laughed and said, "Eez wary nice kompliment, no?"

Casey laughed and told her, "Okay. Your Sasha Banicek accent is terrible, but yes, it was meant as a compliment."

Brooke let Bo know it was time to go, and Casey said, "Please, I'm beggin' you, girl. Give me the details on Monday. All of them, okay?"

"A spy is never telling secrets," Brooke said causing them both to laugh.

"My momma's done lost her mind," Bo told Casey as they said goodbye.

"She may have lost her mind, but I think someone's stolen her heart," Casey told him while looking at his mother.

Brooke gave her a 'don't be ridiculous look' but knew Casey might be right. She also knew she hadn't been with a man in so long it was scary, and were Dalton to offer his incredible, hard body....