Love Draws Near Read online

  “Dad?” He glanced up to see Luke standing in the doorway. “Can we sleep with you?”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “We heard a noise,” Mark said.

  “That was only the neighbor coming home.”

  They shook their heads. “It was a howling noise,” Mark said.

  “We’re scared,” Luke added.

  “It’s the neighbor’s dog, but come on.” He flipped back the covers. What was one more restless night? The boys wouldn’t want to sleep with him for much longer. They’d grow up and leave childish things behind.

  Within minutes, both boys were snoring. David lay in the dark, one head on each of his shoulders, and stroked their hair. There used to be four snuggled in the bed. He missed Mandy, but maybe his mother was right. It was time to move on. The boys needed a mother, and David was tired of being alone.

  Tina’s face flitted across the back of his eyelids. He didn’t know whether the pretty blond teacher would be the next Mrs. Larson, but he was willing to give it a try. Maybe she was free for dinner on Saturday. Somewhere just the two of them. He had no doubt his mother would be more than happy to babysit if it meant him going on a date.

  He smiled and drifted off to sleep.

  4

  Tina could not believe she accepted David’s invitation to dinner. Was she out of her mind? Not only was she jeopardizing her job, but her heart as well. She would have to tell him that dating the parent of her students was not allowed. She’d tell him after dinner. A girl was entitled to a little fun, after all.

  She ran her hands over the simple black dress she wore, checked to make sure her hair had stayed in the French braid she had sprayed it into, and then slathered on a rose-colored lipstick. She was as ready as she could be.

  The doorbell rang, sending her heart into overdrive. When was the last time she had gone on a date? Oh. Over a year ago when Seth broke off their engagement. She was pathetic. Most likely, David was only taking her to dinner to thank her for his help with the twins. She’d be a fool to think otherwise. What man wanted an overworked teacher? Seth hadn’t.

  With one last look in the mirror, she hurried to the door, doing her best to glide on her three-inch heels, rather than clomp like a horse. At school, she preferred flats with gel-sole inserts.

  She opened the door. David stood outside her apartment clutching a bouquet of pink roses. “Thank you.” She took them and breathed deeply of their scent. “Come in while I put these in water.”

  She went to the kitchen and pulled a vase from under the sink. While she arranged the flowers in water, her pulse slowly returned to normal. Behind her, she could hear David as he glanced at the framed photos on her bookshelf.

  “You like to read a lot of fiction,” he said.

  “I do. Romance mostly.” She carried the vase of roses to the coffee table. “It’s nice to lose one’s self in the page of a story sometimes.” Not to mention that she didn’t feel lonely when reading. It was easier to enter someone else’s world than it was to be alone in hers. “I’m ready to go now.”

  “Do you like steak or seafood?” David crooked his arm.

  She slipped her hand through. “I enjoy both.”

  “Good.” He smiled, sending her heart fluttering. “I’ve made reservations at Delmonic’s.”

  Wow. She’d never eaten there before. The prices were way out of the reach of a teacher’s salary. Hopefully, after wonderful food and company, she could follow through with informing David she wasn’t allowed to date a parent of a student. It was going to be a hard task.

  *

  David had almost swallowed his tongue when Tina answered the door. He led her with pride to his older model jeep. It had been a very long time since he’d gone to dinner with a beautiful woman.

  She was quiet on the thirty minute drive, but somehow the silence wasn’t awkward. She didn’t fidget, cast him sideways glances, or fiddle with her hair. Instead, she sat facing forward, deep in thought.

  It wasn’t until they parked in front of the restaurant and she gave him a sad smile, that it occurred to him that something might be wrong. He was a dunce. “Are you feeling all right?”

  “I’m fine.” She reached for the door handle.

  “I’ll get it.” He exited the jeep and rushed to the passenger side, opening the door for her. “It isn’t often I have the chance to show I know how to be a gentleman.”

  Her smile widened. “You’re very good at it.”

