Cherish

by Sherryl Woods

  As they walked away, she said to Brandon, “What must that man think of us?”

  “That we’re very lucky,” he told her as they walked lazily along the paths. “And we are lucky, Lizzy. We’re more fortunate than most people. We’ve found each other, not once, but twice. Now how shall we spend our evening?”

  “I intend to spend mine with my feet propped up and a cup of tea from room service. I haven’t walked so much in ages.”

  “What a waste of time that would be. I know a wonderful neighborhood Italian restaurant with red-checked tablecloths and candles stuck in old Chianti bottles. The owner makes an absolutely decadent lasagna.”

  “Another time,” she said firmly.

  He could see that there would be no swaying her on this. He hid his disappointment and said only, “If you promise that you’ll give me time enough to show you all my favorite places, I won’t press about tonight.” He grinned. “You know how persuasive I can be when I set my mind to it.”

  “Oh, yes,” she said. “I do know that.”

  “Then you promise?”

  “I promise to think about it,” she agreed.

  Content that that was the best he could manage, he drove back to her hotel and helped her inside with all of her packages.

  “It was a splendid day,” Elizabeth said, squeezing Brandon’s hands as they stood in the lobby. “I really can’t remember when I’ve had such fun.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want a cocktail at least?”

  “Absolutely. You’ve worn me out. I’m just going to pick up my messages and go upstairs and get out of these shoes.”

  “You should have let me buy you those high-top sneakers we saw,” he teased.

  “If I went home with high-top, hot-pink sneakers, my daughters would have me committed.”

  “Wouldn’t hurt to shake them up once in a while. That’s what I’ve found with Kevin and my grandson. Whenever they get to thinking I’m stodgy, I do something outrageous. I want you to meet them while you’re here.”

  “Am I the outrageousness you mean to stir them up with this time?”

  “I suppose they might see it that way. Seriously, Lizzy, shall I plan a family dinner?”

  Elizabeth tried to imagine such a scene. One part of her wanted desperately to meet his son and the lovely daughter-in-law Brandon had described so clearly. She felt an inexplicable bond with his zany granddaughter-in-law. And she suspected Jason would be a heartbreaking reminder of the way Brandon had looked when they had met. Could she possibly meet them all and not regret the past that had made them another woman’s family, instead of her own?

  “I think not,” she said a little sadly.

  Brandon’s gaze narrowed as he studied her. “Why? What’s wrong, Lizzy?”

  “Nothing’s wrong, Brandon. I just don’t see any point to it.”

  “Does there have to be a point to having dinner with an old friend’s family?”

  “Are you saying this would be no more than a casual get-together?”

  “Did you want it to be more?”

  With his gaze burning into her, she shook her head and put a decisive note into her voice. “No. I made my intentions clear, Brandon. There’s no going back for us.”

  Finally he shrugged. “Whatever you like. We’ll discuss it again tomorrow. What time shall I pick you up? Or would you rather come to the house for breakfast? I could send the car.”

  The idea of sitting across a breakfast table from Brandon held a provocative appeal she couldn’t resist. “I would love to come for breakfast.”

  “Wonderful. I’ll have Mrs. Farnsworth make her famous apple pancakes.”

  “A bowl of cereal and some fruit would do. She needn’t go to any trouble for me.”

  “Apple pancakes are her specialty. She would be disappointed if you didn’t try them. Besides, she never makes them just for me and I love them.”

  “Then, by all means, the apple pancakes. About eight-thirty?”

  “I’ll send the car at eight,” he said.

  Secretly delighted by his impatience, she repeated firmly, “Eight-thirty. You have to remember I’m still on California time. That’s practically the middle of the night for me.”

  “I seem to recall nights when we sat up until dawn.”

  “And I seem to recall that at that age we never required eight hours of sleep. We could run on pure adrenaline.”

  “Don’t you go trying to make yourself sound old. I saw the way your foot tapped when we heard that music earlier at the marketplace. I’m taking you dancing one of these nights.”

  She chuckled at the feigned ferocity in his expression. “Is that an invitation or a threat, Brandon Halloran?”

