For Love of Emily

by Bonnie Gardner

  “Thank you, Emily. I’ll be sure to read it.” The crowd of kids at the door pushed at her and Silver turned to undo the lock. As she entered the room, she realized that Emily was still standing outside the door.

  “Scoot on along to your homeroom. I’ll talk to you in class.” Silver yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. Her restless nights after her call to Emily’s father still showed in spite of taking extra time in front of the mirror to cover up the evidence.

  Fortunately, seventh graders were not as perceptive as Carole.

  “Okay Miss Burdette. See ya!” Emily scampered away as the tardy bell rang.

  The folded sheet of paper and what it might say worried Silver, but she didn’t have time to read it. So she stuck it in her pocket, promising herself that she would attend to it as soon as homeroom business was finished.

  As luck would have it, homeroom presented one crisis after another, punctuated with excitement. By the time she had broken up a fight between best friends and settled a dispute over the ownership of a social studies book, Silver was so distracted that she had no time to read the note. Then another problem with the fire alarm thoroughly disrupted her first class, as well. No wonder she already had a headache and had completely forgotten about the note by the time Emily’s class came around.

  Emily arrived, breathless and eager to hear Silver’s response to the note’s contents. “Did you read the note yet, Miss Burdette? I’m so excited.”

  “Oh no! I’m sorry, Em. I haven’t had a minute to read it. I’ll do it during journals.” Silver wondered how she could have forgotten the note. Now that she remembered, the folded piece of paper seemed to kick through several layers of fabric and worry her too much to forget it.

  As soon as the class settled down and the only sounds were the scritches and scratches of pencils across paper and an occasional sigh over an elusive word, Silver quietly slipped the note from her pocket and carefully smoothed out the creases. She had just spoken to Major Thibodeaux a couple of days ago, so why would he be writing a note to her now?

  Chapter Three

  Miss Burdette, Silver read. Shortly after we spoke, I was informed that I must leave sooner than I had expected. Please drop by my house tonight to discuss details. It was signed T. Thibodeaux.

  After carefully folding the note, Silver shoved it back into her pocket. The kitchen timer on her desk dinged and the students snapped their journals shut. Silver looked up to see Emily mouthing the words, “Are you coming?”

  Silver nodded her reply then she got class started.

  ****

  Silver squinted anxiously at the street sign ahead then looked back to the city map she had kept handy in the glove compartment since moving to Fayetteville. The map didn’t help much. It was old, and the neighborhood she was looking for was new. Too bad her old car didn’t have a GPS feature. Silver tossed the map to the seat beside her and pulled back onto the road. She knew that she was in the general area of the Thibodeaux home; if nothing else, she would cruise until she found the street.

  She had allowed time for getting lost, and when she finally pulled up in front of the house, she was still twenty minutes early. Rather than drive around the block to kill minutes and arrive on time, or perhaps get lost and arrive late, she drew a deep breath and pushed her car door open.

  Silver walked carefully up the unlit concrete walkway using the lighted doorbell button to home in on the door. There were no obstacles, but the night was dark, and she had difficulty seeing the path. She smoothed her hair, straightened her clothes, and rang the bell.

  She heard a galloping sound from inside, then a thump. The porch light came on, making Silver blink in the sudden brightness. She had barely focused when the door flew open and a flushed and excited Emily greeted her.

  “Come in, Miss Burdette. Watch out for the rug,” chirped Emily breathlessly, indicating a crumpled area rug in front of the door. “I slipped,” she explained.

  “Dad’s in the garage. I’ll go get him.” Emily loped off, leaving Silver standing alone in the middle of the living room.

  The room was dark and polished. Gleaming hardwood floors shone immaculately, covered with expensive-looking area rugs of various sizes. The furniture was massive and upholstered with dark leather. It was large, yet comfortable looking for a big man. In the far end of the room, a stone fireplace covered the entire wall. Trophies adorned the mantel; two enlarged aerial photographs were the only other wall coverings. Only the hot pink book bag, carelessly left on the floor by the door, showed that Emily lived there.

