A Father's Gift

by Andrea Edwards

  “Yeah, well, the dress might be okay but the institution wouldn’t fit,” Cassie said and glanced back at the others waiting to wish the happy couple well. “Hey, my time’s up. See you later.”

  She moved out of the way, following some of the others up the path toward the shelter where the tables had been set up. Everything looked perfect. The tables were covered with white cloths, and garlands of roses and greenery trailed down the center of each. At the far end of the shelter, the food tables were set up. The wedding cake had the place of honor. It somehow seemed such a symbol of the fragility and sweetness of love that Cassie had to look away.

  Her gaze fell on the pile of dinner rolls at the end of the buffet table. She grabbed up a couple and slipped through the crowd toward the lake. No one was on the beach when she got there, but the swans were hovering just offshore.

  “Hi, guys,” she called out to them. “How you been?”

  The swans swam toward her, taking a cautious zigzag kind of route. She tore a roll into pieces and threw them out onto the water. “Fiona got married just a few minutes ago. So you two aren’t the only happy couple around here anymore.”

  The swans gobbled up the bread, which attracted a pair of ducks. Cassie tore up more bread and threw the pieces across a wider area. She found herself wandering back through the years, to all the times she’d come here. When they’d rescued Juliet. When they’d gotten adopted by the Scotts and Cassie was so scared that somehow she would still wreck it for everybody. When she’d been about to leave for college. When she’d gotten divorced. Whenever she was hurting or scared or uncertain. This had to be one of the few places where everything was always swell.

  “Hi, Cassie,” a little voice called out.

  “Whatcha doing?”

  Cassie turned to find Jack and the girls were walking toward her. She smiled, somehow feeling it was right for them to be here now.

  “I tried to tell them you might be busy,” Jack said.

  “She ain’t busy, Daddy.”

  “She was just standing here.”

  “I was so busy,” Cassie said. “I was feeding the swans.”

  “Can we feed them?” they asked.

  “Sure.” She handed each of them half of her last dinner roll. “Just tear it into pieces and throw it out onto the water.”

  While the girls did that, Jack came over to take her hand. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look?” Jack asked.

  She glanced down at her dress. It was plain, styled almost like a T-shirt, with short sleeves and a collarless neckline, but was mid-calf in length and belted. And made of deep red silk.

  “Fiona promised I wouldn’t have to wear lots of ruffles,” she said, not knowing how to respond to his compliment, or to the look in his eyes. It sent a shiver of desire coursing down her back and made something in her long to slide up a little closer to Jack.

  “I think you’d probably look great in anything,” he said. “Or nothing,” he added in a whisper.

  Cassie felt her cheeks burn with a sudden heat and turned to watch the girls. Their tosses didn’t get the bread anywhere near the swans, but the ducks were delighted. They rushed madly for each piece of bread as the girls squealed in delight.

  Cassie had never been one to show her emotions that openly—either her hungers or her excitement. “Sam thought these dresses were great because we could wear them for other occasions,” she said offhandedly. “I don’t know where Sam hangs out, but I can’t see me wearing it to work or to one of my softball games.”

  “Maybe you need to start going out to other types of places,” he said.

  Fudge cakes, she’d made a stupid remark. He must think she was hinting for him to take her to fancy places. “Or maybe I could just fancy up the places I go to,” she added quickly. “You know, the store might be better off with a little classiness.”

  “Maybe we should plan something special for our little holiday,” he said.

  The fire in his eyes lit the kindling around her heart and for some reason made her nervous as a girl on her first date. It wasn’t exactly a bad sort of nervous. In fact, it wasn’t bad at all. It was more like the slow climb up to the top of the roller coaster—you knew the ride would be wild and fantastic, but the waiting tied your stomach up in knots.

  Not that she wanted him to know that. “I already did plan some special stuff,” she said. “I thought we’d do some biking and some hiking and maybe some sailing.”

  “That all?” His voice tickled a spot deep inside her.

