Now and Forever 4, The Renovated Heart (22 page)

“Can he sleep in my room?” Scottie asked. He
bounced a pillow on the floor several times before putting it back
on the sofa.

“No, stupid. He’d be sleeping in Mom’s
room,” Laura piped up.

“Don’t call me stupid!” Scottie made a fist
and waved it at his sister.

“Laura, I’ve told you…” Sarah moved over to
put her hand on Scottie’s raised fist.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. Jim is Mom’s
boyfriend, Scottie. He would stay in her room.”

“Right.”

“You only have one bed. Where would he
sleep?”

“In Mom’s bed,” Laura said, standing the
carpet sweeper upright.

“He would?”

“Yes.” Sarah picked up several magazines to
cover her discomfort.

“Laura? What do you think?” She pushed her
daughter for a response.

“As long as he doesn’t run around the house
without clothes…or anything.”

“He might be in a bathrobe…”

“Yeah, okay. Monica’s mother’s boyfriend
stays over all the time. Monica says no biggie, so I guess no
biggie for me, too.”

“Does Jim know he’d have to get undressed in
front of you, Mom?” Scottie asked.

“I think he knows,” she said, hiding a smile
behind her hand.

“Then he could be around all the time,
right?” Scottie asked.

“He might be.” She picked up a pile of
magazines to cart them to the front door.

“Are you going to marry him, Mom?” Laura
asked.

“He hasn’t asked me.”

“But if he did, would you say yes?” Her
daughter put five remaining magazines on the coffee table.

“One step at a time.” Sarah ducked the
question.

She wanted to dance around the room. She
couldn’t wait to tell Jim. After they finished cleaning up, Scottie
went to play with Simon who lived down the street while Laura went
over to Monica’s until dinner time. As soon as the door closed
behind Laura, Sarah grabbed the phone.

“Pack an overnight bag.”

She held the phone close while she paced in
the living room.

“Are we going somewhere?” Jim asked.

“You’re sleeping here tonight.”

“What about the kids…me coming out of your
room in the morning, remember?”

“I asked them how they felt about you
staying overnight…they’re okay with it.”

“No kidding? Fantastic!”

“You should have heard Scottie. He actually
asked me if you’d object to getting undressed in front of me.”

Jim burst out laughing.

“Tonight’ll be great.”

His deep, warm voice washed over her
bringing a smile to her lips.

* * * *

Saturday night dinner with Mac, Callie and
their three kids was lively. Teddy spilled milk, and Scottie
knocked over a bowl of chili with a soccer ball. Jason and Laura
disappeared into her room to surf the Net. By eight o’clock, Teddy
had fallen asleep on Sarah’s bed. Jim and Mac drifted into talk
about the university, especially plans for the English department.
The men dried dishes then put food away.

The women had a quiet moment, lingering over
coffee in the living room perched on the sofa with their feet
propped up on the wood coffee table when the doorbell rang. Sarah
shot a questioning glance at her sister. Jim popped his head out of
the kitchen, drying his hands on a dish towel, to see who rang the
bell. Sarah opened the door.

“Sarah Richards?” the man asked.

“Formerly Sarah Richards. Sarah Morgan now,”
she said, taking a hard look at the man.

“Mike…Mike Flanagan. Don’t you recognize…”
he said, stepping inside the house.

“My God, it is you, Mike. Come in, come in,”
she said.

She moved aside to make way for the tall man
to enter.

When Callie looked at him, her brow
furrowed.

She introduced Mike to everyone. She
referred to Jim as her
friend
.

“What are you doing in Willow Falls?” She
asked.

“I came to see you.” Mike stood by the door,
unbuttoning his coat.

Callie practically spit out her coffee.

“Why?” Sarah cocked her head.

“We didn’t part on great terms.”

“Water under the bridge…”
Fit and trim as
ever.

“Not to me. You have company. I’m barging in
here. Could we talk over dinner? I’m here all week. Can you meet
me?”

She stood still for a moment. The room got
quiet; the air seemed to stop circulating as if everyone held their
breath.

“Jim can you take the kids on Tuesday?” She
swung away from Mike toward her lover.

He nodded

“Tuesday works. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
Mike moved toward the door.

