A Family of Their Own Page 6

  “Tonight. It’s Friday. No school tomorrow. And remember. Ice cream.”

  “Okay, Mom. But that wasn’t fair.”

  Kelsey chuckled. “I know. But the ice cream was Ross’s idea not mine.” She headed for the door and pulled it open. “Finish what you’re doing and get ready. I’ll tell Ross.”

  After she closed the bedroom door, she leaned against the wall, hoping to discard the random thoughts charging through her head. All of them involved Ross. Where could this relationship lead? And what kind of relationship did Ross intend? Since Lexie’s wedding, their meetings had been like playdates—parents taking their kids to the local park to ride the slides and swings. Is that all it was? If so, did she want that kind of acquaintance?

  Sometimes her heart skipped a beat when she pictured Ross. The idea added excitement to her life and stirred her awareness to realize that romance might feel good in her life if she could learn to trust again. Ross had become a faithful friend. His devotion to Peyton, even the love he still held for his wife, registered a good feeling in Kelsey. Yet the relationship lacked too much. Two people needed time to develop a solid friendship before it grew into something more. But already her heart had gotten tangled up in the situation. Was it feelings for Ross or Peyton? When she closed her eyes, his face appeared—not his daughter’s.

  She pushed herself from the wall, her stride slower than when she left. Guarding her heart needed to be a priority. Nothing should distract her from Lucy’s needs, both as her only parent and as a caregiver. Thankfulness for Lucy’s recent health billowed in her mind. Lucy had been well for months. She thanked God for the blessing.

  When she entered the living room, Ross’s head snapped up, his eyes searching hers. She nodded. “It’s fine.” She approached him and sank into the chair she’d vacated. “Have you talked with Peyton?”

  “I did before I left. I’ll call Mrs. Withers. She’s with Peyton and will tell her to get ready.”

  “Would you like some coffee? I have a pot made.”

  “Thanks. That sounds good.”

  He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket as Kelsey headed for the kitchen. The dishwasher from the dinner dishes had grown silent. She opened the door but closed it again. Ross didn’t need that much time for his call and she would put the dishes away later. Instead, she poured coffee into two cups, and when she carried them back into the living room, Ross’s call had ended.

  “Thanks.” He grasped the cup and rested his back against the chair. “She’ll be ready when we get there.” He took a careful sip of the hot coffee.

  “Lucy’s finishing her math, and then we can go.” Their conversation had become stilted. She eyed Ross to see if he noticed, then decided it was her problem. Too much thinking. Like too much salt, that could ruin the soup, except in this case, the soup was her confusing relationship with him. She tasted the coffee and set the cup down.

  “Do you ever wonder if you’re overindulgent with Peyton?” The question flew from her mouth like a disturbed bat and it was just as frightening when she heard the words.

  Ross’s eyes widened and confusion registered on his face. “Do you think I am?” He gripped the cup as if it were a lifesaver.

  Yes. Maybe. She didn’t know, but that wasn’t the question she meant to ask. “I think I’ve babied Lucy too much sometimes. I just wondered if you ever think that.”

  Coffee sloshed from the cup to his leg but went unnoticed as he peered at her. “How can you overindulge a sick child?”

  Irritation tinged his words, and Kelsey wished she hadn’t said it that way. “What I mean is, do we hover over them? Are we allowing our kids to learn to fend for themselves? They’re becoming teenagers, and they—”

  “Kelsey.” He set the cup on the table. “I don’t know if Peyton will ever be a teenager. Her mother only lived a couple years after she was diagnosed. It was too late.”

  A deep ache ripped through Kelsey’s heart. She hung her head and closed her eyes, sensing his pain not only for himself but for his daughter. “How long ago, Ross? Does Peyton remember her mom?”

  “She was six, and she remembers.”

  The sorrow in his voice enveloped her. “You’re trying to be mother and father, I know.”

  “And I’m not good at either one.”

