Chapter 3
Saturday morning dawned sunny and warm, so Lily decided to spend time with Claire riding their bikes. A beautiful day, not even the stink of car and bus fumes could dim their enthusiasm. Lily gripped the ridged handlebars as she simultaneously watched her daughter pedal on the sidewalk and watched for cars and distracted pedestrians. Claire’s bright pink bike had a bell and long pink and white tassels on the handlebars. She loved to pedal ahead of Lily and rang the bell incessantly, which pretty much guaranteed everyone steered clear of her.
Along the way to the subway, they passed the community center on St. Marks, enclosed within a tall iron fence and surrounded by shade trees. On the blacktop, some boys played and Claire slowed to watch them. With a squeal of brakes, Lily stopped too. The chipped iron bars were cool in Lily’s grasp and the splat of the ball against the pavement kept time to the symphony inside her mind—a rhythm comprised of spring sounds in the city. She sighed as she listened to birds chirp, boys grunt and the ball bounce. The scent of lilacs in the corner of the yard completed her sonata.
“What are they doing?” Claire asked.
“They’re playing dodge ball,” Lily replied.
“That looks like fun.”
“Mmm. I think it might be the place where Gideon works.” Samantha mentioned he mentored kids at a community center nearby. Her skin tingled at the thought of him being this close to their apartment. How often had she passed this exact place? Would she run into him?
“Is he there now?” Claire craned her neck.
“I don’t know, honey.”
“What does he do there?”
“He probably plays with the kids, helps them with homework, that kind of thing.” A desire to go inside and find out what he was like with the kids overwhelmed her for a moment. Was he grumpy with them like he was with her, or was he kind, like he was with Claire? She huffed. Why do I even care?
“Maybe we can visit him here sometime,” Claire said.
“Maybe,” Lily said with a shrug. “Now come on. I’ll race you.”
After a trip on the subway to Central Park, they both enjoyed their ride down their favorite paths toward Heckscher Playground. They passed lots of other kids and their families biking. The scent of popcorn and hot pretzels scented the air and made Lily’s mouth water, as the memories of this place made her smile. She had taken Claire here to learn to use her bike without training wheels and the flat, wide, even stretches of pavement made it a great area of the park to ride.
When Claire started to get tired, they picked a shady, grassy area near Wolman Rink to picnic. Lily had brought a basket filled with sandwiches—peanut butter for Claire and turkey for herself—along with water, cookies and fruit. They munched as Claire chatted about her friends at school.
When they finished eating, they walked their bikes across the grass to the Central Park Zoo. They visited Claire’s favorite animals, the sea lions, and watched them frolic in the water and eat fish the zookeeper fed them. After a brief visit to see the polar bears, penguins and monkeys, Lily and Claire decided to return home. Tired, they found a cab willing to put their bikes in the trunk.
When they got home, Lily sat to make a list of the things she had to get done the next day. She groaned to herself—this was one of the worst parts of being a single parent. There was no one to delegate the chores. Claire came in as she wrote the last item.
“Can you read me this book, Mom?” Claire plopped on the sofa next to Lily and handed her a library book. Lily cringed. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom was one of Claire’s favorites. She took it out of the school library every week, and Lily had read it often enough she could do it with her eyes closed. It was her least favorite book and she was sick of it.
Then she had an idea. “Why don’t you read it to me,” she suggested.
“I can’t read this book, Mom. It’s not an easy reader,” Claire protested and pushed the book at her mom.
Lily gently pushed the book toward her, setting her jaw. “It’s not hard, and I’m sure you’ll remember the words that are harder to sound out since we’ve read it so many times.”
“What if I can’t do it?” she whined.
Claire’s whining set her teeth on edge, but she pushed through her distaste. “I’ll help you if you need it,” Lily reassured, “but why don’t you give it a try first.” Lily loved to read, and she was dying for Claire to feel the sense of accomplishment that came from reading something yourself.
Claire stared at the cover for a moment before she opened the book. She rubbed her palms along the page and looked at Lily for reassurance. With a nod, Lily encouraged her, holding her breath. She knew Claire could do it. Slowly, Claire tried the first words. At the end of the first page, grinned.
“I did it! I read the whole page!”
Lily hugged her, bursting with pride at the milestone. “I knew you could do it. You did a great job. Now why don’t you try the next page?”
Claire snapped the page and continued reading. Soon, she’d finished the whole book. She jumped off the sofa and twirled around as she chanted, “I read the book! I read the book!” Lily joined her, dancing. Soon enough, Claire sat down, turned to the beginning of the book and started over again. “Listen to me read it again, Mom,” she insisted.
