Tender Love Page 11

  While they’d agreed on the pup they wanted, Kristin and Eddie bickered most of the way home over the name of their pet.

  “Each of you write down the names you prefer, and we’ll put those names in a box and have your daddy draw out a name when he comes home tonight. Is that fair enough?”

  “But, Alice, I can’t write,” Eddie protested.

  Laughing, she said, “I’d forgotten that little detail. When we get home, you can whisper to me the names you like, and I’ll write them down for you.”

  “Are you going to make him sleep out in the yard tonight?” Kristin asked.

  “He can stay in the utility room for a week or so at night, but he does need to be out there during the day. We’ll stop at the pet store and buy some food, and then you and your father can decide on your duties in caring for the dog.”

  As soon as he walked in the door, the two children rushed at Mark. “You have to draw out the name, so we’ll know what to call the puppy,” Kristin shouted. “Hurry.”

  Eddie picked up the box from the kitchen table. Mark closed his eyes, stirred the pieces of paper, and drew out one.

  “What is it?” Eddie asked.

  Mark spread the paper on the table. “Buffy,” he said.

  “That’s the name I chose,” Kristin said.

  “I did, too, didn’t I, Alice? You know that’s the name I wanted.”

  “That’s a relief,” Alice said in an aside to Mark. “Then both of you should be happy. Buffy, it is.”

  The children pulled at Mark’s hands to take him into the backyard to see Buffy, while Alice made last-minute preparations for their meal and called to Gran that the food was almost ready.

  “Dr. Zane’s receptionist telephoned today to remind you that Eddie has a checkup next Tuesday afternoon.” Alice said when they sat down for dinner.

  “I knew it was coming up soon. We wanted the exam before he starts to kindergarten.”

  “Shall I take him?”

  “I’ll arrange to take an hour or two off from work, but I do want you to go with us to hear the doctor’s diagnosis.”

  “I’ll bring Eddie down to the office, and we can go from there—that will save you the time coming out here after us.”

  When Alice set out with Eddie for the appointment, he looked little and forlorn in the car seat.

  “There’s nothing to be afraid of, Eddie. This is just a routine checkup, and I’m sure the doctor is going to be pleased with how you’ve grown this summer. I’ll tell you what, I’ll give you a dollar for every pound you’ve gained.”

  Even the promise of money didn’t encourage Eddie much.

  “But what if he says I can’t go to kindergarten? That’s what Ethel said would happen.”

  Although Ethel’s visits weren’t as frequent, she still dropped in once or twice a week, and Alice didn’t monitor what went on when she was with the children. As long as Mark didn’t object to Ethel’s visits, what could she do?

  “I doubt that. So don’t worry about it.”

  “A dollar for every pound, Alice?”

  “That’s right.”

  “But what if I’ve gained ten pounds?”

  “Then you’ll have a nice ten-dollar bill to spend any way you want to. What would you like to buy?” she asked, pleased she’d gotten his mind off the outcome of the doctor’s exam for the moment. Eddie was still mentioning items he would like to buy when they arrived at the bank’s parking lot, where Mark was already waiting in his station wagon.

  “Alice is going to give me a dollar for every pound I’ve gained,” Eddie announced as soon as they transferred from the van to Mark’s vehicle.

  Mark frowned at her, and she shuddered inwardly to consider his reaction if he found out she was reducing his house loan.

  “Eddie is jittery about this trip to the doctor because Ethel told him he wasn’t well enough to go to kindergarten. He needed something to keep his mind off the exam.”

  “I’ll admit it’s a good idea, but I’m already so much in your debt, I’ll never be able to repay you.”

  “When you give someone a gift, it doesn’t have to be repaid. You don’t owe me anything, Mark.” Had she been wrong to pay on his house loan without asking him?

  When they reached the waiting room, instead of sitting with his father, Eddie sat on the chair next to Alice’s and snuggled against her. She noticed frequently that while Kristin wanted to be by Mark’s side all of the time, Eddie depended more on Alice than he did his father. Was this because the child missed a mother’s love? No doubt he could barely remember when Clarice was physically able to mother him. If Mark had noticed Eddie’s affinity for Alice, he hadn’t mentioned it.

