Читать книгу Storybook Dad - Laura Bradford - Страница 7

Tossing her paddle to the shore, Emily maneuvered her way out of the kayak and tugged it onto the sand, the satisfying soreness in her upper arms a welcome relief. No matter how hard she’d tried to bury herself in work the rest of the day, the images spawned by Mark’s words had risen to the surface again and again, gnawing at her convictions like a beaver hell-bent on toppling a tree. She’d resisted, of course, but the doubts had claimed a foothold, reappearing throughout the remainder of her workday.

When she’d been teaching her introduction to rock climbing course, she tried to imagine dangling over the side of a cliff in a wheelchair.

When she’d taken a call inquiring about an upcoming white-water rafting trip, she envisioned herself piercing the raft with the end of a cane.

And when she’d locked up her office for the evening and actually considered the notion of wallowing in pity from the confines of her bed, she knew she had to do something. Fast.

Now, two hours later, she felt like herself again. Ready to conquer anything and everything that crossed her path.

Raising her arms in the air, she stretched, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at her lips as she spotted the pint-size towhead feverishly digging in the sand some thirty feet from where she stood. Curious, she closed the gap between them to take a closer look at what the child was doing.

“That’s a really nifty castle you’re building,” she said.

The little boy’s hand stilled long enough for him to look up and smile, the deep, penetrating blue of his eyes bringing a momentary hitch to her breath. “Thanks, lady.”

She forced her attention back to the castle. “I like all those turrets you built onto the corners.”

His cheeks lifted farther as he dropped his shovel in favor of directing Emily’s attention toward the tower on the back left corner of his creation. “See that one? That’s the princess’s room. She’s real nice. And this one here—” he shifted his finger to the right “—that’s where my room would be if I lived there, too.”

Dropping onto the sand beside the boy, Emily retrieved a stick from the ground and secured a nearby leaf to the top. When she was done, she spun it between her fingers while he eyed her across the top of his sand pail. “When I was little, I used to dream about living in a castle, too,” she told him. “Only instead of a princess, mine had a handsome prince who would sweep me off my feet every morning and carry me around the castle all day long.”

At the child’s giggle, she, too, cracked a smile. “That sounds funny,” he said.

“Now it does, but when I was young, I thought it sounded romantic.” Shaking her head free of the images that threatened to ruin the innocence of the moment, she poked her makeshift flag into the sand by her feet and scrunched up her face. “But don’t worry, I don’t intend to be carried around by anyone. Ever.”

The little boy rocked back on his heels, then jutted his chin in the direction of her stick creation. “That sure would look nice on my castle, don’t you think?”

She plucked it from the sand and handed it to him, the answering sparkle in his eyes warming her from head to toe. “But just because my dream was silly doesn’t mean you can’t share a castle with your princess one day. In fact, I hope you do. Dreams that come true are mighty special.”

When he’d positioned the flag just the way he wanted it, the child nodded. “I found an old tree house in the woods behind Gam’s house. I like to climb up the ladder all by myself and dream with my eyes open. That way they don’t get scary like the ones in my bed.”

She studied him for a moment, guessing him to be about four. Maybe just turned five. Either way, he was too young to be alone on the beach….

“What do you dream about in your tree house?” she asked, before squinting down the shoreline.

“Smiles. Lots and lots of smiles.”

Startled, she brought her full attention back to the little boy. “Smiles?”

He nodded. “Happy ones. Like the ones me and Daddy used to smile before my mom got sick and went up to heaven.”

Emily cast about for something to say, but he didn’t give her much of a chance.

“I want us to make great big smiles like that again one day.”

“That sounds like a special thing to dream about,” she whispered.

“It is.” Jumping to his feet, the child surveyed his castle, deeming it a success with a clap of his small hands. “Wow! This is my very bestest castle ever!”

She swung her focus out toward the water and noted the absence of any swimmers or fellow boaters in their immediate vicinity. “You seem awfully little to be out here by yourself.”

“I’m not by myself. I’m with my dad.” Shooting a pudgy index finger over Emily’s shoulder, he pointed toward a man fishing from a line of rocks that led into the lake some twenty or so yards away. “See? He’s right there. Fishing.”

Shielding the last of the sun’s rays from her eyes, she strained to make out the outline standing on the rocks—the tall stature, the broad shoulders, the gray T-shirt and black shorts, the brown hair …

No. It couldn’t be.

