"Hi Hoppy," Trixie said softly, craning her head as she looked at the re-coppered weathervane atop Town Hall, giving a tiny wave of greeting.

"Why are we doing this again?" Nick asked. He was still a little stunned over what happened at the diner, hardly able to believe it. He felt hyper-aware as if all of his nerve endings were on full alert.

"It’s good luck. Moms did it when she was a little girl. And Me, Honey and Diana have decided to carry on the tradition." Trixie suddenly realized that there was no way she could have shared this with Sean. He would have thought it silly, but Trixie knew Nick well enough to know that he had an appreciation for life’s little moments. He paid attention; you could see it in his artwork, where even the tiniest detail was given notice.

"I can think of a better tradition," Nick said, kissing her when she turned to look at him. It was a good kiss, firm without being uncomfortable.

 

It wasn’t me after all—Sean’s just a lousy kisser! Trixie thought happily when the kiss ended. "You are just full of surprises," she said when he drew back to gauge her reaction.

Nick studied her pinking cheeks for a moment, her blonde curls whipping in the wind that crested in between the tall elm trees. "Does that bother you?" he finally asked. It seemed like an eternity before she finally answered no.

"What?" Trixie said as Nick let out a little laugh.

"Nothing. It’s just...I don’t know, most girls would have said something else. Something mocking, or flirtatious."

Trixie lowered her eyes and sighed. Why was it so easy for other girls and so hard for her?

"No, no. It’s good. I mean, I like it." He put his hands on her shoulders, drawing her into his embrace and kissing her again. "I like you," he whispered. The temperature was dropping rapidly but they barely noticed. Trixie could hardly believe it was happening.

"Hey!"

Nick and Trixie jumped apart, startled, Trixie paling as she recognized one of the angry figures hurrying towards them over the Common.

"Oh yeah, you look really tired," Sean snapped, coming to a halt in front of them, two of his teammates flanking him.

Trixie felt the shame fill her as she looked into his angry blue eyes. Although they weren’t exactly an official couple, the situation was awkward at best and fairly rotten at worst. After all, she had lied when she told him she was too tired to go with him. "Sean, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that...this was going to happen." She glanced at Nick and saw that he was battling the same sense of wrong that she was.

Nick knew he should have waited for her to talk to Sean and break things off first. But she looked so cute waving at the town’s weathervane that he caved in to the temptation to kiss her. "Don’t be mad at Trixie. It’s my fault. She was going to call you tomorrow."

Sean looked at him incredulously. "Don’t tell me who I can be mad at. And anyway, what the hell’s with you? You set us up in the first place!"

One of Sean’s friends, a tall boy whose shaved head was covered with a black ski cap gave a derisive snort. "Man, there’s a name for guys like you." His gaze raked over Trixie’s petite, curvy form. "AND for girl’s like you." His meaning was so clear that Nick stiffened, his eyes darkening.

Trixie laid a placating hand on Nick’s arm. "Sean, I really am sorry. It was wrong of me to lie about being tired. But c’mon, you weren’t all that interested in me anyway. And we had fun, didn’t we?" She looked up into his face. " I hope we can be friends," she finished softly.

Sean felt his blood start to boil, notwithstanding the truth of Trixie’s words. He’d been so patient, not getting mad when she brushed his wandering hands away, biding his time for the inevitable moment when she caved. They all caved sooner or later. Just who did she think she was? "Shut up," he hissed so viscously that Trixie visibly flinched.

"Don’t talk to her that way," Nick said, his voice rising as he faced the taller boy, who, at six foot one, had a three-inch height advantage over him.

"You shut up too. I should kick your ass." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, his two friends each grabbed one of Nick’s arms. "Go for it man!" one of them cried out as Nick struggled mightily to break free.

"Let him go!" Trixie yelled, looking around wildly. She saw the lights of the police station across the Common and debated leaving him long enough to run for help. She turned her head, crying out when she heard the unmistakable sound of a fist hitting flesh.

With his arms held at his sides, Nick had no way to avoid the punch that landed just south of his left eye, the pain exploding through his sinuses and into the back of his head.

Any shame Trixie felt about her white lie completely vanished. "Don’t!" she said angrily as he drew his hand back for another blow. She grabbed his arm and pulled with all her might.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Sean mocked, easily pulling his hand away, his friends laughing. Girls were kind of cute when they got angry. Maybe when he finished teaching Nick a lesson he’d find out what color underwear Trixie was wearing after all.

Trixie felt her anger completely take her over as it so often did. "Three against one is real manly," she spat sarcastically, her blue eyes flashing.

"Trixie, get out of here," Nick moaned. He could feel himself slipping towards unconsciousness and fought grimly against it, not wanting to leave her alone with them.

"How sweet," Sean said mockingly.

