and full of challenge. “I love Skyler,” she said in a low, earnest voice.
Holly smiled. “I know,” she answered. “Toby and I won’t be back here anymore after today.”
There was a silence while Mary Ann absorbed that statement and dealt with it in her own way. Finally, she turned a bright smile on Holly. “It was good to meet you all the same,” she said.
Holly laughed, and after that, the two women worked in swift accord, putting the kitchen right again in no time at all.
7
T oby’s eyes were round and sleepy as he looked up at Holly, and he yawned. “Let’s decorate the Christmas tree,” he suggested, valiant in the face of his fatigue.
Holly laughed and rumpled his hair. “Tomorrow, sweetheart. After school.”
With an acquiescent shrug, he turned and scampered up the stairs, stopping midway to look at Skyler and say, “Thanks for taking us to the country. It was real neat.”
Skyler shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, looking ill at ease and shy. He didn’t truly belong in this house any longer, and that saddened Holly even though she knew it was for the best. “You’re welcome, kid,” he said.
Holly suppressed a tired smile. Some things didn’t change. “Will you stay for coffee, Skyler?” she asked.
He shook his immaculately groomed head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.” Toby was gone by then, busy getting ready for bed. “It’s over, isn’t it, Holly?” he added in a sad voice.
“Yes,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
There was a painful silence, and then Skyler sighed andshrugged his shoulders. When he met Holly’s eyes again, he was smiling with an obvious effort. “I’d better bring in the tree before I go. Where do you want it, Holly?”
Holly gestured vaguely toward the living room, and Skyler cleared his throat as though he might say something more. Then he ran one hand through his neatly styled hair, something Holly had never seen him do, and turned away without speaking at all.
The tree stood in the corner of the dimly lit living room, leaning, lushly green and fragrant, into the corner. There were no decorations on its boughs just yet, and to Holly, all alone now that Toby was asleep and Skyler had gone home, it was a forlorn sight.
She sighed, knowing that for all the exercise and fresh air of the day just ending, sleep would elude her. She turned off the living room lights and went into the kitchen, where she poured a cup of coffee and sat down at the trestle table.
“Coffee,” she mocked herself, lifting the cup. “Just what your average insomniac needs before bed.”
It was then that the flashing light on the answering machine caught Holly’s eye. Resigned—one couldn’t shut out the world forever—she stood up and crossed the room to her desk, pressing the button marked Play.
The first voice on the recording was Elaine’s, saying that she had the flu and might not make it to work the next day. The second belonged to Holly’s housekeeper, promising to come in to clean on Tuesday.
Holly frowned. This was strange. What had happened to those two brief messages from Craig? He’d said he’d called twice.
A third voice came on, jolting her out of her reflections. David’s voice.
“Holly, call me, will you please? My number is 5556782. It’s important, so don’t worry about the time.”
Holly stood frozen in that lonely kitchen, such a busy place in the daytime but so echoingly empty now. Why should she call David after the way he’d treated her? Hadn’t he made love to her and then said they’d made a mistake and left her alone with her confusion and her conscience? And then he’d come back, saying that he loved her, saying that they needed to talk—and disappeared before they could!
Something besides the two vanished calls from Craig niggled at the back of her mind but she couldn’t quite grasp what it was.
David answered on the first ring, not with a hello but with his name. And that bothered Holly,
Holly smiled. “I know,” she answered. “Toby and I won’t be back here anymore after today.”
There was a silence while Mary Ann absorbed that statement and dealt with it in her own way. Finally, she turned a bright smile on Holly. “It was good to meet you all the same,” she said.
Holly laughed, and after that, the two women worked in swift accord, putting the kitchen right again in no time at all.
7
T oby’s eyes were round and sleepy as he looked up at Holly, and he yawned. “Let’s decorate the Christmas tree,” he suggested, valiant in the face of his fatigue.
Holly laughed and rumpled his hair. “Tomorrow, sweetheart. After school.”
With an acquiescent shrug, he turned and scampered up the stairs, stopping midway to look at Skyler and say, “Thanks for taking us to the country. It was real neat.”
Skyler shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, looking ill at ease and shy. He didn’t truly belong in this house any longer, and that saddened Holly even though she knew it was for the best. “You’re welcome, kid,” he said.
Holly suppressed a tired smile. Some things didn’t change. “Will you stay for coffee, Skyler?” she asked.
He shook his immaculately groomed head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.” Toby was gone by then, busy getting ready for bed. “It’s over, isn’t it, Holly?” he added in a sad voice.
“Yes,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
There was a painful silence, and then Skyler sighed andshrugged his shoulders. When he met Holly’s eyes again, he was smiling with an obvious effort. “I’d better bring in the tree before I go. Where do you want it, Holly?”
Holly gestured vaguely toward the living room, and Skyler cleared his throat as though he might say something more. Then he ran one hand through his neatly styled hair, something Holly had never seen him do, and turned away without speaking at all.
The tree stood in the corner of the dimly lit living room, leaning, lushly green and fragrant, into the corner. There were no decorations on its boughs just yet, and to Holly, all alone now that Toby was asleep and Skyler had gone home, it was a forlorn sight.
She sighed, knowing that for all the exercise and fresh air of the day just ending, sleep would elude her. She turned off the living room lights and went into the kitchen, where she poured a cup of coffee and sat down at the trestle table.
“Coffee,” she mocked herself, lifting the cup. “Just what your average insomniac needs before bed.”
It was then that the flashing light on the answering machine caught Holly’s eye. Resigned—one couldn’t shut out the world forever—she stood up and crossed the room to her desk, pressing the button marked Play.
The first voice on the recording was Elaine’s, saying that she had the flu and might not make it to work the next day. The second belonged to Holly’s housekeeper, promising to come in to clean on Tuesday.
Holly frowned. This was strange. What had happened to those two brief messages from Craig? He’d said he’d called twice.
A third voice came on, jolting her out of her reflections. David’s voice.
“Holly, call me, will you please? My number is 5556782. It’s important, so don’t worry about the time.”
Holly stood frozen in that lonely kitchen, such a busy place in the daytime but so echoingly empty now. Why should she call David after the way he’d treated her? Hadn’t he made love to her and then said they’d made a mistake and left her alone with her confusion and her conscience? And then he’d come back, saying that he loved her, saying that they needed to talk—and disappeared before they could!
Something besides the two vanished calls from Craig niggled at the back of her mind but she couldn’t quite grasp what it was.
David answered on the first ring, not with a hello but with his name. And that bothered Holly,
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