“But can we still talk about it?”
“I’ve got to go, Jack.”
It felt like they were breaking up. Take it like a man, he thought. And he could have, if not for Nattie. “Laura—”
She’d already clicked off. She’d never done that before, hanging up before hearing him say good-bye first.
Jack clicked back to Kelly. “I’m back.”
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He must have sounded out of breath. He made some kind of explanation, and she let it go.
“I have to say,” she began, “I’m a little embarrassed about why I missed your call.”
“Were you outside, or—?”
She groaned. “Watching TV. I got sucked in by this Discovery Channel story about a dog who found his way home after getting stranded three hundred miles away. Here I was, wiping soppy tears away, when lo and behold, I missed your call!”
The story made him smile. Just hearing her voice had a calming effect on him. Easygoing, friendly, that familiar quality about it. Grateful for the distraction, Jack tripped along behind mundane talk for another twenty minutes.
“You seem a little sad,” she said suddenly.
He used the age-old dodge, “Just a little tired,” debating whether or not to mention what had happened tonight, then took the chance, explaining that their beloved nanny had just handed in her resignation.
Kelly expressed her sympathy. “Tell me about her.”
He did, and she seemed to listen intently, occasionally probing for further, but not inappropriate, details. “We can’t lose her,” he finally said. “It’s unthinkable.”
“She sounds like a wonderful person,” Kelly said.
Jack sighed. “She is.”
Their conversation meandered until he realized they’d been talking for an hour. “I’m keeping you,” he protested.
Kelly chuckled wryly. “You don’t know me well enough to figure out whether you want to keep me.”
He smiled, intrigued by her self-deprecating humor. He could tell Kelly really liked kids, from the way she kept asking about Nattie. It didn’t bother him that she’d been married before, a marriage that, as she’d put it, “was practically arranged by my mother.”
“I’m alone right now,” she volunteered now, her tone sounding wistful, “but I’d love to be a mother someday.”
“I bet you’d make a great one,” he said.
“I’d like to think I would, Jack,” she whispered.
“What do you think of diapers?” Jack asked, thinking of Angela, and Kelly laughed.
“Diapers are par for the course. Sometimes I visit the diaper aisle and just the smell stokes my maternal instinct!”
Did she really say that? “Please tell me you’re kidding,” he replied with a laugh.
“Oops, did I say that out loud?” she quipped, and they both laughed at her joke.
He looked at the clock again and went for broke. It didn’t seem all that risky, not with their obvious camaraderie. And shoot, he’d already lost his nanny over Kelly. “I’d really like to take you out for dinner.”
“Do you cook, Jack?”
He replied to the affirmative.
“Why don’t I come to your place?” she asked. “You could introduce me to Nattie at the same time. From the way you’ve described her, I can’t wait to meet her.”
He thought for a moment. Nattie wasn’t ready for this. No way. In fact, Nattie might never be ready for it again. “If you don’t mind, I think I’d like to do dinner first, just the two of us,” he said. “I’d be happy to pick you up. Take you somewhere in your neck of the woods.”
She demurred. “Tell you what. There’s that nice-looking restaurant on the outskirts of Wooster. You know, the one with the lake? I could meet you there.”
Wooster Country Club. Finding her determination to drive down somewhat curious, Jack suggested a time, and she accepted.
“Afterward, if we have time, it might work out for you to meet Nattie. From the restaurant, our house is actually on the way back to Akron.”
She seemed highly enthused with his plan. He hung up the phone, grinning like a kid.
Replaying every inch of their conversation, he now looked up at the clock. It was only nine-thirty. His new world, one without Laura, came blaring back.
He got ready for bed, covered his sleeping cherub with Laura’s quilt, and whispered a prayer for the means to soothe her sorrow. In his own room, he went to sleep hearing the sound of Kelly’s voice, but it was Laura who haunted his dreams.
