Cherish

by Sherryl Woods

  Desperately needing the sense of grounding that a talk with her daughter would provide, Elizabeth kicked off her shoes as she reached for the phone.

  “Hey, Grandma, how was the hot date?” Penny asked. Obviously she’d pried the information about Brandon out of her mother and wanted details.

  “We had a lovely dinner,” she said primly.

  “Boring,” Penny pronounced. “Where’d you go? Some real fancy restaurant?”

  “His house.”

  “Better,” the teen decreed. “Did he ask you to stay over?”

  “I’m here, aren’t I?”

  “That doesn’t mean he didn’t ask.”

  Elizabeth held back a chuckle as she heard a muffled discussion on the other end, then Penny’s disgusted, “Hold on, here’s Mom. Don’t tell her any of the juicy details. Save `em for me.”

  “There are no juicy details,” Elizabeth said, wondering precisely when Penny had become so precocious. Maybe it was the result of being the youngest by nearly ten years, a delightful, much-loved surprise who, because she’d always had the company of those older than she, had grown up too fast by far.

  “Okay, Mom,” Ellen was saying, “let’s cut to the chase. Is he bald?”

  As Elizabeth settled herself on the bed, propped up by pillows, she thought of Brandon’s thick silver hair. “Hardly.”

  “Fat?”

  She recalled his trim body, which still did astonishing things for a custom-tailored suit. “Nope.”

  “Was that old zing still there?”

  “For him or for me?”

  “You’re being evasive,” Ellen accused. “That must mean it was there in spades.”

  “He is a very attractive man,” Elizabeth conceded, regretting that she still felt that way about him despite everything. “Quite dashing, actually.”

  “And you’re a gorgeous woman.”

  “A gorgeous old woman,” Elizabeth corrected. “Stop talking foolishness. How’s everything out there?”

  “About the same as it was when you left here this morning,” Ellen said dryly. “Don’t try to change the subject. When are you seeing him again?”

  “Tomorrow. We’re going sight-seeing.”

  “And then?”

  “And then I’m coming back to the hotel and going to bed.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Alone, Ellen. Alone,” she said emphatically, but she couldn’t help the feeling of anticipation that rushed through her as she considered the possibilities. She really was an old fool, she thought as the heat of embarrassment climbed in her cheeks.

  “Sweetie, I’m awfully tired. I’ll call you in a few days.”

  “Mom, you sound funny,” Ellen said, her tone suddenly serious. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Just tired.”

  “And a little nostalgic?”

  “A lot nostalgic,” she admitted with a rueful chuckle. “I think I’d better sleep it off.”

  “Mom, if there’s still something special with this man after all this time, go for it. Okay? Promise?”

  “Good night, Ellen,” she said deliberately and slid the phone back into the cradle. She wasn’t ready yet to dissect all the feelings that had crowded in after seeing Brandon for the first time.

  There was no denying that the thought of him moving heaven and earth to find her at this late date appealed to her sense of romance, just as it did to Ellen’s and Penny’s.

  Kate—practical, down-to-earth Kate—would be appalled that Elizabeth had even spoken to a man who’d betrayed her, much less flown clear across the country to see him. Kate held on to hurt, too long by Elizabeth’s standards. She’d never gotten over the awful man who’d thrown her over. Ellen was more like Elizabeth herself had been five decades ago, willing to throw caution to the wind, especially when it came to her heart.

  What Elizabeth needed now was a good strong dose of Kate’s tougher nature. Something told her if she didn’t cling for dear life to rational thought, Brandon Halloran was going to sweep her off her feet all over again and that was the very last thing she could allow to happen. She’d meant to put the past to rest. Instead it seemed she’d merely stirred cold ashes back to flame.

  Just a few days, she promised. She would indulge herself in some old dreams, allow herself the rare thrill of feeling desirable again. She deserved one last rollicking fling. Then she would don a shroud of common sense and go back to California with enough memories to carry her through the rest of her days.

