by Holly Jacobs
“Hey,” Josie said, even as she blew the largest bubble Joshua had ever seen.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you two,” Josh said, not quite sure what to make of Snips and Snaps’s two employees. “And thanks for the information about Libby, not that it matters. We’re just working on this Christmas party—nothing more, nothing less.”
“Okay,” Pearly said, her tone saying she didn’t believe a word of it.
“I just ended a marriage, left everything behind. I’m not looking for another relationship. The only thing I want from Libby is to get her to stop Dr. Gardnering me, and get to work on this Christmas party.”
“If you say so, sweetums.” Pearly’s grin said that she still didn’t believe a word of it.
“I do say.” Oh, he said, and then some. The last thing he needed right now, with the ink on his divorce decree barely dry, was a woman like Libby McGuiness, hard and as prickly as a hedgehog.
“Okay,” Pearly said, pulling a pad of paper from a drawer.
“I’m not interested in Libby,” he said louder.
“I believe you. You believe him, don’t you, Josie?”
“Oh, yeah.” Josie blew a gigantic bubble and it popped as if for emphasis.
“I’m not interested in Libby at all, except for getting this party planned.”
“We heard you.” Pearly began to scribble on the paper, seemingly forgetting Joshua was in the room.
Josie snapped her gum again. “We’ve got it, Dr. Gardner. You are not interested in Libby.”
“Good. I’m glad we’ve got that straight.”
“Of course, being a doctor, you probably want to head over to her house and see if her little girl is all right,” Pearly said.
“I’m an ophthalmologist, not a pediatrician. I’m sure if there’s a problem, Libby will call her own doctor.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” Even as she said the words, Pearly ripped the piece of paper off the pad. “But just in case you’re driving by her house on the way home, you might want to stop.” She thrust the note at him.
“Thanks, but I don’t think so.” He stuffed the paper in his coat pocket. There was no way he was going to Ms. McGuiness’s house to check on her little girl.
No way at all, he assured himself as he drove through town.
It wasn’t his fault that Erie had changed and he got slightly disoriented, so instead of finding himself at Lovell Place he found himself on Wally Avenue.
Wally Avenue? What an odd name for a street. It sounded too eccentric for Ms. McGuiness to live on. She needed a street with a more prim-and-proper name. Primrose Lane. Now that would be appropriate for prickly, prim Ms. McGuiness.
He parked in front of the small gray ranch house. At least he thought it was gray. Darkness came early in November, so the house could be pink or green for all he knew. All the houses sort of looked gray.
Arguing with himself over what color house Libby McGuiness and her daughter lived in was about as stupid as things got. Well, maybe not as stupid as stalking his prickly neighbor to her home. Now, that was stupid.
Why on earth had he taken the address from Pearly? Or better yet, why on earth had he followed her down-home advice?
He sat in his car trying to come up with some sort of answer to either question.
After about five minutes, he finally admitted that he didn’t have a clue what he was doing in front of the maybe-gray house. But whatever he was doing, it looked as if it was going to involve getting out of his truck, knocking on that possibly gray house’s door and checking on Libby McGuiness and her daughter.
Neighborly concern, he decided. It was only neighborly concern that had prompted this trip. And the fact that he might not be a pediatrician, but he was a doctor. If Libby’s girl was injured, he might be able to help.
Yes. Neighborly, doctorly concern. Nothing more, nothing less.
“Nothing more than a small bump. I don’t believe you were in as much pain as you told Mrs. Henderson.” Libby tried to stare her daughter down, but Meg simply averted her eyes to the lecture.
She took Meg’s face gently in her hand and forced her to look at her. “What’s going on?” she signed.
“I wanted to meet your date, but you didn’t bring him.”
First Pearly and Josie acting like she was getting ready for the prom, and now her daughter. Didn’t anyone understand that it was the new millennium? Men and women had business meetings all the time without it being a date.
“It wasn’t a date,” she said again. “I told you that.”