  How did Emily feel in the room? Silver wondered. The oversized furniture seemed to dwarf her. As she waited for her host, Silver started mentally placing her own touches of personality about the room.

  “Miss Burdette?”

  Silver glanced up at the sound of Emily’s voice. “Oh, I’m sorry, Emily. I guess I was woolgathering.” Silver looked around expectantly. “Is your dad coming?”

  “He said to come to the garage. He’s not quite finished.” Emily bounced off in the direction from which she had just come, leading the way.

  Emily led Silver through a dining room and then past the kitchen table where the girl had left papers spread out. Emily flung open a door. “I have to finish my homework. He’s in there.” Emily motioned toward the doorway and whirled around in the direction of the work table.

  Silver hadn’t given much thought to what Thad — Major Thibodeaux, she reminded herself —was doing in the garage, but she was unprepared for what she found as she stepped through the door. She stopped abruptly.

  “Come in, Miss Burdette, and close the door.” Thibodeaux grunted as he lowered a heavily-weighted barbell to the floor. “I apologize for not being ready for you.”

  Silver stared. In concession to the lack of air conditioning in the closed garage, Thad wore nothing but athletic shoes and a pair of revealing trunks that clung tightly to his trim hips. His broad chest glistened with sweat and his arm muscles rippled as he performed a series of curls with an obviously heavy dumbbell. She watched silently as the muscles tightened and relaxed with the intensity of the exercise.

  This was the man who’d introduced himself only as Thad whom she had met at that pool party in early August.

  “I should apologize,” Silver finally explained, her face flushing with the heat. Or was it embarrassment? “I allowed time to get lost, then didn’t, so I’m early.” She shrugged.

  “No problem,” Thad rasped as he switched the dumbbell to his other hand and repeated the exercise. “This is the last set.”

  “I, uh… Okay,” Silver stammered as the muscles on Thad’s arm bulged and relaxed. How was she going to get through this? With him looking like that, Silver could barely concentrate. She reminded herself not to think of him as Thad, the man who had so thoroughly attracted her, but as Emily’s father.

  The few moments that it took him to finish his exercise routine lasted an eternity. Sensing that idle chatter could interfere with his concentration, Silver looked around for a place to sit. There was no place suitable, so she brushed off the step and positioned herself there, balancing her purse on her knees. She tried not to stare at the glistening figure of Thad Thibodeaux in action.

  Silver was so mesmerized by the play of his rippling muscles that she almost didn’t notice when the routine was over. She watched with appreciation as the muscled figure moved toward her.

  “Hand me my tee shirt, will you?”

  Silver’s breath caught as she noticed the beads of moisture that had collected on Thad’s forehead. A tiny trickle of wetness emerged from the damp, tousled hair. Each twitch of the leanly-muscled torso seemed to intensify her trance.

  “Miss Burdette! The shirt.” The authority in the major’s voice brought Silver to attention as he extended his hand.

  She tried unsuccessfully to conceal her blush of embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I was thinking about something else.” You, she thought distractedly as she located the gray tee shirt, which had ob
viously been discarded when his exertions had dictated. She handed it to him. “Is it hot in here?” she asked as she fanned her flushed cheeks.

  “Thanks. Sorry for the temperature. Before I had Emily with me, I would go to the gym to do this. This is a makeshift setup, and the garage was not designed for it,” he explained as he used the shirt to mop the glistening beads of wetness away from his skin. When he was finished, he flipped the shirt over his shoulder and wrapped it loosely around his neck.

  “Shall we go inside where it’s cooler?” Thad suggested after he quickly policed up the area.

  Silver realized that she had been staring and nodded, more to clear her thoughts than to agree. She pushed herself up off the step and reached for the knob. Before she could touch the cool, brass surface, Thad’s strong hand slipped in front of hers and pushed the door open.