  Chapter Five

  Brandon knew he should have expected the commotion that followed his call to the office in the morning, but he hadn’t. Within minutes of telling his secretary that he wouldn’t be in, first Kevin and then Jason called.

  “Are you okay, Dad?” Kevin asked. “Harriet told me you called and said you weren’t coming in today.”

  “Maybe I just thought you ought to get used to running things without me. I am retiring, remember?”

  The comment was greeted with a heavy silence. Finally Kevin said carefully, “We haven’t even talked about that. Are you sure you’ve given the idea enough thought? It seems to me you decided that all of a sudden.”

  “It was hardly sudden. You and Jason have been chomping at the bit to do things your own way for the past couple of years. I’d say it’s past time for me to let you.”

  “We’re not trying to shove you out, Dad.”

  “Hell, you think I don’t know that? I just decided it was time to develop some new interests while I have time.”

  “While you have time,” Kevin repeated slowly. “What’s that supposed to mean? Dad, are you okay?”

  “I think that’s how this conversation started. I’m fine. I’m taking the day off because I have things to do. I can’t recall the last time I took a long weekend.”

  “Neither can I. That’s why I’m worried.”

  “Well, stop making such a fuss about it. I may even take the whole danged week off next week,” he said irritably.

  “Dad!”

  Brandon ignored the note of alarm in Kevin’s voice and hung up. Five minutes later he went through essentially the same conversation with Jason. At this rate he’d never finish his first cup of coffee, much less the once-fluffy scrambled eggs that had turned cold and hard while Kevin and Jason carried on about nothing. When a man got eggs only once a week, it was infuriating to see them ruined. He would never convince Mrs. Farnsworth he ought to have them again another morning. She was as rigid with his diet as any chef at some fancy health spa.

  He regarded the eggs ruefully, muttered a curse and poured himself another cup of coffee. Decaf, but at least it was still hot.

  He figured Kevin and Jason weren’t done with their questions yet, but he rushed through the paper in an attempt to evade whatever meddling they were likely to do.

  Unfortunately he wasn’t fast enough. He was on his way out the front door when Dana’s sporty little car screeched to a halt in front of him, kicking up gravel. She hauled her bulky form out. It was evident from the haphazardly chosen clothes, the lack of makeup and the mussed hair that she’d been roused from sleep and sent over here on the double to check up on him.

  Hands on hips, Jason’s wife looked him over from head to toe. “You don’t look sick,” she pronounced.

  “Never said I was.”

  “But Jason—”

  “Is an astonishing worrywart for someone his age. Maybe if he had a couple of babies to keep his mind occupied, he wouldn’t carry on so about me.”

  Dana grinned at him and patted her belly. “I can’t make this baby come a minute sooner just to keep my husband off your back,” she said. “Where are you off to?”

  “I’m going sight-seeing, not that it’s any of your business.”

  “Sight-seeing? Is there any part of Boston you haven’t seen a hundred times?”

  “I’m taking an old friend on a trip down memory lane.”

  Clearly fascinated, Dana said, “I don’t suppose you’d want compan
y.”

  “You suppose right. Now get on about your business and tell that husband of yours next time he wants to check up on me, he should do it himself.”

  “And have you pitch a fit because he’s away from his desk? Besides, I worry about you, too, you know.”

  Brandon squeezed her hand. “There’s no need, girl. I’m better than I’ve been in a very long time.”

  She nodded. “I can see that. In fact, you look downright spiffy. I can’t recall ever seeing you in anything but a suit on a weekday.” She smoothed his blue cashmere pullover across his shoulders. “Must be a woman involved. I don’t suppose that mysterious Elizabeth from California has anything to do with your dapper attire?”

  “Have I mentioned that you’re a nosy little thing?”

  “More than once,” she said. “Just giving you a taste of your own medicine.”

  “I’ll reform,” he vowed.

  “And pigs will fly,” she retorted as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Wherever you’re off to, have fun.”

