Grace turned Erica to face her. "What do you say Erica? Would you like to go to Ottawa with your Grampa to see your Daddy and your aunts and uncles and cousins?"
"Can I really Nana?"
Grace smiled at her granddaughter and gave her a big hug. "Yes, child. Y'all can go visiting. But I expect you to tell me all about everything when you get back. Promise?"
Erica was quivering with excitement. "I promise, Nana."
Grace stood up. "Then we should pack your suitcase."
Cal said, "The temperatures were in the low eighties when I left home and they aren't predicting it to get much hotter for the weekend. And it can get cool at night."
Grace said, "Good to know." She led Erica upstairs.
Cal pulled out his cell phone and called Phyl.
"Hi Cal. What's the decision?"
"Well, Grace thinks it's fine for Erica to visit. She gave me a pretty good interrogation, but she'll trust me with Erica for the weekend. David will bring her back on Monday night when he comes down here for business."
"So what's she like?"
"She's a real ball of fire, Phyl. She's almost like a miniature Felicity except that she has more energy, the same green eyes as David and me and she has a darling Southern accent." Cal paused. "Are you sure you can put her up for the weekend?"
"Well, unless Judy moves out between now and suppertime, you won't have the room. We have the twins' sleepover Friday and birthday party on Saturday and Elaine is hosting everyone on Sunday in honour of your fifty-sixth, even if it is a week and a half early."
"That's because everyone was in town this weekend for Canada Day. Both Mark and Elaine have conflicts for the week of my birthday. I'm relieved really, I never liked a big birthday party, but I suppose I'll have to put up with this one. That's why I went canoeing with Harry, so I could avoid the big party for the girls. I'd rather be canoeing this weekend, but we all need to meet Erica."
"I know you'd rather be canoeing this weekend, old man. And your favourite way to celebrate your birthday was to dump Felicity on us and go have a quiet dinner with Brenda at Hy's."
Cal snickered. "You know me too well, young lady. Now. You're sure about this?"
Phyl sighed. "I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't sure. The twins are pretty excited to meet another niece."
"I was a bit surprised at that, but they were really okay with all this."
"There are too many children of single parents in their school. It's not as big a deal for them."
Cal said, "It would have been a big deal when I was a kid. There was still a stigma attached to it."
"I know. The poor little dear would have been labelled a bastard and it would have shaped her life in some pretty awful ways."
"Yes, but she's a sweetheart and so's her Nana."
Grace cleared her throat and said, "That very kind of y'all to say Cal, but I 'spect you've got your own sweetheart waiting for you in Ottawa."
Phyl heard the interruption and started to laugh. Cal said, "See you tonight, Phyl."
Through her laughter, she choked out, "Bye, Cal."
Cal pointed at the phone. "That was my neighbour, Phyllida Schuyler. My house is full up with other visitors, so she's offered to host Erica for the weekend."
Grace caught the look on Cal's face. "Ah. She must be that sweetheart waitin' for y'all."
"We're just friends and neighbours. Have been for the better part of fifteen years."
Grace let it slide with a knowing smirk and called up the stairs. "Erica, sweetie, your Grampa is waitin' for y'all. You only need one dolly to take with you."
Cal heard a stomping foot then Erica came down the stairs one stomping step at a time, pausing on each one to let them both know that she was unhappy about having to choose only one dolly.
Grace handed Cal an envelope. "This has a notarized letter from Jeanine giving y'all temporary guardianship of Erica and it has Erica's passport. I put my number on a sticky note in case y'all have any problems."
Cal took the envelope. "I wish I could have met you a few years ago, ma'am, but better late than never."
"Now, you take real good care of my sweet pea or you'll answer to me."
Cal responded that he would take extra special care of their granddaughter then Grace gave Erica a hug. Cal fastened Erica into the booster seat he'd brought with him and Grace leaned into the back seat for a kiss and final instructions.
Cal turned to Grace and said, "Thank you for your understanding."
