Sunday Anna slept in late, tired from the work at the preschool and the late night. Myles brought her home around midnight. Edith had been asleep stretched out on the sofa and Anna hadn’t known whether to waken her or let her sleep. Since she looked comfortable enough, Anna left her.
Zack woke her after nine. She smiled at her son as he bounced on her bed. When she moved to get up, she stifled a groan. Her shoulders ached. Flexing her hands, she realized her right hand did as well. Painting demanded muscles not normally used in her regular day.
“Edith is sleeping,” Zack whispered.
“I got home late last night. She’s probably tired from watching you,” Anna said, tickling her son.
His laughter rang out.
“Can I wake her up, too?” he asked.
“Not yet. Get a book from your room and you can read in my bed while I take a quick shower. Then if she’s still asleep, you can wake her up.”
Twenty minutes later, when they entered the living room, the sofa was empty. Coffee brewed in the kitchen, but when Anna entered, that room was also empty. Probably Edith was grateful to escape before Zack could have wakened her.
Knowing Edith was still recovering from her illness, Anna wanted to give her as much a break as she could. As soon as breakfast finished, she took Zack to the park. He ran and played with the other children, scooting down the slide, swooshing high on the swing. Anna watched, glad for the chance to sit in the sun and relax. Soon enough she’d be at the preschool doing some other task she didn’t feel suited for.
Glancing at her watch, she saw it was getting close to twelve-thirty. Myles had told her last night he’d pick her up again to walk to the preschool together.
She smiled as she remembered their date. The food had been spectacular. But it was the company she loved the most. They’d talked until the restaurant shut down.
Then, instead of taking a cab back home, he’d asked if she’d like to walk. She knew the distance, but it would give them more time together, so she’d said yes.
Ambling along, they looked into shop windows and speculated about inhabitants of the apartment buildings they passed. The streets held little traffic that late, and it was nice to feel cocooned from cares as they walked and talked. He’d refused to come in when they reached her apartment, but the kiss they’d shared had unsettled her enough it was hard to fall asleep.
She was falling for Myles. The delight she felt every time she saw him was gradually healing her heart. She enjoyed being with him. She’d never expected to fall in love after her husband’s death. But then, she never expected meeting a man like Myles. A man who seemed to enjoy her company and that of her son.
Any future she envisioned with a man would have to include Zack. She’d want him to learn to love her son as much as she did. To be a father to the boy throughout his life. To promise never to die before they were old and infirmed.
She knew that the last bit was impossible. Tom never would have willingly left them. Would Myles? She couldn’t imagine living such a carefree life as he’d known, and then changing so drastically to be part of a typical family, going to work five days a week and doing family tasks on the weekends.
Still, a small part of her imagined Myles fell in love with her. And she with him. They’d marry and have a wonderful life together. He already liked Zack, maybe more than liked. Why else would he plan activities that included her son? And volunteer his time to help repair the preschool? It was not a come on to lure the mother. She recognized a growing bond between the two of them.
On the other hand, Myles might find this situation novel. He could test drive his commitment to changing after the land mine and see if it was something he’d like. There was nothing stopping him from taking off tomorrow and returning to the Middle East and projects that demanded all his skills and knowledge.
His leaving would break her heart. She swallowed, tears filling her eyes. She was falling for Myles Riker. And didn’t have a clue what to do about it. How could she guard herself and her son from hurting if Myles suddenly left?
She couldn’t. It was already too late. She could only go forward and hope she wasn’t making a mistake that would make both her and Zack miserable for years to come.
Myles found his pace quickening as he turned onto Anna’s block. Up ahead, he could see her and Zack about to enter the apartment building. She must have taken him to the park. At least Zack would nap part of the afternoon, making it easier on Edith. Myles knew from the days he’d watched his son that the boy seemed to possess the energy of a battalion of men.
And he wouldn’t change a single thing about him.
As if attuned to his presence, Anna turned around and looked. Her smile when she saw him could light up the street, Myles thought as he locked his gaze with hers and walked even faster.
“Myles.”
Zack ran down the three steps and raced down the sidewalk toward him, his face beaming with happiness.
Myles picked him up when Zack reached him and swung him high in the air. The little boy laughed aloud. Myles heard Anna’s laughter at the same time. For a moment, he could scarcely move. He felt truly and completely happy for the first time in years.
This felt right.
“Hi,” Anna called, coming a few feet down the sidewalk to meet him.
“Hi yourself,” he said.
Holding Zack with one arm, he drew her closer with the other and kissed her. Not as long as he wanted, but they were on a public street and Zack was only about six inches away.
