Forever Friends

by Sarah Mackenzie

  She nodded, not wanting to pry into the backstory of his widowhood. If and when he wanted to share, she’d be there.

  He followed her into her warm kitchen with its terra-cotta floors and chipped white cabinets. The Formica countertops were scarred from various baking projects over the years and the refrigerator was decorated with photos of Tansy and magnets from various vacations, like a Liberty Bell from Philadelphia and a cactus from their trip to Tucson.

  “Make yourself comfortable.” Renee nodded toward the built-in booth where Tansy used to hunker down with her homework. “What would you like to drink with your pie? Coffee or tea?”

  “Green tea if you have it.” He slid his big frame onto the seat.

  “I do. Citrus and matcha.” Renee busied herself preparing a kettle and tried not to sneak too many glances at Dr. Dan surrounded by her grandmother’s china and the wobbly mug stand Bree had made in woodshop her sophomore year. Dr. Dan simply fit in her home. He added to its coziness. He felt as right as her fraying but beloved kitchen towels and crocheted pot holders.

  Renee set a plate of warm pie and a mug of tea in front of him. She brought her own tea over as well as the sugar canister.

  “I already ate a piece for breakfast,” she admitted. “Two actually.”

  Dr. Dan took his first bite, closing his eyes and offering a not-so-subtle moan of appreciation that sent her thoughts straight to the gutter and all her neck-licking fantasies.

  “I don’t know how you have the willpower. I want to bend over and lick the plate.”

  The idea of him bending down to lick anything was not at all unpleasant.

  She tried not to choke. Nothing sexy about spraying tea from your nostrils. “So, which flavor do you like more? Raspberry or strawberry?”

  He polished off his piece and gently pushed the plate away. “That’s easy. Strawberry.”

  “Why’s that?” Her curiosity piqued.

  He cleared his throat. “Because that was the slice I got to enjoy here with you. In your home.”

  “Oh,” Renee inhaled. “Oh.” It was all she could manage.

  Blushing furiously, she darted her eyes around the kitchen, trying to find anywhere to focus other than her boss’s striking blue eyes and his crooked smile.

  Don’t look at me that way. There’s nothing to see here. Just someone who enjoys baking, gardening, and romance novels. You would be bored with me and my quiet life in weeks—no, days—and then what? We go back to being boss and employee? How would that work?

  “So! Seen any good movies lately?” Renee asked lamely.

  A small smile on his face, Dr. Dan shook his head. “I tend to only rewatch the classics. Probably a sign that I’m getting old.”

  “I have the same bad habit,” she admitted. “Tansy and I used to watch so many Nora Ephron movies together. I bet I could tell you every line of When Harry Met Sally.”

  A sudden sparkle in his eyes, Dr. Dan leaned closer to Renee and murmured, “That first bite of pie? Well, I nearly reenacted Meg Ryan’s ‘I’ll have what she’s having’ scene.”

  Renee burst into wonderful laughter. She shook her head. “I don’t even know what to say right now.”

  She stared down at the kitchen table, images of Dr. Dan orgasming in her head. Her ears burned hot.

  “Say I’m not the only one feeling something here.” His voice was gravelly, slightly hoarse.

  Renee’s eyed widened, her heart pounding in her chest. Was this a dream? Had she somehow slid into an alternate universe? This couldn’t be real life. No, she was about to wake up in her sleigh bed with a book against her chest and a mug of cold chamomile on her nightstand.

  “Renee?”

  Oh god. This was not a dream.

  “Um, no, you’re not the only one feeling something, but…” She trailed off. “Well…”

  “We work together.”

  “Right.” She nodded. “Right.”

  “But that doesn’t mean we can’t get to know each other better. Spend some time together doing…things.”

  “Like Scrabble?” Her frantic gaze landing on the forgotten game. Why was that on top of the kitchen cupboard anyway? She hadn’t played since last summer, before Tansy left for USC, and here she was the reigning queen of awkward banter.

  Dr. Dan chuckled. “Scrabble?”