  “Whichever works,” he said, reaching out with surprisingly unsteady fingers to trace the curve of her cheek. He brushed gently at the wisps of hair that feathered around her face. “I can’t get over the way you look with your hair like this. I couldn’t imagine you ever being more beautiful than you were when we met, but you are, Lizzy. Like a rare wine, you’ve aged with dignity.”

  “And you’re a sentimental old fool,” she said gently, but she couldn’t deny the sweet rush of pleasure that sped through her. She placed her hand over his and before she could think about it, brought his hand to her lips and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “Good night, Brandon.”

  He leaned forward and touched his lips to her forehead. “Night, Lizzy. I can’t wait till morning.”

  He turned then and strolled away, his step jaunty, his shoulders squared. She couldn’t be sure, but it sounded as if he might be whistling the chorus of that old Glenn Miller song they’d called their own.

  Chapter Six

  When he’d encouraged Elizabeth to come for breakfast, Brandon hadn’t stopped to consider that the next day was Saturday. On Saturdays he could never count on not having the morning interrupted. More often than not, Jason and Dana dropped by with Sammy in tow. Occasionally even Kevin and Lacey turned up, lured by Mrs. Farnsworth’s delectable apple pancakes.

  Perhaps, subliminally, he had hoped the whole clan would drop in, taking matters out of his hands. It would give him a chance to introduce Elizabeth despite her uncertainty about the wisdom of such a meeting. He might have mixed feelings about subjecting her to their scrutiny, but his desire to hasten a relationship between them far outweighed any reservations he might have.

  Sure enough, no sooner had he seated Lizzy at the dining room table and served her a cup of coffee than the front door banged open and Dana’s brother came barreling in.

  “Hey, Grandpa Brandon, are you up yet?” Sammy yelled loudly enough to wake the dead.

  “If I weren’t, I would be now,” he observed mildly as Sammy rounded the corner into the dining room.

  Looking nonplussed, the teenager screeched to a halt at the sight of Brandon’s company.

  Elizabeth looked equally startled by the sight of the lanky young man with his hair moussed into spikes, his jeans frayed and a T-shirt that was emblazoned with the perfectly horrid bloodred design of some new music group. Actually it was one of his more reserved outfits.

  “Sorry,” Sammy said, his gaze shifting from Elizabeth to Brandon and back again. A knowing grin spread across his face. “I guess we should have called, huh?”

  “It wouldn’t hurt to observe the amenities,” Brandon confirmed.

  Sammy regarded him blankly. “The what?”

  “You should have called. How’d you get here?” he asked suspiciously, expecting the worst.

  His answer came in the form of the front door opening again. “Hey, Granddad,” Jason called from the foyer. “We just came by to drop off your car and see how you’re.…” His voice trailed off as he reached the dining room and spotted Brandon’s guest. “I guess you’re doing fine.”

  “I was,” Brandon said with an air of resignation. Suddenly he wished he’d relied more on caution, than impatience. “Lizzy, my grandson Jason. And our first intruder with the lousy manners is his young brother
-in-law, Sammy Roberts. This is Elizabeth Newton.”

  “Hey,” Sammy said, already seated at the table. “Jason, you were right. Mrs. Farnsworth is making those funny pancakes.”

  Brandon glanced at Lizzy’s frozen expression and sighed. “I don’t suppose you’re in a hurry?” he inquired of the interlopers. The broad hint fell on deaf ears.

  “Nope,” Jason confirmed entirely too cheerfully. “We have all morning. Right, Sammy?”

  “Yep. All morning.”

  “How lovely,” Brandon said dryly. “Before you sit down, stick your head into the kitchen and tell Mrs. Farnsworth there will be four of us for breakfast, unless of course Dana is planning to wander in at any moment, as well.”

  “Nope. I think you can safely count her out. She’s home practicing her breathing,” Jason said.

  “I thought you were supposed to help with that.”

  “She says I make her nervous.”

