Anything for Danny

“Didn’t sleep well?”

“Those beds aren’t meant for sleeping. They’re torture devices.” Her brown eyes raked him irritably. “And I’d forgotten all about your snoring.”

“Sorry,” he replied with a shrug. He grinned at her, knowing he was a fool, but enjoying it. “You know in the past what always stopped my snoring…”

He saw the blush of memory darken her cheeks and knew she was remembering that they used to laugh because the only nights Luke didn’t snore were on the nights they made love.

“Stuffing a sock in your mouth would have the same effect,” she said dryly, then took another sip of her coffee.

Luke laughed, reared back in his chair and studied her. She was so familiar…and yet so different from what he remembered. She was like an old song with new harmony, different pitches and notes. “Do you like teaching?” he asked suddenly, realizing he knew next to nothing about her life, her work. “What is it? Third grade?”

“Second, and I love it.” She smiled, her brown eyes softening to the color of melted caramels. “As far as I’m concerned, second-graders are the best. They’re old enough to be manageable, yet young enough to truly believe that the teacher knows everything.” She smiled her pleasure. Luke again noticed how pretty she looked. The morning sunshine was just beginning to streak into the window and caressed her delicate features. “It’s a wonderful job, teaching children. I love my work.”

She gazed at him, her eyes seeming to pierce through his skin, into his soul. “I’m surprised you didn’t bring your camera equipment with you. There was a time when I thought it was permanently mounted on your hand.”

Luke got up and poured himself another cup of coffee, unsure how to answer her, unsure himself why the thought of bringing the camera along on this particular trip had been abhorrent. “I just didn’t feel like it,” he finally replied. “I wanted this to be pure pleasure, not work.”

“I always thought for you they were one and the same,” she observed.

Although there was no censure in her voice, the words rankled, felt like a criticism. “Maybe you aren’t the only one who’s changed in the last five years,” he answered curtly. He sat down at the table and stared out the window for a long moment. “It’s going to be a gorgeous day. Cold, but lots of sunshine. I hope this weather keeps up for the remainder of the trip.”

She nodded and he saw the tiny flicker of pain that darkened her eyes as she gazed toward the back where Danny still slept. He knew what she was thinking…how many more gorgeous mornings would Danny have to enjoy? How many more days would he feel like getting out of bed?

“He’s too thin,” he said gruffly. “We need to fatten him up on this trip.”

“He doesn’t have much of an appetite,” Sherri explained. “I try to entice him with his favorite foods as often as possible.”

“How is he ever going to become a world-class jet pilot if he doesn’t have a little more meat on his bones?” he returned. She looked at him, her eyes bottomless pits of despair. She knew that Danny would never grow up to be a world-class jet pilot. Deep inside, Luke knew it, too.