Local Hero

by Nora Roberts

  She let out an exasperated sigh and dropped onto the arm of a chair. “I left them at the office.” She pouted as she looked up at him. “Don’t give me that disgusting smile now.”

  “Sorry.” He changed it to a grin.

  “I just had such a rotten day.” Without realizing it, she slipped off her shoe and began to massage her instep. “The first thing this morning Mr. Rosen went on an efficiency campaign. Then there was the staff meeting, then the idiot settlement clerk who made a pass at me.”

  “What idiot settlement clerk?”

  “Never mind.” Tired, she rubbed her temple. “Just take it that things went from bad to worse until I was ready to bite someone’s head off. Then that jerk grabbed my purse, and I just exploded. At least I have the satisfaction of knowing he’ll be walking with a limp for a few days.”

  “Got in a few licks, did you?”

  Hester continued to pout as she gingerly touched her eye with her fingertips. “Yeah.”

  Mitch walked over, then bent down to her level. With a look more of curiosity than sympathy, he examined the damage. “You’re going to have a hell of a shiner.”

  “Really?” Hester touched the bruise again. “I was hoping this was as bad as it would get.”

  “Not a chance. It’s going to be a beaut.”

  She thought of the stares and the explanations that would be necessary the following week. “Terrific.”

  “Hurt?”

  “Yes.”

  Mitch touched his lips to the bruise before she could evade him. “Try some ice.”

  “I’ve already thought of that.”

  “I put my things away.” Radley stood in the hallway looking down at his shoes. “I had homework, but I already did it.”

  “That’s good. Come here.” Radley continued to look at his shoes as he walked to her. Hester put her arms around his neck and squeezed. “Sorry.”

  “’S okay. I didn’t mean to make you mad.”

  “You didn’t make me mad. Mr. Rosen made me mad. That man who wanted my purse made me mad, but not you, baby.”

  “I could get you a wet cloth the way you do when my head hurts.”

  “Thanks, but I think I need a hot bath and an ice pack.” She gave him another squeeze, then remembered. “Oh, we had a date didn’t we? Cheeseburgers and a movie.”

  “We can watch TV instead.”

  “Well, why don’t we see how I feel in a little while?”

  “I got an A on my spelling test.”

  “My hero,” Hester said, laughing.

  “You know, that hot bath’s a good idea. Ice, too.” Mitch was already making plans. “Why don’t you get started on that while I borrow Rad for a little while.”

  “But he just got home.”

  “It’ll only take a little while.” Mitch took her arm and started to lead her toward the hall. “Put some bubbles in the tub. They’re great for the morale. We’ll be back in half an hour.”

  “But where are you going?”

  “Just an errand I need to run. Rad can keep me company, can’t you, Rad?”

  “Sure.”

  The idea of a thirty-minute soak was too tempting. “No candy, it’s too close to dinner.”

  “Okay, I won’t eat any,” Mitch promised, and scooted her into the bath. Putting a hand on Radley’s shoulder, he marched back into the living room. “Ready to go out on a mission, Corporal?”

  Radley’s eyes twinkled as he saluted. “Ready and willing, sir.”

  ***

  The combination of ice pack, hot bath and aspirin proved successful. By the time the water had cooled in the tub, Hester’s headache was down to dull and manageable. She supposed she owed Mitch for giving her a few minutes to herself, Hester admitted as she pulled on jeans. Along with most of the pain, the shakiness had drained away in the hot water. In fact, when she took the time to examine her bruised eye, she felt downright proud of herself. Mitch had been right; bubbles had been good for the morale.

  She pulled a brush through her hair and wondered how disappointed Radley would be if they postponed their trip to the movies. Hot bath or no, the last thing she felt like doing at the moment was braving the cold to sit in a crowded theater. She thought a matinee the next day might satisfy him. It would mean adjusting her schedule a bit, but the idea of a quiet evening at home after the week she’d put in made doing the laundry after dinner a lot more acceptable.

  And what a week, Hester thought as she pulled on slippers. Rosen was a tyrant, and the settlement clerk was a pest. She’d spent almost as much time during the last five days placating one and discouraging the other as she had processing loans. She wasn’t afraid of work, but she did resent having to account for every minute of her time. It was nothing personal; Hester had discovered that within the first eight-hour stretch. Rosen was equally overbearing and fussy with everyone on his staff.

  And that fool Cummings. Hester pushed the thought of the overamorous clerk out of her mind and sat on the edge of the bed. She’d gotten through the first two weeks, hadn’t she? She touched her cheekbone gingerly. With the scars to prove it. It would be easier now. She wouldn’t have the strain of meeting all those new people. The biggest relief of all was that she didn’t have to worry about Radley.

  She’d never admit it to anyone, but she’d waited for Mitch to call every day that week to tell her Radley was too much trouble, he’d changed his mind, he was tired of spending his afternoons with a nine-year-old. But the fact was that every afternoon when Radley had come upstairs, the boy had been full of stories about Mitch and Taz and what they’d done.