When she turned to put out her hand, he
pulled her into his arms for a goodbye kiss. Mac looked at his wife
and raised his eyebrows. Callie shrugged. Flustered Sarah closed
the door.

“Who is he?” The note of irritation in Jim’s
voice was obvious.

“The first man I ever loved…the first man to
desert me when I needed him.”

A heavy silence hung in the air.

“Home, I think…I’ll get Teddy,” Mac
said.

“Jason! Kitty! Time to go home,” Callie
called.

Sarah walked over to Jim, put her arms
around his waist and rested her face on his chest. Hugs were
exchanged at the door then Callie and Mac bundled their children
into their SUV.

“Do you still love Mike?” Jim asked the
second the front door closed, before he even switched off the
outside lights.

“I haven’t seen him since college. I love
you, remember?”

Sarah rested her palm on his cheek.

“That was before…”

“He walked out at the most vulnerable time
of my life, a few months after my parents died. How could I ever
trust him again?” Jim managed a small smile, the creases in his
brow smoothed out. She kissed him, then headed toward the bedrooms
to say good night to her children. After closing their doors, she
took her man by the hand and led him into the bedroom.

“I’ve been waiting all evening for this,” he
said, undressing quickly.

“Me, too.” She pulled her sweater over her
head.

“Uh, would you turn around? Don’t think I
should be undressing in front of you.”

She looked up sharply then caught his smirk
and burst out laughing, he did, too.

When the last item of clothing hit the
floor, he took her in his arms for a long, deep kiss. She melted
against him. Then he stripped down the bedcovers, pulling her down
gently. They made love quietly, Jim absorbing her cries of pleasure
into his mouth. Wrapped in his arms, she slept peacefully.

In the morning, Scottie bounded out of bed
early, remembering Jim slept over. He zipped into his mother’s
room, bursting through the door without knocking. Sarah and Jim
were still asleep, curled up together.

“Time to get…up…” Scottie said, standing at
the bottom of the bed.

“Scottie! You didn’t knock!” Sarah said,
pulling the sheet up over her breasts. Jim opened a tired eye.

“Sorry, Mom. I forgot. Jim, where are your
pajamas?”

“Grown-ups don’t always wear pajamas,” Sarah
said.

“EWWW! Sleeping without clothes…Why was he
hugging you?”

“That’s the way some grown-ups sleep,” she
said.

“You don’t sleep like that with me or
Laura,” the boy said.

“Just grown up people, Scottie. You know a
man and a woman…”

Tears came into Scottie’s eyes.

“Isn’t Jim having a sleep over?”

“Not like you have with your friends.” She
fidgeted with the fringe on the bedspread.

“Sort of like the night you were at Aunt
Callie’s. Remember? Your mom told you we were doing grown up
things…like that. The way grown-ups sleep together is different
than the way children do,” Jim said. “We can still do stuff
together when I’m sleeping over, but when I’m in here with your
mother, its private. You need to either wait until we come out or
knock then wait for one of us say come in. All right?”

“Yeah. Okay, Jim. When can we go
outside?”

“I’ve got to have my coffee first. Give me
half an hour.”

“Aw! That’s forever...”

“Do half a page of math problems. I’ll be
ready when you’re done.”

“Okay,” the boy said, then turned and ran
out of the room.

“You’re a genius,” She said, planting a kiss
on his lips.

“Just a boy once myself.”

“I thought he was upset about us…you know,
sex... But he didn’t get it, did he?”

“At seven I didn’t have a clue about sex,
either. He felt left out.”

“Handsome, sexy, brilliant, too,” She said,
kissing him.

“Keep that up and I’ll never get to my
coffee,” he said, pulling her closer.

Tuesday night Sarah dressed in a clingy,
sexy, low cut red jersey dress. She wanted to hide the dress with
her coat when Jim arrived, but he came ten minutes early. She was
pacing when he opened the door.

“Wow! Who are you having dinner with, Brad
Pitt?” he took off his coat and hung it on a peg near the door.

“Jim…let’s not go overboard.”

“Not exactly an
old friends
dress,
Sarah.” His gaze swept over her body, pausing at her chest.

