[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
forty minutes or so hour before she had to be back at the
daycare. She went back into the park to sit on one of the
benches. Thinking about David and the kisses they'd shared,
she ate a ham sandwich on wheat, an apple, and drank a
cherry soda.
She took the long way back to the daycare. A vase with
Orchids, hibiscus, and red carnations sat on her desk.
"Guess who sent them," Becki whispered.
With a thumping heart, Diana lifted the card from the
center of the flowers.
You're perfect just the way you are. Can't wait to see you
again. David.
134
Eye of the Beholder
by Marilyn Lee
She smiled. "I think he likes me after all, Becki."
Becki grinned. "I think that's a safe assumption."
[Back to Table of Contents]
135
Eye of the Beholder
by Marilyn Lee
Chapter Twelve
"Daddy! Daddy! Did you hear that?"
David lowered the evening paper, sat up in his recliner,
and looked across his living room. Carolyn sat on the carpet
in front of the television. They'd finished dinner half an hour
earlier. Now they were relaxing before Carolyn had to go to
bed.
"Hear what?"
"The carnival's in town, Daddy! Starting tomorrow. Can we
go, Daddy? Can we? Please?"
"Where is it?"
"The lot behind the mall, Daddy. Can we go?"
"Sure. We'll go on Sunday afternoon."
Carolyn leapt to her feet and rushed across the room to
climb onto his lap. "Oh, no, Daddy! Let's go tomorrow night."
"Sweetie, I was planning to ask Diana out tomorrow
night."
"So? She can come with us!"
That wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind. He didn't want
to risk having Carolyn think he didn't want her along. Besides,
he really didn't care where he went or what he did, as long as
he did it with Diana. "Okay. I'll ask her."
"Oh, good!" Carolyn covered his cheek with kisses.
"But if she doesn't want to go, you and I will go on
Sunday. Okay?"
136
Eye of the Beholder
by Marilyn Lee
"Oh, she'll want to go," she said confidently. "She likes
being with us. And we like being with her." She pulled back to
look up at him. "Don't we, Daddy?"
"Yes, we do."
He called Diana after Carolyn was in bed. "I'm sorry about
lunch today."
"So am I," she said, "but there will be other lunches."
"Oh, yes," he said.
"Then it's all right. Did you get the problems at work
straightened out?"
"No. It's a mess," he said and found himself telling her
about the slowdown of the carpenters that was almost certain
to lead into a full-fledged strike during the following week.
She listened quietly, asking an occasional question that let
him know she really was listening. Much like Harriet had
done.
Only she wasn't Harriet. He stopped in mid-sentence.
"Go on," she urged. "I'm listening."
"I know you are, but I don't want to bore you."
"You're not boring me, David."
"That's nice to know, but that's enough about my job. I
want to talk about you."
"Smart guy."
He laughed. "Tell me again why you've never been
married."
"I thought I was close once."
"When was this? What happened?"
"About four years ago. He was funny, nice to be with, and
we got along great. After a couple of months, he proposed."
137
Eye of the Beholder
by Marilyn Lee
He felt uncomfortable at the thought of Diana in love with
another man. "And you said?"
"I said no when I found out he didn't want any kids. Not
even one. I couldn't marry a man who didn't want kids."
"Did you love him?"
"At the time I thought I did," she said quietly. "Now I know
I the difference."
"Between?"
"Infatuation and the real thing."
His heartbeat quickened and he stifled the urge to pursue
that line of questioning. He stretched out on his bed, his face
turned away from Harriet's picture on his night stand. "And
since then?"
"I've been waiting to meet someone who I could love who
would want at least two kids. I think an only child leads a
lonely existence." He heard her catch her breath. "Not that
I'm criticizing you for having only one," she said quickly.
"Harriet and I never intended for Carolyn to be an only
child. We just wanted to have a few years between kids so
each child would have a chance to enjoy being the baby of
the family."
"So you do want more children when you marry again?"
She sounded almost relieved, which somehow annoyed
him. "Did I say I was going to remarry?"
"No, but I was sort of hoping that now you might want to."
He swallowed hard. There was only one way to interpret
her remark. Things were spinning too fast.
"I'm sorry," she said when he didn't reply. "You probably
think I'm the most shameless woman you've ever met."
138
Eye of the Beholder
by Marilyn Lee
While her frankness still occasionally unnerved him, he
was flattered that it only happened with him.
"What I think is that I'd like to see you as often as
possible," he said. He smiled when he heard her relieved
laughter.
"Oh, David, I do try to exercise a little decorum with you,
but..."
"Don't sweat it. I like you just the way you are."
"David." Her voice was husky. "I guess you know that I "
"Like me too?" he asked quickly, interrupting her. He
suspected she'd been about to say she loved him and he
wasn't ready to hear such am admission for her yet.
He heard the disappointment in her voice when she spoke
again. "Yeah. I like you too."
"Ah, it's getting late. I need to hit the sack, but Carolyn
wanted me to ask if you'd like to come to the carnival behind
the mall with us tomorrow night."
"Carolyn wanted you to ask?"
"I put that badly. She's the one who wants to go to the
carnival. But I'd hoped to ask you out to dinner."
"I haven't been to a carnival in years. I'd love to go."
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]