  Alice picked up a book from the nearby table. It was a book about farm animals. “Let’s see what you learned about the animals we saw at the farm. Do you recognize any of these words?”

  Eddie soon became engrossed in the pictures and captions, completely relaxed when his name was called, but he held Alice’s hand when they went down the hallway to Dr. Zane’s office.

  “Doctor,” Mark introduced them, “this is Alice Larkin, the children’s nanny. I wanted her to hear your report on Eddie.”

  Dr. Zane, a stalwart man in his forties, shook hands with Alice. “I’ve talked with Mrs. Larkin over the phone.” He turned to Eddie. “And who’s this strapping young fellow you’ve brought with you today?”

  “I’m Eddie Tanner—you know me.”

  The doctor laughed and lifted Eddie to the examination bench. “Well, you could have fooled me—all brown and brawny. You look great, Eddie. What have you been doing?”

  “We’ve been to Alice’s farm—I rode the pony, drove the tractor and played with the puppies. And Alice let us bring one of the puppies home.” The doctor’s glance shifted to Alice, a speculative expression in his eyes. “We take walks every day, too, and before school starts, we’re going to the beach.” A cloud filtered across Eddie’s eyes. “Are you going to let me go to school?”

  “I don’t see why not. If a boy can drive a tractor, he ought to make it through kindergarten.”

  The doctor examined Eddie thoroughly and sent him for several X-rays. While they waited for the results of the tests, Mark suggested, “Let’s go to the coffee shop for a snack. I’m anxious about the tests, and I’ll get fidgety if we just sit and wait.”

  Mark had a doughnut and coffee, Alice ordered cola and Eddie wanted ice cream.

  “I’ve cleared it with my boss,” Mark said, “and I’ll come to the beach for a few days.”

  “That’s good, Daddy. You can play with me in the ocean.”

  “It will be more enjoyable for all of us if you’re there, Mark.” Alice’s eyes conveyed more of a message than her words. “It will be good for you, too—even a couple of nights at the farm was relaxing for you.”

  “As soon as we return from the beach, we’ll need to buy school clothes,” he said.

  “Do you want me to take care of it or will you go along when we shop?”

  “You can buy some things if you’d like, but I want to go with you if we can find a good time—perhaps we can shop on Saturdays or in the evenings? There I go again, monopolizing your weekends and evenings! Forgive me, Alice.”

  “Do you think I’m unhappy at the way things are going?”

  “You don’t seem to be.”

  “Alice likes to look after us, don’t you?” Eddie said, as he licked the last spoonful of ice cream from his dish. “You, too, Daddy—she tries to fix food you like, and when Kristin and me start fighting, she says, ‘Stop this quarreling before your father comes home—I don’t want you to worry him.’ She likes you, Daddy.”

  Alice’s face flushed. How much longer could she keep up this pretense of being a nanny in the Tanner home? She loved Mark and his children—and she wanted to be so much more to them than a nanny. She must go and visit Betty soon and let Betty’s caustic remarks cause her to face the true facts.

  No doubt, aware of Alice’s discom
fiture, Mark devoted his attention to Eddie, and didn’t look at her. “It’s a good thing for us that she does like the Tanners, Son.” He wiped Eddie’s face with a napkin. “Let’s go see what Dr. Zane says about you.”

  Dr. Zane’s face was beaming when he received them in his office. “The news couldn’t be better, Mark. We’ve been through so much together with Eddie, that I rejoice with you. He’s gained nine pounds in the past year, and while he still isn’t as big as a boy his age should be, that’s a vast improvement over his previous record.”

  Eddie’s eyes sparkled at Alice, as if to remind her of the nine dollars she owed him.

  “That’s the best news you could have given me,” Mark said, and his blue eyes were misty. “The majority of the credit goes to Alice—she’s done wonders with the children since she’s been with us.”