  “I intend to.” He waggled a finger under her nose. “And don’t you go sneaking around trying to see what I’m up to.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  Brandon eyed the sporty little convertible Jason had given her on their wedding day. Dana had adamantly refused a new car, so his grandson had given her his, then bought himself a new one. It was an interesting compromise. Brandon made note of the technique. It might come in handy with Lizzy.

  “I don’t suppose you’d like to trade cars for the day?” he asked.

  Dana’s mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding?”

  “Nope. I think a ride in a convertible on a beautiful spring day is just what I need to impress…” He hesitated.

  “Impress who?” she taunted.

  “Someone.”

  “If you want my car, you’re going to have to do better than that.”

  “No wonder Jason thought you were one tough cookie,” he grumbled. “Okay. You’ve got the name right. It’s Elizabeth.”

  “I already knew that much.”

  “Take it or leave it.”

  “I get the Mercedes for the day?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll take it. It’s getting harder and harder to squeeze myself behind the wheel of my car.” She exchanged her keys for his and sauntered over to the luxury car his driver had brought around earlier. She ran her hand lovingly over the metallic gray finish, then shot him a look that had him thinking maybe the exchange had been made too hastily.

  “Drive carefully,” he said, suddenly recalling the way she tended to take curves as if she were on the Indy 500 course.

  “I should be saying that to you. If you put even a tiny little scratch on that car Jason gave me, you’d better trade it in on a new model on the way home. He might have put the title in my name, but he still considers that car his baby.”

  “As long as I don’t catch sight of you in the rearview mirror, I’ll be just fine,” he warned.

  “No problem,” she promised.

  “Let me see those fingers,” he ordered. “You got any of them crossed?”

  “Nope,” she said, laughing as she held out her hands for his inspection. “I’m as good as my word.”

  Brandon wasn’t so sure her promise was worth spit, but she did take off and he didn’t see any sign of his Mercedes as he drove into town to pick up Lizzy.

  Lizzy was waiting for him in front of the hotel. She took one look at the flashy little car and a smile spread across her face. “Don’t tell me this is yours?”

  “I borrowed it from Jason’s wife. Do you mind the top down?”

  “On a day like today? Absolutely not. One of the advantages to short hair is that I don’t need to worry about a little wind. Where are we going?”

  “I thought a leisurely drive so you could get your bearings, then maybe lunch at Faneuil Hall Marketplace. If you haven’t been back to Boston in years, you probably haven’t seen what they’ve done to it.”

  Lizzy sat up just a little straighter, her eyes alight with curiosity. With the trees budding new green leaves, the sky a soft shade of clear blue and just a handful of clouds scudding overhead, it was the perfect spring morning, one of Boston’s finest.

  Brandon felt rejuvenated at Elizabeth’s exclamations of delight over everything she saw. It was as if he were seeing his beloved city through new eyes. Because she’d taught American history, Lizzy knew as much if not more than he did about the significance of many of the sights. She imbued the telling with a richness of detail and a liveliness that suggested what a magnificent teacher she must be.

  “You’ve got to meet Jason’s young brother-in-law while you’re here,” he told her. “He’d be fascinated by your stories. Sammy’s not much for learning from books, but the boy has a lively mind. It came tragically close to being wasted.”

  “So many of them do,” she said sadly. “It breaks my heart to see youngsters today graduating without the skills they need to make a go of it in today’s world. There’s no combatting crowded classrooms, the gangs and violence in so many cities. It’s a wonder some of them get out alive, much less with any education.”

  “You’re still teaching?”

  “Substituting. In many ways that’s the most frustrating of all. I go into a classroom not knowing the children. I see how they struggle. Maybe, if the teacher’s out a week or more, I can see some tiny sign of progress and then it’s over. I never know if they build on what I’ve been able to teach them, or if they simply go on muddling through.”

  “It sounds frustrating.”

  “It is. But I love being in the classroom so much that I wasn’t prepared to give it up entirely.”