  She grinned at him. “We’ll just have to see, won’t we?”

  Chapter Ten

  “Okay, okay.” Cassie stepped out of her kitchen, wiping her hands on a small towel. It was hours past dinner. Who would be dropping by now? “I’m coming.”

  Ollie was barking at the front door and wagging his tail at the same time, not that that meant it was somebody they knew and liked. The giant dog always wagged his tail when he barked.

  Cassie flicked on the outside light and looked through the side windows. She felt a grin rip through her defenses. “It’s Jack,” she told her fuzzy companion. She quickly opened the door. “Hi. This is a surprise.”

  “A good one, I hope.”

  His eyes were laughing and his smile was relaxed. Any fear that something was wrong was quickly dispelled.

  “Can I come in?” he asked.

  “Sorry,” she said, and stepped aside. “I was daydreaming.”

  Remembering back to that day just a month ago, actually, when Jack had walked into her life wearing a three-piece suit. He’d looked very nice in that suit, but he looked even better in the knit shirt and shorts that he was wearing now. There was more of him to see.

  Though truth be told, Cassie thought he’d looked best about two weeks ago, back when he wasn’t wearing any more than the Good Lord gave him on the day he came skidding into this world.

  “Did I come at a bad time?”

  “No, no. I’m just doing some refrigerator baking.”

  He blinked at her. “Science was never my strong suit,” he said. “So this baking-in-a-refrigerator thing has me a tad confused.”

  “I’m making a cheesecake. You mix up some cream cheese and fake whipped cream, pour it into a pie tin with grahamcracker crust, pop it in the refrigerator and leave it there until it hardens.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “It’s not bad.” It was the kind of thing she did when moodiness descended on her—made something sweet and delicious to eat. Then she would run a few extra miles to work off the calories. Equal doses of self-indulgence and self-discipline. It wasn’t long before she was pert and chipper again. Worked all the time. “And it’s not that many calories, either. I use all lowcal stuff.”

  “It sounds good.”

  “Especially when you top it off with fresh strawberries.”

  “Stop it, before I start drooling.”

  “If you’re good, I’ll let you have some.”

  “What do I have to be good at?”

  “I’m talking like morally good.” She turned and headed back toward the kitchen. “Not good at something.”

  “Can we negotiate that?”

  The slap of his sandals made a rhythmic sound, indicating that his leg was feeling good. Sometimes it stiffened up.

  “Do you want iced tea or lemonade?” she asked.

  “Lemonade, please.” He sat down on a stool at the counter. “And no sugar.”

  She stopped at the refrigerator and opened the door. “Worrying about your weight?”

  “No,” he replied. “It’s just that I’m sweet enough already.”

  “I’ve noticed that.”

  Cassie felt the tension leave her shoulders as she poured their lemonade. Although she wasn’t really tense. She was just a little down.

  Oh, who was she kidding? She had a case of the blues that was fixing to grow and she was glad that Jack was here. Every since the wedding, she’d been dancing on the edge of the dumps, ready to fall into the dep
ths. Her life just seemed so empty, so pointless.

  But Jack was like a magic wand. All he had to do was wave his smile around and the sun was breaking through her clouds. She put the pitcher back in the refrigerator and sat down next to him at the counter.

  “We can’t have any cheesecake, yet,” she informed him. “It’s too soft and would just slop around.”

  “I could lick my plate.” He reached down and mussed Ollie’s head. “Me and Ollie can handle that real good.”

  “Ollie and you.”

  “Whatever.”

  “I bet Aunt Hattie wouldn’t accept that as an excuse.”

  He continued scratching Ollie behind his ears. “Boy, you women sure know how to play hardball.”

  Cassie smiled and sipped her lemonade. “I don’t think it would look too dignified for a law teacher to lick his dessert off his plate. There must be something in your professional bylaws against that.”

  “Probably.” He gulped at his drink. “But I never read them.”

  “Goodness. You’re a bad little boy.”

