by Laura Iding
He spun round to find Molly hovering in the doorway, dressed in the clothing she’d worn the day before, only this time she’d pulled her long red-gold hair back into its usual ponytail, a style that made her look incredibly young.
Or maybe he was just incredibly old.
“Ah, good morning, Molly.” What was it about her that made it difficult for him to think straight? He glanced down at the bacon with a guilty flush. “My patients are children, not adults. And, besides, having bacon once in a while isn’t too bad, right?”
She laughed softly and hitched her purse over her shoulder. “I guess not, although I must confess I would have imagined you making wholegrain pancakes or granola and yogurt for breakfast.”
He grimaced wryly. “Guess I’ve tarnished my image, huh? Come in, have a seat. Would you care for coffee?”
She gazed longingly toward the coffeepot, but slowly shook her head. “No, I should probably head home. I just wanted to thank you for your hospitality.”
“You can’t leave without eating breakfast,” he said in a rush of panic, ridiculously upset that she intended to leave so early. “Did you really think I was cooking all of this for me?” he asked, gesturing to the meal in progress incredulously.
“Well...” she said doubtfully. “I don’t want to impose on your family time.”
He didn’t have the heart to admit that he and Josh didn’t exactly have family time, at least not in the way she probably thought. They had more of a trying-to-rekindle-their-broken-relationship-time, which consisted of awkward silences more than anything else.
“If you leave now, you would be imposing on me and Josh to eat all this food by ourselves,” he teased, trying to keep his tone light. “Please sit down, and are you sure you wouldn’t like a cup of coffee?”
She chewed her lower lip nervously, but then ventured farther into the kitchen, taking a seat on the stool in front of the breakfast nook. “I’d love some coffee. The mere scent was enough to wake me up from a sound sleep.”
He busied himself with pouring her a mug of coffee, sliding it over to her before getting one for himself. “Cream, sugar?” he asked.
“Cream or milk, if you have some.” She cupped her hands around the mug as if needing the warmth.
He brought out the milk, and then frowned. “Are you cold? I’ll turn up the heat.”
“Maybe a little,” she admitted, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. “It’s been so nice the past few days, but now I can see frost outside.”
“Welcome to spring in New York,” he muttered. “Hang on a minute, I’ll get you a sweatshirt.”
He flipped the bacon strips before he retreated to his bedroom, looking for one of his sweatshirts. He brought it out for her, oddly pleased at how she looked wearing his clothing.
“Thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do,” he responded. “I, uh, hope you like French toast,” he said, crossing back over to the stove. “It’s Josh’s favorite.”
“I love it,” she assured him. She took a sip of her coffee and he couldn’t help thinking how pretty she was. Suzy had worn enough makeup to paint a clown, but he preferred Molly’s fresh-scrubbed beauty any day of the week.
Forcing his gaze to the task at hand, he dunked the bread slices in the egg mixture and set them into the sizzling fry pan.
“Dan, I have a question for you and I hope you don’t think I’m intruding or anything.”
He glanced up from the French toast. “You can ask me anything, Molly,” he said truthfully. After baring his soul to her last night about Josh’s mother, he couldn’t imagine what could be too intrusive.
“It’s, uh, about Josh’s birthday.” She was staring down at her coffee as if afraid to look him in the eye. “I was wondering if you’d made any plans?”
He tightened his jaw, and spent a few minutes flipping the bread slices before answering. “No, I haven’t planned anything yet,” he said slowly. “But I’m guessing you think I should have some sort of party?”
“I don’t want to tell you what to do,” she said hesitantly. “But if you were going to have a party, I’d offer to help.”
“You would?” He glanced up and caught her gaze. She looked so hopeful he found he couldn’t deny her anything. “What sort of party are you imagining?” he asked with a mock frown.
“Here’s what I’ve been thinking,” she said, leaning forward eagerly. “We could get a whole bunch of wheelchairs from the clinic and invite Josh’s friends to a game of wheelchair football. That way he could play with them, and I think his friends would get a kick out of it, too. We could serve either hot dogs and hamburgers or pizza for dinner. What do you think?”
He had to admit she’d nailed the best idea he’d ever heard. “I think it’s a perfect idea. If the weather co-operates.”
“I know. March is dicey,” she murmured. “But as long as it’s not snowing, they can bundle up and we don’t have to play for hours. If it’s cold, we can start at the park and then come here afterward.” She glanced around at his immaculate apartment and frowned. “If you don’t mind the fact that the kids will likely make a mess,” she added doubtfully.
Normally, he wasn’t ashamed at the fact that he liked his life neat and orderly, but the way she looked at his things made him feel slightly embarrassed. Since when was having a clean home more important than his son’s happiness?
“I don’t mind at all,” he quickly interjected. “All that matters is that Josh and his friends have fun.”
