She Never Knew (22 page)

“Works for me.” Rob agreed. He was glad
to see Kat smiling again and sensed that Daniel had something to do with it.
Whatever it was, he hoped that Daniel would make her happy.

Kat took the bottle of wine from Daniel
and inspected the label with delight. “Johannesburg Reisling! “This is one of
my favorites!”

“I’m glad you approve.” Daniel smiled, pleased
with Kat’s reaction.

“Who wants a glass?”

An hour later, after an exquisite meal
of baked cod and seasoned vegetables, the adults settled in Kat’s living room
to enjoy apple pie and coffee. The boys had eaten macaroni and cheese for
dinner and had gone downstairs to the playroom.

Robert described his business ventures
to Daniel while Kat revealed to Rhonda that she and Mary finally made contact.

“Kat, that’s wonderful!” Rhonda leaned
over to give her friend a hug. The men aborted their conversation and turned
their focus on the women.

Kat looked at Daniel and explained that
after he left the day he helped locate Tyler, her sister had called. “We talked
for quite a while. I had written her a letter recently and really didn’t expect
to hear back from her.”

Daniel smiled at Kat, excited that
things seemed to be looking up for her. “It sounds like it went well.”

“It went very well, actually.” Kat
shifted on the couch so she was facing Daniel. “She said she was pretty
miserable about the whole situation and wanted to reach out to me.”

“You both reached out to each other.” Rhonda
pointed out.

“Just hearing her voice after all these
years was pretty amazing.” Kat began to sniffle. “And you know what the best
part of this is? She’s coming to visit in a couple of weeks.”

“Wow, Kat, that’s terrific!” Rhonda beamed.
The others nodded in agreement.

“The Lord works in mysterious ways.”
Robert said.

“Looks like your prayers have been
answered.” Daniel said softly.

Kat glanced shyly at him. “Yes, they
have.”

After Daniel excused himself to go to
the bathroom, Kat went to the kitchen to make another pot of coffee. A few
minutes later as she approached her living room, she stopped short when she
heard Daniel’s name. She didn’t make it a habit to eavesdrop on other people,
but what she heard set off warning bells in her head.

“All right, you two.” Kat entered the
living room and laid the coffee tray on the table. Standing with her hands on
her hips, she looked at her friends and said, “Out with it.”

“It’s nothing.” Robert shook his head.

Rhonda rolled her eyes at the ceiling. “Robert’s
got the feeling that there’s something off with Daniel.”

“No, Rhonda. That’s not—”

“What do you mean, something’s off?” Kat
queried, looking behind her. Daniel was still in the bathroom. “Is he sick?”

“No, that’s not it.” Obviously
uncomfortable, Robert glared at his wife. Kat sat down on the couch and waited
for Robert to continue.

“He doesn’t like Daniel.” Rhonda offered.

“What? I—no, I never said that!” Robert
hissed at his wife. “Why don’t you say it a little louder so he can hear you in
the bathroom?”

Rhonda leaned back against the couch,
her arms folded across her chest. She shook her head and looked at Kat.

“All right. Will one of you tell me what
is going on here?” Kat said in a low voice, her eyebrows pulled together.

Robert leaned forward and looked at Kat.
“Listen to me. It’s not that I don’t like the guy—I just met him tonight.”

“Exactly, so I don’t understand what the
problem is.”

 Robert rubbed his eyes and shook his
head. “There’s just something about the way he acts I don’t like.”

“Did he say something to offend you?”
Kat inquired.

“No.” Robert paused, choosing his words
carefully. “I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something about him that I
don’t trust.”

“Well, he had a difficult childhood and
I know he doesn’t like to talk about it.”

Rhonda turned to her husband. “Honey,
maybe he’s just nervous because he knows we look out for Kat. Maybe he feels a
little out of place.”

Robert poured himself another cup of
coffee. “Look, I’m not trying to get anybody riled up here, okay? I don’t know,
maybe I’m making way too much of this.”

Kat looked at her friends thoughtfully.
“I know you guys are concerned and I love you for that, but I’ve gotten to know
Daniel pretty well in the last couple of months. Something tells me he’s a good
man.”

Robert apologized to Kat. “Then I’m
sorry I upset you.”

“You didn’t. I see this as genuine
concern and I appreciate it. I really do.”

“Kat, I’m sorry.” Rhonda looked at Kat
sadly. “We really didn’t mean anything by this.”

“I know you didn’t.” Kat smiled. “I
would be worried if you didn’t say anything.”

From the living room, the threesome
could hear Daniel coming out of the bathroom. They all looked at each other for
a moment before Kat rose to greet Daniel.

“So, what did I miss?” Daniel smiled,
looking at the solemn bunch.

“Absolutely nothing.” Kat said. “Come,
let’s have some coffee. We’re going to play a game soon. But first, Rhonda and
I are going to check on the boys.”

Throughout the rest of the evening, Kat
thought about Robert’s words and how he didn’t trust Daniel for whatever
reason. While she felt she had nothing to worry about, she also knew that Robert’s
instincts were usually right on the mark.

She pushed the earlier conversation to
the back of her mind so she could focus on having a good time with the people
she cared most about. It was almost midnight when her guests left. The boys had
fallen asleep in the playroom and rather than wake Eli up, Robert and Rhonda
agreed to let him spend the night.

Daniel was the last to leave. As he and
Kat stood on her front porch under the moonlight, he looked at her fondly.
“Kat, I had a terrific time tonight with your friends. I see why you like them
so much.”

Kat looked up at him. She was aware of
how close he was to her. A faint breeze blew over them and Kat closed her eyes,
relishing in the scent of Daniel’s cologne.

