His Best Friend's Wife

“It can be, but I’m already cooking and cleaning and making beds for the family, so it’s not a lot of extra work to do it for a few more people. And we’re only open through the summer and for the holidays, from Thanksgiving through Christmas. Not a lot of people book a holiday on a Wisconsin farm in the middle of January. And if they do...” She smiled at him over the rim of her cup. “They won’t make the same mistake twice.”

They both laughed at that.

“Makes sense,” Paul said. “I guess folks are searching for sun and surf at that time of year.”

He was easy to talk to and she loved that he made it easy for her to laugh, that he made it okay for her to laugh again. It was all so easy that she was startled when Paul checked his watch and stood to leave.

“Annie, this has been great but I need to get going. Otherwise I’ll be late for my first appointment.”

“I’m glad you came out this morning. It’s good to have you back in Riverton.” She meant it. She hadn’t realized how important it would be to have Eric’s friends around.

Paul stood, picked up his dishes and carried them to the dishwasher.

Annie rushed to her feet. “Don’t worry about those. I’ll take care of them.”

He gave her a quizzical smile. “I know how to load a dishwasher. I’ve been taking care of myself since I went away to college.”

“Right. Well, thank you.” He was a doctor. He took care of other people for a living, so without question he could look after himself. She just wasn’t used to being around men who did. Or if they did, she wasn’t accustomed to letting them.

“Walk me out?” he asked.

“Of course.” As they made their way down the hall to the door, she found herself wondering about Paul’s past. He seemed to be single, but there must have been girlfriends, serious relationships even. For all she knew, he was still involved with someone in Chicago. She could ask, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

Outside on the screened veranda, they stopped and Paul turned to face her. “Thanks for coffee.”

“Anytime, Paul. I mean it.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders, leaned in as though he was going to kiss her forehead the way he always did. As he moved, she inexplicably tipped her head back and looked at him. His lips made contact with hers. The kiss lasted a millisecond—brief but electrifying. They both pulled back, startled, gazes locked.

Paul was the first to find his voice. “Um, I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry.”

“I only meant to—”

“I shouldn’t have—”

“I didn’t mean for that to happen,” he said.

Neither had she. Or had she? That would explain why right now she wanted to grab the front of his shirt, pull him close and kiss him again, for real. The mortifying thought set the tip of her nose on fire.

“It’s not a big deal,” she said. Liar.

They stood in awkward silence for a few beats and she wished she knew what he was thinking, but his expression gave nothing away.

“You’ll have to join us for Sunday dinner sometime.”

The invitation seemed to startle him. “Oh. Sure. Leaving my dad on his own for dinner will depend on what kind of day he’s having but...sure. We’ll play it by ear.”

“Right. I’m sorry, I forgot. I just thought, since Emily and Jack will be here, you might like to see them. And your father is welcome to come, too.”

Paul looked downright surprised by that suggestion. “He has a tough time now with new situations, new people. I’m afraid it might be too much for him. Maybe for everyone.”

“I see. I’m sorry.”

Paul shoved his hands in his pants pockets. “No need to apologize. It is what it is. I’ll see what I can do, though. It would be good to see Jack and Emily.”

“Do you have someone come in to look after him while you’re at the clinic?”

He shook his head. “He’s pretty good in the daytime, and Jack’s father drops in every day around lunchtime. If I can work something out with the Evanses, I’ll let you know.”

“We’d like that.”

“Okay, then. I’d better get going.” He pushed through the screen door and ran down the front steps to his car.

Annie stood on the veranda. She touched her fingertips to her lips as he drove down the driveway, onto River Road and out of sight.

* * *

PAUL DIDN’T REMEMBER a lot after that kiss. He recalled pulling out of the Finnegans’ driveway onto River Road. But his mind was a blur of images from the past and the present, so he had no recollection of making the drive to the Riverton Health Center. Yet here he was, parked in the space that, for years, had been reserved for Dr. Woodward. The name plate was now as worn and faded as the mind of the man who had parked his various Volvo sedans here over the past forty odd years. On Paul’s first morning here, Edna Albright, the clinic’s long-time office administrator, had declared how convenient it was for the health center that the sign didn’t have to be changed.

At the time, he had refrained from telling her that his being here was not a permanent solution. Coming home to care for his demanding, ungrateful father and cover for him at the clinic was meant to be a short-term fix. Eventually, the old man would move into a care facility, the clinic would find a permanent replacement for him and Paul would return to his position at the hospital in Chicago. He had been generously granted a one-year leave of absence. The clock was already ticking.

But being home meant being close to Annie, and he felt as though that brief kiss had already upset his carefully laid plans. He hadn’t meant to kiss her. She was his best friend’s wife. Strictly off-limits. For as long as he could remember, she had passively accepted his casual embrace, the light touch of his lips to her forehead. This morning, there had been a subtle, almost imperceptible change. This morning, she had altered the pattern by looking up at him, eyes awash with emotion, lips parted ever so slightly with an invitation he couldn’t have refused to save his life. And so he had kissed her, even though he hadn’t meant to. Now he couldn’t wait for an opportunity to do it again.

CHAPTER FIVE (#ulink_987b8941-2c1e-5c2a-9130-a57aa16a8164)

AFTER PAUL LEFT, Annie didn’t know what to do with herself. So she made more muffins—carrot-pineapple this time. Then she whipped up a batch of cream-cheese frosting to slather on them as soon as they had cooled. Baking was easy. Reconciling herself with that kiss was not. Her sensible side doubted she could ever face Paul again. Her closely guarded inner self couldn’t wait to see him. In spite of that one unexpected moment they had shared, she liked the feeling of actually...feeling. Having him care for Isaac yesterday had made her feel safe. Being alone with him this morning was like dropping a match in a tinder-dry hayloft. As exciting as the heat of these initial flare-ups might be, she needed to be careful not to burn down the barn.

She put on a fresh pot of coffee and while the scent of it filled the kitchen, mingling with the aroma of fresh baking, she iced the muffins and arranged them on a footed Depression glass cake plate. Soon her sisters would join her and she liked having everything ready before they arrived.

“Hello! I’m here.” Emily let herself in the front door and breezed into the kitchen as Annie poured boiling water over the decaf coffee grounds she had spooned into the bottom of a Bodum.

“Is that for me?” she asked, pulling Annie into a sisterly hug.

“It sure is.”

“You’re the best. I’ve been dying for a cup.”

“You do know there’s no caffeine in it.”

“Doesn’t matter. I let the smell and taste of it trick me into believing it’s the real thing.” Emily set her oversize bag on the counter. “I have something for you.”

“You do?”

“Remember when I asked you about writing a weekly column for my blog? And you said you’d give it a try at the end of the summer after Isaac was back in school?”

Right. The Ask Annie column. Annie had not forgotten, but she had hoped her sister would.