To illustrate his point, he slid another spoonful into his mouth and then winked at her.
A flutter in her stomach responded. Damn, how could anyone look so sexy eating ice cream?
“Well, I’d better let you have a go at this before I manage to eat it all.” Chris began to put down his spoon on the paper napkin and began to rise.
“You know,” Danny piped up suddenly, “maybe my eyes are bigger than my stomach, just like my mom is always saying. It’d be awful to waste this.” He gestured toward the plate. “Mom thinks it’s a sin to waste food,” he confided. “Can you stay and help us eat this? Just until your date gets here,” he added quickly.
Chris looked at Rosemary warmly. “Your mom’s right. It is a sin to waste food. And I never turn down a plea for help.” He sat down again.
This time he looked as if he had settled in for good, Rosemary thought. But what if Mary Smith turned up? What would she think?
Rosemary looked down at her watch again. The woman was now almost half an hour late. She supposed it might serve Mary right for keeping her date waiting like this if she arrived and found him otherwise occupied.
Still, having Chris sitting here with them, waiting, wasn’t exactly orthodox….
This, she thought, was what was known as a dilemma. A big one.
He wondered what she was thinking. And if her vocal cords had frozen yet. She was putting the ice cream away as if she was afraid that it might overflow at any moment.
As if she might say something she didn’t want to if her mouth wasn’t full.
Rosemary Gallagher certainly was an unusual woman. But then, he had never been really interested in the mundane and the common.
He could sense her tension. “So, how did you get into this business in the first place?”
She raised her eyes to his. “Matchmaking? It sort of found me one bleak Friday morning.” She saw him raise a curious brow, but he continued eating. Continued slowly licking his spoon with a rhythm that was hopelessly sensual. Rosemary had to struggle to concentrate on her answer.
“I was going over the want ads,” she explained. “I’d just lost my job at the university and I couldn’t find anything suitable. It seemed that there was nothing out there for a woman with a degree in English. Anyway, the personals were located right before the employment section.”
She warmed to her subject, remembering how she had felt, reading ad after ad. “It struck me that it was all so sad.”
“What was?” he prodded, intrigued. For the moment that nervous, cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof look had left her. Rosemary was relaxed, softer, and devastatingly attractive this way.
“That there were so many people out there looking for each other, missing each other because they didn’t really know how to go about finding that good man or good woman they felt would make their life complete.” She shrugged, licking her spoon. “Personals are okay, but there’s a bit of risk involved, and even computer dating misses the heart of things.” She smiled to herself as she remembered. “Patrick always told me I was good at looking into people’s hearts.”
Chris drew his brows together. “Patrick?” Was she involved with someone after all? Was that why she had given off those no-trespassing signals when he had subtly felt her out?
“My late husband.”
Her eyes had grown sad. Rosemary still loved him, he thought. Chris toyed with the few sprinkles that had drizzled down onto the side of the plate. He and Danny had systematically gotten rid of all the ones on top. “How long were you married?”
She glanced down at the ring she still wore, caressing it with her thumb. “Five years. But we were together forever.”
She said it as if there was more involved than a couple just living together. “In the mystical sense?”
She laughed. Patrick would have gotten a kick out of that. He had been grounded in common sense. There hadn’t been anyone more down to earth than he had been.
“In the physical sense. I grew up with Patrick. We were neighbors.” Just like we are. Now where had that come from? She pushed the thought away. “He was always there, for as long as I could remember. We went to the same schools, had the same friends…”
She shrugged, her voice trailing off. Ice cream was a much safer subject, she thought, looking at the platter. They had certainly made a considerable dent in it. As a matter of fact, it was two-thirds gone.
“Hey, there’s Jeff with his mom,” Danny announced. As if his dress pants had suddenly been wired with electricity, he squirmed in his seat. “Can I go and say hi to him? I’ll only be a minute,” he promised.
She’d never known Danny to be that enthusiastic about Jeff before. Jeff was one of the boys in his class and on his Little League team, but they had never been what she had thought close or really good friends.
“Sure, go ahead.”
Danny was off like a shot, leaving the two of them alone, chaperoned only by the dwindling mountain of ice cream, she thought.
Chris grinned as he took another spoonful. The ice cream was swiftly losing its shape. “Danny’s a really neat kid.”
Nothing he could have said could have warmed her heart more.
“Yes, I know.” She watched as Danny headed toward Jeff’s table. “He’s what I’m proudest of.” She didn’t realize that she was sighing until it escaped her lips. “It hasn’t been easy.”
No, he didn’t imagine that it would be. But she had done a great job. He’d been a handful and a half for his own mother and there had been times that she had exclaimed she would have lost her mind if his father had not intervened.
“How long have you been alone?”
“Too long.” She looked up ruefully, aware of how that must have sounded. “Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m not lonely—I’ve got Danny, and now that fourfooted creature following me around.” She paused, trying to find the right words. “It’s just that at times it would be nice to have a man for Danny to talk to.”
Was that the only reason she wanted someone around? To talk to her son? “How about you, Rosemary? Do you need a man to talk to?”