  Her head shot up. “Don’t say that. I wasn’t accusing you when I asked that question about overindulging.” Dumb, stupid question. She wished she could bite back the words. “I was asking because of my own guilt, too. We forget our kids that have to survive in the real world. Let’s be optimistic and believe that both of our kids will be teenagers and adults. Let’s do that.”

  Ross drew in a ragged breath. “I tell myself that every day.”

  “Believe it every day. That’s how we hold on. Prayer and hope. I live with both on my heart and lips.”

  “Sorry for jumping at you, Kelsey. I feel guilty sometimes. I don’t know how to ease up and force issues with Peyton. I don’t know how to stop myself from giving in. She has me wrapped around her finger, I suppose.”

  “We’re all guilty of that.” She managed to grin. “You know about tough love. It’s sort of like that, I guess, but we have to use it on ourselves. Not the kids.”

  A noise alerted her, and she glanced toward the doorway. “You’re ready?”

  Lucy nodded, her gaze drifting to Ross.

  He grinned. “Ready for a movie and a treat?”

  She gave him a playful look. “Ice cream. I’m ready for that.”

  “Okay, then. Let’s go.” He rose and beckoned them toward the door.

  Kelsey gazed at her daughter, her pride growing. Lucy handled things well. Now if they could only help Peyton learn how to manage just as well. The thought wavered in her mind. Hope, she reminded herself. Hope and prayer.

  Chapter Five

  Ross focused his eyes on the menu while his attention hung on the girls. They had been courteous to each other but distant. Conversation had been minimal.

  “Did you enjoy the movie?”

  Kelsey’s voice entered his concentration.

  “I figured out the mystery.” Lucy tossed her blond curls. “But then I’m good at puzzles.”

  Peyton stared at the menu though her glance didn’t go unnoticed. Ross suspected that she was looking for some kind of comeback, but nothing came. “What looks good, Peyton?” he asked.

  She gave a bored shrug before looking up. “A sundae, maybe.”

  “With whipped cream?” Lucy ran her tongue over her lips.

  A faint look of interest crossed Peyton’s face. “With a cherry on top.”

  “Me, too. I love the cherries.”

  Ross swung his gaze from Lucy to Peyton. They’d agreed on something. Even a cherry seemed like a victory. “How about sundaes all around?”

  Everyone nodded as tension slipped from his shoulders. He eyed the waitress, and she gave a nod before heading their way. “That was easy.” She grinned, collecting the menus. “Four chocolate and vanilla sundaes with hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry on top. Two decafs and two waters.” He turned to the girls. “Are you sure that’s all you want?”

  They both nodded, a look on their faces that let him know they were surprised they’d agreed on two things while at the restaurant.

  While eating the ice cream, their conversation dwindled. Spoons clinked against the glass goblets and napkins rustled as they wiped their mouths. The hot fudge dripped from Ross’s spoon and he caught the sweet syrup with his tongue, his spirit lifting as he gazed at the three females around the table.

  Peyton and Lucy saved their cherries until near the end and, eyeing each other, they lifted them, dangled the red orb by the stem and dropped them into their mouths with a giggle. The sound reverberated like beautiful music. Ross’s hopes soared. Hope and prayer. Kelsey had said it earlier that day, and she’d spoken the truth.

  Once the girls had finished and the waitress had refilled their coffee cups, Lucy slipped from her chair, her eyes pleading
. “Can I have some money to play arcade games?” she asked her mom.

  Kelsey looked at Peyton and then she glanced at Ross, her lips pursed. “What about—”

  “Peyton, do you want to play, too?” Ross sensed that he’d saved the day, and Peyton’s grin finalized the situation. He reached in his wallet and dug out a couple of dollars.

  Lucy had her money in hand and dashed off, and when Peyton closed her hand around the bills, she darted off, too.

  Concern shot through Ross. Lucy embodied energy—a bundle of vigor not easily quelled. But Peyton. He drew in a breath. She needed to be careful. Her energy levels were limited at times. Putting the two together could be like water vapor mixing with low atmospheric pressure creating a hurricane. Disaster. Peyton could never keep up with Lucy.

  Kelsey’s attention focused on the girls until she turned toward him. “What do you think?”

