Karen Smith - Twelfth Night Proposal

“You’re working on your master’s?”

“Yes, I hope to. I have an advisor now. I’ll be meeting with him soon to choose courses for next term.”

“It’s hard to believe Christmas is less than a month away. Did you have an enjoyable Thanksgiving?”

They hadn’t talked since then, and Leo didn’t even know where she’d gone. She’d left early in the morning and come back late that evening after he and Heather had returned from dinner at Jolene’s.

Quiet for a few moments, Verity finally answered, “It was fine.”

Casting a sideways glance at her, his interest was piqued, maybe because of everything she wasn’t saying. “Did you spend it with family?”

“No. I went to Freeport for the day.”

“And met friends?”

Again, that little silence, and then she shook her head. “No, I had dinner, then I drove to the beach for a while.”

Now he was even more intrigued. Didn’t she have family? Why would she spend the holiday alone? If he asked those questions, he’d become more involved than he wanted to be.

Heather suddenly called from the back in her superfast baby voice. “Vewitee. Vewitee. I wanna feed duckee and go for ice cweam.”

Verity gave her full attention to Heather as she turned. “Not today, honey. We have to go to the doctor’s so he can look at your head.”

“No doctor. I wanna feed duckees.”

Peering into the rearview mirror to see his daughter, Leo caught sight of her lower lip pouting out. He hated to see her cry. “What if we go feed the ducks after the doctor looks at your head?”

After thinking about that for a few moments, she returned, “Ice cweam, too?”

“It’s going to be close to supper. Maybe we could stop at the Wagon Wheel and get that chicken you like so much. They have ice cream for dessert.”

“Chicken and ice cweam!” Heather said gleefully.

Verity laughed, a pure, free sound that entranced Leo, as she commented, “Ducks, chicken and ice cream all in one day. She’s going to hold you to every one of those.”

“Like an elephant never forgets?” he asked with a chuckle.

“Something like that. I can’t believe how her vocabulary is growing, just in the few weeks I’ve been here. Each day she’s becoming more coordinated, too. I’ve seen it before, of course, with the children I’ve worked with, but just caring for one child, and seeing her change almost daily, is absolutely amazing.”

“I know Jolene probably mentioned it, but I don’t remember how you heard about the position with me,” he prompted.

“I have a friend in the career counseling office at UT. She knew I was looking for a change, called me and told me about it.”

“A change from what you were doing or where you were living?”

“Both.”

That concise word was the end of the conversation unless Leo wanted to pursue it. He didn’t.

Sitting beside Verity, smelling the floral scent of her shampoo or lotion, very much liking the sound of her laughter, he felt as if he were awakening from a long sleep. It was disconcerting. He’d gotten used to his life, and although Jolene often told him he was in a rut, ruts were damned comfortable.

Activities in the town of Avon Lake often revolved around the small lake. After Leo unfastened Heather from her car seat and lifted her to the ground, she took Verity’s hand and ran toward the black and gray ducks on the grassy shoreline.

In a few quick strides, Leo caught up to them, the bag of crackers he’d bought at a convenience store in his hand. “Wait a minute. You forgot something. You can’t feed them if you don’t have the food.”

When Heather stopped short, let go of Verity’s hand and ran back to him, he crouched down. “Do you want me to open the bag or do you want to try it?”

“Me try.”

He handed it to her. But after jabs and pulls and a few squishes, she shook her head, curling tendrils along her cheek bobbing all over the place. “Can’t do it. You open, please.”

Leo knew his daughter’s face was as close to an angel’s as he’d ever see. Taking the bag between his two large hands, he pulled and a corner popped open. “There you go. Break up each one so they have lots of little pieces.”

After Heather nodded vigorously, she took the bag and ran for the lake.

“Wait,” he and Verity called at the same time and ran after her.

As he caught one of Heather’s hands, Verity held her elbow. “Don’t spill the crackers,” she warned with a smile.

The sun’s brilliance was fading into long shadows, though the air was warm and the day was still above 70. Standing by a tall pecan tree, Leo watched Verity as she and Heather sat on the grass and two ducks waddled closer. Heather crushed a cracker in her hand and opened her little fingers, waving her arm in the air. The crumbs blew this way and that. One of the ducks quacked and ran after a piece and she laughed like only a three-year-old could.

The doctor’s exam had gone smoothly and quickly, mostly thanks to Verity. She seemed to be able to read his daughter’s mind…seemed to know what to say to coax her into acquiescence. He didn’t have that knack. He was learning negotiation was the highest skill a parent could master.

As he watched his daughter, he felt removed and didn’t like it. After taking a few steps closer, he sat with Verity and Heather.

Heather offered him the bag. “You feed duckees, too.”

How long had it been since he’d taken time to do just that? Taking one of the crackers from the bag, he broke it into a few pieces and tossed them so Heather could watch the ducks waddle after them.

“I should bring her here more often,” he decided reflectively.

“You could use it as a treat so it doesn’t become old hat.”

Staring into Verity’s brown eyes, feeling that stirring again, he said, “You’re very good with her.”

“Thank you. I’ve been waiting for some kind of sign from you—” She stopped and looked embarrassed.

“Sign?”

“Yes. To know if I’m doing a good job…to know if I’m doing what you want me to do with Heather. She’s a wonderful little girl and I love being with her. But you’re her parent, and I want to make sure she’s learning what you want her to learn.”

What he wanted her to learn.

He knew Verity wasn’t talking about colors and numbers. “Jolene hired you and gave you a seal of approval, so I guess I thought that was enough. As she probably told you, I’ve tried nannies before. After two days, I know whether they’re going to last or not…whether they fit with Heather or not. I fired one because she just wanted to watch TV and read all day and left Heather on her own. Another quit because she said she didn’t have enough free time. You might decide that’s true for you, too.”

“I don’t need much free time.”

Curious, he asked, “Why not?”

“I’m new in town. I really don’t know anyone. So when I’m free, I study for the course I’m auditing, read or knit. I’m not very exciting,” she admitted, her cheeks pinkening a little.

The blush looked good on her. In fact, he was having trouble unlocking his gaze from hers. “You’ll have friends once you start taking more courses. That is, if you stay.”

“I’m exactly where I want to be right now,” she murmured softly, and he felt himself almost leaning toward her. He imagined she had slightly leaned toward him. The urge to reach out and run his thumb along her cheek was so strong he balled his hand into a fist. He didn’t know what was going on today, but he didn’t like it.

After he picked up the bag of crackers, he motioned to Heather. “Come on, let’s feed more ducks. Those over there didn’t get any yet.”

He was twelve years older than this young woman who’d begun to fascinate him. He’d never given a glance to younger women before. Not only was she younger, but he saw vulnerability and innocence in those eyes. He could be wrong, but he doubted it. No matter what her life story, it was safest for him to keep his distance.