He’d never said her name before. She would have remembered. It sounded sinfully sexy on his lips. She found her own dry and licked them before answering. “I talk to a lot of men.”
Ten to one, she was referring to men like her car mechanic and her doctor. Chris leaned his elbow on the table and propped up his head, his eyes on her. For the moment his spoon was retired. His curiosity was aroused.
“Do you date? Do you ever go out with any of the applicants?”
“No, never. That would be unethical somehow.” She didn’t see a point in telling him about the two fiascoes in her life after Patrick died. It would sound incredibly adolescent and he’d only laugh at her. “I don’t do dates.”
She shrugged carelessly, pushing the subject away. Then, because he was being so genial about it, she found herself confiding in him.
“To be honest, I haven’t got the slightest idea what to do on a date. The thought of it makes me freeze up.” There, now he probably thought she was some sort of weirdo. “I never really dated, you see.”
Amused, Chris looked toward Danny, who was embroiled in an animated conversation with his friend, complete with hand gestures. “Did the three wise men bring the same gifts this time as they did the first?”
She laughed and shook her head. “I already told you, Danny’s father and I had known each other since we were children. Four years old is a long way to go back. We were almost always friends and it just progressed from there.”
It had been a nice, safe route to pursue. She’d felt a tingle, but there had been no fear in entering into the relationship with Patrick. It was as if it had always been there, just waiting for her, like a special dress hanging in the closet, waiting for her to put it on.
Her reasoning fascinated him. “Yet you run a dating service.”
“It’s not as strange as it sounds. You don’t have to experience it to do it for others. Otherwise, women w
ould never have confidence in male gynecologists, would they?” Now that she was almost full, she had gotten selective about what she was going to eat. She turned the platter around until she could get at the mint chip more easily. “I think people are happier in pairs, as long as it’s the right pair. The reams of personal ads point to that.”
Rosemary was surprised when he took a bit of the mint himself. Their tastes ran along the same lines, she thought. Either that, or he just didn’t want to reach over for some of the cookies and cream. “I just try to help them along and pay my bills as I do it.”
He wanted to keep her talking. “Does it pay the bills, if you don’t mind my asking?”
Teri had warned her that she was too open, but there didn’t seem to be any harm in telling Chris what he wanted to know.
“No, I don’t mind you asking, and yes, finally, it does. It took a few years to get established, but now we’re holding our own.” A satisfied smile curved her mouth. “I get a lot of word-of-mouth business.”
He found himself growing more intrigued with her by the moment. This wasn’t a game she was playing with him. She was serious. “But you still don’t date?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t date.”
He still thought that was rather unusual. “Why? You’re an attractive woman…”
She didn’t want to get into defending herself. “I’m a busy woman and I’d be the first to admit that I would be a lousy date.”
He’d had dinner at her house and had been with her at the ice-cream parlor for the past forty-five minutes. Chris saw no basis for her statement.
“Why?”
Rosemary shrugged, wishing Danny would return. She tried to make eye contact, but at this distance it wasn’t easy. “Because I’m a dull date.”
Was she serious? He grinned. “I don’t find you dull.”
There was an easy explanation for that. “That’s because this isn’t a date. We’re just sitting here, talking.” She gestured toward the door, silently willing Mary Smith to appear. The door remained unopened. “Waiting for your date to arrive,” she concluded on an exasperated note.
Chris shook his head. He didn’t bother looking toward the entrance. “I don’t think she’s coming.” He glanced at the big, red-rimmed clock mounted over the long soda counter again just as Danny returned.
“Jeff says hi,” Danny told his mother, sliding into his seat opposite them. “Hey, you guys almost finished this thing.” He sank his spoon into the gooey mess that was left and began to eat quickly.
Chris looked at Rosemary. “You know, I think I’ve been stood up.”
She hated to admit it, but she thought he was right. He said it so casually, it was almost as if he didn’t care. But she knew he had to. Wouldn’t anyone, if they were stood up?
She placed her hand on his. “Oh, God, Chris, I am so sorry.” She bit her lip. Though he was being blasé about it, she felt guilty for having put him through this. “There’s got to be a good reason why she’s not here, I’m sure of it. I’ve had the business for over four years and I’ve never had a no-show before.”
He laughed. “That makes two of us.”
She was certain of that. No woman in her right mind would have ever stood him up.
Danny stopped eating long enough to grin broadly at them. “Lucky thing for Chris that we came here, huh, Mom?”
She thought that having them here had probably intensified the sting of being stood up rather than muted it. But before she could respond, Chris answered.
“He’s right. At least this way it wasn’t a waste of my time.” He smiled at her. “I’m having a good time. And the ice cream is excellent.”
She was embarrassed for him and mortified that she had inadvertently been the cause of it. “I just don’t know what to say.” She realized that her hand was still on his and withdrew it, dropping it into her lap.
“Then don’t say anything. Just help me eat this before it melts all over the place.” His spoon hit against Danny’s and they both laughed. Chris slanted Rosemary a look. “It’s not your fault,” he said softly.
She felt herself melting faster than the ice cream.
Chris placed his spoon down temporarily and picked up his napkin, then leaned toward her.