When she opened her eyes, she saw that
he was studying her. He took her hands in his as he leaned over to kiss her
ever so lightly on the mouth. She gasped softly, transfixed in a moment so
magical that she knew she would never forget it.

“Good night, Daniel.”

And within
seconds, he was gone.

 “Tyler, please hurry! We need to feed
Marlowe before we meet Daniel at the park. I don’t want to be late.”

“Okay, Mommy!” Tyler yelled from
upstairs. “I’m coming!”

Robert and Rhonda had taken Eli to
Disney World for a family vacation before their son was to begin Kindergarten
at the end of the month. Kat had agreed to keep an eye on their house, take in
their mail, and feed their cat. She wanted to brush Marlowe’s coat before the
cat took off on her daily expedition.

Tyler came bounding down the stairs and
found his mother in her bedroom putting on her sneakers. “I’m ready, Mommy.”

“Me too!” She stood up and inspected
Tyler’s feet. He did as she asked, but wore mismatched socks. Laughing, she
said, “I’d wear mismatched socks too, but mine are all white!”

Tyler giggled as the two left her
bedroom. Kat gave her house a quick glance and saw that all doors and windows were
locked. Satisfied, she swiped Rhonda’s house key from the counter and met Tyler
at the front door.

 “After you.” Tyler said, with a lilt in
his voice.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

It was a game mother and son played.
Since Tyler did not have a father figure in the house, Kat tried hard to teach
him things that men would typically do, and opening a door for a lady was one
of them.

Ten minutes later, Marlowe purred loudly
in appreciation. Kat had brushed her coat until it shone. After she refilled
the cat’s water dish and set out fresh food, she and Tyler walked back to their
house. Out of the corner of her eye, Kat thought she saw someone run through
the thicket behind her neighbor’s house. She stood over to the side of her yard
to get a better look but didn’t see anyone. Frowning, she stood there watching
in case she saw movement again. A few minutes passed with no signs of activity,
so Kat dismissed her interest and turned her focus on meeting Daniel.

“Look, Mommy!” Tyler shrieked. “I see
Daniel!”

Kat had just pulled into a parking spot
when she spotted Daniel leaning against the back of his truck. He wore a wide
grin on his face and waved when he saw Tyler.

The park was brand new and one of the
largest in Lakesboro. It hosted a number of swings, slides, and in its center
was a two-foot high labyrinth carved out of bushes. The grounds contained
attractive lawns and flower beds and offered plenty of covered benches for
those who wished to rest in the shade. The park also had a small aquarium which
was scheduled to open by the end of the year.

As Kat and Tyler climbed out of her car,
Tyler ran up to Daniel and gave him the obligatory high five slap. When he ran
off to the entrance of the playground, Daniel leaned over and pecked her cheek
with a soft kiss.

“Would you like one of those too?” He
held up a hand so Kat could slap it.

Laughing, she swatted his hand and said,
“Thanks for meeting us here.”

 “Thanks for having me.” He smiled at
Kat, admiring her beauty and the way her eyes sparkled in the sunlight. “I
would’ve been glad to pick you two up.”

“I know, but you live near here, so it
didn’t make sense for you to come all the way out to get us.”

“Mommy!”

Kat and Daniel turned to the sound of
Tyler’s voice. He had found himself at a dead end in the modest labyrinth and
judging by the look on his face, he didn’t know what to do.

 “What do you say we go rescue him?” Kat
suggested.

“Last one’s a rotten egg!” Daniel
shouted. He took off running in the direction of the maze, leaving Kat behind.

“What—hey, wait for me!” Kat laughed, running
after him. When she finally caught up, Daniel had hopped over the bushes to
where Tyler was waiting. He took Tyler’s hand and guided him back to an opening
that would lead them farther into the maze. Kat stood where she was, watching
the man Tyler adored help him find his way out.

“You’re a child, you know that?” Kat scolded
Daniel, trying to maintain a straight face.

“You’re just now figuring that out?”
Daniel laughed. “The truth is, I’m just a big kid trapped in a man’s body.”

“Oh, I get it now. That’s why you were
so eager to meet us here.” Kat nodded in mock understanding while Tyler watched
in amusement.

For the next hour, Kat and Daniel pushed
Tyler on the swings, spun him on the merry-go-round, and rode the slides with
him.

Daniel and Tyler both had endless energy
that knew no boundaries. Kat rested on a bench and observed Daniel with her
son. He was so good with Tyler and it was obvious to Kat that Tyler loved
having Daniel around. This is what having a father figure is all about, she mused.

A short while later, Daniel and Tyler
joined Kat on the bench. “Whoo! That was fun!” Daniel panted, reaching for a
water bottle that Kat had brought for him.

“Let’s do it again!” Tyler exclaimed,
jumping up and down.

Daniel winked at Kat. “Your turn.”

Kat laughed. “I think both of you need
to drink some water and cool down for a little bit.”

“Aw, man!” Tyler pouted, but as he sat
down on the grass, it was clear that he was ready to take a break as well. He
drank eagerly from the water bottle Kat had opened for him.

“Daniel?” Tyler had dropped the ‘mister”
when addressing him a couple of times now but Daniel didn’t seem to mind.

“Yes?”

“Are you going to marry my Mommy?” The
question sounded pensive in nature and while Kat was at a loss for words,
Daniel was quick to answer.

“Probably not.”

“Why?”

“Because your mommy didn’t ask me.”

Kat swatted Daniel and both of them
laughed. She said, “You think you’re funny, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.”

“Mommy, he
is
funny.”

“Hey, I thought you were on my side!”
Kat laughed, leaning over to tickle her son.

After the laughter subsided, Kat told
Tyler, “Honey, right now, Daniel is my friend.”

“He’s my friend too.”

Daniel leaned over and poked Tyler
lightly on the nose. “And you’re my friend, too.”