A Time to Move On by Karolyn James Page A

“Nice to
have a break from that part of my life once in a while.”
    “Really?”
    “Yeah. I mean, it wasn’t all that
long ago we could walk around town without anyone giving us a second glance.
People just thought I was nothing but trouble because of my size and demeanor.
The other guys were the ones who actually like to cause trouble and have fun.
Cops used to worry about us. Now they protect us. Funny how life works.”
    “Yeah, funny,” Laura said.
    “I, uh, don’t mean to sound rude,
but I don't have a lot of time right now. I’m supposed to meet the band in the
studio. Our album is coming out in the next few days.”
    “So I’ve heard,” Laura said. “My
sister, Steph, filled me in. She knew who you were the second she saw you
backing out of her driveway. And then she lectured me about taking a ride from
a stranger."
    “Yeah, that is kind of risky,” Mack
said, turning to look at her.
    Damn, she’s beautiful. She’s
naturally beautiful.
    “Kind of like tracking that same
stranger down the next day? And then following him to some hidden area I’ve
never been before to eat lunch with him?”
    “When you put it like that…”
    Mack laughed and then ate the rest
of his sandwich. Laura finished hers off. They then both reached for the bag of
barbecue chips at the same time. Their hands touched and Mack pulled back.
Laura did the same.
    “I’m not touching them,” Mack said.
“You eat them.”
    “I don’t want them now,” Laura
said.
    They stared at each other
defiantly. The sudden urge to kiss her angered him.
    “Seriously,” Mack said. “Just eat
the damn chips, Laura.”
    “Nope,” Laura said. “How about you
tell me more about yourself.”
    “Like what?”
    “Why does that road have meaning to
you?”
    Mack gripped the edge of the bench
and shook his head. “Trust me, you don’t need to go down that road. No pun
intended.”
    “I'm sorry, it's just that seeing
someone with the world at their fingertips moping on the side of a road screams
that they have trouble letting go of something..."
    “Trouble moving forward,” Mack
said. “How’s that for a damn answer?”
    Mack closed his eyes. He didn’t
want to be mean to Laura, but damn her for asking questions. When he opened his
eyes, Laura’s hand was moving toward his.
    “It’s okay,” she said. “I
understand. Mack, the look in your eyes is exactly how I've felt for years
now."
    “Yeah,” Mack said. “Is that why you
quit your job and ran out of gas?”
    “Maybe,” Laura said. “I'm just at a
point where I am stuck. Can’t go back, don’t want to go forward…”
    Mack turned his head slowly and
looked at Laura.
    Was she real?
    If so, she was proving herself to
be a little more than amazing right now. Her eyes were deep with honesty and
beauty. And her lips were slightly parted like she had plenty more to say. Mack
wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear it. Or if he could handle hearing it.
    Mack jumped up, taking his hand
away from Laura. He stared down at her.
    “What did you really expect from coming
to find me today?” he asked. “I mean, why?”
    “I don’t know,” Laura said. “I’m
famous for just doing. Not thinking. It’s never really worked out for me, but
I’m still kind of hoping one day it will.”
    Mack held his hand out and Laura
took it. He brought her to her feet. There was way too much going on in his
body to even come up with a sensible thought. So Mack reached down and grabbed
the bag of barbecue chips.
    “You better eat these,” he said.
“They can’t go to waste.”
    Laura took the chips and smiled.
“If you insist.”
    “I don’t want you to think I’m
someone I’m not,” Mack said. “And I don’t even know what that means. I hope you
can take things for what you see them as. If that makes sense.”
    “I can,” Laura said. “What about
you? What do you see things as?”
    “Right now? I see a beautiful woman
standing in front of me. And it’s confusing the hell out of