Chapter 18
18
The next couple of days came and went with sweet anticipation for Michelle. Finally, a date with someone who seemed to want the same things as her. She’d awoken with a big smile on her face and rose early to have plenty of time to get dressed. She was excited about this new prospect... a male companion without the pressure of a relationship.
An hour later, she was ready to leave. She looked at the clock on her stove and realized she still had thirty minutes to kill, so she called Belynda, who’d be driving to work.
She answered on the first ring. “Mom, are you all right?”
“Good morning to you too. Yes, I’m fine.”
“You never call in the morning, Mom, so it was a fair question.”
“You’re right.”
“What’s going on for you to call so early.”
“I’m going to breakfast with Gene Franklin. Do you remember him?”
“He has a business on Main Street, right?”
“Yes, he and your father played golf together.”
“Oh, I remember him. Nice man, but didn’t his wife leave him?”
“She realized small-town life wasn’t for her, and he was tired of the rat race in Chicago.”
“That’s sad. How did you reconnect with him? Oh, don’t tell me... one of those dating apps.”
Michelle snickered. “Sorry, my dear daughter. I went to a church picnic with Sarah, and he was there. We started talking and he asked if I’d be interested in coffee one morning. He called the other night, and we set the date.”
“You sound happy, Mom.”
“We haven’t talked much, so you really don’t know the calamities I’ve experienced with the dating apps. I’ve deleted one, and I’m considering deleting the other, but I’ve applied to a third one. It seems more like what I want.”
“Sounds like we need a girls’ night for me to catch up on your love life.” Belynda laughed. “And I never thought I’d be saying that to my mother.”
Michelle laughed too. “I don’t know if I’d want to tell you. It’s been... interesting, to say the least.”
“So, breakfast with Gene?”
“Neither of us is looking for a relationship, just someone to go out with from time to time. He’s dated several women from the church, and I don’t want to cause any more issues there. We’ve known each other for several years, so why not purely go out with a friend?”
“I think that sounds wonderful, Mom. I’m glad you’re having fun. You sound like you’re getting some of your spunk back. I’ve missed that.”
“I’m finding my footing, and I feel more like myself. Don’t get me wrong, I miss your father, but I feel like he’s watching over me. Does that make sense?”
“It does. I’m sorry I’ve been MIA recently, but work has had me crazy busy. Nelson has a trip coming up. Maybe we can get together then?”
“I’d love that, sweetheart. Call me and we’ll make plans.”
“I’m pulling into my office, so I’ve got to go. Let me know how today goes.”
“Sure thing. Have a good day. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Michelle ended the call and checked herself in the mirror one last time before she walked out the door. The drive to the coffee shop was short, and she hoped Gene wouldn’t see her early arrival as her being overly excited. When she pulled into the parking lot, it was crowded. She circled the lot and saw Gene’s car, then took the last spot in the back row. Gene must have seen her too. When she slid out of her Jeep, he was walking toward her.
“Good morning,” he said with a friendly wave.
Michelle smiled. “Good morning. Am I late?” She knew she wasn’t.
“No, no. I was afraid I was going to be. As soon as I finished a client’s call, I left before the phone could ring again.” He closed the door and held his arm out for her to precede him.
“I’m glad you could get away.”
Gene held the door open for her as they waited in line. “Do you come here often?”
“Not as much as I’d like to, but enough that I’m on a first-name basis with the barista.”
Gene chuckled. “She’s a good person to know.”
Michelle glanced over and made eye contact with Gretchen. She didn’t miss the surprise on Gretchen’s face seeing her with Gene. As they approached the counter, Gretchen cocked a brow at Michelle.
“You look nice this morning. Not going to the gym?”
“That’s tomorrow. Gretchen, I’m sure you know Gene Franklin.”
“Yes, how are you doing, Mr. Franklin?”
“Splendid since I’m here with a beautiful woman.”
Michelle blushed. She didn’t think this could go better if someone scripted it. Gretchen brought her out of her thoughts. “Michelle, your usual coffee?”
“Please, and a supreme breakfast sandwich on a plain bagel.”
Gretchen looked at Gene. “And for you, Mr. Franklin?”
“Coffee black and a heart healthy omelet.”
“Sit anywhere you like, and we’ll bring everything to you shortly.”
Gene insisted on paying for their food. He took the number sign and placed it on the table then loosely clasped his hands in front of him as he rested his forearms on the edge and looked at Michelle, who was relaxing against the back of her chair with her hands in her lap. “So, what have you been doing with yourself since Bill passed away?”
