He surprised her further by smiling—a warm, friendly smile that reached all the way to his eyes. Without thinking she smiled back. Her cheeks heated, and she looked away. He was more than likely smiling at someone seated near her, someone he knew. She kept her eyes on her paper while she attempted to keep up with the presentation.
“Anyone interested in working on the stage crew, please remain in this room, Evelyn has the forms you’ll need to fill out. Those of you who would like to audition, please follow me.”
A small crowd formed around Evelyn as people waited for paperwork. Marienne was planning to do stage work. She wanted to get the forms and go home. She fumbled with her keys, tissues, and travel mug. By the time she had everything gathered the handsome stranger was standing right beside her.
“Hi,” he said. “I’m Daniel. And you’re M—”
“Marienne,” she said, flustered.
She was confused, wondering why this man who looked so familiar and so alluring seemed to already have some degree of comfort around her. Then the name hit her. Daniel.
This is Frank’s commuting buddy?
“Daniel.” Her eyes widened as it began to make sense. “From the train.”
“Yes, and more recently from your back yard.” His eyes smiled as they had from across the room. Up close she noticed they were a startling green, a color so distracting that for a moment she forgot to be nervous and simply stared back at them.
“I’m sorry.” Her cheeks tingled. “I’m on allergy medicine, and I swear all it’s doing is making me stupid.”
“Frank mentioned you weren’t feeling well. Said he wasn’t sure you’d even make it tonight.”
“He did?” Marienne was shocked. Frank hadn’t said a word to her about Daniel working on the play.
“I take it he didn’t mention that I might be here.”
“No. He never tells me anything.”
“Well, it’s nice to finally meet you,” Daniel said, smiling. “I’ve seen you out in your yard a few times, watering your plants, but I wanted to give you time to settle in before I barged over to introduce myself.”
Marienne’s mind flipped through the few times she’d been outside watering plants in the past week. She’d probably been in her pajamas or ratty sweatpants. Between being sick and being in the midst of unpacking, she’d been a wreck the entire week.
She cringed, thankful that he’d seen her from a distance. Though she could only imagine what he must be thinking now that he was seeing her up close.
At least I put on some makeup.
She sniffled again, hoping the tickle in her throat would calm down before she started coughing all over her new neighbor.
Daniel seemed to notice her discomfort. “Let’s get signed up so you can go home and get some rest. Probably all the stress of moving that got you sick in the first place. Moving turns your whole world upside down.”
“It does,” she said, thinking he was sweet for recognizing that she wasn’t in the best state to socialize, although now that she’d met him she was looking forward to getting to know him better. He seemed so easy to talk to, and she loved his accent. Frank had never mentioned that he was British.
They moved toward Evelyn. Daniel stepped aside to allow Marienne to get her forms first. She grabbed two copies of each and gave him a set. He picked up two pens and handed one to her. They headed to the counter on the side of the room.
“Driver’s license number?” Daniel patted his pockets. “Shit, I left my wallet at work.”
“Oh no,” Marienne said, her voice rich with mock concern. “Well, there goes what could have been a very promising career in unpaid set construction.”
Daniel laughed. “Should I come clean, you think, and tell her I don’t have it? Or just make one up?” His eyebrows rose.
Marienne considered the options, amused that he’d asked.
“What have you got?” He leaned over to look at her form, running his index finger across the page until he got to the space for license number. “Oh geez, it’s that long? I can’t make up a number that long.”
Marienne thought he most definitely could, but she wanted to see him sweet talk his way out of the situation with Evelyn. “I think you should tell her.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Most American women are suckers for a British accent. I think she’ll let it slide.”
Daniel grinned.
“Come on,” she said, sniffling again. “Let’s see how you do….”
Marienne made Daniel hand his papers to Evelyn first. She wanted to watch what happened. He threw her a frightened grimace then smiled at Evelyn.
“Well hello,” Evelyn said, taking in Daniel with an approving look up and down. She scanned his paperwork, instantly noting the blank spot on his form. “Looks like you forgot something, hon….”
****
“I didn’t forget, exactly,” Daniel said, a smile playing at his lips. He heard Marienne giggle behind him. “I don’t have my wallet. Is that a huge problem?”
“Not at all, dear.” She waved her hand. She appeared to be quite taken with him, as Marienne had predicted. “Do you have any form of ID? I just need to verify your name.”
Daniel reached into his pocket and pulled out his NYU staff ID. “Will this do?”
“Yes.” She looked from the photo to his face. “Ohhh, a professor—very nice. You’re all set, hon.” She beamed at him as she reached toward Marienne and took her forms. Daniel stepped aside to wait.
“Oh, how cute. The professor…and Marienne. You must get that all the time. You two married?” She looked up and wagged a finger between them.
“What?” Marienne’s eyes grew huge. “Us? Uhh, no.” Her cheeks colored again.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Evelyn paused and squinted at them. “Good friends at least?”
“Yes,” Daniel said. “We’re very…close.” He gave Marienne a conspiratorial wink.
“Mmmhmmm.” Marienne nodded, looking as though she might either laugh or cough at any moment.
Daniel held the door as they walked out through the theater, then again as they headed into the parking lot. It was a warm, humid night, and Marienne sniffled when the outdoor air hit them. She clicked her key fob and her car lights flashed as the doors clicked and unlocked.
“Where are you parked?” she asked.
“In my garage.” He smiled. “I walked.”
“I’d have walked too if I’d been feeling better. Do you want a ride home?”
Daniel had planned on walking, but suddenly a ride sounded like a nice idea. “You don’t mind?” he asked.
“Well, it is a whole block and a half out of my way, and I do have a policy about letting strange men in my car.” She laughed. “Kidding. Get in.”
