by Holly Jacobs
“Well, we could practice until you were comfortable on the bus and you could try some little trips.”
“Really, Anna?” He hugged her again.
“Really, Colm.” She returned the hug and not for the first time felt rather blessed to spend her days working with such exceptional people. And Colm had moved beyond client. She hadn’t lied. She was sure without any medical documentation that he had one of the biggest hearts ever.
“So, let’s concentrate on when we get off the bus. We need to be downtown. On Main Street. By all the little stores—”
“And Macky’s, right? We ain’t gonna eat there, but we’ll be by it. It’s got a red-and-green thing over the door so that when it’s rainin’ you can stand there and not get wet. I always look for the red-and-green thing.”
“Right. A red-and-green awning. So, you watch out the window and tell me when you think we’re there.”
“Okay, Anna, I’ll watch and tell you.”
He turned in his seat and faced out the window, staring as the streets flashed by.
Five minutes later, the bus finally left the side streets and pulled onto Main Street. “Hey, Anna, this is it. This is near Macky’s, right? And Liam will meet us, right?”
“Right. When I called Liam and asked him if he’d like to have lunch with us, he said he’d meet us at the park.”
“Let’s go, let’s go.” He stood.
“No. Sit down until the bus stops.”
Colm plopped back into the seat. “Oh, yeah, that was the rule on my old bus, too.”
When the bus finally stopped at the small shelter on Main Street, Colm sprang to his feet like a jack-in-the-box whose lid had finally popped. “We’re here, Anna. I got the bag with our lunch, so let’s go find Liam.”
She followed him off the bus. When he got on the sidewalk, he turned around and waved at the driver. “Bye, Mr. Bus Driver. I’ll see you soon ’cause I’m gonna learn to ride a bus by myself. It’s harder than a school bus.”
The driver smiled.
Colm took Anna’s hand. “Let’s go eat, ’cause I’m starvin’. Busses is hard work.”
They walked the couple of blocks to Wyndham Park, a tree-filled block in the center of town. There were benches, a few tables and some chess boards. In the summer, there was generally a contingent of people playing sports like Frisbee and football.
Anna and Colm found Liam waiting for them on a park bench. His hair was mussed. Anna couldn’t decide if it was from the light spring breeze, or because Liam had run his fingers through it. His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You made it.”
She wanted to ask what was wrong. A problem at work? She might not be able to follow his computer jargon, but she’d listen happily, if only to lessen that look of stress she saw in his expression.
Colm dropped Anna’s hand and ran to his brother and hugged him. Anna saw Liam’s expression soften as it always did, when he hugged Colm back. She wondered if he’d look as happy if they hugged…or if they did more than hug.
She very much wondered.
“…AND THE bus driver was so nice, Liam,” Colm said as they sat on the picnic blanket Anna had brought. “That bus driver, he’s got a big heart, not like those kids who beat you up ’cause I’m dumb. They have small hearts, Anna says, and they probably hurt. But I think your face hurt when that Bartle kid hit you.”
Liam glanced at Anna and could see that Colm had been telling her about the bus rides they used to take. “That was a long time ago, Colm. And you and I have both learned not to hit people.”
“Yeah, but I still don’t like that Bartle guy ’cause he hit you.”
That statement summed up Colm in a nutshell.
He should have disliked Bartle because the guy had teased and picked on him. But no, Colm didn’t like him because Bartle had hurt Liam.
Liam was thankful that Colm had never found out about most of his fights.
From the way Anna was looking at him, all caring and sympathetic, he hoped she never found out, either. He didn’t want Anna feeling sorry for him. He wanted her…
He wanted her.
It was that plain and that complicated.
He wanted her to himself. And he felt a pang of guilt that he wanted time away from Colm.
Anna didn’t seem to mind his brother tagging along. She told him as much, and for a while that had been fine with him because Colm provided him with a buffer.
The problem was, he didn’t want a buffer any longer. There were a thousand reasons he shouldn’t try to get any closer to Anna Chapel. He had a full plate what with running his company and managing Colm.
Colm needed a lot of care and would always be his priority. And business had picked up to the extent that Liam was thinking it was time to hire more staff. He was putting it off because he liked his autonomy. He liked being in charge of everything. He didn’t want to train and then supervise other people. His putting off hiring extra help was the reason he had such a raging headache today. Too much business for one man to handle.
He should have said no when Anna called and invited him to lunch today. He could have been partway to his next meeting in Pittsburgh by now. Instead, he was lounging on a blanket in Wyndham Park with Anna and Colm.
He watched Anna unpacking the lunch with Colm, the two of them laughing at something he’d missed as he sat here woolgathering.
He knew what his next move was. Though he loved their outings and loved that she didn’t mind going out with both him and Colm, he would arrange for Betty to stay with Colm one evening so that he and Anna could try another date.
And then…
He studied her as his brother talked. And couldn’t stop himself from leaning over and whispering, “You look lovely today,” in her ear. She didn’t seem pleased by the compliment. As a matter of fact she seemed flustered. As if she wasn’t used to it.
He’d be sure to compliment her more in the future. A woman should be accustomed to people saying nice things about her—to her.
