| |
A few days later, Dave happened to take something from his car trunk and discovered the baby monitor he’d bought at the hardware store the first day he’d shown Cathy the town. He’d forgotten it and hadn’t yet installed it for her.
He felt unreasonably pleased with a legitimate excuse to go out to her house. He’d spent way too much time remembering how her kisses had tasted, how much he’d enjoyed holding her in his arms.
He’d tamped down his former anger over Cory’s adoption and name change. She had, after all, promised him he could see Cory. Unless he could find a way to gain custody, that would have to be enough. What more could he have under the circumstances? Best to not look for trouble where there was none.
He remembered he’d seen something in his closet he’d like to take for Cory, too.
He drove out to her house that evening, but was disappointed to find her gone. He had a key to the house, of course. But it was Cathy’s home now, and he didn’t feel right about going inside to install the monitor when she wasn’t home. Maybe she’d be back soon.
So he went for a ride in his boat and fished a while. He hadn’t brought any bait, but he had artificial worms and lures. The sun was shining. It was a gorgeous evening. He caught several crappies but couldn’t keep his mind on fishing.
When Dave headed back for the dock, Cathy’s red car was still missing.
He saw Tess Anderson waving to him from her house next door. He’d known Tess since she was a child. They’d spent many summers living next door to each other. He waved back, then docked the boat and walked over to her.
“Dave, it’s good to see you. I haven’t seen you in years,” she exclaimed, giving him a welcoming hug.
“I’m happy to see you, too, Tess.” She and her brother had shared a lot with Jody, Don, and him.
“How’s Jody? And your parents?”
“Everyone’s fine. The folks will be coming up from Florida for a visit any day now.”
“I’d love to see them. Be sure to tell them to stop in. Would you like a beer or soda?” She stepped inside the patio doors to her kitchen and stuck her head into the refrigerator.
“Cola if you have it. I’m driving back into the city in a bit.”
She brought out two cans, handed one to him, and perched on the padded deck chair opposite his.
“Thanks,” he said and sipped the cold drink. “That hits the spot. Last I heard, you were living in Bloomington. Are you living here at the lake now?”
She nodded. “I just got a teaching contract with the local school. That worked out good for me. I can save a bundle by living here instead of paying rent.”
“You were always great with kids. I’m sure you’re a good teacher.”
“I love it. But two years in the city were enough for me. I’m a small town girl at heart. What are you doing nowadays?”
“Still drawing house plans. Keeps me and Ken out of trouble.”
“Ken?”
“You remember Ken Gould? From high school? The guy with the most girls around him at every party?”
Tess laughed. “The blond football hero. All the girls were crazy about him.”
“You, too.”
“Maybe,” she admitted, blushing. “But he never looked twice at me.” Her light skin showed pink under the roots of very blonde hair.
Dave grinned. “He’s still single, and my partner now. Maybe I should bring him out to see you sometime.”
“Dave. You, matchmaking?”
“I’m just trying to relight your old flame.”
She made a face at him. “Are you staying here at the cabin?”
He shook his head and told her about Cathy and Cory, trying not to sound bitter when he mentioned that Cathy had adopted Cory.
“I’d heard about Don and Jenny’s deaths. I’m sorry,” Tess said. “What do your folks think about the adoption? I don’t suppose that sat very well with the Langers.”
“No, it didn’t,” Dave said. “Strange, how circumstances can alter our lives.”
Tess nodded. “Isn’t it, though? Take me, for example. I never expected to come back here to live. I thought I’d want to live in a big city, where life was busy and exciting. But I got sick of the crowds and noise in a hurry. Now I seldom go there, except to hit the malls to shop, and then only very occasionally. I buy most of the basics locally or on the Internet.”
Dave nodded. “I’ve even thought about relocating my business out here. Of course, that was before Cathy moved here,” he hastened to add.
“Speaking of Cathy, I think she just returned home,” Tess said. “How about introducing me to my new neighbor?”
“Sure,” Dave said, setting his empty can down on the table beside his chair. “Come on.”
They walked along the lakeshore path to Cathy’s house and up the steps onto her deck, coming the back way, since it was closer. Dave knocked on the glass patio doors.
Cathy was in the kitchen, putting away the last of her groceries when she heard his knock. She looked up, surprised that someone was at the patio door. It opened only to the lake, so no one ever came that way.
She was relieved to recognize Dave. A tall, slim blonde woman stood beside him.
“Hi, Dave,” she said. She slid open the door, and they came inside.
“Cathy, this is your next door neighbor, Tess Anderson,” Dave said, introducing the blonde woman to Cathy.
