Woodlands

by Robin Jones Gunn

  Three hours later, Leah wished they were only peeping. Bungee had taken to barking continuously when his whimpering didn’t produce any results. He barked and barked until she thought his throat must be hoarse. Twice, she yelled out, “Go to sleep!” through her closed bedroom door. Then she pulled the pillow over her head and tried to ignore the ruckus.

  She didn’t remember falling asleep, but she did remember checking her bedside clock at three. All she knew was that once Bungee finally quieted down, she crashed.

  Leah was up again at 5:30 to take Bungee outside and then plopped back into bed. She had forgotten how much work a puppy could be.

  She finally woke up at nine o’clock and went to check on the dogs. They seemed fine, as if it hadn’t been such a rough night for either of them. Hula was eager to get out the doggy door. Leah let her out and then fastened Bungee’s leash and let him lead her down the steps and out to her backyard. With careful calculation, Leah fastened the end of Bungee’s leash to the metal rail that ran along the back steps. He had enough leash to get into the mudroom if he wanted and enough to frolic on the grass, but not enough leash to reach her garden.

  After providing fresh food and water for both dogs, Leah played with Bungee, giving him praise and attention. That seemed to calm him down, and she wondered why she hadn’t thought to comfort him the night before. She remembered how long it had taken Hula to get used to her new surroundings when Leah had brought her home. And here poor little Bungee had been bounced between Leah’s house and Seth’s apartment. No wonder the little fellow was confused.

  The dogs taken care of, Leah decided against what she really wanted to do, which was to go back to bed. Instead, she turned on some music and started breakfast.

  A nightmare met her when she opened her lower cupboard and reached for a bag of granola-style cereal. The bag had a hole in the bottom, and on closer examination, Leah was certain a mouse had nibbled it.

  “I will find you and destroy you, you destructive rodent,” she muttered, getting on her hands and knees and pulling out the cupboard’s contents. The plastic bag of organic, steel-cut oatmeal had an even bigger hole in it and left a trail as she pulled it out.

  “Hmm, this is serious.” Leah went to the bedroom and put on her glasses since she didn’t want to take time to put in her contacts. She pulled up her hair and fastened it with the clip she still had in from when she had fixed her hair with such care last night. She left on her pajamas, which were flannel shorts and a long T-shirt, since she didn’t care if they got ruined. To complete the ensemble, Leah slipped on a pair of garden gloves, just in case the varmint tried to chomp into one of her fingers while she was pulling everything out. A huge mess awaited her in the back of the cupboard, and she ended up throwing out everything that showed evidence of being nibbled on. She even threw away a box of graham crackers because the box hadn’t been closed properly when she put it away, and she didn’t know if the mouse—or mice, whichever the case might be—had managed to get into the crackers.

  Once the cupboard was empty, she found neither culprits nor an obvious point of entry. Using Seth’s bucket, she prepared warm, disinfected water, and still wearing the garden gloves, she grabbed a sponge and began to scrub the shelves.

  The doorbell rang in the middle of her vigorous cleaning. “Come around the back,” she called out. “I’m in the kitchen.”

  Sticking her head in the cupboard and reaching as far to the back as she could, Leah wiped down the last section of the shelf. She heard the back door close and called out, “I’m in here. Enter at your own risk.”

  “Doing a little spring cleaning?” a cultured voice asked behind her.

  Leah bumped her head trying to get out of the cupboard fast enough to see if her suspicion was correct. It was. Her morning visitor was Collin Radcliffe. And there she sat on the kitchen floor, her glasses crooked, her hair sticking straight up from the clip in back, her garden gloves and rag-bag quality pajamas her only attire, and the fragrance of pine-scented disinfectant permeating the air.

  And there stood Collin, every hair in place, wearing khaki shorts and a polo shirt. He looked as if he had just posed for pictures before the start of the U.S. Open golf tournament and was now ready to tee off.

