by Mae Nunn
“Oh, I wouldn’t horn in on your family evening. Besides, how would your mother and girls react if a man you just met showed up to share the table?”
“It’s going to take them about thirty seconds to recognize your face and then they’ll be all up in your business asking questions about your famous twin.”
Cullen leaned away from the comment. “Hey, I wouldn’t exactly say Hunt’s famous, at least not for anything other than being my little brother. I will give him credit for being a great chef, though. And he still does some appearances on television when he’s not working with his fiancée over at Temple Territory.”
“Oh, that mansion in Kilgore that’s become a hotel? I hear it’s quite an historical landmark.”
“I can arrange for your daughters to get a tour of the estate if they’d be interested. Our grandfather built the place and it comes with lots of interesting stories and legends.”
“That’s a great idea for an outing this summer,” she agreed. “But please join us tonight. There’s probably a whole pepperoni pizza over there with your name on it.”
The mental picture of rising dough swimming in golden grease from cheese and sausage caused his mouth to water like Pavlov’s dog. He did an inward double take at his very predictable reaction. Maybe he was a natural for the study of human behavior, after all.
“Only if you’re sure nobody will object.”
“With five women at the table somebody is always bound to object. It just comes with the territory. So don’t take it personally, it’s a family female thing,” Sarah assured him.
A family female thing was uncharted water for Cullen. But how hard could it be to share a casual meal with three generations of women? He might even learn something from the experience if he carried some gestures of kindness to soothe the savage breast.
* * *
SARAH WASN’T NEARLY as confident as she tried to sound for Cullen’s sake. While she could trust her mother to be hospitable, the girls were another matter. Carrie was in the throes of a Goth stage and Meg was forever wrestling with some imagined worry. Hope lived in la-la land, inventing superhero memories of her daddy to replace the fragile flesh-and-blood truth.
Thank goodness Sarah had a thirty-minute head start before Cullen arrived at the pizza place. He’d said he had personal business to attend to and then he’d join them. She’d have to set the scene carefully, to say the least.
“What do you mean a friend from the university is meeting us for dinner?” Meg questioned. “Who is she and how well do you know her?”
“I was about to ask the same thing,” Sarah’s mother added.
“My friend is actually a guy and he’s teaching the European history class I’m auditing. He was going to eat dinner alone so I invited him to have pizza with us. You might even recognize him.”
“He’s not that old high school boyfriend of yours, is he? That Bobby Whatshisname?” asked her mother.
“Of course not.”
“Good. I was always suspicious of that kid.”
“Mom, Bobby got married right after we graduated, he was a torpedo man on a navy guided-missile destroyer and he has a Ph.D. in agricultural economics. I’d say he’s done pretty well for himself. You can let go of those qualms.”
“Well, I’ve read how women are hooking up with their old flames these days and I don’t want any surprises when this stranger shows up.”
“He’s nobody from my ancient past, but he does have a face you might have seen before.”
“Like on an FBI Most Wanted poster? What if he’s a bank robber or a mass murderer?” Meg chewed the tip of a plastic straw.
“Honey, this guy has spent his entire life in Kilgore, he’s well respected at the university and I’m pretty sure he’s been too busy studying and teaching to dispose of bodies.”
“So, is this the way college women behave? Will there be a different man in your life every week now?” Carrie’s snide question was inappropriate, but at least she was talking.
“No, dear,” Sarah said with restraint. At home she’d have lectured her daughter on being disrespectful, but tonight reassurance was more important than manners. “Cullen is the only person on campus who’s even spoken to me, if you don’t count the grouchy woman in the administration office.”
“Oh, Nancy Norment is still over there? So the University Torment is alive and well. She must be up into her eighties by now.”
“She might be too mean to die.”
“I’m glad to hear Miss Nancy is on the job. The town honored her years ago for her service to the community. You’d better pray she lives twenty more years so she’ll be there when your girls go to college.”