“Hi. Happy to meet you, Cathy. You’re Jenny’s sister, right?”
“Yes. And this is my son, Cory. I’m happy to meet you, too.” She eyed the attractive woman who was still standing very close to Dave. What was she to him? They’d obviously been together when they walked over here. How long had Dave been visiting her? “You live next door?”
“Yes, right down the path along the lakeshore,” Tess said, waving a hand toward her house. “I’ve just moved in, myself. I didn’t realize anyone was here, or I’d have been over before now.”
“Have a seat,” Cathy invited. “I’ll make some coffee.” She put Cory down on the carpet.
Cory eyed Tess for a bit, then walked over to the sofa and climbed up. He sat there, watching Tess settle into the chair opposite him. She grinned at him and he grinned back, starting a stream of baby talk, which none of them could understand.
“I’ll go put my boat away and be right back,” Dave said.
Cathy glanced at Dave as he headed back to the dock. “You were out in his boat?”
“Not me, just Dave,” Tess replied. “He said he was fishing. It’s a beautiful day for it. He stopped over, and we spent a couple of hours chatting and catching up on each others’ news.”
“You’ve known each other long?”
“Since we were kids,” Tess replied, exchanging silly faces with Cory. He responded with glee and climbed down, then walked closer to chatter with Tess, who was delighted with his attention.
“He looks so much like the twins did at that age,” Tess said. “Has anyone shown you pictures of Dave and Don when they were little?”
“Not yet,” Cathy said.
Dave returned, bringing with him a large cloth bag from his car. Cory toddled over to meet him, holding up his arms and asking to be held. Dave put down the bag and caught Cory up, giving him a hug.
“I found these in the back of my closet and thought Cory would like them,” he told Cathy. “Okay?”
“Sure,” she said, curiously eyeing the lumpy looking cloth bag.
He put Cory down on the floor, then sat down beside him, pulled open the drawstring and dumped out the bag. A large pile of oddly shaped pieces of wood tumbled out on the carpet.
“Blocks!” Cory exclaimed in glee. He immediately grabbed a couple of the brightly colored hunks and clapped them together.
“They’re not just blocks, they’re building blocks. See, there are lots of different sizes and shapes,” Dave said.
He picked up some of the pieces and showed Cory how to fit them together to make things. Soon they had fences, buildings and towers of various sizes standing.
Cathy watched them, thinking how much alike the two dark curly heads were. They were the picture of a homey family today. Except for Tess being here, of course. But today Dave seemed so much approachable and less bossy than when she’d first met him.
Dare she think of a future with a man? She could easily imagine herself doing something like this with a husband and Cory on a regular basis. She imagined them making love at night, then spending a lazy day at home together. Just like this.
It was only a silly fantasy, of course. She didn’t know any good male candidates for the role of husband.
Certainly not Dave. He wasn’t a family man. He’d said so himself. Yet here he was, playing with Cory, just like any father would play with his toddler.
Finding her camera, she took some pictures of Dave and Tess playing with Cory, and then Tess insisted on taking some of Cathy playing with Cory and Dave.
They talked over coffee and cookies, and Cathy learned a bit about how Tess and the twins had spent their summers here throughout their childhoods.
“On cool evenings, Don and I used to play board games on the floor right here in front of the fireplace,” Dave said.
“I remember how you boys always stretched out on your stomachs, with your feet in the air, swinging back and forth,” Tess said, smiling. “Jody and I would go into her bedroom to be alone.”
“So you could talk about boys,” Dave teased.
Tess laughed. “And both of us are still single in spite of all our interest in them.”
“Remember the Christmas we started high school? We all spent our vacation here at the lake that year and had Christmas dinner together.”
“Your mom cooked the turkey and brought it over, because Don was sick with the mumps.” And that was the bad luck illness that started all of this.
If only Don hadn’t gotten the mumps...but then he and Jenny would have had their own child. And Dave would still have none. Fate had given him Cory, even if he couldn’t claim him as his own yet. He smiled at Cory.
Tess was saying, “We called Don ‘chipmunk.’ We have lots of good memories in these old houses.”
Cathy listened to them, feeling a bit left out, but enjoying hearing about Dave’s past.
Finally, Tess stood. “Well, I’d better scoot on home and finish unpacking,” she said. “I still have boxes everywhere.”
“Do stop in again, anytime,” Cathy said politely.
Dave looked up and smiled at Tess. “It was wonderful seeing you, Tess. We’ll have to meet again, soon.”
“Sure, Dave. Give me a call.”
