A Slight Change of Plan (30 page)

“I’m going to kiss you.”

“Why do you think you have to give me a warning?”

“Because of Jake. I know you’re still involved with him. I don’t want to make things too complicated for you. I want to give you the chance to tell me not to.”

“I think it’s too late for that.” I kissed him.

And then I kissed him again.

The next morning, Jake called me from Kennedy.

“Can you meet me in the city?”

“Oh, Jake, Sam already left for school, he won’t be home till late. I can’t leave Mom. Can you come out here?”

He made a noise. “No way. I’ve got meetings all day.”

“How was Germany without me?” I teased.

“Lonely,” he said. “How was the U.S. without me?”

Oops. Maybe I shouldn’t have started this. “I had dinner with Regan and Phil. And Phil’s dad, Edward. And I showed Edward a bit of Morristown.” There, I didn’t have to lie.

“Good. At least only one of us sat around, mooning. I’ll call you when I can.”

Wednesday morning I watched as my mother walked over to Marie’s at what seemed to me to be breakneck speed. Hands firmly on the walker, she crossed the street, swung over onto the sidewalk, and finished the final twenty feet of Marie’s walkway before going through the front door. Marie, who had stayed by her side, turned back and gave me the thumbs-up. Victory.

Jake had called again that morning, saying he could come into Newark and have lunch with me. When I told him the address, he started to laugh.

“Kate, life is a very funny thing. I’ll see you around one.”

When I got to Shadow People, I asked Dane if he knew Jake Windom. Dane broke into his beautiful grin.

“Jake? Of course. His company, Nesco, contributes about one-eighth of our yearly budget. The owner, Steve, is very interested in the homeless situation, and gives a lot of time and money to different organizations, including mine. Steve is on our board of directors, and he drops by every few months to sort out clothes. How do you know Jake?”

I gave Dane the abbreviated version of Jake and me. “He’s coming by today to have lunch with me, and he knows you and this place already. Dane, do you believe in fate?”

He nodded. “Absolutely. I believe the path of each life is carefully laid out before us.”

“But what about all that ‘free will’ stuff? I mean, don’t you think we’re in charge of our own lives?”

He looked shocked. “Of course we are, Kate. Our life may be planned for us, but we are wholly responsible for how that life is lived. Are you going to be angry or bitter when something bad happens, or are you going to be strong and make the best of a bad situation? When you accomplish something great, will you take all the blessings for yourself, or share them with those who helped you along the way? When a great gift is given, do you embrace and rejoice in that gift, or look for the strings you think are attached?” He spread his arms wide. “I see, every day, people who choose to live their lives with acceptance and gratitude. They are the happiest of God’s creatures, even if they are the shadow people that most of society never sees. I also see the evil and hatred. That is also a choice. But never the right one.” He smiled. “What is this about? Are you wondering if Jake is your fate?”

“Yes. I guess I am. It certainly seems that way. But how can you tell?”

“This could be one of those gifts, Kate. When a love is given to you, take it. Do not look too hard for a way out, because you can always find it. Rejoice in a good man.”

“He is a good man.” So was Edward. Why would his face come to me now?

“Yes.” Dane patted my hand. “And you are a very good
woman. If I could find the money, would you think about working here full-time?”

“Giving tax advice?”

He shook his head. “You are also an accountant, which we very much need. Right now I’m managing our funds, but I’m not very good at it, and it takes me a lot of time. If you could help with some of the office work, do the books, and keep the grant money coming, it would be a tremendous help. And since all my administrative people spend two days on the floor, you could still counsel and advise.”

“I can’t do anything until my mother is settled.”

“Yes. But if I apply for funding now, it will take a few months, at least. I’m looking forward.”

“I haven’t done any accounting since college.”

Dane grinned. “But you’ll have plenty of time to brush up on your addition and subtraction skills. Will you think about it?”

I nodded. “Yes. I will.”

Jake came by around eleven. When I saw him, my whole body kind of went squishy. He hugged me for a long time, and gave me a very good kiss. The man I had been talking to about what he was going to say to the IRS about his five-years-late payment watched with some interest. Then Jake wandered off to talk to Dane until lunchtime.

Dane, Jake, and I ate tacos in the sun. Jake and Dane, being practically old friends, talked sports. I sat and leaned slightly against Jake, grateful for his company. I was so glad to see him. But I had to tell him about Edward.

I walked him to his car and gave him a long kiss.

“I need to talk to you,” I said.

“Sounds serious.”

I nodded. “I think it is.”

He opened the back door. “Get in. We can take a drive.”

The inside of the Town Car was cool and dark, with one of those glass partitions between the front and back seats. Jake told the driver to head toward Weequahic Park, and closed the glass.

“What’s up?”

“Phil’s father is here. From England.”

Jake nodded. “You told me about him.”

“And I’ve been spending some time with him.” I had been looking at Jake, making myself look right into his eyes, even though it was harder than I thought.

He nodded again, a little slower this time. “Okay. You told me that, too.”

“And I kissed him.”

Jake took a deep breath. He was still nodding. He was still looking at me. “I see.”

“I’m a little confused right now, Jake. I’m not exactly sure what’s going on with me.”

“Kate, listen to me, okay?”

“I’m listening.”

“I never stopped loving you. More than that, I never stopped being in love with you. It took me about ten minutes with you for everything to come rushing back. But I know that it’s been a long time, and that we’re different people now. I never expected you to feel the same way.” He made a face. “Hoped, maybe, but didn’t really expect. You don’t owe me anything.”

I swallowed hard. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Jake, because I do. At least, I think I do. But whatever is going on
has nothing to do with that.” I swallowed hard again, and tried to figure out where the tears were coming from. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I know,” he said gently. He reached over and pulled a few tissues out of nowhere to give to me.

