- or not - hours
later. Russell couldn’t help but wonder why he’d had been on I-90 as it was
quite a way out of town. He’d probably been visiting the girl of the moment in
another town.
“Miranda sweetie, I don’t know when
Uncle Dylan is going to make it. He said he’d bring the puppy by next week so
you could play with her.” He braced himself for the tantrum that was sure to
come this time.
“Okay Daddy, I guess I can wait. At
least I got my donuts even if I don’t get to eat them with Uncle Logan.” She
smiled at him and went back to reading the book she always carried with her.
Russell was so taken aback by Miranda’s
calm behavior that he didn’t hear delicate footsteps approaching until they
were right next to him and he heard the voice calling his daughter’s
name. His heart started racing, a million emotions flashed through his mind and
that ever annoying sense of doom was there too, albeit briefly. Emily Zane had
indeed shown up for the picnic. Russell hadn’t seen her since their kiss
over a week ago, but she didn’t look like she was holding it against him now.
He felt oddly relieved even though he shouldn’t care less. Their delicious,
passionate kiss was a mistake never to be repeated.
“Hello Miranda, how are you
today?” Miranda dropped her book and hurried to give her school counselor
a hug. Emily returned it. “Hello Russell.”
“Emily,” he nodded his greeting to her.
He wasn’t sure what else to do, he felt like a school kid whose crush had just
found out he liked her. But that couldn’t be right because he didn’t like her, he’d just been momentarily physically attracted to her. Russell
Harper wasn’t capable of liking or even loving anyone right now. His
daughter was his life and there was no room in it for anyone else.
“Miss Emily, can you have a picnic with
us, please?” Miranda looked adoringly up at her new favorite person.
“I’m here with my mom, sweetheart. We
have our own picnic, but I think we’ll be setting up real close to you, right
over there.” She pointed not two feet away. “I bet after lunch you could come
over to my spot and have some of my mom’s famous chocolate chip cookies with
me.”
“I guess I could do that,” was her quiet
response. No tantrum though, so all was well. Miranda skipped back over
to her spot on their blanket and picked up her book again.
“She seems to be doing well,” Emily
stated as she was spreading her blanket on the ground.
“She is. Here, let me help you,” Russell
leapt up and grabbed one side of the blanket to help her get it spread out
evenly. “She still has a multitude of problems, but she seems to have evened out
a bit. There aren’t so many ups and downs.”
“I’m so glad. I think she is actually
starting to like school and that makes a world of difference.”
“It does,” he agreed as he watched a
tiny blond woman of about sixty walk up beside Emily and grab her hand.
“Oh, Russell Harper, this is my mother
Margaret Zane. I don’t know if you remember her.”
He held his hand out to the pleasant
looking woman. “Let’s see, Margaret Zane...ER nurse extraordinaire, helped me through
a broken arm, a bloody nose, a sprained ankle and many other childhood
mishaps.” He ticked the incidents off on his fingers one by one. “Oh yes I
certainly do remember her. How are you Mrs. Zane?”
“Please, call me Margaret, and I’m just
fine. How are you?”
“I’m good ma’am, all in one piece and
have been for quite a while. Sweetie, come here,” he called to his daughter.
“This is my daughter Miranda. Miranda this is Mrs. Zane, Miss Emily’s
mother.” The little girl looked at her feet and mumbled a hello.
“It’s nice to meet you, Miranda,” the
woman said with a smile. Thank goodness Margaret Zane had kept it short and
sweet so Russell could let his daughter sit down and read again.
“Well Emily, Margaret, it was great to
see you, but Miranda is probably
later. Russell couldn’t help but wonder why he’d had been on I-90 as it was
quite a way out of town. He’d probably been visiting the girl of the moment in
another town.
“Miranda sweetie, I don’t know when
Uncle Dylan is going to make it. He said he’d bring the puppy by next week so
you could play with her.” He braced himself for the tantrum that was sure to
come this time.
“Okay Daddy, I guess I can wait. At
least I got my donuts even if I don’t get to eat them with Uncle Logan.” She
smiled at him and went back to reading the book she always carried with her.
Russell was so taken aback by Miranda’s
calm behavior that he didn’t hear delicate footsteps approaching until they
were right next to him and he heard the voice calling his daughter’s
name. His heart started racing, a million emotions flashed through his mind and
that ever annoying sense of doom was there too, albeit briefly. Emily Zane had
indeed shown up for the picnic. Russell hadn’t seen her since their kiss
over a week ago, but she didn’t look like she was holding it against him now.
He felt oddly relieved even though he shouldn’t care less. Their delicious,
passionate kiss was a mistake never to be repeated.
“Hello Miranda, how are you
today?” Miranda dropped her book and hurried to give her school counselor
a hug. Emily returned it. “Hello Russell.”
“Emily,” he nodded his greeting to her.
He wasn’t sure what else to do, he felt like a school kid whose crush had just
found out he liked her. But that couldn’t be right because he didn’t like her, he’d just been momentarily physically attracted to her. Russell
Harper wasn’t capable of liking or even loving anyone right now. His
daughter was his life and there was no room in it for anyone else.
“Miss Emily, can you have a picnic with
us, please?” Miranda looked adoringly up at her new favorite person.
“I’m here with my mom, sweetheart. We
have our own picnic, but I think we’ll be setting up real close to you, right
over there.” She pointed not two feet away. “I bet after lunch you could come
over to my spot and have some of my mom’s famous chocolate chip cookies with
me.”
“I guess I could do that,” was her quiet
response. No tantrum though, so all was well. Miranda skipped back over
to her spot on their blanket and picked up her book again.
“She seems to be doing well,” Emily
stated as she was spreading her blanket on the ground.
“She is. Here, let me help you,” Russell
leapt up and grabbed one side of the blanket to help her get it spread out
evenly. “She still has a multitude of problems, but she seems to have evened out
a bit. There aren’t so many ups and downs.”
“I’m so glad. I think she is actually
starting to like school and that makes a world of difference.”
“It does,” he agreed as he watched a
tiny blond woman of about sixty walk up beside Emily and grab her hand.
“Oh, Russell Harper, this is my mother
Margaret Zane. I don’t know if you remember her.”
He held his hand out to the pleasant
looking woman. “Let’s see, Margaret Zane...ER nurse extraordinaire, helped me through
a broken arm, a bloody nose, a sprained ankle and many other childhood
mishaps.” He ticked the incidents off on his fingers one by one. “Oh yes I
certainly do remember her. How are you Mrs. Zane?”
“Please, call me Margaret, and I’m just
fine. How are you?”
“I’m good ma’am, all in one piece and
have been for quite a while. Sweetie, come here,” he called to his daughter.
“This is my daughter Miranda. Miranda this is Mrs. Zane, Miss Emily’s
mother.” The little girl looked at her feet and mumbled a hello.
“It’s nice to meet you, Miranda,” the
woman said with a smile. Thank goodness Margaret Zane had kept it short and
sweet so Russell could let his daughter sit down and read again.
“Well Emily, Margaret, it was great to
see you, but Miranda is probably
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