“Right now I’m praying that I can stick around for two years to finish my degree, but I’ll add Miss Nancy’s continued health to the bottom of my lengthy prayer list.”
“Don’t look now, but a suspicious man just spotted us and he’s walking this way.” Meg’s words were muffled behind her hand.
Sarah watched Cullen approach. He seemed much more relaxed than he had in the lecture hall. In one hand he clutched a bunch of flowers and with the other he gripped the handles of an oversize canvas bag stamped with a recycle emblem. When he stopped at the head of their table, Sarah stood to make introductions.
“Cullen Temple, this is my mother, Margaret Callaghan, and my daughters Carrie, Meg and Hope. Ladies, this is my instructor, Dr. Cullen Temple.”
There was silence except for a nod from her mother.
Sarah stamped her foot, a not-so-covert sign for her daughters to use their manners.
“Pleased to meet you, sir,” the girls responded politely as they’d been instructed all their lives.
“I appreciate your mama inviting me. I love a pizza buffet.”
* * *
NOT FEELING OVERLY WELCOME, Cullen decided to go straight for the peace offerings, hoping the atmosphere would warm up. He set the canvas bag on the tabletop and handed the flowers to Sarah’s mother.
“These are for you, Mrs. Callaghan. My mama taught me that you never go to a woman’s dinner table empty-handed, not the first visit, anyway.”
Next he made a production of poking around in the bag, which seemed to get the girls’ attention.
“I had to shop fast and I only have brothers so I hope I did okay,” he apologized as he withdrew a trinket for each of the sisters. For Carrie, whose hair was...purple...there was a paperback volume of Vampire Academy, the first in a popular young adult series. He presented Meg with a silver-tone bracelet that had a dangling smiley face charm inscribed Don’t Worry, Be Happy. And for Sara’s youngest, who was missing her front two teeth, there was a fluffy stuffed bear holding a velvet heart that read Faith, Hope and Love.
“I think this was meant just for you,” Cullen said as he handed over the teddy.
“What did you bring for Mommy?” Hope asked.
“The best gift of all,” he answered as he rubbed his palms together.
He reached to the bottom of the bag and then pulled out a thick, gray volume. Black letters on the spine read European Civilization. It was the very expensive textbook for his class.
“I can’t accept this, Cullen.”
He waved away her concern. “Dr. Mastal kept a stack in his office for loaners. When the semester is over you can return it and I’ll use it to bless another unsuspecting victim.”
“Hey!” Carrie had glanced up from her novel and was studying Cullen through squinted eyes, her index finger pointing a silent accusation his way.
Margaret nodded her head. “I was just about to say the same thing.”
“What?” Meg slid the bracelet over her hand and rejoined the conversation.
“You look just like the Cowboy Chef!” Carrie insisted.
“Actually, I’m the older twin,
so he looks just like me.”
“You’re brothers with the cutest chef on food television? Awesome sauce!” Meg exclaimed.
“Why don’t we go fill our plates and you can hear all about it while we eat,” Margaret suggested. She took charge and herded the girls toward the buffet line.
“Thank you for everything, Cullen. You really shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble and expense.”
“It’s only one evening of my life and it’s the least I can do for your family. If I never meet your girls again they’ll have a personal reminder of a Temple brother—even if they forget about me and only remember the Cowboy Chef.”
He smiled, not the least bit bothered by the shadow his twin cast.
“Shall we?” Sarah suggested.
“After you.” Cullen stepped aside to let her take the lead.
He smiled as he watched the family of women load their plates, but inwardly he shuddered over what the atmosphere must be like in their home. The noise, the bickering, the demands, the drama—all the stuff he did his best to keep out of his life. Anything short of peace and quiet might tempt his old nemesis, anxiety.
What he’d said to Sarah was true. Giving up one evening was an easy gesture to make, especially for one of his students. But a steady diet of this bunch would not simply have him under the covers, it would have him under the bed!
