"I'd love to. You weren't kidding when you said you made enough for an army."
"Now you know why I don't make stew very often. I can't tell when to stop adding vegetables. I usually only fix it when I know I'll have a crowd, like when my family comes to visit."
"Are they coming for Christmas?''
"No. My brother is a fireman and has to work over the holiday. My mother was going to visit us, but her sister had a stroke and Mom thinks it might be the last time she'll see her so she's flying to Oregon. With Christmas falling on a Sunday and our office closed on Monday, we'll have a quiet, three-day weekend."
"Then you have to join us," he informed her. "My mother won't mind."
"I'd like that," she said.
Tell her what else you'd like.
Alex's courage faltered, but he decided to risk it.
"There's something you should know," he said as he carried more dirty dishes from the table to the sink.
"What's that?"
He leaned across her to shut off the faucet. Right or wrong, he wanted her full attention.
"I realize we've moved rather fast in our relationship," he said, "but for me, what we have is downright exceptional."
Claire's eyes seemed to melt. "It is for me, too."
"Neither of us are ready to rush into anything, but I'm thinking along permanent lines, like combining households."
She hesitated. "Are you asking—?"
"For you to consider marrying me," he said. "Like I said before, things have moved fast and we both need time, but I wanted you to know how I feel and the direction I'm heading. I love you, Claire, and I want us to be together all the time."
"Oh, Alex. I'd like that, too."
He smiled at her, aware that it held both happiness and relief, and drew her close. "I'm glad we're on the same wavelength."
He bent his head and kissed her with one of the long, leisurely kisses that he saved for their moments alone. She snuggled against him and the clock stood still as she opened her mouth to him.
Another step and he had her right where he wanted her, trapped at the counter with no place to go but through him. An urge to have that happen, where two became one, grew stronger as he delighted in the little moans of pleasure coming from her throat.
Cradling the back of her head in his palm, he anchored her to him and poured every thought, every feeling he had for this woman into his kiss. She responded in kind and he could hardly believe his good fortune.
He wanted to make love with her, here and now, but the kitchen table wasn't the place to make a first-time memory. Later, he thought as he explored every hill and valley until he'd drawn his own private, mental map of her body.
He was soaring above the earth, ready to explode in a shower of sparks that rivaled a fireworks display. This went beyond his wildest imagination, but he didn't want it to stop. He wanted it to last forever, and he intended to enjoy every minute, every second. He was—
"Daddy! You're kissing Claire." The accusation in Jennie's voice brought him back to earth with a nasty thump.
He straightened, keeping Claire in the circle of his arms. He refused to act guiltily or pretend his feelings weren't as serious or as honorable as they were. "Yes, I was," he said calmly.
"You can't do that," she protested.
"Why not?"
"Because. Because she's a friend.''''
Alex hugged Claire and smiled at her before he addressed his daughter. "Yes, she is, but she's more than that."
Jennie's eyes narrowed. "You're not going to marry her, are you?"
"I want to," he answered.
"But, Daddy," Jennie wailed, "we don't need her. We're fine the way we are."
"Yes, but think how nice it would be to live together in the same house."
Jennie stomped her feet. "No. I won't do it. You promised." She glared at Claire. "You tricked me. You only pretended to be my friend. You're like the others. You just want my dad for yourself."
Claire stepped forward. "That's not true, Jennie."
"Yes, it is," she shouted, backing away. "I don't want you in my house and I don't want to be in yours." With that, she burst into tears and ran from the room.
"I apologize," Alex said. "I don't know what's come over her. She loves you and Josh."
"You're changing her life without her permission," Claire said simply. "Naturally, she'll be upset."
"Being upset is one thing. Being rude is another." A distant door slammed and he frowned. "What was that?"
Claire's eyes were filled with concern. "You don't suppose she decided to walk home, do you?"
"Better home than someplace else," he said grimly.
He rushed into the living room and peered through the window, cursing because it was too dark to see beyond Claire's yard. Immediately he strode to the closet and shoved hangers aside as he half listened to Claire's and Joshua's conversation.
"Where's Jennie?" she asked.
"'Ennie went bye."
Josh's comment only confirmed what he didn't see hanging in the closet. He grabbed his own jacket. "Her coat's gone. I'd better go after her."
Claire followed him to the door. "You'll call, so I'll know she's safe and sound?"
"I will." He kissed her quickly. "Don't worry. I'll talk to her and everything will be fine."
She nodded.
Alex hurried outside. Not seeing a familiar form illuminated by the streetlamp, he cursed once again and slid behind the wheel of his vehicle. He hardly breathed until he saw Jennie trudging up the driveway of their house, her chin tucked against her chest.
"Thank you," he breathed softly. He'd received one miracle, and now he had to work on making another.
"How's Jennie?" Claire asked Alex on Wednesday morning.
He shook his head, appearing as disgusted and disappointed as she felt. "The same. She still won't say a word. Even when I grounded her from watching television for being rude, she didn't argue. She flounced to her room and stayed there all evening."
"Oh, Alex. I'm so sorry."
