Whispers of Winter: A Limited Edition Collection of Winter Romances

by Nicole Morgan

“My handwriting is awful,” she said. “That’s why I print.”

  “I’ll be back,” he said, waving her list.

  “Wait! Take my car, and here’s some cash,” she said, digging through her wallet.

  “If I was working, I wouldn’t take it,” he said. “It’s embarrassing.”

  “Why? You’re buying stuff for me. It’s not like you’re borrowing money. Here’s another twenty. You can pick up lunch if you feel like it.”

  “What about all this food you just bought?” he asked, pointing to the refrigerator.

  “I didn’t get anything good,” she said. “That’s all the low-calorie portion-controlled stuff I eat during the week so I don’t get fat.”

  After admitting her diet secrets, Kendall gave Mark a goofy smile, and he couldn’t help himself, he pulled her to his body and held her for a bit, not in a seductive way at all, but just as a gesture of intimacy that transcended sex. Threading her arms around him, she felt his solid abs and firm back under his flannel shirt, and against him she felt safe.

  “I’ve known you for almost half my life.”

  “Well, for a quarter of mine,” she said, chuckling.

  After a bit, they moved apart, and he brushed her hair away from her face and then bent down to kiss her.

  Surprisingly, his beard was soft. Every sensation floated through her mind: his breath was nice; his lips were soft and dry. Not sure if it was a good thing or not, she made a mental list of what it was like to kiss him, and later she’d examine it, deciding that what made it different was that he wasn’t in a hurry to end it. He was kissing her for the sake of kissing her, not to move through a set of actions that would lead to intercourse, or saying goodbye or hello, it was just a kiss for the sake of a kiss.

  The kiss ended mutually, and she rested her ear against his chest, his heart beating hard and strong.

  He stepped away from her and grinned. “I guess I’ll go to the hardware store now.”

  “Just like that you’re done with me,” she said, smiling up at him.

  “No, not really,” he said. “But for safety’s sake, I’d better get out of here and run your errands so you can call your father.”

  “Oh, right. Dad,” she said. “Thank you. Call me if you run into any trouble.”

  “I’m sure I’ll be fine,” he said, snickering.

  She walked him through the mudroom and watched him get into her car.

  Back inside, she called her father as planned. “Pop, I’m sorry I’m late,” she said. “How the heck are you?”

  “I’m good, waiting for my wayward daughter to call me. We have two feet of snow and it’s not Thanksgiving yet.”

  “That’s Michigan weather for you,” Kendall said. “You’re not out there shoveling, are you?”

  “Oh, no, I hire the neighbor boys to do it and pay them more than I used to make in a week. But they do a good job, and they’re always ready to work for me. I see you had a little bit, too.”

  “I had the neighbor boy shovel for me, too,” Kendall said, grinning.

  They chatted for the requisite twenty minutes, comparing plans for Thanksgiving and the menu. He was appalled that she’d ordered the dinner already cooked instead of accepting an invitation to go to a friend’s house. It was the first time she was tempted to lie to him and say she was having guests instead of a guest, but ended up changing the subject, and he didn’t seem to notice.

  After they hung up, she checked a few more items off her list, running to the second floor and throwing a load of clothes in the washing machine, and watering her few houseplants that would die if she didn’t add their care to her list. When she was done, she heard the garage door open and shut, and a feeling in her heart that surprised her made an appearance. It contained some joy, a little relief, and anticipation. Mark was back.

  She waited at the door for him to get out, smiling, happy. It was the newness of a relationship where everything is going right, and there are no disappointments yet. Accepting that it was the honeymoon period, that something was sure to turn up that would diminish the happiness she felt, refusing to give in to that fear would be difficult for her. She’d do what she could to prolong this phase as long as she could.

  “Lunch,” he said, getting out of the car and holding up a bag of food. “And lightbulbs. The last in the store.”

  “In order to read I’ll have to aim a blowtorch at my book if I have to use those awful bulbs,” she complained. “I just hate them.”

