Promises in Paradise

by Sandra Kitt

  But somehow he’d dealt with it. What were the options? That is, until looking out into the viewing audience and seeing Diane seated next to Jenna at the hearing that morning.

  He hadn’t expected either one of them to be there, but it was Diane’s presence that had had the greater effect. After seeing her he redoubled his efforts to concentrate and make his presentation knowing she was sitting behind him. The hearing had gone well, and he was pleased by the congratulations he’d received from two of the panelists for being prepared and answering their questions.

  Hale put down his computer case, shrugged out of his wool coat and just left it with the scarf over the arm of his sofa. He frowned as he looked absently through his small stack of mail and then carelessly tossed it onto the coffee table. The thought stiff drink came to mind, but instead he went to his kitchen to get a can of beer from the refrigerator. He popped the tab and began sipping as he slowly made his way back to the living room to sit in the dark and once again conjure up the image of Diane as she’d appeared that morning.

  God, she looked great.

  Seeing her had felt like a stab to the chest, just when he thought the hole there was starting to heal. His heart had been pierced again, bleeding emotion and pain and loss. Why did Diane have to show up like that? Yet he was so glad she did. If for no other reason than it proved to him he was in no way, shape or form over her.

  In that case, what the hell was he supposed to do?

  The phone rang and Hale cursed it. He let it ring. And ring. And ring. Cursing still, he reached impatiently for the cordless but not in time. The answering machine clicked on and he sat back warily to hear the message. Fine. He didn’t feel like talking to anyone right now, anyway.

  Beeeeeep…

  “Hi. It’s Diane.”

  His stomach roiled and he stiffened with his second shock of the day. He leaned forward with his arms braced on his thighs. He closed his eyes to try and see her. He listened closely to her words. He could have picked up then but didn’t. Couldn’t.

  “I…well, I know you saw me at the hearing. I hope you didn’t mind. I…I heard about it from Eva and…well, I just decided to come.

  “I knew I owed it to myself and to you to learn more about what it is you do, exactly. Better late than never, huh?”

  He knew she chuckled just then, nervously. Then she sighed.

  “I…eh…I wanted to say it was a real pleasure to hear the way you got right in the face of the drug companies. You were…awesome. I’m so glad I was there. Really. And…”

  Hale heard her pause for a few long seconds.

  “And I wanted to say I’m not a coward. I was prepared to say all this to you if you’d answered the phone. And I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d hung up on me. I deserve it. But I’m glad you’re not home. Okay, so maybe I am a coward. If you had hung up on me I would have…well…anyway…I’m glad I came today, Hale. It was good to see you again. Bye.”

  Click.

  Chapter 10

  She could hear the music being spun by the DJ as she rode up the escalator. At the top the scene opened to a very long and wide expanse of brightly patterned carpeting, the kind typical of large chain hotels. There were at least a dozen small groups of men and women standing around in conversation with one another. The muted sounds of recorded music could just be heard beyond the closed doors of the ballroom.

  Diane swiftly made her way to the coat check, accepting the claim ticket and dropping it into her purse. She sighed in relief as she glanced quickly around to double-check how the women were dressed, just to make sure that the evening had not called for formal wear. She’d learned the hard way that winter weather was not conducive to comfort in strapless gowns and skimpy sandals. But the occasion tonight was not formal. Merely a professional gathering of young Washingtonians, the purpose of which was to provide networking opportunities for many who, in one way or another, worked in D.C. with or for various government agencies. As a new member of an advocacy group for family health, this was her first time at such an event.

  Not knowing a soul was the hard part about coming to these events. Diane suspected that from the number of milling people outside, and the fast dance music inside, that there could easily be several hundred people here.

  “Hi, I’m Sheila Matthews.”

  Diane turned to the cheerful greeting and found a bespectacled woman smiling at her. The woman thrust out her hand.

  “I’m with the events committee. Is this your first time here?”

  “Yes, it is.” Diane returned the smile and shook the woman’s hand. “Diane Maxwell.”

  “Welcome, Diane. It’s nice to have you with us this evening. Here’s information on upcoming events and programs for the spring.”

  Diane accepted a single sheet folded in half that was laid out and printed with a long list.

  “As you can hear, the reception is in full swing. Please go on in. Introduce yourself and have a great evening.”

  The woman smiled again but quickly moved on to other people arriving behind her.

  Clutching the paper, Diane slowly walked through the door that was being held for her by an attendant. The music inside was actually not much louder than what leaked out into the corridor. It actually served more as background noise, as no one inside was actually dancing.

  She began aimlessly walking through the room with lots more people than she thought would attend. And everyone really seemed to be enjoying themselves. Everyone seemed to know someone, who then introduced them to someone else. That’s the way these events were meant to work.

  There were three open bar stations and she maneuvered her way through the crowds toward one of them. She exchanged brief polite greetings and smiles in passing with any number of people, and soon she was stopped by a man who recognized her from a cardiology symposium they’d both attended a year earlier. He reintroduced himself and, with relief, Diane realized she was now in the mix. Before very long someone else joined them who simply said hello and began a conversation. What she was particularly relieved about was that she had no sense that the conversation was a come-on from either man. And, as it turned out, one of them was waiting for his wife to arrive.

