When Anna pulled in the driveway, she smiled at the sight of a half-dozen or so deer grazing in the backyard. Growing up in Riston, it was a sight she was used to but never got sick of. As she was getting Taylor and her carrier out of the backseat, she thought she saw movement in one of the windows, in the room that Ben used as an office.

When she came into the house, Ben’s door was closed and she could faintly hear him talking on the phone. Betty came over to help and shut the door behind them. Taylor was ready for a diaper change and a bottle, in that order, and when she brought her to the kitchen for the bottle, she caught a whiff of whatever Betty was stirring on the stove.

“It’s chicken stew for your dinner tonight and I just took a loaf of bread out of the oven.”

So, that was what smelled so good. Fresh baked bread. She would definitely need to check out that gym soon.

“Yum.”

“There’s some leftover lasagna, too. I figured you might want to have that for lunch tomorrow. Ben made a good dent in it today.”

“You’re going to fatten me up,” Anna said with a smile.

“If I do, then I consider it a job well done. Want to try a piece of the bread? I was just about to have a slice with a cup of tea. You can keep me company.”

“Okay, twist my arm,” Anna said as Betty slid a plate with a thick slice of buttered bread across the island. Taylor’s started making noises when she saw Anna eating the bread and she broke off a small piece and gave it to her.

“Taylor likes it.”

Anna spent an enjoyable hour chatting with Betty and feeding bits of bread and butter to Taylor. She learned that both of her children were married. Her son Philip was a resident at Mass General Hospital in Boston and her daughter, Andrea, was a corporate lawyer for a top firm in New York City.

“They’re both doing wonderfully with their careers and are too busy to have children. I keep asking and they tell me as soon as things slow down, then maybe. I’m not holding my breath that it will be any time soon.”

“Do you think either of them might ever move back home, to Riston?”

Betty’s eyes clouded a bit. “I’d love that, of course, but it doesn’t seem likely for either of them. But, you never do know what the future holds.” She cut another slice of bread and gave most of it to Taylor. “At least I have this little one to entertain me,” she said with a smile.

The clock on the wall chimed that it was five o’clock, time for Betty to head home.

“Any fun plans tonight?” Anna asked her.

“Yes. I’m heading to my sister Josephine’s house for dinner. She lives just down the road. It is nice to have family nearby even if it’s not my kids.”

When Betty left, Anna scooped up Taylor and brought her into the living room to read to her for a while. She got a little fussy, but the cool teething ring seemed to help. She read to her until her eyes got heavy. She’d just closed one of the new books she’d bought that day when Ben walked into the room and saw the two of them on the sofa with picture books strewn about and Taylor dozing.

“Busy day? Looks like you did some shopping. I’ll reimburse you for the books.”

“Oh, you don’t have to. I was just at the book store and picked a few up. She likes it when I read to her.”

“Of course I will. I’ll add it into your check. I appreciate it. I’d been meaning to get some more books for her. I think I’ve worn out Goodnight Moon.”

Anna smiled. “She does like that one.”

“Are you hungry? I was just going to have some dinner.”

“Sure. I think Taylor will be out for a little while.”

“Leave her here. She’ll be fine while we eat. If she wakes up, she’ll let us know.”

Anna followed him into the kitchen. The layout of the house was open concept, so she could still see the living room sofa from where she sat at the island. If Taylor stirred, she could go get her.

Ben set two big bowls of soup and the loaf of bread and butter on the island. Anna cut herself a slice and buttered it generously.

“Did you see the deer earlier? There were about six or so of them in the back yard when I got home earlier.”

“I saw them out the window before I jumped on a call. By the time I looked again, they were gone. They’re so innocent looking and skittish. The slightest sound sends them scurrying away. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of seeing animals out there, though. It’s so beautiful here.”

“It really is. I don’t want to live anywhere else if I don’t have to.” Even though she’d grown up in Riston, Anna loved it there and had no desire to move.

“Why would you have to?” Ben asked.

“Well, it’s a small town and only so many jobs available for recent college graduates. Even less for new lawyers. There’s only one big law firm in town, and that’s where my stepmother works. There’s no way I’d go there.”

Ben frowned. “Yeah, I can see how that would be awkward. There must be some smaller firms?”

“There are a few, but it’s doubtful they’d need to hire additional lawyers. I suppose you never know, though. I have a few years before I have to really worry about it, anyway. So, how was your day?” Anna didn’t want to think about the fact that she might not be able to start law school in the fall or work in Riston when she finished.

“My day was pretty great. A good friend agreed to sign on as the head writer and show runner for the TV project. He’s flying in Sunday night for a few days and then he’ll be back a week or so later to start working on the scripts. He’s going to stay here for a few nights.”

“Oh, that’s great.”

“I think you’ll like him. His name is Adiel.”

Just as Anna finished her soup, she saw Taylor stirring and went to give her a bath and a bottle. Ben took her and played with her for a while and Anna decided to check out the gym. She did the elliptical for a half hour and used free weights to tone her arms and legs. When she returned to the house, Ben was changing Taylor’s diaper, and the baby was yawning and rubbing her eyes.

