Into the Garden (Wildflowers 5)

"I'm happy you trust me now. Don't worry about your stepfather. When your mother comes back, if she has any doubts about you, I'll be an expert witness as to your good behavior."

I laughed, but then I thought what am I going to do about Geraldine never coming back? I had never dreamed I would meet someone who would

complicate things like this. I never imagined I would want someone here always and to do that, I would have to explain Geraldine's absence. How many lies could I tell and when would the weight of them collapse around me and leave me broken and alone again?

"Well," he said, slapping his hands together, "I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry." He glanced at the picture. "And I kind of like this picture. Mind if I keep it?"

"No," I said, smiling.

"We look really good together here. It looks like a scene in a movie. Maybe we'll do it again in a better light so he can get a better picture," he added. "It's no sin to kiss someone you like very much. He's done it, hasn't he?"

"What?" I said, losing my breath as if someone had punched me in the stomach. Of course, Stuart was talking about something completely different, but still, it took me by surprise.

"Kissed someone he liked. He liked your mother once and kissed her and I bet he had a girlfriend or two. What is he, a monk or something?"

"Oh. No," I said. "Hardly that."

"So that's that. Let's forget about it and enjoy our dinner. At least, I hope you'll enjoy it."

"I will," I promised.

"Madame," he said, standing and bowing. "Might I escort you to the dining room?"

"Thank you," I said, laughing.

He put a hand on my shoulder as we walked into the dining room. He had set the table and put a candle on it. "Wow," I said. "I guess I was upstairs a long time"

"Not a minute wasted down here, however," he said.

"Just take your seat please," he said, pulling out my chair.

"I should help," I complained.

"Not tonight," he insisted.

I sat and he went into the kitchen. Moments later, he returned with plates of salad.

"I found a bottle of wine in your pantry. Is it all right for us to open it?" he asked.

"Yes, of course," I said.

I watched him open the bottle and then pour me some. "To the beginning of something wonderful," he said, holding his glass up to mine, "and I don't mean only this dinner?' Our glasses clicked and we both sipped our wine, our eyes locked on each other.

Truth, I begged, stay outside a while longer. I promise when it's time to call you in, I will.

15 Truth or Consequences

Misty didn't call back until Stuart and I had finished dinner and were standing side by side in the kitchen, washing the dishes. He insisted he help with the cleanup.

"Sorry I didn't call earlier, but I just came home and found your message," Misty said. I could tell by her excitement and how fast she was talking that she didn't want our conversation to last too long. "What's happening?"

"I have a lot to tell you," I said. "I was right about what I had thought this morning," I said in a softer voice.

"What was that?" she asked. She sounded as if she was distracted.

"Are you alone?" I asked.

"No," she said, following it with a giggle.