Change of Heart

by Jennifer Moore

  Ruby finished her book and dug through the basket, choosing a coloring book.

  Val shifted Finn off her legs, settling him next to her, and lay down on her stomach, picking up the book she’d borrowed from the Captain’s Library. The singing of birds in the forest, the waves crashing, and the cool breeze tempted her to fall asleep, but the purr of an engine caught her attention.

  The visitor might be Seth stopping by to check on them, or perhaps Mrs. Spencer. But Val’s heartbeat picked up just the same.

  Nathaniel’s silver car emerged from the forest and pulled into the small garage next to the cottage.

  The sight of him walking toward the front porch carrying his suitcase made Val’s pulse speed up She was being ridiculous. Was she so desperate for adult company?

  Ruby shouted, “Daddy!” and ran to him.

  Nathaniel stopped, shading his eyes, and waved when he saw them. Smiling, he swept Ruby into an embrace and carried her toward the blanket.

  Val stood to meet him. For an instant, she imagined running into his arms as Ruby had. But shook away the silly thought. “How was your trip?”

  Nathaniel glanced at Finn, sleeping on the blanket, and a tired smile tugged at his mouth. He loosened his tie and took off his suit coat. “Good. But I’m glad to be back.” He sat next to Val, stretching out his legs and crossing his ankles.

  “And you finished gathering your depositions? Or are you still having trouble locating the last witness?”

  “I need to be careful what I say. You pay closer attention than I thought.” He raised his brows. “Depositions are done, we’ll just hope they’re enough to keep us out of a trial.”

  Ruby showed him the books she’d been reading, piling them into his lap.

  “And what’s this one?” Nathaniel picked up Val’s library book, turning it to see the cover. “A biography of Andy Warhol?”

  Val reached to take the book. “I saw online the Museum of Fine Art’s having a special exhibit of Warhol this fall, and I thought I should brush up on my pop art.”

  He nodded and met her gaze briefly. “Smart.”

  Val wished she could read his expression. Her stomach sank at the reminder their situation was temporary. She wondered how Nathaniel felt. Did he feel a twinge of sorrow, too? Or was it ‘business as usual, time to hire a new nanny’? The thought of another person moving into her place, living the life she’d started to love, hit her with such force that she gasped.

  Nathaniel’s gaze snapped to hers. “You okay?”

  She nodded, shifting her position. “Must be a stick under the blanket that poked me,” she muttered.

  “We made cookies, Daddy.” Ruby patted his arm.

  “Wait here, I’ll go get them.” Val was on her feet and hurrying to the house before anyone else had a chance to respond. She needed to get a grip on herself. This wasn’t her family. Nathaniel wasn’t her friend, he was her employer. Ruby and Finn weren’t her children. They were her charges.

  She blinked away the tears that, despite her chastisement, filled her eyes. Come on, Val. Focus on your task. Loading cookies on a plate, grabbing a jug of milk, paper cups and napkins, enjoying the time she had with the Cavanaughs. Worrying about things she couldn’t change wouldn’t help anything.

  That evening, Val put one of Mrs. Spencer’s lasagnas in the oven and set out ingredients for a tossed salad. Her phone rang. “Hi, Seth.” Val could feel Nathaniel’s gaze on her as she listened to his friend.

  “Hey, just wanted ya to know a big storm is forecast for tonight. I’m running by in a little while to help fasten the shutters.”

  “Thank you, but Mr. Cavanaugh’s home now. He’ll help me.”

  “Make sure you have flashlights and batteries.”

  “Will do, Thanks.” She put down the phone and turned to find Nathaniel still watching her. “Seth says a storm’s coming tonight. We need to fasten the shutters? I thought those were just for decoration.”

  He nodded, and they both looked through the window over the sink. The wind had gotten stronger. Trees bent and branches cartwheeled across the ground.

  “I’ll take care of the shutters.” Nathaniel walked in the direction of his bedroom. “Keep the kids inside.” He returned a moment later wearing a rain jacket.

  “Want some help?” Val asked.