  Mitch had showed him a series of sketches for the big anniversary issue. They’d taken Taz to the park. They’d watched the original, uncut, absolutely classic King Kong on the VCR. Mitch had showed him his comic book collection, which included the first issues of Superman and Tales From the Crypt, which everyone knew, she’d been informed, were practically priceless. And did she know that Mitch had an original, honest-to-God Captain Midnight decoder ring? Wow.

  Hester rolled her eyes, then winced when the movement reminded her of the bruise. The man might be odd, she decided, but he was certainly making Radley happy. Things would be fine as long as she continued to think of him as Radley’s friend, and forgot about that unexpected and unexplainable connection they’d made last weekend.

  Hester preferred to think about it as a connection rather than any of the terms Mitch had used. Attraction, chemistry, lust. No, she didn’t care for any of those words, or for her immediate and unrestrained reaction to him. She knew what she’d felt. Hester was too honest to deny that for one crazed moment she’d welcomed the sensation of being held and kissed and desired. It wasn’t something to be ashamed of. A woman who’d been alone as long as she had was bound to feel certain stirrings around an attractive man.

  Then why didn’t she feel any of those stirrings around Cummings?

  Don’t answer that, she warned herself. Sometimes it was best not to dig too deeply when you really didn’t want to know.

  Think about dinner, she decided. Poor Radley was going to have to make do with soup and a sandwich instead of his beloved cheeseburger tonight. With a sigh, she rose as she heard the front door open.

  “Mom! Mom, come see the surprise.”

  Hester made sure she was smiling, though she wasn’t sure she could take any more surprises that day. “Rad, did you thank Mitch for . . . oh.” He was back, Hester saw, automatically adjusting her sweater. The two of them stood just inside the doorway with identical grins on their faces. Radley carried two paper bags, and Mitch hefted what looked suspiciously like a tape machine with cables dangling.

  “What’s all this?”

  “Dinner and a double feature,” Mitch informed her. “Rad said you like chocolate shakes.”

  “Yes, I do.” The aroma finally carried to her. Sniffing, she eyed Radley’s bags. “Cheeseburgers?”

  “Yeah, and fries. Mitch said we could have double orders. We took Taz for a walk. He�
��s eating his downstairs.”

  “He’s got lousy table manners.” Mitch carried the unit over to Hester’s television.

  “And I helped Mitch unhook the VCR. We got Raiders of the Lost Ark. Mitch has millions of movies.”

  “Rad said you like musical junk.”

  “Well, yes, I—”

  “We got one of them, too.” Rad set the bags down to go over and sit with Mitch on the floor. “Mitch said it’s pretty funny, so I guess it’ll be okay.” He put a hand on Mitch’s leg and leaned closer to watch the hookup.

  “Singin’ in the Rain.” Handing Radley a cable, Mitch sat back to let him connect it.

  “Really?”

  He had to smile. There were times she sounded just like the kid. “Yeah. How’s the eye?”

  “Oh, it’s better.” Unable to resist, Hester walked over to watch. How odd it seemed to see her son’s small hands working with those of a man.

  “It’s a tight squeeze, but the VCR just about fits under your television stand.” Mitch gave Radley’s shoulder a quick squeeze before he rose. “Colorful.” With a finger under her chin, he turned Hester’s face to the side to examine her eye. “Rad and I thought you looked a little beat, so we figured we’d bring the movie to you.”

  “I was.” She touched her hand to his wrist a moment. “Thanks.”

  “Anytime.” He wondered what her reaction, and Radley’s, would be if he kissed her right now. Hester must have seen the question in his eyes, because she backed up quickly.

  “Well, I guess I’d better get some plates so the food doesn’t get cold.”

  “We’ve got plenty of napkins.” He gestured toward the couch. “Sit down while my assistant and I finish up.”

  “I did it.” Flushed with success, Radley scrambled back on all fours. “It’s all hooked up.”

  Mitch bent to check the connections. “You’re a regular mechanic, Corporal.”

  “We get to watch Raiders first, right?”

  “That was the deal.” Mitch handed him the tape. “You’re in charge.”

  “It looks like I have to thank you again,” Hester said when Mitch joined her on the couch.

  “What for? I figured to wangle myself in on your date with Rad tonight.” He pulled a burger out of the bag. “This is cheaper.”

  “Most men wouldn’t choose to spend a Friday night with a small boy.”

  “Why not?” He took a healthy bite, and after swallowing continued, “I figure he won’t eat half his fries, and I’ll get the rest.”

  Radley took a running leap and plopped onto the couch between them. He gave a contented and very adult sigh as he snuggled down. “This is better than going out. Lots better.”

  He was right, Hester thought as she relaxed and let herself become caught up in Indiana Jones’s adventures. There had been a time when she’d believed life could be that thrilling, romantic, heart-stopping. Circumstances had forced her to set those things aside, but she’d never lost her love of the fantasy of films. For a couple of hours it was possible to close off reality and the pressures that went with it and be innocent again.