“Liam, ya gotta taste your sandwich. I made it all by myself, but Anna told me how, so it tastes real good. I know ’cause I tasted it, but not the stuff I put on your sandwich. That’d be gross to taste it then put it on someone’s sandwich.”
Liam ate his sandwich and praised Colm’s emerging cooking abilities. And he noticed that Anna glowed over his comments as much as Colm did.
Anna liked being praised for actions more than for her looks. He recalled her once saying something similar.
Most women loved hearing they looked beautiful. And it was easy to say that about Anna. He’d seen her fuss with her hair, and that day on the beach, she’d muttered to herself as the wind whipped it out of its ponytail. But he loved it.
He loved that it was wild and natural. He still frequently felt the overwhelming urge to reach out and gently tug on a curl. And then he’d like to…
“Liam, you ain’t eatin’,” Colm complained.
He quit the image of Anna and concentrated on the lunch. “This is the best picnic I ever had.”
“I know, it’s my best, too,” Colm said.
“My best three,” Anna teased.
Colm looked puzzled.
Liam filled in, “My best four.”
Anna grinned. “My best five.”
“Oh, my best six,” Colm said. “My best seven. My best eight.”
“It’s time to head back to the bus, Colm,” Anna said, clearing up the picnic. “Aunt Betty will be waiting for you, and I have to see another client.”
“Okay.” He started to walk toward the bus stop. “My best eight. No, I did that. Nine. My best nine…”
“I think I started something I might regret,” Anna admitted, as she picked up the bag.
Liam reached for it, to take it from her, and his hand brushed hers. “I’ll see you two back to the bus stop.”
They fell into step next to each other. Despite his height advantage, Anna didn’t seem to h
ave a problem keeping up. As she pulled slightly ahead of him, he watched her curls bounce and smiled. “Anna, could we try for that date again? Maybe tomorrow, if Betty can stay. Without Colm,” he added, in case she’d missed his not-so-subtle invitation.
She turned back sharply enough to look at him that her curls went flying in a dozen different directions. “Just the two of us?”
He nodded. “No Colm this time.”
“Oh. I’d like that.”
He was pretty sure he had a goofy grin on his face as he said, “Good.” But try as he might, he couldn’t seem to stop smiling. “Would you do me a favor?”
Anna nodded. “Sure.”
“Wear that blue dress you had on for our first date.”
She blushed again, and didn’t respond.
“Will you?” he pressed.
“Yes.”
“I’ll call with specifics after I’ve talked to Aunt Betty.”
“You know, Colm could probably stay on his own. We’ve been working on—”
“No,” Liam said simply. There was no way he was leaving his brother on his own in the house. Granted, Colm was doing so much more than he’d ever imagined his brother could, but he wouldn’t put Colm at risk like that. A fire. A stranger. No, Colm wasn’t ready to stay alone, and Liam didn’t think he ever would be. “No. I’ll get someone to stay with him. If not Betty, then someone else.”
“But Liam, he knows how to dial 911, he knows his address and we could leave someone’s number. I’ve got some disposable cell phones from Sunrise. He can use one. My number’s programmed into it. He’s capable of being independent. Some of our clients will always be more dependent on others. And while Colm will always need help, he can function as an adult and—”
“Anna,” Liam said softly. Nothing more than that because he didn’t know what to say.
“Sunrise’s goal is to help every client achieve their maximum potential, and Colm can do that and so much more.”
Anna was pushing again, and while changes in the status quo still made Liam uncomfortable, he knew that she really believed that. She wanted what was best for Colm.
So did he.
He just wasn’t sure what that meant.
He didn’t have Anna’s certainty.
But he didn’t want to fight with her now, partly because he had no idea what he was fighting for or against anymore.
And partly because he very much wanted to kiss her.
He glanced at Colm, who was still counting quietly and heading for the street. Sure that the coast was clear, he leaned down and kissed Anna. He wasn’t sure if it was to distract her from her argument or if it was just pure lust, either way, as his lips met hers, he was glad he’d done it.
Kissing Anna felt right.
If he wasn’t very much aware that Colm was nearby, he could have gone on kissing her for some time. But he was aware, so he pulled back.
“Tomorrow. Friday. A solo date.”
Anna beamed. “Yes, that might be a good idea.”
ANNA DIDN’T HAVE to play the pick-the-clothing game before Friday’s date because Liam had already requested the blue dress. She was happy to oblige, if only to keep herself from agonizing over choices again.
Aunt Betty had been more than happy to watch Colm. As a matter of fact, she’d been practically bursting with excitement over Anna’s date with Liam. “You two would be perfect together,” the older woman had practically crooned.
Anna thought Betty was sweet, but she chafed at the notion that Colm had to have a babysitter. Chafed because she knew Colm could have managed a few hours on his own at home.
Liam had relaxed so much since that first meeting. He praised Colm’s accomplishments and had let her have free rein. But there was still something—even when he wasn’t voicing any complaints she could see that Colm’s growing independence was a problem for him, and she wasn’t sure why.
Maybe they’d discuss it tonight.