  He took her hand and helped her from the vehicle. “Why, thank you, kind lady.” He tucked her arm through his and led her inside the plush restaurant decorated in dark wood and green. “Reservations for Larson.”

  “Right this way.” The hostess led them to a table next to a window that overlooked a small pond. “Your waitress will be right with you.” She handed them menus and returned to her station.

  Tina’s eyes widened as she looked through the menu, but she said nothing, only reaching for her crystal goblet of water once the waitress set it in front of her. She then closed her menu and stared at David.

  “What’s wrong?” He closed his menu. “Do they not have anything you like?”

  “Oh, a lot of it sounds just fine.” She narrowed her eyes. “It seems a bit strange to me for you to bring me here when we’ve only just met. There’s no need to try and impress me.”

  “I’m not. I brought you here because it’s been over two years since I’ve had the pleasure of dining here, and I thought you would enjoy it.”

  She nodded. “Then, I’ll order the shrimp salad.”

  He shook his head. Of course, she would order the least expensive item on the menu. He ordered steak and two glasses of red wine, before returning his attention to her. “There is nothing devious about me bringing you here. I hope you understand that.”

  “I’m just being silly. Forgive me.” She placed her napkin in her lap. “It’s been a long week.” She glanced over his shoulder, her eyes widening. “It’s about to get a lot longer.”

  David followed her glance to another table where a man with blond hair sat with a stylish woman. “Do you know them?”

  “I know him. He’s my ex-fiancee, Seth Miller. He never once brought me here.” She gasped. “He’s coming this way. What do I do?”

  David reached across the table and laid his hand over hers. “Act like you’re having a good time.”

  “Hello, Tina.” Seth stopped by their table, his hand on his date’s lower back. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “Seth.” She stiffened. “It’s been a long time.”

  “Yes, it has.” He offered his hand to David. “Seth Miller.”

  “David Larson.” He took his hand off Tina’s and returned the gesture. The man’s limp handshake did nothing to impress.

  “This is Norma,” Seth said. “We’re engaged.”

  Tina’s mouth dropped open. “Oh?”

  “Yes, we’re getting married next month.” He glanced at Norma. “Well, it was nice seeing you, Tina. Nice to meet you, David, but we have an infant with a babysitter that needs to get home.” He nodded and headed away.

  “A baby?” Tina’s eyes shimmered. “He always said he didn’t want children. It’s one of the reasons he gave for breaking our engagement.”

  “No offense,” David said. “But, what in the world did you see in that guy? He seems to make good money, and pardon me if I’m overstepping my boundaries here, but other than that, he doesn’t seem the type to attract you.”

  “Chalk it up to a young girl’s foolishness.” She grabbed her wine, took a big gulp, and made a face. “I should only sip this.”

  David wisely kept his mouth shut. He knew enough about women to know better than say something stupid when a woman was irritated.

  Their meals arrived. He watched in fascination as Tina dug into her salad and motioned for a second glass of wine. Seeing her ex had definitely shaken her up. He fought back a smile. She was actually kind of cute when she was riled.

  A l
ittle more than half an hour later, they stood on her front porch. Tina fumbled in her purse for her key. “I’m sorry. I did enjoy the evening, but you wouldn’t know it from my actions.” She tilted her face to look at him. “And two glasses of wine? You must think I’m a drunk.”

  “I don’t think any such thing.” He lowered his head and brushed his lips softly across hers. “Thank you for sharing your evening with me.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. “I really need to tell you that dating parents of students is frowned upon.”

  He grinned. “Then we won’t date. We’ll just spend time together now and again.”

  5

  Tina scanned her emails the following Monday while her students read quietly. Since thinking about separating Mark and Luke, the boys, while not stopping their pranks altogether, had at least slowed down. She would take what she could get.

  She smiled to see a note from David. She opened the email, and read, “Thank you for a wonderful dinner Friday night. I look forward to our next meeting.”

