The Silken Web

“Isn’t he something?” Seth asked rhetorically with pride.

“Yes, he is,” Erik answered gruffly, and Kathleen whirled her head around to look at him. By the unnatural sound of his voice, she almost expected to see tears in his eyes, but to her relief there were none. He only stared at his son as possessively as he had looked at her minutes before. She knew a quickening of pity for him. How torturous it must be to see his son and not be able to claim him.

A triumphant gurgle drew her attention back to the boy as he finally conquered the banana. Within seconds, the skinned banana was being shoved into his mouth until it disappeared altogether.

“He’s the stubbornest baby I’ve ever seen,” Alice said, shaking her head, predicting dire outcomes for such hard-headedness.

“Are you going to work out in the pool this morning?” Kathleen asked Seth, whom she was glad to see looked rested and more himself than he had last night.

“Yes. Then I’m going to let Theron play in there for a while.”

“You don’t think it’s too cold?” she mused with a wrinkled brow.

“I’ll keep him in the water once he gets wet, and then rush him inside when we’re finished.”

She acquiesced, knowing that the water’s temperature was carefully maintained so that Seth and George could go through their exercises in comfort year-round. “Just be careful with him. He’s slippery as an eel and has no fear of the water yet.”

Seth’s eyes softened and he said, “You know I will. George will be right there with us all the time. I wouldn’t risk my son’s life for anything in the world.” He reached across the table and clasped her hand.

She dared not look at Erik, but somehow she knew that his body had tensed perceptibly with Seth’s words. She could feel her own tension.

“Let Alice cook you some breakfast, Erik.”

He declined Seth’s offer. “No thanks. I’m already bumming one meal off you today. I picked up a doughnut on the way over.” His smile was as genuine and dashing as ever. It gave away none of the turmoil he felt inside. “If Kathleen’s ready, I am.”

“She’s ready,” Seth said with a faint scowl. “I never have been able to get her to eat a sensible breakfast. She’s too figure-conscious.”

“I can see that,” Erik said as he looked at her appreciatively.

“You should have seen her when she was pregnant,” Seth said. Erik’s attention didn’t waver. His eyes stayed glued on her as Seth continued, “I’ve never seen a woman carry a child more gracefully. From the back, you couldn’t even tell that she was pregnant. She looked ravishing right up to the day of delivery.”

“She would have,” Erik said.

The warmth of his gaze affected her too much, and the topic of conversation was too uncomfortable. She stood up quickly and upset Theron’s cup of orange juice. Thankfully, it had a sealed cup with a perforated spout to prevent such accidents. She nervously righted it and said, “We’ll be back well before dinner. Alice, do you need anything?”

“No. Seth’s going to do most of the cooking tonight.” She laughed.

“Well, then,” Kathleen said absently. She had suddenly run out of excuses not to leave with Erik. “Goodbye, Theron,” she said, leaning down to receive his banana-flavored kiss. “Mommy will see you tonight. Maybe I’ll bring you a surprise.”

“Bye-bye,” he said happily, waving a chubby fist.

Everyone laughed. To Kathleen’s dismay, Erik walked around the table and ruffled Theron’s hair. “Goodbye, Captain.”

Kathleen stammered the rest of her goodbyes, kissed Seth quickly, and then she and Erik were walking out the front door and down the flagstone walk to a waiting sports car.

She turned around in surprise. “A Corvette,” he said dryly. “A woman I once knew told me I was this type.” His eyes were dancing with only a ghost of their old humor.

As she slid into the sleek silver car with the rich maroon interior, she asked, “What happened to your Dodge van?”

“I still have it. But this car is good for the professional image. Who trusts a videographer who shows up at business meetings in a van with a wheezing carburetor?”

He steered the car down the tree-lined driveway and then turned onto the major thoroughfare. “I thought I’d take you to the condo first and let you see what we’ve got to work with.”

“Okay.”

That was the extent of their conversation until they reached the site of his condominium. It was in an impressive complex of garden homes. Each unit was built in a different style of architecture, but they blended well together. The grounds were well maintained and there was a pool in the center of the complex for the exclusive use of the home owners.

“This is very nice,” she commented.