When Mom Meets Dad (10 page)

Amanda was curious about Alex's parents and how he'd been raised.  As his parents welcomed her on the covered patio of their home, she knew her curiosity was about to be satisfied.

After Amanda introduced her daughter to Doris and Ed Woodsides, Kristy took Heather into the house to show her the room where she stayed when she slept overnight.

As Amanda gave Doris a box of imported chocolates that she'd brought as a hostess gift, Doris winked at her son.  "This young lady has good taste."

"Yes, she does," Alex agreed with a smile at Amanda.

Ed waved in the direction of the grill.  "Let's you and I get these hamburgers grilled, boy.  Doris, bring out all that stuff you've got in the refrigerator.  Give us twenty minutes and we'll be ready."

It seemed Alex had gotten his take-charge attitude from his father.  Amanda followed Doris into the kitchen, and they chatted easily.  She found Alex's mother very comfortable to talk to.  As Amanda helped Doris fix a vegetable plate, the older woman asked, "Are you and Alex just friends?"

Remembering their kisses, the way she felt when he touched her, their one date that had been cut short, she hedged.  "I'm not sure."

Doris shook her head.  "If my son isn't careful, he's going to turn into a cranky old bachelor."

Amanda laughed.  "I don't know about the bachelor part, but I haven't found him too cranky."

Alex's mother smiled, but the smile slipped away as she said, "Rhonda hurt him deeply.  I'm not sure how serious they were, but the idea that she didn't want their baby and could walk away because a child didn't fit in with her plans, killed any feelings he might have had for her."

"He hasn't told me much about it," Amanda said honestly, not wanting Doris to reveal confidences that might make Alex uncomfortable.

"Well, he should.  Maybe if he talked about it, he'd get over it.  Kristy needs a mother, and he needs...well, more than Kristy and his work."

"It's difficult trusting again," Amanda admitted.

"Sometimes you just have to take the leap," Doris said sagely.

Amanda wondered about that leap as they took the food outside.  Alex came over to her and stood very close.  "Did Mom talk your ear off?"

Wearing a white polo shirt and navy shorts today, he was tall and male, and she liked being near him.  "Not quite," she answered with a smile.

His gaze passed over her one-piece coral outfit.  As if he couldn't keep from touching her, he fingered the collar near her hair.  "You're being diplomatic.  Mom can grill better than any member of the Inquisition, and you don't even know she's doing it."

"I like her, Alex.  I didn't mind answering her questions.  She just wants to know the type of woman you might be keeping company with."

At that he grinned and draped his arm around her shoulders.  "Come on, let's go find the girls.  It's time to eat."

Conversations crisscrossed each other throughout the meal.  When Amanda complimented Ed Woodsides on his barbecuing ability, Alex acted affronted.  And Ed beamed.  Alex murmured in her ear, "You know how to score points."

She laughed, but the feel of Alex's breath on her neck, his shoulder pressed against hers, flustered her and she dropped her fork.  Alex retrieved it for her, and his eyes glimmered with the knowledge that they wanted more than a few touches or kisses.  She sighed.  The idea of a motel room was becoming more and more tempting.

After Doris served strawberry shortcake, Ed stood at his place.  "This is probably the best time to tell you our news."

Alex looked perplexed.  "What news?"

"We're going to put the house up for sale and, come October, we're moving to Florida."

Silence met his announcement as if no one knew quite what to say.  Ed's gaze on his wife, he continued, "We can't take the cold winters as well as we used to."

"But, Dad, it's only for a couple of months--" Alex started.

Ed held up his hand.  "It's not just the cold, though that's a big part of it.  We really like the senior community we visited down there.  We're getting older, son, and I don't want to end up in a rocking chair.  We can buy a little bungalow and have activities fifty yards away.  They have a dance once a week with the kind of music your mother and I like.  So we're going to do it.  Of course, we'll come up here and visit you and Kristy, and you and Kristy can come visit us."

"But I won't see you all the time," Kristy complained.

Doris patted her granddaughter's hand.  "But when you do see us, it will be special.  And you can come down and stay without your dad if you want."

"It's a lot to absorb," Alex said, glancing at his daughter.

