Tessa McDermid - Family Stories (29 page)

Kate answered the door and stared at a dark-blue silk tie. Raising her head, she met the amused expression of a tal , slender man.

"Hel o."

She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Nancy had a neighbor who looked like this and she never mentioned him? She'd have to scold her when they were alone.

For now, she had to get her voice back. She swal owed. "Hel o," she squeaked. She made another attempt.

"Do you have Nancy's package? She's busy right now, but she asked me to take care of it."

"Nancy's expecting a package?"

She peeked at his hands, then wished she hadn't. Long, slender fingers with well-manicured nails. A gold watch—right side. No ring on his left hand.

And no package anywhere in sight.

She met his amused eyes again. Deep blue, with tiny flecks of brown. She had to tilt her head back to see his face, which was unusual. Except for her brothers, most men she met were either her height or a scant inch or so tal er.

"Was it my package, Kate?" Nancy came into the living room, adjusting her necklace as she walked.

"It wasn't a—" Kate began and was interrupted by Nancy's excited flight across the room.

"Ed!" Her normal y sedate friend launched herself into the man's arms. "I didn't know you were going to be in town!"

He slid his arms around her waist and spun them both in a slow circle. Kate watched with the first stirrings of jealousy.

"Quick trip. Had to go to Des Moines for business and finished early. Figured I'd run over and see if you were free for dinner."

Nancy wriggled out of his arms and stepped back, her fists on her hips."You came to Des Moines and you didn't let me know?"

"Spur of the moment, sis, don't get mad."

Sis. Kate blinked. The resemblance was there. The blue eyes, the golden-brown hair. Nancy wasn't tal but she did have a slender build.

She wasn't going to analyze the rush of relief she felt at knowing they were brother and sister. He didn't wear a ring but he was left- handed. Maybe the ring interfered with whatever business he did. The cut and style of his suit plainly said that his job paid wel . No scrimping and saving to have a monthly night out on the town.

"Oh, where are my manners?" Nancy dragged her brother over to Kate. "Kate, this is my rotten older brother, Ed Midgorden. Ed, this is Kate Sanders, a col eague and dear friend."

Her hand was engulfed in his. "I'm her only brother," Ed said. "So I am by turns her favorite, her rotten and sometimes her dearest relative." He gave Nancy a wide grin and Kate felt a shiver ripple through her.

"Ignore him, Kate." She frowned. "We have dinner plans, Ed. The book club's meeting and then going to a movie."

"What kind of movie?"

They both grinned at his suspicious tone. "It's a women's group," Kate said. "It's a romance."

"We read the book," Nancy said.

"I'll go to dinner, but then I have to leave." At Nancy's groan, he scooped her into another tight hug. "I could only stay for dinner, anyway, Nance. My plane leaves late tonight. I have to be back in New York for an early meeting tomorrow."

"Fine." She opened the closet and took out her coat, waiting for Ed to assist Kate with hers first. "But we expect you to pay for our dinner."

"Nancy!" Kate protested.

Nancy looped her arm through Ed's and then Kate's. "He can afford it, Kate. And we deserve it. Consider it his civic duty."

The group accepted Ed's presence with no complaints. Kate suspected it had as much to do with his appearance as their friendship with Nancy. He listened to the discussion about the book and upcoming movie with fortitude, only grimacing twice thai Kate could see. He steered the conversation in other directions after the food was served.

Now the members were considering the merits of a short list of books, trying to decide which would be next for discussion Kate voiced her opinion and then sat back. The group's more vocal members would have the final say. She didn't mind. She enjoyed the group for the camaraderie.

"Have you known Nancy long?" he asked a half hour later under cover of the conversation surging around them.

"Two years. When she transferred to our school. She's a very good teacher," she said loyally.

He smiled, a dimple appearing in his right cheek."She is. The best. From what I understand, she moved to Lincoln where they pay teachers more. Obviously you're also an excellent teacher, which is why they hired you."

She laughed. "You have no idea how I teach. You shouldn't make assumptions."