He rubbed his forehead as if the motion would smooth out his worry wrinkles. "I'm at my wits' end. I've talked until I'm hoarse, but she doesn't respond."
"I can't blame her for not wanting her life to change. She doesn't want to share you with anyone."
"Life is all about sharing. I obviously failed to teach her that important lesson."
"Don't be so hard on yourself. You did your best. As for Jennie, she's as smart as her father. She'll come around."
"She'd better," he warned darkly. "Or else."
"Or else what? You can't threaten her, Alex. She'll only resent me more than she already does."
"But she shouldn't resent you at all." He began to pace.
After the good times she'd shared with Jennie, the youngster's rejection hurt more than she cared to admit. "No, she shouldn't, but give her time, Alex."
By Friday, however, Claire was surprised that Jennie's attitude hadn't softened. It required a lot of energy to fuel anger for several days, and Claire tried to think of a way to defuse the girl's rage. But how? If the youngster wouldn't talk to her father, then Claire's chances for success were far more slim.
It became even more obvious when Mrs Rowe dropped Jennie off at the clinic after school because she was leaving town to visit her daughter over the holiday. Claire saw her sitting in Alex's office and stopped to chat.
"Are you excited about your pageant tonight?"
Jennie pointedly looked in another direction. "I guess."
Claire ignored her hostility. "Someone brought homemade fudge today. If you'd like a sample, I'll bring a few pieces for you."
"I can help myself."
"Look, Jennie, I know you want all of your dad's attention, but don't you want him to be happy?"
"I make him happy."
"Yes, but four people can have twice as much fun together as two. And if you and your dad set aside a special time to be alone, I wouldn't object. Joshua and I'll do it, too."
"We don't need anyone else."
"Maybe you don't, but I do. I think your dad needs me, too."
"No, he doesn't. I won't let him," she said on a rising, frantic note.
Claire noticed the flash of fear in Jennie's eyes. "What are you afraid of?" she asked gently. "No matter what, he'll always love you."
Jennie glared at her. "I know that. But you were just supposed to be a friend."
"I still would be," Claire said softly.
Jennie clamped her mouth shut and didn't answer. She sat sullenly in the chair, swung her legs back and forth and crossed her arms.
Claire's hopes died. She didn't claim any expertise in child psychology, but Jennie was too stubborn for Claire to anticipate a simple answer or a speedy resolution to their problem.
She'd been effectively dumped on the horns of a dilemma. If she and Alex continued to see each other away from work, Jennie would make his home life miserable and eventually place him in the position of choosing between her and his daughter.
Or she could walk away and save everyone a lot of grief.
"This isn't going to work, Alex," she told him after they'd seen their last patient.
"It will. You'll see."
She shook her head. "I thought so, too, at first. But I talked to Jennie this afternoon.''
"You did? What did she say?"
"Not much, but this is more than a case of jealousy over sharing you with someone else. Remember how she looked when you told her about us? She was horrified."
"Because she didn't want her life to change. You've already said that."
"Yes, but now I wonder... I think she's scared. Really and truly frightened."
"That's ridiculous. Why should she be afraid?"
"I don't know, but she is. Until we find out, I think it would be better if I stayed out of the picture." She paused. "I've wrestled with this all afternoon and decided it would be best if Joshua and I didn't attend Jennie's Christmas pageant this evening."
"No." He shook his head. "She wants to drive a wedge between us and if you stay away, she'll think she's succeeded. I won't play into her hands."
"What choice do you have? It won't be fun for anyone if being around me upsets her."
"The point is, I want you there."
"I've made up my mind." She paused, hating what had to come next but knowing she didn't have a choice. "You asked me to consider marrying you. Well, I have, and my answer is no."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
"No?'' Alex raised his voice. This definitely wasn't news he wanted to hear. "No?"
Claire didn't cower under his tone. "I'm sorry. I've thought it over these last few days. I won't marry you under these circumstances."
Her words weren't direct quotes of what his now ex-wife had said, but they were close enough. I can't handle this, Alex.
Nothing he'd said had been able to change Donna's mind and now it seemed to be happening again. The anger he'd felt then suddenly resurfaced and he lashed out.
"Maybe you can turn your love for someone on and off at will, but I can't."
"Oh, Alex," she said mournfully. "I haven't stopped loving you. I won't."
Music to his ears. His hurt faded.
"Loving you or not isn't the issue," she continued.
"You're going to let an eight-year-old affect the course of your life? To deprive you of what you want most?"
"This eight-year-old is going to affect the course of my life, one way or another," she explained.
"Jennie's mother ran away when things got tough. I didn't think you would, too," he accused heartlessly.
Claire bristled. "You're hitting below the belt, Alex. This has nothing to do with running away because things are tough. I want us to be together, too, but I can't fix Jennie's attitude as easily as the surgeons repaired her physical problems. I would if I could, but it isn't that simple.
"Believe it or not, she's going to set the tone of our household. I refuse to come home every night to a battlefield and watch her force you to choose sides. I won't subject Joshua or any other children we might have to those living conditions."
He hadn't thought that far ahead, but filling the bedrooms in his large home with sons and daughters would be a pleasure.
"It wouldn't be like that," he insisted. "I won't let it."