Trixie looked at the boy she’d been dating in disbelief. Ordinarily, Sean was easy-going and friendly, fast with a laugh or a smile. She really had fun going out with him and could hardly believe it was ending like this. "Why are you acting this way?" she said desperately. She looked at the two boys holding Nick’s arms. "Come on, you guys. What are you doing? You know this isn’t right."

The one with the hat laughed nastily. "You should have thought of that before, you..." the name he called her caused the blood to run out of her face and Nick to twist so violently he almost broke free. They re-tightened their hold as Sean drew his hand back again.

"Just what’s going on here?" a voice called. Sean’s eyes flitted in its direction and Trixie punched his stomach with all her strength, her thumb curled tightly over her first two fingers as Jim had taught her, Honey and Diana long ago.

Sean fell to his knees as a young policeman ran up to them, the two startled boys dropping Nick’s arms as they fled in different directions. Nick staggered, but managed to remain standing, the policeman yanking Sean to his feet as he gasped for air.

"Aren’t you going to go after them?" Trixie said, upset. "They’re getting away!"

"David Jacobsen and Alexander Smith," the officer said firmly to Trixie, to her relief accurately naming the two fleeing youths.

Sean finally regained his voice. "I can explain everything," he wheezed to the policeman, who held his arm in a viselike grip.

He looked at Sean, his face tightening with undisguised disgust. "And I’d be interested to hear you explain why your two teammates were holding young Mr. Roberts here while you pounded on him!"

It wasn’t the first time that Trixie was glad she lived in such a small town. There was an odd silence as they all waited for Sean’s answer.

All the anger left the young basketball star and he suddenly realized what an incredibly stupid thing he’d just done. Nobody gave basketball scholarships to a discipline problem. His father was going to kill him and all because his pride was injured. "Oh God," he suddenly moaned.

Nick and Trixie exchanged glances and Trixie nodded. "Sir? If Sean’s willing to apologize to Trixie, I’m willing to forget any of this ever happened," Nick said.

"Mr. Haslam?" the officer said meaningfully, releasing his arm.

"Sorry," he muttered. He looked into Trixie’s quiet gaze and felt something inside himself loosen. "Sorry," he repeated, more sincerely. "I was just really mad, you know?"

"I know," Trixie said. She could still feel adrenaline pulsing through her veins and took a deep breath to steady her nerves.

"Okay, I’m going back to my fun evening," the officer said. He looked at Sean. "And I don’t want to find you in this kind of situation ever again, you read me?" Sean nodded once and walked away, his face both pensive and relieved.

"Are you okay?" Trixie asked, looking with horror at Nick’s eye which was starting to swell shut. She took his arm, suddenly really and truly tired.

"You need to go home and put some ice on that eye right away," the officer advised. He gave Trixie a grin. "That was some punch, kid!" he said before he walked back to the police station, leaving the two of them alone.

Trixie laughed self-consciously. Tomboy Trixie strikes again, she thought ruefully. She was relieved when Nick laughed too.

"It sure was. Did you hear the grunt Sean let out?"

Trixie started giggling as she recalled the startled look on his face when her fist connected with his gut. "He sure looked surprised!" she managed as they both began to laugh a little hysterically, the shock catching up with them. Trixie stopped laughing and hugged him. "I was really scared," she admitted. "I thought they were going to beat you up."

"Me too," Nick said, hugging her back. They held each other for a long moment. "Let me take you home. It’s freezing out here," he murmured, gently squeezing her neck.

Trixie realized how cold she was, her nose and cheekbones numb in the frigid air. "You need to take care of that eye and you don’t live that far from here. Just go home. I’ll call my parents," she protested.

"Absolutely not," Nick said firmly, taking her hand and beginning to lead her back to Wimpy’s, where his car was still parked. His face throbbed with pain but he felt happy and tender. It was almost worth getting punched to hear the concern in Trixie’s voice.

"But..."

"Trix, this may be a small town, but I’m not letting you wait around by yourself."

Trixie sighed noisily. "Men," she grumbled as they returned to the small diner, but a gentle smile hovered at the corners of her mouth. She remembered the warm feel of Nick’s lips on hers and felt a curl of excitement fill her.

"What are you smiling about?" Nick asked, squeezing her hand. His breath plumed in the frosty air, but he felt pretty warm anyway.

"Two things," Trixie said mischievously. "One, I never have to listen to a thirty minute description of a basketball play again."

Nick chuckled. "And two?"

Trixie was about to tell him what a good kisser he was when Dan and Jim suddenly exited the diner just as they were about to walk by, the parking lot located in the back. "Jesus, what happened to you?" Dan said, catching sight of Nick’s bruised and swollen face.

Jim and Dan listened in horror as Nick briefly outlined the events of the past hour. "I can’t believe he’d do something like that," Jim exclaimed, thinking of the amiable boy he used to practice free throws with.

Trixie looked at him, and his green eyes looked back at her with such concern that she felt her throat tighten. Against her will, she imagined Jim kissing her while Hoppy looked down at them with enormous glass eyes, and again felt confusion sweep through her as savage longing warred with her current happiness.