  “I don’t want you out there either.” He opened the back door, letting in a rush of air, and had to use both hands to pull it closed behind him.

  He surely hadn’t meant anything by his statement, but his words settled around Val like a warm blanket.

  ****

  A loud crash jolted Val out of her sleep. A moment passed before she realized the noise was thunder and louder than any storm she’d heard before. She lay still while her heart pounded. Even with the shutters closed, a flash of lightning set the room aglow, followed by another crash that was, if possible, louder than the first.

  The house shook and groaned. The wind sounded like a shriek.

  Val wasn’t one to be afraid during a thunderstorm, but she’d never experienced anything like this. How were the kids still sleeping?

  As if in answer to her question, she tensed at the sound of Ruby’s terrified scream.

  Val bolted from her room and crossed the hall. “Ruby, I’m here.” She ran her hand up the wall next to the door, locating the light switch, but when she toggled it, nothing happened. With hands outstretched, she hurried to the bed.

  Ruby clung tight. “Val, I’m scared.”

  “I won’t leave you. Come on, let’s check on Finn.” She carried Ruby into the dark hall, and they both cringed when another crash shook the house.

  “Daddy?” Finn cried out.

  “Val?” Nathaniel’s voice sounded from the stairs. The beam of a flashlight lit up the hallway

  “I’m here. I have Ruby.”

  He moved past her into Finn’s room, and returned carrying the boy.

  Both children continued to cry, and the wind howled. Something crashed against the house.

  “Let’s take them downstairs.” Nathaniel found Val’s hand.

  She shifted Ruby onto her hip.

  Nathaniel’s hand was strong and warm and she hadn’t realized how nervous the storm had made her until she felt his unspoken comfort. They made their way down the stairs to the living room. He released her hand as he settled the three of them on the couch.

  Val immediately felt the loss of his warm touch.

  Nathaniel left for a moment and returned with a quilt, covering the four of them.

  Finn still cried, and Val snuggled him in her lap.

  Ruby climbed into Nathaniel’s. “Daddy, I’m scared.”

  “Don’t worry. Go back to sleep now. Val and I won’t leave you.” Another crash shook the house, and Nathaniel startled.

  “Don’t you go getting scared on me, too. You’re the only thing keeping me from hiding under my bed.” Val heard her own whispered voice trembling.

  Again, Nathaniel found her hand, and warmth flowed up her arm.

  She leaned her head against his shoulder. Cocooned in the warmth of the blanket while the elements raged outside, Val had never felt so safe. She tried to enjoy the sensation, but she felt her stomach sinking. What was she doing? Did she really think he considered her part of his family?

  The memory of Bo Callaway’s words in the high school hallway floated into her mind, and her insides twisted into a tight ball. Was she really letting herself again develop feelings for a person who was so out of her reach? Hadn’t she learned her lesson the first time? She was setting herself up for heartache and needed to figure out how to put distance between herself and the Cavanaughs, especially Nathaniel. Either that or have her heart broken when she left in six weeks. Maybe she’d call Brandt tomorrow and see what he and his friends were doing.

  Thoughts of spending another day with the group left her feeling unsettled. She should be excited. Brandt and his friends were fun, and she was a young single woman living on her own for the firs
t time in her life. She should want to hang out with other people in her situation.

  Val had a harder time directing her thoughts as sleep crept closer. No matter what happened in the future, she had this moment right now. She’d enjoy it while it lasted.

  ****

  For a long time, Nathaniel didn’t fall asleep, and he couldn’t blame his wakefulness on the furious storm. Nor could he fault discomfort. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d felt quite so content. He was warm and snug, bundled with his children in the dark. Yet, his entire body was alert—hyper-focused on the woman leaning against his shoulder.

  The feel of Val moving or squeezing his hand caused every nerve ending to tingle. He listened to her breathing and identified the exact moment when she fell asleep. Knowing she felt protected and comfortable enough to sleep against him during a terrifying storm spread heat through his chest. He hadn’t had such intimate physical contact with a woman in years. His wife had been the opposite of warm and tender. He didn’t realize how much he craved the feeling.

