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He smiles wanly and says, “Thank you.”
We fall silent for a moment and I struggle to think of some way to comfort him. Of course, there’s no way to comfort him. When I lost my husband, there was no comfort for me.
“Anyway,” he says after a moment. “I’ve never had children, so I—well, I have no idea what I’m doing. I see you with your kids and you’ve obviously done such an amazing job with them, I thought I would ask for some tips or ideas.”
I am so stunned by his compliment that I don’t answer right away. Just two days ago, I was thinking to myself how overwhelmed I was and how terribly I was doing at raising Caleb and Carly on my own. Hearing him compliment me makes me feel like a superhero.
I smile at him and say, “First things first, I’m Kelly.”
“Kelly,” he says, taking my hand. Yes, I’m sorry. I totally forgot to ask for your name. I’m Raymond, by the way.”
“Pleased to meet you, Raymond,” I reply. “Second, take a deep breath.”
He smiles and takes a deep breath. I return his smile and say, “Good. You’re going to be okay. Angel’s going to be okay. You’re both dealing with a scary situation but you’ll both make it through. You clearly love her and want what’s best for her and that’s what counts. Now, may I borrow a pen and a piece of paper?”
He hands me a pen and a notepad from the coffee table and I start writing things down.
“I’m making you a list of priorities. They’re not in any particular order, so don’t worry about that. In fact, don’t worry about anything. I’ll help you figure all of this out.”
I flip the paper over and start another list. “This is a grocery list,” I say. “Just the essentials to start. We can talk about fun stuff later.”
When I’m finished, I hand him the paper and smile. “Finally, I want you to take a relaxing shower and enjoy a nice, relaxing night’s sleep. You’ve had a hard day and you need your rest. We’ll figure the rest out tomorrow.”
He looks at me like I’m a superhero again and if my head gets any bigger, I think it might explode.
“Thank you so much, Kelly,” he says. “I have no idea how I would have survived without your help.”
I act impulsively then. I lean across the table and kiss him on the lips. It’s a chaste kiss—we don’t even open our mouths—but it’s as surprising to both of us as it is welcome. After a second, he saves me from further embarrassment by smiling and offering to walk me home.
I thank him but tell him to stay put and be there for his niece. I remind him about the relaxing night’s sleep, then head home.
I collapse on the bed and stare at the ceiling, and though I feel a touch of guilt for feeling happy after hearing his story, I can’t erase the grin that spreads across my face.
CHAPTER FOUR
Raymond
Kelly.
I wonder if that’s Irish.
Kelly green. That’s the same as Irish green, right? Isn’t that why it’s called Kelly green? The woman has eyes that are brown but there seem to be flecks of green in them as well. It’s rare to find a woman so beautiful who also has signs of the beating she’s taken in this life. All of those signs of wear are in her eyes. They’re still the most beautiful eyes I can imagine.
I’m not thinking clearly.
For God’s sake, I’m not too far from fifty. A girl like her… Well, she’s in her thirties, I suppose, and a girl like her doesn’t need to be caught up with a man ten years older.
What the hell am I even thinking about?
I bring the plate of sliced bananas and cheerios to the couch where Angel sits. I put on cartoons for her but she’s changed the channel and a documentary about animals is on. “Meerkats!” she says as she points. I sit next to her and put the plate on the coffee table. She immediately grabs a banana. Only then does the announcer say the little creatures on the screen are Meerkats.
“Do you like Meerkats?” I ask. She nods. “Are they your favorite?”
In response, she giggles. She points at me and says, “Silly! Silly Uncle Raymond!”
Her laughter is so pure, so filled with absolute delight. “What’s so silly?” I ask.
“Leopards are our favorite animals!” She pronounces itaminalsrather than animal. “You know that!”
