A Slight Change of Plan

by Dee Ernst

  “Well. This is one hell of a way to start a first date.”

  He looked sheepish. “Yeah. Sorry about that. But you asked.” He looked at me and smiled a little too brightly. “We could go backward a bit. I could tell you about how we’re using satellites in improving the technology we’re working on for submarines.”

  “And as fascinating as that sounds, no. I mean, it’s okay.” I finished my wine. “Why don’t we walk? We can come back here for dinner if we don’t stumble across someplace else.”

  So we walked around Hoboken, stopped at another bar, where we had another drink at an outside table. We talked. He told me he was leaving for Germany in a few days, and would be gone for a few weeks, but since our date seemed to be going so well, could we see each other when he got back?

  Well, of course, Jake.

  We watched people for a while before going back to Arthur’s, because we both wanted steak, and then we went to the train station, and I got on the 9:23 back to Madison.

  Alisa and Sam were still awake, and Alisa asked how the date went, but I waved her off and went into my bedroom. Boone jumped up on the bed, and I sat and scratched her ears for a very long time.

  I kept running over Jake’s words in my head. Boiled down to its barest bones, he had chosen his career over me. I knew it happened all the time. Adam had done it, although a doctor choosing his patients over his family sounds far less selfish than a businessman choosing power over love. It had really never been about me at all. It had been all about Jake. The little niggling that had been in the back of my head for thirty years, that maybe I had done something to drive him away, was finally put to rest. But knowing that didn’t make sleep come any easier.

  I called Regan in the morning. She and Phil had bought rings and booked the DJ. We talked wedding stuff for a while, and were trying to figure out how we were going to buy my mother a dress for the festivities if she couldn’t walk through the mall.

  “Mom, we really need to get Gram in a wheelchair.”

  “Honey, you get Gram in a wheelchair. I can’t even get her to acknowledge her walker.”

  “But it would make her life so much easier. And she would be able to go outside and get some sun. I feel bad for her, holed up in the basement like that.”

  “Regan, in this humidity, being outside isn’t possible for her. When it’s cooler, maybe, but the thought of her wheeling down the sidewalks here is a little scary.”

  “We could get her one of those great big horns so she could warn people to get out of her way.”

  “Maybe I could ask the Widows’ Mafia to work on her.”

  “The what?”

  “Marie—you know, my neighbor across the street? She has a bunch of card-playing buddies that she calls the Widows’ Mafia. They were all empty nesters who moved here with their husbands, and now they’re alone. They call one another up every morning, just to make sure each of them made it through the night.”

  Regan made a noise. “And Gram is being drawn into the fold?”

  “I hope so. She actually met with them last week and played cards. She even said she had a nice time. And even more amazing, she was invited back.”

  “Gram can be a real hoot when she wants to be.”

  “I know. I’m so happy wedding progress is being made.”

  “Me too. I can’t wait for this to be over, though, so we can start planning for the baby.”

  “Jeff called you? Oh, thank God, now I can talk to you. I’m so excited. Isn’t it just great?”

  “Mom, believe me when I tell you I’m happier than you are about this whole thing, because now the pressure is off me.”

  “Regan, just a warning: The pressure will never be off.”

  “Perfect. So, we’re seeing Edward tonight. Want to come over?”

  “You’re cooking?”

  “Mom, don’t sound so surprised. You know I like to cook.”

  I did know that. I was stalling for time. Did I want to see Edward again?

  The short answer was yes. I really liked Edward. But I had just had a great evening with Jake. I had felt that old, familiar humming deep inside that I’d felt years before, when just being in the same room with him would make me happy.

  “I’d love to. I’ll have to see when Sam and Alisa get home. If they can stay with Mom, I’m all in.”

  What was I thinking?

  I was thinking that Edward was so much like Jake—the same charm and smarts, the same easy laughter. Jake had an edge, and he was familiar and felt safe. Edward had softer corners, but was more of a mystery. And he had surprised me once, walking in the moonlight just to show me a two-hundred-and-fifty-year-old house. I was kind of looking forward to seeing what else he had in store. Even after the great evening before with Jake, I felt like I needed to blow off a little steam with Edward.