  Leah caught the sudden drip coming out her nose with the back of a garden- gloved hand and tried her best to greet Collin with a smile. There was no mistaking the look on his face. The poor man was in shock at the sight of her.

  Chapter Thirty

  Mouse,” Leah said simply, by way of explanation.

  “Mouse?” Collin repeated.

  “This is a mouse-mess. And you know what? I never expected my visitor to be you, or I wouldn’t have exposed you to such a terrifying sight.” She looked down and caught another drip from her nose with the back of her gloved hand.

  Collin stood his ground, undaunted. “I should have called. The apology is mine. I was on my way to brunch at the country club in Baker’s Grove and discovered the battery had gone out on my cell phone. I thought if you had been trying to call me this morning, you wouldn’t have been able to reach me.”

  Leah had forgotten all about saying she would call Collin after nine that morning. “I hadn’t tried yet. This took priority. How about if I call you this afternoon?”

  “If that’s convenient for you,” Collin said. “Or, if you prefer, I’d like to invite you to join me for brunch at the country club.”

  Leah couldn’t help but find his invitation laughable. “Okay, Collin, sure. Would you like me to go like this? Or should I maybe change into something more suitable?”

  Collin didn’t laugh with her. “I don’t mind waiting.”

  “Okay,” Leah answered after studying his expression for a moment. She scrunched up her nose and continued to poke fun at herself. “Why don’t I just go freshen up a bit. Maybe powder my nose.”

  Collin still didn’t laugh.

  Leah slipped into her bedroom and called out, “Please help yourself to whatever you can find in the refrigerator to drink. I’m sure the mouse didn’t find his way in there. Magazines are in the living room. You can change the music, if you prefer something else.”

  “No, I’m fine, thanks,” Collin answered.

  Leah was glad her bathroom had an extra door that connected to her bedroom. She could shower, wash her hair, put in her contacts, and apply some makeup before slipping into her bedroom and pulling on a pair of black, linen shorts with a belt. She chose a light blue knit shirt with collar and sleeves, just to be in the same apparel range as Collin’s outfit. However, her knit shirt didn’t have a pocket, let alone a fancy embroidered designer logo like Collin’s.

  As she buckled her watch, Leah noticed she had only been keeping him waiting for twenty minutes. That wasn’t bad. Somehow she expected this all to be some kind of crazy joke and Collin would be gone when she emerged from her room.

  But he was there, comfortably situated in the living room watching the sports channel. “You look terrific,” he said when she joined him.

  “I’d imagine anything would be an improvement over the sight you saw in the kitchen.”

  Collin smiled only slightly. “Shall we go?”

  “Sure.”

  Leah wondered if she had agreed to go with Collin because she liked the idea of breakfast at the country club twenty minutes away in Baker’s Grove. Or was it Collin? Was she overwhelmed with his presence in her home? His invitation for her to join him? It couldn’t be because she was looking for someone to go out with. She had Seth. She was sure she was falling in love with Seth, even though she hadn’t verbalized that yet.

  As they sped down the road in Collin’s comfortable Mercedes, he told Leah about how he had run into an old classmate of theirs when he lived in California and all the details of that person’s life. Leah made the appropriate nods and “oh, reallys?” but her mind was in another place.

  Is it possible Collin considers this more of a social call than a business call? Or am I delusional and prete
nding that all kinds of men find me attractive and want to spend time with me simply because I’m starting to feel good about myself? But Collin couldn’t be interested in me. Not after the way he found me this morning on my mouse hunt! He must want something from me. Be on your guard, Leah.

  “And you?” Collin was asking as Leah pulled herself out of her deep thoughts. “Are you still planning to stay in Glenbrooke, now that your folks are gone?”

  “Yes, I’m pretty settled here.”

  “Any plans to marry soon?” Collin asked, glancing at her with his dark eyes, as he turned into the long driveway that led to the country club.

  “Marry? No,” Leah said cautiously. She felt as if the question was a hot potato, and she tossed it back to Collin immediately. “What about you?”

