A Promise of Forever

by Marilyn Pappano

  How much sexier did that make him?

  Her sigh reluctant, she swung her feet to the ground. “This has been great, but I need to head home to let Sundance out. I’ve been lucky so far, but according to Mom’s Post-its, she averages an accident every other day, so I’m probably due.”

  Ben stood and offered his hand, helping her up from the low-to-the-ground chaise. Her fingers tingled, and that quivery girly feeling danced through her like smoke on the wind. It was full of potential, of possibilities, and she was full of the need for them.

  Slowly he let go, then stepped around her chair and offered his hand to Patricia. She accepted it with a tiny bit of heartbreak in her smile, giving his fingers a squeeze before letting go to gather coffee cups and dessert dishes.

  “I’ll get those, Patricia,” Avi said, but by then the older woman had collected them all.

  “You’re a guest. I’m chief cook and bottle washer.” Patricia grinned slyly. “Though guest status ends after the second meal and you automatically become family, to be treated as such.”

  “Family, huh. Then I’ll be over tomorrow to vacuum, dust, and mow the yard,” Avi said with a laugh. “At least, those are included in the Post-its Mom left for me.”

  They went inside the house, where Ben headed upstairs to get his bag. While they waited, Patricia presented Avi with a pie plate holding most of the remaining pies. Avi held the ceramic dish tightly. “I know my mom raised me to say ‘Oh, that’s not necessary,’ but I’ve been pie-deprived for too long. Thank you a bunch.” Carefully, she leaned in to hug Patricia and remembered again the comfort she’d felt at GrandMir’s and Popi’s graves. Being close to someone who loved her was the best feeling in the world.

  Ben’s steps echoed on the stairs a moment before he joined them. His hug with Patricia was on the awkward side. Avi couldn’t imagine sharing such a stilted embrace with her mother, couldn’t imagine anything that could ever come between them that thoroughly. Even when she was a teenager and they’d argued, Beth had always been able to hug her right back into a good mood. Tickling and big melodramatic smooches had worked wonders back then. They probably still did.

  Outside, the sounds of children playing were louder, the splashes indicating that the kids across the street were enjoying one of the last swims of the summer. Avi and Ben walked silently to her car, parked in the driveway. She nestled the pie plate into the passenger seat, tucked her purse around to hold it in place, then closed the door before turning to him.

  So . . . Would he ask for her cell number? Offer his? Make firm plans to see her again before driving away?

  For the first time in a long time, the answers mattered.

  Linking his fingers with hers, he pulled her to the driver’s side of the car, then stood, invading her personal space. She liked it.

  “Do you have any plans for tomorrow night?”

  Yes! “Not a single one.”

  He combed his fingers through his hair. “Would you like to go out to dinner?”

  She wanted to blurt out the affirmative as quickly as it had echoed in her head, but he went on. “You would have to drive to Tulsa. Tuesday is surgery day, so if I come here, I can’t get here before seven, and I’ll have to head back before nine.”

  Drive to Tulsa? An hour or less. No big deal. She’d had commutes between apartments and forts that took longer, and that was just to work. An evening with Ben was such a nicer payoff. “I don’t mind.”

  “I usually get out of clinic around six. We could meet at my house around six thirty?”

  A smile spread across her face. “I can handle that.”

  “Good.” He wasn’t smiling, but his eyes showed something just as encouraging. Relief, maybe, or satisfaction. Hmm. She could show him satisfaction.

  He leaned closer, just slightly, and lowered his voice. “I’d kiss you good night, but we have an audience.”

  Glancing over her shoulder toward the house, she caught just a glimpse of Patricia before the blinds at the living room window settled. Looking back at Ben, she smiled. “Kiss me anyway.”

  He closed the last of the distance between them, lowering his mouth to hers, giving her a sweet, gentle, tender kiss that set her blood on fire. It was impressive and surprising and just a bit scary, considering she’d had tons of kisses that were a whole lot more passionate and evoked a whole lot less of a response.

