two things, and for a long while, her life was shared only by her baby and her baby grand.
Mark supported his daughter whenever he could, but his earning power had always been erratic at best, and he tended to spend money as soon as he got it, if not before. Gail’s feeling when she abandoned the marriage was one of relief, not regret. And while the first few years following their divorce had been fraught with the customary tension common to former spouses, the years soon brought a certain calm and mutual affection. By the time Gail married Jack Walton, she and Mark could legitimately refer to each other as friends.
Her first encounter with Jack had been completely different.
“There’s a man here with a problem.”
Gail had looked up from her desk at the nervous teller who stood before her. “What is it?”
“We bounced one of his checks for insufficient funds and he claims he had more than enough money in his account to cover it.”
Gail, who had recently been promoted to the role of supervisor, took the passbook from the teller’s hand and studied it. “He seems to be right,” she said, glancing at the somewhat gruff-looking man waiting patiently on the other side of the counter. “I’ll talk to him,” she said, approaching him with a smile, unaccountably nervous, liking him even before they were introduced, though she was unable to pinpoint why.
Jack Walton was shorter and stockier than Mark had been, but bigger somehow, occupying more space. He reminded her of a Viking, she thought, despite the fact that his hair was brown as opposed to blond, and he had no beard. He just looked … capable, she decided, as if there was nothing he couldn’t handle.
“What kind of medicine do you practice, Dr. Walton?” she asked him after the error had been straightened out.
“I’m a veterinarian,” he smiled. “Do you have any sick cats that need taking care of?”
It was Gail’s turn to smile. “I’ll get one,” she said.
A year and a half later they were married, and Gail had never, for an instant, regretted her decision. Just as she had known from the first minute she laid eyes on Mark Gallagher that he was wrong for her, she knew Jack Walton was right. Despite the roughness of his features, the surprise with which they seemed to come together on his face, he had gentle blue eyes and a smile that sent creases to his forehead.
Gail startled all her friends by immediately abandoning her job and staying at home to be a full-time mother to Jennifer, who, like herself, had always been a nervous, intense little girl. She seemed to blossom under Gail’s patient, quiet supervision, and, as with her second marriage,Gail had never for a moment doubted that her decision to stay at home was the right one. Jack made every effort to befriend the initially recalcitrant girl, and eventually his persistence paid off. They became the best of friends, a factor which helped when, a little more than a year later, Gail found herself pregnant with Cindy.
Everything about Cindy, from the moment of her birth, was different than it had been with Jennifer in much the same way that Gail had been different from her own sister. While Jennifer’s birth had come after twenty-eight hours of painful labor, with Mark out somewhere getting drunk in a nearby bar, Cindy’s delivery, assisted by Jack, had been relatively easy, and the infant proved to be one of those babies who did everything right at just the right time, making things that much easier for Gail and that much more difficult for Jennifer, who took an instant dislike to the new arrival. Still, with almost ten years separating the two girls, the problems were not what they could have been, and Gail had always been grateful. Every year became easier, passing more quickly than the last, it seemed, as times changed and people moved on to other places and other lives.
Her parents eventually gave up on the cold New Jersey winters and, aided by her father’s retirement, moved
Mark supported his daughter whenever he could, but his earning power had always been erratic at best, and he tended to spend money as soon as he got it, if not before. Gail’s feeling when she abandoned the marriage was one of relief, not regret. And while the first few years following their divorce had been fraught with the customary tension common to former spouses, the years soon brought a certain calm and mutual affection. By the time Gail married Jack Walton, she and Mark could legitimately refer to each other as friends.
Her first encounter with Jack had been completely different.
“There’s a man here with a problem.”
Gail had looked up from her desk at the nervous teller who stood before her. “What is it?”
“We bounced one of his checks for insufficient funds and he claims he had more than enough money in his account to cover it.”
Gail, who had recently been promoted to the role of supervisor, took the passbook from the teller’s hand and studied it. “He seems to be right,” she said, glancing at the somewhat gruff-looking man waiting patiently on the other side of the counter. “I’ll talk to him,” she said, approaching him with a smile, unaccountably nervous, liking him even before they were introduced, though she was unable to pinpoint why.
Jack Walton was shorter and stockier than Mark had been, but bigger somehow, occupying more space. He reminded her of a Viking, she thought, despite the fact that his hair was brown as opposed to blond, and he had no beard. He just looked … capable, she decided, as if there was nothing he couldn’t handle.
“What kind of medicine do you practice, Dr. Walton?” she asked him after the error had been straightened out.
“I’m a veterinarian,” he smiled. “Do you have any sick cats that need taking care of?”
It was Gail’s turn to smile. “I’ll get one,” she said.
A year and a half later they were married, and Gail had never, for an instant, regretted her decision. Just as she had known from the first minute she laid eyes on Mark Gallagher that he was wrong for her, she knew Jack Walton was right. Despite the roughness of his features, the surprise with which they seemed to come together on his face, he had gentle blue eyes and a smile that sent creases to his forehead.
Gail startled all her friends by immediately abandoning her job and staying at home to be a full-time mother to Jennifer, who, like herself, had always been a nervous, intense little girl. She seemed to blossom under Gail’s patient, quiet supervision, and, as with her second marriage,Gail had never for a moment doubted that her decision to stay at home was the right one. Jack made every effort to befriend the initially recalcitrant girl, and eventually his persistence paid off. They became the best of friends, a factor which helped when, a little more than a year later, Gail found herself pregnant with Cindy.
Everything about Cindy, from the moment of her birth, was different than it had been with Jennifer in much the same way that Gail had been different from her own sister. While Jennifer’s birth had come after twenty-eight hours of painful labor, with Mark out somewhere getting drunk in a nearby bar, Cindy’s delivery, assisted by Jack, had been relatively easy, and the infant proved to be one of those babies who did everything right at just the right time, making things that much easier for Gail and that much more difficult for Jennifer, who took an instant dislike to the new arrival. Still, with almost ten years separating the two girls, the problems were not what they could have been, and Gail had always been grateful. Every year became easier, passing more quickly than the last, it seemed, as times changed and people moved on to other places and other lives.
Her parents eventually gave up on the cold New Jersey winters and, aided by her father’s retirement, moved
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