  Probably time to start dating again. But the thought didn’t hold any interest. Meeting new people, spending the time to get to know them, hoping they liked his children. The entire process sounded exhausting, when what he really wanted was much simpler. He wanted this. Home, Family. People that cared for him and comforted him. Somehow, Val had become part of it.

  He thought of their phone calls and texts over the past weeks. He’d looked forward to the sound of her voice as much as his own children’s. Their conversations had run the gamut between playful and serious. She was interested in his work and listened to details of cases she had no doubt found boring. Her questions indicated she listened and put thought into the things he said. He always hung up the phone in high spirits. The interactions had become addicting. He’d forced himself to restrict the number of calls. Val, of course, didn’t want to talk to him as often as he’d wanted to talk to her.

  When summer ended, he would miss their friendship, probably as much as Ruby and Finn would. His chest tightened at the thought and he pushed it away, focusing on here and now. Thinking about how it felt to have a partner, a friend, someone to hold his hand in the middle of the night and listen to his day. He shifted and Val sighed, nestling against him. Will my life ever have another moment as perfect as this one?

  ****

  The next morning, Nathaniel walked around the outside of the house, opening the shutters and surveying the damage. A few shingles had been lost, the deck chairs were piled against one railing, and the yard was littered with sticks and other debris.

  While he righted the wooden chairs, he answered a call. A client, Lamar Dunford, would be in town for the day and hoped to meet in Lobster Cove for a business lunch.

  When Nathaniel asked Val about switching her day off, she apologized but told him she’d already made plans with friends. He’d been surprised, but her explanation was perfectly reasonable. He hadn’t asked with whom, and she hadn’t offered the information. The conversation was entirely appropriate for an employee-employer relationship. But he couldn’t for the life of him stop wondering who she was meeting, and wishing the question didn’t bother him. Better not be the jerk with the motorcycle who was drunk at Craigwood Beach. Did Val still see that guy?

  He placed a call to Mrs. Spencer who agreed to watch Ruby and Finn for a few hours. Nathaniel picked up Lamar Dunford in the center of town to drive out to the Mariner’s Fish Fry.

  The meeting was productive, and actually rather enjoyable as they hammered out the details of their defense strategy. Lamar was a red-faced, blustering man who gave the impression of being constantly irritated. The first time they met, Nathaniel had been wary. Mr. Dunford was the kind of person juries didn’t relate with at all. But as they’d spent time together, Nathaniel had come to see beneath his gruff exterior and realized Lamar was honest and meticulous in his documentation and work. A dream client.

  Nathaniel drove Mr. Dunford back into town and insisted he try a blueberry tart from Julie’s sweet shop before he returned to Boston. He held open the glass door, glancing at the flyer for the Lobster Cove Trawlers softball team, and waited as a group walked out. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mr. Dunford step back to allow a woman to pass by them on the sidewalk.

  “Excuse me,” she said.

  When he heard her voice, Nathaniel released the door and turned quickly. “Val?” He glanced behind her, but she was alone. Had she lied about meeting friends?

  Val carried a bag with a rolled-up beach towel and the Andy Warhol book inside. She wore a tank top and shorts, with the strap of a swimsuit evident at her shoulder. She stopped on the sidewalk and met his gaze with brows drawn together.

  She looked as if she was unsure whether she should approach him when he had a client. Nathaniel held out a hand. “Val, I’d like you to meet Mr. Dunford.”

  Val took a step closer and smiled shyly. “How do ya do?”

  “This is Valdosta McKinley, my nanny.”

  Lamar held out his hand. “Your nanny? Where are you from, Miss McKinley? Did I detect a southern drawl?”

  “West Virginia. A small town called Millford Creek.”

  “I have a soft spot for southern belles.” He shook Val’s hand and placed his other on top of hers, drawing her closer and smiling kindly. “What brings you into town today?”

  “I’m a little early to meet some friends, and I thought I’d stop in at the gallery.” She indicated the building next to the sweet shop.