Grace stepped forward to give him a hug. "She ain't been to school yet but there's still some as visit the sins of the parents onto the child. Having your family claim her as yours will make a big difference in the way she gets treated."
"One look at her eyes and I knew she was family." Cal opened the driver's door. "We'll have her back safe to you on Monday."
Grace waved at them, wearing a bittersweet smile. "I know that, Mr. Richardson. I can tell that y'all are a man of your word."
After church on Sunday, Phyl was watching Erica charm extra cookies from her aunts. "Cal, I don't know where that girl gets her energy. She was up late on Friday with the girls and then got up at six. I'd forgotten how messy a five year old can be when they serve themselves breakfast."
Cal watched Erica zoom off to where the other small children were playing, a cookie in each hand. "She really took a shine to Felicity."
"Why wouldn't she? They look like sisters, except for the eyes. Felicity has those really fascinating violet eyes like Brenda's and Erica has the same green eyes as you and David. Though Erica is almost an inch and a half taller than Felicity was at that age. We measured her against the old growth chart on the laundry room wall."
"Was there any other problem?"
"No. She seemed to sleep well once she fell asleep and she's been treated like visiting royalty by the girls and their friends." Phyl paused to point. "Then there's Tim. He usually avoids the little kids, but he's been carrying her around piggy-back and chasing her around the back yard. She thinks he's the source of the sunshine this weekend."
Lydia nodded toward Phyl and Cal. Felicity looked over and saw them doing the 'not couple' thing again. Felicity asked, "Did they get joined at the hip sometime this week?"
"I think it was in March when we were at the Smithsonian."
"Well, it's cute, but I wish they would actually talk about it."
"Mum probably doesn't want to scare him away."
"I know. He's so scared that he'll die before I graduate high school. It's affecting the way he treats Mum."
Lydia hadn't considered this. "So that's why he hasn't asked her out on another date."
"Yeah, because one real date would prove to him that they belong together."
"But Dad died and he was way younger. And look at Doctor Norris, he's what, eighty? And he still works three days a week and shovels his own driveway. Your Dad's in great shape, he should make it to at least eighty, unless he drives in freezing rain."
"Well, Mum should just kiss him and get his attention."
"I think your Dad is more stubborn than that. Anyway, I'm pretty sure they've kissed a couple of times. Mum was muttering and sighing when she came back from dropping your Dad off at the airport."
"Auntie, can I have some more juice. Please?" Erica grabbed Felicity's hand and began to drag her over to the refreshments.
Brian was waiting at the garden gate to welcome everyone and direct them into the back yard. There was an old wash tub filled with ice, soft drinks and beer in one corner of the deck near a table with a couple of bottles of wine and big bowls of snacks.
Erica spotted the sand box and ran over to jump in next to her cousin Lilian, who was the same age as her. Vivian and Mark came over to greet Cal and wish him a happy birthday.
David was already there and went over to the sandbox to play with Erica, Lilian and Emily.
Phyl sat down next to Cal on the wicker love seat, amid a host of curious sidelong glances from Cal's family. "David may have other
issues, but he's always been a good father."
Cal saw Erica and Lilian climbing over David, who was laughing and giggling. Judy's arrival was announced by Duncan running to jump into the pile and start tickling his father.
Phyl looked to the gate and saw a stony faced Judy watching David with the small children. As he gave Duncan a big hug, Judy briefly showed her love and longing for her husband along with the bleak pain she'd been displaying for the past two weeks. Phyl looked back to a somewhat less relaxed looking David in the middle of the pile of small children and began to understand why Judy still loved him.
Cal got up to find Elaine and see if she needed some help. Phyl beckoned to Judy who brought her Diet Sprite with her. "How are you doing, Judy?"
"I miss David terribly." Judy looked over to the sandbox to see David watching her and quickly looked back at Phyl. "That must be Erica."
Phyl smiled. "Hurricane Erica? Yes, indeed."
The corners of Judy's mouth twitched. "Hurricane Erica?"