  A grin stole over his face. “I see promise.”

  “So do I.” She reached across and rested her hand on his. “Slow but sure. That’s the best way. Let them move at their own pace. We can’t engineer it.”

  Pace. Anxiety skittered across his chest. “Lucy’s a bundle of energy, isn’t she?”

  “She was down for so long that now she’s trying to make up for lost time. I’m thrilled seeing her so bubbly and excited about everything.” She shook her head. “I’m afraid I’m a prideful mama. She’s my bright little star.”

  “She is.” But that didn’t get to the heart of the matter. “That worries me, though.”

  Her hand slipped from his, a scowl replacing her pleasant expression. “What do you mean?”

  “Peyton isn’t well yet.” Would she ever be? The sundae churned in his stomach. “She can’t do all the things Lucy can do. What if—”

  Kelsey leaned against the seat back. “Don’t look for problems. Kids can be monitored. I can ask Lucy to tone it down, and you can explain to Peyton that she has to be careful. They know their illnesses.”

  His eyes closed, taking in her words. Would it be that easy? Kids were kids. They competed. “Kids want to do what other kids do. I’m sure you went through that with Lucy.”

  “I did.”

  “So it’s…” He shrugged. “Difficult. I hate looking Peyton in the face and telling her she can’t do things, even though I know it’s for her own good.”

  “Talk to your doctor, Ross. Maybe Peyton can do more than you think.”

  “Maybe.” The hope he’d felt melted into apprehension. He gazed at Kelsey’s thoughtful face. Her long hair fell to her shoulders with only a slight wave, the part that annoyed her still present. She lifted her hand and drew her fingers through her hair as if she realized he was noticing the part.

  “You’re an attractive woman. I suppose you know that.”

  Her brows furrowed. “Me?” A quick shake of her head followed. “I’m rather plain, I think, but it’s nice to hear you say I’m not too bad-looking.”

  Not too bad-looking. He wanted to rebut the comment, but he let it slip. “We’ve both led unique lives, haven’t we? When you don’t have a partner, it sometimes skews your attitudes.”

  “Maybe we’re more practical then.”

  “Maybe, but is that what life has to be? What about a little risk? Adventure? Outside the box? Even a little bit wild and crazy?”

  Her eyes searched his. “And…?”

  “And, I don’t know.” But he did know so why not say it? “I really enjoy your company. I like you. But we haven’t had time to get to know each other well.” He swallowed the rush of words charging from him. “Let’s do something…alone. Get sitters and spend time together.”

  “Like a date.” A faint grin edged onto her face.

  “Okay, a date.” He chuckled at his uneasy approach. “Would you go out with me?”

  “Is this the wild and crazy thing you were talking about?”

  “Not quite, but it could be the beginning of an adventure.” His heart raced as if he were standing in line for his first roller-coaster ride. “What do you say?”

  “I’ve been known to put my toe outside the box once or twice.”

  “Then it’s a yes.”

  A smile filled her face as she nodded.

  He slid his hand across the table and slipped it over hers. “We’re always talking in small snatches of conversation. It will be nice to start a topic and finish it without being int—”

  “Mom.”

  Lucy’s voice caught him off guard, making him laugh. Perfect timing.

  Kelsey caught the joke, too, and pinched her lips together to stop herself from chuckling. “What, Lucy?”

  “I’m out of money.”

  Kelsey shrugged as she checked her watch. “That’s okay because we’re out of time.”

  Ross understood her hint, but instead of disappointment, for once he rose from the chair with plans. He’d call to set a date and a time, but he had a date with Kelsey. A real date and not a foursome.

  The sound of footsteps and shifted chairs filtered through Kelsey’s thoughts. She smiled and nodded as if nothing clouded her mind as the vote did today. She couldn’t call Ross and tell him again that the vote was a veto. When Lexie walked through the door, her look let Kelsey know that she hadn’t hidden a thing from Lexie. If she didn’t plant an altogether pleasant expression on her face, Ava would be all over her with questions.

  “You okay?” Lexie’s voice snapped her to attention.

