Page 25 of Landing Love

“Bill and Mary told us so much about you.” Mrs. O’Donnell put her hand on Ann’s arm and squeezed. “We’re delighted to finally make your acquaintance. We knew you had to be someone special for our Bill to spend all those afternoons working on your roof. He’s a good lad with a good heart, isn’t he?”

Ann couldn’t agree more. “Yes, he is, Mrs. O’Donnell. He has a very generous heart, and so does Mary. I’m very lucky to have made such good friends. Your children have been exceedingly kind to me.”

Mrs. O’Donnell led the way up to the second floor, and Ann followed, with Bill trailing behind with the bag of baby things. The door opened, revealing a charming dining room with a long table covered in a linen cloth, which was clearly the heart of this home. A glass vase filled with roses stood at the center, flanked by two cooling pies. The scent of apples and cinnamon filled the air.

“I know you and Bill are going to lunch, and I don’t want to keep you unnecessarily.” Mrs. O’Donnell took the diaper bag from Bill and put it on a sturdy dining room chair with a harp-shaped back. “Ah, young love.” She fanned herself.

Ann’s cheeks heated. The last thing she wanted was for Bill’s mother to think there was more between them than there was.

“Let me see this fine fellow here.” Mrs. O’Donnell reached for Junior, taking him into her ample arms. “Oh, yes, we’re going to get along just fine, aren’t we? Such a precious time.” She turned to Ann. “They grow up so quickly. It seems like yesterday I was changing this one’s nappies.” She gestured at Bill, whose ears turned bright red. “Oh, I suppose I should let you go before I embarrass him any further.”

Junior snuggled against Bill’s mother and wrapped his tiny hand around her finger, staring up at her with wide eyes. It was love at first sight, clearly.

Ann smiled at the picture the two of them made. “Thank you for taking him, Mrs. O’Donnell. It’s very generous of you.”

“Not at all. Not at all, my dear. You just go enjoy yourselves.” She shooed them toward the door. “Go along now.”

“If anything goes wrong,” said Bill, giving Junior one last tickle, “we’ll be at the East Williston Hotel.”

“Well, la-dee-da!” Mrs. O’Donnell waggled her eyebrows.

“We’ll see you in a few hours, Ma.” Bill kissed her on the cheek.

“Goodbye! Have fun, you two!”

Bill offered his arm, and Ann took it, a little burst of warmth suffusing her at having him so close.

“Goodbye.” Ann waved at Mrs. O’Donnell, knowing her son was in good hands.

They stepped into the stairwell and closed the door, and suddenly they were alone. Granted, they were essentially alone on the way here, but there was Junior to attend to. He was an excellent distraction from inconvenient feelings. But now they were truly alone with no one watching.

Bill stepped close. She was inexorably drawn to him, tilting her head up, lips parted. He leaned in, his lips so close to her own. His fingers traced fire down her cheek as he leaned even closer. She didn’t stop him, despite her best intentions. This was exactly what she wanted to avoid. But for some reason, she couldn’t form words at that moment.

Just as their lips were about to touch, a noise from below made them jerk apart. Mr. O’Donnell was coming up the stairs. She cleared her throat and brushed her skirts.

Bill shook himself and said, “After you.”

She started down the stairs, nodding to Mr. O’Donnell as they passed, and then hurried out the door to Bill’s car, ears aflame. She shouldn’t have let herself get caught up like that. It was too soon, and she wasn’t ready. What would Roger think if he was watching her now?

She climbed into the car, full of self-recrimination, as Bill cranked it to start. They rode in silence all the way to the hotel, and she attempted to compose herself. This was all a mistake. She should never have agreed to go out on this date with him. She shouldn’t have let him fix her roof either. As soon as she noticed how her heart fluttered in his presence, she should have run away as fast as she could.

The car shuddered to a halt, and he turned toward her, concern written in every feature.

“Ann, I⁠—”

But some dam broke within her, and all the messy emotions she had been trying to hold at bay came pouring out. “I shouldn’t, Bill. It feels wrong. I only lost Roger six months ago. His baby is only three months old. I can’t give in.” Much to her embarrassment, a tear traced down her cheek. She could only imagine what he must think of her, losing control like this, but the words kept pouring out.

“I’m so lonely, especially since my mother passed. I miss her and Roger desperately, and sometimes I see so much of him in you. I have a soft spot for singing pilots, I suppose. But you should be with someone who cares for you, not someone who is haunted by ghosts of the past. Don’t you see?”

He took her hand gently in both of his. “Ann, I was going to offer you a lemon drop. Would you like one?”

What? A lemon drop? That was…the last thing she was expecting.

He pulled a small tin of hard candies out of his pocket and held it open for her.

She blinked and took a deep breath. A lemon drop. She could almost laugh. She plucked one from the tin and popped it into her mouth, hoping the sharp taste would help bring her back to equilibrium, and it worked. After sucking on it for a few moments, she was able to blink away the tears and breathe normally again.

“You said we were friends.” He held onto her hand and met her gaze, his usual merry expression replaced an earnest expression that she’d never seen before. “Can we go to lunch as friends?”