Flight to Love

by Curry, Edna

  She couldn’t help sending Trace another searching glance as she met him at the front door, assuring herself that she hadn’t been dreaming. They shared a nervous smile as he met her gaze. Was he wondering the same thing?

  Chapter 2

  They dashed across the wet lawn to his house, laughing at his efforts to hold both the umbrella and the cat, and still keep all of them dry.

  Delicious warmth enveloped them as they ducked inside his front door. Trace closed the door, dropped the umbrella in its stand and released Baby, who dashed off down the hall.

  A surge of awkwardness spread through Lisa at being alone in his house with him. She hadn’t, after all, seen him for years.

  “How about some hot cocoa?” he asked, as he hung her coat in the entry closet.

  “That sound’s great.” Memories of hot cocoa parties after high school football games slid through her mind. She and her brother, Sam, had invited the gang back to Gram’s house for cocoa and cookies many times. Gram always made them welcome. Did Trace remember, too?

  When he tossed a grin at her over his shoulder, she knew he did remember. “Like old times, eh?” He led the way into the kitchen.

  She stopped in the doorway, staring. The old-fashioned, white painted cupboards were gone, and the kitchen now looked as if it had been copied from the pages of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

  With blue and white decorator touches to contrast the natural finished oak cupboards, everything looked ultra modern and efficient. Spotless, white appliances completed the new look.

  “You’ve remodeled.”

  “Yes. I’m afraid the kitchen needed it, after the Lee’s kids got in their licks,” Trace said with a grimace. “Sit down. The water will take a few minutes to heat.”

  Lisa sat down in a polished oak chair at the table. As she watched him work efficiently, she tried to reconcile this handsome, muscular man with her memories of the young man she’d loved in high school.

  He was taller than she remembered, and a little heavier, but he still had the same narrow hips and long legs. He was wearing dark slacks and a soft green sweater which brought out the green highlights in his hazel eyes when he looked at her. His hair was a darker shade of blond than she remembered, but it was still as curly. She wanted to run her fingers through it, as she remembered doing years ago.

  A warm finger of desire slid along her veins. He’d always had a special place in her heart. Even though she’d married another and raised children with him, she’d never forgotten Trace. Did every woman feel that way about her first love?

  “I suppose it’s none of my business, Lisa, but what made you decide to stay here so suddenly that you didn’t have time to get the utilities turned back on?”

  Lisa looked away, his words bringing her abruptly back to the present. No, it wasn’t his business, but old friends often asked personal questions. Were they still friends? She didn’t know him anymore. She couldn’t tell him her problems now. What was she doing fantasizing about him, anyway? She was a mature woman, not the love-struck teenager she had been back then.

  Swallowing, she said, “I just needed to get away for a while. To think.” Her reason sounded lame, even to herself.

  She thought of the long, lazy afternoons she and Trace had spent together, telling each other everything. Going swimming, fishing, hiking, anything at all that would get them off by themselves. It all seemed so impossibly long ago.

  Trace raised an eyebrow but dropped the subject. “I take it you own your Grandmother’s house now?” he asked, setting a plate of big gingersnap cookies on the table.

  “Yes. That is, my brother and I do. We never got around to selling it. It’s supposed to be our weekend retreat, but we haven’t used it in years. Sam’s busy with his two young sons, and I haven’t had time,” she said.

  “Little Sammy has a family?” Trace grinned, setting the cups of cocoa on the table and taking the chair opposite her.

  Lisa nodded. “It’s his second family, actually. Sam’s first wife and baby daughter died in a car accident. It took him quite a while to get over it. I’m sure that’s why he’s so devoted to Lucy and their two boys.”

  “I can understand that.”

  A look of sadness crossed his face, and she wondered what he’d been thinking. Had there been similar sad events in his life over the years? There was so much information about both of their lives that separated them now. She felt as though she were reaching across the years, trying to find the person she had once known. Was he still the same person? Was she? An uncomfortable silence fell between them.

