Page 7 of Heart of a Hero

“Mr. Scoville,” she said. “Did you see the big bird downstairs?” She was off talking a mile a minute. Conrad and Derek exchanged a look as Derek fanned himself.

“That’s her teacher?” Derek asked. “Wowsa.”

“Stop,” Conrad whispered. “You have an amazing husband.” Who just happened to find them and slip an arm around Derek’s waist. Harm wasn’t able to speak, so he communicated using sign language and through expression, and he was clearly asking Derek what was going on.

“I’m just teasing Conrad,” Derek told him as Lizzie took Mr. Scoville’s hand. “Do you want to show him around?” Derek asked Lizzie, who nodded and headed off with her teacher. Conrad followed, and soon the three of them were looking at the pieces in the second-floor gallery.

“What do you like best?” Forrest asked her.

“The big bird downstairs,” she told him, and then Forrest turned to him and seemed to expect an answer.

“I guess I’m a fan of the tigers like these.” They were stylized but gorgeous and filled with color. He drew closer, read the artist card, and turned back. “You did these? All these?” There had to be a dozen different animals, all in the same brilliant style. It was like the color had been turned up to “ wow”.

“Yes. I produce a few works a year, and I’ve been holding them in my spare room. A friend saw them and told the director about them, and she convinced me to do the show.” As they watched, a red dot was placed on the springbok two works down.

“I guess you’re going to have to do some more.” Conrad tamped down the worry that threatened to rise and told himself to just get to know the person and not how he looked.

“Can I get more juice?” Lizzie asked.

“I’ll take you,” Conrad said, and she rolled her eyes.

“I’m not a baby,” she countered and strode over to the counter. The lady behind the bar leaned over to help her.

“I get that so many times. She wants to do everything herself.” Conrad sipped his wine. “It scares the hell out of me.”

“She’s at an age where she’s discovering everything, and she’s learning at such a fast pace. The kids I teach are like sponges, and she’s the biggest of them all. Lizzie can remember what I told her almost word for word from weeks ago, and she’ll call you out if you tell her something different.” Forrest smiled and sipped from his glass as Conrad made sure Lizzie was okay.

“I know. I wish my sister could be here to see this. I’m experiencing all this, and it should have been her. She should have been able to see her daughter grow. She’s so bright.” He turned, and for a second, Forrest’s intense look sent a chill through him.

“Okay, I have to ask what I did to make you so afraid of me? Every now and then you seem to almost shake in your boots. I know you were frightened in the store because Lizzie had taken off, but….”

The last thing Conrad wanted was to talk about his issues. They were his and he needed to get through them. “It’s nothing.” He drank the last of his wine as Lizzie came back, carrying her glass carefully.

“Drink your sparkly juice and we’ll get ready to go.”

Lizzie nodded. “Can we buy the big bird? I really like it.”

“Sorry, honey. It’s way too big and it’s expensive. But we can look at it again before we leave. Okay?”

She nodded and drank some from her glass. Then she handed it to him, and Conrad finished the rest. He handed in the glass at the bar as Lizzy turned to her teacher.

“Daddy and me are gonna get pizza. Do you like pizza too? You can come with us if you do.” She looked up at Forrest, and Conrad found himself nodding.

“Of course you can come with us if you like.” He bit his lower lip. Conrad knew he needed to get past his issues, but he hadn’t meant right now, tonight.

Chapter 4

FORREST WASN’T certain if this was a good idea, but Lizzie looked up at him with those huge eyes, and he found his resolve caving. “Is that all right with you?” he asked Conrad, fully prepared to come up with a previous engagement.

“Of course. We usually go to Miseno’s for pizza. Lizzie likes it, and there’s enough variety that I can get a dad pizza.”

Lizzie made a face. “Dad pizza is yucky.”

“Not to dads,” Forrest said to her. “I need to check on a few things, but I can meet you there if you like. Let me give you my number in case something changes.” Forrest gave it to him and Conrad called so Forrest would have his.

“All right,” Conrad said, and Forrest went back up the stairs to tell the organizers that he was leaving. Then he returned downstairs as Lizzie and her dad were leaving the gallery. He followed them out and got in his car in the lot across the street before heading to the restaurant.

By the time he got there, they hadn’t arrived, so he got a table and made himself comfortable. Lizzie hurried inside and sat across from him. “What is it you like here?”