The Color of Love

by Julianne MacLean

  Somehow I managed a half-smile. “You’re a glass half-full kind of guy?”

  “Yes, because when everybody walks away from a wreck, it’s a good day.” His attention turned to the tow truck that was now backing up behind my car. The engine roared noisily.

  Officer Wallace took hold of my elbow to lead me out of the way. “Step over here, please.”

  “This is probably totaled, isn’t it?” I said as I inspected the damage to my car. The whole back end was creamed and the tires were completely mangled.

  “Most likely,” Officer Wallace replied. “You definitely won’t be driving this anywhere today. I hope you have good insurance. Why don’t you grab what you need out of your vehicle and I’ll take you and your daughter to the hospital. You should both get checked out.”

  He held up a hand to tell the tow truck operator to give us a moment.

  “Kaleigh, go grab your skates.” I returned to the car, opened the door and reached inside for my purse and sunglasses, while Kaleigh hurried around to the other side. I had to lean across the driver’s seat to rifle through the glove compartment for the papers I would need. I decided to leave the empty coffee cup in the drink holder.

  When we had everything we needed and had cleared out of the way, Kaleigh and I paused to watch the tow truck driver loop a chain around the axle. Then we followed Officer Wallace to his paddy wagon.

  “Say good-bye to that car,” I said to Kaleigh, “because I doubt we’ll be driving it again. And let me just say that I’m very proud of you.”

  “What for?” she asked.

  “For keeping your cool. You were incredibly brave.”

  “Was I?” she replied. “That’s a surprise, because I was never so scared in my life.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Not long after we left the accident scene, Officer Wallace asked me why I’d been having a rough year.

  I glanced over my shoulder to check on Kaleigh in the back seat. She was texting her friends, or probably Tweeting that she was riding in a cop car.

  I told him about Seth dying in a plane crash.

  His eyebrows lifted. “Wait a second. You were married to the mountain climber? That was you?”

  I nodded.

  “When was that?” he asked. “Like eight months ago? God, that is rough. I’m sorry. Did they ever find the wreckage?”

  “No,” I replied. “They called off the search after about a week. It was really difficult.”

  “It must have been,” he said. “Were you able to have any kind of memorial service?”

  My mind flashed back to the day when we all gathered at the church to say good-bye. There had been no coffin. All we had was a giant black-and-white photograph of Seth displayed on a shiny brass easel. He’d been climbing a glacier somewhere in New Zealand and had removed his goggles to smile for the camera.

  “Yes,” I replied. “We held a nice service about four months ago. It was supposed to give us closure, but I still can’t stop thinking about the crash. I’m desperate for answers about where it happened and why. It’s terrible that we never found out. And where no bodies were recovered…” I stopped myself. “God, I’m sorry, Officer Wallace. I shouldn’t be talking like this. How depressing.”

  “Don’t apologize,” he said. “And call me Josh.”

  Thankful for his understanding, I sighed and looked out the window at the houses passing by and wondered why I sometimes believed that Seth and I weren’t done yet. That this wasn’t over.

  Strangely, that feeling had begun to intensify in the past month or so. Every time I felt it, I wondered if something unexpected was about to happen. I was always waiting for the phone to ring.

  I didn’t know it at the time, but the phone would ring just a couple of weeks later.

  Laughter

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Carla

  A few weeks after my car accident, I picked up the new replacement vehicle I’d ordered from the dealership and congratulated myself for having good insurance—though my premiums did go up.

  Kaleigh loved the new car but was growing increasingly disinterested in figure skating. She begged me to let her quit and take guitar lessons instead.

  After some discussion about the importance of personal growth and seeing something through, even when it was difficult, she won me over by making an excellent case for the importance of following your dreams. In the end, and partly because guitar lessons were so much more affordable than figure skating, I agreed to let her quit.

  The very next day, I enrolled her in a weekly group guitar lesson with the promise of private lessons after Christmas if she enjoyed it and practiced every day. I also went online and found what I thought to be a decent instrument—second hand of course.

  Kaleigh came with me to pick it up and began teaching herself some basic chords that same night.

  o0o

  As it turned out, Kaleigh loved playing that guitar and I was delighted by the fact that it was more interesting to her than her cell phone. She used the home computer to print off simple sheet music and learned songs that were popular on the radio, and she practiced every night until her fingers were bruised and callused. They soon toughened up, however, and by the second month, she was playing some impressive rock classics.

  Before long, she was constantly begging for private lessons, and I was keen to support her because I was pleased to see her so engaged in something. Not only did it fuel her creativity, it kept her off Twitter, where a daily landslide of middle school drama prevailed.

  I promised her that if she stuck with her group lessons until Christmas, I would enroll her in a private class in January.

  “But it’s only October,” she complained at the supper table. “I’m way ahead of everyone else in the group. It’s so boring when I have to wait for the teacher to explain stuff I already know, and half of them don’t even practice. They just don’t get it.”

  I twirled my spaghetti around my fork. “Well, I’m glad that you get it,” I replied. “And look at this way. You get to be the superstar in the class.”