  “I’ll get you a high-intensity lamp,” he said, kissing her again on the way in. “You can have one by your chair and in your bedroom.”

  “Why didn’t I know such a thing existed?” she said, frowning. “Thank you so much.”

  “He’s ordering a battery for your vacuum. Here’s your change. And you’re having a meatball sub for lunch.”

  “My favorite,” she said. “Alternated with a hoagie.”

  They sat at the counter to eat, and he told her anecdotes about his late father, and she shared her conversation with her dad.

  “I’m sorry about your father dying so young,” Kendall said. “I feel for your mom. Losing him must have been so difficult.”

  “Yeah, I sort of got the feeling she never recovered from it, that she’s still grieving. The alcohol doesn’t help. But at least she waited to overindulge until I left for college. She had to work too hard to spend any time drinking before that.”

  “When did your grandmother move in?”

  “She lived there first,” Mark said. “We came to live with her after my dad died. That was a huge adjustment for me because I lost my father and my friends over the same summer. But I got over it. The neighborhood helped. All the old babushkas and the nannies and nonies and yiayias. It used to be a block of grandmothers of every ethnic group. They fed us for years, thinking that would assuage our grief, and it did, in a way. They’ve all died since then. Mrs. Duff was the last to go. I miss her the most.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Kendall said, realizing he was talking about the woman whose house she lived in.

  For a fleeting moment, the imaginary feeling she’d had during the first hour he had been with her on Friday swept over her again. She was a bad lady entertaining a young boy. Quickly learning that the best way to deal with it was to look at him, to see that Mark was a man, helped Kendall work through the maze of dating someone so much younger.

  “How much of my feeling about our age discrepancy am I allowed to share? I mean, I read last night that the guy doesn’t want to be reminded that his girlfriend is old enough to be his mother. That seems like playing a game to me. It is what it is.”

  “You can share whatever you’re feeling,” he said. “I know I’m younger than you are, but I don’t care. I didn’t just pull my feelings for you out of my ass.”

  “Gosh, that makes me feel so much better,” she said, laughing. “You have such a way with words.”

  “You know what I mean. There’s nothing negative between us. It only becomes negative if we make it so. And if that’s the case, we’ll end it. Nothing’s started yet but a friendly visit, correct?”

  “Right. I guess I’m a little scared.”

  “Of what?” he asked, grasping her shoulder.

  “I have to go back to work on Monday. You’ll go back to school after the New Year. In the past twenty-four hours I’ve gotten used to you. I like you being around.”

  “Wow, I’m so glad to hear that,” he said. “And it does suck that we can’t play together for the rest of our lives. But maybe it will be good for you to go to work and for me to go to school, because having time apart will help us keep it real.”

  “You mean instead of running away to Bali together to live in a jungle tree house?”

  “Precisely. Although that does sound fun.”

  They ate the rest of their food contemplating what she’d just said. It was true. In spite of the unknown, having no plan of what the next hour would bring, let alone the next day, she didn’t want the weekend t
o end.

  “I like having you around,” she said again. “I didn’t think it would be this easy having a guy in my house.”

  He chuckled and put his arm around her. “I haven’t really been here that long. You might not be so thrilled if we were sharing a bathroom or a television.”

  “Ha! Yes, the realities of life. I think I’d adjust. We’d work it out.”

  “What are you saying?” Mark asked, looking into her eyes.

  “I’m rushing things, aren’t I?” she said.

  “No, not at all. Just thinking ahead. I’m glad about that. I want you to imagine us together. I can’t wait to graduate now, even more so than before.”

  Sighing, she thought of that carriage house apartment again but didn’t mention it. It wouldn’t be enough for her. If they were going to be together, she wanted them to be together together, but it couldn’t come from her. It had to be something he initiated.

  Her loneliness was suddenly a big factor in decision making. The temptation to speed up the process of whatever was happening loomed large, and she fought it. What was it she usually did on a weekend that was so pressing that she was busy all the time?