  Radley was bright-eyed and full of energy as he switched tapes. Hester had no doubt his dreams that night would revolve around lost treasures and heroic deeds. Snuggling against her, he giggled at Donald O’Connor’s mugging and pratfalls, but began to nod off soon after Gene Kelly’s marvelous dance through the rain.

  “Fabulous, isn’t it?” Mitch murmured. Radley had shifted so that his head rested against Mitch’s chest.

  “Absolutely. I never get tired of this movie. When I was a little girl, we’d watch it whenever it came on TV. My father’s a big movie buff. You can name almost any film, and he’ll tell you who was in it. But his first love was always the musical.”

  Mitch fell silent again. It took very little to learn how one person felt about another—a mere inflection in their voice, a softening of their expression. Hester’s family had been close, as he’d always regretted his hadn’t been. His father had never shared Mitch’s love of fantasy or film, as he had never shared his father’s devotion to business. Though he would never have considered himself a lonely child—his imagination had been company enough—he’d always missed the warmth and affection he’d heard so clearly in Hester’s voice when she’d spoken of her father.

  When the credits rolled, he turned to her again. “Your parents live in the city?”

  “Here? Oh, no.” She had to laugh as she tried to picture either of her parents coping with life in New York. “No, I grew up in Rochester, but my parents moved to the Sunbelt almost ten years ago—Fort Worth. Dad’s still in banking, and my mother has a part-time job in a bookstore. We were all amazed when she went to work. I guess all of us thought she didn’t know how to do anything but bake cookies and fold sheets.”

  “How many’s we?”

  Hester sighed a little as the screen went blank. She couldn’t honestly remember when she’d enjoyed an evening more. “I have a brother and a sister. I’m the oldest. Luke’s settled in Rochester with a wife and a new baby on the way, and Julia’s in Atlanta. She’s a disc jockey.”

  “No kidding?”

  “Wake up, Atlanta, it’s 6:00 a.m., time for three hits in a row.” She laughed a little as she thought of her sister. “I’d give anything to take Rad down for a visit.”

  “Miss them?”

  “It’s just hard thinking how spread out we all are. I know how nice it would be for Rad to have more family close by.”

  “What about Hester?”

  She looked over at him, a bit surprised to see how natural Radley looked dozing in the crook of his arm. “I have Rad.”

  “And that’s enough?”

  “More than.” She smiled; then, uncurling her legs, she rose. “And speaking of Rad, I’d better take him in to bed.”

  Mitch picked the boy up and settled him over his shoulder. “I’ll carry him.”

  “Oh, that’s all right. I do it all the time.”

  “I’ve got him.” Radley turned his face into Mitch’s neck. What an amazing feeling, he thought, a little shaken by it. “Just show me where.”

  Telling herself it was silly to feel odd, Hester led him into Radley’s bedroom. The bed had been made à la Rad, which meant the Star Wars spread was pulled up over rumpled sheets. Mitch narrowly missed stepping on a pint-size robot and a worn rag dog. There was a night-light burning by the dresser, because for all Radley’s bravado he was still a bit leery about what might or might not be in the closet.

  Mitch laid him down on the bed, then began to help Hester take off the boy’s sneakers. “You don’t have to bother.” Hester untangled a knot in the laces with the ease of experience.

  “It’s not a bother. Does he use pajamas?” Mitch was already tugging off Radley’s jeans. In silence, Hester moved over to Radley’s dresser and took out his favorites. Mitch studied the bold imprint of Commander Zark. “Good taste. It always ticked me off they didn’t come in my size.”

  The laugh relaxed her again. Hester bundled the top over Radley’s head while Mitch pulled the bottoms over his legs.

  “Kid sleeps like a rock.”

  “I know. He always has. He rarely woke up during the night even as a baby.” As a matter of habit, she picked up the rag dog and tucked it in beside him before kissing his cheek. “Don’t mention Fido,” she murmured. “Radley’s a bit sensitive about still sleeping with him.”

  “I never saw a thing.” Then, giving in to the need, he brushed a hand over Radley’s hair. “Pretty special, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, he is.”

  “So are you.” Mitch turned and touched her hair in turn. “Don’t close up on me, Hester,” he said as she shifted her gaze away from his. “The best way to accept a compliment is to say thank you. Give it a shot.”

  Embarrassed more by her reaction to him than by his words, she made herself look at him. “Thank you.”

  “That’s a good start. Now let’s try it again.” He slipped his arms aro
und her. “I’ve been thinking about kissing you again for almost a week.”

  “Mitch, I—”

  “Did you forget your line?” She’d lifted her hands to his shoulders to hold him off. But her eyes . . . He much preferred the message he read in them. “That was another compliment. I don’t make a habit of thinking about a woman who goes out of her way to avoid me.”

  “I haven’t been. Exactly.”