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“So who is he? Is he coming to dinner tomorrow night?”
“I’ve asked him, but he wasn’t sure. He…uh, said he would pop around tonight though.”
“And his name—?” Clare smiled wishing Dave would get to the point.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang, setting Emma into a wail. Dave jumped up and headed for the front hall while Laura walked back and forth, patting Emma on the back. Clare heard the low rumble of male voices.
Dave came back into the room an anxious expression on his face. Behind him stood the last person on earth Clare wanted to see in Twin Falls.
CHAPTER TWO
THE SAME, yet different. That much registered for Clare in the next five seconds as she stared at Gil Harper.
He had already reached his growth potential of six-two seventeen years ago, but he’d been almost eighteen then—lanky and loose-limbed in scruffy Levis and bulky sweatshirts. This Gil with his broader shoulders, wearing pressed jeans, a denim shirt and a black leather jacket, looked like a candidate for GQ’s Man of the Year award.
His charcoal-gray eyes stayed on Clare a moment longer before turning their gaze to Laura who was hovering at his left with Emma. He murmured a greeting and peered down at the baby in her arms. “This is the famous Emma, I presume.” He gave the baby a tentative smile, but his attention quickly shifted back to Clare. She rose unsteadily from the armchair.
“Hello, Gil.”
“Clare,” he said with a formal nod. “You’ve changed as much as the rest of us, I see. Your hair’s shorter.”
“It’s been a while,” she said, wondering if her voice sounded as peculiar to everyone else as it did to her at that moment.
“Would you like a brandy, Gil? Clare?” Dave asked.
“I…uh, really can’t stay long,” Gil said.
“I’ll have one,” Clare said. A large one.
“Glass of milk for me, please,” said Laura. “Surely you can stay long enough for a drink, Gil? At least until we go over the plans for Sunday.”
He shrugged. “Okay, then.”
Dave gestured to the couch, next to Clare’s chair. “Have a seat, Gil. I’m sure you and Clare have a bit of catching up to do. Laura, want to help me in the kitchen?”
Laura took the hint and, with the baby, followed Dave from the room. Clare remained standing until she accepted the fact that she hadn’t fallen asleep after dinner and awakened in a bad dream. Gil Harper wasn’t going to vanish before her eyes no matter how much she wished he would. She sat on the edge of the chair, ready to bolt if necessary.
He loomed in front of her a fraction longer before sitting on the couch. She watched him from the corner of her eye, noting from the rigid way he perched that he was just as uncomfortable as she was.
“I assume this has caught you by surprise, too,” she said.
“Definitely. As a matter of fact, I was asked to be godfather at two o’clock this afternoon when I met Dave on Main Street.”
“Same old Dave.”
“Apparently.”
He shifted on the couch turning toward her. “Congratulations on your new book.”
“Thank you.”
“I just finished it. Very…gripping,” he said, after a slight pause.
“You bought a copy?”
“Of course. I have your first one, too—Frankie and Me. I liked it very much. You always had promise as a writer.”
“Inspired by English class with Miss Stuart.”
He smiled for the first time. “Yes. I wonder if she’s still teaching.”
“Hmmm.” Clare wished Dave and Laura would return so they could make plans for Sunday and she could leave.
“I hope you understand that I had no idea you were even in Twin Falls,” he went on. “I just got here myself a couple of days ago to clear out my dad’s house.”
“Has your father moved into a retirement home?”
“No, he…uh, he died of a stroke about three weeks ago.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Gil. And your mother?”
“Heart attack, five years ago. How about your folks?”
“Mom’s in New Jersey with her second husband. Dad’s still in California with his second or third wife. Can’t recall which.”
“Your mother remarried? Good for her.”
Clare thought back to the day four years ago when her mother called to announce her upcoming marriage to someone she’d met only a year before. She’d been surprised at the news and at first, had tried to persuade her mother to simply move in with the man.
“I’m still an old-fashioned woman, Clare,” her mother had said. “And this is the time of my life when I need companionship more than ever. Besides, the fact is, I love Hank.”
Love. One thing to write about, quite another to experience. Clare sneaked a sideways glance at the person she’d once thought she loved. His hands—once so familiar—rested on his knees. She didn’t see a wedding ring.
As if reading her mind, he suddenly asked, “What about you, Clare? Are you married or engaged?”
She felt her face redden. “No.”
He nodded and conversation skidded to a halt. Clare was about to excuse herself to find Laura when Dave came back into the room with a tray of drinks.
“Sorry to take so long, but Laura wanted to get Emma to sleep. She’ll join us in a minute or so.” He passed large brandy snifters to Clare and Gil and, taking one for himself, sat opposite them in a wing chair. “Cheers!” he said, raising his snifter. “To old friends.”
Clare and Gil raised their glasses, though neither echoed his toast.
Dave cleared his throat. “So, Clare, what time is your book signing tomorrow?”
“Ten o’clock.”
“You’re having a signing? Where?” Gil asked.
“There’s a new bookstore in town—at least, new to me. Called Novel Idea.”
“It’s been here a couple of years, I think,” Dave said. “It’s on Spruce Street, near Main.”
“I’ll have to drop by.”
Great, Clare thought. Let’s get right into the whole horrible reunion thing.
“We’re not sure if we can go,” Dave said. “We still have a lot of running around to do for the christening luncheon on Sunday. And speaking of the christening, there’s not a lot you two have to do. It’ll be at the Methodist church, still in the same place—” he gave a slight laugh “—at eleven. We’ll save seats for you at the front. There’s another christening that morning, too, so the church may be crowded. Basically all you have to do is follow the pastor’s instructions. One of you will hold Emma for the blessing. Then we’ll have family and friends come back here for a buffet lunch. There won’t be too many people.”