“I want to show him a little of what he’s
been missing.”

“I assume he knows exactly…in detail…what
he’s been missing all these years,” he said, with an edge in his
voice.

“You’re not asking me to change, are
you?”

“You wouldn’t anyway.” He put a large
envelope on the coffee table.

“This doesn’t have anything to do with
you.”

“I’m not an idiot, Sarah.”

“You know I love you.” She put her hands on
his waist and cozied up to him.

“Get him out of your system. But don’t come
back at two a.m. expecting me to think all you had was an innocent
dinner.” He pushed her hands away.

“How much time do I have…according to you?”
She put her hands on her hips.

“I’m not stupid enough to answer.” He headed
for the kitchen.

“I want to know. Do I turn into a whore at
one minute after ten or one minute after eleven or like Cinderella
at midnight?” She followed him.

“Stop, Sarah. I don’t want to fight with
you. Go now, just hurry back,” he said, giving her a gentle pat on
the behind. “I have papers to grade.”

The horn honked signaling Mike’s
arrival.

“Ah…the guy’s got class,” Jim smirked.

She shot him a dirty look before closing the
door behind her. Mike held the car door open for her. She left her
coat open. She wanted him to drool a little.

“You look fantastic!” he said, his eyes
traveling her length.

“So do you.”

“Where can we go for a nice meal in this
town?”

Sarah directed him to Bon Appetit where they
got a quiet table in the corner.

“What are you doing these days, Mike?” She
sipped a Cosmopolitan.

“I’m a congressman, planning to run for
Governor soon,” he said, placing his hand over hers, curling his
long fingers around her small palm.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

“I suppose I shouldn’t be so surprised. You
were a leader in college, too. Politics makes sense for you.”

“I shouldn’t have run out on you, Sarah. I’m
sorry. I was young and stupid.”

“You broke my heart.” She crossed her ankles
under her chair.

“I’ve never loved anyone else the way I
loved you.”

“Didn’t you marry Carly something?” She
cocked an eyebrow at him.

“I never loved her like I loved you.” His
hand tightened over hers.

Sarah stared at him. Doubt clouding her
features.

“Still true,” he said, leaning in to her,
his mouth gently covering hers.

Sarah had dreamt of this moment so many
times. Mike’s kiss had always been devastating to her. He tasted
the same, delicious.

“Maybe we’d better order…before I pull you
under the table and make fools of both of us,” Mike teased.

Sunny came over to take their order. Sarah
didn’t want to be recognized. Too late.

“Hey, Sarah. How are you?” Sunny looked at
her then at Mike. A quizzical expression swept over her face
momentarily, replaced by an expressionless mask. “Whacha havin’
tonight?”

Sarah shifted in her seat, her eyes avoiding
Sunny’s as the waitress took her order. Mike ordered the steak.
They handed the menus back to Sunny, who left quickly. Sarah let
out a breath.

Mike couldn’t take his eyes off the low
neckline of her dress.
Always up for some loving. I see he
hasn’t changed.
She remembered how his touch made her feel. Her
skin tingled.

“Apologizing to you isn’t my only reason for
being here.”

“Oh?”

“I know what a great job you did for the
governor when you lived in Seattle.”

“How?”

“I research the people I hire very
thoroughly. You were highly recommended to me.”

“Hire me or seduce me?”

“Both.” The spark of desire glowed in his
eyes as a sexy smile gripped his lips. He closed his hand over hers
again.

She burst out laughing while she eased her
hand away.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“I’m completely serious. My campaign for
governor is ready to launch. I need you in Michigan to do my
releases and position papers.”

“You want me to uproot my kids, who just
lost their father, move again, this time to Michigan, where we know
no one?”

“I know about your husband. You haven’t been
here long enough to put down roots.”

“How did you find me?”

“Through your sister. She’s pretty well
known for her work at Kensington State. Academia is one of the
first places politicians look for staff members. Once I found her,
finding you was easy.”

“You went to a lot of trouble.”

“You’ve always been special to me. How could
I forget you?”

“I kept telling myself the same thing when I
was working all day, going to school at night plus riding herd on
Callie all by myself…” she said with a bitter edge to her
voice.