It Had To Be You (13 page)

“
Yes, it is. You brought your daughter
to the park?”

“
Umm. That’s Kayla.” He shook his head,
and his face got somber. “I hate that I only get her on
weekends.”

Rumor had it Christian’s wife had cheated on
him and left him. Rumor also had it that he’d wanted to keep the
marriage together, but she hadn’t. None of the nurses could believe
the woman had abandoned him, because they thought he was
yummy
and was such a romantic—he’d sent flowers and had nice
lunches with her in his office. Lela knew not to assume anything
about people’s marriages by what you saw on the surface.

“
What about the summer? Can you see her
more then?”

“
I hope so. I’ve got a lot of vacation
time and I’m going to spend it with her.” He nodded to the line.
“Which one is your boy?”

“
One, two, three…ten back.”

“
Ah.” Gesturing to the bench, he asked,
“Mind if I join you?”

“
Not at all. I’d love the company.” Too
bad Lela had another male here at the park on her mind. But she
liked Christian, and maybe he’d distract her.

They chatted about work and kids until Lela
noticed a commotion in the line. Josh was first up now but another
boy—oh, no, it was Tommy Sloan—had slid in front of him.

The other kids objected.…

“
No fair.”

“
Wait your turn.”

“
No cutting.”

Tommy ignored them. He just stood in front of
Josh. In her peripheral view, she saw Beck head toward them. Before
he reached the line, Josh tugged on Tommy’s shirt. The boy turned
and said something to Josh. Then her son shrugged and handed his
ticket to Tommy.

When Beck reached them, he spoke to the boys.
For a moment, they talked, then Josh trudged to the back of the
line. Beck stood there as if deciding what to do. Finally he turned
and spotted Lela. He strode over, but when he got closer, his gaze
landed on Christian. His face was impassive when he reached them.
But his eyes were full of thunderclouds.

“
What happened?” she asked
Beck.

“
Hell of a thing. Tommy cut in line,
but I wasn’t surprised. It seems he does that stuff on purpose. I
spoke to the boys in line. Your son said it was okay; Tommy could
have his ticket. When I asked him why, he said Tommy’s just mad
because of me.”

“
Oh. I, um, I don’t know what to
say.”

“
I’d say Josh’s just like his mom.” At
Christian’s remark, Beck turned angry eyes on him. “And you
are?”

“
Christian Singer. I work with
Lela.”

“
I see. You two planned to meet here?”
There was ice in Beck’s voice.

“
No!” Lela said a little too
quickly.

Christian smiled easily. “Not for want of
trying, I’ll tell you.”

Really? Christian was interested in her?
She’d had no idea. Had he been flirting with her since his
divorce?

Beck nodded. “I’ll just go wait for
Tommy.”

“
You can keep us company,” Lela
suggested.

“
Wouldn’t want to intrude. Nice meeting
you, Doctor, is it?”

“‘
Fraid so.”

“
Lela.” Beck strode away. He didn’t
stalk, but she could tell by the stiffness of his shoulders he was
angry. Damn it, not angry.

Beck was jealous.

o0o

So what if she was keeping company with the
handsome doctor? She should. Maybe now Beck would take Rachel
Wellington’s suggestion that she and Gabe double-date with her
sister, Alexis, and Beck. Yes, this was for the best.

Then why did he feel like punching the fence
he leaned against while waiting for Tommy. He watched his son leave
Skee-Ball—must be they were allowed only a certain length of time
to play—and spot Beck. The boy sauntered over.

“
Have fun?” Beck asked
neutrally.

“
Yeah.”

“
Was it worth cutting in
line?”

For a minute the boy’s eyes flared with
mutiny. Then his expression was replaced by…embarrassment? “I
shouldn’t have done it.”

Beck squatted down. “Why did you, son?”

“
I dunno.”

“
I think you do.”

Tommy shrugged. “I’m mad all the time.”

That was exactly what sweet little Josh had
said.

“
I’m sorry. Want to talk about
that?”

“
Maybe. Sometime.”

Wow, this was progress.