Michelle swallowed. “Getting my bearings.” She chuckled. “It was a lot to go through, but Bill had everything in order if something happened to him. Once I fumbled my way through those murky waters, I started writing again. I go to the gym with a friend, and she helps me stay busy. I’m grateful to have her.” A man sat their coffees in front of them. She turned and smiled in gratitude. “And what about you? I mean, since Heather returned to Chicago.”
Gene’s smile faltered. “I work. I still play golf on the weekends. I go to church. Like I told you on Sunday, I’ve taken several women out from time to time, but I’m not looking to remarry. At least not anytime soon.”
From behind her, Michelle heard someone gasp. She turned to see Gladys and Carol from the church picnic. Michelle looked back at Gene, who held his hand up in a friendly wave, much like how he had greeted her in the parking lot. She slowly rotated back in her seat. “I heard that you’ve caused quite the ruckus with the women at church.”
He shook his head. “This is what I’m talking about. I took Gladys out to dinner a couple of weeks ago. It was nothing more than this.” He pointed between himself and Michelle. “But I guess she saw it as some kind of commitment.”
“Did you tell her it was the beginning of something?”
“Did I tell you that? I’m honest with everyone I ask out.”
“Sounds rough for you.”
Gene shrugged and looked around the restaurant. “Our golf foursome would come here for breakfast a lot before we hit the course.”
Michelle balked at the sudden change of subject and the fact that it was her late husband he chose to discuss. “I remember Bill telling me that.”
“Bill’s distance on his drive was barely two twenty-five, but his mid-range and putting games were some of the best I’d ever seen. I kept telling him to enter some of those Pro-Am tournaments. He never did.”
A demure smile tilted Michelle’s lips as her heart began to ache. “That wasn’t why he played golf. He just enjoyed being outdoors.”
“I always envied Bill, especially after Heather left. He had a beautiful woman to go home to who encouraged him to get out and do things. I never had that. Don’t get me wrong, Heather’s quite the looker, but she hated my playing golf. And a night out with the guys? Never.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. She could have called when you were away.”
“Not her style. She’d never do the inviting. She always wanted to be invited.”
The waiter showed up with the food as soon as Michelle started praying for its arrival. “Here ya go. Do you need anything else?”
“I’m good,” Michelle quietly said.
“Thank you,” Gene said with a big smile.
“Why did you stay here after Bill passed? I mean, don’t you have family in Tennessee or Georgia. Someplace other than here, right?”
“I love it here. Our being here wasn’t just Bill’s decision. Plus, our children have taken jobs around here. Why would I leave?”
“Good point. Our kids followed Heather’s lead and wanted to go to a big city. Although our son called last week, wanting to come back this way.” Gene chuckled. “Wants to work for me.”
“That’s great. Someone you could groom to take over the business. Speaking of your business. How are things going there?” Michelle tried to steer the subject away from their pasts.
“Growing. That last dip the stock market took aged me, I believe.” He laughed. “It wasn’t the first one I’ve ridden out, but the older I get, the harder they are. I remember talking about a few of those with Bill. We saw some crazy bear and bull markets in our days.”
“I sure you have.”
Michelle concentrated on her breakfast sandwich, trying to force it down. She sipped her coffee, hoping Gene would need to leave soon. While she’d lost her appetite, she was happy to see him gobbling down his food.
She leaned back and placed her hand on her stomach. “I don’t think I can eat another bite. I’m going to need a to-go box.”
Gene looked around as the waiter brought the coffee carafe by. “Any more coffee?” asked the waiter.
Gene looked at her, and she shook her head. “Thank you, no, but we do need a to-go box if you have one handy.”
The waiter disappeared and returned a few moments later with a box for Michelle. She readied her food and lingered for Gene to finish his coffee. When he sat his mug down, he looked at her expectantly.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Unfortunately, I should get back to the office. I could stay here and reminisce with you all day.”
“I need to run some errands today, so I had better get a move on myself. Thank you for breakfast.”
He slid his chair back and came around to pull out hers. He was a gentleman, but this was emotionally more than she wanted. Gene walked her to her car. “I hope we can do this again sometime.”
Michelle’s stomach sank. She couldn’t go through this again. She smiled. “Give me a call, and I’ll see what’s going on.”