When the doorbell rang, she decided to cut to the chase and talk to him here, at her place. She answered the doorbell and started, “Liam, I…”
That’s as far as she got. Despite her resolution, the second she saw Liam, her thoughts of a confrontation evaporated. She wasn’t sure what it was, but every time she saw Liam her breath gave a little hitch. He could be the most exasperating man in the world, but still, he sort of made her turn to mush when he smiled at her.
And he was smiling at her now as he did a head-to-toe perusal of her outfit. “You wore it.” His voice was husky.
“Yes,” was all she could manage to say. She grabbed her purse from the hall table, turned and locked the door.
Liam reached out and took her hand in his. “I’m glad you wore it. You were such a good sport about our last attempt at a solo date. I wanted to take you somewhere nice. There’s this winery in Ohio—Ferrante’s. I thought we could drive there for dinner. It’s a little bit of a drive?” The last sentence was more of a question than a statement.
“It’s a beautiful night for a drive,” she assured him. “It sounds lovely.”
He paused at the passenger door to his car. “Before we officially start the date, I’d like to make a rule.”
She chuckled. “A rule?”
“Yes. No shop talk. I won’t talk computers, you won’t talk Sunrise. We’re simply two people on an official date. I want to know more about you, Anna.” He gently ran his finger along her cheek. It made her breath hitch all over again.
He dropped his hand to his side and opened her car door for her. “That was a yes, you agree, right?”
“Yes,” she assured him as she slid into her seat. He shut the door and she murmured, “I’d like to know more about you, too.”
He walked around the car, got into the driver’s seat and started the ignition.
It was a lovely May evening. The drive north on I-79 to I-90 was a quiet one. All their conversations to date had been about Colm. Now that it was only the two of them and Liam had announced his no-work-discussion policy, she wasn’t sure what to say, and Liam wasn’t making any opening conversational gambit.
They had another hour or so heading west on I-90 before they got to the restaurant, and Anna found herself wishing they’d stayed in Whedon and eaten at Macky’s. Or even driven the short ride to Erie and eaten at one of the numerous Peach Street restaurants.
She felt as if she was suffocating in the silence. Liam had made up his rule because he wanted to know more about her, which was fine, because she wanted to know more about him, but if the silence persisted, the only thing she was going to know was how many mile markers there were between the two I-90 exits. She burst out, “Twenty Questions?”
Liam glanced over at her, then looked back at the road. “What?”
Anna was glad Liam couldn’t watch her because she knew her suggestion was lame. “I can’t think of anything else. We can take turns. Me first.”
“Why do you get to go first?”
She could tell from his tone he was teasing, and she relaxed. “Because I thought of it, so I go first.”
“Ooo-kay,” he said slowly.
Anna decided to start with the basics. “Did you always live in Whedon?”
“Yes. You?”
Two words from him. That wasn’t the most informative answer ever, but she’d take it. It was a start. “No. I was born in Erie and lived most of my childhood there. When my father died, Mom and I moved to Whedon. I was a junior in high school.”
“I’m a couple of years older than you, so I’d have already graduated, which explains why I don’t remember you from school. Whedon’s small enough that I pretty much remember everyone in high school, at least vaguely. And I guarantee I wouldn’t have forgotten you.”
He took his eyes off the road, and there was enough heat in his glance that Anna felt flushed and flustered. She was saved from trying to come up with another question when he added, “That must have been hard on you, losing your dad then mo
ving.”
Anna remembered that year. It was probably the worst one of her life. “Mom couldn’t keep up the payments on the house in Erie, and we moved into an apartment there. Then she got a job offer in Whedon, and it was easier to move than drive.”
“Easier on her, not on you.” He sounded annoyed on her behalf.
“I’d have never told Mom, but yeah, it was hard. After losing Dad, then the house I grew up in, we moved and I lost all my friends at Mercyhurst Prep and then started in the public school here. It was a bad time.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not.” Now that she thought about it, she wasn’t. “The move might have been difficult at first, but it took me in a new direction. A good one. Along the way I realized that sometimes the hardest things are for the best. Ms. Marshal was my new homeroom teacher in Whedon. She ran the Special Ed department, and a few months into my first term, she asked if I’d mind helping one of her students. Julie was her name. I started volunteering a lot with Julie, then with Ms. Marshal’s whole class. The time I spent there inspired me. It’s why I took special education when I went to college. I thought I’d end up a Special Ed teacher like Ms. Marshal.”
“Instead you went to work for Sunrise?”
“I tried the classroom, but there were always so many students that I felt as if I shortchanged all of them. I met Ceelie at different events here in town. Sunrise was a one-horse show at that point. She offered me a job. Technically, Ceelie’s my boss, but with just the two of us, it’s more of a partnership. Whedon’s small enough that the two of us can handle most of its special needs residents. Some of them require more than we can offer and travel into the Barber Center in Erie.” She shrugged. “It’s been three years and I still love it. I have a lot more autonomy. I can work one-on-one with the clients and tailor the lessons to their needs. I can work with adults, like Colm, or with younger students who are still in the school system. Some, like Colm, are higher functioning, and others are less so. But with all of them, I can help them go beyond their preconceived limits and—”
