Page 54 of The Calendar of New Beginnings
“It’s the emotion,” he said, rising and grabbing a blue and yellow quilt. He wrapped it around her and kept his arms around her too, rubbing her skin to generatewarmth. “I know the things you saw in the field made you sad sometimes. What would you do to feel better?”
“Well…I usually wrote you,” she said, and when he shifted to look at her, she turned to face him as well. “You were always a link for me when I was pretty low, especially when it was too dangerous for me to go outside. I’d pull up my computer and write to you. It always helped. I don’t know if I’ve ever fully said it, Andy, but our chats have meant more to me…”
She cleared her throat, unable to go on. He’d been her lifeline in so many ways.
“They meant a lot to me too,” he said softly, tucking her hair behind her ears again.
The moment lengthened. She stayed where she was, looking back at him, feeling like she was seeing him in a different way than she ever had.
“Lucy—”
“Dad!” Danny yelled out, making them jump apart like two high school kids caught sitting too close together on the couch. “Rufus! Where are you?”
“Guess they’re back,” Andy said, rising and walking to the front door. “Hey, big man! How was Latin dance tonight?”
“The best!” the little boy said, appearing in Lucy’s line of sight. “Hey, Miss Lucy. Are you having dinner with my dad? Aunt Natalie, Aunt Moira, and Aunt Jane took me to Brian’s restaurant so I’ve already eaten.”
“Hey, Danny,” she said, giving a little wave. “No, we’re not having dinner. Just a beer.” That seemed like the understatement of the day.
The women appeared, all dressed in workout gear. They kissed Andy on the cheek. There was no mistaking their interest in her presence.
“Dad, where’s Rufus?”
“I put him in your room since Miss Lucy is here,” he answered.
“You look like you’ve had a tough day,” Moira said, coming over and sitting beside her on the couch.
“It wasn’t easy street,” she responded with her usual flair. “How’s the job hunt going?”
“It’s taken an interesting turn,” she said, frowning, and Lucy could all but feel the questions turning in her mind.
Natalie came over, pointing to the quilt around her. “Are you sick?” she asked.
“Nah,” she said, shaking her head. “Just got cold. Weird, right?”
As Jane walked over to greet her, Moira and Natalie exchanged a look and then glanced over at Andy, a silent question on their eyes. He gave them a blank look back—oh, that silent sibling communication—and took Danny’s hand, positioning the little boy in front of Lucy.
“Why don’t you show us what you learned tonight, Danny?” Andy asked, taking his seat beside her again.
“Are you sure Miss Lucy’s okay, Dad?” Danny asked. “She looks kinda sick to me too.”
Lucy forced a smile. “I’m used to tropical jungles and hot savannahs, remember?” she said, ad-libbing on the spot. “Dare Valley feels cold to me. Now how about you show me how you break it down. Your dad has been chatting up your merengue.”
The little boy wiggled his hips. “Aunt Jane, can you put on our playlist? It’s better with music, Miss Lucy.”
“You have a playlist?” Andy asked.
“Yep,” Jane said. “Danny picked his favorites, and Elizabeth shared her music with us.”
“You’ll have to share it with my dad, Aunt Jane,” the little boy said, “since I’m too young for a cell phone yet.”
Andy was already shaking his head. “Man, I think my head just exploded. My five-year-old kid is talking about having a cell phone.”
His son put his hands on hips. “Dad! All the older kids have them.”
Even Lucy felt her mouth twitch. Then Jane’s phone started playing a fast, Latin beat, and Danny launched into his moves. His little legs executed a fast but effortless salsa. Lucy looked over at Andy in shocked delight.
“He’s really good,” she whispered. Andy’s smile glowed with parental pride, and she couldn’t help but smile back.