  “I married almost six years ago,” Collin answered.

  “Oh.” She didn’t remember hearing about that in the local grapevine.

  “But I’m currently not married.”

  Leah assumed he was divorced, even though he didn’t offer an explanation. They were almost to the front of the impressive entrance to the country club, and Collin seemed to be concentrating on the car in front of them that was apparently going too slow for his taste.

  Leah had never been here before. Classmates had gone to this country club for the prom, but she hadn’t attended. A friend from work held her wedding reception here, but it was the week after Leah’s father’s funeral, and she couldn’t leave her mother alone for the afternoon.

  Leah didn’t want to feel as smug as she did at this moment, but she couldn’t help it. In a silly way, this was one of her high school dreams finally coming true—only better. She was riding in an expensive automobile to the white portico where uniformed valets were ready to open her door, and Collin Radcliffe was about to treat her to brunch.

  Wait a minute! This isn’t the prom, Leah. This is your present life. Remember? You … Seth … kisses in the woods.… God’s planting new seeds in your heart. What are you doing here with Collin?

  They came to a stop while waiting for the car in front of them to unload its passengers and for the valet to attend to them. Leah adjusted her posture so she was sitting up as straight as possible. Her mind was busy forming a list of questions for Collin about his motives. If he failed to answer any of them to her satisfaction, she simply would march into the country club and call a cab.

  Before she could ask the first question, Collin turned to her and said, “I should tell you that my wife was in a fatal car accident two years ago in Los Angeles. She was five months pregnant at the time. I lost both of them.”

  The valet opened Leah’s door and offered her a hand out. But she slumped against the leather seat, stunned. “I’m so sorry, Collin. I hadn’t heard. I didn’t know.”

  He shook his head and looked away. “Not many people do. I knew you would understand because of the loss you suffered with both your parents. It takes a while to recover, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes,” Leah said simply.

  The valet waited until she turned and began to get out of the car. Leah felt all her defenses lowering. Collin was someone she had known since she was a girl, just as she had known Franklin since her childhood. Collin had endured a deep and terrible blow. She did understand. She walked beside this distinguished classmate on the plush, green carpet runner, past the huge terra-cotta planters spilling over with bright flowers, and up to the entrance. It was all she could do to keep herself from slipping her arm through his and giving him several comforting pats to let him know she felt for him.

  The door of the country club opened automatically, and Leah entered first, at Collin’s gentlemanly gesture. They proceeded silently to the restaurant at the back of the club where the Saturday morning brunch was in full swing. Collin asked for a window seat, and they were ushered to what Leah considered the best seat in the house. Two prominent colors filled the view from the window: the crisp blue of the sky and the emerald of the golfing greens.

  “Do you play golf?” Collin asked, as Leah stared out the window, taking in the serene beauty.

  “No, I never have. Do you?”

  “Every chance I get. You know, you’re dressed the part. If you would like, we could take in nine holes after we eat.”

  “I might need to walk nine holes after I eat everything I saw offered on the buffet.”

  “We would use a cart,” Collin said graciously.

  “How much exercise is that?” Leah teased.

  “You would be surprised.” Collin smiled at her, and she found herself wanting to stare. He looked so different from Seth. Seth still had a youthful look, especially when he wore his baseball cap like the night she first saw him. Collin was a man. Suave, confident, and established. The contrast between the two was strong.

  “Good morning,” the waiter said. “Will you be having the buffet? Or would you like to order off the menu?”

  “The buffet would be fine,” Leah said, trying to match the gracious tone in the waiter’s voice. Last night at the Del Rey Mexican restaurant, the waitress had a squeak when she laughed. Leah doubted anyone at the country club was allowed to squeak for any reason.

  “I’ll have the buffet as well,” Collin answered.

  The rest of their brunch progressed with continued smoothness. They talked about lots of the people they grew up with and what all of them were doing now. Leah felt as if she were with an old friend, even though she and Collin hadn’t associated much while they were growing up.