  We hung up a few minutes later, and I spent the rest of the afternoon puttering around until Sam and Alisa came home. They were happy and excited, and had news of their own: Alisa would be going to France. She’d met with an ex-professor who had ties with the lab in France, and with one phone call he had arranged for her to fly over, all expenses paid, and work there until her classwork at Columbia started mid-October.

  “I’m going to miss you,” I said as I hugged her. And I would. Not only had she become excellent company, but what about my mother? Alisa had been home in the afternoons, allowing me time and freedom to do as I liked. Luckily, Laura would be off her crutches soon. She’d be able to pick up some of the slack. But the message was clear—I’d have to find a place for my mother, and soon.

  Sam and Alisa said they’d cook hamburgers for Mom, so I drove over to Regan’s for dinner. There was a strange car in front of their apartment, using up the one empty parking space, so I had to drive to practically the next county to find a spot for my car, then hike back to their place.

  “When are you moving?” I groused as soon as I came through the door. “You two need your own driveway.”

  Phil clucked sympathetically. “Where did you end up parking?”

  “Brooklyn. Hi, Edward.” Why did just seeing this man make me smile?

  He stood up and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “I’m sorry. Did I take your place in the car park? No worries. I’ll drive you to your car when we leave.”

  Car park? God, I loved English word usage.

  “No problem, but you need to talk these two into buying a nice house somewhere, setting down some roots.”

  Regan gave me her special look, the one that said, “Butt out.” “Mom, you know we’re saving. You know what kind of a down payment we’re going to need. Unless you want us to move to Idaho, where we can buy a three-bedroom house for what a garage costs around here.”

  I took a glass of wine from Phil and shook my head. “No, I know. If you need any help, you could always ask.”

  Another special look. I drank wine.

  Seeing Edward and Phil side by side was interesting. Edward was attractive, but Phil took after his mother in the looks department. Luckily, he took after Edward when it came to humor, patience, and charm. They were lovely together, close despite not being able to spend much time together.

  “Edward,” I said, “you should think about moving here. These two will be having babies soon, at least they’d better be thinking about it, and you’ll be needed for grandpa duty.”

  He settled back on the couch next to me. We were finished with dinner, and Phil and Regan were in the kitchen, doing a quick cleanup. “I’d move in a heartbeat, Kate. Especially now that I’ve met you.”

  “Edward, you’re making me blush,” I said lightly. But inside, my blood really rushed around for a second.

  He waved his hand. “And you’re being coy. Sure, I could move, but that would involve selling all my business interests, and the way things are, I’d be selling them at a loss. I’m sure I’d still have enough to be very comfortable, but I do have a whole life I’m rather fond of over there.” He looked at me, and when he smiled, the corners o
f his eyes crinkled. “Besides, Elaine would be only three hours away by plane. That sort of proximity would make me very uncomfortable.”

  “We’d never tell her. Honest. She only gets out this way a couple of times each year. We’d all protect you, right, Phil?”

  Phil had come in bearing a tray with coffee, cups, and a plate of cookies. “Right what?”

  “If your father moved here, we’d keep him safe from Elaine.”

  Phil laughed as he poured coffee. “I’ve been trying to get him over here for years.”

  “I have a better idea,” Edward said. “Why don’t you move to England? You can all live in one of my apartment houses. Phil could help me run my business, Regan could certainly do exactly the same thing that’s she’s doing here, and since Elaine is terrified to fly over the ocean, we’d all be safe.”

  “And what would I do?” I asked.

  “You, Kate, could dash about London, eating in expensive restaurants, going to the theater and the opera, whatever you want. I’d be happy to escort you, of course. And if by some chance you got bored, we could buy you a shop or something to keep you occupied.”