She relaxed, a bright smile blooming on her face. His gut tightened with awareness. He’d never been more attracted to a woman than he was to Molly. She was a beacon of light in his otherwise drab existence. “Great. There’s no time to lose. We have to invite his friends as soon as possible.”
“I’ll call his teacher, I’m sure she’ll give me the names of the kids in his classroom.”
“You should invite all of them, girls, too,” Molly informed him.
“Girls?” He didn’t try to hide his surprise. “Really? Isn’t first grade a little young for having girls over?”
“It’s just the polite thing to do,” she said. “Besides, we’re planning this at the last minute, so I’m worried a lot of the kids might not be able to come.”
He scowled as he scooped the slices of French toast off the griddle and stacked them on a plate. He hoped the kids in Josh’s class would come, and hoped that giving them all wheelchairs to use would keep the teasing down to a minimum.
“Breakfast is ready,” he said, carrying the plate over to the breakfast nook. He pulled the bacon out of the pan, too, blotting the grease and then stacking them on another plate. Lastly he pulled out the maple syrup, before sliding into the seat beside her, so close their elbows bumped.
He watched with amusement as she doused her French toast with enough maple syrup to float a boat. She took a big bite and then closed her eyes, as if savoring the flavor. “Mmm, absolutely delicious,” she announced.
“Thanks.” He took a bite of his food, admitting that it was pretty darned good. But he knew the main reason he was enjoying his meal so much was because of Molly. Somehow she had the ability to brighten his day with nothing more than a smile.
Selfishly, because he didn’t have much to offer her in return, he found himself wishing that she would be around to share breakfast with him every morning.
* * *
Molly told herself at least ten times to leave Dan’s to return home, but
somehow she ended up spending the entire morning with him. And Josh.
She was thrilled that he’d agreed to her idea for Josh’s birthday party. And if she was a little annoyed that he hadn’t come up with something for himself, she put those feelings aside.
She was beginning to realize that Dan needed help, not just in learning how to play games but in learning how to be a father. What his ex had done, leaving him alone with a small son to raise on his own, was appalling. And while she understood he had a very demanding career, operating on young infants and children, surely they weren’t more important to him than his son?
She couldn’t help wondering about him, especially his past, even as she insisted on helping to clean up the breakfast dishes. To her surprise, Dan refused to let her do the work alone. Working side by side with him in such a mundane task as washing dishes brought a strange sort of intimacy to their relationship.
“I’d like to massage Josh’s legs one more time before I go,” she said as she finished drying the last pan. “Too bad I don’t have the ultrasound machine here for him. He could really benefit from that therapy, too.”
Dan scowled as he took the damp dishtowel from her. “I could buy one, if you think that would help.”
“Buy one?” she echoed, aghast. “Do you have any idea how expensive they are?”
“Doesn’t matter,” he said with a shrug. “I’ll buy one today, if you think it would help.”
She could hardly believe he was really offering to purchase an expensive piece of equipment for Josh to use for such a short time.
But then again, wasn’t she surrounded by luxury? Dan Morris obviously could afford an ultrasound machine. Or anything else he or Josh desired.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she muttered. “We can stop by the clinic and use the ultrasound there just as easily.”
“Great. And then maybe we can take in a movie this afternoon, too.”
“Yeah!” Josh said with barely repressed enthusiasm. “Come on, Molly. Please? Please come see a movie with us?”
She wanted to say no. Needed desperately to put distance between them. Maybe Dan cooked breakfast like a normal person, but he was a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, for heaven’s sake. Wasn’t this fancy condo proof of how he moved in much higher circles than she could even fathom? She’d heard rumors that his salary was seven figures. Talk about a mind-boggling amount. She didn’t make a tenth of what he did.
This...friendship, or camaraderie or whatever they had couldn’t go anywhere. Why was she setting herself up for more heartache? She was destined to remain an outsider, and nothing was going to change that. Dan only thought he needed her now, but as soon as he’d repaired his relationship with his son, he’d move on.
“Please, Molly?” Josh said again. And looking down at Josh’s big brown eyes, mirror images of his father’s, she couldn’t bring herself to say no.
“Yes, Josh, I’d love to see a movie with you.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
GOING INTO THE physical therapy clinic on Sunday, when no one was around, felt strange. Molly didn’t think she would get into trouble or anything but, still, she knew she’d be glad when she’d finished the ultrasound treatments to Josh’s legs.
While she worked on Josh, she did her best to ignore Dan’s intense gaze, but it wasn’t easy. At this point she didn’t think he was watching her because he didn’t believe in her technique.
No, this time she had the distinct impression he was watching her out of some sort of personal interest. Not a romantic interest, she told herself quickly, but more as if she were some sort of alien creature that he couldn’t quite figure out.
Maybe because she was so different from his ex? Hearing Josh cry for his mother had really bothered her. She couldn’t imagine how Dan managed to cope with the demands of being a single parent.