  “Probably because you hyperventilate,” Brandon said critically. “I told you I’d be happy to assist. I have much more experience at remaining calm under trying circumstances.” He purposely neglected to add that this morning was rapidly turning into a perfect example.

  “Granddad, as much as I adore you, you are not going to take my place in the delivery room,” Jason said patiently.

  “You and me can pace the halls together,” Sammy offered as a consolation. “You gotta bring the cigars, though. Dana says if she catches me with one, she’ll tan my hide.”

  Brandon glanced over to see if Elizabeth was beginning to take all this with the sort of aplomb she’d been capable of years ago. Given her protest the day before when he’d suggested a family dinner, he thought she was doing rather well. He couldn’t quite identify her expression, though. Astonishment and dismay seemed to have given way to fascination. In fact her gaze was fastened on Jason as if just looking at him carried her back in time.

  “Lizzy?” Brandon said softly.

  She blinked and turned to him. “The resemblance is remarkable,” she murmured. Then as if she thought she’d said too much, she added quickly, “Do you really want to be in the delivery room?”

  Jason, apparently oblivious to the meaning of her first remark, seized the second and grinned at her astonishment. “He’s afraid the rest of us will botch it.”

  Brandon considered offering a rebuttal, but decided that Jason was pretty close to the truth. He wanted nothing to go wrong with the birth of his first great-grandchild. He hated trusting anything so critical to other people.

  Of course, he hadn’t been anywhere near the delivery room when Kevin was born. Even if the hospital had allowed it back then, Grace would never have permitted it. She would have thought it unseemly for him to witness her in the throes of labor. He was downright envious of all these young husbands today who got to share in one of God’s own miracles.

  “So, how do you and Granddad know each other?” Jason asked Elizabeth.

  Jason’s tone might be all innocent curiosity, Brandon thought worriedly, but that gleam in his eye was pure mischief. He had a hunch Dana had encouraged this visit by providing a few details about their encounter the previous morning. Elizabeth must not have caught that spark of devilment or she’d have been more cautious with her answer.

  “We’re old friends,” she said, opening the door to a Pandora’s box of speculation.

  “You live here in Boston?”

  “No, California.”

  “Ah, I see,” Jason murmured, looking infinitely pleased.

  “What are you grinning at?” Brandon grumbled.

  “The flowers,” Jason said.

  “What flowers?” Sammy asked.

  “Grandpa Brandon has been sending a lot of flowers to California lately.”

  “Why?” Sammy glanced at Elizabeth. “Oh, yeah, I get it. I guess that’s why there are roses on the table, too, huh? There never have been before.”

  Sammy looked as if he were on the verge of making some even more outlandish remark. Brandon grasped at the first conversational gambit he could think of to deter him. “Sammy, if you’re finished with breakfast, perhaps you’d like to go play some of those infernal video games you insisted I buy.”

  “Nah, I think I’ll stick around for another pancake. Besides, it sounds like this could get interesting.”

  “I assure you it will not get to be anything close to interesting by your standards,” Brandon commented. “Go play video games. Mrs. Farnsworth will be happy to bring your pancake to you in the library.”

  Sammy had no sooner shoved his chair back and departed than Jason said cheerfully, “So, Mrs. Newton, what exactly brings you to Boston?”

  Color suddenly flooded Lizzy’s cheeks as she realized how neatly Jason was backing her into the proverbial corner. Brandon tried to rescue her. “She’s just here to do a little sight-seeing.”

  “That’s right,” she confirmed hurriedly. “It’s been ages since I’ve seen all the sights in Boston.”

  “And how long has it been since you two last saw each other?”

  She glanced desperately toward Brandon, then said, “Nearly fifty years.”

  “My goodness,” Jason said, looking a little taken aback himself. “You’ve kept in touch, though, right?”

  “No.”

  “Jason!” Brandon said with a soft warning note in his voice. “You’re being impertinent.”

  His grandson ignored him. A grin slowly broke across his face. “This gets better and better, like one of those newspaper features you see on Valentine’s day. Are you saying you’d lost touch? How’d you find each other again?”