She looked back at the boy. “That man over there is your dad?”

“Yupper doodle.” He dropped to a squat and stuck his finger in the sand. Then, slowly but surely, he drew a snake that nearly reached her toes. “My daddy is so smart he taught me how to make my name. See?”

Stepping back, she looked again at the wiggly line and recognized it as an S. Three additional letters later, he was done. “Your name is Seth?”

“Yupper doodle.” His broad smile reached his bright blue eyes.

His Ocean Wave Blue eyes …

She glanced from Seth to the man and back again, the confirmation she sought virtually certain. But still, she asked, “Do you know your last name, Seth?”

“Of course I do, silly. But I can’t write that name yet. It’s too big and kinda tricky. Especially the first letter.” Seth cupped his left hand to the side of his mouth and tipped his head upward. “Gam says I just need to pretend the circle at the top changed its mind and is runnin’ away from the line.”

Squatting down beside the boy, she left a space between Seth’s efforts and her own, talking him through the letter he’d just described. When she was done, she nudged her chin in its direction. “Is this the letter?”

“Yupper doodle.” He leaped to his feet and came to stand on the opposite side of Emily. “R for R-R-R-Reynolds!”

MARK CRANKED THE REEL slowly, hoping the slight movement would be enough to capture the attention of even one member of the fish population that inhabited Lake Winoka. If it did, at least he’d have something else to think about besides Emily Todd.

From the moment he’d left Bucket List 101, his thoughts had continuously returned to the attractive woman, earning him more than a few curious looks from Seth throughout the afternoon. Mark understood the fear she felt, sympathized with her need to pretend her loved one wasn’t ill. He’d been there and done that throughout the entire year leading up to Sally’s death.

It had been a mistake. A mistake he’d undo in a heartbeat if given the chance.

But there would be no more chances. He couldn’t rewind time no matter how much he wished he could. Instead, he had to find a way to live with the guilt of choosing his job over his dying wife over and over again. At the time it had made such sense. Work was how he coped. The more he worked, the less time he had to think, and to feel.

But it had been wrong. For Sally. For Seth. And for him.

No. Mark wasn’t going to let Emily make the same mistakes. Somehow, some way, he was going to help her realize that by facing her loved one’s illness head-on, she’d be saving herself the added torture of guilt at the end.

Determined to help, he reeled in the rest of his line and made his way across the rocks. Once he had Seth settled in bed for the night, he could go about putting together a packet of information for Emily. Maybe with more information, she wouldn’t feel the need for denial.

And maybe, just maybe, helping Emily would enable him to shed some of his own insomnia-inducing guilt.

He stepped off the last rock and onto the sand and looked toward the castle he’d left Seth to finish while he fished. But instead of finding his son elbow-deep in sand, he spotted him standing beside a kayak and a petite blonde woman.

Mark quickened his pace, only to slow it again as the identity of the women became clear.

“Emily? Is that you?”

“Hi, Mark,” she answered.

Eagerly, he jogged forward, fishing pole in hand. “Can I help you get in your kayak?”

A look of something resembling irritation flashed across her face. “If I can lift a kayak on and off my car, and carry it from the parking lot to the lake all by myself, I’m quite certain I can get into the water, too.”

He drew back at the animosity in her voice. “Oh, okay. No sweat. We’ll leave you to it, then.” Cupping his son’s shoulder, he tried to steer him in the direction of the parking lot, but Seth wiggled free and ran back toward Emily.

“Take me with you. Pretty, pretty please? I’ve never, ever, ever been in a boat like that before.”

“Seth!” Mark stepped forward, waving his fishing pole. “You can’t just invite yourself in someone’s boat like that, little man. It’s rude.”

The boy’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to be rude, Daddy. I really didn’t.”

Emily dropped to her knees in front of Seth, her black-and-gold bikini top and black spandex shorts evoking a rapid swallow or two on Mark’s part. “Maybe your dad can take you out for a few minutes and let you see what a kayak is all about.” Peeling her attention from his son long enough to make eye contact with Mark, Emily gestured toward the kayak with her chin. “I’ve already been out once this evening. Why don’t you take him out for a little while?”

“I can’t take your boat,” Mark protested.

“Sure you can. Have you ever been in a kayak before?” she asked.

He willed himself to focus on her face, to refrain from looking back at her sweet curves, but it was hard. “Kayaks, no. Canoes, yes.”

