Shore, Jill had discussed her concerns with David, and they’d come up with a plan.
“Listen, Randi,” she said, “Mart’s a great kid, and I know how much you wanna be with him. Still, wouldn’t you enjoy at least part of those three weeks by yourself?”
Randi blinked, looking bemused. “By myself? Whatever for? You know how much I—”
“—love Matt and adore spending quality time with him—I know, I know. But what about you? Didn’t you just admit to needing some R and R?”
“Sure, I did, and I intend to get it—with Matt.”
Jill sighed. “Come on, sis, get real. Matt’s a super kid, and we all love him to bits. But you know as well as I do he’s a real live wire. A weekend with him can wear you out. Where’s the rest in that, huh?”
“Jill, I just couldn’t leave him while I—”
“Not even for a trip to Disney World with me and David?”
There was a moment of silence as Randi took in Jill’s grinning face. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Never been more serious in my life. David and I are going there the week after next, and we’d like to take Matt.”
“But why? Aren’t engaged couples supposed to want, uh, time with each other?”
Jill shrugged. “We already have a lot of that, with both of us living in the same town and the ability to set our own work hours.” An architect who owned his own firm, David could arrange his schedule to suit Jill’s, so the two shared lots of their own quality time.
“And besides,” she added, “we need Matt.”
“Huh?”
Jill’s grin was ear to ear now. “What good is a trip to Disney World without a little kid along to help you enjoy it? It’d be almost as bad as Christmas without children. We need kids for these things—to keep the magic in them.”
Randi shook her head and smiled, despite her reluctance to accept the proposal. Vacation without Matt? She’d feel…naked somehow. Hadn’t she rearranged her life to include her son wherever she could?
“Aw, come on, sis,” Jill pressed. “This would be a terrific opportunity for the kid, and you know it!”
Chuckling, Randi addressed an invisible witness. “Now she appeals to my conscience. You’re a rat, Jill the pill.”
Jill laughed unabashedly. Randi was weakening and she knew it. “Furthermore,” she added, “it isn’t as if you’d be missing beach time with Matt entirely. He’d go with you for the first week. Then we’d pick him up at the cottage and drive to Florida with him, while you get the rest you need.”
Randi sighed. It made perfect sense. Which, of course, coming from Jill, was to be expected. Jill had always been the sensible one, even as a child, whereas Randi had been the dreamer. As a child. When had she stopped? Somewhere on the road to adulthood, she supposed. Dreams were all well and good, but they didn’t put food on the table or clothes on your child. And they didn’t protect you from—
“Randi?” Jill’s concerned voice cut across Randi’s thoughts. “What’s the matter, sis? You looked awfully worried there for a moment. Did I say something?”
“You sure did, you sneak. Everything needed to convince me I’d be a selfish meanie not to agree to your plan.”
“Does that mean…”
“You win! Matt goes to Disney World—and I go crazy for two weeks, trying to occupy myself without him.”
‘Oh, I don’t know,” Jill said as she jumped up to hug her. “A little crazy might be just what the doctor ordered.”
But as Randi hugged her back, Jill’s words triggered an image. Doctor… Travis McLean, former med student, was now certainly a doctor, though in what capacity she hadn’t found out. Travis McLean…Matt’s father. What would it have been like for Matt to have known him? she wondered. To have his mother and father show him Disney World, instead of an aunt and her fiancé?
With an inward sigh, she swept these questions from hermind. It was too late to worry about such things. But as she and Jill began to discuss
“Listen, Randi,” she said, “Mart’s a great kid, and I know how much you wanna be with him. Still, wouldn’t you enjoy at least part of those three weeks by yourself?”
Randi blinked, looking bemused. “By myself? Whatever for? You know how much I—”
“—love Matt and adore spending quality time with him—I know, I know. But what about you? Didn’t you just admit to needing some R and R?”
“Sure, I did, and I intend to get it—with Matt.”
Jill sighed. “Come on, sis, get real. Matt’s a super kid, and we all love him to bits. But you know as well as I do he’s a real live wire. A weekend with him can wear you out. Where’s the rest in that, huh?”
“Jill, I just couldn’t leave him while I—”
“Not even for a trip to Disney World with me and David?”
There was a moment of silence as Randi took in Jill’s grinning face. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Never been more serious in my life. David and I are going there the week after next, and we’d like to take Matt.”
“But why? Aren’t engaged couples supposed to want, uh, time with each other?”
Jill shrugged. “We already have a lot of that, with both of us living in the same town and the ability to set our own work hours.” An architect who owned his own firm, David could arrange his schedule to suit Jill’s, so the two shared lots of their own quality time.
“And besides,” she added, “we need Matt.”
“Huh?”
Jill’s grin was ear to ear now. “What good is a trip to Disney World without a little kid along to help you enjoy it? It’d be almost as bad as Christmas without children. We need kids for these things—to keep the magic in them.”
Randi shook her head and smiled, despite her reluctance to accept the proposal. Vacation without Matt? She’d feel…naked somehow. Hadn’t she rearranged her life to include her son wherever she could?
“Aw, come on, sis,” Jill pressed. “This would be a terrific opportunity for the kid, and you know it!”
Chuckling, Randi addressed an invisible witness. “Now she appeals to my conscience. You’re a rat, Jill the pill.”
Jill laughed unabashedly. Randi was weakening and she knew it. “Furthermore,” she added, “it isn’t as if you’d be missing beach time with Matt entirely. He’d go with you for the first week. Then we’d pick him up at the cottage and drive to Florida with him, while you get the rest you need.”
Randi sighed. It made perfect sense. Which, of course, coming from Jill, was to be expected. Jill had always been the sensible one, even as a child, whereas Randi had been the dreamer. As a child. When had she stopped? Somewhere on the road to adulthood, she supposed. Dreams were all well and good, but they didn’t put food on the table or clothes on your child. And they didn’t protect you from—
“Randi?” Jill’s concerned voice cut across Randi’s thoughts. “What’s the matter, sis? You looked awfully worried there for a moment. Did I say something?”
“You sure did, you sneak. Everything needed to convince me I’d be a selfish meanie not to agree to your plan.”
“Does that mean…”
“You win! Matt goes to Disney World—and I go crazy for two weeks, trying to occupy myself without him.”
‘Oh, I don’t know,” Jill said as she jumped up to hug her. “A little crazy might be just what the doctor ordered.”
But as Randi hugged her back, Jill’s words triggered an image. Doctor… Travis McLean, former med student, was now certainly a doctor, though in what capacity she hadn’t found out. Travis McLean…Matt’s father. What would it have been like for Matt to have known him? she wondered. To have his mother and father show him Disney World, instead of an aunt and her fiancé?
With an inward sigh, she swept these questions from hermind. It was too late to worry about such things. But as she and Jill began to discuss
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