  He gave her a wink and a smile. “What you don’t know can’t hurt you.”

  “Oh, is that right?” She tried for a teasing tone, but fell a little short.

  Jack’s smile faded slightly and he put his glass down. “I ran your dad’s name through some of the computers in Pierre, South Dakota. I didn’t really expect to find anything and I didn’t,” he said. “Most of the systems have computerized in the last ten years and haven’t gone back to add people from before then.”

  “I guess that makes sense.”

  “I thought maybe I’d try some of the Internet bulletin boards. There’s a missing-persons one.”

  “What’s that?” she asked. “I missed the turnoff for the Information Superhighway.”

  “Just a way for people to exchange things—information, ideas, recipes, whatever. It works pretty much like a regular bulletin board. You post a message and wait for someone to read it and respond. Well, I posted your father’s name and birth date and the navy info about him. And hope that somebody who knew him reads the bulletin board.”

  “Sounds easy.”

  “The posting is.”

  “But the waiting isn’t.”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  He took her hand, holding it tightly as if he was telling her that she could depend on him, that he would be her anchor. That no matter what they found out—or didn’t find outnothing would change between them. She took strength from him, let it flow over her heart and bring peace. She felt so much better with him around, so much less afraid of the demons that seemed to come out after dark.

  Suddenly their stools got moved back from the counter as if an earthquake had hit. Ollie was squeezing himself between their feet and the cabinet wall, snuggling down as if he were a little baby.

  “Ollie!” Cassie exclaimed. “You’re not a puppy anymore.”

  “That’s okay,” Jack said. “We all want to be puppies sometime.”

  Cassie smiled at him. Men were a lot like dogs. The bigger they were, the gentler they acted.

  “That cheesecake could be a bit soft yet,” Cassie said. “But it might be manageable.”

  “Won’t know until we try.”

  She got up and went to the refrigerator, pulling out the pie tin. “Want some fresh strawberries with that?”

  “Only if you want me forever beholden to you.” Cassie stood poised, cheesecake in hand, and stared into his eyes—dark blue, almost black. Turbulence ahead. She could hardly wait.

  “Watch me, Daddy.”

  “No, watch me.”

  “I got two eyes, sweethearts,” Jack shouted in exasperation. “I can watch both of you at once.”

  They were all at the university pool. Cassie and Jack were in the water while the twins were on the edge. Cassie had been reminding them for days that they were starting lessons at the YMCA soon and that their father might want to see what they’d learned so far. Yesterday the girls had finally agreed, though reluctantly. Now they were as loud and obnoxious as any six-year-olds, each trying to outdo the other.

  “All right, girls,” Cassie called out. “How about if you get in the pool?”

  They jumped in together, creating a massive splash, then they frantically grabbed for the sides of the pool.

  “Wow!” Jack cried. “I’m impressed.”

  Cassie moved about ten feet from the edge and looked back at the girls. “Okay. One at a time now, swim out to me.”

  “Me first!” Mary Louise called out and began doing a slow dog paddle toward Cassie.

  When she got near, Cassie grabbed her and let her catch her breath before sending her back to the side. Then Mary Alice did the same.

  “Boy,” Jack said as the girls clung to the side of the pool. “You guys are doing just great.”

  They didn’t reprimand him for using the G-word, so obviously they were pleased with his attitude.

  “How about if we use the kickboards?” Cassie reached for some foam boards that the girls used to help them float.

  For the next hour or so, the girls swam and splashed and played in the water. They really had conquered their fears, although as swimmers they weren’t Olympic quality quite yet. It was obvious they were proud of their new skills, though, and anxious to show off for their father.

  When family hour was ending and some local swim teams were coming in to use the pool, the girls reluctantly got out of the water and took their kickboards down to the pile at the end of the pool. Cassie got out and walked with Jack toward the locker-room doors.

  “I’d thought maybe Aunt Hattie would come see the girls swim,” Cassie said.

