Page 15 of Below the Far Horizon
“All right. I’m supposed to be at the healing garden, because I told my son it was the five-year anniversary of my wife walking out on me, and so I needed to leave early for Bible study.”
“Oh,” she said, feeling instantly bad. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’m not sure it’s actually today or not. It was a…cloudy time for me. It might be true though. Because she did leave in the spring.”
“Oh. Well, if you ever had trouble remembering her birthday or your anniversary, she probably would be very happy to note that you have trouble remembering the date that she left, too.”
He apparently hadn’t thought of that before, because he guffawed quite loudly.
It made her feel witty, that he was laughing at her attempted joking. Which made her smile even bigger.
“You know, I wasn’t sure this was a good idea when I came to ask you. I was only thinking that I really wanted to help my son. He’s been stuck on your daughter since grade school. And I know what it’s like to be stuck on someone. Just never want to look anywhere else. But maybe this will be good for me too. And maybe… Maybe you’ll get some kind of benefit out of it as well.” He backed away, looking at her like he was thinking, and she really would have loved to know what was going on in his head.
Had she just agreed to…fake date this man? She should be appalled at herself, but she was having trouble wanting to do anything but laugh. This was going to be so fun. And who knew? Maybe their children would find each other and be happy, and it would be worth it.
There was a part of her that almost asked the question,but what about you? Where is this going to leave you?
But she felt like she was old enough and wise enough and had been through enough to take a chance like this. She didn’t know Don very well, but he was a good man, and he wasn’t going to do anything untoward toward her, so she didn’t have to worry about that, and she certainly was going to treat him with respect as well.
“Maybe you can come over for dinner sometime,” she said as he looked like he was getting ready to turn around and leave. “In fact, I’d like it if you would,” she said, kind of pretending to be shy and uncertain but just mostly allowing what she actually felt to come out.
He grinned. “I’ve got some pepper jack cauliflower in the crockpot that I would really love to share with you. Maybe, if you would be interested in getting together later today?”
“I would definitely be interested. Anytime.”
They grinned at each other, and she figured they probably did look like lovesick fools.
“My son lives with me. I would probably have to bring him along. I hope that wouldn’t inconvenience you.”
“Oh, not at all. And my daughter lives with me, so she’ll probably be joining us. I hope that doesn’t upset you?”
She had the strangest urge to giggle at their little pretend drama. Was this a comedy? She wasn’t sure. She supposed it should be a love story, but she was having too much fun. It had to be a romcom. “I’ve always wanted my own romcom. I feel like I’m living it now.”
His eyes twinkled. “I’m happy to be the leading man in your romcom.”
They grinned before he put up a hand and waved, and then walked toward the door. She was a little bit relieved. She didn’t want Grace to come back before he left. She was going to have to figure out how to tell Grace that she had a man in her life and had for a while, she wasn’t sure how long, and somehow she managed to not tell her other two daughters, and…he hadn’t been there to help when she had her hip operation.
It would be okay. She could say they just started dating. That’s how they’d handle that.
Humming to herself, she lifted the book that she’d been reading back up off the coffee table where she set it when he’d knocked on the door, but it was a while before she got back into her story.
Eight
“You have one?” Grace asked, shocked that her mother had just said she had a boyfriend. But… Why hadn’t anyone told her about it?
“We just recently became official,” her mother said, and Grace narrowed her eyes at the unfamiliar language coming out of her mother’s mouth.
“You’ve become official?”
“You know. Facebook official?”
“You’re Facebook official?”
“No. I’m not on Facebook, but if we were, it would be Facebook official.”
“I’m confused.”
Any rational person in her position would have been confused. What in the world was her mother saying?