  Brandon watched as Elizabeth grew increasingly flustered. Finally he snapped, “Jason! This is none of your business.”

  His blasted grandson laughed at that.

  “I know,” he said delightedly.

  “Jason Halloran, I am warning you,” Brandon blustered. “If you don’t behave, I’ll.…” Words failed him.

  “You’ll what, Granddad? Cut me out of the will?” He turned to Elizabeth. “I apologize if I’ve made you uncomfortable, but Granddad has this habit of meddling in our lives. He thinks it’s his God-given right.”

  Apparently no longer caught off guard, the take-any-dare Lizzy of old suddenly emerged and seized the opportunity Jason had just handed her. She grinned, a genuine spark of devilment flaring in her eyes. Brandon didn’t trust that spark one little bit.

  “I can see how that would be taxing,” she said. “Perhaps it would help if I offered a little ammunition. I gather he hasn’t mentioned how he tracked me down?”

  Brandon regarded her indignantly. “Et tu, Brute?”

  She smiled and delivered the knockout punch without so much as an instant’s caution. “He hired a detective. Isn’t that like something right out of a movie?”

  “Oh, Lord,” Brandon moaned. “I will never, ever hear the end of this.”

  “No,” Jason said, “you won’t. I’m just sorry I didn’t know about Mrs. Newton sooner. I might have hired that detective myself and brought her here to surprise you. I do love surprises, don’t you, Mrs. Newton?”

  “Absolutely,” she said.

  “If the two of you are going to be in cahoots,” Brandon grumbled, “I might as well go play those video games with Sammy.”

  “Go ahead, Granddad. I’m sure Mrs. Newton and I could find plenty to talk about.”

  “Yes,” she agreed. “I suspect we could. You’d probably find a talk about old times fascinating. My youngest granddaughter surely does.”

  Brandon regarded the two of them irritably. “On second thought, I guess I’ll sit right here and watch out for my interests. I might remind you, though, Jason, that if it weren’t for my meddling, you and Dana would probably not be married.”

  Jason instantly sobered. “You’re right. I do owe you one for that.”

  “I should say so,” Brandon said.

  “Perhaps now would be the time to return the favor,” Jason said slyly.

 
Brandon’s gaze narrowed. “You could find yourself peddling pencils on street corners, if you’re not careful,” he warned grimly. “Now could we please talk about something else? Or perhaps you and Sammy would like to run along so Lizzy and I can get started on another day of sight-seeing.”

  “Where did you go yesterday?” Jason asked.

  “The public gardens,” Elizabeth said.

  “Rode in one of the swan boats, I suppose?”

  “Of course,” she said, giving Jason a conspiratorial wink. “Three times. Your grandfather’s quite the romantic, especially on these summer-like days. That’s when we met, you know. The summer of 1942. He was about to ship out for England. He swept me off my feet.”

  “Oh, really,” Jason said, shooting his grandfather a speculative look.

  Brandon glared at both of them. “Lizzy, if I’d known what trouble you were going to give me, I would have insisted on coming to California. You just wait. I’ll get even when I meet up with those daughters of yours. You won’t know a moment’s peace when I’m through.”

  Instantly her amusement vanished. The change was so subtle that at first Brandon thought maybe he’d imagined it, but when she remained too silent for too long, he shot her a look of genuine concern.

  “Lizzy?” he said softly. “You okay?”

  “Fine, Brandon.”

  She’d said the words, but there was no spunk behind them. Even Jason seemed puzzled by the change that had come over her.

  “I’d better get Sammy and go,” he said. “Dana will be wondering what happened to us. We told her we were going out for juice.”

  “And then you sneaked over here to spy on me,” Brandon said. “Now that’s one I can hold over you.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up, Granddad. I suspect Sammy will spill the beans before you ever get a chance to.” He turned to Elizabeth and clasped her hand in his. “It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Newton. I hope you’ll be around for a while.”

  Lizzy’s smile was genuine. “Meeting you and Sammy was my pleasure.”

  Jason leaned close and whispered something that made her laugh. Only after his grandson had gone did Brandon ask, “What was that he said to you?”