“Then a crash course is in order. Though, since I wasn’t expecting this, I don’t have a life jacket that’ll fit Seth.”

“That’s okay.” Seth raced toward a bag several feet from his castle and tore through its contents, returning with a pair of inflatable armbands. “See? I’ve got my Floaties!”

Emily made a face. “Not exactly the same thing, I’m afraid. But if you don’t go out too far, they’ll be okay this one time.” Turning to Mark, she said, “And you? What kind of a swimmer are you?”

“Solid.”

She considered his response, then gestured toward the boat. “When you sit in a kayak, you need to keep your legs together and your knees slightly bent. Keep your weight over the center line. Remember that and you won’t flip.”

She retrieved the paddle from the sand. “Now, for locomotion, you grip this with both hands, see?” Placing her hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart, she demonstrated the correct way to hold it and move it. “The blade of the paddle can also be used as a rudder, for steering, if there’s somewhere in particular you’re trying to go or trying to avoid.”

Ten minutes later, Mark knew enough about the boat and the paddle that he was out in the lake with Seth as Emily watched from the shore. “Wow, Daddy! The next time I play castle with my blocks at Gam’s house, I’m gonna give my prince and princess a boat just like this.”

“You don’t think they’d prefer a sailboat or maybe a regular rowboat?” he teased. “Kayaks are kind of narrow and might not fit your princess’s dress too well.”

“The princess will be fine. She has short dresses, too, you know.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.” Mark paddled about, glancing back at Emily more than he probably should.

“I like my new friend, Daddy. She’s really nice. And she likes castles, too!”

He forced his focus back on his son, noting how the late-afternoon sun was haloing his head. “Oh? You made a new friend at preschool? What’s her name?”

“Not at school. Here.” The motion of Seth’s body as he tried to turn and point toward the shore made the kayak rock. “Whoa! Did you feel that, Daddy?” he asked, wide-eyed.

“I did. And it’s because you’re moving around. Remember what Emily said about staying in the center?” Mark tilted his chin toward the shore, but knew it was futile, considering Seth was facing forward, his back to him. “So you were talking about Emily just now when you said you made a new friend?”

“She made a flag for my castle!”

Mark had to grin at the enthusiasm in his son’s voice. “Wow, you’re right. She is really nice, huh?”

Seth’s head bobbed up and down. “How did you know her name, Daddy?”

Because once she told me, I couldn’t get it out of my head….

Surprised by the thought, he willed himself to find a more appropriate answer, one that wouldn’t get the kayak rocking again. “Remember how I went and played that big-boy game in the woods today? Well, Emily was the teacher.”

What Seth said in response, Mark didn’t catch, as the mere mention of the beauty on the beach had him glancing over his shoulder once again. She was sitting on the sand, watching their progress. When she spotted him looking, she flashed a thumbs-up.

“Daddy, Daddy, look! Look at that fish!”

At the sudden jerking movement, Mark swung his head back around, but it was too late. Before he was able to reprimand the boy for leaning too far to one side, they were in the water.

Emily jumped up and dived into the lake with record speed. “Are—are you okay?” she called as she stroked toward them.

“Yeah, we’re good,” Mark assured her, gripping Seth with one hand and the overturned kayak with the other. A moment later he had his son settled safely on his back. “And, oh … remember that tip about staying in the center of the boat? That was a good one,” he sputtered through gulps of lake water. “M-maybe you could add a class on kayaking to your company’s lineup.”

Her laugh cut through the sound of his splashing and warmed him in ways he didn’t expect in the chilly water. “I offer kayaking classes all the time, Mark.”

Hooking a thumb over his shoulder, he gestured toward his son, who was pretending Mark was a white horse if the words making their way into his left ear were any indication. “We might want to put Seth in the front row of that particular class. So he’d be sure to catch all the helpful little tips you might decide to share.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she joked as she stopped momentarily to tread water and take a breath. “How are you holding up?”

“We’re fine. My ego, though, hasn’t fared quite as well.”

“Your secret is safe with me.” Nibbling back the full effect of a smile she couldn’t hide, Emily swam between Mark and the kayak, her bikini top clinging to her rounded breasts as she flipped the boat right side up. Then, with lithe grace, she hoisted herself into it before he could register much of anything besides how alluring her legs looked as they broke the surface of the water. “Now hand Seth up to me and we’ve got this.”