  “Allow me,” he said as the held the door.

  “Thank you,” Silver replied much too brightly and promptly tripped over the weather stripping at her feet.

  A strong hand grasped her elbow, righting her as she stumbled. Silver trembled as a strong current of something passed between them. Thad’s touch made her already-heated skin sizzle.

  Thibodeaux asked, “Are you all right, Miss Burdette?”

  “Perfect. I just tripped.” Silver cringed at the dumbness of her explanation.

  “Let’s have a seat at the kitchen table. I’m too wet to sit on the living room furniture.”

  “Fine,” Silver said. But it’s not fine, she complained inwardly. She could not deal with him like that. He looked too much like he did that night.

  If only she could forget.

  Emily saved the situation. “Daddy, you’ll drip all over my social studies project,” she complained, wrinkling her nose. “You’re disgusting.”

  Silver couldn’t help smiling. It was obvious that Emily felt much more comfortable in her father’s house now than her early journal entries had indicated. She seemed completely different from the child who had written such poignant entries in her notebook only a few weeks before.

  “If you’d like to get cleaned up, I’m sure Emily can entertain me while I wait. I did arrive earlier than expected.” Please go, she pleaded inwardly. I can’t sit this close to you like this.

  “If you don’t mind, Miss Burdette, I’ll just be a few minutes.” Thad appeared as relieved as Silver felt.

  “Please. Go ahead.”

  ****

  Thad would normally have preferred to take a few minutes to cool down in the garage before he showered, but Miss Burdette’s prim presence on the step had unnerved him. He had hoped to be finished and cleaned up long before she arrived. But a phone call had delayed his start. And Miss Burdette hadn’t gotten lost as both of them had anticipated.

  He hurried up the stairs toward his shower, ruing the staff meeting that had kept him from taking his normal physical training at the gym. In his younger days, he would have simply skipped it. But at thirty-two, he’d already discovered that it was hard to keep up with the young kids he commanded. He couldn’t allow himself to go soft.

  The warm spray pelted his body as he stepped into the shower, still trying to shake a niggling notion that he should know Miss Burdette from somewhere besides Emily’s school. He’d already decided that beneath that cool, pale exterior there beat a warm and vibrant heart; her concern for Emily showed that.

  The electric exchange between them when he had caught her arm told him something else.

  He wondered if it might be possible to strike up a relationship with Miss Burdette that could extend beyond that of parent and teacher. Thad quickly dismissed the idea as he reached for the soap and began to lather up. He didn’t have time to get involved with any woman until he got a handle on this father-daughter situation, and it probably wasn’t prudent to get involved with Emily’s teacher. Besides, what could they possibly have in common besides concern for his daughter?

  As he mulled these conflicting thoughts over in his mind, Thad automatically reached for the razor that he kept on the shelf in the shower and began to shave, carefully checking to see that his face was as smooth as possible. He shook his head as he realized what he was doing and swore softly. Fool! He wasn’t getting ready for a date.

  But when he’d dried and dressed, he splashed on a little cologne anyway.

  ****

  True to his word, Major Thibodeaux returned from his shower in less than fifteen minutes. He was dressed modestly, but comfortably, in a pair of grey sweat pants and a red tee shirt. Moisture still glistened on his brow and his hair curled in damp ringlets, looking decidedly un-military. In spite of his hurried routine, he had taken the time to splash on aftershave and the tangy fragrance tantalized Silver, evoking memories of that best-forgotten night.

  “That’s much better, Daddy,” Emily said primly. “I guess I’ll let you sit here now.”

  “Thanks a heap, Pumpkin, but now I’m clean, I can sit anywhere I want. I think Miss Burdette and I will go into the living room while you finish your homework.” The man turned to Silver. “Shall we?”

  “It’s so nice to see how much happier Emily seems these days,” Silver commented as she followed Thad to the next room and sat down on one of the huge overstuffed chairs across from the sofa where he sat. “She’s making friends at school, too.”

