Another Chance to Love You (10 page)

Ellen Fletcher sat on the sofa, looking anything
but
“at home.” She was perched on the edge of the couch, her hands clasped together and resting on her knees.

When she saw him, she forced a tiny smile and gave a nervous laugh. “I suppose you wonder why I’ve come.”

“I’m a bit curious, Mrs. Fletcher.” An understatement. He sat opposite her in a faded overstuffed chair.

“Well…” She paused, drew a deep breath, then continued, “It’s about Monica and Heather, of course.”

If she was about to warn him off, she wasn’t going to be pleased with what he said to her in return.

“I…I came to apologize. And to ask your forgiveness.”

His surprise must have shown on his face.

She smiled again, this one self-deprecating. “I can see you didn’t expect that from me.”

“No, ma’am, I didn’t.”

“Parents want only what’s best for their children. When you called…when I told you Monica didn’t want to talk to you all those years ago, it wasn’t the truth. I didn’t tell her you called. I…I thought I was protecting her from being hurt more than she already had been. But I was wrong. You and she should have had the chance to work things out between you. It wasn’t up to me.”

Daniel nodded. He’d suspected, since talking to Monica, that Ellen had lied to him in that phone conversation. Now that the older woman had confirmed it, he expected to feel anger, but it didn’t come. He supposed because he’d already taken a good hard look at what sort of person he’d been back then and hadn’t found a sterling, faultless character looking back at him.

Ellen stood. “I want you to know I’ll not interfere again, Daniel. You have my word on it.”

He rose from the chair. “I’m glad of that. And, if it helps any, I don’t hold the past against you.”

“Thank you,” she replied softly, and her face revealed the depth of her relief.

“Mrs. Fletcher, it’s probably I who should be thanking you. You and your husband have had a hand in making Heather into the kind of girl she is. I’d like to think I would’ve been around to help out if I’d known I had a daughter. But it’s her mother and you and Mr. Fletcher who get the credit for how Heather’s turned out. She’s one terrific kid.”

Ellen tilted her head slightly to one side. “You’ve changed.”

“Time’ll do that to a guy.”

“Not always for the better.”

“I suppose not.”

“But it has you. For the better, I mean.”

He shrugged, not sure what to say to that.

“I’m glad I came.” Her smile was more genuine this time. “I expect I’ll be seeing you again.”

He returned her smile, saying warmly, “I hope you’re right, Mrs. Fletcher.”

“Call me Ellen. You’re not a college boy anymore.”

There was a lot of meaning behind those simple words, and Daniel was surprised by how much this woman’s approval meant to him, now that he had it.

He followed her to the door and watched as she descended the steps and made her way down the walk. It wasn’t until she’d gotten into her car and started the engine that he closed the door.

As he turned around, he wondered if Monica had known her mother was coming to see him. He wondered if he should tell her Ellen had been there.

The phone rang, interrupting his musings, and he went to answer it. “Hello.”

“Hello, Daniel.”

“Monica.” He grinned. “I was just thinking about you.”

“I got the flowers. Calla lilies. They’re so beautiful.”

Like you.

“You couldn’t possibly know how much they mean to me.”

“I’m glad.” He held the receiver to his ear with his left hand and cradled the mouthpiece with his right, wishing the same hands could be holding and cradling Monica instead.

“It’s been years since a man sent me flowers.” Her voice was husky.

“Then this town is full of idiots.”

She laughed softly. “Thank you for saying so.”

“Only saying what’s true.”

She didn’t reply.

He cleared his throat. He thought it better to change the subject before he said too much. “Are things improving at the office? You getting it all organized again?”

“It’s better now that Claudia’s here. She’s an organizational whiz. I’m amazed by what she’s accomplished in one day.”

“I’d be glad to come down and help if there’s anything I could do.”

She hesitated, then answered, “That’s sweet of you, Daniel.”

“But?”

“But it isn’t necessary.”

“Not ready to answer people’s questions about what I’m doing there?”

“I guess that sums it up.”

“Okay. Just wanted to help.”

Softly she said, “I know, Daniel, and it means a lot to me. Truly it does. I want you to know that.”

He wondered if he should tell her he loved her. But caution stopped him. Until he resolved the matter of faith in his own mind and heart, he felt certain she wouldn’t welcome a declaration of love.

“Heather misses you,” she said.

“I miss her, too. Is she over being mad at me?”

“She never has been one to hold a grudge. Of course she’s over it.”

An idea occurred to him. “When’s her last day of school?”

“This Friday.”

