A Husband for All Seasons by Irene Brand

apartment supplied, but I intend to get along without a housekeeper now. It would be great of you to buy those things. I appreciate it.”
    â€œOK. Then I’ll see you soon.”
    Vicky had been moping around for several days, but the surge of adrenaline she received after Chad’s call turned her into a dynamo. She quickly gathered the things she would need for work and hurried out to the car.
    â€œGod,” she whispered before she turned the ignition key. “Am I really getting the opportunity to help Chad Reece? He’s a famous, wealthy man, and when he’swell again, he’ll probably go back to his old friends and forget all about me. I must not expect more from him than he’s willing to give.”
    Was God calling her to serve Chad? She started to think this might be so when the tense expression on Chad’s handsome face relaxed into a smile when he saw her.
    With an answering smile, she asked, “Anybody looking for a taxi?”
    â€œYes, one poor vagrant.”
    â€œLet’s go then.” She picked up his duffel bag. “I’d better take this.”
    â€œIt embarrasses me to have you carrying the heavy items, but I think the duffel bag weighs more than I’m allowed to lift for another week.”
    During the short drive to Neil Avenue, Chad told her about the call from his manager and about his shopping trip during the morning. After he got the key from his landlady, she helped him upstairs with his luggage and the supplies she’d bought for him, then said, “I’ve got to go now.”
    â€œI don’t even know where you work. I’ve spent too much time talking about myself, rather than listening to you.”
    â€œI work in a bookstore on High Street near the OSU campus. My parents think I’m wasting my time, and I guess I am, but I make enough to pay the rent, my food and gasoline. That’s all I want now.”
    â€œWill you be finished in time to have dinner with me tonight?”
    â€œThat depends on what time you want to eat. I work until seven o’clock.”
    â€œThat’s all right with me. Will you drive by and pick me up? I don’t know the town yet. You choose a restaurant. I’ll be watching for you—just blow the horn.”
    Â 
    Vicky would have preferred to go home and shower before she picked Chad up for dinner, but she didn’t want to keep him waiting. She went to the restroom and checked her appearance in the mirror on the door before she left the store.
    She wore a pair of knit pull-on black pants and a light pink sweatshirt with a white collar. Not very dressy, but at least the color of the shirt complemented her creamy skin and brought out the rosy tint of her cheeks. She pulled a comb through her hair, hitched her bag over her shoulder and hurried out to the parking lot. Chad was sitting on the porch banister waiting for her when she reached his apartment house.
    He was dressed in a white knit skirt and black trousers, and Vicky was pleased. Having left his casual clothes behind might indicate that Chad was looking forward instead of backward.
    She chose a family-type restaurant not far from their apartments. From talking to Chad’s parents, and also from his own comments, she knew that, in spite of his rise to fame in professional sports, he still had the simple tastes of an Alabama boy who had grown up in a small town atmosphere.
    A waiter showed them to a corner booth and took their beverage orders. Chad commented on the antique cooking and farm implements arranged on high shelves around the ceiling. “Reminds me of home,” he said.
    Vicky noted the wistful look in his eyes and knew that he wasn’t as relaxed and cheerful as he seemed. When the waitress arrived with their glasses of iced tea, she ordered a pasta salad.
    â€œI really like the pasta dishes here,” she said to Chad, “but all of the food is good.” To the waitress, she added, “And I