Chapter 23
Friday morning Laura arrived early again. Jack showered quickly, dressed in his usual jeans and short-sleeved shirt, and leaned over the railing. Surrounded by her stuffed-animal family, Nattie sat, gloomy and hunched over, munching her cereal. At least today he noted apple slices on a saucer.
Nattie and Laura talked in hushed whispers. Laura, her manner professional, almost detached, hadn’t even turned on the radio. But he was encouraged when Laura slipped in beside Nattie and gave her a long hug, then whispered something in her ear. Nattie nodded.
Laura looked up and saw him. “Good morning, Jack.”
He caught Nattie’s sorrowful expression as she turned in her stool.
After Nattie was done, he ate alone at the bar, chugging Laura’s swamp smoothie drink first, followed by granola, while Laura gathered up laundry. I won’t miss the green drinks, he thought, but it was little consolation.
When it was time for him to leave for the airfield, Laura was in the laundry room, and Nattie had already sequestered herself in her bedroom with the door closed.
He went to say good-bye to Laura, and she responded pleasantly, unlike yesterday, meeting his eyes. The whole thing seemed settled for her, as if now she’d made the decision, she was ready to move on.
Lounging in her pajamas, Kelly went online and looked up Higher Ground, Jack’s aviation site. She scrolled through the tabs, found Our team, and clicked on it. A rather large group of pilots fanned out behind Jack in the center, wearing what seemed to be standard-issue jackets and shades. She recognized Mick to Jack’s immediate left.
She clicked on a second tab and found another picture of Jack, this one alone, then one with Jack hugging Nattie in front of his plane. She read the caption below: Jack’s family.
She groaned to herself. All that time waiting for Ernie, and she could have simply looked up Jack’s site and found Nattie’s picture.
But I needed the break, she thought.
She pictured the upcoming dinner date, thinking back on their previous long phone conversation, including Jack’s obvious despair over losing Laura, and felt a small flutter in her heart. Nattie’s nanny of over eight years had suddenly quit. Without warning, it seems, she thought. Why?
She dialed Ernie’s number.
“What’s the good word?” Ernie answered.
Kelly filled him in on the latest, and as she expected, he wasn’t pleased. “Tell me again what happened at the airfield.”
“I lost my nerve, Ernie.”
He whistled. “I’m tempted to cheat on this one, kiddo.”
She didn’t respond.
Ernie muttered, “It’s your call. But I guess we can’t forget that Chet’s paying the bill.”
Yes, she thought, feeling chastised. Against her better judgment, she told Ernie about last night’s conversation, the coming date, and he seemed surprised. “So you guys are getting chummy? Is that just to get the DNA?”
Good question, she thought. “No,” she said.
“Come again?”
“It’s . . . complicated, I think.”
“No kidding,” Ernie replied. “And dangerous.”
She sighed. “I think Jack likes me.”
Ernie cleared his throat, and just the gravelly sound of it was like an admonishment. “Kelly, you need to put your cards on the table and tell him you couldn’t be honest before because you were distracted by his ocean blue eyes and Viking chin.”
<
br /> Kelly gave a nervous laugh. “I think I might modify that approach somewhat.”
“So come up with your own variation.”
“Fair enough,” she bantered.
“Listen, you’re one Google search from looking really, really bad, and with nothing to show for it,” Ernie grumbled. “You didn’t tell him your real last name, did you?”
Kelly cringed, closing her eyes, her silence telling him what he didn’t want to hear.
“Wonderful,” Ernie muttered.
Point taken, Kelly thought.
Considering the way Nattie moped around, it was as if Laura had disowned them and was moving to Alaska. Then again, Jack was impressed that Nattie wasn’t taking it harder than she was. No tantrums, just tears. Learning that Laura wasn’t going home to Pennsylvania, after all, and marking dates on the calendar for special girl time at least cut some of the pain.
“We’ve underestimated Natalie,” Laura had told him. As it stood, he questioned whether he was taking Laura’s resignation harder than Nattie was.
Then there was Kelly. Since their late-night phone call, they had already texted a number of times, not unlike his early days with Angela.