  Renee stood, walking toward the board game and holding it out like a shield or a peace offering. “We should play.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Didn’t you major in English literature? You trying to hustle me?”

  “You remember that?” She stared in disbelief.

  “Of course I do. When I first started you were making your way through Pride and Prejudice for your, I think twelfth time? And you told me you had studied English lit at Binghamton, and there’s that ‘Jane Austen is my homegirl’ bookmark pinned above your desk.”

  When was the last time someone had taken the time to notice her? Notice things that mattered to her? She simply nodded, too touched to speak.

  Finally she got her vocal cords working. “Well lucky for you, I’m a little rusty with board games since my daughter moved out. Plus, you have the upper hand when it comes to medical jargon. Talk about words with high point values!”

  “Oh yeah.” He flashed a good-natured grin. “Look out! I’m coming for you with ‘colic,’ ‘asthma,’ and ‘varicella.’”

  They settled in her living room, Dr. Dan sitting on the edge of her linen sofa and Renee cross-legged on the rug, with the board game spread across the coffee table.

  “Sternutate?” Renee laughed half an hour into their game. “That is not a word!”

  “It is, too!” Dr. Dan waggled his eyebrows. “It’s the official term for sneezing.”

  “I don’t believe you.” She giggled, lunging for the dog-eared Scrabble dictionary.

  He laughed, reaching for it and accidentally grabbing Renee’s hand. He held it gently before tightening his grip, interlacing his fingers with hers. His skin was rough, but warm…just as she dreamed it would be. She never wanted to let go.

  They both went silent and the air between them crackled as if filled with invisible embers.

  “Renee?” His voice was a rasp, a request for permission.

  Her throat dried even as her palm grew damp. This was a moment where what she did mattered. If she played her cards right, he would come closer and touch her with those big hands in other, softer places. Their lips would meet and oh good God, she’d kiss him, she’d kiss Dr. Dan and— Brrrrrrrriiiiiiinnnnnng!

  Cursed by the phone.

  “Oh!” She fell back, her hand covering her mouth.

  Dr. Dan cleared his throat and awkwardly rubbed his fingers up and down his thighs.

  “Um, excuse me. Let me grab that.” She hurried to the phone in the other room, answering with a breathless, “Hello.”

  “Are you okay?” Tansy immediately asked. “Were you on the elliptical?”

  “What? No, why?” She’d been about to kiss a hot doctor. As much as she wanted to talk to her daughter, she wanted to know if he tasted as good as he looked.

  “You sound out of breath. Hmm. Maybe you should start using it if you’re that out of shape.”

  She frowned at her daughter’s unfamiliar sass. Who was this kid? “I actually gave that to your aunt Bree this fall.”

  Dr. Dan had risen from the couch and was milling around her family room, examining each painting and photograph.

  “Well, I was just calling because…” Tansy paused.

  Renee could tell something was up. Had she bombed an exam? Or was there roommate trouble?

  “So, look. I won’t be coming home this summer.”

  “What!” Renee curled in like the wind had been knocked out of her. “We must have a bad connection because it sounded like you said you weren’t coming back to Cranberry Cove.”

  “Mother, dial down the dramatics,” Tansy groaned. “I got invited to go stay with Beckett. I met his mom last night and she totally loves m
e and they supposedly have this killer place in Vail and—”

  “Back up. Who is Beckett?” Renee sputtered. “And Colorado? For the whole summer? Have you been out in that California sun too long today and lost your mind?”

  Dr. Dan turned and studied Renee curiously.

  “Beckett is my new boyfriend. We met in geology,” Tansy said matter-of-factly. “And he wants to take me hiking and rock-climbing and they have an indoor pool and a home movie theater.”

  Her daughter didn’t even like to walk barefoot in grass, nor had she ever looked twice at a rock. “You’re taking a geology class? You have a boyfriend? You want to rock climb?” This was all baffling news. Didn’t she miss Cranberry Cove? Didn’t she miss her mom?

  “Yes. As a science elective. Things are serious with Beckett, and I think I’ll like camping. Okay? Does that answer all of your questions? Weren’t you the one who told me college was a time to try new things?”

