Second Chances (17 page)

By the time she reached the preschool, she was practically beaming.  The girls raced toward her, new finger paintings in hand.  Clearly that talent was one inherited from their mother; she thought sarcastically as she studied with great interest the pictures she had been handed.  Almost instantly she realized that the girls had done renderings from the book she read them each night.

“Is this a baobab?”  She asked Rory, who beamed and nodded her head, pig tails bobbing.  “Very nice.  I knew what it was immediately!”

Studying the second picture, she smirked.  “I know just what this one is, Zoe.”   She smiled down at the little girl who anxiously awaited her approval.

 The little girl elbowed her sister.  “Told you,” she whispered.  She looked at her mother expectantly.   “What is it, Mommy?”  Her eyes were sparkling with excitement.

“This is a boa constrictor eating an elephant.”  She smiled broadly at the girls.  Maybe they were really listening after all.  And just as quickly, the moment passed.

Choruses of ‘what’s for dinner’ followed her to the vehicle and she frowned.  In her zeal to leave the house, she had forgotten to call in for takeout.  This was one of the times she regretted not having a cell phone.  Glancing at her watch, she sighed.  It was going to have to be either pizza or Chinese, anything else would take too long.  Another sigh, she didn’t even know what Gavin liked on his pizza or his Chinese take out preferences.  “Well, crapalapa,” she moaned, to the girls’ delight.  For some reason they took great pleasure in the words their mother chose to spew in stressful moments. 

Nearly forty-five minutes later, she pulled into the driveway only to find Gavin pacing agitatedly in the foyer.  Seeing her struggle with the pizza boxes, he quickly forgot his wrath and moved to her aid.

“Thank you,” Hannah said, genuinely appreciating his efforts.  “I’m sorry I was gone longer than expected.  I forgot to call the order in before I left and it took that much longer to have to wait for it…”  She prepared to continue in her already lengthy explanation of her expedition, but was interrupted.

“And that is why I’m giving you this.”  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a new iPhone in a blue Otter Box. 

Leaning over, Hannah stared at the device he held in his hand.  It was precisely the color she would have chosen had she been able to pick for herself.   And the style was more high-tech than she would ever have been able to afford.  As much as she longed to touch it, she couldn’t bring herself to do so.  She wasn’t used to presents.  She wasn’t used to being treated so well by a man, let alone an employer.  Slowly, she shook her head.  Her pride simply would not allow her to accept it.

“What do you mean?”  He asked in a voice laced with confusion, “What’s the head shaking all about?”

Struggling to find the words, she began slowly, “I can’t accept this.”  And she turned and marched up the steps to her bedroom.

A moment later, he heard the door click shut behind her.  He stared up the stairs, trying to understand.  What could he have done to offend her?  And what made her think she could turn down his gift?  Scowling, he dropped the pizza boxes on the dining room table, headed up the stairs and stopped in front of her door.  His fist was poised to knock when the door swung open abruptly.  They were both startled but he managed to find his words first.

“You have to take the phone,” he argued.

Drawing a shaky breath, Hannah said, “Can’t we discuss this after dinner?  I just realized the girls are probably in the dining room staring at pizza boxes.”  She offered a weak smile.

He frowned.  “There’s nothing to discuss.”  Folding his arms in front of his chest, he continued, “I need to be able to reach you.  You need a phone for safety reasons.”  He was prepared to tick off more explanations for the exorbitant gift, but stopped when he saw her eyebrow arch.

“I thought that safety was the reason for leasing the SUV,” she challenged.

“It was,” he spluttered.  “That death trap you were driving could have broken down and left you and the girls stranded at any given moment.”  He leaned towards her.  “A safe vehicle does not replace the need for a phone.  What if you’re in an accident?”  He threw his hands in the air in disgust.  “And I know how much you value organization.  This will help!”  He could tell she was still unmoved.  “Damn it, Hannah!” He growled.  “Why won’t you just let me take care of you?  Why won’t you let me help you?”  His shoulders drooped in defeat.  He stared at her.  She was so stubborn.  She was such a challenge.  “Fine.  We’re not through discussing this.  We’ll talk more once the girls are in bed.”  And he turned on his heels and headed down the stairs to the dining room.

Needing a few moments to
gain her self composure, Hannah had gone into her bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror.  She wasn’t pleased with what she saw.  She leaned over the sink and finally laid her cheek against the cool marble counter, waiting for the negative feelings welling up within her to dissipate.  She struggled to make sense of that.  She smiled weakly.  It wasn’t that he would ever hold it over her head.  She sighed.  And she knew he genuinely was concerned for her safety and that of the children.  She scowled.  On top of that, he had obviously given it some thought, some careful selection.  Great.  She was going to have to back down.  She was going to have to concede defeat.  More than anything, that would make her feel weak, and she hated being weak.