  She picked up a cookie and bit into it. “Mm. These are delicious. They taste homemade.”

  “They are. Jenny, that is, Mrs. Henderson, my housekeeper, is a jewel. She comes in twice a week and pampers me.”

  “Oh,” she said, telling herself she only felt relieved because a wife would probably object to her staying here tonight. So, why was she pleased to learn that he was single? When he’d gone off to college, he’d left her without looking back. She wasn’t interested in getting hurt again, was she? This desire she felt was only loneliness. It had been too long since she’d had any attention from a good looking man, that’s all.

  Trace said, “You’ll meet Jenny in the morning.”

  “She won’t mind my being here?”

  His brows dipped in irritation. “Lisa, who cares? This isn’t exactly a small town, you know.”

  She glared at him. “I care, and you know everyone here always kept track of everyone else’s business.”

  He studied her face. “You always were a sensitive little thing. I remember you in grade school, running home angry because I wouldn’t take you with me when I was playing baseball in the city park.”

  Lisa squirmed at the memory. At least he hadn’t mentioned her tendency to tears in those days. The other kids had teased her unmercifully for that trait.

  She sent him a sidelong glance. “You weren’t very nice to me and Suzy sometimes.”

  He had the grace to look embarrassed. “Is it too late to apologize? I was probably no worse than any other older boy. You two were gangly eighth graders with braces on your teeth, barely out of pigtails.”

  “But we had very tender hearts and desperate crushes on you older boys.” She smiled, purposely making her comment plural. No way would she let him know how hard she’d fallen. He’d always had a healthy ego; it hadn’t needed feeding then, and probably didn’t now.

  “But you grew into a lovely woman by your junior year. All the guys envied me dating the head cheerleader.”

  “My one claim to fame.” She shrugged, not mentioning the fact she’d tried out to be near him, because he had little time for her. “You were always at football practice or playing on the field.”

  “Not always. I kept my grades up.”

  “Yes. I guess you did. Third in a class of a hundred and fifty.”

  He grinned. “Not bad for a football player, eh? Everybody thought we all had to be dumb if we could run or throw a ball.”

  Laughing, she agreed. “True.”

  She struggled for a change of subject, settling on work as a safe alternative. “What do you do, now?”

  “I’m teaching math and computers at the U.”

  “Really? I can’t quite picture you as a staid professor.”

  His eyes searched hers, sending a warm glow through her. “No? How do you picture me?”

  Lisa regarded him over the rim of her cup as she sipped her cocoa. “I think as a race car driver, or ski instructor, maybe.” She remembered the envy she’d felt toward him, and all those other kids whose parents could afford to let them indulge in expensive sports. Gram’s budget had never stretched to anything like that.

  He sent her a searching glance, and then laughed. “Actually, I did teach a ski class last winter,” he admitted, refilling her cup. “Did you ever learn how to ski?”

  She nodded and smiled, pleased she could let him know she hadn’t stayed poor. “My husband, Bi
ll, and I used to go to Aspen when our kids were small. His parents loved to baby sit, and it was great to get away. We lived in St. Cloud. Bill was a district manager for an electronics firm.”

  “Past tense?”

  She looked away and her smile faded. “Before Bill’s heart attacks. He died two years ago.”

  “I’m sorry. And your kids?”

  “Grown,” she said, shortly. Well, they’re grown up in body at least. “Bob is twenty-four now, and has a good computer job with a company in St. Cloud. He’s interested in sports cars and girls, in that order. Jodi’s the dramatic one; she’s twenty-three and works in a live theater. She does character parts mostly, and sometimes makeup for the actors. She loves it.”

  “That’s good.” He bit into another cookie.

  “And you?” She watched his even white teeth crunch into the crisp brown gingersnap. “You mentioned that Baby belonged to your daughter.”

