Page 18 of Landing Love

He took her hand and raised it to his lips. “My lady,” he said with a playful twinkle in his eye, making her cheeks heat.

She smoothed her skirts to hide her discomfiture. “Shall I show you around?”

“Lead the way.”

Bill’s smile did things to her, but she did her best to ignore them, focusing instead on providing a brief tour of the apartment. There wasn’t much to show, so before long, they sat down in the sitting room, waiting for the other movers to arrive.

Bill claimed Junior quickly upon arrival, making silly faces and cradling him close. His eyes were filled with utter adoration. A lump formed in her throat watching them. This is what it would have been like if Roger was still with us. He would have done the exact same thing. I know it.

But the man in front of her was not Roger, and she had to remember the business of the day, not get lost in imaginings of a life she couldn’t have. “As you can see, I’ve packed everything up. I’ve gotten rid of a lot of things, so hopefully we can fit it all in the truck. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for everything you’ve done, Bill.”

“You’re very welcome, Ann.” Bill grinned and tickled Junior’s tummy. “And thank you for all the sandwiches and lemonade. I worry I’m going to eat you out of house and home. My mother says I must have a hollow leg.”

Ann laughed. She’d learned quickly that keeping Bill fed required more than she’d initially anticipated. His appetite knew no bounds. But it was a pleasure to feed him and bask in his gratitude for the small gesture.

“There must be some way I can thank you properly for all you’ve done.” She half hoped and half feared that he would ask her on a date.

“What would you say to a celebration lunch in Mineola on Friday? I can show you around town, take you by my parents’ florist shop, and we can enjoy a pleasant repast prepared by someone else.”

It was a date, but a very prim and proper one. Lunch and parents. It was hard to get tamer than that, though she had some trepidation about the parents. Would they think there was more between them than there was? Still, she couldn’t find anything in the plan to object to.

“Yes, that would be lovely.”

“You can even bring Junior. My mother would be happy to take care of him while we go to lunch.”

“That’s very generous,” she said getting lost in his eyes.

“I’ve told her all about you. She’s excited to meet you.”

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. There was nothing wrong with having a completely innocent lunch with a man who had done her an enormous favor, was there?

At that moment, the doorbell rang again, and she hurried downstairs to let in two gentlemen that looked slightly familiar.

“Mrs. Prince?”

“Yes?”

“I’m Jack Thompson, and this is Ernie Pritchard.” He pointed to his friend. “We’re here to help you move.”

Now she remembered where she’d seen them—the PBA fundraiser. These must be Bill’s colleagues. They both looked exceedingly strong and fit. Ernie’s blond hair was slightly too long, a lock of it hanging in his warm brown eyes. Jack was the opposite, every jet-black hair in place, with deep gray-blue eyes like a storm at sea.

“Come right on up to the second floor. Bill and his sister Mary are already up there.” She opened the door for them, and they immediately greeted Bill and Mary as old friends.

“Are you ready to get started?” Bill handed Junior reluctantly to his sister. “I’ve got the truck right downstairs.”

“No time like the present.” Ernie picked up a box.

They started with the furniture, carrying down her chest of drawers, the crib, her wingback chairs, the carpets, and lastly the piano. She and Mary quickly found themselves sitting on boxes.

The man buying the bed came and went under Bill’s watchful eye, taking away the last vestige of her life with Roger. The emptying apartment felt foreign. Everything familiar was gone, and the space echoed like a cave.

Before long, even the boxes they were sitting on had to go, and it was time to leave. She dropped off her keys with her landlord on the ground floor and said her goodbyes.

She and Mary squeezed into the front seat of the truck with Junior. Ann found herself pressed tight against Bill’s side as he slid into the driver’s seat.

He smiled mischievously at her. “Are you comfortable?”

“Quite.” That wasn’t entirely true, but what else could she say? She was flushed, highly aware of his every movement, smelling his aftershave and the light hint of sweat from his exertions. She was anything but comfortable, and she wouldn’t move for the world. Pinned between two O’Donnells, she set out on the hour-long drive to her new life in Merrick.