  When he lifted his head, her fingers curled, wanting to wrap around the back of his neck and pull him down again. Her heart skipped a beat or two, and something deep inside her felt deprived.

  In the dim light, Ben looked impressed and surprised and a bit scared, too. For a moment, he stared at her, all intense and searching, then he gave a rueful shake of his head. Stepping back, he asked for her cell phone, input his number, and texted it to himself to get her number. “Six thirty,” he said when he handed it back, his voice rough-edged. “I’ll send you the address.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Chapter 5

  Ben was on his way to work Monday morning when his cell phone rang. Steering with one hand, he fished it from the pocket of his scrubs, glanced at the screen, and grinned. “Good morning, Lucy.”

  “Aw, with caller ID, there’s no such thing as a surprise anymore.”

  “No, but there’s still the pleasure.” He glanced at the clock on the dash. “Aren’t you supposed to be walking with Cadore?”

  “We just finished. I’m tired, sweaty, and out of breath.” She paused a moment, then ruefully said, “Isn’t that a pretty picture?”

  “Any picture of you is pretty.” He’d thought so the moment he’d seen her, even though he’d been filled with resentment because she’d guilted him into going to Tallgrass the day after George’s death. She was one of those rare people who just radiated kindness and generosity and happiness, even though, God knew, she’d had enough sorrow in her life.

  “You’re a flatterer, but thank you. After an hour’s walk on a Monday morning, I need flattery.” Her voice lightened and took on a singsong quality. “So…tell me about Avi.”

  He was alone in his car, but damned if he didn’t feel his temperature rising. It wasn’t discomfort from talking about the new woman in his life with the old one—the one he’d desperately wanted to be The One—though he’d rather pretend it was.

  Nope, the rising heat was caused by the mere thought of Avi. What little touching they’d done, that little kiss they’d shared…Every time he’d kissed Lucy, he’d willed himself to feel that—that specialness, that electricity, that affection and pleasure and arousal and hunger—but he never had. Kissing Lucy had been sweet, bland, like kissing his sisters.

  Kissing Avi…damn.

  At the other end of the line, Lucy’s laugh was light and happy. “Wow, she’s left you speechless. I’m impressed. For what it’s worth, I liked her. She’s good for you.”

  “You could see that in the five minutes you saw her last night?”

  “Yup. That’s my superpower. I can tell in mere minutes whether a person is good, bad, or ugly.”

  “And yet you’re friends with Cadore.” First meetings set the tone for a relationship, they said, and his first meeting with Cadore—every meeting—hadn’t gone well. It wasn’t just that he’d resented Cadore’s place in Patricia’s life, his place in Lucy’s life. There had been a definite never-gonna-be-buds vibe going on, too.

  She laughed again. “He says the same thing about you. Don’t worry about Patricia introducing Avi to Joe. She’s really into you, too.”

  Ben thought so, too, especially after that kiss, but for Lucy’s benefit, he snorted. “How could you tell? We didn’t even speak to each other while you were there.”

  “Superpowers,” she reminded him. “Does Patricia know?”

  “Yeah, I think so.” There’d been a sly, enjoying-herself-too-much sound to her voice when she’d suggested Avi should meet Cadore.

  “She must be delighted. I certainly am, and I want juicy details next time we talk, got it?
”

  “You expect me to kiss and tell?”

  “Honey, I expect you to do a whole lot more than that.” With another cheerful laugh, she said, “Gotta get ready for work. Have a good day.”

  He was still smiling when he pulled into the parking lot and into his usual space in the far corner. Some days the only exercise he got was the hike to and from the building. After jogging up the stairs to the fourth floor, he filled an insulated mug with coffee, ripped open a granola bar from his desk drawer, took a bite, and headed for his pod of exam rooms.

  He could guarantee he would be on time for appointments only twice a day: the first one in the morning and the first one after lunch. He didn’t like keeping people waiting, but some patients just needed more than the allotted time. The patients weren’t the only ones inconvenienced; though the clinic closed at five, he rarely got out before six, sometimes seven.

  “That’s why you’re paid the big bucks,” he murmured to himself as his medical assistant directed him into Room 1.