He had gone very still beside Amanda, and she could tell by the change in his voice that he didn't welcome this news.

When Ed took his seat again and they continued with dessert, he went on to explain all the advantages of living in a warmer climate.  But most of all, he and Doris repeated the merits of being near friends their own age and a community that understood older people's needs.

Alex had become quiet and remote, though Kristy asked tons of questions, and Amanda could see that even she was liking the idea of taking trips to Florida.  But as she helped Doris clear the picnic table and load the dishwasher, Amanda could tell that Alex was unsettled.  Where before their conversation had been lively, now it drifted into lulls and soon Alex said, "I have some paperwork I have to go over tonight.  We'd better go."

After Amanda thanked the Woodsides for their hospitality, Alex drove her home.  "Do you want to come in?" she asked Alex, wondering if he needed to talk.

"Can we, Dad?  We don't have to stay long," Kristy said.

"Just for a little while."

As the girls ran around to the back yard, he and Amanda followed them more slowly.  "You don't like the idea of your parents moving, do you?" Amanda asked.

"It's not a matter of liking," he said.  "I just can't imagine them selling the house and leaving behind all the memories that are there."

"They want to try a new life," Amanda responded softly.

"I just hope it's not an impulsive decision they're going to regret.  And I've heard horror stories about retirement communities.  I'm going to make sure I investigate this one for them.  It's too easy to get swindled these days.  Besides, Kristy's going to miss them..."

"You'll miss having your mother here to watch her."

He frowned.  "Do you think that's all I'm worried about--how this is going to inconvenience me?"

Anger was evident in his tone, and Amanda realized he wasn't ready to admit how much he was going to miss his parents.  "Alex, no.  But their moving does cause some problems."

"I can hire someone to watch her," he grumbled.

"But it has to be someone you can trust."

She'd wanted to ask him more about Kristy's mother, about his relationship with her and exactly what had happened, but she knew now wasn't the time.  They paused along the carport in front of a climbing rose bush.  The crimson blooms sent a heady fragrance into the evening air.

He dug his hands into his shorts' pockets.  "I'll find out if Mom wants to spend the summer watching Kristy or if she'll be too busy packing."

"Alex..." Amanda said softly, laying a gentle hand on his arm.

"I'm sorry, Amanda.  I'm lousy company tonight."

As he gazed down at her, she had no idea what he was thinking--about her, about them.  Or if he was thinking about the two of them at all.  And when he spoke, his voice was...slightly distant, even guarded.  "I'll just get Kristy and we'll go.  I'll let you know at the meeting tomorrow about keeping her.  And about tutoring...do you think Kristy needs more sessions?"

Amanda shook her head.  "I was going to talk to you about that tonight.  Her last few worksheets have all been correct.  I don't think she needs any more help."

"I want to thank you for everything you've done for her, Amanda."

"No thanks are necessary."

He looked at her as if he wanted to say more, but he didn't.  He moved away from her and walked toward the back yard.

Amanda felt as if something had changed between them, something that only Alex knew about, and she would have no idea what it was until he told her.

Chapter Six

On Wednesday, the fifth of July, Alex drove Kristy to the baseball field at the edge of town.  The fireworks display had been postponed because of rain the evening before.  After he parked on the grass amid rows of cars, they waved and said hello to the people they knew milling about.  Alex bought a soda from a concession stand while Kristy decided on cotton candy.  Most of the citizens of Cedar Grove had brought blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy the annual event.

As Alex spread his blanket on the grass, Kristy tugged on his arm.  "Dad, there's Heather and her mom.  Let's go sit with them."

Alex hadn't had any contact with Amanda since the Career Day meeting on Sunday.  Before the meeting he'd told her that his mother wanted to watch Kristy for the rest of the summer, and that conversation had been brief.  During the planning session, Amanda's smile had made his pulse race crazily.  But ever since his parents had announced their plans for a change in life style, he'd decided to cool things off with Amanda and think.  Something about his parents leaving had opened old wounds.  He didn't know why he was equating his parents' departure for Florida with Rhonda walking out of his life.  But he was.  Life could change faster than the sun could rise, and he wasn't sure he wanted to get involved more deeply with Amanda.  Yet that's where they were headed if they kept seeing each other.