  Regan, coming in, laughed. “Forget it, Edward. Mom has just been told that her first grandchild is in the works. She’s not leaving, even if she could live at the palace.”

  I looked at Edward. “Sorry,” I said. “But it’s by far the best offer I’ve had all week.”

  He made clucking sounds. “Then how are you and I going to live happily ever after? Long-distance relationships can work, but you here and me in London might be a special challenge.”

  I laughed. “Edward, I didn’t know that you and I were working toward happily ever after.”

  He kissed me. Right there in front of Phil and Regan. It wasn’t a long, deep, “Let’s get naked” kind of a kiss, but I felt just a bit giddy.

  “Maybe we should,” he said, sitting back. “As I said before, I think we’re getting off to a pretty good start, don’t you?”

  I stared at him. “You know what? I think we are.” I was a little nervous, because I hadn’t known him for very long. And let’s face it, I had all sorts of Jake-thoughts crowding up my head. But Edward seemed full of… possibility.

  Regan was stirring her coffee very intently, staring into its swirling depths as if the answer to all the questions in the universe were about to pop out. Phil was looking at his father with open-faced amusement.

  “Dad,” he said, “you are one smooth and subtle guy.”

  Edward waved a hand. “Kate here is being practical. I recognize the signs. She’s seeing someone else already, trying to talk herself into thinking that she wants to be twenty again, and she doesn’t want to be distracted by a rogue like me. Right, Kate?”

  I thought hard for a minute. “Edward, being practical isn’t all of it. I don’t know you very well.”

  “True. But you like me and think that maybe, just maybe, I could offer you something unexpected. Right? I’m only here until the week after the wedding. Why don’t we at least give it a fair shake?”

  My first thought was—the man was a mind reader.

  My second—Jake. Jake. Jake.

  So why was I smiling? And why on earth was I thinking Yes?

  Alisa gave her notice at the coffeehouse on Monday, packed on Tuesday, and Sam took her to the airport Wednesday morning. Since he wasn’t going in to school, he agreed to stay home and watch Mom so I could go down to Newark. I told Dane the situation, that I didn’t feel comfortable leaving my mother home alone for an entire day. I explained that until my sister’s leg was out of the cast and she could drive over to stay with Mom, I wouldn’t be back. He was understanding and sympathetic. I was upset about leaving Shadow People. So, of course, I called Cheryl.

  “We need to go shopping,” she said.

  “I can’t afford desperation buying. Besides, I don’t need any more clothes.”

  “Then we’ll go to Whole Foods.”

  “Oh, no. That’s even worse.”

  “I’ll pick you up in half an hour.”

  If you’ve never been to a Whole Foods grocery store, I’m sorry. Very sorry. They have food there that you have heard about, or maybe seen pictures of in a magazine, but never knew existed in the real world. The cheese department alone could bring tears to my eyes. Cheryl spent twenty minutes with the man behind the fish counter. Listening to them discuss shellfish was like watching a documentary on the Food Network. Then we spent ten minutes picking out cookies. By the time we were done with the produce department, we were so exhausted we couldn’t bring ourselves to journey over to meats, so we checked out. I bought two hundred and forty-three dollars and eighteen cents’ worth of food I didn’t even know I needed.

  And Cheryl wasn’t even stoned.

  “I never smoke when I drive,” she explained when I asked. “Besides, Marco is coming over tonight. Late. After rehearsal.”

  “So, no more just one night a week? Good for you.”

  “I really like him, Kate, but he’s getting on my last nerve. He really likes my breasts.”

  “Ah, Cheryl, that makes perfect sense. I mean, he is a man. What’s the problem?”

  “He spends an awful lot of time and attention on them. In bed, I mean. I think he thinks I like it. I used to, but seriously? At my age, only one erogenous zone works anymore, and time spent away from that is time wasted, as far as I’m concerned.” She was stopped at a red light, so she could turn to me and give me a sly grin. “And how about you and Jake?”

  “We had a great time. He’s still one of the best people I know, honest and hardworking, and we’re getting comfortable again, you know? Relaxed and happy with each other.”

