Project Valentine (A Homespun Romance) (10 page)

'You keep this a secret between us,' Dr. Hayes said, shaking my hand, his eyes full of humor.
'If you go out and tell everyone how much fun this was I'm going to have so many patients I won't be able to go home to my wife and kids.'

Twenty one years ago there weren't many dentists like him.
I looked at Dr. Hayes and knew I wanted to be exactly like him. Have the tremendous power of replacing fear and pain with confidence and courage."

It was Jessica's turn to be silent.
Beneath that slightly cool exterior Karl showed the world, lay enough warmth to melt the North Pole. She blinked rapidly as she pushed her glasses up with one hand.

Emotion so thick she could almost touch it swirled between them.
Jessica wanted to reach out and put her arms around Karl, press her lips against his.

Only the fear the gesture might constitute an attack in her personal book of proper behavior held Jessica back.
It wasn't easy living with an overdeveloped conscience.

"I have to go now."
It was ten thirty. Chances were she wouldn't be able to fall asleep. Chances were she wouldn't be able to wake up on time tomorrow.

Karl got to his feet in one swift movement, held a hand out to her.
Jessica put her hand in his, was pulled up to within an inch of his chest.

"Thanks for coming over."

"Don't even mention it," she ordered gently. "Call me anytime you need help with Arthur."

His eyes moved to her mouth.
"Feeling better now?"

"Feeling better?"
Karl's question didn't make sense.

"You were so tense when we came in here."
His expression revealed he'd been privy to her thoughts. That he'd cared enough to restore her peace of mind made Jessica want to cry.

She nodded.

Karl searched her face, said, "There's one thing I have to clear up.
Arthur's our responsibility now. Every time something happens I don't want you blaming yourself for it. I don't hold anything he does against you. Time passes so quickly on the weekends now. I don't have to worry about entertaining Molly. Arthur makes a splendid companion and she loves caring for him. So, no more punishing yourself all right?"

Jessica swallowed hard.
Did Karl know he was a genius at eradicating fear outside his dental clinic as well as in it? She nodded again. There weren't any right words for the way she felt.

Karl placed a warm hand on the small of her back, steered her to the door.
She was handed into the car, the door closed gently.

"Drive carefully."

She tried to say something casual, brilliant, unforgettable. What came out was a croak. "Goodnight."

In the five minutes it took to reach her apartment, Jessica tried to put all the pieces of Karl Wagner together.
One part of her puzzle was still missing. Why had Karl decided to put his personal feelings on hold indefinitely? Why was he denying himself the most important kind of love? He had that special knack of catering to everyone else's inner needs. Would he ever let anyone cater to his?

He called her again Friday night.

"How is Arthur?"
Please don't let him have gotten up to something else.

"He's much better," Karl reassured her immediately.
"He's eating again and I haven't had any trouble giving him his medicine. It's Molly I wanted to talk about, if you have the time."

"Go ahead.
I'm not doing anything important." Jessica unbuckled the belt of her dress and sank onto the couch, one leg curled up under her.

"Andy's worried about her.
She's been kind of withdrawn all week, doesn't want to talk much to either her Mom or her Dad. Just stays in her room, most of the time, says she wants to work on her stamp collection. But all she really does is lie on her bed and stare at the ceiling. Yesterday was Valentine's Day and Jim and Andy had planned a special catered dinner as a treat for Molly but she barely ate anything. As soon as dinner was over she excused herself and went to bed. That isn't like her. Nothing unusual's happened this week so Andy just can't figure out the reason behind the withdrawal. We were wondering if she'd said anything to you that would clue us in."

"Nothing really,"
Jessica searched her memory bank for anything that might help Molly's parents and came up blank. This didn't seem the right time to thank him for the red and white carnations she'd received yesterday. The accompanying card had read, `With love from Molly, Arthur and K.W." It was unexpected....and very confusing. He didn't seem the type who went in for casual messages.

"The worry's not good for Andy.
The thought that something's wrong and Molly won't tell her because of her state of health is doing more damage than her condition itself."

"It would," agreed Jessica.
Suddenly it was of paramount importance to remove the cloak of worry from Karl's shoulders. "Maybe tomorrow I can spend some time with Molly and see if she talks to me about it."

"We could go to the beach with Arthur," he suggested, the worry still showing in his tone.
"Molly loves the ocean."

"That sounds great.
And Karl?"

"Yes?"

"Let Molly call me herself and invite me, okay? That way she won't feel she's being set up." Smart as Molly was she would pick up the slightest hint and know what was going on. It might make her withdraw from them as well.

"Sure.
Thanks Jessica."

Jessica replaced the receiver and went into the bedroom thoughtfully.

Molly called at eight, Saturday morning. "Jessica, did I wake you up?"

"Yes."
Jessica opened one eye, waited for the world to come into focus.

"I'm sorry.
Shall I call you back?" Molly asked politely, though the excitement threaded through her tone came across clearly.

"No.
That's all right."

"Jessica, Uncle Karl said we could take Arthur to the beach today.
Would you like to come with us?"

Adrenaline pumped through her, driving the last vestige of sleep away.
"The beach." Her mind went blank for a microsecond, then pictures rushed in. Karl in swimming trunks, Karl in the ocean. "Let me think a minute."

"Uncle Karl's taking a picnic lunch and Arthur wants to go," coaxed Molly.

"Who else is coming?" For some reason the vision of a buxom blonde came to mind. Jessica couldn't bear the thought of Maddy Brenton tagging along.