As he raised his gaze to find her in the throng of people, he mentally prepared himself for the sight of her.  But he wasn't prepared to see her engaged in a animated conversation with...Ted Livingston!  His former high school classmate was pointing to something in the distance, and Amanda was smiling and nodding.  Heather sat on a blanket beside them, looking none too happy.

So Livingston had made his move!  And it looked as if Amanda was glad of it.

Why shouldn't she be? a taunting voice in his head asked.  She tried to be friendly before, during and after the meeting at your house, and you were coolly polite.

So polite, he thought, that she'd looked a little hurt when she'd left.  He'd told himself that they'd merely shared a few kisses, and it was his right to call a halt if that was what he wanted.  Apparently she'd gotten the message clearly.

Capping his daughter's shoulder, he said, "I think Mrs. Carson's busy this evening.  Why don't we just sit here and enjoy the fireworks on our own?"

Kristy looked terribly disappointed, but this time there was nothing he could do about it.  As he settled on the blanket and urged his daughter to do the same, he purposefully kept his gaze away from Amanda's direction.  He was here to enjoy the fireworks, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

***

When the phone rang the night after the fireworks, Amanda and Heather were watching a DVD and dipping into a bowl of freshly-made popcorn.  Heather stopped the movie as Amanda went to the kitchen to answer the phone.  Part of her still hoped it was Alex every time it rang.  But when she picked up the receiver and said hello, the masculine voice didn't belong to the man down the street.  It belonged to Ted Livingston.

"Hi, Amanda, it's Ted.  I just thought I'd call to see if you'd like to go out to a movie this weekend.  We could get dinner someplace first--"

She had run into Ted at the fireworks, and he had sat with them to watch the display.  During the bursts of light, she couldn't help but imagine sitting there with Alex rather than Ted.  Although Kristy was still in and out of the house in the evenings, Amanda hadn't seen Alex since the Career Day meeting, and then he had acted like a polite neighbor, not like the man who had kissed her senseless.  He had been sending her the message that whatever they'd shared hadn't meant anything to him.  Maybe he'd been friendly to her, more than friendly, to make sure she kept taking care of Kristy while his parents were gone.

She didn't know what to think any more.  She felt confused by his attitude, and more than a little hurt.  But she'd get over it. Ted didn't make Amanda's heart beat any faster, but he was a nice man.  Still, she didn't want to lead him on.  "This is a bad week, Ted.  I'm taking Heather to summer camp on Sunday, and we're busy getting things organized and just spending time together."

"How long will she be gone?"

"A week."

"Then why don't we do something while she's gone?  How about next Friday night?  We can go to dinner, catch a movie.  What do you think?"

Since her divorce, Amanda hadn't dated at all, and with Alex, they'd hardly even had a real date...alone, just the two of them.  She could sit around, moping over Alex's change in attitude, hoping he'd call, but that would be futile.  And she would miss Heather next week.  Terribly.  A date with Ted would give her something to look forward to and help her pass a lonely evening.  "All right, Ted.  Next Friday night sounds good."

"I'll pick you up around seven.  Take care, Amanda.  I'll see you then."

When Amanda hung up the phone, she decided she'd just taken her first step in forgetting about Alex Woodsides.

***

The steaminess of a temperature hike into the 90's didn't squelch Heather's enthusiasm for her week at camp.  Amanda climbed the ladder and spread her daughter's bedroll over the top bunk in her assigned cabin.  "Are you sure you want the top?" she asked Heather.

There were four girls in each cabin.  Two of them had already been in and out with their parents and were now heading over to the communal building for orientation.  They seemed like nice girls, but Amanda knew Heather was looking forward to Kristy's arrival.

"Kristy wants the bottom bunk, and I like sleeping on top.  It'll be neat climbing up and down the ladder."

"Just be careful."

"Please don't say it again, Mom."

Amanda had been giving her daughter safety tips and mentioning "do's and don'ts" for the past week.

Suddenly the screen door on the cabin swung open, and Kristy came barreling in with her sleeping bag.  Alex followed close behind with what looked like a heavy duffle bag.