“Listen, you need time off to relax, and I want to spend
more time with the two of you. How about the three of us take the weekend and go up into the mountains? We could leave first thing Saturday morning and come back on Monday.”

“Monday? But I—”

He interrupted her argument, guessing what she was going to say. “You’re the boss, Monica. You can take a day off if you want it.”

“Oh, I don’t know, Daniel. It’s awfully short notice and I—”

He wasn’t about to give up yet. “Sweetheart, I promised myself I was going to take advantage of the Idaho wilderness while I was home. Camping. Fishing. Hiking. The weather’s supposed to stay unseasonably warm through the weekend. I’ve got all the equipment we would need right here in the basement. There’s a big tent for you two and a pup tent for me. We’ll go to a public campground so there’s no question of impropriety. I can take the sleeping bags to the dry cleaners before five o’clock today, and we’ll have them back by Friday. What d’you say?”

“It’s been years since I went camping. I never was much of a Girl Scout.”

He wished he was with her right now. He’d hold her in his arms and give her a long, slow kiss and help her make up her mind. “It’s okay. I was a
very
good Boy Scout. Always prepared, you know. I’ll take care of you.”

Another hesitation, then, “Promise?”

“Yeah. I promise.” He wasn’t talking about camping any longer.

He wondered if she knew that.

M
onica didn’t know if she was more nervous about her Friday night date with Daniel or the camping trip that weekend. It was easy to understand why she’d accepted his invitation for dinner, but she still couldn’t figure out how he’d convinced her to take off for the mountains. She’d never been keen on roughing it, especially this early in the year when the Idaho nights could drop into the frigid thirties or lower.

She shivered.

Heather, on the other hand, was overjoyed by the planned excursion with her dad. She talked to him on the phone every night, and then she relayed the entire conversation to her mom. She packed and unpacked and packed again the things she thought she should take with her. Heather’s excitement was so palpable, it was contagious. Even Monica began to wonder if the trip might turn out to be fun.

On Friday, she left work early and went to pick up Heather
at school. She parked her minivan on the street and got out to wait on the sidewalk. The sun was warm and the sky was a perfect shade of blue. The air had a certain luscious smell of summer in it. She almost felt like a kid on the last day of school herself.

When the final bell rang, the kids poured from the building, laughing and shouting, book bags and backpacks filled to overflowing. It took Heather only a moment to see her mother. She raised an arm and waved, then she shouted goodbyes to some friends and raced across the school parking lot. She arrived, panting and grinning.

“Summer!” she exclaimed, the single word expressing her jubilation.

Monica smiled as she gave her daughter a hug. “Summer,” she echoed.

Still holding her mom around the waist, Heather looked up. “I told Mary we were going camping, and she was
real
jealous. She wanted me to ask her to come, too. I could tell. But I told her this was just for me and my dad. And you, too.” She stepped away from Monica and tossed her bag into the minivan. “I wish it was tomorrow already.”

“It will be before you know it.”

They drove home, Heather keeping up a steady stream of talk about her friends and what their plans were for the summer break. Mary Stover was going to take riding lessons. Billy Parker was going to stay with his aunt and uncle in Canada for two whole months. The Wilson twins were going to Disneyland. Julie Kent’s mom was expecting a baby in a couple of weeks, so Julie had been taking babysitting classes at the local Y.

When Monica’s gentle questions brought Heather around
to talking about herself, it became obvious the only thing that mattered to her this summer was spending time with her dad.

“Maybe I shouldn’t go to scout camp,” Heather said out of the blue, a frown furrowing her brow. “It’ll be getting close to the time Dad’s going back to Chicago. Maybe I should stay home and be with him more.”

A tiny catch in her heart made it difficult for Monica to speak. “He wouldn’t want you to change your plans, honey.”

Heather glanced over just as Monica pulled the van into the driveway. “Do you think he might decide to stay in Boise? To live here?”

The dying of the engine seemed to mimic the feeling in Monica’s heart. “Your dad’s got to return to his job, Heather. He’s a very important man, and his work—” She stopped abruptly, finishing the sentence to herself alone. And his work is more important to him than anything else. It always has been.

Oh, how she wished it wasn’t true.

Heather hopped out of the minivan, oblivious to her mother’s disturbing thoughts.

Maybe a summer will be enough.

Monica removed the key from the ignition and reached for the door handle.

Liar.

A summer wouldn’t be enough. She still wanted it all—church wedding, husband, family, home, a lifetime together, happily ever after—but she couldn’t see an answer to the dilemma. She knew Daniel’s drive for success better than anyone. Once he was back in Chicago, in the thick of things, he would forget Monica and Heather.