“Kiss me, too,” Zack said, putting his hands on Myles’s cheeks and turning his head to face him.
Myles smiled and kissed his plump cheek.
“I’m happy to see you both,” he said, his gaze going back to Anna’s.
Did he imagine it, or was the sadness so often clear in her eyes gone?
“Ready to work again?”
“I’m so stiff from yesterday I can hardly move. But I’m game,” she said as they walked toward the apartment.
“I feel the same way, but it’s a good feeling. I’m back in my stride now and want to see if I can get off medical leave sooner than I thought. I’m calling the company’s medical doctor on Monday to see when he can see me.”
Anna tried to smile, but the anxiety that clutched at her was too strong. If Myles was cleared to return to work, he’d have no reason to remain in New York. Granted, he’d talked about setting down roots. But with the next breath, he’d talked about his foreign assignments and she could hear how much he liked his work.
Where did that leave her?
What did she want? In one thought, she believed she’d never love another like Tom. In another, the idea of Myles leaving, maybe never to be seen again, filled her with anguish. She cared for him much more than she realized. The thought of his leaving filled her with panic.
She needed some time to consider all the ramifications. Now it didn’t look as if she was going to get what she wanted.
They dropped Zack off with Edith and headed for the school.
“You’re really quiet today,” Myles said as they walked side by side.
“Sorry. It’s really wonderful you feel fully recovered and can return to work.”
“But?”
She looked at him.
“But what?”
“I don’t know, it just sounded like a but should be in there somewhere.”
“But I’ll miss you,” she blurted out.
He slung his arm across her shoulder and drew her closer.
“Hey, getting a release just means I’m in working shape again. I told you I’m thinking of looking for something here in the States.”
“America is huge,” she said. “In the States could mean Alaska, which is just about as far from here as the Middle East.”
“Don’t want me so far away, huh?”
She shook her head, facing forward. The school was in sight. One of the other parents waved, and Anna tried to smile as she waved back.
She wanted to cry instead.
Myles wasn’t sure what to make of Anna’s statement. He admitted to himself he wanted her to give him some sign of her feelings for him. Should he suggest staying? Or wait for her to suggest that?
What if she didn’t?
He nodded at the other parents as they filed into the old building. The men he’d worked with yesterday greeted him. It felt good to be part of a community effort. He’d friends at the work sites, but no one with a normal home life. These men had routine jobs, went home to their families each evening, and were working to better circumstances for their children.
“We were thinking of getting together after today’s work to celebrate one weekend down,” Brad Singleton said as he and Myles started on replacing the last of the drywall in one classroom. “Join us?”
“Sounds like fun. I’ll have to check with Anna.”
“Yeah, babysitters can be a pain. If yours can’t stay, bring the kid.”
“You bringing yours?”
“We have Betsy’s niece staying with us this weekend to watch the rug rats. We’ll take her to school in the morning and she’ll go home from there, so no worries on our end.”
“Lucky.”
Myles reached for his hammer and pounded nails. The conversation was totally normal and ordinary, yet for him it was extraordinary.
If he stayed, if he could build a life with Anna, he’d have many encounters like this. Be part of a community that pulled together when things needed doing.
He and Brad talked as they worked and before four, they had finished the second classroom’s walls.
“Time for mud and then the walls can be painted,” he said.
“Jason is the expert on mudding. I hope he can get to it next weekend,” Brad said.
“Good, because that’s one area I don’t have any experience in,” Myles replied.
“But you seem expert in every other aspect.”
He grinned.
“I worked construction through college, and have been on job sites ever since.”
“Building a bridge isn’t exactly the same thing as repairing a preschool,” Brad said.
“We sometimes have to build our own homes while we are on a job site, so I can handle a smattering of plumbing, wiring and drywall.”
“Man, you’ve really lived an exciting life.”
Myles shrugged.
“It was what I wanted. Now things have changed.”
“Anna?” Brad asked as they walked over to Mrs. Hampton’s office for the next assignment.
Myles hesitated a minute, glancing at Brad. The question caused him to clarify his feelings. The entire reason he was thinking of changing his lifestyle was because of Anna.
The thought kicked him in the gut. He’d been stunned when he received the letter about his son, but had convinced himself once he knew the boy was well cared for, he’d move on and let him have the love and security of his adoptive parents.
Meeting Anna had changed all that. For the first time since he was a kid he thought about family ties, facing the world united as a couple, leaving his nomadic ways and becoming a man who put down roots and made a difference in a community.
If Anna was there.