  It was great for her self-esteem.

  She gave me a conspiratorial smile. “That’s true, actually. The teacher always gets me to demonstrate.”

  I held out my fist. “Pound it.”

  Just as we bumped knuckles, the telephone rang. I set down my fork to get up and answer it.

  o0o

  “Carla,” the voice said on the other end. “It’s Officer Wallace. We met a few weeks ago when you were involved in a collision.”

  The authoritative sound of Officer Wallace’s voice on the phone caught me off guard. Why was he calling? Was there a problem? Because I sometimes did feel it was “criminal,” driving around in a gorgeous new Toyota Corolla.

  I cleared my throat and tried to sound professional. “Yes, I remember you. Hello.”

  “I’m calling to follow up and see how you’re doing,” he said. “Did your insurance come through okay?”

  I cleared my throat again. “Yes. I have a new car now but I’m being very careful. I learned my lesson.”

  There was a pause on the other end of the line, then I was quite sure I heard him chuckle.

  “I’m glad to hear it,” he said. “But I was lying to you just now. That’s not really why I’m calling.”

  I glanced back at the table. Kaleigh had just finished her spaghetti and was carrying her plate to the dishwasher.

  There was another pause. “I have a question to ask you,” he said, “and I’m not really sure if it’s appropriate.”

  “Um…” I had no idea what to say.

  I was glad when Kaleigh left the kitchen to go practice her guitar in her room.

  “That sounds really bad, doesn’t it?” he added. “I knew I was going to mess this up.”

  Sensing his unease, I couldn’t help but laugh. “I think you’re going to have to spit it out, officer.”

  “It’s Josh, remember?” he said. “And I’m calling to see if you’re free this
weekend.”

  Realizing that this had nothing to do with my collision—that it was very much a personal call—I leaned back against the counter and grinned.

  “That depends,” I replied. “I’m afraid I’m going to need to know why you’re asking.”

  I could just picture him, pacing around his living room, wondering what to say.

  “Well, you see,” he hesitantly said, “I have this wedding to go to this weekend, and I need a date.”

  “Who’s getting married?” I asked.

  “My mom.”

  “Your mom! You’re kind of leaving this to the last minute aren’t you?”

  He chuckled again. “I’ve been busy.”

  “Busy filling out traffic reports about female drivers who aren’t paying close enough attention to the road?”

  “Pretty much.”

  I laughed again. “Your mom’s really getting married this weekend?”

  “Yeah. She’s marrying the man she met twenty years ago after she split up with my dad. He’s pretty much been my step-dad all this time, but now he wants to make an honest woman out of her. It’ll just be a small gathering. About thirty people, casual reception afterward. No head table or anything like that. But they’re having it catered so there will be food and a cake.”

  “Sounds cozy and intimate,” I replied. “Are you sure your mom would be okay with it?”

  “Yeah, I already told her about you. She’s a bit of a news junkie and she followed the story about your husband’s plane crash. She asked me to pass on her condolences.”

  “Thank you. That’s very kind,” I replied.

  We were both quiet for a few seconds. I picked up the dishcloth and wiped the countertop.

  “So will you come?” Josh asked.

  I thought about how I’d been chiding myself lately for not getting out there and meeting interesting men.

  “What time?” I asked.

  “The ceremony starts at six,” he said, “but I have to be there early because I’m walking her down the aisle.”

  “That’s so nice. But are you absolutely sure you want to bring me? I’m a complete stranger.”

  “Nobody’s a stranger to my mom,” he replied. “Please say yes, and I’ll pick you up at five.”

  More than a little aware that I was hemming and hawing, I shut my eyes and forced myself to respond. “Okay. It sounds like fun.”

  “It will be. I promise,” he replied.

  We hung up and I felt a flutter of excitement in my belly. Immediately I went to my closet to see what I might have to wear. There wasn’t much, unfortunately, so I picked up the phone and called Audrey.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  “Wow,” Josh said when he stepped out of his car and watched me approach. “You look incredible.”

  “You don’t look so shabby yourself,” I replied, crossing the sidewalk to where he was parked at the curb just outside my building.

  Audrey had lent me a cute little lime-green dress with a narrow black belt. I wore it with my patent leather spike heels and my hair swept into a loose twist.

  This was the first time I’d seen Josh since he drove Kaleigh and me to the hospital after my collision. On that day, he was wearing his black officer’s uniform, hat and gun belt. Tonight he wore a sharply tailored black suit with a crimson tie and polished black shoes.

  I had to admit, he was one wickedly handsome man, and my heart did a little jump in my chest.

  He came around and opened my door for me, then circled back to the driver’s side. Soon we were on our way, and I couldn’t help but give him a curious look.

  “I find it hard to believe you didn’t already have a date lined up for this,” I said.

  “Maybe I didn’t want to bring a date,” he said.

  I narrowed my gaze at him. “Then what am I doing here? You’re not going to try and fix me up with your great Uncle Henry or something, are you?”

  He laughed. “Not a chance. You’re all mine tonight.”

  “Hah! Don’t be so sure about that,” I replied with a chuckle. “Let’s just see how the first hour goes.”