“
Not today, though. I wanna have fun
with you.”

Hallelujah! “Okay, just don’t cut in again.
But we’ll have fun on the rides.”

Tommy turned to look at the line. “The kid’s
still waiting.”

“
I know. It’s Josh. You just met
him.”

When Tommy looked up at Beck, his expression
was confused. “Why’d he give me his turn, Dad?”

“
He said because he knew you were
mad.”

“
Isn’t he? All the kids here have dads
or moms like you.”

Beck swallowed hard and tried to ignore the
sting of his kid’s statement. “His mom says he isn’t mad. He just
feels so bad about his dad that he doesn’t talk much with other
people.”

Tommy nodded and looked back at Josh.

Beck did, too, though his gaze wandered to
Lela. And the doctor. Fuck!

Two hours later, lunchtime rolled around.
Beck had liked traipsing all over the park with Tommy, seeing him
enjoy himself, but he was ready for a break. They headed to the
pavilion about noon. He spotted Lela right away, alone at a table
with Josh, who probably didn’t want to sit with anybody.

None of your business.

“
Let’s get a—”

“
There’s Josh and his mom, Dad. Can we
sit with them?”

Come on, God. Gimme a break
. But he
said aloud, “If you want to, Tom.”

How could he not cooperate the only time all
day Tommy had asked to do something with another kid?

They reached Lela’s table; bent over, she was
talking softly to Josh. Beck said as evenly as he could, “Tommy
asked to sit with Josh.”

When she glanced up, then to Josh, Lela’s
face held a wealth of understanding. “Would you like that,
Josh?”

“
I guess.” More eagerly he said, “Sit
next to me, Tommy.”

Frustrated, Beck dropped down on the bench
across from Lela. She’d gotten sun this morning, and her nose was
red. The color made her cheeks glow, though. “What are we
having?”

“
Hot dogs and salads. I brought one for
the group.”

“
I provided drinks.”

Harrison called for all the little ones to
get their food.

And once again, Beck and Lela were alone.

He said, tightly, and without preamble,
“Singer seems like a nice guy.”

Her face flushed. “He is.”

“
He indicated he’d like his
relationship with you to be a lot more.”

“
Did he?”

Beck swallowed hard.

“
You should follow up on
that.”

Her jaw dropped. “I should?”

“
Yeah.” He told her about Rachel’s
sister.

Temper flared in her eyes, surprising him.
“So is this how we’re going to handle things?”

“
It’s as good a way as any, don’t you
think?”

Her eyes moistened and she turned away. “Yes,
I guess so.”

“
Fine.” He stood. I’m going to the
john. Can you keep an eye on Tommy?”

“
Sure.”

Turning, he strode away quickly, cursing the
fates that it
had
to be her he’d fallen for. The sheen in
her eyes twisted its way into his gut. He’d only seen her cry the
day of the first kids’ group when she’d said she felt guilty about
staying with Len so long. She wouldn’t cry over this standoff with
him, he guessed. But her small show of vulnerability cut him to the
quick and he couldn’t be near her anymore.

o0o

“
Spend some time with her,” Ken, the
therapist at the shelter, had said to Nick two days ago. “Give
yourselves a chance to get to know each other again.”

And Lela had put in her two cents. “Just try,
Nick. Please.”

But it was Beck, the guy who’d come to talk
to him that night he’d had his last attack and who’d stopped by the
shelter today, who had convinced him. “You get over humps by
scaling them, Nick. Giving up before you try isn’t going to
accomplish anything.”

“
Are
you
trying to get over your
humps?” he’d asked. It wasn’t a challenge, it was a genuine
inquiry. He’d like to know this guy more.

“
Yep. As a matter of fact, I got a date
tonight.…”

And so Nick had called Amy. She’d been so
happy to hear from him that he felt like a jerk for putting her
through this separation. But, in his conversations with Ken, he
realized he didn’t really want to die. So he had to start
living.

That was how he’d ended up sitting out in
front of the shelter in the late afternoon, with a special pass to
break curfew, waiting for Amy to pick him up. Large oak trees lined
the city street, but the sun peeking through the leaves warmed his
face.