She made a man long to have her smile at him when he came home at night. Share life’s trials. And make a warm and loving home where they could shut away the world and be in a world of their own. Their last kiss flashed into his mind. He couldn’t imagine not kissing her. Not having the right to kiss her if she turned to someone else.
“Yeah, I guess because of Anna,” he admitted aloud.
“That’s cool, man. My sister has three kids and her dead-beat husband left several years ago. She can hardly get a date because of those children. Most men don’t want to get involved,” Brad said.
“I don’t have a lot of experience with kids. Or women, for that matter. Don’t you think it would be a privilege to be part of a child’s life?” Myles asked.
“Well, of course I do. I have two children myself and can’t imagine life without them. Not all men think like that, however.”
Myles knew that. Before he’d met Anna and Zack, he’d been one of them. The thought filled him with panic. He’d been alone most of his life. Now he craved a woman who was still grieving for her lost husband.
Mrs. Harper had a large sheet spread out over a table beside her desk. She was leaning over it, checking on tasks yet to be done, when the two men entered her office.
“Phase one of room two is complete,” Brad said. “What next?”
She looked up and smiled.
“This is going so much faster than I expected. At this rate, we may finish in only a couple of more weekends. The painting is complete in Mrs. Savalack’s room. Mrs. Rosa’s room and Mrs. Thompkin’s rooms now are ready for the next stage. We have the ceilings to repair in two rooms, but there are parents already there. Are you two up for the playground equipment?”
“What’s needed?” Myles asked.
“Some of the older equipment is made of wood. It’s splintered and deteriorating. It needs to be replaced, bolted in place and then finished, so it’s safe for the children. And we had two new plastic climbing jungle gyms donated that have to be assembled.”
“Myles will be perfect for that. He’s used to building bridges. How hard can some playground equipment be?” Brad said.
Mrs. Harper studied him for a moment, smiling in gratitude.
“We are fortunate, indeed, to have you helping, Mr. Riker.”
“Myles, please. I’ll look at what you have. We already picked up the lumber, right?”
“Yes, it was in the original order you were so helpful in acquiring for us.”
As the men headed out to the playground area, Brad asked about the order. Myles explained about the company’s policy of helping in local communities.
“That’s why those other two guys were here yesterday?” Brad asked.
“Right. They’ll be back next Saturday, too.”
A wrought-iron fence enclosed the entire property in front of the old building. There was a separate area for the playground from the front walkway, and the playground was cross fenced. The double walkway that led from the sidewalk to the front door also had a gate, but it was rusted in the open position.
“If it had been closed that day,” Myles said, going to inspect it, “Zack would never have been able to run off like he did.”
“What’s happened?”
Brad hadn’t heard the story. When Myles finished, he looked at Myles. “If he hadn’t run off, you’d never have met Anna and end up here helping. Sounds like fate to me.”
Myles nodded as he assessed what was needed to get the gates in working order again. He’d initially planned only to walk down the street, check out the preschool and see if his son was in the playground. He hadn’t planned to stop or introduce himself. He’d never expected to have Anna ask for his help.
Maybe it was fate. Did that auger for a positive spin on his idea of family?
“This has rusted pretty good. But I think if we can get it off the hinges and use a solvent to get to bare metal, we can paint and lubricate so it’ll work for years.”
He glanced at Brad.
“Hey, man, I’m up for anything to keep the kids safer. This is a dangerous world, and this isn’t the best neighborhood. Just the best we can afford,” Brad said.
Myles knew that was true for Anna as well. If they married, he could easily afford to establish them in a better neighborhood in Brooklyn, or even move out to Long Island where they could have a house with a big yard.
He paused a moment to imagine himself a home owner. It wasn’t something he’d thought about since he’d been a child and had planned to buy the biggest house he could and never leave it.
Obviously, the dream had changed as he grew up, but now he wondered if it had just lurked in the back of his mind all these years. He pictured the exact house he wanted.
“Need help?” Brad asked.
Myles looked at the gate he was holding. He struggled a bit to lift it from the hinges and Brad stepped in to help. Together they wrested it from the supports and laid the gate on the walkway. In only moments, with the help of some well-placed blows from a hammer, they had the second gate off as well.
“Not in our job descriptions, but something that needs doing,” Myles said, studying the rusted hinges. Years of experience paid off; he knew metals and how to care for them. In only a half hour, he and Brad had stripped the rust from each hinge and lightly brushed the gates with a wire brush to prepare for the first coat of paint.
“This will have to do until next workday—we didn’t buy wrought-iron paint,” Myles said.