Phyl sighed. "She has as much energy as Felicity and Lydia combined. I've never seen anyone who plays as hard as she does."
Judy considered. "Is she hyperactive?"
Phyl thought for a moment. "I don't think so. One of the girls in Tim's class has ADHD and she has trouble concentrating for more than two minutes on anything although she's getting some good treatment now. Erica just goes through life in a higher gear than most people. And she sleeps really well after a busy day. ADHD kids often have a hard time sleeping."
Judy nodded and the conversation lagged while she observed David. Then she asked, "How are things between you and Cal?"
Knowing that Judy was an ally, she decided to be honest. "I'm frustrated. He knows we are good together, but he's still got this idea that because I'd be a widow again too soon that he's protecting me by not declaring his interest." Phyl shrugged. "I'm not going to let him get away with it for much longer."
Judy smiled for the first time in a couple of days and said, "Oh. That should be fun to watch. It will even be worth it to listen to David's ranting."
Phyl saw David's face fill with sadness and longing at the sight of Judy smiling. Then he turned back to play with the kids and Phyl changed the subject.
Cal found Elaine trying to coax a burp out of John while pacing the kitchen. Holding out his arms he asked, "Would you like me to try?"
The familiar feel of a three month old in his arms and the gentle warmth and total trust washed over Cal. He glanced through the kitchen windows toward Phyl.
"Are you wondering if you can do this again, Dad?" Elaine was rubbing the small of her back.
He took his time to answer as he gently rubbed John's back and was rewarded with an enormous burp and a sigh. John relaxed his little head against Cal's shoulder and fell asleep. "Maybe."
Elaine laughed. "Liar. Why don't you just propose to her and get it over with, Dad?"
Cal studied his daughter and said, "Because she's younger than you. And I don't want to leave her a widow with small children."
Elaine wagged a finger at her father. "Her being younger than me is a red herring. You've never known her as anything other than a full grown woman. Admittedly a younger woman, but unlike me, you never changed her diaper. And she's in her mid-thirties so she's not really that young, anyway. So that's not a good argument. As for the second, she already knows how to go on after her husband dies. The question isn't whether one of you would be widowed, the question is how much happiness can you bring to each other before it happens?"
Before Cal could raise another objection, Elaine continued. "When the two of you are together you look like you could take on the world and smile through all the troubles. You should give it a chance, Dad."
Cal swayed to keep John from waking. "I'll think about it, Elli."
"Okay. Now take John out to the deck and play pass the baby so I can start organizing the food for the barbeque. And, no you can't help because you are the reason for this party, so go socialize."
"Yes, boss." Cal considered saluting but the warm weight of baby John reminded him he had a different boss for the moment.
Phyl looked up to see her man carrying John toward her and her heart swelled when she saw the tender expression on Cal's face. She glanced up into Cal's eyes and the sense of connection that she felt when they looked at each other seemed to have added strength.
Mark and Jeremy saw the interplay between them and Mark asked, "How long have they been looking at each other like that?"
Jeremy thought for a moment and said, "Felicity says they've been like that since last August."
Mark humphed. "He should know better."
"Better than what?"
"She's too young for him."
Cal handed John off to Phyl and walked over to get a ginger ale from the tub. "Hey, Mark, Jeremy."
Mark looked at his father. "So when are you going to stop chasing Phyl and find a suitable girlfriend?"
Cal blinked as if he hadn't heard Mark correctly. "I beg your pardon." His voice got frosty. In a warning tone he asked, "Would you care to repeat that?"
Mark, who had never been one to pick up on his father's subtleties, opened his mouth but Jeremy stepped in. "Mark, I don't think it's our place to decide who Dad's friends are for him. He never stopped us from seeing any of our friends even when we knew he disapproved. Maybe Dad's finally grown up enough to decide these things for himself?"
Mark started to respond, but Vivian, much more aware of the nuances of her father-in-law, grabbed Mark and said, "I think Jean needs your help with something, Mark."