Gene closed her Jeep door, and she was driving away before he even got to his car. Tears stung her eyes. She’d made progress moving forward with her life. The last hour with Gene had her regressing back into her shell. Before she pulled into her driveway, the unshed tears rolled down her face.
Michelle went straight to her bedroom and took the picture of her and Bill off her dresser. She clenched it to her chest and curled into a fetal position. She cried like the day Bill died. “Help me here. I thought I was strong and ready. Why did talking about you and remembering you hurt so much? I loved our life together. You spoiled me rotten. I’ll always love you. You prepared me for life without you. You left me secure—secure in the love we shared and secure financially. After today, I’m not so sure I’m strong without you. I need to be strong.” She cried herself to sleep.
Her cell phone ringing awakened her. Belynda’s ringtone.
“Hello?”
“Mom?”
“Hey.”
“Were you asleep?”
“I guess I dozed off.”
“Are you all right? You never take a nap. I’m calling during lunch. I couldn’t wait to hear how breakfast went with Gene.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” Michelle heard her own voice crack. “Not too good.”
“What happened? You were so excited this morning.”
Michelle told Belynda about the conversations she’d had with Gene. She ended with, “It reopened the wound like the day your father died. I started missing him all over again.”
“Oh, Mom. I’m so sorry. I’ll stop by on my way home tonight.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Yeah, Mom, I do. I won’t be in a rush, and you can tell me how you’re feeling.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
“See you tonight.”
“Mom? Coming in!”
Belynda looked for her mom until she found her wrapped in a blanket in the oversized chair in her bedroom. With her feet curled under her, she stared out the wall of windows overlooking the valley. “Mom?” Belynda whispered.
Michelle turned to look at her daughter with a blank stare. “Hey, sweetheart.”
“Mom,” Belynda sighed. “I haven’t seen you like this since the day Dad died. Are you sure you’re all right? Want me to call the boys?”
“I haven’t felt like this since then, but don’t call them.”
“Tell me everything.”
“I’ve talked about your father on my terms. What I want people to know. I knew your dad was close to a scratch golfer, but to hear someone else describe a part of his life that I wasn’t involved in rocked me. I knew he’d say something about your father. I was prepared for that. Hell, I was even prepared for him to mention Heather. But I wasn’t prepared for that to monopolize our conversation. I tried moving the topic to all the children or his work, but he’d take it back to your father or his ex-wife.” Michelle looked up at Belynda. “I wanted to talk about now and moving forward, not only the past.”
Belynda sat on the floor in front of Michelle. “Sounds bad.” She hugged her mother’s legs, trying anything to comfort her. “Maybe dating someone from Waynesville who knew both you and Dad isn’t a great idea. At least not for the near future.”
Michelle rubbed the back of Belynda’s head. “I’m wondering if this is for me. I was going to give it three dates, and if they were all failures, I would stop altogether.”
“How many have you had?”
“Three, but Cade said the first one could be a mulligan.”
“Cade said?”
“Long story, but yeah.”
“So, then you have two strikes, Mom. Better make the next one count.” She grinned.
“I don’t know if there will be another one.”
“C’mon, Mom. If you fall off a horse, what do you do?”
“Get right back on.”
“That’s right. I understand wanting to give it some time, but you’ve got to try at least once more.”
Michelle smiled for the first time since that morning. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
Belynda looked up at Michelle’s face. “You need to look into your heart, Mom. Why did talking about Daddy upset you so?”
Michelle’s gaze drifted back out the windows. “This morning made me realize that we had a great life, and I don’t know if I’ll ever find someone who understands me the way your father did. Maybe a friendship is all I’ll ever find, and that’s okay.”
“Do you want more?”
Michelle shrugged. “I don’t know. If it’s right, I guess, but I won’t force a relationship. I haven’t found that comfortable, at home feeling with anyone I’ve been out with.”
“At least you know what you don’t want, Mom, even if you don’t know what you do want right now.”
“When did you get so smart?”
Belynda winked. “I learned from a wonderful woman who taught me standards and to stick by what’s important to me.”
“I love you. You know that, right?”
“I do, and I love you. Do you want me to hang around? I can call Nelson and tell him that he’s on his own for dinner.”
“No, sweetheart, go home to your husband. We’ll get together while he’s out of town.”
“Walk me out?”
Michelle stood and hugged Belynda. They walked arm in arm to the back door. “Drive carefully.”
“Lock up.”
Michelle waved as Belynda drove out of the driveway. She closed the door and secured the locks.