“Sure.” Meg reached out and brushed a lock of Libby’s hair. “First flowers, then you get a haircut for a business meeting.”
“I didn’t set out to get a haircut. Pearly was supposed to just trim it, but her scissors slipped.”
Meg rolled her eyes, her expression saying more than any words—or even any signs—could.
“It wasn’t a date. And since I got called away, it wasn’t even a meeting. He’s an annoying man whom Mabel got to help me plan the Christmas party. He can’t even park.”
“Neither can you,” Meg reminded her, pantomiming pulling a car forward, then reverse, then forward…
Libby grabbed Meg’s hands to stop her. “Watch it. You’re already on thin ice,” she signed with a smile.
Meg’s humor evaporated when she got down to what was really bothering her. “You planned your date so he wouldn’t meet me. You were embarrassed.” Meg averted her eyes, plainly not wanting to hear her mother’s response.
Libby repositioned herself so Meg had to look at her. “I have never, never been embarrassed by you,” she signed in hard, choppy signs. “You are the most important thing in my life. And you know you’ve planned on spending tonight at Jackie’s since last week, long before I even met Dr. Gardner. That’s the only reason I set up this meeting for tonight.” Libby paused and then added, “And if it would make you feel better, I’ll plan the next meeting so you can meet Dr. Gardner.”
“He won’t like me. None of them do.”
It didn’t surprise her that Meg realized the few men Libby had dated had been uncomfortable around her. Meg was a perceptive child. She was trying to come up with some response when the light flashed and the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it.” Meg’s lightning-fast fingers flew, almost as fast as her feet beat a path for the door.
Libby was right on her heels. This answering the door after dark had to stop. They lived on a nice street, in a nice neighborhood, but still, there were nutcases everywhere.
Meg threw open the door just as Libby skidded into the foyer. Neither said a word as they came face-to-face with Joshua Gardner.
Speaking of nutcases.
“Did you forget something?” Libby asked.
“Since you couldn’t come to the meeting, I thought I’d bring the meeting to you and check on your daughter.” He smiled. “Hi, I’m Josh.”
Meg shot Libby a stormy look, and then marched out of the foyer and down the hall. Libby heard a door slam and knew Meg had shut herself away from Josh’s reaction to her.
Libby wasn’t any happier to see their unexpected guest, but barricading herself in her room wasn’t much of an option. Josh Gardner was quickly becoming a thorn in her side, a truck in her parking place…a blur on her eye chart.
“I seem to set all the McGuinesses’ teeth on edge,” Josh muttered.
“I suppose you want to come in,” Libby offered in her most ungracious manner.
“Listen, this was a mistake. I’m sorry to bother you. I just thought if your daughter had an accident, you might want someone to take a look and—”
“Oh, don’t go all nice-guy on me. You’ll ruin my image of you and I’d hate to have to change it.” Libby moved back, allowing Josh entrance to the house. “Come on in.”
“Your daughter’s okay?”
“Oh, the call about the accident?” Libby shrugged as she started toward the kitchen. What she needed was a hot cup of tea to soothe her rather fra
zzled nerves. Scissors slipping, business meetings everyone thought were dates, and a ten-year-old daughter’s insecurities—what a day.
“The call was a ruse. She didn’t want me going out with you, even though I assured her it was just a business meeting.”
“So, neither McGuiness female likes me.”
Libby whirled around in the doorway to the kitchen. “Listen, Dr. Gardner. I know we got off on the wrong foot, and I might have just let it go, but…” Libby paused, unsure how to continue this confession.
“But?”
“But in case you hadn’t realized it, this co-chairing the Christmas party is just Mabel and the gang’s way of fixing me up.”
“With me?”
He truly looked surprised, and Libby found that strangely soothing. “You.”
“Oh.” Josh paused a moment. “I guess I should apologize.”
“For what, being good-looking and a doctor?” Libby nodded at a chair, turned back around and started the teakettle.