This time, the repetition didn’t bother Lily. “Okay, but just one more time. I have things to do, and you have to get to bed.”
Claire read the book again and repeated it to herself while Lily tidied the apartment. As she left the room, her daughter become completely absorbed in the book, and Lily smiled with satisfaction.
Soon it was time to get ready for bed. By the time Claire finished her bath, brushed her teeth and straightened her stuffed animals, she could barely stay awake. “I had fun today, Mommy,” Claire said with a yawn as she went to bed.
“Me too, sweetie. Me too,” Lily replied. She kissed her on the head and turned out the light, wishing once again that Daniel was here to see this.
****
A deep, gravelly voice among a clatter of dishes greeted Lily the next morning as she and Claire entered Samantha’s apartment for their weekly Sunday brunch.
“Gideon’s here,” Claire whispered. Lily was at a loss for words. Her palms began to sweat. He was everywhere.
They entered the kitchen, and Gideon froze, gave them a brief nod and glared at his sister. The hot glare would have melted Lily into a puddle on the floor. But Samantha remained where she was and tipped her head at her brother. She greeted Lily and Claire with her usual hug. As Lily squeezed her friend and pecked her cheek, she glanced over Samantha’s shoulder. Gideon’s back was to them and he cooked at the stove. She didn’t know which burned hotter – the omelets sizzling in the pan, the sight of the man cooking, or his temper. His spatula made angry scrapes against the frying pan, his arm abrupt with circular motions through the eggs. Since when did he join them for brunch? Would their encounters always be this fraught with anger and confusion? Maybe we should leave. She sighed.
The noise made Gideon look up. His gaze skipped over Lily as his face reddened, and met Claire. “Hi, Claire.”
“Hi.” She remained by Lily’s side as she fingered her soft cotton pants and refused to meet his eye. His gaze softened as he watched her and he went over to set the table. “Would you mind getting me the napkins?” he asked her.
“Okay.” She took them off the counter and brought them over to him.
“Thank you. Samantha has some art paper and colored pencils around here somewhere,” Gideon said. “Maybe you can draw me a picture after we eat.”
Claire chatted to him about drawing rainbows and people and houses, her previous shyness all but gone. Lily didn’t say a word. Why is he ignoring me? What did I do now? She stood in the middle of the kitchen. Sweat trickled down her spine and her shoulders slumped. Words swirled around her, delicious aromas of bacon and eggs wafted through the air, but all she wanted was to melt into the floor. Despite the mouth-watering odors, the hunger she’d felt earlier abated. Before she could announce they were leaving, Samantha brought the eggs to the table.
“Okay, everyone, brunch is ready,” she said. The four of them sat and passed platters of food. Fluffy yellow omelets, crisp smoky bacon and fresh bagels made their way back and forth, and tempted everyone. “Gideon, your omelet looks amazing, as usual. Oh shoot, I forgot the salt. Gideon, you’re closest, can you get it?”
“I’ve got it, Samantha,” said Lily as she jumped up, happy for any reason at all to get out of the tense room. Normally an event she anticipated, today’s brunch would be excruciating if Gideon didn’t snap out of his mood.
“It’s okay, Lily.” Gideon kept his voice hushed, but his hardened stare froze her in place. “I’ve got it.”
Treating his sister like this was one thing. But doing it to her? No way. “While you’re up, can you get the orange juice too?” Forcing a bite of food into her mouth, she refrained from groaning. The omelet didn’t just look delicious. It tasted divine. A man with such a harsh attitude should not be able to make such a luscious meal. The buttery egg and cheese concoction melted in her mouth. Refusing to give him satisfaction, she chewed silently. Samantha covered a giggle with her napkin.
Gideon wheeled over to the refrigerator, maneuvered to swing open the door, retrieved the orange juice, slammed the door shut, picked up the salt off the counter and banged the juice and the salt on the table. “Would you like me to pour it for you as well?” His tone dripped with saccharine politeness.
“Why that would be lovely. Thank you.” Two can play this game. His shoulder brushed hers. The contact sent shivers along her arm and the clean scent of his aftershave tickled her nose. When he finished, she smiled at him. His jaw bulged from clenching his teeth. He returned to his place at the table, nostrils flared and fists clenched.
“Can I go draw pictures now, Mommy?” Claire rose halfway from the table. “Gideon said Samantha has colored pencils I could use.”
Lily observed Gideon and Samantha before focusing on her daughter. “You have to eat more first. You’ve hardly eaten your bagel and you haven’t touched your fruit.”