“Sounds good,” Gil said, standing up and setting his empty glass on the coffee table. “So I’ll see you on Sunday morning.”
“Are you leaving?” Dave got to his feet, his brow creasing.
“I should. Still have some packing up to do before the cleaners come in tomorrow.”
“We were hoping you’d join us for dinner tomorrow night. I’ve made reservations for four at a new place in town. It’ll be like old times,” Dave added.
Clare tensed, hoping Gil would decline.
“I don’t know, Dave. I really shouldn’t.”
“Shouldn’t what?” Laura asked from the entrance to the living room. She walked over to the table where Dave had placed the drink tray and picked up her glass of milk. “You’re not leaving already, Gil?”
“Lots to do, Laura. The cleaners are booked for tomorrow afternoon and I’ve still got a lot to do.”
“But you’ll come tomorrow night? It’s all arranged.”
There was a long silence until Gil murmured, “Sure. That sounds fine.”
Clare sighed. There was no stopping Laura when she set her mind to something. She downed the last of her brandy and rose to go.
“Clare, not you, too!” Laura protested.
“I’m sure you and Dave will appreciate an early night, Laura. I’m tired myself and I have to be up early.”
“Where did you say you were staying? Want to come here for breakfast?”
Clare smiled at Laura’s love of making plans for other people. “I’m at the old Falls View Hotel, can you believe it? Though it’s had a bit of a makeover since I lived in town. Thanks for the offer of breakfast, but you’ll be busy enough.” She headed for the entrance hall and picked up her purse from the small table there. Her suit jacket was slung over a nearby chair and she draped it over her arm.
“Are you driving?” Gil asked, hovering at her elbow.
“Yes. I rented a car in New York.”
“How’d you like to give me a lift? I had an errand in town late this afternoon and decided to get some exercise by walking here. I could call a cab but…”
Clare hesitated. They were all looking at her and she couldn’t think of a good excuse. “Sure,” she murmured. She hugged Dave and kissed Laura on the cheek. “See you tomorrow.”
Laura held on to her by the forearm and whispered, “Are you sure this is okay? I mean, Dave can give Gil a ride.”
Clare watched Dave and Gil step out onto the porch. Keeping her voice low, she said, “No, it’s okay. I just wish I’d known about this godfather thing.”
“I’m sorry, Clare. I didn’t know myself until this afternoon just before you arrived. Will you manage? Want me to see if Dave can get out of it? I mean, he’s the person responsible.”
Clare guessed Gil would jump at the chance to be relieved of his duties. But a change now would be embarrassing for everyone, especially Dave. “No, no. Don’t worry. We’re both adults now.” She went out to the porch.
Both men turned around as she walked past them down the steps and headed straight for her car. She heard Gil following virtually on her heels while calling out a last goodbye. He didn’t speak until they were buckling up their seat belts and the engine was running.
“I hope this isn’t an inconvenience.”
Now he worries about that. Clare mumbled a no and pulled away from the curb, craning back to see Laura and Dave waving from the porch. Her glance took in Gil, staring straight ahead.
His profile was all angles and sharp edges, from the slightly hawkish nose to a jaw more formidable than the one she recalled. He’d always had a dark, broodish air about him and the years had further defined that quality. His long fingers drummed nervously on his kneecaps and for an unsettling second Clare had a vivid memory of those fingers on her, tracing an invisible line up and down the inside of her arm. He used to tease her about how ticklish she was there and liked to hear her beg him to stop.
She felt a sudden chill and clicked on the heat, tempted to also turn on the radio to fill up the tense silence. When he mumbled something about the weather, she was torn between relief that she didn’t have to think of anything to say and sadness that small talk was all they now had between them.
When she braked at the first stop sign, Gil asked, “Do you remember how to get to my place?”
“Oh, yes,” she said, aware at once of the edge in her voice.
“Will you be staying long?”
No longer than I have to, she wanted to say. “Until Monday. I’ve another signing in Hartford.”
More silence. “Have you gotten any feedback about your book from people here in Twin Falls?”
“Just Dave and Laura. I don’t keep in touch with anyone else from the old gang.”
“Me, neither.”
She drove into the housing tract where she, Laura and Gil had grown up. Gil’s house was at the farthest edge of it, just before the Visit Again sign where the road turned into highway. But when she turned onto Glendale Road, expecting to see the rows of bungalows she remembered, Clare was shocked. Scarcely half a dozen remained, including Gil’s father’s place at the very end.
“Good heavens!” Clare exclaimed, pulling over to the curb.
“Surprised?”
“Shocked.” She turned to look at him. “I guess I expected it all to look the same.”
“Unfortunately Twin Falls hasn’t escaped the tear-down epidemic of the big city. It’s a real commuter town now.” Gil stared out the window at his childhood home. “I don’t anticipate any problems selling the house.”
Struck by the tone in his voice, she asked, “Isn’t that a good thing?”
“I guess. Just that the place is my last link to Twin Falls. Once it goes…”
He didn’t need to finish. Clare knew exactly what he meant to say. “But isn’t that also a good thing?” she asked softly.
His face, turned to hers, was impassive. “Do you think so?”
Clare’s eyes held his a long uncomfortable moment before flicking back to the windshield and the street beyond. She wasn’t certain what he meant, but suspected he was veering the talk onto shaky ground and decided to keep quiet. The silence in the car became so stifling she had to put the window down. The engine idled gently at the curb.