  Soon the acquaintance excused himself because he saw someone else he knew. The three of them quickly exchanged business cards, and Diane took that moment to continue her journey to the bar.

  Not so bad, she thought and sighed, encouraged.

  She stood in line to get a glass of white wine. She was opening her wallet to pull out a bill to pay for it when a familiar voice broke through to her. “Let me.”

  Diane turned and found Hale standing at her side. She stared openmouthed at him as he accepted the glass of wine from the bartender and handed the man a bill, waving away any change.

  “Over here.” He nodded and moved through the crowd to a tall, unoccupied table.

  Diane followed, feeling oddly like a child obeying the command of a knowledgeable adult. Fortunately the few moments it took for them to reach the stand and for Hale to set down the glass gave her the time she needed to pull her wits about her.

  “Thank you,” Diane said graciously, proud of her command of her tongue and the English language.

  But then, for another few moments they simply looked at one another. Hale’s gaze was steady and totally unfazed by seeing her. Diane, on the other hand, couldn’t understand why she was blinking, and she seemed reluctant to look him directly in the face.

  “Surprise,” she said, a little breathless, taking a sip of the wine. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “I know. You never do. I saw you come in. You’re late again.”

  She finally glanced at him and, although his face was still and blank of any particular emotion, Hale’s eyes seemed friendly. She chuckled nervously. But she hadn’t missed his reference to her past assumptions about him.

  “Bad habit. I really have to do something about that. But I didn’t get lost,” she quickly added with a certain degree of
pride. “The GPS you gave me got me here.”

  Hale nodded. “I thought you might have tossed it in a closet somewhere.”

  “No, of course not,” she hastened to say. “It was one of the best gifts I got from Christmas.”

  This time she did brave a look at him and felt less apprehensive. She didn’t see any anger or aloofness. She took another sip of wine, annoyed by her sense of intimidation. But it wasn’t Hale’s fault. It was her own.

  “Have you…eh…been to these affairs before?”

  Hale nodded. “A few. I never stay long. I know some people. First time I’ve seen you here.”

  “First time,” she said, looking around. “I learned about the group and joined.”

  “I got the phone message.”

  Diane swallowed and looked at him. “Good. I wanted to say something.”

  “To say I was surprised to see you at the hearing is an understatement.”

  She sighed, nodding. “I know. But to be honest I felt I owed you that, and the respect of understanding what you do. And why. You handled yourself so well. It was a great presentation.”

  “I appreciate that,” Hale said quietly.

  She panicked, wondering why it was so hard to find the right things to say to him.

  “Eva gave me her tickets. I hope that was okay. I’m not even sure how one gets tickets to official hearings.”

  “Ask your representative.”

  “Of course. That makes sense,” she said wryly. “I’ll know for next time. Will you…eh…be speaking again?”

  “If I’m asked to. D.C. politics is not pretty. It’s a system of favors, special interests and who you know. Trying to get elected officials to do right is not easy, unfortunately. So, I’ll keep at it until I get at least Medpro recognized for being consumer-minded. A rare thing these days.”

  Diane listened attentively to what Hale was saying, impressed by his thinking, admiring his commitment.

  “Then they’re lucky to have you. Kids like Qa’Shawn at Ron’s shelter are lucky to have you.”

  He nodded. “I know Qa’Shawn.”

  He wasn’t making it easy for her, but Diane knew full well it was not his responsibility. She accepted that any open lines of communication were all up to her. And she felt pleased that she and Hale were talking, having a conversation. Respecting one another…behaving like adults.

  It could have been like this all along. Even better.

  “Adam said that Eva might have some surgery?” Hale questioned, his expression now showing genuine concern and interest.

  Diane smiled confidently. “Yes, but it’s not serious. You know, doctors used to dismiss it, calling it ‘a female thing.’ It’s not complicated and she’ll only be in the hospital overnight. I’d tell you if it was anything else, Hale. I know how much Eva means to you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Look…I was just wondering if…”

  “There you are. I thought I was going to have to call your cell phone to locate you.”

  A tall black woman, beautifully dressed in an office-to-evening suit, appeared next to Hale. Diane found that she had to instantly appear calm, polite, professional and as if her hopes hadn’t just taken a nosedive. She made sure she didn’t turn a questioning gaze to Hale. After all, he owed her no explanation.

  “I’m Dr. Diane Maxwell,” she said graciously, extending her hand in greeting as another woman had done earlier for her.

  “Have I seen you before?” the woman asked, taking her hand.

  “This is Diane’s first reception. She just joined.”

  “Oh, how nice. We’re an interesting group, if I do say so myself.”

  Diane chuckled but she was aware that Hale was studying her closely.

  “I’m Jill Weston.”

  “Jill is another of the counsels at Medpro. Diane is a friend of mine. We go way back.”