Cal calmed down a bit and looked over at Jean who was just finishing up a drawing. Jean saw her Grampa looking and covered it quickly then made hurry motions toward her father.
Jeremy said, "Thanks, Viv. Mark was about to put his foot in his mouth, again."
"About what, this time?"
"About Dad's relationship with Phyl." Jeremy turned to his father. "Don't deny you have a good relationship with her, Dad. No one will believe you."
Cal looked toward Phyl, who was holding a sleeping John with a look of sheer contentment. Noticing that Cal was looking at her, she gave him a loving look and then raised John higher to nuzzle his fine dark hair. Cal returned the look and walked back to sit next to her and coo over John.
Erica came running up to sit on Cal's lap so she could get close to the baby. Cal restrained Erica's enthusiasm firmly and showered her with kisses while Phyl gazed fondly at Cal. Vivian observed, "Ah. So it's like that, is it?"
Jeremy snorted. "It gets worse every time I visit. I keep wondering if I'm going to catch them necking."
Vivian looked at Mark who was helping Jean spell something. "Mark's really not very good at handling change. What he wants for your Dad is to find Brenda and marry her again."
"I don't think that would work for Dad now. He's gotten used to working with Phyl and they're a more seamless partnership than Mom and Dad were. Mom used to do things for Dad that he let her do because she liked doing it more than he did, but he's not completely useless. But there were a couple of things that neither of them did well but Phyl is really great at. If it came to a choice between Phyl and someone with the same strengths and weaknesses that Mom had, I think Phyl would be a better choice for Dad this time around."
Vivian watched them for a while longer. "It's so obvious that they are in love with each other. I wonder what it will take for Dad to admit it."
"The better question is what will Phyl have to do to get him to do something about it?"
"Erica, sweetie. Did you have a good time meeting everyone?"
"Yes, Grampa."
"Do you want to come back for another visit some time?"
"Will my Aunties be here?"
"Yes they will be."
"Then I suppose. But I have to go back home to help Nana. She's got Parkington's and she needs me to help her around the house."
Cal saw the serious look on Erica's face. "I'm sure you're a very good help.
"
Erica nodded. "Now I have to put all my stuff in my suitcase. Mrs. Schuyler is going to take me and Tim and my Aunties to the Children's Museum before my Daddy comes to get me."
Cal said, "I know that, she asked me if I would like to come with you."
Erica said, with really wide eyes, "She did?"
"Yes, she did. Would that be okay?"
Erica bounced around the kitchen table ending with a big hug for her Grampa. Cal gave her a kiss on the top of her brown curls and said, "Now, go upstairs and get your dolly."
Phyl rolled her eyes at Erica as she pounded up the stairs to the spare room. Cal looked at Phyl and asked, "Are you sure you want more?"
Phyl fixed Cal's eye and said, "You bet. Even if they have that much energy."
Cal didn't say anything, but he smiled and took another sip of coffee.
David was waiting for them at his office. "Hey, sweet pea. Are you ready to go?"
Erica raced across the lobby and jumped into his hug under the wondering eyes of his long time receptionist. Erica said, in a very serious tone, "It's been really nice visiting, but Nana needs me."
"Well, Erica, we need you too. Maybe we can have you come visit more often."
Cal said, "Maybe next time Nana would like to come with you."
Erica's got a pensive look as she contemplated that. "I think she would like to visit. She likes museums and y'all have a lot of museums here. And flowers. She likes flowers, too."
Phyl restrained her giggles and said, "Thank you for coming to visit, Erica. It was a pleasure to meet you."
Erica said, with her best manners, "Thank you, Mrs. Schuyler, for letting me stay with y'all."
Cal crouched down. "Do I get a goodbye hug, my little hurricane?"
Erica said, in a mock scolding tone, "Grampa!" Then she ran into his arms and squeezed his neck as hard as she could.
Cal showered her with kisses and said, "Take care of your Nana, Miss Erica."
A May-September Wedding Page 14