  Tonight, he really wanted to get out by six.

  He’d texted his address to Avi last night before falling into bed. Need directions? he’d asked.

  I’ll Google it, she’d replied with a smiley face.

  She wouldn’t find much besides directions. He didn’t have an online life. What free time he had was devoted to family, friends, baseball games, and other minor things like eating and sleeping. The clinic’s website gave a basic bio; the Facebook page Bree had pestered him into doing sat unupdated; he didn’t even know what the latest trend since Twitter was.

  He suspected Avi was more sociable than he was. If he had a few minutes today, he just might Google her. If he was lucky, he’d find some photos of her…and forget to go back to work.

  “How was your weekend?” his patient asked.

  It was a standard question. He had a standard answer—Good—which could mean anything from double-header extra-innings wins for the Drillers, a family get-together at Sara’s house, or never leaving the loft the entire time. This time, though…Just thinking of Avi raised the temperature in the room, made the air heavier and thicker so that filling his lungs was impossible. He had to swallow over the lump that had formed in his throat to answer, and even then his voice was raspy. “It was good. Really good.”

  The morning was half gone when the nurse told him they’d squeezed in an unexpected patient, now waiting in Room 2. Hearing a familiar voice through the open door, he stuck his head in to find Sara, Matthew, and Eli sitting on the exam table while Lainie occupied the tall chair that left her feet dangling in midair.

  “Uncle Ben, Uncle Ben!” the boys clamored.

  “What are you guys doing here?” He slid into the chair next to six-year-old Lainie, then noticed the ice pack on her left wrist. “Uh-oh. What’d you fall off of?”

  She raised big brown eyes to him, still glistening from recent tears. “A tree. But I didn’t fall. My body just jumped before my brain knew.”

  “And your arm broke your fall?”

  “Don’t say broke,” Sara said, sliding to her feet. “She still has the remains of the last pink cast in the closet.”

  He wrinkled his nose, making both boys laugh. “Doesn’t it smell?”

  “Now that it’s aired out, it’s only slightly worse than stinky cheese.”

  He bent close to Lainie. “Your mom’s going to take you to X ray so we can get some pictures of your bones, okay?”

  Her hair bounced as she nodded. “And I have to sit still, don’t I? And I get to go to CherryBerry for frozen yogurt when we’re done, don’t I?”

  “Of course you do.” Ben didn’t need to look at his sister for confirmation. Sara was a big believer in the reward system, for the kids and especially for herself.

  “What about the boys?” Sara asked as Lainie slid to the floor and headed toward the door.

  He looked at his nephews, now lying on the table, Matthew’s head at one end, Eli’s at the other, Eli’s feet holding Matthew’s legs in the air. They were both rattling some serious fake snores. “I’ll be in the hall dictating. I’ll keep an eye on them.”

  In less than ten minutes, they were back. Ben checked the X rays, then took the wrap from the splint and cast tech. “I’ll take care of this one. Good news, Lainie. It’s not broken. You just got a little sprain.”

  Lainie’s eyes narrowed. “But I still get ice cream, don’t I?”

  “Yes, you still get ice cream,” Sara said with exaggerated patience. She shooed the boys off the table, then Ben lifted Lainie to sit on it. “You went to Tallgrass this weekend, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah.” Ben sat beside his niece, positioned her arm, and began wrapping it with an elastic bandage.

  “How was Mom?”

  “Fine.”

  “How was Lucy?”

  “Fine. Her dog got out, and she wanted me to play rabbit to his greyhound.”

  “And you refused, didn’t you? Coward. You know Norton wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Sara watched him a moment before giving him the kind of look that meant she was about to have a good time at his expense. Her smile was sly, her tone all fake innocence, as she asked, “Is there anything you want to tell me?”

  “Nope.” Heat warmed his face so he kept his head lowered as he secured the end of the wrap. Hoping to distract his sister, he smiled at Lainie. “How’s that feel?”

  “Funny.”

  “It’s not too tight?”

