LITMIR.BIZ

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sprinkles for everybody,” he said. “And, Chris, why don’t you and Alyssa go play in Kiddieland while we wait?”

      “Kiddieland?” A knot of panic rose up in Summer again as she looked across the parlor at the sectioned-off area for children. It was full of games and toys, little penny rides in the form of horses and dinosaurs, and small tables meant for the kids to enjoy their treats without the parents breathing down their necks. A perfect place for children, as a matter of fact. And it scared her to death. “Um, Alyssa and I don’t really have time to—” Before her words were out, Alyssa had broken free of Summer’s hand once more and scampered off with Chris.

      “It’s really very safe,” Rick said.

      “I, urn …” There was no explaining this away. She was an over-protective parent. Alyssa grew up in a very guarded world. That was just the way it was. “I’m worried about the germs,” she lied.

      “There’s not anything there she won’t be exposed to anywhere else. And Tom Benson is fastidious about cleaning everything every day. Sometimes several times a day.” He paused, contemplated her for a moment. “Are you OK, Summer? You look … nervous.”

      She was. And she was embarrassed it showed so much. “We live a quiet life. I probably go a little overboard with Alyssa, but she’s all I have in the world.” Not really a good explanation, but good enough.

      “Well, I do understand that,” he said, taking two of the ice-cream cones and handing them to Summer. “Chris is all I have, and I treasure my time with him. Maybe go overboard myself, spoiling him a little, probably trying to compensate, or even overcompensate, in some ways, for his not having a mother around.”

      That much was true. Over-protecting, over-compensating … it was what she did, who she was. Or who she’d turned into. There was nothing in her parenting that happened by chance. Not even by trial and error. For her, every bit of it was a well-planned daily existence. “Whatever works,” she said, following Rick across the room to the table that sat square in the middle of the front window. Table with a view, overlooking main street. Best one in the house. But not the one Summer wanted. So, while Rick took ice cream cones to the children, she moved to a more secluded table in the corner, and took the seat with the best view of Kiddieland.

      “He’s a really good father,” Julie Corbett said, stepping up to Summer. Julie had her niece, Molly Corbett, in tow. “I knew Rick when we were kids, would have never pictured him this way. But he does it right.”

      Summer turned and smiled at Julie, who was married to Jess Corbett, one of the two owners of Lilly Lake Hospital. She and Julie worked together as nurses occasionally, as well as shared the same love for the abandoned and abused horses taken in and cared for by the Gracie Foundation. “How’s Edie feeling? I saw Rafe a couple of days ago and he said she’s ready to … well, his exact word was pop.” She laughed. “I remember that stage with Alyssa, where all I wanted to do was go into labor, get it over with, and move on into the next step of being a mother. For me, that’s when time really dragged out.” She was referring to Edie Corbett, who was married to the hospital’s other owner, Rafe, brother to Jess.

      “Well, that’s what Edie’s going through right now. She’s ready to deliver any minute and getting pretty anxious about it since, technically, she’s a week overdue. Which is why I’ve got Molly for the day. Molly was being pretty rambunctious, and I thought Rafe and Edie could use some alone time before the blessed event … time without having to worry about Molly. Besides, after the new baby is born, that’s not going to happen again for a while.

      So I thought this would be good for them. Especially for Edie, since Rafe’s all into pampering her right now.”

      What a wonderful thought, spending those last moments before birth with the father of your child … the man you loved. She hadn’t had that. Hadn’t had anything even close to that. “I’m sure they appreciate it,” she said, sounding wistful.

      “Aunt Julie, can I go play with Chris and Alyssa?” Molly asked, tugging at Julie’s hand.

      Julie let go of her niece immediately, allowing her to scramble over to Kiddieland. “What kind of ice cream do you want?” she called after her.

      “Chocolate,” Molly called back.

      “The flavor of the day is chocolate chocolate, with extra sprinkles,” Summer said, her gaze fixed on the children. Taking quick peeks at Rick, though, when he wasn’t paying attention.

      “And look at you, eating blue.”

      “Yes, just look at me, eating blue.” She sighed, finally relaxing back into her chair. All in all, this whole ordeal was only a little thing. But sometimes those little things counted. If the expression on her daughter’s face right now meant anything, this impromptu trip to the ice-cream parlor was counting for a whole lot. Alyssa was glowing, playing with her friends. Having the time of her life. “Blue, with sprinkles.”

      “Well, I think they’re all settled in for a few minutes,” Rick said, returning to the table, not mentioning a word about Summer’s table switch. Holding out a chair for Julie, he asked, “Care to join us?”

      “I’d like to but I’ve got some phone calls to make. I thought I’d go sit in the other corner and work for a few minutes while Molly plays. With the ER expansion under way now, I’ve got a lot of new equipment to look at, more sales reps to talk to than I ever thought I’d have to deal with, and not enough hours in the day to get it all done.” She held up her cellphone. “So, work goes with me, even to Benson’s Ice Creamery. I appreciate the offer, but duty calls.” With that, she headed to the back corner of the parlor and sat down.

      “She’s dedicated,” Rick said. “We’re lucky she decided to come back to Lilly Lake once she finished her education, because she’s got amazing talent as a nurse and also as an administrator.”

      “She said you two go back a long time.” Somehow, she felt a little envious. Nobody in her life went back very far.

      “We were kids. Ran around together for a while. Got into trouble a couple times.”

      “Like boyfriend and girlfriend?” OK, that was none of her business, but she was curious.

      He shook his head. “Nope. More like allies. Julie was one of Grace Corbett’s foster-children, and I was the son of Lawrence Corbett’s maid. We both felt a little left out or excluded from certain things. Gave us a common bond.” Thinking back, he grinned. “Or a common goal to raise a little hell wherever we could.”

      Summer knew what feeling excluded felt like. These days, she felt it acutely herself. “Well, whatever kind of past she had, she’s certainly a talented woman … in her nursing skills, in her ability with horses.”

      “You’re not bad with the horses yourself. And as a nurse, I’d rank you right up there with Julie. Speaking of nursing …”

      As a nurse … she didn’t want to get into that issue right here. She and Rick had gone round and round before, and nothing had changed. She wasn’t going to take the full-time position he’d been offering her. So she quickly scuttled that part of conversation and turned it around to horses … safe territory. “Grace gave me that experience with horses. I love animals … all animals. Hadn’t ever been around horses, though. Didn’t grow up in a situation where anything like horseback riding was available to me. So when I moved into Gracie House to take care of her, she offered me the opportunity to do something I’d always wanted to do … learn to ride. And I loved it. Loved her for giving it to me.” A faint smile slipped to her lips, remembering that first day Grace had taken her down to the stables. She’d found Jasmine right off, a shy, gentle chestnut. Had fallen in love with her. A week later, Grace had given her Jasmine. “I really miss her,” she said fondly.

      “So do I. Grace touched a lot of lives. Mine included, when she endowed me to go to medical school.” “She did that for you?”

      Rick nodded. “At the time, I didn’t even know I wanted to be a doctor. I was in college,

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