“Why is it that you’re always handing me tissues?”

“I don’t know, because I really never mean to make you cry.”

“I know.” I sat and sniffed for a few minutes. “Listen, why don’t you come over this weekend.”

“I’d love to. I’d like to see your mother again, actually.”

“How odd. And you could meet Sam, although he may be going somewhere for the weekend, now that I think about it. It’s Labor Day. Wow, the summer is over already. I feel like I should be buying school supplies.”

“We could do that Saturday. Pencils and crayons?”

I smiled. The crisis was over, just like that. We were back into a happy, familiar rhythm. “Pink backpacks. I’m sorry you never had kids.”

“Sometimes I am, too. We could go back up to the lake.”

“Could we? I loved that house. And the boat. That would be perfect.”

“He’s selling it. Rather than split it in the divorce, they’re splitting the profit.”

“What a shame. Does that mean you won’t be able to go up there anymore?”

“That means if you like it, I could buy it.”

“Just like that? You’d buy a million-dollar house?”

“I’d wait until the White Plains house is sold.”

“Are you trying to bribe me?”

He laughed. “Hey, if that’s what it takes.”

“Must be nice being that rich.”

“It’s great. Is that a plan, then?”

“Yes.” I leaned over and kissed him gently. “I need time, Jake. Please give me time.”

“As much as you need.”

“I’ll call you.”

When I got home I walked over to Marie’s to pick up Mom. Marie let me in, and I was surprised to find something of a crowd. I recognized a few of the card-playing crew, but also some younger, unfamiliar faces. They were standing around Marie’s dining room table, and all looked up and waved as I came in.

“We’re organizing the Saturday potluck,” Marie explained. “We get a very good turnout if the weather’s nice. Were you planning on stopping by?”

I’d seen the flyer at the pool. I shook my head. “No, thanks, Marie. I’ve made plans.”

She nodded. “That’s fine. But Rose wants to go. In fact, she says she’s very good at planning this sort of thing. And she wants to make deviled eggs.”

My mother had been an outstanding cook, and I remembered her deviled eggs. They were delicious, the yolks fluffy and smooth, with a hint of sweetness.

Mom looked up. “I’ll need at least four dozen eggs. Can you get them for me?”

“Sure, Mom. Ready to go?”

She shook her head. “No, not yet. I’ll be home a little later.”

“By yourself?”

A redhead in cutoffs looked up. “Don’t worry. One of us will walk with her.”

Well, all righty then. Apparently, my mother was acquiring minions.

I went home, took a shower, poured myself some wine, and started looking around for something for dinner. Sam came down and said hi, pulled a Coke from the fridge, and sat expectantly at the breakfast bar.

“Can I help you?” I asked him.

“Do you know you’ve got half a dozen marijuana plants growing on the deck?”

“Sam, of course I know. I just keep forgetting they’re there. They blend in pretty well with the cherry tomato plants. Are they getting too big, do you think?”

“Mom, why are you growing pot? Does Gram have glaucoma or something?”

“No, Gram does not have glaucoma. It’s because Cheryl had the seeds, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. You going to be around this weekend?”

“Tim has friends who are doing a thing on Long Island on Saturday, so I was going to stay at his place Friday night and go with him, and then I figured I’d go to Aunt Laura’s Sunday.” My sister always had a huge cookout the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. “Is that okay? Will that work with Gram?” he asked.

“Your grandmother is making her own plans these days, and she’s already booked for Saturday. I was going to ask Jake to Laura’s. Are you okay with that?”

“If I weren’t, would it matter? Besides, Alisa told me this guy might turn out to be the one who sticks.”

“She’s a smart girl. She may be right. I miss her.”

“Me too. Skype is fine, but it’s not quite the same as curling up on the couch and going over the day, you know?”

“Yes. I do know.”

Somebody called hello from downstairs, so I hurried down. Mom was in her recliner. The redhead was there, looking concerned.

“Hi, Kate. She’s out of breath, she says. Doesn’t she have oxygen?”

I shook my head. “She’s been very resistant to that idea.”

The redhead frowned. “I’m Lauren Mitchell. I’m a nurse. She really should have oxygen.”

I raised my voice. “Hear that, Mom? Lauren says you need oxygen.”

My mother waved a hand. “I’ll catch my breath in a minute. I always do. Why should I pay for oxygen to sit here month after month if I might never use it?”

“Rose, you could use it every day. Even just moving around down here would be so much easier for you,” Lauren said.

My mother had found the remote and turned on the TV. Loudly.

Lauren sighed. “I work with lots of older people. They hate admitting they need the help.”

“Yeah.”

“It was good meeting you, Kate. Your mom is a real character.”

“Good meeting you, too. Thanks for walking her home.”

I let Lauren out and went over to Mom.

“Burgers on the grill okay for dinner?”

She nodded. The news was on.

“What else do you need for your eggs?”

She hit the mute button. “Sweet gherkins. Lots of mayo and Dijon mustard. I’ll make a little list tomorrow. And I’m
also going to help Marie with her meatballs, so it looks like I’ll be sleeping over there Friday night.”

“Sleeping over?”

“Yes. It would just be easier than getting up early and going over. You know I’m a little slower in the mornings. And if you want, you can ask one of your boyfriends to stay over.”

I maintained a straight face. “Thanks, Mom, but nobody’s staying over.”

She glared at me. “Are you ever going to reintroduce me to Jake?”

“I’m bringing him to Laura’s. He’ll meet the whole family.”

“What about that other man, Edward? After all, he’s going to be part of the family pretty soon, no matter what happens between you two.”

“I’m not seeing Edward this weekend. He’s going up to Canada to see some friends. It’s just Jake.”

“Jake was pretty good-looking when he was young.”

“He still is, Mom.”