CHAPTER FOUR
TWENTY STEPS OUTSIDE the pizza parlor door, Hope dug her heels into the sidewalk and pointed toward a maintenance alley beside the restaurant.
“Mama, look!” she insisted.
All heads turned at the urgency in her voice. By the entrance to the alley, a small life shivered, barely noticeable, cowering in the shadow of a Dumpster.
“It’s a puppy!” Hope squealed, and tugged harder on Sarah’s hand in an effort to get closer. “Let’s go get it!”
“Wait!” Meg cried even louder. “It could be rabid.”
“Its ears are too short to be a rabbit.”
“Rabid, not rabbit, you stupid baby,” Meg chided.
“Mona Margaret, what have I told you about name-calling?”
“That it’s ugly, inappropriate and indicates a weak vocabulary,” she said, repeating what Sarah said to her daughters at least twice a day. “But she is a stupid baby sometimes.” Meg always had to have the last word.
The whimper of the animal echoed in the alley.
“Do something!” Hope pleaded.
“Stay put and let me check things out,” Cullen instructed, handing his to-go box of pizza to Sarah.
He made his way cautiously, stopped several feet away and knelt to the dirty concrete. The shaggy thing stood, unfolding long wobbly legs. Cullen rested one hand atop his knee, palm down to allow the puppy to make the first move. Even from a distance Sarah could hear soft murmuring as Cullen appealed to the frightened pup. It slowly crept forward, sniffed cautiously, then retreated behind the safety of the Dumpster.
“Don’t leave him there!” Hope broke the quiet that had enveloped their group, startling everyone.
“Will you shush, please?” Carrie reprimanded her sister, who complied for once in her life.
Cullen crept down the alley and slipped out of sight in the direction the dog had gone. Long moments later he returned, a wad of blond fur enfolded in his arms.
“I thought his mama might be in there, too, but he was all alone,” Cullen explained, keeping his voice low as he got closer.
Sarah kept a tight grip on her youngest daughter, certain Hope’s excitement would spook the already-frightened animal. Cullen moved underneath the glare of the parking lot lights and they could see the puppy, long legs dangling, curly fur in need of a bath, its muzzle shyly tucked beneath Cullen’s elbow.
“Poor thing. He must be lost from his family.” Hope reached up to softly stroke an ear that flopped over Cullen’s arm.
“It’s more likely he was left here on purpose in the hope that someone leaving the restaurant would give him a home,” Sarah’s mother spoke up.
“That’s us!”
“Honey, we can’t take in a dog. We don’t have the room or the money for a pet.” Sarah had to be reasonable, though her heart broke for the animal.
“Grandma?” Hope moved anxious eyes to her grandmother. “Can’t you take it home for us? I’ll give you my allowance to buy it food.”
“Baby girl, we can’t have pets because of your grandfather’s allergies. You wouldn’t want your grandpa to be sneezy and itchy, would you?”
“I guess not.” Her eyes were downcast with sadness. “But if we leave it here it might starve to death.”
“Or get eaten by wolves,” Meg added, to her little sister’s horror.
“Yeah, packs of wolves in mall parking lots are really a hazard in Longview this year,” Carrie deadpanned.
“I suppose I could take it home with me.” Cullen’s suggestion was halfhearted at best.
“For reals?” Hope’s face lit with gratitude as her frown flipped into a smile, exposing the gap in her teeth. She tugged her hand free from Sarah’s and launched her body at Cullen, wrapping her arms fiercely around his legs. “My hero,” she mumbled against his jeans.
Sarah’s eyes sought Cullen’s and she mouthed, “You don’t have to do this.” He gave an affirmative nod and jostled the puppy’s face free so they could get a glimpse of the long snout and huge eyes.
“Judging by the size of his feet, this boy’s gonna require a big house and a fenced yard. I have the room and I’m home a lot so I can’t imagine why not.”