Claire frowned, but sat and continued to nibble. Everyone else ate in strained silence. The clink of the silverware against the dishes and the gulp of food became more pronounced as the stillness dragged on. Trying to break the mood, Lily and Samantha made polite, if stilted conversation. Conscious of her every word being weighed, she missed the easy atmosphere of past brunches. Why had Samantha bothered to invite her brother? At last, the meal came to an end and Claire asked to be excused to play in the living room.
With that, Gideon pushed away from the table. “Thanks for breakfast, Sam, but I just remembered something I have to do.”
He spoke briefly to Claire and left the apartment.
The slamming of the door dampened Lily’s anger. Her face heated and she wrung the napkin between her hands. She stood. “I’d better go apologize to him. I was rude.”
Samantha straightened in her seat, eyebrows raised as she turned toward Lily. “Wait Lil, don’t. You didn’t do anything he didn’t deserve.”
“Sam, I baited him and embarrassed him in front of everyone. I have to apologize.”
Samantha reached for her hand. “I’m not saying not to apologize. But he didn’t acknowledge your presence. He behaved just as rudely as you did. Besides, confronting him is just going to make it worse. Trust me. I know my brother.”
No matter how valid Samantha’s arguments were, she had to set a better example for her daughter. “Give me his phone number so I can at least leave him a message.”
Samantha picked up the phone, pressed speed dial and handed it to her. Lily recorded her apology at the beep and resumed eating, no longer tasting the food. She didn’t know who to be more annoyed at, Samantha for inviting Gideon, Gideon for behaving like a boor, or herself for rising to the bait. The uncomfortable quiet remained until Samantha chuckled.
“What’s funny?” How in the world could Samantha find anything amusing in this situation?
“Nothing Lil.” She bit her lip, nostrils flared. “More eggs?”
****
Gideon fumed as he returned to his apartment.
Outside the cab, shoppers—most of them from out-of-town, based on their outfits—crowded the sidewalks, but he barely noticed anyone. He didn’t notice the stale odor of cigarettes and cheap air freshener inside the cab. His brain focused solely on brunch, as it replayed the scene in an endless loop. He couldn’t decide which woman made him angrier—Samantha or Lily. His sister should know better than to interfere in his life. He didn’t need her to arrange it for him; he was quite capable of doing it on his own. He’d worked hard to rebuild his shattered life after his accident. And he certainly knew better than she what he wanted—or wanted now, after learning that his old desires for love would just end in heartache. He’d filled the empty spaces of his life with work, friends and volunteer work. He did not want his meddling sister to interfere by raising his hopes and making him think he could have the impossible.
And Lily. Who did she think she was? Taking over for him today as if he couldn’t do anything and when he confronted her, forcing him to wait on her? And in front of Claire too. Despite his anger, he couldn’t get the shine of Lily’s glossy brown hair out of his mind, couldn’t forget the jasmine scent of her perfume.
Letting himself into his apartment, he checked his phone, and finding a message, pressed the play button. Her voice made him freeze.
“Hi Gideon, it’s Lily. Listen, I wanted to apologize for brunch today. I was annoyed, but I never should have been rude and I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I’m sorry.”
Her voice was like velvet and a shudder ran through him. He moved to the window and stared at Washington Square Park across the street. People roller-bladed and bicycled in the sunshine. She called to apologize, apparently right after he left. It took guts to admit a mistake, even to a voice mailbox. Especially when the person on the answering machine had been equally, if not more, rude to her. He squirmed uncomfortably, knowing for all of his anger, he was mostly to blame. She hadn’t done anything worse than offer to get something from the kitchen. It wasn’t as if she’d offered to tie my shoes.
He’d had fun Friday night and he’d enjoyed talking to Lily. She was captivating and beautiful and intelligent. In another life, he would have been attracted to her. Hell, who was he kidding, he was attracted to her now. But before his accident, he would have pursued her. Successfully, he reminded himself. And there was Claire too. As the oldest of five kids, he loved children and had always imagined himself with a huge house full of them. And a wife. That would never happen now. His ex had shown him the impossibility of that dream. He clenched his fist in his lap and choked on the bitter bile that rose in his throat.
But his sister had other ideas, especially after their conversation yesterday. Apparently, his invitation to brunch was a thinly disguised setup. He wouldn’t let her make a fool out of him. So, he’d taken his anger at Samantha out on Lily and made a complete ass of himself. Instead of ignoring his sister’s actions until they were somewhere private and enjoying the additional company, he’d let Samantha get the best of him, embarrassed himself, and shown a complete lack of manners. And in front of Claire, as well. He should know better.
Well, he didn’t plan to fall for Lily, but he’d have to find another way to handle himself with her. She didn’t deserve what he’d done today and he owed her an apology. His sister, however, was a different story, and it was time they had a serious conversation.