  “What are you thinking about?” Mark asked.

  “I’m wondering what I would be doing if you weren’t here. Busywork, probably. Or Dolly and I would take a long walk, probably in neighborhoods I shouldn’t explore on my own. I’d sit in that chair and read while watching traffic going by. Wasting time until Monday morning.”

  “I don’t consider that wasting time,” Mark said. “It’s your way of decompressing after five days of life and death. That’s a lot of pressure.”

  “I guess. Anyway, what’s next?”

  “Do you want to take that walk? Most of the sidewalks are clear. We’ll just stay out of the park.”

  “Okay, yes, a walk would be nice. I have boots and a coat for Dolly although she’s not thrilled with wearing them. Let’s go.”

  They bundled up and headed out. The first person they saw was Sarah Strong.

  “I wondered where you were,” she called. “Where are you headed?”

  “We’re taking Dolly for a walk,” he said, and waved.

  “Is she upset?” Kendall asked when they got farther down the street.

  “Maybe, but she’ll get over it. If she wanted to talk to me, she should have stopped drinking last night and gotten some sleep. I’m not enabling them.”

  “Well, after we walk awhile, maybe you should go back and talk to her. She might have something planned.”

  “I can do that. But we have a date tonight, don’t forget. Chess. And pizza.”

  “Okay, fun!”

  They picked up their walking speed going down the hill, and once again, Mark reached for her hand. His touch made her a little crazy, and she knew it was her chronic romantic deprivation. Making the right decisions was so hard when you were desperate for the touch of another human being. A handsome, sexy man willing and able was especially dangerous. It was a reminder again to go slow, to take the time needed to make sure it was the right thing. Hopping into bed with him on the second day seemed too plausible. She’d have to be careful.

  “I have to say one more thing. It’s a little embarrassing.”

  “Go for it,” he said.

  He’d taken Dolly’s leash and was letting her lead the way, setting the speed, so they were going fast enough that she was a little out of breath.

  “I don’t want to sleep with you tonight. I mean I do, but I don’t.”

  “I know what you mean. We’ll make it an act of our will not to get into bed. I can’t say I’m thrilled about it because I can’t wait.”

  “Me too. But it will be better if we wait. We need to take our time with this because it’s important to me that if it’s real and meant to last, we don’t mess it up.”

  “I’m the king of messing up,” he said.

  “Yes, we all are,” she replied, laughing. “So we’ll avoid any temptation to let our emotions get the best of us.”

  “It’s not my emotions that worry me,” he said, laughing. “It’s that pouty mouth of yours. And that hair. And your legs. And other areas that I won’t mention.”

  Giddy, she giggled, never having had a man say those things to her. “Wow. This is going to be difficult.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  They did their path around the block, and when they got to her driveway, he gave Dolly’s leash back to Kendall.

  “Okay, I might as well get this over with,” he said, looking at his phone. “It’s two o’clock. I’ll be back at six if that’s okay.”

  “Six is great,” she replied.

  In front of everyone in the neighborhood, he bent down to kiss her on the lips. “I’ll see you in four hours. Don’t go anywhere.”

  “I won’t. If I have to run out, I’ll text you.”

  “Okay, if you must.”

  Mark turned and walked down two houses and turned up the path, looking over at Kendall and waving. His hesitancy to leave her thrilled her heart.

  Patiently waiting while Dolly sniffed around, they did the perimeter of the yard, taking in all the wonderful smells of squirrels and possums. Kendall daydreamed, a feeling of serenity that she’d never encountered before taking hold. Could Mark be her missing other half that Plato spoke of? In Greek mythology, Zeus carved humans in two parts, resulting in them spending their lives looking for their missing half. Was Mark hers?

  Smiling at the thought, she went inside the house, never noticing the occupant in a nondescript car parked on the street behind her house, observing her.