  “When are you seeing him again?”

  “When he gets back from Germany. We’re going to take things slowly.”

  “Why on earth would you want to do that?”

  “What am I supposed to do? Move in with him? We haven’t been with each other in over thirty years. Some things have changed.”

  “You’re so logical about things, Kate. You always were. It makes sense, I suppose, but wouldn’t you like to throw caution to the wind and just enjoy spending time with the man?”

  “I did that once, Cheryl. And he left me for another woman. We’d been living together, things had been great between us, and then he met someone else and, poof, we were done. And you know why? Because she was going to be better for his career.”

  “It happens all the time,” she said.

  “Yeah, well, it shouldn’t.”

  “Should, shouldn’t. What planet are you from again?”

  “Besides,” I said, then stopped.

  “There’s something else?”

  “Yes. Phil’s father is over from England.”

  “And?”

  “And he’s charming and funny. We had dinner together, and he walked me over to see the Ford Mansion, just because he wanted me to see it under a full moon. And it was absolutely beautiful. What kind of man does that? I was so impressed. There’s a spark.”

  “Look at you, Kate Freemont, playing two men against each other.”

  “I am not,” I said hotly, “playing them against each other. It’s just that Edward thinks he deserves as much of a chance as Jake, and I can’t argue with that.”

  “Are you sleeping with both of them?”

  “God, no. I’m not sleeping with either of them.”

  “Well, that’s very classy of you.”

  “Classy has nothing to do with it. I’m not comfortable double-dipping.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “See Edward. See Jake. Try not to make an unholy mess of it. They’re both very different men, but I like them both. A lot.”

  “Is this where I start singing ‘Torn Between Two Lovers’?”

  “If you do, I’ll throw myself out of this car.”

  “Oh my God! Kate! Team Edward!”

  “Cheryl, don’t you dare. I mean it.”

  “And Team Ja—”
/>
  “Don’t!”

  She sighed. “You never let me have any fun.”

  She dropped me off, and I carried my bags into the kitchen, calling for Sam. He’d been downstairs with Mom.

  “Are you going to be okay, baby?” I asked him as we unloaded the bags. “This thing with Alisa happened pretty quickly.”

  He shrugged. “I know. But it was such a great opportunity for her, I never thought to argue. Besides, it’s only until October. I’ll be fine.” He had arranged some of the food I’d bought on the counter. “We can just heat this up, right?”

  “Yes. That’s why I bought it. I won’t have to cook for the next couple of days.”

  “Can we all eat downstairs? Gram and I are watching M*A*S*H reruns.”

  Inside, I heaved a little sigh. “Sure, honey. Let’s bring this down.”

  Mom and Sam sat side by side on the love seat, eating happily. Mom must have watched M*A*S*H for a long time, because she would say the lines along with the actors, making Sam laugh even harder. I sat back, ate my dinner, and watched them. My mother and I had never shared that kind of easy laughter. Even when I was a small child, she had never been completely relaxed around me, had never sat next to me on the couch, watching television, laughing, like she was doing with Sam. On one hand, I felt a twinge of jealousy. On the other hand, I was glad that Sam was so happy and comfortable with a woman who deserved an important place in his life, even as she remained a distant stranger to me.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  MaryJo was arriving Friday, and had asked if I’d care to bunk with her in the city for the weekend. There was a flurry of activity as I made arrangements. Sam would be home most of the weekend. Laura could take Mom all day Sunday again. Regan was not on call at her clinic, and could fill in Friday evening until Sam came home from Columbia. I felt like I was running away from home, my little overnight bag packed, bus ticket in hand.

  Her flight was delayed, so I sat in the tiny lobby of her hotel and thought a little bit about how my life was going. Still no job? Check. Still no permanent place for Mom? Check. Still hadn’t joined the health club? Check. Hmmm… maybe I should focus on the things I had done. I’d found Jake. That was good. And I’d found Edward.