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Mom home?”
“I did,” he told the boy with a smile. “We’ve been handing out food all over town. How was football practice?”
“Pretty good, if we could teach Pat Bartley how to tackle,” he said with a wistful smile. “He won’t wear his glasses and he can’t see two feet in front of him. But the coach is working on him.”
“Good for him. Who’s in band?”
“Me,” Ann said, grinning. “I play clarinet. I’m good, too.”
“I used to play trombone in band,” Matt volunteered.
“You did?” Ann exclaimed. “That’s neat!” She looked up at Matt curiously. “You look different when you aren’t wearing a uniform.”
“I’m shorter, right?” he teased.
She smiled shyly. “No. You look taller, really.”
“We’ve got leftover pizza. Want some?” Bob offered. “Mr. Smith brought it to us. It’s got pepperoni.”
“Thanks, but I had egg salad for supper. I’m sort of watching my weight.” His dark eyes twinkled at the boy. “New uniforms are expensive.”
“Tell me about it,” Mary sighed. “I’m trying to keep my own weight down so mine will fit.”
“You wear a uniform?” Matt asked.
“Just for one lady I work for,” she said. “She’s very rich andvery old, and traditional. When I work for everybody else, I just wear jeans and a T-shirt.”
“Amazing,” he mused.
“Look, Mom, there’s that movie Bob wants to see!” Ann enthused, pointing at the small television screen.
It was a promo for a fantasy film with elves and other fascinating creatures.
“I want to see that one, myself,” Matt commented. “Say, you don’t work Sunday, do you?” he asked Mary.
“Well, no, but there’s still food to pick up and deliver—”
“There are matinees,” he interrupted. “Suppose we all go?”
Mouths dropped open. None of them had been to a movie in years.
“I guess I could ask Tammy to keep John…” Mary thought out loud.
“Wowee!” Bob exclaimed. “That would be radical!”
“Sweet!” Ann echoed.
“I need a dictionary of modern slang,” Matt groaned.
“We mean, it would be very nice,” Ann translated. “We’d like very much to go, if it wouldn’t be an imposition.”
Matt glanced at her and then at Mary. “We don’t need a translator,” he pointed out.
They all laughed.
“Then, that’s settled. I’ll find out what time the matinee is and call Al and have him tell you when I’ll be here. Okay?”
“Okay,” Mary said breathlessly.
Matt winked at her and she felt suddenly lighter than air. Worse, she blushed.
“She likes him!” Bob said in a stage whisper.
“Think he likes her, too?” Ann whispered back, gleefully.
“Yes, he likes her, too,” Matt answered for them. “See you all Sunday.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Mary said quickly, with a warning look at her kids, who suddenly assumed angelic expressions.
On the sidewalk, Mary wrapped her arms around her chest. It was cold. “Matt, thanks so much, for everything. Especially tonight.”
He paused at the door of his car and looked back at her. “I like your kids,” he said. “I really like them. They’re smart and kindhearted and they’re real troopers. Under the circumstances, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were sad and miserable. But they’re so cheerful. Like you.”
She smiled. “We’ve been very lucky, the way things have worked out for us,” she explained. “But the kids have always been like this. They get depressed sometimes. Everybody does. But they’re mostly upbeat. I’m crazy about them.”
“I can see why.” He gave her a long, quiet look. “You’re one special lady.”
She stared back at him with a racing heart and breathlessness that she hadn’t felt since her teens.
He bent, hesitantly, giving her plenty of time to back away if she wanted to. But she didn’t. He brushed his mouth tenderly across her lips and heard her soft sigh. He lifted his head, smiling. He felt as if he could float. “Dessert,” he whispered
“I did,” he told the boy with a smile. “We’ve been handing out food all over town. How was football practice?”
“Pretty good, if we could teach Pat Bartley how to tackle,” he said with a wistful smile. “He won’t wear his glasses and he can’t see two feet in front of him. But the coach is working on him.”
“Good for him. Who’s in band?”
“Me,” Ann said, grinning. “I play clarinet. I’m good, too.”
“I used to play trombone in band,” Matt volunteered.
“You did?” Ann exclaimed. “That’s neat!” She looked up at Matt curiously. “You look different when you aren’t wearing a uniform.”
“I’m shorter, right?” he teased.
She smiled shyly. “No. You look taller, really.”
“We’ve got leftover pizza. Want some?” Bob offered. “Mr. Smith brought it to us. It’s got pepperoni.”
“Thanks, but I had egg salad for supper. I’m sort of watching my weight.” His dark eyes twinkled at the boy. “New uniforms are expensive.”
“Tell me about it,” Mary sighed. “I’m trying to keep my own weight down so mine will fit.”
“You wear a uniform?” Matt asked.
“Just for one lady I work for,” she said. “She’s very rich andvery old, and traditional. When I work for everybody else, I just wear jeans and a T-shirt.”
“Amazing,” he mused.
“Look, Mom, there’s that movie Bob wants to see!” Ann enthused, pointing at the small television screen.
It was a promo for a fantasy film with elves and other fascinating creatures.
“I want to see that one, myself,” Matt commented. “Say, you don’t work Sunday, do you?” he asked Mary.
“Well, no, but there’s still food to pick up and deliver—”
“There are matinees,” he interrupted. “Suppose we all go?”
Mouths dropped open. None of them had been to a movie in years.
“I guess I could ask Tammy to keep John…” Mary thought out loud.
“Wowee!” Bob exclaimed. “That would be radical!”
“Sweet!” Ann echoed.
“I need a dictionary of modern slang,” Matt groaned.
“We mean, it would be very nice,” Ann translated. “We’d like very much to go, if it wouldn’t be an imposition.”
Matt glanced at her and then at Mary. “We don’t need a translator,” he pointed out.
They all laughed.
“Then, that’s settled. I’ll find out what time the matinee is and call Al and have him tell you when I’ll be here. Okay?”
“Okay,” Mary said breathlessly.
Matt winked at her and she felt suddenly lighter than air. Worse, she blushed.
“She likes him!” Bob said in a stage whisper.
“Think he likes her, too?” Ann whispered back, gleefully.
“Yes, he likes her, too,” Matt answered for them. “See you all Sunday.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Mary said quickly, with a warning look at her kids, who suddenly assumed angelic expressions.
On the sidewalk, Mary wrapped her arms around her chest. It was cold. “Matt, thanks so much, for everything. Especially tonight.”
He paused at the door of his car and looked back at her. “I like your kids,” he said. “I really like them. They’re smart and kindhearted and they’re real troopers. Under the circumstances, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were sad and miserable. But they’re so cheerful. Like you.”
She smiled. “We’ve been very lucky, the way things have worked out for us,” she explained. “But the kids have always been like this. They get depressed sometimes. Everybody does. But they’re mostly upbeat. I’m crazy about them.”
“I can see why.” He gave her a long, quiet look. “You’re one special lady.”
She stared back at him with a racing heart and breathlessness that she hadn’t felt since her teens.
He bent, hesitantly, giving her plenty of time to back away if she wanted to. But she didn’t. He brushed his mouth tenderly across her lips and heard her soft sigh. He lifted his head, smiling. He felt as if he could float. “Dessert,” he whispered
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