  “Yes. Renee. She’s twenty-one. It seems wrong for my daughter to be younger than your children, doesn’t it? I guess I waited longer to settle down than you did.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t want to think of him married to someone else at all. There’d once been a time when he’d belonged only to her. But that was a long time ago. And she’d married Bill, hadn’t she? Life had gone on, after teenage love gone wrong.

  “Renee’s a junior at college in Chicago,” Trace was saying. “She wanted to be near her mother and her grandparents. Sandra and I are divorced. Renee comes home for an occasional visit during vacation.”

  Again, Lisa noted sadness in his voice and manner. He rose. She followed his lead, helping him pick up the blue flowered china and put it into the sink.

  “Jenny will take care of the dishes in the morning. I’ll show you the guest room,” he said, picking up her overnight case.

  They walked down the thickly carpeted hall.

  As they came to a lighted room where a computer still hummed, he set down her suitcase, and stepped inside. “My office,” he said. “I was working when I saw Baby sitting in your window. I left this running when I dashed over.”

  Lisa glanced around the crowded room. Two walls were lined with books, and stacks of notebooks and papers covered a long table. A printer sat on a stand, and a telephone, fax machine and Rolodex sat on one end of his large desk.

  Trace punched a couple of keys on the computer keyboard to shut down the computer. Then he turned off the light and picked up her case again.

  They went upstairs and down the hall. He stopped at a bedroom decorated in soft yellow tones. “You can use this bedroom,” he said, setting her case inside. “The bathroom’s through that door. I have an early class, but make yourself at home until the power is on at your place. Jenny keeps the kitchen well stocked.”

  “Oh, it’s lovely. Thank you, I appreciate this, Trace,” she said, smiling at him.

  A wave of electricity slid through her veins as she wondered what it would be like if he kissed her. Would it be like old times? Did he still care, even a little bit? She wanted to run her fingers through that curly hair, to see if it felt as crisp and springy as she remembered it being.

  He met her gaze. The searching look in his eyes made Lisa wonder if he could read her mind. His face softened and his lips moved invitingly as if he were going to say something else.

  Then the moment passed and he only said, “You’re welcome, Lisa. Goodnight.”

  Closing the door behind him, she leaned against it. Had she just imagined the attraction was still there between them? Was she reliving her high school infatuation with him? In her teenaged fantasies, he’d always been a great lover. In real life, they’d never gone that far. He’d said nothing about it. Perhaps he wanted to forget the past.

  She vowed to be extra polite and careful around him, lest she make a fool of herself, trying to relive old dreams.

  Lisa delighted in the pretty bathroom, also done in yellow and white. Yellow daffodils danced on the wallpaper. Gram would have loved it. Gold colored faucets decorated the sink and tub. Heaven, Lisa thought.

  Imagine seeing Trace again after all these years. Tomorrow she would look up her school chum, Suzy. Wouldn’t Suzy be thrilled to see her? They hadn’t seen each other for months. The three hours of driving between them kept them from seeing each other often, though they’d kept in touch on the phone between visits.

  The clock read two a.m. when she climbed into the soft bed.

  Silence surrounded her in his house. Lisa snuggled down in bed, trying to get comfortable. The sheets were smooth and luxurious, the blanket and pillows comfy, but after talking to Trace, she was wide awake. Had he meant that almost kiss? If she’d encouraged it, would they have gone much further? Her heart sped up at the thought.

  Which room is his? Is he right next door or farther down the hall? Is he in bed yet?

  She imagined him undressing, wondered how his body had changed over the years. He’d always had a wonderfully handsome body, especially when he took off his shirt. She’d loved to admire his bare muscles when they’d gone swimming.

  She used to run her hands over the bare skin when they’d kissed, and later imagined what lovemaking would be like with him. She couldn’t resist doing the same thing now.

  Was he lying in bed thinking of her as well? If only she had the courage to bridge the gap between them as she wanted to!

  Memories from the past were all she had for now. How she missed lovemaking since her husband had died. And even before, since they hadn’t made love in all the months Bill had been so ill before he died.