  She shrugged. What did she know about too tight? She was six. “It’s just plain ol’ white.” Disappointment underlay her words.

  “I know. We should get some green ones with purple polka dots, shouldn’t we?”

  “I like pink. With orange.”

  “I’ll look into that.” He helped her to the floor, then faced Sara. “You know the drill—rest, ice, elevation.”

  She brushed him off. “Yeah, I know. So when are you seeing her again?”

  Crossing his arms, Ben leaned against the edge of the table and surrendered. “How long did Patricia wait to call you?”

  “However long it took for you to lock lips with the woman and for Mom to get both Bree and me on the line.” Sara grinned evilly. “I believe you were pulling away from the curb.”

  His flush intensified. “This isn’t big news.”

  “Of course it is. Your love life has been in desperate need of activity.”

  “You talk like I never go out.” Hell, she talked like he had a love life. “I dated Lucy for nearly a month.”

  “We all knew that wasn’t going to last. We love Lucy, but you two didn’t have any chemistry. You were clearly meant to be friends, nothing more.”

  He couldn’t even protest her dismissal. Hadn’t he thought just this morning that kissing Lucy had been totally sisterly? While there’d been nothing the least sisterly about kissing Avi.

  “Back to the subject…When do you see her again?”

  He could try to put her off, but it would be a waste of time. Both of his sisters were stubborn, but Sara was downright relentless. It was always easier to tell her what she wanted to know. “She’s driving into town tonight for dinner.”

  Sara smiled so brightly that he couldn’t help but smile back, though it was tinged with ruefulness. “Will she be staying over for breakfast?”

  He rolled his eyes, then dragged his fingers through his hair. “You know, most guys get to keep their social life private until they’re ready to let people know.”

  “Private is not a concept the Noble family knows. Aunt Rennie practically popped the question to Rowdy’s girlfriend herself, and when Tommy didn’t ask Suz out for a second date, Aunt Laurie did.” Sara wagged her finger at him. “Consider yourself lucky that I’m talking to you and not Avi. My kids need cousins, and if we can’t count on you to give them some on your own, I have to step in.”

  Resolutely he shook his head. “No chance of that. She doesn’t live here. She’s in the Army, and in a month she’s moving to Georgia. She won’t be back for e
ight more years.”

  The finger that had been wagging now tapped Sara’s lower lip. “Hmm. That could be a problem. My kids need cousins here, not halfway across the country.”

  “I need CherryBerry,” Lainie piped up.

  “And I need to get back to work or I won’t be out of here in time for dinner.”

  “Well, we certainly don’t want you to miss your first real date in God knows how long. Even if this one does move away, you can use the practice when you try again.” Grinning, Sara hustled the kids together and toward the door before turning back to give him a wicked wink. “I hope it makes up for all those nights you’ve sat home alone.”

  Ben shook his head. Too often, a shake of his head was the only response he could come up with for Sara and Bree. But as he turned away, he wondered himself.

  Would Avi be staying for breakfast?

  * * *

  Avi was halfway out the kitchen door after lunch when the front bell pealed through the house. She commanded Sundance to sit, then strode through the house to the door, opening it to Patricia.

  “Am I interrupting anything?”

  With a glance at the tablet in her hand, Avi shook her head. She had plenty of time to read, not so much to spend with people she adored. “I was taking Sundance outside. Want to come sit with me while I watch her discover a new world?”

  “I thought she played in the yard every day.”

  “She does, but apparently she forgets it as soon as she’s back inside. Everything’s a brand-new discovery every time she goes out.”

  “I feel that way sometimes.”

  When they reached the kitchen, Avi set the tablet aside and grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge. As soon as she opened the door, Sundance darted outside, tearing around, barking with delight at a butterfly, cautiously sniffing a tree root, stalking, and then pouncing on a flower.

  Avi and Patricia took seats shaded by the house and the towering oak next to it. “You have plans today?” Patricia asked as she unscrewed the cap on her bottle.

  Avi took a long drink, watching her friend try to act innocent. When she lowered the bottle, she said, “I saw you peeking out the window last night.”