“You’ve got some pistachio right here.” Rather than hand her the napkin, he dabbed it at the corner of her mouth.
The air stopped in her lungs. The look in his eyes told her that he had an entirely different method of cleanup in mind. But this was a public place and they were with her son, so he had to curtail his impulses.
It was all there for her to see.
With effort, Rosemary swallowed the huge lump obstructing her throat.
“Thank you.” Very slowly, she took the napkin from him and wiped her mouth. “All right?”
“More than all right,” he assured her.
She dropped her eyes, not quite knowing what to do with herself. He made her feel wonderful and confused and flustered all at the same time.
Chris looked at the dish. The mounds of ice cream had been demolished and consumed. All that remained of the lofty structure were a few wisps of tired whipped cream and a few wayward nuts.
“I think we’ve done justice to this offering, how about you?”
Rosemary nodded, throwing in her spoon. “I couldn’t fit in another drop of whipped cream even with a shoehorn.”
“Now that I’d like to see.” Chris laughed and raised his hand for the check.
The waitress saw him and was at their table almost immediately. “Will there be anything else for you?” Pen poised over her pad, she smiled at Chris and Danny, completely ignoring Rosemary.
“No, thanks.” His eyes shifted toward Rosemary. Maybe later. “I’d like the check, please.”
Danny suddenly came to life. “Hey, it’s my treat,” he protested. He took out a long white envelope from the inside pocket of his jacket. The envelope was sagging from the weight of the change that was in it.
Rosemary’s heart swelled.
Her expression was not lost on Chris. He placed his hand on top of Danny’s. “Why don’t you let me pay, Danny?” His gaze took them both in. “For the pleasure of your company.”
Danny considered Chris’s offer for a moment. He thought of all the other things that he could buy with his money. Tempted, undecided, Danny took the dilemma to his mother.
“Is it still a Mother’s Day present if he pays?”
She nodded. “Absolutely. I always said it was the thought that counted, Danny, not the money.”
“Yeah, you did.” His head bobbed up and down enthusiastically. “Okay,” he told Chris. “I guess I can let you pay.” He drew himself up importantly. “But I leave the tip.”
Rosemary noted that the waitress looked as if she’d rather have Chris leave the tip, and in something other than currency.
“You’re on, Danny.” Chris laughed. The waitress handed him the bill and he showed it to the boy. “Can you do fifteen percent of that?”
“Sure I can. I’m in fifth grade. We just covered that.” Danny looked to his mother for corroboration.
She nodded. “I checked the homework assignment to prove it.”
“Okay.” Chris dug into his pocket and took out a ten, then left it on the check, in case Danny’s math suddenly failed him. Danny covered the bill with a dollar ten in nickels and dimes.
Chris rose and the waitress shifted only slightly to get out of his way. “Ready?” he asked Rosemary.
She looked at the clock above the counter. It was a little after twelve and there hadn’t been a single female with or without a white flower entering in the last hour. Mary Smith wasn’t about to show.
Rosemary sighed. This had been a failure. Her first. “Ready.”
Chris took her arm as she slid out. He toyed with a thought and then decided that he had nothing to lose. “Do you have any other plans for Mother’s Day?”
Her own mother lived in Florida and she had already called her th
is morning. Other than a simple dinner with a cake she had made, there was nothing on her agenda. She looked at Danny, wondering if he had anything else up his sleeve. But the boy shook his head.
“No,” she told Chris. “I guess not. Why?” She half expected him to suggest that he come over later and work with the dog.
But he surprised her. “Great. How would you like to drive up to Carmel with me and meet my parents?”
If she had been drinking, she would have choked. “Excuse me?”
He placed a hand to the small of her back and guided her to the door. “Well, it is Mother’s Day and I promised my mother that I’d come up later this afternoon—after my date was over,” he added significantly. She winced. “I thought that Danny might like to come along with me to see the kennel. And since you shouldn’t be alone on Mother’s Day—” he exchanged looks with Danny, who nodded “—I thought you might like to join us.”
Danny was all for it, his eyes lit like rockets bursting in the sky on the fourth of July. “Can Rocky come with us, too?”
Chris acted as if that was a given. “Sure. There’s always room for one more dog.”
Rosemary hesitated. She had work to catch up on and she felt as if she was intruding on the special relationship that Danny was forming with Chris.
“I don’t know,” she said reluctantly. “Why don’t you two—”
Danny clutched at her hand. “Please, Mom? It’ll be fun and you never get to go anywhere.”
Well, that certainly made her look like a stick in the mud. She looked at Chris, flushing. “He makes me sound like Rapunzel.”
Chris touched a tendril that hung loose at the nape of her neck. It sent shivers down her spine. “Well, you’ve got the hair for it.”
“I’m short about eighteen feet,” she laughed. Her hesitation evaporated. “Okay, if you’re sure your mother won’t mind.”
She obviously didn’t know his mother. He was going to take great delight bringing Rosemary to visit. “My mother would love another woman to talk to, even if it’s just for the afternoon. It’ll give her a chance to complain about the men in her life. Namely my dad and me. She doesn’t mean it,” he told Danny, “but she does love getting things off her chest once in a while.”
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