He brought a hand to his chest. "Thank you for that bit of warning. As a lawyer, I should know better than to take someone at face value."

A lawyer. And a successful one, based on the cut of his clothes, the style of his watch. "My guidance counselor wanted me to go to law school," Kate said. "But I wanted to help kids before they got in trouble, not afterward." She knew it sounded corny but he didn't laugh, just favored her with a pleasant smile.

She was soon tel ing him about the car accident that had claimed her father's life a few weeks before her col ege graduation. The decision to move back in with her mom and teach in Il inois until her brothers had finished high school. The relocation to Lincoln, so her mother could help Grandpa Frank with his shop.

"No boyfriends, no husband?" he queried lightly.

She shook her head, astonished at the information he'd gleaned with a few well-chosen questions. "You must be a very good lawyer," she said. "Almost as good as I am at teaching."

She grinned and he grinned back. "I do my best."

Nancy caught the last bit of their conversation. "He's wonderful, Kate. He'll be a partner before he's thirty-five."

"Ah, I'm back in her good graces." He glanced at his watch. "Listen, I hate to leave but I need to get to Des Moines to catch my flight." He rose from the table with that lithe grace Kate had noticed earlier. "Thanks for letting me crash your party. I had a great time."

He pecked Nancy on the cheek. "See you, squirt. Take care of yourself."

The questions started as soon as he left the restaurant. Kate didn't join in. His farewel had included al of them. Why had she expected anything special? He'd visited with her because of the seating, nothing more.

Besides, he lived in New York. She lived in Lincoln. She'd tried one long-distance relationship, with no good results.

The phone rang just as she was getting into bed. "Hel o?"

"Hi."

The voice was familiar and yet she couldn't place it. "May I help you?" she asked careful y. Her mother had dril ed into her at a young age what information could and could not be given over the phone.

The low chuckle alerted her. She sat up abruptly, the phone clenched to her ear. "Is this Ed?" she asked hesitantly.

"Wel , that's a blow. I thought you'd recognize my voice right away."

He had sounded familiar but she decided not to tel him that and feed his ego. She'd spent several agonizing hours thinking she'd spil ed her guts to a polite stranger.

"Are you back in New York?" she asked.

"Yes. How was the movie?"

She talked about plot twists, he asked about characters, she told him how the movie differed from the book.

When there was a lul in conversation, she glanced at the clock. "Ed, it's almost one o'clock here! Does that mean it's two o'clock at your end?"

"Must be."

"Then we need to say good-night."

"Is that your schoolteacher voice?"

She'd purposely been firm. But she never stayed up this late. And she suspected that once she hung up, she'd find it hard to get to sleep.

"It's late," she said, refusing to answer his question.

"I agree. May I cal you again?"

Her heart skipped. A long-distance relationship? her brain asked But he's so easy to talk to, he listens and asks insightful questions, her heart countered. He's a lawyer, it's his training, her brain replied.

The two-way argument pounded in her head. "Yes." Her brain won enough rounds. This time, her heart had the last word.

*****

Nancy plucked her copies from the machine and stepped aside so Kate could slide in her originals. "Next time you talk to Ed, tel him we're going to Erica's for Thanksgiving."

She knew from her conversations with Ed that the third sibling lived in Lawrence, Kansas, with her husband and two daughters. Their parents were in Kansas City and Ed said they al visited as much as possible. His one regret about working in New York was that he couldn't be a regular part of the family gatherings. At least there were direct flights from New York to Kansas City.

"Don't you talk to him?" The copy machine hummed next to her, spitting out copy after copy.

"Not much. He's either busy with work or talking to you." Nancy pushed her pages under the electric stapler.

"Not that I mind. He's always worked too hard. I'm glad he's final y taking some personal time."

"We're just friends," Kate heard herself say.

Nancy laughed and backed out of the room. "Of course you are. By the way, you're invited to Thanksgiving, too! We can drive together."

"I can't go to Thanksgiving with his family!" Kate moaned to Marcia. Her cousin was home on one of her rare visits and had elected to spend the night with Kate rather than at her mother's. Alice had a new boyfriend and he tended to show up at odd hours. Marcia didn't relish the possibility of bumping into him in the middle of the night.