  Dr. Zane turned to Alice. “Whatever you’ve been doing—keep it up. Apparently you’re the antidote that Eddie needs.”

  “So Eddie can start to school?” Mark asked.

  “Yes, of course. You do need to realize that even though his heart problem is completely cured, he will be subject to other diseases. Because of Eddie’s long illness, his constitution is weak, and he may contact minor bugs more easily than other children. You’ll need to watch him closely.”

  “Doctor,” Alice said, “we’ve discussed enrolling the children in riding lessons this fall. I assume that will be beneficial to them.”

  “Yes, and keep up the daily walks. Don’t take Eddie out in extremely cold weather, for we don’t want any respiratory problems, but he’s doing great.”

  Chapter Seven

  When they left Mark at the bank, Alice handed Eddie a five-dollar bill and four ones. “Do you want to spend some of the money before we go home? It might be a good idea to buy something for Kristin, too.”

  Alice stopped at a used bookstore, where Eddie chose a book on dinosaurs for himself, and a book about figure skating for his sister. When they got home, Alice said, “Let’s have a celebration for Eddie’s good report. If you kids will help, we’ll set the table in the dining room for dinner, have candles on the table and everything.”

  Alice had discovered that Clarice had a beautiful set of English china, elegant crystal and sterling silver flatware. With some hesitancy, after she carefully washed the items she wanted for the table, while she shined the silver, she allowed Eddie and Kristin to dry the dishes and place them on the table, which she’d covered with a white polyester cloth. This resulted in having the napkins and silverware slightly askew, but the table did look festive.

  She baked chicken breasts, cooked rice, green limas and prepared a salad. She still had time to bake a pie, and she made a chocolate cream pie—knowing that chocolate was Eddie’s favorite flavor. The ice cream he’d had for lunch had been low-cal, so he could have a treat tonight.

  Eddie and Kristin waited in the foyer for Mark, and they pounced on him as soon as he arrived.

  “Come see the dining room, Daddy—we’re celebrating Eddie’s good report. It was Alice’s idea.”

  Alice’s happiness was complete when they sat at the table, en famille, and Mark said, with an apologetic cough, “Let’s join hands and have a blessing before we eat.

  “Dear Lord,” he said, after a few false starts, “We have much to thank You for tonight. We always have had, but sometimes we failed to realize it. We’re grateful for Eddie’s good report today, thank You for Kristin, who’s all a man could want in a daughter, thanks for Gran and her encouraging presence with us, and God, thank you for Alice. Guide us in Your love. Amen.”

  It was a festive occasion, with Eddie excited because he could start school, but so much attention was being paid to Eddie, that Kristin seemed unusually quiet. Alice had always suspected that she’d been neglected by her parents during Eddie’s serious illness.

  Trying to think of a way to give the girl some attention, she said, “Say, Kristin, I just had a thought. Would you like to have a sleepover for some of your friends before we go to the beach?”

  “I’ve never had a sleepover,” she said, but her face brightened. “When Mama was sick, Daddy didn’t want me to.”

  “And that was right, too, but there’s no reason you can’t have your friends in for overnight now, if you’d like to. Okay, Mark?”

  “That’ll be fine. I suppose Eddie and I can survive one night with the house full of girls. How about it, Eddie?”

  His mouth was full of chicken, but Eddie nodded his head in agreement.

  “Then that’s settled. Decide upon the ones you’d like to invite, Kristin, and I’ll call their mothers after we agree on a date,” Alice said.

  “Is it all right if I tell Susie tonight?”

  “Of course.” Alice pushed back her chair. “If you want to help clear the table and carry everything into the kitchen, I’ll take care of the rest of the work. I’m going to wash the crystal and china by hand—I don’t want to trust it to the dishwasher.”

  “I’ll dry for you,” Mark said. “The crystal and china belonged to Clarice’s mother, and it will be Kristin’s someday.”

  “Then we’ll be very careful with them. Perhaps I shouldn’t have used it tonight, but I wanted it to be a special evening.”

