Francine Rivers - Her Daughter’s Dream

She couldn’t refuse without making a scene. Accepting the proffered menu, she pretended to read it. “So what would you like to know about the house?”

“Give it a rest.”

Too nervous to eat, she ordered a small salad. Mitch ordered a steak. Her palms sweated when he looked at her over the table, green eyes glowing. She figured it was time to lay out the ground rules. “I don’t go out with clients.”

“No problem.”

“And I don’t like games.”

“No game intended. I couldn’t think of any other way to get you to go out with me.”

“You might not be so interested if you knew the facts.”

“So tell me.”

Okay. Better now than later, when it would hurt more. “While Charlie was being a hero in Vietnam, I was burning my bra, smoking pot, and protesting the war in Berkeley, not that it did any good. The day my parents got the news Charlie had been killed, I took off for Haight-Ashbury. Everything you’ve heard goes on there? I did it all. I don’t even remember how many guys I slept with. I was too stoned to care. When my best friend died of a heroin overdose, I left the commune and lived in Golden Gate Park. I slept in public restrooms, on park benches, and under bushes. I ate out of garbage cans. You met my daughter, May Flower Dawn. How’d I get her? I was cold one night. A stranger offered to share his sleeping bag. My baby is the only thing about my life I don’t regret.”

She tossed her napkin on the table.

Mitch caught her wrist before she could get up. “Past history, Carolyn. We all have regrets.”

“Regrets? That’s what you call it? Let go!”

“Not unless you give me equal time.”

She held her breath, afraid he could feel the pulse in her wrist. “Please let go of me.” His fingers loosened enough for her to slip free.

His mouth curved tenderly. “Please don’t run.” He managed to sum up his life in less than two minutes. After a minor football injury put him on the bench, he quit college and joined the Marine Corps. “Maybe Charlie got the idea from me. Neither one of us knew what we wanted out of life other than more . I got tired of drinking beer, chasing girls, and playing football.” He thought joining a cause would give his life purpose. It did, for a while. “I was in the jungle when Charlie was killed in Hue. I did two tours of duty before getting out, then went back to college. I finished at Ohio State with a business degree, then found a good job in Miami.” When his father and stepmother were killed in a car accident in Key West, he inherited their home in Vero Beach. “I sold in a seller’s market, invested the money, and took off on my motorcycle to see America.”

Carolyn relaxed enough to eat. “What brought you back to California?”

He studied her for a long moment as though debating with himself before answering. “I’m a Californian at heart. Every place else seemed a little too tame. Healdsburg reminded me of Paxtown twenty years ago. I bought a ranch house on twenty acres in Alexander Valley, planted a vineyard, and went to work for a wealth management firm.” He laughed. “They were impressed with my portfolio.” The day he came to Paxtown, he went to visit Charlie’s grave. He talked about Charlie after that, the fun they’d had riding bikes, hiking the foothills, playing football, cruising Main, and honking at girls. He made Carolyn laugh, something she hadn’t done in a long time.

His gaze caressed her face. She tried to ignore the strong attraction. He smiled as though he knew exactly what she was feeling. Heart hammering, she glanced at her wristwatch. Gasping, she pushed her chair back. “I have an appointment.” She grabbed her purse. “I’m sorry to eat and run, Mitch. Thank you for the lunch and for the journey back in time to more innocent days.”

“Wait.” He signed the check hastily and rose. “I’ll walk you to your car.” He took her hand as they went out the door. “How about dinner and a movie this evening?”

She pulled her hand free. “I can’t.”

“May Flower Dawn is welcome to come along.”

She fumbled the key into her car door. “It’s been nice, Mitch, but…”

Mitch turned her around. “Look at me, Carolyn.” She saw the strength in his face, the confident man he had become. Again, she felt the jolt of attraction between them.

“You asked what brought me back to California. You did. I’ve been in love with you since I was fifteen.” He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “You were eleven. Charlie didn’t know then. He figured it out when you were in ninth grade. I dropped a class just so I could be in a study hall with you.”

“Mitch…”

He slid his fingers into her hair, his eyes never leaving hers. “The thing is, I never got over you. I left for Ohio figuring that was it, I’d never see you again. And then I decided to come back and find out what happened to you.” When he leaned down, she thought he meant to kiss her. She caught her breath. He stopped just short. “Just dinner. Okay? That’s all I’m asking for right now.” His breath caressed her face. “Say yes.”

“Yes.”

“Thank God.” His hand slid down her neck, across her shoulder, and away. When he smiled, his eyes lit up and glowed with warmth. “Let’s go someplace quiet where we can talk.”

“Why don’t you come to my place, and I’ll fix dinner?” The moment the words escaped her lips, she couldn’t believe she’d suggested it. What was she thinking? Worse, what might he think?

“Perfect. What time?”

Short of withdrawing the invitation, what could she say now? “Six thirty?”

He opened her car door. “I’ll be there.”

She made it to her appointment on time. When she drove out to pick up May Flower Dawn, Mom asked if she wanted a cup of tea before going home. Her mother looked surprised and pleased when she said yes. Carolyn had always had trouble talking with her mother, but today she felt like giving it a try. They sat in the living room while May Flower Dawn picked up her Barbies and put them back in her room. She never touched the dolls Carolyn bought.

“Have you heard from Mitch?” Mom sipped her tea.

“He called the office and asked to see a house.”

“Is he planning to move back to Paxtown?”

“No. It was a hijacking.”

Her mother laughed. “I guess he’s not a man to take no for an answer.” A frown flickered across her face, and Carolyn wondered what she might be thinking. She didn’t want to give her mother any wrong ideas.

“We talked a lot about Charlie. I asked him over for dinner this evening.”

“Why don’t you let Dawn spend the night here?”

“I wouldn’t want to give Mitch the wrong idea.”

Setting her cup down, her mother looked at her. “I’m sure his intentions are honorable, Carolyn. If not, you can say no.”

Carolyn couldn’t help but laugh. “ Honorable . I don’t know what that means these days.”

Her mother frowned, clearly troubled. “He was Charlie’s best friend, Carolyn. He misses your brother. He probably just wants a quiet evening to talk with someone who loved him as much as he did.”

If only that was all there was to it. She didn’t want to say too much and have her mother speculating on what they might do, other than talk about Charlie.

Mom chuckled as she sipped her tea again. “Dawn was just telling me a while ago she’d like to ride the bus to school just once. If she stayed overnight, she could ride to school tomorrow.”

“I don’t know, Mom.”

“Please!” May Flower Dawn spoke up from the foyer.

Her daughter seldom asked for anything from her. How could Carolyn say no?

Home and alone, Carolyn decided to call the whole evening off. She phoned the Paxtown Hotel and asked to be put through to Mitch’s room. The telephone rang ten times before the clerk came back on the line and said he was sorry, but Mr. Hastings seemed to be out for the afternoon. In a panic, Carolyn rummaged through her refrigerator, wondering what to fix for dinner. She threw together a meat loaf, put two potatoes in to bake, and made a tossed salad. She’d just finished setting the table when she heard a motorcycle out front. Her pulse rocketed. Her heart would have gone into orbit if it hadn’t been encased in her chest.