  Diane felt foolishly grateful to Hale for identifying her as a friend. But it did nothing to stem the sudden sinking of her spirits as she saw the way Jill positioned herself very closely next to Hale. Their arms were touching. Her repeated gazing into his face.

  Then Hale turned to Jill with raised brows.

  She chuckled. “Yes, I’m ready to leave. Diane, it was nice to meet you. Sorry to run out just as you’ve arrived. Maybe we’ll see each other at a future event.”

  “Maybe,” Diane said.

  “I’m glad you came. Good night,” Hale said quietly, before turning away to follow Jill through the crowd to the exit.

  Diane wondered where they were headed together. The evening was young.

  “Good night,” she finally managed, dazed.

  I’m glad you came….

  Still, she felt like she might as well have been biding Hale goodbye.

  Diane finished consulting with the attending nurse and then stepped back into the room where her stepmother had been taken, post op. An hour ago Eva had come to long enough to see Adam and her children briefly, before the doctor had advised letting her rest. She was going to be released the next morning and the family would have her back soon enough.

  Diane sat in one of the visitor’s chairs staring thoughtfully at Eva as she slept, while also feeling envious of the way her father had hovered over his wife, whispering to her with so much love. It was a sweet and poignant moment and the image stayed with her…as she thought of Hale.

  “Are they gone?” Eva’s voice suddenly slurred from the bed.

  Diane quickly leaned forward and reached for the limp hand Eva attempted to raise. Diane clasped it, rubbing the back of the hand.

  “Yes. Once the kids knew you’re going home tomorrow, they wanted to go eat.”

  “Good. Now…you go…”

  “I can stay a little longer…” Diane began, but then realized that Eva had once again fallen to sleep. With a light kiss on her stepmother’s forehead she quietly left the room. The surgery had gone well and it only remained for Eva to recover and get her strength back.

  She wasn’t at all surprised to find Hale in the waiting room and she wondered how long he’d been sitting, alone. He was seated, staring down at his entwined hands with deep concentration, not aware of her presence.

  She looked at him with newfound consideration. With an insight that perhaps had come too late. With longing. He glanced up, his brow clearing and his expression controlled.

  “How is she?”

  “Eva’s fine. You missed my father. He just left to take Bailey and Hayden home.”

  Hale stood, looking at her. “I know. I passed them coming in. He said you stayed at the house last night so you could come with Eva when she checked in this morning. I told him I’d take care of you getting home.”

  She hid her surprise. “I don’t mind calling a car service.”

  “Have you eaten anything today?” he asked, as if she hadn’t spoken at all.

  “Eat? I can’t remember. I guess I did.”

  “Come on. Let’s take it one step at a time.”

  Diane retrieved her coat from the nurses’ station and she and Hale made their way to the hospital exit. As she walked beside him her thoughts were completely on trying to figure out what other steps Hale had in mind. Where exactly did they go from here? And she wasn’t thinking about merely leaving the hospital.

  It was a cold clear evening and their breath vaporized in the air as they walked to his car. His coat was open and his gloves were stuffed in the pockets. He had a scarf that coordinated with his coat wrapped twice around his throat and knotted. She was freezing, but he seemed so vigorous. There was something so strong and masculine about the way he’d just taken over and was making all the decisions.

  She was so glad.

  He even held the door for her and made sure she was comfortably seated before closing it and coming around to the driver side. And all the while she was remembering that testy time, months ago, when she’d last been with Hale in his car. When she’d wickedly misconstrued his relationship with Jenna…and he’d kissed her sens
eless.

  Was that going to happen again?

  She paid absolutely no attention to where they were headed, deep in thought and daydreaming, and just for the moment relieved not to have to make any more decisions, for herself or anyone else. She didn’t mind the quiet between them, and it didn’t seem the least bit uncomfortable.

  It gave her time, as well, to reflect on that wonderful time with Hale on St. John. It had happened so spontaneously, had been such a surprise.

  “Where are we?” she asked suddenly, puzzled.

  “U Street. This is where I live.”

  She said nothing, but watched the passing street scenes outside the window with interest. She knew that U Street, a historic and previously rundown black community, had been undergoing gentrification for a number of years. It was becoming a desirable destination for dining and the music scene, and tours of historic theaters and clubs. New upscale housing had been going up, drawing to it professional blacks looking to be part of the history and the future of the neighborhood. She had heard great things about the rebirth of U Street, and they all seemed to be true.

  Hale drove off the main drag, however, and down a narrow street of smaller cafés and restaurants. He parked his car and escorted her inside one establishment. The interior was intimate. A pianist played light jazz to the side, but it didn’t interfere with or take over conversation. There were maybe ten tables, and someone Diane presumed to be the manager or owner greeted Hale warmly. They were seated at one of two remaining vacant tables that secluded them in a corner, which was just fine with her.

  For a long while they talked about the neighborhood, Diane asking questions of genuine interest and Hale easily responding, through drinks and shared appetizers. By the time they ordered dinner they had moved on to more questions about his work as a lobbyist and her volunteer time at the shelter that Ron managed. It also came up that she was leaving soon for two weeks in Africa, as part of a U.S. group of Doctors Without Borders initiative.