shaking fingers along the pictures
dominating the sparsely decorated room. They were all Caroline and Brett. Him
rocking her as a baby. At Christmas with Santa. Even one with the Easter bunny.
"Nice pictures."
His arms wrapped around her from behind.
"Let's not talk about anything or anyone but us for the few hours we
have."
A chill ran down her body as he whispered in her
ear. The thought of Brett wanting to be with her, concentrate only on her...
"Sit on the sofa while I put on some
music." Brett backed away, his fingertips trailing down her arm.
She crossed her arms against her jumping stomach
and backed toward the couch.
Brett knelt beside a wooden entertainment cabinet
filled with a compact disc player, a large screen television, stacks of CDs in
no apparent order, and impressive stereo speakers. "How about Otis
Redding?"
Otis singing ‘When a Man Loves a Woman?’ She
rubbed her palms up her forearms, trying to smooth out the goose bumps. “Sure,
fine with me."
She dropped to the navy and white striped couch,
sinking into the overstuffed cushions and waited. Glancing around, she tried to
find something to focus on, anything but what was going to happen in a few
minutes.
She zeroed in on the navy rug covering the
bleached hard wood floors, then slowly moved her gaze to the newspapers, books
and magazines piled under the end table. She relaxed just a tad, just thinking
about the effort Brett had obviously put into trying to clean up for her visit.
"Did you bring the furniture with your from
Virginia?"
He hesitated a second as he contemplated the
tracks on the display. "No, we bought it after we got here." He
motioned to the television in the corner as he stood. "That's all we
brought. And of course, the pictures." He plopped down next to her,
draping his right arm along her shoulder.
The goose bumps multiplied, spreading up her arms.
"You never told me why you decided to move this year."
His body tensed, his fingers digging into her bare
shoulder.
"Well..." He picked up her hand,
separating each finger as he talked softly. "I'd been wanting to move for
a while, but I thought I should keep Caroline near her mother."
"You had custody of Caroline in
Virginia?"
"I've had custody since the divorce."
"That's unusual isn't it?"
He nodded. "She stayed with both of us when
she was five, during the year of separation. You know, shuttling back and
forth." He stopped talking briefly still playing with her fingers.
"But her mother wanted to put her in boarding school when..."
"Boarding school?" Allison sat forward.
"Put her in boarding school?" That woman really was selfish.
He smiled at her reaction. "Yes. I was
shocked too. But her mother was planning to remarry by then and she didn't want
to be bothered with Caroline."
"I can't believe that." She sank back on
the couch. "I've never known anyone who sent a six-year old to boarding
school."
"I was willing to have full custody and
responsibility, so her mother agreed. Easily."
She twisted her body toward Brett, pulling her leg
onto the couch. His arm dropped to her waist. "That is simply
incredible." She placed her hands on his leg. "So how did you end up
here finally?"
"Remember the friend I told you about from
Tampa?"
"The one you went to college with?"
He nodded. "He was killed in a car accident
in January."
"How awful." She clapped her hand over
mouth.
"It really shook me up at first." He
smiled gently. "But his wife told me he’d been happy and that I shouldn't
feel bad. He’d lived exactly the way he wanted and the only thing he regretted
was me not moving down here to work with him, because he knew I belonged
here."
Tears welled in her eyes as his voice became raspy
with emotion.
"So I decided I wasn't going to wait any longer
to do what I wanted. Caroline spent so little time with her mother anyway.” He
shrugged. “It didn't matter where we lived, so I sold my place in Arlington and
we moved when Caroline got out of school."
"I'm so
dominating the sparsely decorated room. They were all Caroline and Brett. Him
rocking her as a baby. At Christmas with Santa. Even one with the Easter bunny.
"Nice pictures."
His arms wrapped around her from behind.
"Let's not talk about anything or anyone but us for the few hours we
have."
A chill ran down her body as he whispered in her
ear. The thought of Brett wanting to be with her, concentrate only on her...
"Sit on the sofa while I put on some
music." Brett backed away, his fingertips trailing down her arm.
She crossed her arms against her jumping stomach
and backed toward the couch.
Brett knelt beside a wooden entertainment cabinet
filled with a compact disc player, a large screen television, stacks of CDs in
no apparent order, and impressive stereo speakers. "How about Otis
Redding?"
Otis singing ‘When a Man Loves a Woman?’ She
rubbed her palms up her forearms, trying to smooth out the goose bumps. “Sure,
fine with me."
She dropped to the navy and white striped couch,
sinking into the overstuffed cushions and waited. Glancing around, she tried to
find something to focus on, anything but what was going to happen in a few
minutes.
She zeroed in on the navy rug covering the
bleached hard wood floors, then slowly moved her gaze to the newspapers, books
and magazines piled under the end table. She relaxed just a tad, just thinking
about the effort Brett had obviously put into trying to clean up for her visit.
"Did you bring the furniture with your from
Virginia?"
He hesitated a second as he contemplated the
tracks on the display. "No, we bought it after we got here." He
motioned to the television in the corner as he stood. "That's all we
brought. And of course, the pictures." He plopped down next to her,
draping his right arm along her shoulder.
The goose bumps multiplied, spreading up her arms.
"You never told me why you decided to move this year."
His body tensed, his fingers digging into her bare
shoulder.
"Well..." He picked up her hand,
separating each finger as he talked softly. "I'd been wanting to move for
a while, but I thought I should keep Caroline near her mother."
"You had custody of Caroline in
Virginia?"
"I've had custody since the divorce."
"That's unusual isn't it?"
He nodded. "She stayed with both of us when
she was five, during the year of separation. You know, shuttling back and
forth." He stopped talking briefly still playing with her fingers.
"But her mother wanted to put her in boarding school when..."
"Boarding school?" Allison sat forward.
"Put her in boarding school?" That woman really was selfish.
He smiled at her reaction. "Yes. I was
shocked too. But her mother was planning to remarry by then and she didn't want
to be bothered with Caroline."
"I can't believe that." She sank back on
the couch. "I've never known anyone who sent a six-year old to boarding
school."
"I was willing to have full custody and
responsibility, so her mother agreed. Easily."
She twisted her body toward Brett, pulling her leg
onto the couch. His arm dropped to her waist. "That is simply
incredible." She placed her hands on his leg. "So how did you end up
here finally?"
"Remember the friend I told you about from
Tampa?"
"The one you went to college with?"
He nodded. "He was killed in a car accident
in January."
"How awful." She clapped her hand over
mouth.
"It really shook me up at first." He
smiled gently. "But his wife told me he’d been happy and that I shouldn't
feel bad. He’d lived exactly the way he wanted and the only thing he regretted
was me not moving down here to work with him, because he knew I belonged
here."
Tears welled in her eyes as his voice became raspy
with emotion.
"So I decided I wasn't going to wait any longer
to do what I wanted. Caroline spent so little time with her mother anyway.” He
shrugged. “It didn't matter where we lived, so I sold my place in Arlington and
we moved when Caroline got out of school."
"I'm so
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