  Chapter Three

  Snowmelt left puddles of muddy water in potholes and yards and on sidewalks throughout Philadelphia. By the time Kendall made it to work Monday morning, her car was dripping with mud, her tires probably needed alignment, and her nerves were frazzled. That was until she entered the building and her favorite security guard, Edmond, greeted her.

  “Dr. Williams, how are you doing this morning? You’re looking fine as can be this gloomy day.”

  “And good morning to you, Edmond,” she said, holding her keys out. “If any young man would like to make a few extra dollars today, please ask them to take my car to the car wash on Broad Street during their lunch. They’ll be well paid.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I might do it myself. Christmas is coming, and I need a few dollars that the wife doesn’t know about.”

  “Thank you so much. It’s so disgusting; I just can’t leave it like that all day. And thank you for your smile. It makes a difference.”

  He tipped his hat; the last time she’d asked him to arrange to have her car washed, she gave him fifty dollars. It was worth cutting lunchtime short.

  Everything needing undertaking that didn’t require her direct involvement could be arranged if enough money was available to shell out. Cleaning her house, cutting the grass, even cooking and shopping were all available for a price. Because she was always pleasant and generous with the gifts, things like car washes, gas fill-ups, repairs, etcetera were gladly arranged for by the security and maintenance staff at the hospital.

  On the way to the dressing room, Kendall passed familiar faces, all with smiles for her. Well-liked by all who came into contact with her, the smiles and positive greetings helped move her past the precarious commute. She let herself into the lounge with her key and went to her locker, greeting those around her.

  “Oh, there you are,” Fran Crowley said, squeezing by nurses and doctors in various states of undress. “I tried to call you last night because I got an earful from you-know-who.”

  Having worked together for years, Fran and Kendall were as close as work associates could be in spite of living an hour from each other and having lifestyles at opposite ends of the spectrum. Fran was sixty, black, and married with six children and twelve grandchildren.

  Kendall pulled her over in the corner. “Not Roy!”

  “Yes, ma’am. Were you going to tell me? I heard you have a boy toy.”


  “What a jerk. I will tell you, but it just happened. It just started Friday night. Roy found us at the Walmart on City Line and confronted me! I feel like I should say something to Ed Rosenstein.”

  He was the chief of anesthesiology and Roy’s boss.

  “Is he stalking you?” Fran whispered. “Because here’s what he said to me. ‘I ran into your girlfriend and her boy toy Saturday morning. He had his arm around her. It was very upsetting.’”

  “What else?”

  “I told him to shut up about it, and that was it. Then I couldn’t wait to call you, but I got busy with dinner. In the first place, he lives in Jenkintown. What the hell was he doing on City Line?”

  “He admitted to me that he went to my house first,” Kendall said. “The guy, Mark, didn’t leave until ten last night, and I was so tired I didn’t even wash my face when I went to bed.”

  “We have a long case today, so you can tell me all about it. I’m sitting down and not budging.”

  “Ha! Okay. I have a lot to tell you,” Kendall said.

  “Your patient is held up getting an EKG, so go talk to Rosenstein,” Fran instructed.

  Kendall nodded, tying her scrub pants. She followed Fran out into the hallway past the bank of boxes of shoe covers and hats. They stopped to pull shoe covers over their shoes and grabbed blue caps to put over their hair.

  “Go,” Fran said, pushing her down the hall.

  “I’m going. Page me when the patient’s in the holding area.”

  Fran went off to the OR, and Kendall walked down to the anesthesia offices, formulating what she would say. Since her issue with trying to discourage Roy had been ongoing since his divorce, she thought it was better to nip it in the bud now rather than allow it to go on and fester, and she trusted Ed to do that.

  There was a group of anesthetists in Ed’s office, getting their schedule for the week, so she waited out in the hallway until their informal meeting was over.

  “Kendall, do you need to see me?”

  She peeked around the doorway. “I do if you have time. My room is held up, so I have a few minutes to discuss an issue with you.”