“Can we come visit him whenever we want?”
“Hope, it’s not polite to invite yourself over to somebody else’s home,” Sarah corrected her child.
By now Cullen was probably wishing he’d had his dinner on a TV tray, alone. All three of her girls had become outspoken and unpredictable, and it seemed she was forever apologizing for their words or behaviors.
“Cullen, please excuse my daughter for being so forward. Just because we enjoy having Hope around, she assumes everybody else will instantly welcome her, too.”
“I don’t enjoy her, she’s always poking through my side of the bedroom,” Meg chimed in.
“Yeah, she’s a pest, always into our stuff,” Carrie added. “So if you’ve got a big house, you can take Hope home with you, too.”
“That’s enough, ladies,” Sarah admonished, cringing inwardly that a respected new friend was being put in such an awkward position.
“Actually, you’re all welcome to come see the puppy once I get him settled. I haven’t had a dog since I was a kid and I’m going to need lots of help. Especially teaching him to swim so he’ll be safe around my pool.”
“You have a pool?” Carrie brightened.
For months she’d been complaining that their apartments didn’t offer a swimming pool for the residents. The complex was small and old but it was in a safe neighborhood near the girls’ schools and that was more important to Sarah. It was bad enough that they’d had to sell their family home. Sarah wasn’t going to make them move away from their friends, as well.
“Yes, I do. It’s nothing fancy but it keeps me cool in the summertime.”
“Backyard pools can be dangerous. A person can drown in a thimble of water.”
“Safety is always a priority at my house, Meg. And I promise to teach the puppy to swim right away.”
“Okay, now that we have that all settled,” Sarah’s mother cut in, “I should be getting home to your father before it gets any later.”
“Thanks for everything, Mom.” Sarah leaned into her mother’s hug as best she could while still holding Cullen’s pizza box. “You’re still available to hang out with the girls on Wednesday evening?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
Carr
ie huffed and rolled her eyes. “I’m too old for a babysitter.”
“Well, that’s good because babysitters expect to be paid and I only expect for you to let me win at Crazy Eights. At least occasionally,” Margaret teased.
She kissed each of the girls, handed their shopping bag full of Cullen’s thoughtful gifts over to Carrie, thanked their guest again for the flowers and then headed toward the practical minivan she kept just for transporting her three grandkids.
“Where are you parked, Cullen? We’ll follow you to your car so I can give you the pizza.”
“My Explorer is just over there, but how about if you take the pizza home with you instead? I’m not sure how safe it will be with a hungry puppy on the loose.”
“You should go straight to that pet shop down the street for a doggy seat-belt thingy,” Meg reminded him. “It’s not safe for him in your backseat otherwise. And you’ll want some food, and a collar, too.”
“Meg, lighten up on the lectures, please,” Sarah insisted.
“Actually, that’s an excellent suggestion. Are you ladies in a hurry or could you come with me to pick out a few things?”
Cheers erupted from the younger girls, and though Carrie didn’t officially agree, there was an expression of mild interest on her face.
“Are you sure?” Sarah asked. “Haven’t you had enough of my zoo crew for one evening?”
“Meg’s right, I should get some things for this little guy. We can’t take too long because they’ll be closing soon. I’d appreciate the help since I don’t have the first clue what to get.”
“It’s the least we can do.” Sarah swept her palm for him to lead the way. Hope bobbed up and down as she skipped beside Cullen across the parking spaces to a shiny, clean SUV that probably didn’t have a back seat filled with hair bows, pink sneakers, and empty Yoo-hoo bottles.
* * *
HALF AN HOUR and two hundred dollars later, Cullen was on his way home. The puppy they’d dubbed Rocket was shivering quietly in the backseat, held securely by his pet restraint. Who knew a dog wasn’t supposed to ride with its head hanging out the car window anymore? But according to Meg, Sarah’s little worrywart, allowing pets to do that was dangerous and really should be illegal.