  As we drove through the city, I worked through the math… How long had it been since a handsome man flirted so openly with me?

  Or maybe overtures had been made over the years. I just hadn’t noticed because I’d always considered myself to be a married woman.

  It was in that moment I looked down at my hands and realized I was still wearing my wedding ring. Discreetly, I covered my ring finger with my purse and marveled at the fact that I was sitting in a sleek Mazda6 on a Saturday night—driving to a wedding with a seriously hot cop who was about to walk his mother down the aisle.

  Life certainly was full of surprises.

  o0o

  We arrived at the church about a half hour before the ceremony was set to begin, and Josh introduced me to his sister Marie, her husband Kevin and their three children who were all under the age of ten.

  Marie and Kevin invited me to sit with them in one of the front pews where we became better acquainted and I learned all sorts of juicy details about Josh. Marie went on and on about him, gushing non-stop, saying things like ‘I can’t believe he’s still single when he’s so good looking, and he’s such a great guy. Just wait until you get to know him better. All he ever wanted was to get married and have a house full of kids. It boggles my mind that it hasn’t happened by now.’

  “Why hasn’t it?” I asked, glancing back at him in the entrance to the church where we was greeting guests. I wondered what the problem was.

  “Because he got burned by a horrid monster of a woman who cheated on him with his best friend. It completely destroyed him. You’re the first girl he’s shown an interest in…” She nudged Kevin. “How long has it been since the Brooke disaster?”

  “Almost two years,” Kevin replied.

  My head drew back. “Two years. Really. That long?”

  Marie nodded and grinned. “Yes, so you can imagine how happy we are to meet you.”

  Clearly there were some lofty expectations here tonight. What had Josh told them about me?

  “The truth is, we only just met,” I mentioned. “It was a couple of weeks ago when I stupidly drove through a red light.”

  “He told us everything,” Marie replied, leaning in to touch my knee. “And no pressure,” she whispered. “I’m just glad he’s finally getting out there, you know?”

  “Hey, I know what it’s like,” I said. “I’ve been burned a few times myself. It’s not always easy to get back on a bucking horse that’s already kicked you in the face a few times.”

  The organist began to play the wedding march, and we all stood up to watch Josh walk his mother down the aisle.

  Chapter Thirty-three

  “Carla,” Josh’s mother said with warm affection as I moved through the reception line. She pulled me into her arms and hugged me. “I’m so glad you could come.”

  “Congratulations,” I replied. “It’s nice to meet you. The ceremony was beautiful.”

  “Thank you. You are an angel to say so.”

  I moved along the line to shake hands with her new husband—a tall slender man with thinning hair and glasses.

  “You’re a good sport,” Josh said with a laugh when I reached him in the receiving line.

  We stood for a long moment, smiling at each other, shaking hands, not letting go.

  “Your family is very hospitable,” I mentioned. “I’m having a good time so far.”

  “I’m glad,” he replied. “Save me a dance later?”

  “A dance? My word. I didn’t know there would be dancing.”

  Slowly and smoothly, I pulled my hand from his.

  “We Wallaces know how to throw a party,” he told me. “I hope you like champagne.”

  “Doesn’t everyone?”

  His brown eyes glimmered in the setting sun. “I’ll see you in a few minutes. The reception’s not far from here. We’ll drive over together.”

  “Okay.�
� I strolled casually across the church parking lot toward his car and tried to remember the last time I’d felt butterflies like these.

  Good golly, it might have been high school.

  o0o

  There’s no point dragging this out or playing coy. By the time Josh met me at his car—after approaching with a masculine swagger that made my knees go weak—I was smitten.

  The fact that he was tall, dark, muscular and handsome played a big role in my precipitous infatuation. Let’s be honest. He was drop-dead gorgeous in a suit, not to mention his police officer’s uniform. But there was so much more to it than that.

  I was surprised by how moved I was by his amiable family, how devoted he was to them, and how I could relate to the fact that he was gun-shy in the romance department—because if anyone had a leg up on that, it was me.

  I’d been through the wringer with Seth, not just during our confusing relationship when he could never truly commit to staying with Kaleigh and me. I’d also been crushed by the sudden loss of him. Though we had our problems, I did love him, and it hadn’t been easy to attend his memorial service and say good-bye. He was Kaleigh’s father after all.

  “Ready to go?” Josh said as he pressed the button on the key remote to unlock the vehicle. He opened the car door for me and I smiled at him as I got in.

  “It was a beautiful ceremony,” I said.

  “I sure hope so,” he replied, “because they’re both beautiful people. If anyone deserves to be happy, it’s those two.”

  He shut my door and I sat in the passenger seat, feeling rather spellbound as I watched him outside, chatting and shaking hands with an older gentleman before getting into the driver’s seat beside me.

  “The reception’s only a few blocks away,” he said, “and we don’t have to wait for the bride and groom to get through a two-hour photo shoot. Mom just wants candids taken at the inn. Are you hungry?”

  “Not too bad,” I replied as he backed out of the parking spot. “And thanks for inviting me to this.”