  “It has been special, and a good time to use our fancy things. We’ve always used them when we had a celebration.”

  The children carried in a few items, and then headed for the family room—Eddie to watch television, and Kristin to telephone her friend. Gran wended her way slowly and painfully up the stairs, and Alice watched her slow progress.

  “I don’t know how much longer she can manage those steps. She should have a bedroom downstairs.”

  “When she came here, I offered to move my office and let her have that room. It isn’t much smaller than her bedroom, but she refused, thinking it was better for her to exercise by climbing the steps a few times each day. When we move, I’ll try to find a house with a downstairs bedroom.”

  “Have you done anything more about that yet?”

  “No, the loan officer is checking my options, but I haven’t had time to look at any more houses. The bank pays me well, and in return, the officers expect a lot of work from me, but I’m not complaining.”

  As they worked companionably, Alice realized how much like man and wife they were, and she wondered if Mark was conscious of the same thing. Oh, if it could be! She believed that both she and Mark were ready for marriage, and that they would make a compatible couple. But what about the children—they accepted her readily as a nanny, but would they want her to take their mother’s place? And Gran—how would she react if Mark took another wife? How long would she expect him to be faithful to Clarice’s memory?

  “Thanks, Mark,” she said as she took the dish towel from him and hung it to dry.

  “Thank you for all you do for us—the celebration dinner, Kristin’s sleepover. You’re giving us a home life that we’ve not had for a long time.”

  He stood too close for her comfort, and Alice replied lightly, “All in a day’s work—for a nanny.”

  “Have it your own way, but you go way beyond what any nanny is expected to do, and I do appreciate it.” He put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a brotherly hug, then his hands fell helplessly to his side.

  “I feel so inadequate to—” His words were interrupted when Eddie called, “Daddy, come and read to me out of my new book.”

  Mark shrugged his shoulders. “See what I mean. Maybe the two of us can go out for dinner some night—just so we can have a little time alone,” he said lowly.

  Alice shook her head. “No, Mark—it isn’t wise.”

  “I know that, but it’s so frustrating at times. At least, don’t shut me out of your life completely. When you go to your room in the evening and shut the door, it seems as if you’re building a wall between us.”

  “The wall is already there—we have to accept it. Right now, Eddie and Kristin need all the security you can give them. I’m
with them all day, and they need their father’s influence at night.”

  “Daddy,” Eddie called.

  Mark started down the hall. “We used to sit on the patio and talk.”

  She shook her head. “We have to be cautious. Our situation is all right now, but I can’t handle much more ‘togetherness.’”

  The sleepover was set for the Thursday night before they left for the beach on Saturday. Kristin invited five girls. When she gave Alice their names, Alice put in a call to the parents. All the invitations were accepted.

  “Could we have a cookout? And what about renting some videos? Eddie will want to stay in the family room with us, but I don’t want him. Little brothers can be a pest.”

  “I wouldn’t know—I’ve never had a brother—but I’ll keep Eddie occupied. I’ll rent a game for him to play on my computer.”

  “He and Daddy can watch television in Eddie’s room.”

  Alice had noticed that Kristin was jealous of the time Eddie spent in her room. “That can be an option, but we’ll look out for Eddie, so he won’t crash your party.”

  Mark’s homecoming was always the same. He’d enter the house and greet his children, who were usually in the family room, or sometimes in the foyer watching for him. Then, he’d come down the hallway to where Alice was busy in the kitchen. If she’d been his wife, he would have kissed her after a long day’s absence, but as a nanny, all she received was, “Hello. How’s your day been?”

  On the night before Kristin’s party, she sensed a difference in him—an excitement—indicated by his rapid steps and his brief greeting to his children. Usually he leaned against the doorjamb of the kitchen, his tie and coat held in his hand. This night, he came into the kitchen where Alice was removing a meat-and-vegetable casserole from the oven. After he closed the oven door for her, he said quietly, “The most amazing thing happened today! I’m still in shock.”