  “Val’s an art historian.” Nathaniel hoped Lamar wouldn’t ask further about her credentials.

  Lamar released Val’s hand and looked behind her at the windows of The Venus Gallery. “I never could understand what people see in that modern art. Looks like something a kindergartener painted with his fingers.”

  Val’s eyebrows rose along with her chin. “Maybe y’all just need a little lesson? Come on inside, and I’ll show ya around.” She glanced at Nathaniel and squinted her eyes. “That is if you’re not in a hurry.”

  “I always have time for a lovely young lady.” Lamar stepped past her and opened the gallery door. “After you, Miss.”

  “Too bad the gallery doesn’t typically have much modern art here,” Val said when she entered.

  Nathaniel followed them through the door. After the noise and bustle of the street outside, the quiet of the space closed around him, and he couldn’t help but feel calm.

  Two women stood at the register. When the group entered, they turned and looked toward the door.

  As he wondered what they would say to Val, Nathaniel’s calmness disappeared. Would they be patronizing because of her clothing? His shoulders tightened as one of the women approached.

  “Afternoon, Abby,” Val said.

  “Hi, Val. You’ve come to admire the Copeland again?”

  “Course I did.” She smiled and then turned to include the men in the conversation. “Mr. Dunford, Mr. Cavanaugh, this is Abigail Longley, one of the owners of The Venus Gallery.”

  “Nice to meet you.” The tall woman with long strawberry blonde hair smiled, glancing between the men. “Is there something I can help you gentlemen find?”

  “I wanted to show them a few of your pieces, if that’s all right?” Val tipped her head toward the back of the gallery.

  Abby nodded. “Let me know if you have any questions.” She walked back toward the register.

  Nathaniel’s shoulders relaxed. Apparently, Val had been here before. He wondered what the Longley woman meant by the Copeland.

  Val led them to a partitioned section of the gallery with brightly colored paintings on each wall. Track lighting focused on each picture. “These pieces were all painted by an artist from Italy, Mariano Pulido. He is known for bright colors and movement in his work.”

  Nathaniel couldn’t help but be impressed. This didn’t sound like the same woman in the ripped skirt that had told him about getting arrested for skinny-dipping in her high school pool. She knew what she was talk
ing about and spoke with confidence.

  “See what I mean?” Lamar pointed at a painting. “This doesn’t even look like a horse. My grandson could do a better job.”

  Val took Lamar’s arm and turned him to face the picture directly. “If you want a perfect reproduction of a horse, you’d buy a photograph. What’s amazing about this painting is you can tell it’s a horse, even when the picture doesn’t look at all like one. See what I’m saying?”

  Eyes wide, Lamar looked at her and then back at the painting.

  She traced the shape in the painting with her hand movement. “The artist is showing what horse-ness is. He intends you to feel the horse, not just see it. You can hear the wind flowing through the mane, feel the pounding of hooves as it runs, the strain of muscles in its withers…”

  He turned back, his head tilted and his nose wrinkled.

  Nathaniel’s protectiveness returned, and he nearly intervened.

  “If you don’t feel it, this painting isn’t the one for you. Not everyone connects with every piece of art. Let’s try another.” Val gave a gentle tug on Lamar’s arm and led him to the next wall where they stood in front of a mass of colorful swirls and whorls.

  “Now, this just plain doesn’t look like anything,” Lamar said, shaking his head.

  “Remember, you need to use all your senses, not just your eyes. Give it a second.” Val spoke in a low voice. “You need to open your mind in order to feel what the artist is trying to show you.”

  Lamar stared at the picture.

  Nathaniel was impressed with what a good sport he was being.

  “Maybe it reminds you of an old quilt.” Val moved her hand in front of her like she was washing a window. “Or colorful candies, or an oil spot in water. Maybe—”

  “Clouds.” Lamar interrupted. “It’s the sky with wind blowing the clouds in different shapes.” His body tilted slightly forward as he stared at the painting. “On my grandfather’s farm, lying in the old hammock, I’d watch the clouds…” He spoke in a faraway voice.