One Perfect Spring

by Irene Hannon

  On the other hand, could he tuck it away and forget about it for the evening?

  Doubtful . . . but worth a try.

  An hour later, however—less than thirty seconds after he and Claire had been seated at an intimate corner table in the French bistro he’d chosen—she foiled his valiant attempt to banish thoughts of the letter.

  “You might as well tell me.”

  “What?” Was it possible she’d sensed the presence of the unopened envelope burning a hole in his coat pocket?

  “If you were any more on edge, you could do one of those fancy figure-skating moves you claim are beyond you.” She leaned closer and touched his hand. “If you want me to butt out, say so. Otherwise, why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you?”

  He squinted at her. “How come you know me so well already?”

  She draped her napkin across her lap. “I think we’re simpatico. That’s not a bad thing in a relationship—unless the other person has secrets he or she wants to hide.”

  “I’m through hiding things . . . from you, anyway. It’s just that there’s been an unexpected development.”

  Slowly he withdrew the envelope and laid it on the table.

  She leaned closer to read the return address, then sent him a confused look. “Is this from the adoption registry?”

  “I assume so.”

  “I thought it was supposed to take three months to get a response?”

  “That’s what the website said. I guess they had a slow couple of weeks.”

  She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “You’re not ready for this, are you?”

  “No. But I’m not sure I ever will be.”

  “Do you want to open it now?”

  Did he?

  He picked up the slim envelope again. Weighed it in his hand.

  The waiter delivered a basket of bread and the menus, then filled their water glasses. “Welcome to Café Provence. May I start you off with a beverage?”

  They gave their orders, and as the man walked away, Keith laid the envelope beside his fork. “Let’s decide on dinner first. Then I’ll open it.”

  She picked up her menu and gave it a quick scan, her eyes widening. “Wow! One entrée is more than I spend on a full week of dinners for Haley and me.” The instant the words left her mouth, she gave him a chagrined look. “Whoops. That wasn’t very polite. Let me try again. I’m flattered you brought me to such a high-end place.”

  “Don’t look at the prices, okay? I want to give you a memorable evening, and this meal won’t break the bank. I’ve saved my pennies for the past nine years.”

  “Yeah?” She squinted at him. “You wear expensive clothes, and that car wasn’t a bargain basement item.”

  “I’m expected to dress like an executive assistant on the job, but you know jeans are more my style off duty. As for the car—guilty as charged.” He gave her an unapologetic grin. “I always wanted a sporty little number, and the salesman saw me coming a mile away. But my point is . . . enjoy your meal. I won’t miss the money.”

  She shifted in her seat as she skimmed the menu again. “It’s kind of hard to get out of the frugal mind-set after all this time, even when it’s someone else’s money.”

  He studied her knitted brow, hating that she always had to watch every penny. Someday, if things went the way he hoped, she wouldn’t have to.

  In the meantime, she was right about them being simpatico—because it didn’t take him long to figure out what was going on in her mind. She was doing mental math, adding up the prices and thinking of all the stuff she could fix around her house for the cost of this meal.

  Too bad he hadn’t given her reaction more thought beforehand and chosen a less upscale place, one that didn’t come across as in-your-face, as a way to brag about how successful he’d been and—

  “Hey.” She touched his hand, her eyes contrite. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to throw a damper on the evening. Can we start over?”

  “It’s not too late to go somewhere else if you’d rather.”

  “No.” She gave her head a firm shake. “I haven’t been to a restaurant like this in years, and I’m going to enjoy every minute of my meal. In fact, I was going to order the least expensive thing on the menu, but we have chicken so often I sometimes think I’m going to start cackling. So I plan to indulge and order my very favorite main dish. Lamb chops.”

  The tension in his shoulders eased, and his lips flexed. “That’s the other extreme.”

  “Will we have to wash dishes if I order them?”

  “Not quite.”

  “Then I’m splurging.” She set her menu aside and gave him a teasing look. “Bet you’ll think twice about bringing me to a place like this again.”

  “Not on your life. You have a standing invitation to any restaurant in town any night of the week.”

  Before she could respond, the waiter returned and they placed their orders.

  Once he left, the lightheartedness evaporated as Keith picked up the envelope again. “I feel as if there should be a drumroll.”

  “Does my pounding heart count?” Claire folded her hands into a knot on the table.

  “Added to mine, I think it does.” He took a deep breath. “Here goes nothing.”

  Slipping an unsteady finger under the flap, he ripped the envelope open, extracted the single sheet of paper, and gave it a fast scan.

  His pulse began to race.

  “According to this, my . . .” His voice rasped, and he tried again. “My mother’s name is Laura Matthews.”

  “She was in the registry.” Claire’s hushed comment was equal parts shock and wonder.

  “Yeah.”

  “Does it say how long she’s been in it?”

  He did another read through. “No.”

  “Where does she live?”

  “Kansas City.”

  “Not that far.”

  “No.” He refolded the paper, slipped it back in the envelope, and returned it to his pocket.

  “This must feel surreal to you after all these years.”

  “That’s putting it mildly.” He picked up his water and took a sip, gripping the glass with both hands to keep the liquid from sloshing out.