Josh settled himself at her table, looking quite at home in her tiny kitchen.
“Listen, I should be the one apologizing. I’ve been on my own for a long time, and Mabel and the rest of them seem to feel I need mothering. So instead of just one overbearing mom trying to run my life, I have an entire section of town.”
“Gets to be a bit much?” He flashed her a sympathetic smile.
“Way too much sometimes. Times like this.” Libby turned and pulled out three tea bags and draped them into the teapot. “I just wanted to set the record straight. I’m not in the market for a man, and I certainly don’t want you to misunderstand what’s going on. If you want to back out of working on the Christmas party, I’ll understand.” She tried to keep her enthusiasm for the idea out of her voice.
“How about we agree right up front that there’s no backing out for either of us, and we’ll also agree that neither of us is interested in anything more than planning the party? Maybe we can put our parking incident in the past, and even become friends. We’ll just let the PSBA ladies keep throwing me at you, and you can just keep dodging and not catching, and we’ll get on with the job.”
“You don’t have to be nice—”
“Regardless of what you think, generally I am nice. So let’s forget about parking problems, busybody businesswomen, moody children and just plan a party.”
Relief flooded Libby’s system. Joshua was apparently right. He was nice…at least sometimes. She offered him a tentative smile. “I’m making some tea. You’re welcome to some, or would you rather have something else? Soda, juice?”
“How about just some ice water?”
“You drink ice water in this cold?”
“I’ve been told I’ve got ice in my veins, so I guess that explains it.”
For a moment, Libby thought she saw a flash of pain on Joshua’s face, but it disappeared and was replaced by a small laugh so quick that she couldn’t be sure.
“Listen, I ordered a pizza on the way home. If pepperoni and mushrooms are okay with you, you’re welcome to stay. We’ll make it a working dinner.”
“Sounds good. Do you need to go check on Meg?”
Libby felt another shot of pain on Meg’s behalf. They obviously had more talking to do about this issue, but it would wait until after Josh went home.
“No. She’ll come out when she’s ready.”
“Fine. So do you have the lists Mabel said she had for us?” Josh asked, suddenly all business.
Half an hour later the doorbell rang and the light flashed. Libby was halfway to the door when Josh called, “Do you want me to take a look at your circuit breakers? The doorbell ringing shouldn’t affect the lights like that.”
“It’s for Meg,” Libby called back as she opened the door.
The pizza delivery boy took her money and handed her a box. “Thanks,” she told him, and the mother in her demanded she add, “And be careful out there tonight. The roads are getting slick.”
Wally Avenue was notoriously undersalted and underplowed. The guilt of a pizza boy sliding off the road just because she’d ordered dinner was something Libby didn’t want to have to worry about.
“Thanks, ma’am, I will,” the boy called as he walked toward his car.
“Dinner’s here,” Libby said, scooting the papers over to the side of the table and putting the pizza in the center. “Just let me go get Meg and we’ll eat.”
“You’re sure she’s going to want me here?”
“It’s time Margary Rae McGuiness learns that the world does not revolve around her.” Libby paused a moment, then added with a grin, “Only her mom does.”
Josh watched Libby shoot down the hall. The last half hour had been productive and, if he was honest, almost pleasant. Libby’s small kitchen with its bright yellow walls and cheery blue accents, seemed like home. It wasn’t a thing like the very proper kitchen, proper house he’d lived in with Lynn. This kitchen felt lived in, rather than feeling like showcase.
And, when Libby McGuiness let down her prickly defenses, she was almost nice. They’d got off on the wrong side of the parking spaces, but maybe that was behind them and they could be friends, as well as business neighbors.
The tick of the kitchen clock and the hum of the refrigerator were the only sounds in the house. Josh wondered if Libby and her daughter were carrying on a hushed argument down the hall.
They rounded the corner, surprising him. Hands flying. Libby laughed at something Meg must have said, though the girl wasn’t saying anything. She was using sign language.