  “Fine. You know it’s…”

  No words were needed. Lexie knew and supported her decision to change her vote from the last one she’d made. She’d been opposed. Not anymore.

  The two new women were back and that lifted her spirit although she had no idea if they were for or against her proposal. When the hands of the clock struck the hour, she stepped to the center and opened the meeting. Today she paid attention to what the members said about their children’s prognosis and the families’ situations. They applauded with good news and offered hope with the bad.

  While the last person spoke, Kelsey calmed herself while being amazed that she cared that much. Before she knew Ross, she hadn’t flinched, voting no to the proposal. Her stomach constricted as she faced the truth. Too often, people didn’t care about those they didn’t know. Even churches willingly made casseroles for funeral dinners or donated to a church cause, but when it came to giving to the oppressed in other parts of the world or feeding the children of Haiti or India—other countries not predominantly Christian—they closed their eyes.

  She tugged her thoughts away from the depressing topic and listened to the final report. “Thanks for sharing all the good news and sad news in your lives. Lucy’s doing fine right now, but we’ve all faced the sorrows that come from the plight of our sick children, and we are in support of each other. If you need a friendly voice, remember—call one of us. Let us help in whatever way we can, and don’t forget, prayer is one of those ways.”

  Hearing her comment startled her. She avoided prayer comments for those who weren’t believers, but today she felt the need, and maybe the Lord wanted her to open someone’s heart who needed to know that prayer helps. God listens.

  How often she forgot that herself.

  She pulled up her shoulders and faced them. “Last week I made a proposal. Not a new one, since I’d initiated the idea before, but last week I offered a new way to look at the idea of allowing men to be part of our group.” She chuckled. “I suppose that would mean a name change as well.”

  A few giggles hit her ear.

  “Last week I asked you to think about the idea and suggested we vote on it this week.” She gazed around the room, trying to get a sense of which way the vote would go. She failed and that made her nervous. “Does anyone want to offer any thoughts on the subject?”

  One of the new women, Diane, if Kelsey remembered correctly, raised her hand. She gave the woman a nod.

  “I told my husband about this, and he curled up his nose, but later that night after he’d though
t about it, he said he might like to attend when he could. He works days, but he has flextime, so he could attend occasionally.”

  “Wonderful, Diane.” She watched the woman’s expression and was relieved when she didn’t correct her. Diane, she said the name over in her mind. “Anyone else?”

  Shirley Jack Meyer, one of the regulars, gave a wave. “My husband said he wouldn’t come to a meeting like this if you paid him a million dollars.”

  A couple women chuckled.

  Kelsey’s heart sank. “I’m sure some husbands wouldn’t want to attend…or couldn’t because of work, but I’m pleased you told him about it.”

  “I’m dating a guy who really loves Timmy, and he sounded like he would come.”

  The voice came from the back, but Kelsey didn’t see whose it was. “Thanks. Naturally, it doesn’t have to be husbands. Anyone who wants to share in supporting each other.” She drew in a breath. “I think that’s what we were missing on the first vote. We weren’t looking at the needs of others but only our own. That’s a bit selfish, I’m afraid.”

  She saw a couple of frowns, but they faded. “Anyone else?”

  Ava’s hand shot up. “I’m still on the fence here.”

  Kelsey stepped closer and opened her mouth, but closed it. She knew Ava well enough to know she had more to say or ask.

  “I’m sympathetic to the situation, but what happens if we agree and then it’s a disaster and the whole organization falls apart?”

  Another member waved. “Why would it fall apart?”

  “Because we’re not the same anymore. Men might think our worries are silly. My husband used to—” She looked at the newer ladies. “He died from a coronary thrombosis. He called me a worrywart. He said I always looked for the worst. I thought I was being realistic. Bad things happen. They did to him when he died so young.”

  Kelsey cringed. She’d talked to Ross about being practical. Realistic. Weren’t they the same? But his suggestion to be adventuresome, to take a risk, opened the door to a real date. Practicality had its merit but she had to admit that risk taking could also be exciting.