"Why not? You've been phone-dating for two months. That's longer than most couples in this family. You should be buying a wedding dress and booking a chapel."

"Ha, ha. My mom and dad dated for a year." "They were engaged within a few months." "It's not like that with us," Kate said. "Besides, how would this work? He lives in New York, I live in Iowa. We're half a country away from each other."

"So you move. Teachers are needed everywhere. That's what you told me about nursing."

She made a face at Marcia. "People hate to have their words thrown back at them."

Marcia waggled her eyebrows. "Just doing my cousinly duty."

"Your mother will be disappointed you won't be here for Thanksgiving," Marian said. They were baking pumpkin pies for dinner. "She's been fortunate to have you around for this long. By the time I was your age, I'd had al my babies." Her eyes clouded, and Kate knew she was remembering the baby boy who'd died. My uncle. She'd never thought of him in that way before. Just another of Grandma's stories.

Her grandmother's mood vanished as quickly as it had come. "Maybe you could bring this young man by the house at Christmas? Let your family meet him."

"I'll see, Grandma." Kate poured pumpkin fil ing into the pie crust. "But it's nothing serious. I've been invited because I'm Nancy's friend, too."

Marian gave her a long, searching look. "Kate Sanders, your father and mother did not raise a fool." She kissed Kate's cheek. "Have a good time. And remember, you're not getting any younger!"

The banter in the Midgorden household reminded Kate of her house when her father was alive. Footbal was a main staple of Thanksgiving Day and the entire family rooted for their team. Platters of fresh vegetables and fruit were served during the game, and the family didn't sit down to dinner until the final touchdown was scored.

"You're lucky our team won," Nancy whispered. "You wouldn't want to be around here if we lost."

"I heard that," her father said. "You're going to give our guest the wrong impression." He passed Kate the bowl of mashed potatoes. "We're good losers," he said, with a defiant glare at his daughter. "Just much better winners."

Kate laughed. Mr. Midgorden's style of speaking—and questioning—was similar to his son's. Their mother held her own, reminding her family of their manners with gentle chiding. Because the group was smal , Erica's children sat at the table, between their parents, their childish voices blending with the general chatter.

Nancy and Erica shooed Ed and Kate out of the house after dinner. "Walk off some of that food," Erica said.

"Nancy and I will take care of the dishes."

"Not too subtle, was she?" Ed said.

"I like your family." She wasn't wil ing to hear any complaints. They had welcomed her with open arms and, except for a few covert glances, had said nothing about her relationships with their son and daughter.

She knew where she stood with Nancy. Ed was more confusing. He had treated her with kindness, included her in his conversation, and smiled at her when their eyes met. But this was the first time she'd been in the same room with him since the restaurant dinner.

He tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow. "It's slippery on this sidewalk," he explained. "Don't want you to fal ."

They walked the few blocks to the university campus. Ed showed her where he'd attended classes, the buildings ghostly gray in the evening light. Clouds floated above the trees, adding to the sense of eeriness.

She shivered in her jacket. He drew her closer, his arm stealing around her shoulders. She snuggled into his warmth.

"Kate?"

"Hmm?" The campus was closed for the holidays and quiet. Sheltered against his side, she felt content to wander for hours.

He stopped under the shadow of a huge oak tree. "We have to talk."

Her heart slowed. Max had said those same words when he broke their engagement. But Ed had invited her for Thanksgiving. And he was holding her close.

"We can't go on like this."

She shrank inside her coat. "Okay," she said in a smal voice.

His hands cupped her face, tilting her chin until she could see his eyes. The moonlight glistened on his lashes, turning them a smoky gray.

"What's the matter with you?" he asked.

"You're breaking up, right?" The words stuck in her throat but she was determined to be brave. She could cry later, when she was back in her lonely house.

"Breaking up with you?" His thumbs toyed with her mouth. "I'm trying to say I want more. Dating by phone is not the ideal situation."