Libby paused, and smiled at Josh. “Dr. Gardner, this is my daughter, Meg.”
The girl’s fingers stopped flat and she eyed him with obvious distaste.
Josh felt awkward, and gave a little wave of his hand. “Tell her I said hi.”
Libby’s hands flew and Meg shot him a look he couldn’t interpret.
“Well, let’s eat,” Libby said in a rush. She signed as she spoke through the meal, managing to grab bites in between interpreting and conversing herself. At first Meg didn’t respond at all, but slowly her hands became more animated, but Josh caught her casting glances his way, as if she was studying him.
The girl was deaf…hearing impaired, he corrected mentally. At first Josh was as uncomfortable as Meg appeared to be. He was unsure how to behave. No one had mentioned Libby’s daughter’s problem. Of course, that explained the flashing light—Meg couldn’t hear a doorbell.
As the dinner wore on, and Meg relaxed, she signed about her day at school.
Libby casually repeated the words for Josh, and he began to feel more and more at ease. It would probably be considered politically incorrect to admit his initial discomfort. He wasn’t sure how to act, and he hated feeling awkward. But, as the meal wore on, he began to realize he didn’t have to act like anything but himself. Watching Libby and Meg together, listening to, and watching their chatter, Josh slowly began to see the little girl, not the handicap.
“And we started some stupid algebra thing.”
“Algebra in fifth grade? I think I was still working on long division,” Libby said.
“It’s pre-algebra, working with fractions and equations. I don’t get it.”
Josh couldn’t miss Libby’s suppressed groan as she said, “I’ll take a look later, but you know how good I am at math.”
Watching Libby’s look of martyrdom as she made the offer, he couldn’t resist offering, “Or I could help.”
“What?” Libby asked.
“Tell Meg I was always pretty good with numbers, and I think I can muddle my way through fractions and equations.”
Libby shot him a skeptical glance, and then signed for her daughter.
Meg’s eyes narrowed as she studied Josh. He could see her unenthusiastic reception of him warring with her need to understand her homework.
Slowly Meg simply nodded her head at Josh.
“You’re sure you don’t mind?” Libby asked.
“No problem.” Libby was lookin
g at him as though he’d just crawled out from under a rock. Just in case he was wearing leftover pizza, Josh swiped his hand across his chin. “Why don’t you do the dishes, I’ll help Meg and then we’ll wrap up for the night?”
“Don’t you need me to interpret?”
“I think we can manage with the pen-and-paper method of communicating.” He shot her a grin, hoping to ease whatever she was worried about. “If I get stuck, I’ll holler,” he promised.
Still looking unsure, Libby shrugged. “Okay.”
Josh followed Meg down the hall to her room, aware he’d puzzled Libby. And the fact that he puzzled her, puzzled him. Did she think the fact Meg signed would bother him? Okay, maybe he’d been a little uncomfortable at first, but it was a fleeting feeling that had more to do with unfamiliarity than anything else. Or did she still think he was a complete jerk?
Meg tugged on his sleeve and pointed to the open book on her desk.
Josh took the book and sat on the edge of her bed, quickly scanning the instructions. Then Meg handed him a paper with her problems on it and pointed to the one she was stuck on.
“You didn’t add it to the other side, too,” Josh said, then caught himself. He mimed a pencil and paper, and Meg dashed back to her desk and retrieved them.
She sat on the bed, keeping as much distance as possible between them as she watched him begin to write down the problem.
“You didn’t add the five to the other side of the equation, too,” he scribbled. “What you do to one side, you always have to do to the other. Watch.” Meg inched closer.
Slowly Josh worked his way through the steps of the problem. “See?” he wrote on the scratch pad.
Meg nodded.
Josh pointed to the next problem and handed the book and homework sheet to Meg. He watched as she worked her way through the short equation. She was a bright girl, grasping the idea after just one example.
He nodded and smiled to let her know she had it, and then watched in delight as she rapidly worked the rest of the problems.
“Thank you,” she wrote.