  “It’s such a pity we’re so narrowly focused as teenagers,” Collin said. “If I’d known you were going to turn out this gorgeous and this much fun, I would have snatched you up our freshman year of high school and never let you go.”

  “Oh,” was all Leah could say. She felt herself blushing and quickly buried her nose in her coffee mug, even though only a sip was left.

  Gorgeous?

  She knew Collin didn’t mean “gorgeous.” She wasn’t gorgeous. Collin was a flatterer. A smoothtalker. This wasn’t the simple, freckle-faced Collin she slugged in seventh grade when he said her bike was a “wimpy girlie bike.” This was Collin, the lawyer from LA who drank Pelligrino sparkling water with a twist of lime.

  For a brief moment, Leah allowed herself to float back to that imaginary place in her past when she was seventeen. She toyed with the idea of what it would have been like if she really were gorgeous and were dining at the country club with Collin on a date.

  What would my sisters have thought of that?

  Leah imagined how different the last ten years of her life would have been—and what a different person she would have been if Collin had “snatched her up.”

  Wait! What am I thinking? I’m becoming a different person now. I like who I am.

  An image of her blue-eyed dragon slayer came to mind. Simple, earthy, living-on-a-shoestring Seth. That’s the person she wanted to be snatched up by.

  Leah broke off a corner of her croissant and busied herself buttering it because she didn’t want to look up at Collin. She found this past week it had become increasingly difficult to make a distinction between the real and the fantasy parts of her life. Some of her realities with Seth had been more wonderful than any fantasy she ever had dared to dream up.

  What am I doing here with Collin? Why am I allowing myself to think these crazy things?

  Leah didn’t like the feeling, as if she were losing her balance. She especially didn’t like that her mind could play these kinds of games with her emotions.

  “Excuse me,” she said, pushing back her chair. Collin rose slightly as she stood. “I’ll be right back.”

  As Leah asked directions to the restroom, she could almost feel Collin watching her. Had he noticed that she was short with muscular legs and a straight torso? She imagined Collin had married a tall, thin woman with a twenty-inch waist. It was still shocking to think he had lost his wife and unborn baby in a car accident.

  Leah took a good look at herself in the restroom mirror. She sta
red at her reflection until arriving at the conclusion that she didn’t know who she was. None of the old, recorded messages fit any longer. She wasn’t the big failure her father and sisters had insinuated she was. Few expectations of others weighed upon her the way they used to. The soil of her soul had all been turned over. Some seeds had been planted right away. Now it was as if Leah held several bags of mixed seeds, and it was up to her to decide which ones to plant.

  Do I think I’m in love with Seth simply because he was my only option? I mean, what if Collin could actually be interested in me? Is that crazy?

  Leah knew she should get back to the table. Drawing in a deep breath, she decided she was going right back to her chair, sit down, and look Collin in the eye. She would ask him why he had initiated this meeting. And she wouldn’t leave that chair until she knew exactly what this man’s motivation was.

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Leah returned to the table and asked Collin her first question. “You indicated yesterday that you had something you wanted to discuss with me before the reading of the will Monday. Would this be a good time to talk about it?”

  Collin leaned back in his chair and seemed to consider her question a little too long, which made her uncomfortable. Finally he said, “I think I’ve reconsidered. I was going to discuss a matter with you that is of the strictest confidence. However, after spending this very enjoyable time with you, I’d prefer to postpone that conversation until after the reading of the will. I’m confident my words will make more sense then.”

  “Are you saying you’re not sure you can trust me with the confidential information?”

  “Oh, no, not at all. I believe you’re completely reliable.”

  “How is it that the urgency of your message can change simply because we’ve shared a meal together?”

  Scratching his forehead, right between his eyebrows, Collin said, “You aren’t making this easy for me.” The look he gave her was the way he used to look at her on the Little League field when he pitched to her for Ranger practice games. She always could hit just about anything he tossed over the plate at her. Now she was the one pitching the fast ones over the breakfast plates.