“Yep,” Owen said.
Cal saw April’s eyebrow arch and knew what she was thinking. If they went grocery shopping, then they had to go to town every once in a while. What she didn’t know was how rare that was. They only went when what they grew and hunted would not be enough, and they always went to the same convenient store just outside of town. It was familiar and not terribly busy. The owner and his wife were the only ones who ever manned the counter, and they knew Cal well enough that they never asked him questions or attempted to make small talk with him. April was probably imagining Cal at a large grocery store with a full shopping cart, standing in line, waiting to check out. But that wasn’t the reality.
He decided not to correct his son, either way. The misunderstanding was harmless, as far as he was concerned. And if it led April to believe Cal was maybe less broken than he actually was? Well, that was all the better. The last thing Cal needed was some woman who hardly knew him judging the way he raised his own son.
“Come on in,” he said as Owen and April stepped onto the front porch. “Lunch is waiting.”
“Would you like me to do a quick check on Owen before or after lunch?” April asked.
Cal shrugged. “It doesn’t matter much,” he said, “since you’re eating with us either way. Owen has insisted all day.”
April smiled and stepped across the threshold. “Well, what a hospitable young man. It would be rude to refuse, I suppose.Unless…” She looked meaningfully at Cal, and he knew she was questioning whether or not this visit was OK with him.
Cal thought he’d better make it clear to the poor thing. “We would love to have you join us for lunch, Nurse April,” he said. He tried to keep his slight irritation from showing. Her coming to check up on Owen was something she was doing out of the goodness of her heart. It was a favor, a gift, and Cal chose to be grateful.
While April checked his son over, Cal put out the lunch Owen had insisted he put together. At the time, Cal had only been glad Owen had an appetite. He’d had no idea the boy was planning to host a luncheon. For as young as he was, that took a lot of forethought, certainly more than Cal had about the whole affair.
When they were finished with Owen’s checkup, he and April sat down with Cal to eat. It was unusually quiet, Cal having no idea what to say. So much time away from groups of people had stolen his ability to make small talk, apparently. So, Owen took the lead. “After lunch, you have to come with me to meet Georgie.”
“The rabbit?” April asked.
“You remembered!” Owen cried out, delighted.
It was impressive, Cal thought. In his experience, people tended to pretend to listen to children without really paying attention to anything they had to say. April, it seemed, was one of the few people who really cared. It made Cal respect her all the more. All through lunch, he watched her interact with his son with a certain level of fascination. He noticed her all on her own, too, though he wasn’t yet ready to admit it. Her bright, blue eyes were always smiling, her curls always framing her rounded face,her cheeks always rosy and full of life. She was beautiful, no doubt about it. He wasn’t in denial about that. Everything about her was soft energy and sweetness. If she’d been a dessert, he would have been craving a bite of her.
He shook off his attraction and reminded himself she was an intruder in his home, sweet though she may be. She was his son’s nurse and nothing more.
After lunch, Owen took her by the hand and practically dragged her to the garden to choose a carrot for Georgie. Then they went out to the hole in the front porch to feed the rabbits. April met Georgie with the exact right amount of wonder and excitement. Not even Cal could tell whether it was an act she was putting on for Owen’s sake.
The entire afternoon was so enjoyable that it actually started to worry Cal. He didn’t want to start craving friendships and human interaction again. His current life had treated him well. Why fix what wasn’t broken?
As he and Owen said goodbye to April, Cal was so close to relief, convincing himself the ordeal was finally over. Then, Owen shouted, “You’ll come again soon, though, won’t you, Nurse April?”
April paused before sliding into the driver’s seat of her small car. She seemed unsure how to respond. Cal shared her confusion and thought to give her a good excuse, but then the impulsive side of him took over and he said, “Yeah, why don’t you come back around in a few? We can do lunch again. I want to make sure he’s in good condition before letting you get away completely.” He chuckled, and April laughed, too.
“OK, sure. I don’t mind.” Her smile was so warm and inviting. Cal knew that was going to be his downfall—her smile.
The thing about Cal was that his overcautious nature was learned. Before tragedy had struck in his life, he’d been an impulsive, fearless man, always confident that things would go his way. It seemed this nurse was bringing out the old him, and Cal wasn’t at all sure that was a good thing. Impulsiveness led to mistakes, and mistakes could lead to painful situations you couldn’t take back.
“Let’s head back inside,” he said to Owen as April’s car disappeared down the dirt road.
“I like her,” Owen said, for probably the thousandth time. “Let’s make her come over every day.”
Cal laughed. “OK, chief, every day might be a bit much.” But even as he said it, he could not convince himself it was true. He had to contend with the fact that, if April were to visit every day, starting today, he wouldn’t dislike it at all.
It was rainingthe next time April’s little car pulled into Cal’s dirt driveway. She had run from her car to the porch before Owen could make it in time to greet her. When Cal opened the door, he saw her standing there, dripping wet and carrying a box of something in addition to her usual bag. For a moment, Cal was stunned and unable to speak. Raindrops weighed down her blond curls, dripped from her chin, and clung to her eyelashes. She was even more gorgeous now than she was when she wasn’t dripping wet.
“I thought,” she said, water still dripping from her hair, “you know, you guys keep feeding me. I should bring something for you.”
She grinned, and Cal finally snapped out of his daze. “Oh, come on in,” he said. Quickly, he ran to the closet and got out a large beach towel. “Take this. You look… like you could use it.” She thanked him, traded the box she carried for the towel, and started patting her hair dry.
“What is this?” he asked about the box in his hands.
“Cookies,” she answered.
Owen immediately began jumping up and down. “Cookies!” he echoed.
April clarified, “No nuts, just in case. If he has any other food allergies, let me know. I’ll make some better cookies next time.” She handed the towel back to Cal, who had set the box on his dining table.