Don’t borrow trouble for tomorrow. That was the advice the Bible gave. Monica decided it would be good advice to follow at the moment. Her heart would be no more and no less broken if she loved Daniel through the summer than if she tried to end it now.

“Mama? You coming?”

She nodded, hoping Heather could see her. She couldn’t be sure since she was suddenly blinded by tears.

Daniel whistled an old Rolling Stones tune as he smoothed his hair with the brush one last time. Then he stepped back and surveyed himself in the mirror.

He wore his favorite Armani suit. Charcoal-colored with the finest of pinstripes. He always felt like a winner when he wore this suit, as if he could conquer the world. Tonight was more important than that. Tonight he wanted to conquer Monica’s heart.

It hadn’t been easy, settling for phone calls this past week, but he’d made himself do it. He’d hoped some absence might make her heart grow fonder. And he thought his plan had succeeded, at least a little. The flowers hadn’t hurt his cause, either. Funny how good it had felt, sending that bouquet to her.

Whistling once again, he grabbed his wallet off the dresser and headed for the one-car garage attached to the house.

It took a lot of self-control not to speed across town, but somehow he managed. The reservation he’d made at one of Boise’s toniest restaurants wasn’t for another hour, so he had plenty of time to pick up Monica and drive back downtown.

A quick glance to his right confirmed that the corsage was still on the passenger seat beside him. He’d given the florist
precise instructions about it—a single pale pink calla lily with a sprig of baby’s breath and a white ribbon. The woman had done a good job of recreating the corsage Daniel had given Monica all those years ago.

It’s been years since a man sent me flowers.

He felt an unexpected sadness as those words repeated in his mind. After all, he was partially responsible. She’d had a daughter to raise.
His
daughter. A lot of men didn’t want to take on the responsibility of a stepchild, so they avoided single mothers.

“Idiots,” he muttered.

Any guy with a brain would count himself lucky if he could win her heart.

Daniel hoped beyond hope that his own luck would hold.

A short while later, Daniel strode up the walk toward Monica’s front door, his stomach tied in knots. He felt like a high school kid on his first date. Even his palms were sweaty.

His nerves didn’t calm down any when Monica opened the door a few moments after he’d rung the doorbell. She was so beautiful, it nearly knocked him off his feet.

She wore a dusty rose dress that fell gracefully into waves of fabric that stopped just above her knees. Her necklace was a simple heart-shaped pendant made from Black Hills gold. Matching earrings dangled from her earlobes.

“Wow!”

Her smile was shy.

“Wow.”

“You said that already.”

“I meant it.” He held out the corsage. “For you.”

“Oh, Daniel.”

He thought there might be a shimmer of tears in her eyes as she took the clear plastic box from him.

“You remembered,” she whispered. “It looks just the same.”

He remembered lots more than the calla lilies. He remembered the way she’d looked in the morning, with the sunlight reflecting in her golden hair. He remembered the way she used to run across the campus to meet him for a few moments between classes. He remembered sitting in front of a blazing fire and listening as she shared her dreams, her hopes, her heart.

He remembered…

She kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“Hi, Daddy.”

He didn’t know whether to be glad Heather had chosen this moment to show herself or not. He cleared his throat, then smiled as he looked toward his daughter. “Hi, yourself.”

“Boy, you look handsome.”

“Thanks. You look good yourself. Got a hug for your old man? I’ve missed you.”

Heather raced forward and threw herself into his embrace. “I’m really sorry I was so nasty to you after dance class last week. I shouldn’t’ve been.”

“And I’m sorry I didn’t handle things better. I shouldn’t have threatened to spank you. I wouldn’t, you know.” He leaned down to eye level with her. “I told you I was going to have to learn this father stuff. Forgiven?”

She nodded. Then she whispered in his ear, “I’m glad you’re taking Mama out.”

“Me, too,” he whispered in return. He straightened. “You ready?” he asked Monica.

“Mother should be here any moment. Then we can leave.”

Once again, he looked down at Heather. “Are you all packed and ready to go camping?”

“I sure am. Want to see my stuff?” She grabbed his hand. “Come on. You can tell me if I’m missing anything.” She tugged him toward the stairs.

Daniel glanced at Monica.

“Go on,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I’ll call you when Mother gets here.”

The lighting in the Restaurant Magnifique was muted, making the dining room seem intimate even though it was filled to capacity. Five minutes after their reservation time, Monica and Daniel were taken to a secluded table in a far corner.

