Summer Rains

A Wayward Ball

Simon had just finished a circuit around the walking path when a car pulled up to the entrance of the park. It was a moderately cheap sedan that looked like it was in fairly good condition, considering how old the model was. He watched as a woman dressed in what looked like coveralls open the back door and help a small child out of the backseat. Handing the little girl a rainbow bouncy ball, the woman proceeded to grab a large blanket, a bag of food, and some drinks. He smiled at the sight, wishing he had been so lucky to have such a simple childhood.

He was so lost in thought that he almost didn't notice the rainbow ball had bounced in front of him with a little girl chasing close behind it. He caught the ball before it could bounce into him, but the girl didn't slow her momentum and ran right into his leg, falling onto the walking trail, and started crying. He set her ball down, immediately picked her up, and started comforting her. "Hey now, it's ok. It was just a little fall." Soon, the same woman in the coveralls came barreling over the hill. "Apirl Elizabeth Sullivan!!! If you don't get back here-" the woman stopped immediately as her demeanor changed. "Put my daughter down, you sick f**k!" Simon quickly put the child, April, down and put his hands up to show the seething mother that he was unarmed. April, for her part, picked up her ball and ran to her mother.

Amy had just gotten everything out of the car and turned to find April had run off with her ball laughing as she tried to bounce it higher and higher. She dropped everything to race after her kid while thinking, "Every time. If it isn't right after getting out of the car, it's right when you get to the picnic spot." She really needed to get that girl on a leash. Her coveralls were hot and sticky from working all day, but she would step out of them when she caught her scamp of a daughter. Finally, she got over the small hill where she and her daughter liked to set up for their picnic, right next to a big patch of asphalt that also happened to be next to the walking path. What she saw made her seethe: a strange man was holding her daughter! "Put my daughter down, you sick f**k!" The man immediately jumped, putting April down gently and his hands up. April grabbed her ball and ran to her.

"Are you hurt, baby? Did that man attack you? Show me if he touched you." The woman asked hysterically. Simon rolled his eyes. He understood her panic, but really? It was fairly clear that the child was fine. A fact that was confirmed by said child. "No, Mama, the nice man was helping me. I ran into him and I fell. I was hurt and scared, that's why he was holding me." The woman relaxed slightly, then pulled the girl into a hug. "April, how many times do I need to tell you not to run off like that? You're lucky that you only fell this time and Mr...?" She looked up at him and he was finally able to get a good look at her face. His throat went dry. She was gorgeous. Her fiery red hair was braided and then pinned up, but he could tell by the loose strands how wavy it naturally was. Her blue eyes had streaks of silver, almost like the stars painting the night sky. She wasn't thin by any means, but he could tell she was strong. The curves were definitely in all the right places, even under the coveralls. And while she wasn't petite, there was still a femininity and vulnerableness about her.

"Ummmm....Sir?" Simon was shaken from his reverie. "Oh, ah, yes, name." It was then he noticed the name on her coveralls: Hal and Sons Installations...Crap. They were one of the customers being affected by the warehouse mishaps. He had to come up with a different name quickly! He looked around and finally stated, "Rockford. Simon Rockford." Amy smiled up at him. "If Mr. Rockford hadn't been here, you could have been hurt." Turning her attention back to the little girl in question. "I'm sorry, Mama. Thank you for helping me, Mr. Rockford! Do you like KFC!?" Both Amy and Simon were taken aback by the sudden question. "I do, but I wouldn't want to impose." Amy nodded. "I'm sure Mr. Rockford has his own dinner for himself at home." April stomped her foot and turned her face to her mother. "Mama! Mr. Rockford helped me catch my ball and helped me up. You always say we should repay kindness with more kindness."

Amy sighed. It was these lessons that she wanted her daughter to learn. But damn it, this Rockford reminded her a little too much of her ex, though her ex wouldn't have held a little girl the way that Simon had. Just remembering that look of concern he had while he held April gave her butterflies in her stomach. His wavy black hair glowed in the afternoon sun, and when he looked up, it was like his chocolate brown eyes were flecked with gold. Not to mention how drop dead sexy he was. He was extremely tall, taller than her, a feat most men had trouble with. At 5'9, most men were either intimidated by her or insisted she wear flats rather than her favorite boots, shoes, or the occasional high heel. He also had all the right muscles in all the right places, with a face that looked like it can straight out of a romance novel cover.

Now it was her turn to be brought out of her daydreaming as she felt April tugging on her hand back to the car to get was was sure to be cold KFC. "Yes, you're right about returning kindness with kindness. But I don't think we should return Mr. Rockford's kindness with cold KFC, do you?" April shook her head no. "So why don't we go back to the apartment and airfry the popcorn chicken up, and we'll eat it there?" April squealed and bounced around with enthusiasm "Yes yes yes!!!!" She stopped long enough to look up at Simon. "You'll come eat with us, won't you?" He was taken aback by the simple question; he didn't think a simple act of helping a child up warranted dinner, but when he looked down at April's deep blue eyes, he melted. "Of course I'll come eat with you. Let me introduce myself first, though. I'm Simon Rockford." He reached out to shake their hands, the woman took it first. They were soft with just a hint of callousing at the finger tips, and as he suspected, she was strong. She smiled up at him and he had to stop himself from pulling her into his arms and kissing her right there. God, she was beautiful. He decided right there that he would escape into her world as often as he could. He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed her response, "I'm Amy Sullivan and this is my Daughter, April. Our apartment isn't too far from here if you would like to meet us at the entrance gate to the complex." Simon nodded in response and they began walking back to where Amy had left the food and the drinks. But before they could collect them, it started to rain.