Her sad smile was more than he could bear. "There are some things you can control, but Jennie's acceptance, the way she feels about me, isn't one of them. You can't ground her forever. Once she's older and has driving privileges, things could get so much worse. She could undermine me in your eyes, or cause so many problems that they would eventually tear us apart. In the end, she'd win."
Claire was right. If Jennie's outlook didn't change, those teenage years could be worse than a nightmare, but Alex wasn't about to give up without a fight.
"Maybe if we both back off for now," she said softly, "Jennie will think the threat is gone and she'll explain what's going on inside her head."
"She knows we'll still see each other every day, even if we don't spend our evenings together."
"I've thought about that, too." She chewed on her lower lip. "Oncology is advertising for a nursing position. I think I should apply for it."
"No! I won't let you." To lose Claire so completely was unthinkable.
She spoke as if he hadn't opposed her idea. "It wouldn't be that bad. If circumstances change, we can be together in the evenings. I'd only be a phone call away."
"No." He remained adamant.
"You can't stop me," she said.
"They'll ask for a recommendation."
Incredulity appeared on her face and puzzlement in her eyes. "You'd give me a bad reference?"
Could he? Yes. Would he? The anger stiffening his spine faded and his shoulders slumped with the weight of disappointment. "No," he said quietly. "I wouldn't."
She moved next to him, her scent teasing him, her touch painfully sweet. "Look at us. See what's happening? We're already fighting."
"Some things are worth fighting for. I happen to believe our future is one of them."
"I do, too, but until we know what the battle is about, we're spinning our wheels. You said yourself that we moved rather fast. I'm suggesting that we slow down for now and give us, and Jennie, a chance to come to terms with the situation."
Claire hadn't totally written off their future, which he found promising. "All right. How long?"
She lifted one shoulder in a dainty shrug. "However long it takes."
"If you think I'm waiting until Joshua leaves for college, you can think again."
"Well, how am I supposed to predict a time frame?" She sounded exasperated. "She's your daughter."
Truer words were never spoken. "You're right. She is. And that means I'm responsible for straightening out this mess." Alex turned away, determined to begin before another minute ticked by.
"Alex." Claire's fear and worry was obvious. "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know yet, but I'm taking control of my home." Jennie had ruled the proverbial roost for the past eight years and he'd allowed it. As he'd told Claire some time ago, the women he'd dated hadn't meant enough to him to shift the balance of power, but that had changed.
He grabbed his coat from the stand in his office, then strode down the hallway to find Jennie. From the smile on her face as she spoke with the ladies in the office, no one would have known how much havoc she'd wreaked in his life during the last forty-eight hours.
"Jennie, we're leaving. Now."
She blinked in surprise at her father's clipped tone, but he'd used it before so he knew she understood its implications.
He waited impatiently for her to slip on her coat while he said his goodbyes to the staff, then ushered her out to his vehicle in the parking lot.
She raced to keep up with his long strides. "Daddy..."
Alex was too frustrated by the women in his life to talk. If he spoke now, he would probably say something he'd later regret. He'd listened to her silence for the p
ast two days—now it was her turn to listen to his.
"Do not say a word," he growled. "I'm not happy with you and you know it."
"But, Dad—"
"Not. One. Word."
She fell silent and crawled into the passenger seat, then he slammed the door and slid behind the wheel. He reached for the ignition, then stopped. "You have pouted and acted horribly rude to someone who's important to me. After the pageant, we will talk about this whole situation, you will explain your actions and there will be no more sulking or whining. And you're stopping this silent treatment as of right now."
He paused for breath. "Did I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir," she said in a quiet voice.
"Good. Enough is enough."
The drive home passed in silence. "Grandma's here," she ventured softly as he rolled to a stop in the driveway.
"So I see."
Inside, he saw that defeat had replaced her previous animosity, but he hardened his heart against her sad expression. He'd come too far to back down now.
His mother greeted them both with a hug after she took their coats. "I pulled dinner out of the oven so you can eat a bite before you get ready for the pageant," she said cheerfully. "Why they schedule these things so early is beyond me. How do they expect people to have enough time to swallow their food when they work late?"
He bussed her cheek. "I don't know, Mom, but everyone seems to manage."
"All this hurrying isn't good for the digestion." She patted Jennie's shoulder. "Run along, dear. Your plate is already on the table."
Jennie cast an uncertain look in his direction, then obeyed.
"Bad day at the clinic?'' Eleanor commiserated.
"A bad couple of days," he answered.
"Have a cup of my freshly brewed Earl Grey tea. You'll feel better."
He didn't want tea. He wanted coffee, the stronger the better, but since he knew his mother wouldn't have brewed a pot, he didn't argue.
Upon entering the kitchen, he found his mother chattering to Jennie about the pageant.
"I saw your costume," Eleanor told Jennie. "You're going to be the prettiest angel there. Claire did a beautiful job, didn't she?"
Jennie tentatively gazed at Alex. Curious how she'd respond, he raised one eyebrow at her. Her gaze fell to the floor as she mumbled, "I guess so."
A Very Special Christmas Page 15