  “Yes, but…” Renee’s head spun. Too much to process at once. “How long have you been dating—what’s his name? Bennett? Why am I just hearing about him?”

  “Beckett, Mom. Beckett St. John if you want to be a psycho and Internet stalk him. We’ve been together for about six weeks.” Tansy sighed, clearly exasperated with her mother. “And I don’t know why I didn’t say anything. Maybe because there was never a reason to bring him up until now.”

  No reason? Since when did Tansy need a reason to tell Renee something so important, so essential?

  “I just figured I should let you know about my change of summer plans, you know, as a courtesy, just in case you were preparing for me to be home.” Tansy had made her plans and they didn’t include seeing her mother. For the whole summer. And that would turn back into the school year and…

  Renee could almost hear her heart shatter.

  Just in case? Just in case? Renee had planned the entire summer under the assumption Tansy would be home! She’d already requested her vacation time and was counting down the days until Tansy would back down the hall. She couldn’t wait for rom-com movie nights and leisurely mornings spent making French toast casserole and reading magazines. She wanted to hear her daughter’s footsteps on their creaky hardwood floors and come home from work to find Tansy sitting on the front porch steps, absently nibbling her fingernails while flipping through a novel.

  “I knew this would be high drama with you. Look, I’ve gotta go. We can discuss this more later.”

  Click.

  Renee stared at her phone screen, shell-shocked. Discuss what? There was to be no further discussion. Yes, Tansy was eighteen, but being a legal adult and being an actual adult were two drastically different things.

  “Everything okay?” Dr. Dan asked, coming into the doorway.

  Tansy used to tell Renee everything, from the moment she got her first period (during a seventh-grade science test, poor thing) to her various crushes throughout the years. Tansy had always been an open book, so the thought of her having a boyfriend, especially one she liked enough to venture off with his family for the entire summer, and never saying a word was mind-boggling.

  Renee’s mind whirled: she’d lost track of a toddler for a few terrifying minutes this morning, nearly gotten busy with her boss this afternoon, and now her daughter had announced she was basically never coming home.

  What a day.

  Things were definitely not okay.

  And Renee’s quiet, orderly life?

  Well, it wasn’t so neat anymore.

  Chapter Eleven

  Still clutching Lincoln against her very tender boobs, Sadie nudged open the front door of the house, gasping to find Ethan in the foyer. “Oh! You scared me!”

  “You okay?” He narrowed his eyes and gave her a slight frown. “You look pale. Is the morning sickness back?”

  Sadie had experienced horrible bouts of vomiting while pregnant with Lincoln, and they tended to hit her at the worst times, though puking in an elevator crowded with her firm’s executives definitely topped the list. She’d never forget the sight of her morning Cheerios splashed across Stuart Dillon’s shiny loafers.

  “It’s actually been a lot better this time around.” She briefly considered telling Ethan about her scare with Lincoln on the beach but ultimately decided against it. Her legs hadn’t stopped shaking, and her heart was continuing to race over all of the what-ifs. With a second child on the way and now this pie shop possibility—as improbable as it was—Sadie was more determined than ever to appear calm and capable.

  She was already fumbling as a stay-at-home mom. What made her think she could handle a job in addition to parenting? She was certainly not her own mother, who seemed to manage both motherhood and a career with such effortless ease.

  And Ethan was so damn practical.

  How was she going to convince him that this was a good idea? How was she going to convince herself?

  “Yeah? Well, that’s good to hear. I wish your pregnancy headaches weren’t so awful, though,” he said, genuine concern in his eyes. “A package just arrived for you. It looks like it’s from my mom.”

  The only other time Annette had sent Sadie a package, it had contained a variety of cleaning products, an issue of Midwest Living, and a throw pillow embroidered with famous Ohio landmarks. She’d even included a note about the importance of keeping a clean home and encouraged Sadie to “reach out with any questions you may have.”

  “I bet it’s some sort of Easter surprise for Lincoln,” Sadie guessed. “Why don’t you take him into your office to play for a bit? I don’t want him sneaking a peek at any treats.”