In the meantime, as Laura began fulfilling her two-week notice, the closeness they’d shared during the early weeks of summer had all but disappeared, including their time spent on the back swing.
He missed it and was relieved when Laura suggested that she come tomorrow, on a Saturday, just for fun, “For Nattie’s sake.”
The three of them spent the day shopping, something he normally tried to avoid. They went to Walmart on the outskirts of town to shop for Nattie’s school supplies, and for all their laughter, it would have seemed to the casual observer that Laura was a fixture. And yet, despite the occasional lightness and the sunny skies, a cloudy pallor hung over the quiet moments. When they finished shopping, they stopped for ice cream, and Jack tried to ignore the growing sense of unease.
“Are you going to visit home?” Nattie asked between licks, pretending it was a casual question.
“Probably not, honey.”
“Will you text me?” Nattie asked. “I mean . . . when I get a phone?” She glanced at Jack, and he ignored the not-so-subtle jab.
Laura nodded, and Nattie seemed satisfied. After ice cream, they took a short drive in the country, just to feel the wind in their hair. Sitting by the window for a change, Nattie flew her hand out, her hair flapping around. Laura, too, seemed to enjoy the breeze in her face, closing her eyes and smiling wistfully.
It was impossible to overestimate just how much he’d come to rely on his Amish nanny, and Jack worried again how they could possibly make half a life without her. There were other nannies, other housekeepers, other gardeners, other counselors, but only one Laura.
Nattie was still “flying her hand” out the window, but now tears were streaking her face. His heart broke at the sight of his little girl in such pain, trying to be brave.
One loss after another, he thought.
It was just after four o’clock when they got back, and Laura didn’t enter the house like she might have. She said good-bye on the sidewalk and went to her car, parked on the street. He and Nattie watched her go, arms slumped at their sides, both of them barely holding it in.
Jack had bigger problems—tonight’s date with Kelly. He’d already procrastinated as long as possible. He sat Nattie down on the couch and leveled with her, starting with the news that San was coming over. Nattie was already ahead of him. “If Auntie San is coming over, then you must have a date.”
Jack nodded, bracing himself.
“With that girl,” added Nattie.
He nodded again, sighing softly.
Kelly stared in the mirror, applying her lipstick. She mashed her lips together, taking in her reflection, noticing again the lines around her eyes. With the passage of years, she’d nearly forgotten the finer art of makeup application, getting by on the minimum.
Melody was in the next room, lounging on Kelly’s couch with Kelly’s laptop, checking out the website for Higher Ground.
She whistled. “Really cute, Kel.”
Kelly leaned out, lip gloss in hand. “You think?”
“Jack’s not bad, either.”
Kelly laughed, leaning into the mirror again, rubbing the gloss over her lower lip. Stepping back, she stared at her blouse and turned to the side, examining her figure. She’d put on a few more pounds, and what a difference it had made.
Okay, you can stop now, she thought, smiling at what she saw. She wasn’t nineteen, sure, but she didn’t look forty.
That afternoon, she and Melody had spent an hour at the mall, harboring an unrealistic hope she might find something inexpensive yet worth wearing, something to make her feel feminine. She’d settled on a summery sleeveless blouse and a white skirt, something that showed off—kinda—what had recently come back.
“Are you trying to impress this guy?” Melody had asked. “I mean . . . what’s the end game here?”
Melody was right, of course. It’s only a mission, Kelly told herself. Get in, smooth talk this guy, and get out with the DNA.
She’d packed her DNA trick in the trunk—just in case, for when Jack decided to introduce her to his little princess.
I’d like Nattie to meet you, he’d texted.
I can’t wait, she’d replied.
She should’ve been terrified, but in all truth, she was genuinely looking forward to tonight.
Get in and get out, she reminded herself.
Sure, she was intrigued by this guy. But this isn’t about romance, she told herself, going to her bedroom and sitting on the edge of the bed. She extended her hand, palm down, and waited. No tremors, no nerves. Cool as a cucumber.