  Glancing up, she noticed twenty-seven faces staring at her. “Is something wrong, class?”

  Amber, one of her front row, hand always raised to answer questions, nodded. “Reading time is over. It’s time for lunch and recess.”

  “So it is.” She’d have to answer David later. Her computer pinged, signaling another email. Her eyes narrowed. Why in the world would Seth be emailing her?

  She led her students, single file, to the cafeteria and hurried back to her desk. Usually, she hate with the other teachers, but not today. Today, she needed to find out what Seth wanted. Oh, she hoped it was a favor so she could deny it. Even a small victory was a victory.

  She opened the email. Her stomach plummeted as she read, “Tina, you’re looking good. I had no idea how much I missed you until I saw you Friday night. I haven’t been able to get you off my mind. Norma is wonderful and all, but she isn’t you. What do you say to my popping by tonight to relive old times?”

  “He has got to be kidding!” The jerk had a child and another fiancée. Did he honestly believe Tina would be happy with second best? Of course he did or he wouldn’t have made the suggestion. She wanted to strangle him.

  Instead, she covered her hands with her face and wept. She’d crossed lines while dating him that she had never intended to cross. In a time when pre-marital sex was common, she had wanted to hold out. Instead, she’d succumbed like everyone else she knew. Now, Seth thought he could come knocking for some kind of booty-call, and she’d be happy with the crumbs from his table.

  She decided not to respond to his email, instead clicking on the delete tab. He’d had his chance, and lost it. There was no way she wanted to relive anything with him.

  A glance at the clock told her she had sat and mulled over her response long enough. It was time to collect her students. She could think more about the two men in her life once school was out and she sat in another Monday afternoon meeting.

  By the time the day was over and her students out the door, Tina was a wreck. She couldn’t get the fact that Seth wanted to reconnect with her out of her mind. She really had no desire to have anything more to do with him, so why the sudden interest on his part? Their breakup had been ugly, resulting in tears and angry words from her and apathy from him.

  Wait. She stopped in the hallway on the way to her meeting. He had a baby. They’d broken up a year ago. Either Seth got his new flame knocked up immediately, or he’d been seeing her while still with Tina. Somehow, she needed to find out the baby’s age.

  She was an idiot. Let it go, Tina! She groaned and marched to her meeting.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Nancy, one of the other second grade teachers, whispered. “You aren’t usually this antsy.”

  Tina shrugged. “Guy trouble.”

  “The best, and worst, kind.” Nancy grinned. “You’ll have to tell me all about it Friday at Happy Hour. You are coming, right?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Oh, you might have a date? I’d skip, too.” Nancy rubbed her hands together, started to say something else, then quieted when the principal looked their way.

  Saved. Tina really didn’t want to discuss something so private. Especially not until she got her own thoughts together. The one thing she knew, and the thing that could get her in the most trouble, was that she wanted to see David again. Seth was an inconvenience, nothing more.

  The meeting ended. Tina gathered her purse and her tote containing homework that needed grading and headed out the double doors of the school to the parking lot. She dug in her purse for her keys, dropped them, then stretched under a car to retrieve them. This was not her day. She straightened and came face-to-face with Seth.

  “What are you doing here?” She glanced around the parking lot, hoping, wishing, someone would come by. It wasn’t that she was afraid of him, but more like she didn’t want to be alone with him.

  “I remembered you had early release on Mondays, then meetings after school.” He grinned. “I thought we could get an early start on our evening.”

  “I replied no to your email.” She pressed the button on her car fob to unlock the doors. “I’m not interested.” No, she’d deleted the email. Same thing.

  “I didn’t get your response.” He put his hand on the door to prevent her from opening it. “Why not? Are you suddenly against fun?”

  “No, just anything to do with you.” She shoved him out of the way with her shoulder. “Don’t you have a fiancée and a baby somewhere? A baby you made while still with me?”

  He shrugged. “Yeah, sorry about that. At least I did the responsible thing by breaking up with you and assuming responsibility.”