  “This has all been real hard on her.”

  Cassie didn’t know why. “It’s good for kids to learn to swim,” she said. “It could save their lives.”

  His blue eyes turned cloudy. “Aunt Hattie knows that better than most people. Back when she was about ten years old, she and her best friend were crossing a footbridge by their house. It was just wide enough for one person to walk and there were no side rails.”

  Suddenly Cassie could see the whole picture. “Her friend slipped and fell in.”

  “Neither of them could swim and the river was near to flood stage.” Jack shook his head. “All Aunt Hattie could do was watch Betty Jean get washed downstream.”

  A wave of guilt washed over her heart. She took Jack’s hand. “I’m sorry.”

  “You didn’t know.”

  “I know, but I didn’t give her the benefit of the doubt.”

  “In what way?” he asked.

  “Oh, it’s just being dumb on my part.” She squeezed his hand. “But now I know.”

  “Ah.” He cleared his throat. “I’d rather you didn’t mention anything. Aunt Hattie doesn’t like folks who fish for sympathy. She’d thump me good if she knew I told.”

  “Hmm.” Cassie squeezed up to him. “Now you’re in my power.”

  “I’m hoping you won’t abuse that power.”

  She kissed him and they hugged. “I take it Aunt Hattie has never learned to swim.”

  “She’s scared to death of water.”

  Cassie pulled back. “And she feared for the girls.”

  “All the time you guys were here, Aunt Hattie was on her knees praying.”

  “I should have been told,” she said, scolding Jack.

  “I just told you I couldn’t tell,” he insisted. “She’d have crippled me up. Worse than those two defensive linemen did back when I still played ball.”

  Cassie just shook her head.

  “Whatcha guys doing?”

  Two little munchkins stood staring at them, with two pairs of the clearest blue eyes this side of heaven. She’d been so engrossed in her conversation with Jack that she hadn’t heard the patter of their bare feet on the tiles.

  “We were just talking about how brave your father is,” Cassie replied.

  “He ain’t brave.”

  “He’s afraid of Aunt H
attie.”

  “He won’t talk back, or sass her, or anything.”

  “That doesn’t mean he’s afraid of her,” Cassie said.

  “Does, too!” they shouted in unison.

  Cassie shook her head and laughed. “I’m not getting into this.”

  Jack joined in her laughter. It felt so good.

  “Let’s go change,” Jack said to the girls. “I’m hungry enough to eat a bear. Fur, guts, and everything.”

  “Eww,” the girls sang out.

  “Thank you for the dinner,” Cassie said as she and Jack stopped at her front door. A cloud of pleasant expectancy surrounded them. Even Ollie—who the girls had insisted come over, too—was waiting quietly at their side. “The whole evening was wonderful.”

  Jack glanced over toward her house. “I owe you a lot,” he replied.

  “No, no,” Cassie said. “You don’t owe me a thing. We’re even.”

  He looked down at Ollie standing between them and scratched his head. Her giant dog groaned in ecstasy.

  “You’re spoiling him rotten, you know,” Cassie said.

  “My kids aren’t afraid of the water anymore.”

  “Any swimming teacher could have accomplished that.”

  She could see by the light from the streetlight that he was looking at her. And, although it wasn’t bright enough for her to read his eyes, she was sure they were dark blue. Something in the air around them told her they were.

  “But how many swimming teachers would have clued my kids in on Indiana law?”

  Cassie knew he was laughing at her. “I never said it was the law that they had to go barefoot during the summer. They made that up.”

  “Hmm. This calls for some investigative work.”

  “Like what?”

  “Interviews.” He nodded. “Checking for inconsistencies. Determining who’s telling the truth.”

  “I see.”

  They stood there, listening to the sound of Ollie panting.

  “Would you like a glass of wine or something?” she asked. Maybe Ollie was using up all the oxygen. It certainly was getting hard to breathe. “Maybe it would give you a chance to start your investigation.”