  “What happens now?”

  “Signing up for the registry is an acknowledgment you’re open to contact from the other party. My birth mother would have received a similar letter.”

  “You know . . . depending on how long ago she sent in her form, this might be a huge shock to her too.”

  “That’s possible.” He set the glass back down.

  The waiter delivered their salads, and once he left, Claire covered Keith’s hand with hers, her slender fingers warm and comforting against his skin. “Would it make you uncomfortable if I said a short prayer before we eat?”

  “No. I need to get back into that habit myself. It’s how I was raised.”

  “Me too—and I’ve also been remiss.” She bowed her head, and he did the same. “Lord, thank you for the gift of friendship and for the chance to share this meal. Thank you for guiding Keith on his journey so far, and please give him discernment and fortitude as he decides on next steps. And thank you for the grace and blessings you send us even when we fail to notice or acknowledge them. Amen.”

  After he added his own amen, she picked up her fork. “So what happens next?”

  “I’m not planning any rash moves. I want to think about this for a few days. But it’s possible my birth mother may call me.”

  “I have a feeling she won’t. That she’ll leave it up to you to initiate contact.”

  “I hope you’re right. I’d rather do this on my timetable—and my terms.” He speared some lettuce with his fork. “That’s another of my quirks, you know. I feel more secure when I’m in control of stuff like that. Remember, I warned you I have a lot of idiosyncrasies.”

  “No more than I have. It should be interesting to see how we manage to sort them out as part of this relationship.”

  “Agreed.
But why don’t we put all that on the back burner for tonight and enjoy our meal?”

  “Great idea.” With that, she dug into her salad and proceeded to distract and entertain him with hilarious stories about her second grade students, her daughter’s escapades, and her experiences on the Molly Sue with her father during her growing-up years.

  By the time he drove her back to his mother’s to pick up Haley, he was more relaxed than he would have believed possible.

  Yes, the letter resting inside the pocket of his jacket would have to be dealt with. But not tonight.

  Tonight was for Claire.

  And it wasn’t over yet.

  “Thank you again for watching Haley, Alice.” Claire rested her hand on her daughter’s shoulder as they all stood in the foyer of the older woman’s house. “I’m sorry we were a bit later than expected.”

  “I’m glad you and Keith had a nice, long dinner. And we had a marvelous evening, didn’t we, Haley?”

  “Awesome! We had hamburgers for dinner and made ice cream sundaes for dessert. Then we tried on a bunch of jewelry and painted our fingernails. See?” She held up her hands to display the pearl-finish pink polish.

  “Girl stuff.” Keith grinned at her.

  “Yeah!”

  “I hope the nail polish was all right with you, Claire?”

  “Absolutely.” She sent Alice a reassuring look. “Haley’s been after me for ages to let her try it, but somehow it keeps dropping to the bottom of my priority list.”

  “Under propping up your house and cooking meals and grocery shopping and teaching and correcting homework papers and—”

  Claire laughed and put a hand up to stop Keith. “Please. You’re making me tired.”

  “The life of a working mother is busy and exhausting, I’m sure.” Alice patted her arm. “But I must say, you don’t look in the least weary tonight. You’re positively glowing. And in case my son neglected to mention it, your outfit is stunning. I especially love that silk blouse. It’s very stylish.”

  Also a great and inexpensive find at the resale shop where she bought most of her clothes.

  Claire smoothed a hand down her black pencil skirt, also a resale purchase. Not that the source mattered. As she recalled the sweep Keith had given her when she’d answered the door, and the way his eyes had begun to smolder, she smiled. “He was very complimentary.”

  “I should hope so. A man would have to be blind not to appreciate a lovely young woman like you.”

  Her date for the night rejoined the conversation. “Are you ready to go? I know it’s past Haley’s bedtime.”

  In other words, the discussion was getting too personal for his taste.

  “Yes. Thank you again, Alice.”

  “Anytime. Haley and I had a lot of fun. It was invigorating to have a youngster in the house again.”

  “We may take you up on that offer, Mom.” Keith leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you Sunday.”

  “I’ll look forward to it. And guests are welcome, you know.” She sent a meaningful glance toward Claire and Haley.

  No subtlety there.

  Quashing her chuckle, Claire turned Haley toward the door. “Let’s hit the road. Keith still has a lot of driving to do tonight.”

  He followed her out.

  Once in the car, her daughter dominated the conversation at first, giving them a blow-by-blow description of her evening. But after a few minutes she yawned and fell silent.

  Keith glanced in the rearview mirror. “I think she’s out.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. She had an exciting evening—and so did I.”

  The dim light masked his features as he captured her hand and gave it a squeeze, but she could hear the smile in his voice. “In that case, I think we should plan a repeat performance very soon.”

  “No objections from me—nor from Haley, I’m sure. It’s obvious she had a great time with your mom.”

  “I think the experience was mutual.”

  They lapsed into silence for most of the remainder of the drive, but the quiet was relaxed. Peaceful. The kind that spoke of hearts in harmony and spirits in sync.

  She could get used to this.

  With a contented sigh, she settled back in her seat and focused on enjoying the feel of Keith’s warm, steady hand holding hers.