Cathy walked Tess to the patio doors and waved to her as she headed down the lake path back to her own house. Cathy couldn’t help being envious of the easy, friendly relationship Tess and Dave seemed to have. Was it more than friendship?
Tess had invited him to call her anytime. Would he?
It was none of her business if he did, Cathy reminded herself, turning back to watch Dave and Cory building a tower of blocks.
“Crash!” Cory said, knocking over the blocks and clapping his hands.
“He likes knocking over the towers more than building them up,” Dave said.
“Well, he’s not even a year old,” Cathy defended.
“True. He’ll enjoy them more when he’s a bit older, I think,” Dave said, kneeling to help him rebuild the tower.
Cory soon tired of the game. They put the blocks back in the bag. She put Cory in his playpen.
“I’d better get back to my work,” Cathy said.
Dave asked, “May I see what you’re doing?”
She nodded. He followed her to her studio where she showed Dave the drawings she was working on.
Admiration in his voice, he said, “You’re really good at this.”
She shrugged. “I try. I especially like the fact that I can work at home and care for Cory at the same time.”
“That reminds me,” he said. “Remember the package I bought at the hardware store the day I showed you the area?”
“Yes?”
“It was a baby monitor,” he said. “I’ve been meaning to get it installed for you. The device will let you hear Cory from his crib when you’re in your studio.”
“But...I can’t afford one of those.”
He frowned. “Did I ask you to pay for it? I think I can afford a present or two for my...nephew.”
“All right,” she agreed. “Thanks.”
“I’ll get it and my toolbox.” He strode out to his car, whistling.
“Bossy man,” Cathy said to Cory in an exasperated tone.
“’oss man,” he repeated, pounding the side of his playpen with his stuffed chicken.
“That’s right, Cory. Mommy doesn’t like bossy men.”
“No Dada?” Cory’s face screwed up, and he began to wail loudly.
“Oh, of course I do,” Cathy said, picking him up and comforting him. She should feel grateful for Dave’s thoughtfulness, not angry with him. “Mommy didn’t mean it, Cory. It’s okay.”
Dave came back in and Cory held out his arms to him, demanding more hugs and giving his mother an angry look over his shoulder.
“What’s the matter, Cory?” Dave asked.
Cory sniffed into his shoulder and hid his face.
“I give up!” Cathy said and went to fix supper for them. She wouldn’t be able to concentrate on work with Dave underfoot.
If he was planning to install the monitor the least she could do was feed him, she reasoned. Even a bossy man deserved a reward for his work.
Dave shrugged and took Cory with him to his bedroom to install the baby monitor. Cathy could hear them happily chattering as Dave showed him the tools.
After supper, they tried out the monitor. He told Cathy to go into her studio, and he took Cory into his bedroom and talked.
“Yeah, it works,” she told him. “Thanks, Dave. I’m sure it will be a big help.”
She’d started watching a movie on TV, and he settled down to watch it with her.
Cory fell asleep on Dave’s lap.
Moments later, Cathy tucked him into his crib and returned to watch the end of the movie with Dave.
After the movie, he got up to leave, and she walked him to the door. He took her in his arms and kissed her goodnight.
She made no objection. In fact, she kissed him back and wished he’d stayed longer. You shouldn’t be thinking of such things, she scolded herself. You have responsibilities now. You’re not free as a bird any longer.
* * * *
A couple of days later, she’d been working at her easel for hours. Needing a break and some fresh air, she took Cory for a walk along the lake. He acted delighted to be outdoors, and the beautiful day lightened her mood considerably.
When they returned to the house, she remembered she’d locked the door behind her, but hadn’t taken her key. Panic gripped her throat. Now what was she going to do? Luckily, the weather was perfect.
She didn’t have her car keys, either, of course, so her car was also useless. She glanced at Jane’s house, the next door neighbor she’d met only twice, but knew she’d be at work on a weekday. With a sigh, she walked over to Tess’ house, happy to find her home.
“I locked myself out of my house,” she told Tess.
“Oh dear. I don’t suppose you’ve hidden an emergency key outside anywhere?”
“No,” Cathy said. “And I only had the one set, besides. I guess I should have some extras made. I guess I’ll have to call a locksmith.”
“But that’s expensive. Why not call Dave?” Tess asked. “He has a key, doesn’t he?”
Cathy shook her head. “No...”
Tess looked at her curiously. “Why not?”
“It’ll take him a while to drive out here,” Cathy said lamely.
Frowning, Tess said, “It would take a locksmith a while, too. There’s none nearby. And remember, they charge mileage on top of their regular fee.”