"No one,"
Molly sounded surprised. "Just Uncle Karl and Arthur and me and you if you want to come..."

"Yes,"
Jessica threw back the covers and stood up, full of energy. "Yes, I do. What time are we going to leave?"

"Well, Uncle Karl has to go to his clinic at ten.
He said if you wanted to drive over there with Arthur and me at eleven thirty we'd go then."

"Who's going to watch you from ten on?"

"I have to stay with the babysitter." The insult in Molly's tones widened Jessica's smile.

"Not if I'm there by ten, right?"
Jessica said.

"Would you Jessica?
Thanks! I'm not supposed to ask you but if you offer that's different." Molly was clearly pleased by the turn of events. "If you're a few minutes late, it's okay. Mommy told Uncle Karl I can be left alone for half an hour but not longer."

"See you at ten, or a little after."
Jessica put the phone down and rushed to the bathroom. A picture of Molly a few years from now in the Pentagon, organizing defense strategies came to mind.

Karl had already left when she got there.
Molly opened the front door, Arthur close at her heels.

"Is he allowed in the house?"
Jessica thought of the fragile, expensive things in the living room. Arthur had no idea he wasn't a ballet dancer.

"Yes," nodded Molly.
"I didn't even have to ask. When Dad brought me over last night, Arthur was in the family room with Uncle Karl. Uncle Karl said Arthur keeps him company in the evenings now. He sits with his face on Uncle Karl's feet while he watches TV."

Jessica blinked as she imagined Arthur and Karl together.
The next instant something else Molly had said surfaced. Keeps him company. Where on earth was Maddy Brenton? Jessica's heart gave a loud cheer. Absent was as good as unimportant.

"Molly thank you for the nice flowers you sent me on Valentine's Day."

A secretive look crossed Molly's face. She said carefully. "They're from Uncle Karl and Arthur too."

Jessica nodded, "I know and they're really pretty."

"I'm glad you liked them," Jessica couldn't put her finger on the reason for Molly's uneasiness but experience with a horde of nephews and nieces told her the eight year old was up to something.

"Uncle Karl says when we go over to his clinic, we can let Arthur out of the car."
It was obvious Molly wanted to change the subject. "At the side of the building there's a part he had fenced in last week. A kind of dog run. He said it might be too hot in the car for Arthur and he'd be more comfortable outside. Sometimes Uncle Karl gets held up with a patient."

A dog run beside his clinic.
Now why would he have one there?

"How's your mother doing?"
Jessica asked casually.

They were in the kitchen.
Arthur flopped down by the couch with a huge sigh, apparently worn out by the exertion of greeting her.

A flash of worry clouded Molly's brow.
"She's feeling better, but she still has to be careful."

"She's going to be fine." Jessica put every ounce of confidence into her tone.
"I bet you're looking forward to having a baby in the house."

"Not really," Molly's bottom lip quivered.
"Not if the baby's going to make Mommy so sick."

Thin ice.
Jessica put an arm around the girl's thin shoulders, gave her a hug. "You'll change your mind when you see the baby. It's not really the baby that's making your Mommy sick. It’s her body that's made that way. You told me once she lost another baby remember? Well, I think your Mommy knew this wasn't going to be easy, but she still wanted to go ahead and have another baby."

"Why?" demanded Molly, "She has me."

"Sometimes," said Jessica slowly, "when parents enjoy one baby very much, they want to go through the experience again. That's why my parents had such a large family. Sometimes they feel they want the child they have to have company so that it won't grow up alone. There are so many different reasons. Why don't you talk to your Mommy about it?"

"Do you think it's going to upset her if I ask her these things?"

Jessica hugged the girl lightly. "Molly, I don't think anything you ask her is going to upset her. My mother always says when we're talking to her, even if we're arguing, she knows everything is going as it should. It's when we're quiet she gets worried. And mothers don't deserve the silent treatment."

While Molly thought it over, Jessica opened the back door to let Arthur out for a bit before they left for the clinic.

"I have to change his water." Molly streaked past.

Jessica watched them in the yard.
Molly was going to be fine. She wished it were as easy to solve her own problems as it was to solve other people's.

Jessica shifted in the blue chair uncomfortably.
She should have worn something else. The canary yellow beach pants and matching tank top covered with a loose mandarin orange shirt weren't the right things for the waiting room of Karl's clinic.

She looked around at the tastefully done walls in amethyst and mocha.
Half of the room was a huge play area, complete with little playhouse and furniture. Everywhere there were things calculated to tempt a child to play, explore, experience. This wasn't a waiting room in the tense, drawn out, tortured sense of the word. It was a place guaranteed to divert even the most nervous child. One tiny tot was occupied with a book. Molly sat on a chair shaped like a giant tooth, coloring a picture.

Mrs. Lucas had smiled warmly at them as soon as they'd come in.
Jessica had taken one look at the receptionist and been reminded of her grandmother. Someone one could discuss anything with, from the state of one's health to a recipe for apple pie with.

"Hi Mrs. Lucas," Molly had greeted.
"Come and take a look at Arthur."

"Jessica, how are you?"
Karl appeared behind Mrs. Lucas looking devastatingly handsome in a white coat. "I won't be long."

Aware she was staring at him, that Mrs. Lucas was watching them both, Jessica gathered her scattered senses and nodded.
Karl picked up a file and disappeared.

"Are you coming?"
Molly asked Mrs. Lucas again.

Mrs. Lucas hurried out from behind the glass partition, her face wreathed in smiles.
"Oh, my! Is he here to visit us again? I have to see if he remembers me from yesterday. He's such a good dog."