She walked out, twirled around, and Melody whistled. “Miss Kelly Maines, you are lookin’ good. Jack Livingston won’t know what hit him!” Melody leaned closer and took a whiff. “That scent should require a license.”
Laughing, Kelly put her hand on Melody’s shoulder. “I’m so glad you’re in my life again.”
“Ditto. Just don’t fall for some guy who’s going to make you move to some dive called Rooster. I just got you back!”
Kelly laughed.
Melody got up, slinging her purse over her shoulder, and led the way out the door before Kelly caught herself. She’d almost forgotten her secret weapon, guaranteed to win Nattie’s heart, just in case the opportunity arose. It was merely a back-up plan, of course. The lollipop trick came first. Kelly grabbed the magic purse from the counter, the one with the infinite bottom, and headed out again, pleased with her creativity.
At the end of the sidewalk, Melody threw a kiss to Kelly.
“Go get ’em, girl.”
Waving to Melody and heading down the street in her bucket of spare parts, Kelly realized she couldn’t wait for the evening to begin. Tonight I’ll be wined and dined by a nice guy, and afterward, I’ll meet Nattie . . . who just might be mine.
Chapter 24
Like the whirlwind she was, San arrived in time to order Nattie into the shower. Clearly all was not forgotten, and San wasn’t back to her cheerfully annoying self. On the other hand, she wasn’t firing eye missiles at him, either, so Jack walked out for inspection, wearing gray pants, a striped button-down, and what he hoped was a coordinating tie.
Absently, San shrugged. “At least you have a winning smile.”
“Thanks, I think.”
“So who’s this Kelly?” she asked, scouring through his fridge. “By the way, I brought a couple DVDs.” She pointed to the end of the counter. Jack picked them up and examined the titles. “Uh . . . a little too scary.”
“What?” San glanced at the titles. “They’re supposed to be good for eight and up—”
“She’ll cry, San. She can’t handle anything remotely sinister. We still fast-forward through parts of Aladdin.”
San waved her hand dismissively. “Fine, then.”
“I met her at the airfiel
d,” Jack said, playing along with her game, as if San weren’t fully aware of Kelly.
San picked up the DVDs with a look of dejection. “She’s really too young for these?”
Jack shrugged. “You can try, but you won’t get past the opening credits.”
San made a face. “What did you say her name was?”
He repeated it.
“Where’d you meet her again?”
“Funny, sis,” Jack said.
San gave him a strange look, her eyes darting toward the ceiling, thinking hard. “I don’t know a Kelly Maines.”
Jack put his hands on the counter. “Well . . . she knows you.”
San opened the refrigerator again. “Dearest brother. I know nearly everyone in the world, and I know who I know.”
“Maybe you forgot.”
San gave him the “eye” and removed a small Tupperware container. “Chinese?”
Jack shook his head. “Something I whipped up.”
Sniffing the contents, San made a face and tossed the remains into the garbage. Jack grimaced, his thoughts shifting to the devastating news about Laura. Reluctant to tell San, he dreaded the glee she’d bring to such a revelation. Then again, it wasn’t right to make Nattie the bearer of the news, so he told her anyway, and just as he expected, San could barely contain herself. “This will mean a new start for you, Jack. And it’ll be good for Nattie,” she called after him as he marched upstairs to say good-bye to Nattie, peeling off his mismatched tie as he went.
He kissed Nattie on the cheek. “Be good for Auntie San Fran.”
Nattie frowned. “I thought you didn’t like that nickname.”
“It’s growing on me.”
The night air was cool and breezy, but Kelly drove with the windows up, unwilling to let the wind undo her primping. The image of Nattie flickered through her mind—her shoulder-length hair, impish brown eyes, and the way her smile enveloped her entire face.
Kelly dismissed the image. It was too soon to get caught up in what-ifs. She’d already done that to her detriment.
Unwilling to rely solely on her memory, she followed Jack’s directions with an eye and an ear to her GPS, arriving with a few minutes to spare.
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