"He didn’t act like that to you when you were going out, did he?" Dan asked the question that Jim was dying to ask himself, his voice sharp.

"Of course not!" Trixie exclaimed, looking into three pairs of worried eyes. "Do you honestly think I would have kept seeing him if he did?" she demanded tartly.

They all grinned with relief. "All right, I guess not. Don’t get your knickers in a twist," Dan said, causing everybody to laugh. "Well, I have to be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to patrol the preserve," he continued. Then he remembered that Mart had the Bob White station wagon. "Could you give me a lift?" he asked Jim, who nodded.

"And anyway, you guys wouldn’t believe the punch Trixie landed on that guy!" Nick’s voice was filled with admiration as Trixie blushed.

Jim had no idea what he looked like when this last piece of information filled him. "Are you all right?" he quietly asked her.

"I remembered about the thumb," she replied, smiling shyly.

"Good. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at the stables," Jim said. He turned to Nick and hesitated. "I know this sounds gross, but a slightly thawed steak works best," he finally said. Trixie knew instinctively why Jim had this information and was horrified at the thought. She unobtrusively turned away, feeling moisture fill her eyes, not wanting him to see.

"Thanks, I’ll try that," Nick replied. The foursome headed for the parking lot and split into two cars, Nick following Mr. Wheeler’s Mercedes to Glen Road.

"You’re awfully quiet," he said to Trixie, who was staring out the window. He could tell she was having a hard time dealing with her emotions.

"Am I? I’m sorry. I’m just worn out by everything that’s happened." It wasn’t really a lie—Trixie’s legs felt almost rubbery with the aftershock and she longed for the quiet of her bedroom.

"Yeah. Me too," Nick said. He reached over and took Trixie’s hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "But I’m not sorry that you agreed to go out with me," he said intensely. He knew what a gamble caring for her was and resolved to enjoy every minute.

Trixie squeezed his hand back. "Even if it did earn you a black eye?" They made the turn onto Glen Road, neatly following the black convertible.

"Even though," Nick smiled, honking as the two cars went their separate ways, Dan and Jim driving up the hill towards Manor House while Nick and Trixie turned into the driveway at Crabapple Farm. Nick stopped and they both got out of the car, Nick walking her up to the porch steps to the door.

"Well...good night," he said, suddenly feeling clumsy and shy. When they were standing in front of Town Hall he felt free, but in the age-old position of standing in front of a girl’s door, he felt self-conscious.

"Good night," Trixie repeated. She felt the sudden tension and felt she had to say something to lighten the mood. "I’d kiss you good night, but I think we already covered that in the Common!" she said playfully.

The awkward moment passed and they smiled at each other. "Would you like to go to the movies tomorrow? Tomorrow night I mean. After your ride," Nick said.

"Sure. Sounds like fun," Trixie affirmed. She closed her eyes and let the feel of Nick’s kiss tickle her senses. "I can’t get over what a difference kissing you is from kissing Sean," she murmured.

"I just hope it’s in my favor," Nick said, smiling wryly. He was secretly relieved when Trixie assured him it was.

"I thought I was doing something wrong. That I was a terrible kisser," she admitted.

"Nothing could be further from the truth," Nick told her, enjoying the color that crept over Trixie’s expressive face. She was so open and beautiful it took his breath away. "I’ll pick you up at eight, okay?"

"Sounds good," Trixie said. "Now go home and take care of that eye," she said, gently touching his face before she opened the door and entered the warm farmhouse. She closed the door softly and leaned against it for a moment. Finally she poked her head into the living room where her parents were watching an old movie. "I’m home, but I’m awfully tired so I’m heading up to bed," she told them.

"All right sweetie. Good night," her mother said, smiling at her.

"Night Trix. Bet you’re glad it’s Christmas vacation," her father added, smiling at her.

"You said it. Oh, and by the way, I’m going to the movies with Nick tomorrow, okay?"

Her father looked at her curiously, but didn’t ask. "Okay honey." He waited until he heard her footsteps going up the stairs before turning to his wife. "What do you suppose happened with that Sean fellow?"

Helen Belden shrugged. "Eye candy can only take you so far," she said, smiling at the surprised expression on her husband’s face.

"I’m not sure how to take that!" he said wryly, putting his arm around her shoulder.

Helen laughed. "But I lucked out with you—brains AND a great butt!" she said, kissing the corner of his mouth.

Peter grinned. "Good answer, my dear. Good answer!" He kissed his wife, but couldn’t stop the small pang that filled him when he thought about his only daughter. He couldn’t believe she was at the age where she was dating boys. It seemed like only yesterday she was climbing trees with her brothers wearing old faded jeans. Where, he wondered as he and his wife cuddled on the sofa, does the time go? But like most rhetorical questions, it wasn’t really answerable.

to be continued...