“All right, then, call Dave,” Cathy said.
Dave was surprised but pleased to hear from them. “I’ll be right out,” he said after Tess explained the problem. “I was ready to call it a day. Tell Cathy to stay at your house until I get there.”
He felt pleased as he drove out to the cabin. She needed him and had asked for his help. One step at a time.
When he arrived at Tess’ house, Cathy gave him an embarrassed smile. “Forgetting to take my key was such a silly thing to do.”
“No problem. It happens to all of us.”
She rode back to her house with him, and he used his key to unlock her door.
She thanked him politely for coming out and rescuing her and promised, “I’ll have some extra keys made, so it doesn’t happen again.”
“I’ll bring you one of those little boxes you open with a code to keep an extra key in, in case it happens again when I’m not around,” he told her.
“Thanks, Dave. I appreciate your help.”
She smiled at him, and he leaned forward to kiss her goodbye.
* * * *
A couple of days later, she was painting in her studio when she heard a loud crash and the sound of glass breaking in the Great Room, then another crash and more glass breaking. She jumped to her feet, dropping her brush.
“What in the world?” Glancing at Cory in his playpen to make sure he was all right, she ran out into the Great Room in time to see the white tail of a deer bounding off into the woods beside her house. A deer had actually run through her house.
Open mouthed, she stopped and stared, not quite sure what to do first. The glass patio door was smashed, as was the lower half of the floor-to-ceiling window across the room from it. Broken glass was strewn everywhere across the carpet and outside the window on the grass. Obviously, it hadn’t been safety glass.
Did she have insurance on this? Oh, God. She’d never even asked Dave about insurance. Did they have any? Surely they must. If so, she assumed he had paid for it. She certainly hadn’t. She’d always lived in a rented apartment, where landlords worried about such things.
She closed her eyes, thinking how stupid she was for not asking about such a basic thing. Dave was the only one who’d have the answers. She had to call him. He’d know what to do.
She gingerly made her way across the glass-strewn carpet to reach the phone book in the kitchen and found Dave’s office number. She’d written it in the back of the book in the happier days when they’d spent a lot of time together.
Dialing with shaking fingers, she got his secretary, Susie. Cathy tried to explain what happened and why she needed to talk to Dave right away, but the panic in her voice must have been enough to tell Susie this was an emergency. “I’ll put him on,” she said.
In a minute, Dave was on the phone. “Cathy, what’s the matter?”
“A deer just crashed through our house.”
“What do you mean, crashed through?”
She looked at the curtains now blowing freely in the wind. Sunshine streamed into the room, sending prisms of color off the bits of glass on the carpet. “There’s broken glass everywhere. The deer broke right through the patio door and ran out the opposite window, breaking that, too. It’s gone now—I saw it running off into the woods.”
“Are you and Cory okay? Nobody’s hurt?”
“Only the deer,” she said, giving a nervous little laugh. “I don’t think it’s in too good a shape right now.”
“I’ll be right there. Stay away from the broken glass and keep Cory out of it.” He hung up.
He thought she was stupid. Of course she wouldn’t let her baby near broken glass. Had he thought she was hysterical? Then again, maybe she was.
Cory whimpered from his playpen in her studio. He didn’t like being confined now that he could walk. But she couldn’t let him out now. He’d just have to be unhappy.
She talked to him and put on some soothing music, then went back to find gloves and a broom to begin cleaning up the mess.
Dave reached the cabin in record time. Luckily he hadn’t gotten a ticket, though he’d driven fast enough to deserve one. He slammed the gear into park and ran to Cathy’s door. Thank God she’d trusted him enough to call him in an emergency. He rang the bell.
When she opened the door, she gave him a tremulous smile of welcome. She was wearing blue jeans and a soft yellow, paint-spattered tee shirt with no bra. He swallowed. Her nipples showed through the soft fabric. This was no time to notice such things.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Dave, especially during your office hours,” she said. “But I didn’t know what to do. I never asked you if we have insurance or anything...”
“Of course we’re insured. I called my agent on the way out,” Dave said, stepping inside the Great Room. He pursed his lips, surveying the mess. “I didn’t realize this house didn’t have safety glass windows.”
He eyed her pale face. She didn’t look or sound all right. “Are you sure you and Cory are okay?”
She nodded. “We’re fine, Dave. We were in my studio when I heard the crash.”
“The insurance agent said to take some pictures and then have it fixed. I called a guy from the glass repair company, too. He promised to be here soon to replace the glass. I’ll make sure he uses safety glass this time. He said not to touch the shards left in the window and door—he’ll take care of it.”