The maître d’ pulled out a chair for Monica and, after she was seated, handed her a menu. “Your waiter will be Robert.” He spoke with a thick French accent. “He will be with you shortly. I hope you enjoy your meal.”

“Thank you,” Monica replied, trying not to gawk at her surroundings.

A candle flickered in the middle of the table, its light reflected in the crystal goblets, the gold-rimmed china plates and the gold table service. The carpet was thick and lush underfoot. The linen tablecloths were a brilliant white, as were the napkins in their ornate gold rings. Enormous original oil paintings decorated the walls, the pictures depicting what appeared to be Paris street scenes from the 1800s—women in bustled gowns and men in top hats and hansom cabs pulled by sleek horses. In another corner, a formally attired young woman played familiar love songs on a grand piano.

“This place is incredible,” Monica told Daniel in a hushed voice. “I’d heard it was fancy, but this is beyond anything I’d imagined.”

“You’ve never eaten here before?”

She sent him an amused smile. “I’m a single mom. We’re more familiar with fast food.”

But as she looked at Daniel, she thought how perfectly he fit into this elegant environment. He probably ate in restaurants like this all the time in Chicago. He probably didn’t even pay attention to the prices listed in the menus.

She knew so little about the world he lived in, she realized. Her lifestyle must be simple in comparison. Yes, she’d enjoyed her own brand of success, but she still lived quite the ordinary, middle-class life. She owned a home with a sizable mortgage, drove a three-year-old minivan, had an active, school-aged daughter and cleaned up after a dog of unknown breed who liked to dig in her flower beds and bury dog biscuits in the middle of the lawn. Daniel drove bright red convertibles, not minivans.

“Hey, why so serious?” he asked.

She shook her head.

He leaned forward. “Well, whatever it is that’s making you frown, forget it. This is your night to enjoy.”

There was so much tenderness in his voice she couldn’t help but respond to it. She smiled. “All right.”

“Shall we start with escargots?”

“Snails?” She wrinkled her nose. “I’ve never eaten them before.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Thirty-three years old and never had snails smothered in butter and garlic? Well, we’d better take care of that. It’s an experience not to be missed.”

Their waiter arrived at that moment. He introduced himself as Robert, welcomed them to the Restaurant Magnifique, then invited them to start their meal with an appetizer and beverage. Daniel ordered escargot and a bottle of sparkling cider.

Monica remembered another night when they had shared sparkling cider, seated on the floor before a roaring fire, talking and laughing, leaning their backs against the sofa. Their lives had stretched before them, promising great happiness. Oh, how naive she’d been. She hadn’t discovered yet that life came with hard lessons to be learned. That she would know joy, but she would also know sorrow.

“Have I told you how lovely you look tonight?” Daniel asked softly.

Her heart fluttered as their gazes met across the table. She acknowledged his question with a nod, her throat too tight to answer.

“Then I’m telling you again, because you should hear it often. Monica, you’re beautiful.”

She didn’t know how to respond. She was out of practice, she supposed. She wasn’t used to getting this kind of compliment from a man any more than she was used to eating in a restaurant like this one.

She turned her gaze away from him, looking across the dining room toward the pianist at the grand piano. “She’s very good, isn’t she?” Monica closed her eyes. “I’ve always liked that Olivia Newton-John song. ‘I Honestly Love You.’”

“I honestly love you.”

Her heart leapt at the way he repeated the song’s title. It almost sounded as if…

She opened her eyes and met his gaze. Her breath caught in her chest, and she thought surely the people at neigh
boring tables would be able to hear the rapid pounding of her heart.

Was it possible he felt the same thing she did? Was it possible he’d meant those words as they’d sounded?

Robert’s return broke their locked gazes. While the waiter poured the sparkling cider into their goblets, Monica tried to still her racing pulse by taking deep, slow breaths.

Robert said, “Your appetizers will be out in a few more minutes.”

“Thank you.” Daniel’s gaze returned to Monica. He lifted his glass toward her in a salute. “To summer…and beyond.”

There went her heart again, slamming against her ribs, making it difficult to breathe, making it difficult to think clearly. She raised her goblet. “To summer…and beyond,” she echoed him, then took a sip.

Everything became a sort of blur after that. Perhaps it was because Daniel watched her with tenderness swirling in the depths of his silvery gray eyes. Or perhaps it was her own traitorous heart, a heart that loved him despite common sense, despite all the reasons it shouldn’t.