  “Right.” She yanked the door open and slid inside. “Goodbye, Seth. Leave me alone.”

  Not caring whether she ran over his feet or not, unfortunately she didn’t, she backed from the parking slot and raced for home.

  *

  David took fifteen minutes off work the following Monday, early release day, to pick up the boys from school and drop them off at a friend of his mother’s. The woman, Mrs. Spencer, he thought her name was, giggled and batted her lashes at him and then pinched the boys’ cheeks. She mumbled something about someone being perfect for him, then closed the door in his face.

  Ignoring the boys’ pleading faces through the window, he climbed behind the wheel of his Mercedes and sped back to work. He’d make it up to the guys at dinner. Staying with an old woman they didn’t know warranted pizza and arcade games.

  The moment he sat back behind his desk, his sister-in-law, Marilyn, stormed in and closed the door. “I’ve heard through the grapevine that you’re seeing someone.” She sat, uninvited, across from him and studied her scarlet manicured nails. “Now, why is it that when I mentioned keeping it in the family, and proposed us getting together, you said you weren’t ready?”

  He’d never gotten along with her, not being able to abide her high-maintenance ways, and knew no other way to get her to leave him alone, then to use mourning as an excuse. “I’m not “seeing” anyone. We’re only friends.”

  “Hmm.” She raised false eyelash-decorated eyes. “You were seen at Delmonico’s. Isn’t that where you used to take my sister for your anniversary?”

  “I enjoy eating there and was happy for another opportunity.” He crossed his arms. “My life is my business, Marilyn. I’ve been a widower for two years. It’s time I re-entered the world.”

  She leaned forward, giving him a clear view of her cleavage. “Don’t you think it would be better for my nephews if you kept it in the family?”

  “We don’t get along.” He shook his head. “You’re only after my money.” And he had plenty, due to an inheritance from his grandfather.

  “Whatever works.” She straightened and glared. “We could make a go of this, you know. I wouldn’t make demands on your time.”

  “Find another sucker. I’m not interested. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a lot of work to do.”

  “I’v
e also heard you have a bunch of old ladies as babysitters. Seriously? What if one croaks dead while watching the boys?”

  “They’re friends of my mothers. I don’t think that will happen.” He stood and opened his door. “Please, excuse me.” He strolled into the men’s room. If she wouldn’t leave, then he would. He couldn’t avoid her for long, not while they worked at the same place, but the restroom was one place she couldn’t follow.

  He leaned his hands on the sink and stared in the mirror. At least he no longer looked haggard. For months after Mandy’s death, while adjusting to being a single father, he’d looked like death warmed over from grief and lack of sleep. Now, with his interest in Tina, a spark shined again in his eyes. He wouldn’t let Marilyn and her barbs take that away.

  After taking his time washing his hands and face, David headed back to his office. It was blessedly empty. He spent the next few hours going over mortgage applications. By five o’clock, he was more than ready to head home and spend some time with his boys.

  “Dad!” The twins greeted him with enthusiasm, both seated at the kitchen island. “Mrs. Spencer fed us macaroni and cheese with hot dogs.”

  “Thank you.” He smiled at the older woman. “It appears as if the three of you got on well.”

  “They’re darling boys.” She collected her purse and a floppy red hat, tossed the boys a wave, and headed for the door. “You’re a bit low on healthy food, Mr. Larson. The ladies and I will take care of that for you,” she tossed over her shoulder.

  Before he could tell her the offer wasn’t needed, she was gone. He sighed. That’s what he got for not going grocery shopping.

  “Aunt Marilyn came by,” Mark said, taking his bowl to the sink. “She asked Mrs. Spencer a lot of questions, then left. She wasn’t very nice.”

  David ruffled his son’s hair. “Don’t worry about your aunt. That’s just the way she is.” He really needed to set boundaries with her, and he wanted to hear Tina’s voice. Maybe she’d like to meet him and the boys for ice cream in a couple of hours.