  A sudden thought struck him. “Why don’t you found a school, Lizzy? A special one for the youngsters with disadvantages who could learn if only they were given the proper chance.”

  He could see the sparks in her eyes as her imagination caught fire.

  “Oh, Brandon, wouldn’t that be wonderful?” she said, then sighed. “But it’s impossible.”

  “Why?”

  “Money, for one thing.”

  “I have more than I could ever spend,” he said, thinking of what such a school might have meant for a boy like Sammy. “I think a school might be the kind of legacy a man could be proud of. Lacey’s looking for projects, too. She’s talked Kevin and me into a Halloran Foundation. It’s a grand idea. I can’t imagine why I never thought of it myself. Come on, Lizzy. What do you say? You provide the brainpower and I’ll provide the cash.”

  She reached over and patted his hand. “You are a dear for even thinking of such a generous offer, but no. It’s impossible. You’re being impulsive and I’m far too old to begin such a massive endeavor.”

  “No,” he said fiercely. “The idea may be impulsive, but it’s a sound one. And don’t ever say you’re too old, Lizzy. Thinking like that will make you old before your time. I’ve found that looking forward to a new challenge each and every day keeps a man alive. Promise me you’ll think about it.”

  She hesitated, then said, “I suppose I could promise that much, at least.”

  He nodded in satisfaction as he found a parking space near the marketplace. “That’s good. Now let’s find some good old-fashioned junk food and indulge ourselves without a thought for cholesterol or fiber.”

  That lively spark was back in her eyes when she met his gaze. “Hot dogs with mustard and relish, French fries—”

  “And a hot-fudge sundae for dessert,” he said, completing the menu they’d shared more than once in those long-ago days. He’d wanted to eat his fill of those American favorites before being relegated to the dismal rations of wartime England. “Do you have any idea how I missed those things while I was gone?”

  “I don’t see how you could. It’s a wonder you didn’t make yourself sick, you ate so many hot dogs.”

  Brandon couldn’t help chuckling at the memory. Lizzy was laughing right along with him, her lips p
arted, her eyes alight with shared amusement. Suddenly he couldn’t resist leaning toward her and touching his lips to hers, catching the sound of her laughter. The kiss lasted no longer than the melting touch of a snowflake, but it stirred the embers of a fire that had once burned more brightly than anything either of them had ever known.

  Shaken to discover that those old feelings could be rekindled so easily and with such a sense of inevitability, Brandon drew back slowly.

  “Ah, Lizzy,” he said softly. “You’ll never know how happy I am that you decided to come to Boston.”

  Her voice just as quiet and serious as his, she said, “I think maybe I do.”

  The silence that fell then was alive with a new, exciting tension. Brandon wondered how he’d gone so long without such feelings. Had he simply forgotten what it was like to experience this edge-of-a-precipice sensation? Now that he’d rediscovered it, would he ever be able to go back to the dull loneliness he’d almost fooled himself into thinking was bearable?

  Since such questions couldn’t be answered in the blink of an eye, he finally broke the tension by catching Lizzy’s hand in his. “Come on, gal. Let’s go see how much trouble we can get ourselves into.”

  Aside from their culinary indulgences, though, they left the marketplace by mid-afternoon with no more than a handful of souvenirs for Elizabeth to take back to her family in California. There’d been a dozen things he’d been tempted to buy for her, but she’d firmly declined each and every one.

  “It’s far too soon to call it quits for the day,” Brandon said when they got back to the car. “How do you feel about visiting the public gardens? If I remember correctly, the swan boats are back in the water.”

  “Oh, what fun!” she said.

  The ride aboard the paddleboats was over far too quickly for either of them, so they took a second ride and then a third until the boat’s captain began regarding them with amusement.

  When they finally left the boat, he winked at Brandon. “Now you folks have a nice afternoon.”

  “We already have,” Lizzy told him. “This has been a wonderful chance to put our feet up.”

  “And I thought it was holding my hand you enjoyed most,” Brandon said, bringing a blush into Lizzy’s cheeks.