  Yes, it was past time to come back to living again. And running into Trace again was the perfect time for that. She’d always kept a soft spot in her heart for him, even when she’d felt he’d left her.

  Chapter 3

  When Lisa awoke, it was broad daylight, and something heavy was holding her feet down. Sitting up and looking around her, she remembered where she was. Baby had cuddled close. She must have followed them upstairs last night and sneaked into her room. Amazing how that cat had taken to her.

  Lisa eased out of the blanket, careful not to disturb the sleeping cat. Wondering if Trace had left for his class, she went to the window and saw the small, blue Buick which had been at the curb last night was gone. The rain had stopped and the sun was shining brightly. Opening the window, she breathed in the fresh earthy smell of spring. The temperature felt like it was in the forties already, and she knew it would rise fast with the sun out. It was certainly a good day to begin airing out and cleaning her house.

  After enjoying a hot shower, she remembered the cold and dust she planned to tackle at Gram’s house and dressed in a warm pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. Then she went downstairs to find something for breakfast.

  In the kitchen, she found a pot of coffee left on the warmer. How thoughtful of Trace! Not since Bill had taken ill had anyone left coffee for her. It revived a warm, cared for feeling. Ridiculous. She hardly knew this mature, sophisticated version of Trace. He might be entirely different from the boy she’d known. It was foolish of her to think all those years hadn’t changed them both.

  As she recalled the bedtime fantasy about him she’d enjoyed last night, she blushed, thankful there was no one around to notice.

  Lisa helped herself to a sweet roll from the package on the counter, and drank some coffee. Returning upstairs, she found the phone book and called the various companies to have her utilities reconnected. All except the telephone were promised before the end of the day, and she felt a warm glow of optimism as she picked up her overnight case and purse and went back downstairs.

  When she walked down the hall, she heard a vacuum cleaner humming. Lisa put down her things and stepped into the living room.

  “Hello, Mrs. Henderson,” she said. “I’m Lisa Bickford, from next door.”

  The lady vacuuming shut off the noisy machine and came forward with a warm smile. She was gray haired and stout. “Hello,” she said in a friendly, but gravely voice. “Trace has gon
e to work. But he left me a note saying he had company. I’m pleased to meet you. Call me Jenny.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Maybe things are about to change around here. Trace never has women staying over. He needs a little social life. He spends way too much time sittin’ at that desk, typing on that computer ‘til he forgets to eat or sleep.”

  “Oh,” Lisa said, not wanting to go into details, but also not wanting Jenny to think she and Trace were lovers. “Trace and I just met again. We knew each other many years ago as teenagers. The power is still off at my house next door, and Trace was kind enough to invite me to stay here.”

  “I see.” Jenny’s blue eyes gazed at her speculatively.

  Lisa could see Jenny was ready to ask more questions, so she quickly changed the subject. “I’m happy to see that Trace kept this room much the same. I’ve always admired the crisscross design in those leaded glass doors.” She indicated the attractive built-in bookcases and china cupboards.

  After seeing the kitchen and his office, she’d assumed that he’d modernized the entire house. But he hadn’t. Even the red brick fireplace was still the same. Did he curl up in front of it with a book like she had imagined herself doing when she’d first seen it many years ago? Did he get comfortable first, wearing only his pajama bottoms?

  Her mouth went dry as she pictured his bare chest. What did it matter? She’d better deal with her own problems, rather than moon over an attractive man. The past was past.

  “The coffee’s on,” Jenny was saying. “Can I fix you some breakfast?”

  Lisa pulled her attention back to the housekeeper and smiled at her. “Thanks, but I’ve already helped myself to a roll and coffee. I want to get started cleaning my house. Nice meeting you, Jenny.”

  Lisa walked down the hall. When she opened the door, Baby slipped out. Darn that cat.

  “Kitty, kitty,” Lisa called as the cat dashed across the yard. How was she going to explain to Trace that she’d let Renee’s pet get outside again?