Chapter Two
Daniel opened the passenger side door to find Marienne gathering books and stuffing them into the back seat.
“Sorry,” she said, stacking another four paperbacks and struggling to keep from dropping them.
“Here.” His long fingers closed around the books and he placed them in the back of the car. He picked up the last three, turning them to look at the bindings as he lowered himself into the seat. “Cummings, Segal and Jong.” He read aloud, smiling at the collection. “You always have this many books in your car?”
“No. It’s the last of my stuff from the apartment. We don’t have all our bookcases up yet. We don’t even have them all bought yet. I want to put built-ins in two rooms, but Frank’s not a huge fan of the room-full-of-books look so we’re still debating. I’ve got tons of books.”
“Me too,” he said. “Heaps of them. Luckily I get to keep a lot of them at my office. One of the perks of being an English professor. They expect that you’ll have lots of books so they give you plenty of shelves. That’s what’s kept my house from getting overrun.” He thought about Justine complaining about what dust collectors his books are.
“These are great.” He flipped through the Cummings book while Marienne started the car.
“Would I find any books in your car right now?” she asked.
He thought for a moment. “I don’t think so, though there usually are a few. Right now I think all I have is a stack of really bad freshman poetry. I’ve always thought cars should have a little bookshelf built in somewhere. You know, for when you’re in line at the bank drive-through, or stuck in traffic.”
“I don’t think reading while driving is really encouraged by the car companies.”
“True.” He chuckled. “I mean, not that I read while I’m driving. Well, I guess you are technically still driving when you’re stuck in traffic, so I suppose I do. See, this is why it’s a good idea for me to carpool with Frank when I do have to drive into the city. Countless drivers will be kept out of harm’s way because I’ll have someone to talk to and I won’t read whenever traffic stands still.”
He turned to look at her. She looked so tiny behind the wheel, much smaller than he’d expected, and not at all what he’d assumed Frank’s wife would be like. He’d figured that she would be business-like, more like Frank, and Justine, and she wasn’t. At all. Even in profile her eyes appeared huge, giving her face an innocent sweetness.
There was something very comfortable about her presence. He didn’t feel the way he usually felt around new people, as though they were trying to figure him out or sum him up. Marienne seemed content to just talk and appeared to really listen to his answers. As a teacher he was well aware of how few people listen to what others are saying. It was nice to feel that, for a change, someone was paying attention. And laughing at his jokes, which was always appreciated.
“Which house is it?” she asked as she turned down his street. “I’ve never seen it from the front.”
“It’s that one, right there.” He pointed out the window and Marienne pulled up in front of it.
“Thank you for the ride. Do you want to come in? Meet Justine?”
“No.” Marienne sounded apologetic. “I’m feeling pretty miserable. I can’t believe I met anyone in this condition. I’d like to meet her soon, though.”
“No worries. We’re not going anywhere. In fact, if you’re feeling better by Friday, why don’t you and Frank come for dinner. Sort of a welcome to the neighborhood. Nothing fancy. Chinese takeout and a game of pool? Do you like Chinese food?”
“Yes, we do. That sounds great. Though if you have a pool table I have to warn you, Frank may ask to move into your house.”
“I’ll consider myself warned.”
“Do you want to check with Justine first? About dinner?” she asked.
“No, I’m sure she’ll be fine with it.” Daniel said, surprising himself, as he had no idea if she’d be anything of the sort.
“Okay, well I’ll check with Frank. He has your number, right?”
“Yes. Though you could just yell your answer across the yard,” Daniel said. “Actually, you better have Frank do the yelling. You’ve got a very soft voice.”
“You only think that because you’ve never heard me yell.”
“Is that another fair warning statement?”
“It might be depending on how stage crew goes. We’ll see how good you are with your hands.” Her eyes widened and she blushed again, but Daniel laughed.
“I’ll do my best.” He opened the car door. Her eyes looked tired and glassy, but still twinkled with friendliness. “Thanks again for the ride.”
He smiled as he placed the three books onto her passenger seat and closed the door behind him.
Daniel checked the mailbox as he watched Marienne drive away. The fact that it was full of mail meant Justine wasn’t home yet.
Good thing Marienne didn’t opt to come in to meet her.
He tossed the mail onto the kitchen counter. The house was stuffy so he cranked open the window above the sink. The scent of rose bushes wafted in and he closed his eyes, remembering the first time he’d smelled them.
Although it was Justine who had insisted that they move to New Jersey, Daniel had been the one to do all the house hunting. He’d devoted eight consecutive Saturdays to touring potential homes so Justine could be closer to the new spa she was opening, but hadn’t found anything he’d liked. He was convinced they’d be better off keeping their apartment in Manhattan. It was close to his office at NYU, plus it was the first place that had really felt like home since he’d moved to the States years ago.
He’d been about to tell the realtor that he didn’t want to look anymore when she showed him the house in Highland Park. He knew the moment he stepped inside. This was the one. It reminded him of his childhood home in Oxford. Dark wood floor and winding staircase, window seats nestled in big bay windows, wide doorways rimmed with fluted rosette casings. Even the wallpaper seemed familiar.
He loved the way the hallway twisted and turned. It made him think of hidden rooms and secret passages—a lovely place to raise a family. He knew it would be a while before that was an issue, but he was looking forward to having children. Happy, healthy children who would explore the house and make up fantastical stories, like he did as a boy, only their stories would have happy endings.
Daniel heard the front door open. Justine walked into the kitchen. Her keys clattered onto the counter as she set down her purse and briefcase. Except for the faded lipstick, she looked as flawless as she had when she’d left in the morning. Her shoulders were taut, her mouth pursed.
“Hard day?” he asked.
“Yeah.” She nodded, reaching for the mail. “What are you doing?”