  “I’ve seen the change. And I think it’s largely due to your advice. I’ve never had to deal with little girls before.” He looked earnestly at Silver.

  “I feared that this sudden trip would undo the progress we’d made, but Emily seems to be taking it in stride. When I first broached the subject, she was concerned and started to pull in. But when I told her that you would be staying with her, she came around one eighty.” The major paused.

  “Emily did seem quite excited at the idea this morning when she delivered your note,” Silver said, more to fill the gap than anything.

  “Yes. I think she’s looking on it as an adventure.” Then Thad turned abruptly to business.

  “Let me detail your duties.” He enumerated the list of responsibilities with military precision. “I’ve left you a list of things, people, and phone numbers on the desk in the den. I’ve also arranged for a medical power of attorney should Emily need attention at the post hospital during my absence.”

  Very efficient, Silver thought. But, he hadn’t mentioned supplies.

  “I have provisioned the kitchen for two weeks.” He seemed to be reading Silver’s mind. “You shouldn’t have to go out for anything. Just in case, I’ll leave you some petty cash for emergencies.

  “Any questions, Miss Burdette?” Thad seemed to ask that as an afterthought, as though she could not possibly want or need to ask anything.

  “You seem to have covered everything. I would like to see where I’ll be staying, and I wouldn’t mind a tour of the house,” Silver added.

  “Of course,” Thad said coolly. “Allow me.” He took her elbow and half-pushed, half-pulled her from the chair.

  Silver recoiled at his touch. The sudden surge of energy that passed between them excited her. She dropped her purse to cover the reflex. “Oops, I can’t seem to hold on to anything today.” As she bent over to pick up her purse, she could feel herself flush. The fact that she blushed caused her face to redden even more, but Silver had no choice but to look up and hope that he didn’t notice.

  If he did notice, Thad said nothing. He simply gave Silver a curious look and led the way.

  The house was much larger than Silver had expected, and she was surprised at how tastefully it was furnished. With the exception of the sky-diving trophies in the living room, the house showed little about the man’s personality. It seemed almost as though a woman had come in and set things up for him. Silver resisted a surge of jealousy as that notion came and went.

  The second floor was as well-furnished as the rest, including a charming bedroom complete with a pink-canopied bed for Emily. Silver wondered if Thad had shopped for the girlish details; the house s
howed no evidence of female occupation other than Emily’s paraphernalia.

  “This is my bedroom,” Thad announced as he motioned towards the partly-opened door of the master suite. “I have my own shower in there, so you need not be concerned about sharing a bathroom with me, Miss Burdette.”

  The comment surprised Silver. She hadn’t considered the notion until Thad mentioned it. After all, wouldn’t he be away while she was there?

  When he showed her the room where she would be staying, Thad explained. “I hope this will be comfortable,” he said as he pushed open the door of a room that wasn’t much more than a cubicle. Of all the rooms this was probably the most spare looking.

  The room held a single bed, chest of drawers, and a night stand with a lamp. There was a desk along one wall and a computer setup. It was obviously the room Thad used as his home office. Though the furnishings were sparse, there was little room left to turn around. Yet, because of this tightness, the room felt more inviting than it should have.

  “This will be fine, Major. It seems very cozy,” Silver replied, hoping she had successfully hid her nervousness about sleeping under his roof.

  “By the way, when do you want me to come?” Silver asked.

  “I will be on alert status starting tomorrow. I don’t really know when I will be called. It’ll be some time in the next seventy-two hours. You’ll need to be here so that when I get the word, I can leave at a moment’s notice. Can you be here tomorrow afternoon?”

  Silver, who had been scanning the room, stopped her inspection. She took a moment to compose herself. “I think so,” she finally managed. She’d be there tonight if he asked, but how would she be able to cope with sleeping under the same roof as Thad? She didn’t know if she could do it. Silver hoped that the exercise would begin and he would be called right away.