circa 1990. I was around ten in that one.”
“Ah, you were the middle brother. I thought I recognized you.” She laughed lightly, and he was glad she’d taken the time to look at his family picture, but didn’t feel like going into the complicated explanation of who they really were. He hardly knew her. He’d let her think what he let the rest of the world think—he’d come from a big, happy family.
“Yeah, try being in the middle of four daredevil brothers. Those guys were tough acts to follow. Probably why I went into medicine.” His professional choice had also been part of his determination to prove the positive impact fostering could have. It had been his way of giving something back. But she didn’t need to know that, either.
She smiled and he grinned back. He found his smiles coming more often and easier, spending time with her. It felt good.
“I can only imagine.” She went quiet.
They sat in silence for a while, him in deep thought about the responsibilities of being a single father, about how his parents had taught by example the importance of routine and stability in every kid’s life, and having no clue what Andrea was ruminating about. Soon the tea was gone and she stood.
“Time to go?” How could he blame her? He’d gone quiet after the topic of his family had come up, then had gotten all maudlin about his lack of parental skills. Great company. Who’d want to stick around for more of that?
“Yes. I want to get an early start on my project tomorrow.”
He stood now, too. “I’m really glad you’re doing it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, you’re not nearly as bad as I originally thought.” They laughed together, and it lightened the shifting mood. He wanted that earlier ease back between them.
“Oh, yes, the impertinent ocularist strikes again,” she teased. “But I could have sworn you started it.”
“I was uptight. Give me a break.”
He could tell from the benign look on her face that she was indeed giving him a break, that she totally understood, especially now having met Dani, and he truly appreciated that.
They headed for the family room, where her tackle box and backpack had been left, Dani’s silicone cast safely tucked inside. “And I had no idea what you’d just been through.” With the backpack over one shoulder she faced him, an earnest expression softening her serious face. “Please forgive me for being rude to you that day.”
“I’ve already forgotten. Besides, after the way you and Dani became fast friends tonight, I kind of have to.”
That got another smile and a breath of a laugh out of her.
He walked her to the door and allowed one quick thought about how great she looked in those black slacks and the pale blue sweater hugging her curves. It was so much better than those faded scrubs and that frumpy white lab coat.
They said good-night, and he asked when he’d need to bring Dani in for reshaping of the wax mold she planned to make.
“I’ll be in touch,” she said, “as soon as possible, I promise.”
“Then I’ll take you at your word.”
They said their goodbyes. He closed the door and scratched his chin and let his mind wonder about the possibility of something more working out between him and the perky ocularist. That was a first since Katie, too, and a good thing. Wasn’t it about time to start dating again? For an instant he realized how single mothers must feel, wondering if a man wanted to get involved with a lady with kids. Was that how it worked the other way around? Would it matter to Andrea, as it had mattered to Katie, that he was an adoptive father?
SAM STROLLED INTO the hospital employee cafeteria to grab a quick lunch before his afternoon clinic. He’d barely finished playing catch-up with his electronic charting and had about twenty minutes to spare. Going through the line, he grabbed the fish of the day, and his guess was as good as any as to what type of white fish it was. He went for the least overcooked vegetables, green beans, grabbed a whole wheat roll and a tossed green salad and was good to go.
After paying, he juggled his cafeteria tray and searched around the noisy and crowded room—which smelled entirely too much of garlic—for a place to sit. A pleasant surprise awaited him when he spotted the light blond hair of his new favorite ocularist, especially after the slam-dunk impression she’d made on Dani last night, and he made a straight line to where she sat. Fortunately, she was eating alone. And reading a book, so she didn’t notice him coming.
“Is this seat taken?”
Andrea glanced up, totally distracted by whatever novel she’d been reading. “Oh, hi.” An instant flash of recognition and a welcoming smile made him think he’d made the right decision. “No, join me.”
“Thanks.” The invitation, which he’d clearly forced, still managed to make him happy. He sat, but not before removing the dishes from his tray and balancing that against the leg of the table. From this angle he could see the book was a biography on the artist Jackson Pollock. “Reading picture books, I see. No wonder you and Dani got along so well.” He could always manage superficial conversations easily enough, had learned early on it was a survival technique in the foster care system, which had been pointed out to him by his “mom” when he’d tried the old you-can’t-reach-me routine at first. The quiet and withdrawn kids got moved around more than the ones who knew how to socialize. All he wanted to do was prove he was worth keeping. That was the truth.
She rolled her eyes at his awful attempt at humor. “America’s cowboy artist. Our very own van Gogh, torment and all.” She closed the book and gave all of her attention to him. He liked that. Her naturally beautiful eyes were less distracted by makeup today, which he definitely also liked.
“How’s our project going?” He pushed around the green beans rather than taking a bite, then decided to pile them on top of the piece of fish, thinking it might help the bland cafeteria food have a little more flavor that way.
“I’m off to a good start. I’ll need to see Dani again, though, to exactly fit the wax mold.”
“I can have my sister bring him by this afternoon, if you’d like.” Yeah, piling the food together hadn’t helped enhance the flavor at all, but watching Andrea, hearing her voice, made the taste far more palatable. Next he dug into his salad.
“I should be able to work that in. Can she bring him around two-thirty?”
“I’ll see.” He got out his mobile phone and texted Cat, his foster sister, the one he felt closest to. Being a mother of two toddlers herself, plus the fact she lived five miles from him, it’d made sense to ask her to be his child-care provider when his parental leave came to an end and he had to go back to work. Not to mention the fact that her husband, Buddy, a welder, had agreed to her staying at home with their kids. They lived on a tight budget, and she could use the extra income that watching Dani brought. The way he saw it, it was a win-win situation.
Andrea took a dainty bite of her salad, and he smiled at her, then tore into his roll,