She gave him a little smile. “I really appreciate your help.”
He stood looking over the situation. “The deer must have been able to see straight through from one window to the other,” he said. “So it thought there wasn’t anything in the way. We need to put up blinds or curtains on one of the windows, so this won’t happen again.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Mama! Dada!” Cory’s whimpers turned to screams of outrage at being ignored.
“You’d better give me those gloves, and you go take care of Cory.”
“But...”
“No buts. I can do this. I’ll pick up the worst of it, then get the shop-vac from the garage to clean up the rest.”
“All right.”
“Do you have any film left for your camera?”
She nodded. “There’s still part of a roll in it from the party the other day. I meant to finish it off but didn’t.”
“Better get some pictures for the insurance guy, then.”
An hour later the glaziers’ truck arrived, and the repairmen began work on replacing the glass. Luckily, none of the framework was ruined, so it didn’t take long to replace.
Cathy sat on the couch, watching them work. Cory sat on her lap, at once shy of the strangers in his house and bug-eyed at the unusual activity. He was fascinated by all the noise the repairmen made and for once satisfied to stay in one spot, quietly watching them.
* * * *
When the truck had gone, Dave walked out into the woods, looking for signs of an injured deer.
When he returned, Cathy asked, “Did you find the deer?”
He shook his head. “No. It must not have been too badly injured, or it wouldn’t have been able to run away without leaving more of a blood trail.”
“That’s good. I hope the poor thing survives,” Cathy said with a shudder.
He glanced at her. All this damage to their house, she and Cory had narrowly missed being hurt, yet she worried about the deer that had caused it all. She sure was soft-hearted.
“I hope I got all the glass out of the carpet,” Dave said. “But to be on the safe side, I’ll have a professional carpet cleaner come by tomorrow and do it again. If that doesn’t work, we’ll have to replace the carpet.”
“Oh, but that’s so expensive,” Cathy objected.
“Cathy, the insurance would cover it. It’s only money, anyway,” he said irritably. “That’s one thing I’m not short of right now.”
“That must be nice,” she muttered, heading for the kitchen to fix food for Cory, who’d begun to whimper again.
He frowned at her. She resented his wealth? Was that why she resisted his offers to do things for her, to let her live in their house without paying rent, to let him help her with his son? Maybe financial help felt like interference to her. “It is nice.”
She blushed. “I didn’t mean to sound so sarcastic.” Her voice low, she explained, “It’s just that I’ve never had much. I can’t imagine what it’s like to have enough money to not worry about making ends meet.”
He’d known that about her. But he still didn’t like her attitude toward him. He wanted her to allow him to help her financially and otherwise, to accept him as a partner in raising his son. He wanted to act like a real father. He swallowed at the thought. A real father implied also being a husband, didn’t it?
But she was a loner who didn’t want anyone to share her son. He’d better slow down here. He sighed and cast about for a change of topic.
“How about a pizza for dinner? I’ll order one delivered,” he offered, hoping to prolong the time with her, but fully expecting her to refuse.
To his relief she smiled and nodded. “All right.”
“Great.” He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number of his favorite pizza place before she changed her mind. “What do you like on yours?”
“Pepperoni and extra cheese.”
He grinned. “Me, too.”
Next he checked with the carpet cleaners. They agreed to do it first thing in the morning.
By the time they’d fed and bathed Cory and tucked him into bed, the pizza had arrived. They sat out on the deck and ate it while watching the sun set over the lake, both of them more relaxed now.
She readily told him about her latest project and the progress she’d made on it and asked him about his work.
They cleaned up after their meal and went back inside the house. Then he helped her remove most of the toys, knickknacks, and smaller pieces of furniture to other rooms so the cleaners would be able to do their job.
Surveying the almost empty room, he said, “They can put the couch out on the patio if they need to. Or move it from one end of the room to the other.”
“Thanks for your help, Dave.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, smiling at her with an effort. “Don’t walk barefoot in here or let Cory down on the carpet until the cleaners give the all clear on it.”
Her lips tugged in a smile. “Yes, Daddy,” she said.
Exasperated, he said, “It’s only common sense, isn’t it?”
“Exactly, Dave,” she agreed. “And I do have some. You sounded just like my bossy dad.”
“Your father is bossy?”
Nodding, she said, “Very much so.”
“I’m sorry if I sounded that way, but I still mean it. Goodnight.”
On the drive home he told himself that at least she’d called him. She’d trusted him enough to help her when she needed someone. He’d have to be content with that for now.