The car she’d bought while he was in theater
because the other had broken down pulled up to the curb. It was a
little blue sedan, but he could still get into it. He limped to the
passenger side, wondering idly if he’d ever be able to drive again.
He slid inside, with at least a little bit of grace, and closed the
door. Turning to face her, he said, “Hi.”

She’d dressed up for him in a soft, light
blue blouse and a pretty, printed skirt. Her hair was shiny, and
for the first time in months, he wanted to touch it. Even from over
here, he could smell the flowery scent.

“
I’ve been looking forward to this all
day.” Her eyes were full of gratitude and love. Did he deserve
either?

“
Me, too.”

“
Really, honey?”

“
Really. Where are we
going?”

“
You said you didn’t mind a
restaurant.”

“
I gotta get out in public some time.”
He touched his face. Finally, the redness was starting to fade. “A
small one, though. Okay?”

“
You’re on.”

They drove to Enzo’s near the shelter on
Gains Avenue. At one time it had been his and Amy’s favorite
restaurant. He gulped back the shame when she let him off at the
door—he used to do that for her—but when she returned and reached
out for his hand, and he took it, he was glad he’d come. This
felt…right.

Inside, everybody milling around the desk
averted their eyes from his face. He expected the reaction and
swallowed the lump their shunning caused in his throat. Then Enzo
approached them, stared straight at him without gaping, and held
out his hand. “Hey, Nick. Glad to see you’re back. Sorry about what
happened to you.”

“
Thanks.”

“
Where would be a good place for you to
sit?”

Nick scanned the room. The place was nearly
full, and the clatter of utensils and soft murmur of guests filled
the air. “That table over in the corner by the window.”

The owner led them through the diners, and
Nick dropped down onto a chair with his back to the wall. Must be
Enzo knew about vets. Oh, now he remembered, the guy had been in
Vietnam.

From across the table, Amy smiled at Nick.
There was something about the joy in her eyes that made him
determined not to blow the night. “Do you want a drink?” she
asked.

“
Yeah, sure. They drug test us when we
go back to the shelter after an outing, but Julie said I could have
a beer.”

Her pretty face darkened. She hated that he’d
chosen to stay at the shelter instead of with her after he’d gotten
out of the hospital in Kuwait, where they’d taken his foot and he’d
done a stint in rehab.

Put the bad memories of the past out of
your mind, son.
Beck had made the comment.
Or at least
try.

Damn it, he
would
try. So when the
waiter brought their drinks, he lifted his glass. “Thanks for
bringing me here, Ames. I’m glad we did this.”

Tears glistened in her eyes. “So am I, Nicky.
So am I.”

Nick almost meant the words he said to his
wife. Someday, they would be true.

o0o

Lela fussed with her appearance. She’d washed
and dried her hair until it fell in soft waves onto her shoulders
and down her back. She’d dressed in a knee-length, baby-pink skirt
and a white, silk blouse with a ruffle down the front. She had a
date! Actually, she’d
initiated
a date when she realized her
feelings for Beck were, in her heart if not in actions, out of
control. She had to switch gears.

Also, she’d gotten her divorce papers in the
mail. She’d signed them yesterday morning, sent them to Len, and
promptly said to Christian Singer when she’d met him as she’d
entered the staff lounge, “Would you like to come to dinner at my
house tonight?”

Weeks ago, Josh had been invited to a
birthday sleepover with a friend down the street, and Lela had
insisted he go. So she’d picked tonight to ask the handsome doctor
for a date.

Christian’s flirty, blue eyes had sparkled
and he reached out to touch her arm. “Now that makes my day. I’ll
bring the wine.”

Hmm, maybe Beck had been right. Maybe
Christian was more interested than Lela realized.
He indicated
he’d like to be a lot more…You should follow up on that.

“
Well, Beckett Sloan,” she said aloud
as she poked diamond studs into her earlobes, “I’m taking your
advice.” Though she felt a clutch in her chest, she added, “You
should see Rachel’s sister, too.”