Maybe he could get some tomorrow and come back during the week. He’d nothing else to do until his medical leave ended.
“It’s almost five. We’ll be winding up soon,” Brad said.
“Let’s put these back up. I can get them down to paint later,” Myles said.
When the gates were back in place, they opened and closed with no effort. When closed, the center latch kept them in place.
Cleaning up the area, Myles returned the tools to the staging area and went to hunt for Anna. He found her with several other mothers, cleaning paintbrushes in one of the bathrooms, the door propped open for ventilation.
He waited opposite the door, listening to the female chatter. The topic was children. He figured he could never learn too much about that, so listened as they discussed eating patterns and how to get them to eat enough vegetables.
He felt a spurt of pride in Zack. The child never argued with Anna about what to eat. Her nutritious meals were delicious and healthful.
She glanced up at one point and looked directly at him. The smile that lit her face reminded him of why he was here. She wasn’t good at hiding her emotions.
He nodded, but said nothing.
She murmured something to the woman next to her, who then looked over at him.
“We’ve been asked to join the others for dinner. Can you make it?” she called.
He nodded once, glad the day wouldn’t end soon. He enjoyed being with Anna and the other parents. His friend Samuel, back at the job site, would split a gut laughing if he could see him now.
Myles didn’t care. This was uncharted territory for him, and he was interested in exploring every facet.
“We’re going as is—no one wants to go home first and change,” she said, rinsing her hands and then drying them with a paper towel.
One of the other mothers gathered all the brushes and shook them in the deep sink, then wrapped them in plastic bags.
Anna came out to the hall, rotating her shoulders a bit.
“I won’t be able to move tomorrow,” she said.
“Turn around,” Myles said, and when she complied, he gently massaged her shoulders and neck.
“Ohhh, that feels heavenly,” she said, letting her head fall forward.
“Lucky you. Wish Jim would think of something like that for me,” the red-haired mother said in passing. “Or I could stand in line and get a turn?” she teased.
Myles grinned at her.
“You’d have to ask Anna.”
“Hmmm,” she said, not offering to share.
The redhead laughed and continued down the hall.
Soon, Myles and Anna were alone.
“Do we go? I think you’re really tired,” he said, enjoying the feel of her slight frame in his hands.
Her muscles were tense, but he gently worked on them to loosen them up. He knew she wasn’t used to this kind of work.
“We go,” she said with a sigh.
Stepping away, she turned.
“Thank you. That feels wonderful.”
He leaned over and kissed her.
“That feels wonderful,” he said.
In only moments, they were out front with the others. Mrs. Harper was opening and closing the gate in delight.
“This is wonderful. We can keep the children in no matter what, and keep out those we don’t want wandering in.”
Anna looked at Myles. “Did you fix that?”
“I remember Zack running away. What if another child did?. It wasn’t hard to do.”
“But not even on the list of things to repair. As a grateful mother, thank you.”
“Brad pointed out that if it had been fixed before, I wouldn’t have met you,” Myles said.
Her eyes widened at that.
“I can’t imagine not knowing you,” she said involuntarily.
“Hold that thought for later,” he said.
The group who went to dinner together walked to the same pizza place Myles had taken Anna and Zack.
They crowded around two tables pushed together. The conversation was lively and full of laughter. Parents told stories about their children. They all lauded the work of the preschool. And twice, Myles was asked about his own work and how he volunteered with their group. He found the evening entertaining. He laughed with the others and kept glancing at Anna. She seemed to enjoy herself as well.
When they walked home, it was by themselves. He reached out to take her hand, linking their fingers.
“Tired?” he asked.
“Yes. I sure wish I didn’t have to go to work tomorrow. I’d love to take a hot bath before bed and then sleep in until noon.”
“Take a day off,” he suggested.
“No, I have to save my time in case Zack gets sick or something.”
“You wouldn’t have to do that if you stayed home with him, would you?” Myles said slowly.
“No, but that’s not possible.”
“It would be if you had a husband to take care of earning the income while you took care of Zack. And the husband, of course,” he said, testing the waters.
His gaze was fixed on her as they walked. She stared straight ahead.
“But I don’t have a husband.”
“You would if you marry me.”
At Anna’s stunned look, Myles backpedaled.
“Just think about it. No need to answer now.”
Man, how could he have made such a blunder? He hadn’t even told her of his relationship with her son. She hadn’t confided in him about Zack. They really hardly knew each other.
But he knew down in his gut that marrying Anna would give him all he wanted in life. Had his impetuous proposal ruined everything?