With each step toward the dining room, her stomach hurt more.  It was too quiet, she realized, when she walked through the archway.  The room was empty.  She went to the hearth room and the kitchen only to find those rooms vacant as well.  Confused, she stood for a moment in the stillness.  The sounds of laughter wafted through the open French doors.  Slowly, she peered out the door.  The kids weren’t seated at the patio table either.  A movement to her left caught her attention.  She turned and gasped. 

There was a big red linen tablecloth laid out on the ground surrounded by numerous candles.  Having noticed her arrival, Gavin walked over and threw a wrap over her shoulders.  “It’s getting a bit chilly,” he commented in a low voice.  “I thought you might need this.”

She stood there, staring up at him, fully aware of the warmth that was spreading through her from his hands lingering on her shoulders.  Something about the moment left her breathless.  She nodded and whispered, “Thank you.”

“Come eat with us,” he murmured as he propelled her down the steps toward the grassy spot he had selected for their dinner.

The girls were chattering happily while they ate their pizza.  “Look, Mommy!  A real picnic!”  And they laughed in true delight.

“I find that sometimes when the meal is nothing much to look at, a little ambiance helps,” Gavin said with a hesitant smile. 

“I can’t believe you,” she said, shaking her head as he passed her a plate of food.  She sat and stared about her.  She couldn’t have asked for a more pleasant night for a picnic.  The twilight was taking hold, the stars appearing by degrees in the darkening sky.  If she listened closely enough, she could hear the water lapping at the shore.  It was the kind of experience that made her wish for things that could never be.  She blinked to hold back the tears that threatened to form in her eyes.  Better that she save her energy for eating.  No use upsetting her stomach further.  And she threw herself into the conversation taking place around her.

That night, before she was even seated in the chair across from him, Gavin was pressing the phone issue once more.
  He swallowed.  It was hard for him to say what needed to be said.  He was used to barking orders and being taken seriously.  He should have known this woman was going to give him trouble from the start when she didn’t even recognize the importance of his family name.  His mouth felt like sand as he struggled to form the one word that he knew might sway her, might make her more malleable.  For reasons he couldn’t possibly express, that she accept the phone was of the utmost importance to him at that moment.

“Please,” he croaked.  His head bowed slightly and his voice dropped several decibels, “Please take the phone.”  He no longer held it in his clammy palm.  Instead he nudged it across the desk with one finger until it was in front of her.  Then he slowly moved his hand away, as though he were afraid any rapid movement might spook her.

Relief flooded through her.  He was giving her an out.  They were both wrong.  They were both right.  The solemn look faded and was replaced by a hesitant smile.  Her head dropped to the side as she studied him a moment.  “Okay,” she said quietly.  His reaction she recognized as relief with a hint of disbelief.  She nodded again to reassure him.  “I’ll take the phone.”

His shoulders sagged as though a heavy burden had been lifted.  They were both winning.  And had he really lost anything by asking nicely?  Gavin watched as the transformation in Hannah was complete.  He could actually see her brightening as they eyed each other across the desk.

“So, are you going to teach me how to use it?”  The playful tone had returned to her voice.

“Of course,” he said smiling.  He motioned to the couch that was close to the fire.  “Let’s go sit over there and I’ll help get you started.”  They walked over to the couch and she once again folded her legs under her.  He smiled, knowing it meant she was comfortable.  All was well between them once more.

“What should we do first?”  She asked eagerly, practically bouncing with enthusiasm

“First, we’ll program all the important numbers.”  He smiled.  “Naturally, I have already taken the liberty of programming all my important numbers for you.”  He showed her how to scroll through her phone book.  “The direct line to my office is in there, as well as the home phone, my cell phone…” His voice trailed off as he continued through the directory, “And this is the doctor.”  He tried to hide a chuckle, knowing full well that he would get a jab to the shoulder for that comment.

Hannah didn’t disappoint him, but surprised him instead with an elbow to the side.  “You insufferable man,” she complained half-heartedly, earning a full-blown laugh.  Her eyebrows rose expressively at the unfamiliar but welcome sound.  “Thanks for the tour; can I add some of
my
important numbers now?”

 “Certainly.  Let’s see what you consider to be an important number.”  He glanced at the ceiling while he thought.  “Oh, I know.  Wing Stop.  Papa John’s Pizza.  And let’s not forget Ru San’s.”  He smirked as he listed some of her favorite restaurants.

“Actually,” she said playfully, “I thought I’d start with family and friends.  We’ll add Amy first.”

Though he was sitting closest to the fireplace and the room had to be seventy degrees, he shivered.  “Amy?”  He asked weakly.