Second Chances (107 page)

He smiled and reached out to her, but it was like being touched by warm air.  He had no substance. 
Let me hold you until you fall asleep,
he murmured in her mind.

She nodded and felt the warm air envelop her body.  As usual, she wore only panties to bed.  And though she couldn’t feel him truly touch her, the warmth was all over her.  She heard him moan.  She rolled to face him.  She closed her eyes and let him roam all over her.  And as she slept a smile grew on her peaceful face.

When he woke up at dawn in his Escalade with a stiff neck, Evan was startled.  He had more than a shadow of growth covering his face.  His hair was disheveled.  What would his father say if he could see him now?  He was now a common stalker.  Ah, but the ends justified the means.  He would have his prize yet.  He wasn’t a creep; he was just doing his homework.  He had to know her routines.  He had to know her friends, who came and went when.

That ex-husband of hers might be a problem.  He didn’t seem to have a set schedule.  He sometimes arrived after midnight and stayed the night, or he came home, changed and left again.  That could be a challenge.  He would have to somehow work around that.  And while he brooded over that new dimension to his already complex plan, he drove back to his apartment to shower and change for the day.

“How do you get to me?”  Sarah asked the next day when he stopped by with breakfast for them to enjoy in their courtyard. 

Misunderstanding the question, he said, “Well, I hope with gestures like this.” He passed her a bagel and more chamomile tea.

She grinned.  “No, I mean last night.”  She looked at him, completely serious.

“Oh, that.”  He sighed, struggling to explain.  “I guess my heart knows where it wants to go.  I just imagine your room as I project.  Or, if you weren’t here, for example, I could focus on you, forging a connection with you.  That would work as well.”

Sarah thought on what he had said in silence for a few minutes.  When she looked up at him her eyes were sparkling with interest.  “When do I get to try?”

He mimicked Pat Morita in
The Karate Kid
.  “First learn balance.”

“Fine,” she said.  She rested her head upon his shoulder and focused on relaxing.

Brian interrupted her reverie.  “So, did you talk to Josh about Thursday?”

“Ugh.”  She shook her head vigorously.  “Soon.  Maybe even tonight.”

Sarah sat swaying gently on the porch, studying the clear blue sky while Chloe played in the sandbox.  A passing vehicle caught her attention for the briefest of moments as her daughter begged her to look at the ant village she had designed.  The sun glinted off the black SUV, but it couldn’t hold her attention from Chloe.  The cordless phone rang from the vacant space beside her where she had carelessly dropped it earlier.

“Are you okay?”  Brian queried.  He had been grading some final projects when he had the intense urge to call and check on her.

“Yes,” she responded curiously.  “Is that what you called to ask?”  She sat down on the grass next to Chloe and looked around cautiously.

“Not entirely,” Brian lied.  “I was hoping I could talk you into coming over for a cookout tonight.”  He focused intently on her, urging her to agree.  He wanted her close where he knew she was safe.

“Do you have ulterior motives?”  She asked suspiciously.  She wanted to be playful, but felt there was more going on than was apparent.

“Naturally.  You’d be disappointed if I didn’t.”  He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly to soothe his heart rate before beginning again.  He didn’t want her to feel his alarm.  “I just want my two favorite women to join me for dinner.”

“Hmm.”  Sarah sounded unconvinced.

“And I thought I might persuade them to spend the night.”  He could tell she was considering the offer.  “I’ll go with you to drop Chloe off in the morning.”  She was gradually caving in.  “I’ll even throw in Ben and Jerry’s tonight...
”  Now for the clincher.  “...and Starbuck’s in the morning.”

“Ohhh,” she began agitatedly, realizing she was beaten.  “You know all of my weaknesses.”  She smiled and sighed.  “What should I bring?”

Snatching Chloe up from the grass, the two raced to the house to pack.  Brian was on his way over.  He insisted on picking them up so they could shop for dinner together.  They had their bags prepared and were waiting on the porch with big giddy smiles when he pulled up the drive.  For that moment, Brian didn’t have to imagine what it would be like to come home to a family every night.  And in that moment he was filled with joy and wonder.

They had finished all of their errands, Sarah thought, when Brian pulled up beside the kitchen entrance at Le Cafe.  She glared at him for a moment before speaking.  “What are we doing here?”  She asked quietly.

“Go ask him,” Brian said softly, giving her a gentle nudge toward the door.

“Now?”  The word was both a question and an exclamation.

He nodded.  “It’s a public place.  He works here and therefore won’t want to cause a scene.  Besides, he’ll want to look good for Tessa.  The timing is perfect.”

Sarah tilted her head to the side in disbelief.  Of all the times she had envisioned speaking to Josh and all the places she had thought the conversation might take place, the restaurant had been the furthest from her mind.  She was about to shake her head emphatically when Brian’s voice filled her.

Don’t you want to stay with me?  Can’t you imagine sharing a hotel with me in Montreal?  We could have the most amazing time if you would just ask him...

“Ugh,” Sarah grumbled.  She stepped out of the car, shot him an irritated look that he met with a smile, and marched to the screen door.  The kitchen staff looked up in surprise as she let herself in.  “Josh?”  She asked no one in particular.  Several hands pointed toward the dining room door.

Josh and Tessa were in the middle of a passionate embrace when Sarah cleared her throat.  The two sprang apart at the noise.  And Tessa, recognizing the source of the interruption, skulked back to the kitchen.  Weeks before Sarah would have been hurt by what she had just witnessed, but it was amazing how her perspective had changed under the assurance of Brian’s love and attention.  “Could we speak for a moment, Josh?”  She asked politely, still the picture of perfect calm.

He seemed to remember their last encounter at the restaurant and looked around as though he expected to be drenched with some foreign liquid.  Sarah smirked as she waved both hands to prove she was unarmed.  Josh blushed slightly.

“So, what brings you here?”  He asked as he glanced out the window.  A scowl filled his face.  “Or should I ask, who?”

Sarah ignored his barb and tried to focus instead on the purpose of her visit.  “I need your help with something.”  She took a breath.  Asking Josh for favors was not among her favorite pastimes.  Then she reminded herself that he was supposed to be Chloe’s other parent and pulled herself together.  Standing more erect than before, she began, “I have a school trip on Thursday.”  His face darkened, but still she pressed on.  “It’s an overnight.”  He uttered a sound of disgust.  “Chloe will be with my mother during the day, but since it
is
your night off, I would like you to watch her at the house then drop her off to my mother again in the morning.” 

Sarah waited for his response.  His eyes narrowed as he spoke to her.  “So you want me to baby-sit?”  He spat the words at her.

The hairs on her neck bristled.  “No, Josh.  I want you to take care of your child.  You can’t baby-sit your own child.  You
can
, however, act as a parent for one lousy stinking night.”  His eyes opened wide.  “Or is that too much to ask?”  She leaned in as she challenged him to respond.

“Fine,” he said with about as much enthusiasm as a person might have scheduling a root canal.

And with a bit of satisfaction, Sarah turned on her heels and strode back to the car.  She knew that Brian had been party to the entire exchange.  She could feel him with her there in the restaurant. 
Happy?
   She asked him.

Ecstatic. 
He responded as she plopped down in the car beside him.  He reached out to her then, grasped her hand in his, and concentrated on sending her soothing emotions.  Her blissful sigh indicated his success.  Feeling happier himself, he turned the car back on to the road, headed toward his mill.