“She looks ready to go to bed. Do you want me to put her down?” Anna was still trying to get used to what her hours were. Ben had said she would have Taylor during the day and he’d take over in the evenings, but she still felt like she should do more since she was there.

Ben grinned. “I’ve got it. It’s my shift now. Once she’s settled, I’m thinking about watching a movie if you feel like joining me.”

“Sure. I’m going to take a quick shower and then I’ll be out.”

* * *

Taylor wasn’t as tired as he’d thought. She seemed to catch a second wind and demanded that he read Good Night Moon again. He went to read one of the new books that Anna had bought that day but Taylor had burst into tears and said the one word she knew, ‘no’ repeatedly, until he picked up Good Night for a third time. Her eyes shut for good when he was halfway through, but he continued on anyway. By the time he closed the book, she was fast asleep.

Anna was waiting for him in the living room. Her hair was still damp as she sat cross-legged on the sofa in her turquoise blue sweats and white long-sleeved t-shirt. She was flipping through a magazine and looked up when he walked into the room.

“It took a little longer than I expected.” He settled onto the sofa next to her and reached for the remote.

“Babies can be unpredictable.” She smiled and he couldn’t help but notice how it lit up her face.

“Have you seen the new Jack Raven movie?” Ben asked. He’d been looking forward to watching it as he’d missed seeing it in the theaters.

“No, not yet. I’d love to see it. I’ve seen all of his other movies.”

“Great, I’ll tee it up then.” Ben found the movie on demand and for the next two hours they were on the edge of their seat, watching the suspense thriller. It had a twist ending that took them both by surprise.

“That was so good,” Anna said as the credits rolled.

“I think it was even better than the last one,” Ben agreed.

He clicked through the channels and there wasn’t much of anything else on, so he settled on the news. He snuck a look at Anna. She looked so comfy. His leather sofa was soft and squishy and she was curled up in the corner of it with a fleece blanket tucked snugly around her. She surprised him by stretching slowly, then bouncing up and announcing, “I’m going to have a small bowl of ice cream. Do you want some?” 

He laughed. “Yes, but make mine a big bowl.”

Anna returned a few minutes later with two bowls of chocolate chip ice cream.

“This is one of the reasons I worked out earlier,” she said as she handed him his bowl. “I saw Betty putting the groceries away, and this is my favorite flavor.”

Ben inhaled his ice cream and set his empty bowl on the coffee table. Anna had barely made a dent in hers. She savored every small nibble. He found himself wanting to know more about her.

“Why law school?” he asked.

She looked up and considered the question. “It’s something I’ve always known I wanted to do, for as long as I can remember.”

“Do you know what kind of law you want to focus on?”

“I want to be a generalist. I know I’ll have to work for a firm first, but someday, I’d love to open my own small office and do a little bit of everything. Whatever people need me to do.”

“So you don’t want to be a high powered criminal lawyer or a big corporate attorney? You’d have to move to a big city to do that.”

Anna shook her head. “That doesn’t appeal to me at all. What kind of law did you focus on?”

“I started out at a small law firm. I worked summers for one of my dad’s friends. It was a small office, and we did just what you mentioned, a little bit of everything. I liked it. But after I graduated, I got an offer from a venture capital firm and after a few years there, I was ready for the role at Blue Sky Pages.

“Do you ever think you’d go back to practicing law?” Anna asked. It was a question he’d asked himself recently since he didn’t need to spend as much time on Blue Sky issues.

“Maybe. As you said earlier, there’s only a few law firms here. Maybe there’s room for another. It wouldn’t be anytime soon I don’t think, though. I’m busy with a few different projects now, including the new TV show.”

“You decided to invest?”

Ben nodded. “Yes, once Adiel said he was on board, I called Steven and told him I was in. He sent me a contract, and I’m going to look it over tonight and stop by his attorney tomorrow to drop off a check and the signed paperwork.”

“That’s exciting,” Anna said.

Ben thought of something Wade had suggested to him when they met for lunch.

“Were you planning to go to trivia this week?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. I was hoping to, but I wasn’t sure if it would work with the schedule. Everyone usually gets there around six and has pizza before trivia. I could always go a little bit later.”

“Or we could go together. Betty babysits for me once or twice a week, depending what is going on. I could have her watch Taylor Thursday night. Wade said it would be a good way for me to meet more people here.”

“It would be! It’s really a fun night out.”

“Okay, then. It’s a date. Well, no, not a date, but you know what I mean?” Ben felt suddenly awkward, wishing it was a date, but knowing it couldn’t be and not wanting Anna to get the wrong idea.

“I know what you mean.” She smiled as if to assure him that she hadn’t taken it the wrong way. He was equally relieved and disappointed. Even though he knew it was a bad idea, part of him wanted her to be excited about an actual date with him. Which meant that he really should get out there and try to meet people.