“Can we go to the movie now?” Josh asked eagerly, after choosing a root-beer-flavored lollipop. She hid a smile, figuring he was planning to try every single flavor in the jar before starting over with grape.
“Sure thing, champ,” Dan said with a gentle smile. Was it her imagination or was he already getting closer to his son? “We have plenty of time to get there before the show starts, no problem.”
“Yay,” Josh said, using his arms to propel his wheelchair forward as they made their way back out to the car. “I can’t wait.”
Dan sent Molly a wry smile over Josh’s head. He’d already explained that Josh wanted to see the latest Disney film, and she honestly didn’t mind. The last cartoon film she’d seen had been one that she’d watched with James’s two sons.
And if she remembered correctly, James had begged off, claiming he had work to do. Now she wondered if he’d been seeing that other woman even then.
No reason to torture herself over that now. Her friend Kara had told her she was much better off without James, and while that had been difficult to believe at first, it was easier now. Today was about Josh, not her. She was determined to enjoy herself, while protecting her heart.
Getting to the movie theater didn’t take long and once Dan had spent a small fortune on popcorn and soft drinks, they found a place in the back where Josh could sit in his wheelchair at the end of an aisle.
“Sit next to me, Molly. Sit next to me!”
She did as Josh asked, hoping Dan wouldn’t mind. He didn’t say anything, simply took the seat to her right, the action causing their shoulders to brush lightly. She settled back in her seat, telling herself to focus on the ultra-wide screen.
Flanked on either side by the Morris men made it difficult for her to concentrate on the movie. As the one in the middle she was the one stuck holding the bucket of popcorn. She grew acutely aware of Dan leaning over to help himself, especially when his arm stayed pressed against hers. Warmth radiated from his skin, sending shivers of awareness rippling along her arm.
But she didn’t move away, despite knowing she should.
The movie was a cute story and she soon found herself giggling right along with Josh. And when she heard Dan laughing softly, she was secretly thrilled he’d unbent enough to enjoy the show.
“That was fun. Thanks for bringing me along,” she said after the movie ended.
“I’ll drive you home,” Dan offered quickly. “Unless Josh and I could convince you to stay for dinner?”
“I couldn’t eat a thing after all that popcorn,” she protested. “Besides, I really need to get home.”
“I understand,” he murmured, although she caught a glimpse of disappointment shadowing his gaze.
Her resolve almost wavered. Almost. But she’d already let this go on long enough. What was she thinking, spending time with Dan and Josh as if they were more than friends? The last thing she needed was to make the same mistake with Dan and Josh as she had with James.
The ride to her apartment didn’t take long. When Dan pulled up, he jumped out before she could stop him, coming over to open her door for her.
“Bye, Josh, see you tomorrow,” she said as she climbed out of the car. When Dan drew her toward him so he could close the door, she had the insane thought he was going to haul her into his arms and kiss her, but then he whispered in her ear, “I’ll call you later to finalize the details about Josh’s party.”
She flushed and ducked her head, hoping he wouldn’t notice her embarrassment. “Okay, sounds good.” With a final wave to Josh she turned and hurried inside.
Feeling Dan’s gaze boring into her back
with every step.
* * *
Dan forced himself to get back into the car with Josh, when every cell in his body wanted to follow Molly. He was getting tied up in knots over the woman, and he knew it. Yet knowing it and stopping himself from thinking about her were two entirely different things.
Molly had helped him mend his relationship with Josh, but what he was feeling for her went beyond gratitude. He knew he needed to rein in his feelings, and fast.
But despite his firm pep talk, when he and Josh returned home he couldn’t help noticing that the spacious three-bedroom apartment seemed empty now that Molly was gone. Which was ridiculous. How was it possible that his home seemed complete only when Molly was here? Nothing made any sense anymore.
He turned on some music, hoping to fill the emptiness. He busied himself making arrangements for Josh’s birthday party and the wheelchair football game. There wasn’t much he could do on a Sunday night, but he vowed to contact Josh’s teacher first thing in the morning. The party would take place in two weeks on Saturday afternoon.
So in the interim he made plans and lists, realizing that planning a party was a lot of work. And tried not to count the hours until Josh’s therapy session at nine o’clock next morning.
* * *
The following morning, Dan called Josh’s teacher first thing, and she was more than happy to help him give him a list of the student’s names. She also offered to pass out the invitations in class, which meant he needed to get them completed as soon as possible.
He and Josh arrived for therapy in their respective wheelchairs with scarcely a minute to spare. As usual, Molly came out to greet them. She smiled warmly at Josh, but he sensed she was avoiding eye contact with him. He scowled as he wheeled into the gym behind them, wondering if she was uncomfortable around him now, after they’d spent the weekend together. If so, he couldn’t understand why. He hadn’t acted inappropriately at any time, although he couldn’t say the same for his thoughts.