  Once they arrived at her house, he parked in the driveway, circled the car, and opened her door and Haley’s.

  “Come on, kiddo. You’re home.”

  Claire took Keith’s arm as they started for the house, but when Haley lagged behind, she looked back at her. “Are you still waking up?”

  “I guess.”

  The energy she’d exhibited earlier seemed to have evaporated, and Claire scrutinized her while she dug for her keys. “Are you okay?”

  Haley shrugged.

  Frowning, Claire fitted the key in the door and ushered her daughter inside. Once under the brighter lights, she examined her face. It was slightly pinched and flushed, and a quick hand laid on the youngster’s forehead confirmed her fears.

  Haley had a fever.

  “Everything all right?” Keith moved beside her.

  “She’s running a temperature.”

  “I think it’s my ear.” Haley’s shoulders drooped. “It’s been kind of hurting since this morning . . . but it’s worse now.”

  “For goodness sake—why didn’t you tell me?”

  Her daughter dipped her head. “I didn’t want to miss going to Keith’s mom’s house tonight.”

  Claire opened her mouth to reprimand her. Closed it. As a kid, she might have done the same thing if she was afraid she’d miss out on some fun event.

  Truth be told, even as an adult she’d be similarly tempted if admitting sickness meant giving up an enjoyable evening—like the one tonight with Keith.

  “Okay. You know the drill. Get into bed while I round up the thermometer and ibuprofen.”

  Haley trudged toward the hall, stopping on the threshold to look back. “I’m still glad I went. Your mom is really nice, Keith. Good night.”

  “’Night.” Keith waited until she disappeared, then lowered his voice as he turned to her. “This sounds like a routine occurrence.”

  “Not anymore. She had a lot of ear infections in her early years, but they’ve lessened in severity and duration as she’s gotten older. She hasn’t had one in more than a year.”

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “No. We’ll watch it for a couple of days. In most cases, they clear up by themselves. Sorry to finish the evening on a down note.”

  “I have to admit, this isn’t how I hoped our first real date would end. And it didn’t start off too hot, either.”

  “The middle part was great, though.” She linked her fingers with his and gave a gentle squeeze. “Besides, you don’t have to leave yet. It won’t take me long to get Haley settled.”

  She could read the temptation in his eyes, but after he scrutinized her for a moment, he shook his head. “I think we’ve both had enough excitement for one day—and I suspect you’re not going to have the most restful night.”

  All of that was true—but she’d been looking forward to some time with him after Haley went to bed. Still, worry about her daughter would take some of the pleasure out of that, anyway.

  “May I at least walk you to your car?”

  “I’d like that.”

  He kept a firm grip on her hand as they strolled down her walkway, dodging one section of concrete that had buckled in the spring thaw. A recent addition to her to-do list.

  Once they stood beside his Infiniti, he pulled her into his arms. “I’d hoped to do this in a more private setting, but I’m not leaving without a kiss.”

  She draped her arms around his neck. “I didn’t intend to let you. I have a rain check for two hugs, remember.”

  “I’ll trade you the two hugs for one kiss.”

  “Deal.”

  “Easy sell.”

  “Willing customer.�
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  Letting out a slow breath, he fingered some strands of her hair. Touched her face. Traced the line of her jaw. “I’ve been wanting to hold you all evening.”

  “I’ve been wanting you to.”

  “But this has also been on my mind.”

  And with that, he bent and captured her lips.

  The kiss started out oh-so-gentle . . . soared to passionate . . . and finally deposited her back on earth with a loving tenderness that bordered on reverent and left her yearning for more.

  It was a kiss more about giving than taking.

  It was what a kiss should be.

  When he at last backed off, she clung to him until her world settled back on its axis.

  “Wow.” It was all she could manage.

  “Ditto.” He leaned down again and rested his forehead against hers. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Okay.”

  Several seconds ticked by. At last, with obvious reluctance, he backed off. “You need to see to Haley.”

  Right.

  She had a sick daughter inside.

  “Drive safe going home—and thank you again for a wonderful dinner.”

  “We’ll do it again soon.”

  “I’d like that. And next time I won’t mention the menu prices.”

  She backed off as he slid behind the wheel, then watched as his taillights disappeared down the street.

  When she returned to the house, she found Haley waiting for her in the foyer, already dressed in her sleep shirt, a huge grin plastered on her face.

  “What?” She closed the door and faced her daughter.

  “You guys kissed.”

  Warmth flooded her cheeks. “Were you spying on us?” Best to go on the offensive until she decided how to respond.

  “No. You left the door open, and I looked out to see where you went. It was just like a scene in one of those old romantic movies we watch sometimes.” She let out a dreamy sigh. “So are you guys going to get married? Because it’s okay with me. Keith is awesome.”

  Her daughter was already thinking marriage?

  Better put the brakes on that, pronto.

  “Haley, we only met each other a few weeks ago. Sensible people don’t start thinking about marriage that fast. But if I ever do decide to get married again, I promise you’ll be the first to know.” She pointed toward the hall. “Under the covers, young lady, while I grab the thermometer and ibuprofen.”