  Ethan nodded. “Good idea.”

  There was a phrase she hadn’t heard from her husband in a while.

  She carried the small box into the kitchen and set it on the countertop. Using a pair of poultry shears, she sliced open the packaging tape.

  There was a lilac envelope on top with Sadie’s name written in Annette’s beautiful penmanship. Her mother-in-law’s stationery was heavy and expensive, the note cards embossed with AL in metallic gold. She’d actually bought Sadie a matching SL set last Christmas, though Sadie had yet to use it.

  Dear Sadie,

  I’m sorry for losing my temper during my visit. It was out of line and completely inappropriate. I told my sisters about the ordeal, and they suggested you read this book. It’s all about being a calm and peaceful parent—serene moms promote serene children! It makes perfect sense. You’ll have to call and let me know how it is. I figured you could use all the advice you could get with another little one on the way. Oh, how I cannot wait for my next grandbaby!

  Love,

  Annette

  P.S. Have you given any thought to getting a dog for Lincoln? You know, Ethan grew up with Apollo, and I’m sure he’d be the first to tell you that every child deserves such a companion! Think about it!

  Gripping the letter in one of her shaking hands, the book in the other, Sadie stormed down the hall.

  “Is she serious with this?” she shouted at Ethan, who was sprawled across the floor playing with Lincoln.

  “Mommy mad!” Lincoln observed, both awed and slightly amused as she thrust the note at his father. “Mommy, why mad?”

  “Could her apology be any more backhanded? I don’t even know why I’m surprised. Who else could manage to say sorry and then sneak in a kick in the ass?”

  Ethan skimmed the letter with a growing frown.

  “There’s no way we’re getting a dog,” she fumed as he quietly read. “I know you loved Apollo but I’m a hard no on a Saint Bernard. The last thing we need in this house is lots of dog hair and drool.”

  “Of course not.” He shook his head. “I’m not a masochist. Maybe someday when the kids are much, much older.”

  She paused, realizing he was on her side and felt strangely ashamed of throwing the Saint Bernard under the bus. Their imaginary dog hadn’t done anything wrong here.

  She handed over the heavy hardback, which featured a picture of a mother who lo
oked like Gwyneth Paltrow snuggling a cherubic little girl. They were both blond and bright-eyed. “She also sent me a parenting self-help book along with her congratulations on our second child.”

  “Come on, Mom.” Ethan’s neck grew red and he fumbled with his words. “I’m sorry she did this. It’s partially my fault. After our fight last Saturday, when Lincoln and I went to see her at the B&B, I felt like I should explain where you were coming from. I wanted her to understand how much stress you’re under and that your hormones are out of sorts.”

  “What?” So much for calming down. Annoyance blazed into something more searing and bright.

  “You felt the need to explain me to your mother? Like my reaction to our fight was so crazy that I not only required explanation, but a biological excuse?”

  Seeing the look on her face, he studied the floor, unable to meet her gaze. “Please don’t say things like that. You know that isn’t true.”

  Her fingers twitched. God, she longed to throw the stupid book at him. But Lincoln was still watching and his little face reminded her she was the adult here. Instead, she spun on her heel and stalked back into the kitchen, opening the trash and dropping the contents of the package inside. The simmering resentment boiled down to one clear idea.

  The pie shop.

  She wanted to do it. She needed to do it. It was too easy for a woman to forget who she was after becoming a mama, to remember what filled her bucket and made her come alive. She loved being her son’s mother, but she needed a professional life to bring balance. It might not make her serene, but it would make her happier.

  “Honey, I need to nap and cool down. Will you take Lincoln for a bit?”

  She could tell him about the pie shop right now and be done with it, but the idea was so new, so fragile, that she didn’t want him to burst the bubble with some ill-timed practical questions or concerns on how she’d manage to balance the workload.

  Right now she just wanted to…well…want.

  “Of course,” he agreed quickly.

  Sadie climbed up the stairs, burrowed beneath her comforter, and took a deep breath, feeling calmer than she had in a long time. Before long she fell asleep with visions of sugarplum pies dancing in her head.