Loving Miss Libby (10 page)

“That’s all right.  I’ve got it.”

Kate passed Libby her cone.  “Libby, I got you
sprinkles.  I hope that’s okay.”

“Okay?” she enthused.  “It’s great.  Why didn’t I think
of it in the first place?  I love sprinkles.”

The little girl beamed at the praise.  “I thought
you might,” she said.  “Since I like them so much.”

“Well, that is something else you and I have in
common,” Libby said.

“I got chocolate, Miss Libby!” Marky cried.  “Do you
like chocolate too?  ‘Cause you can get chocolate with sprinkles too.”

“That sounds delicious too!”

Dan chuckled and commented that nobody had gotten
him sprinkles. 

“Oh, Dad, sorry,” Kate said, frowning.  “I’ll get
you some.”

“Sweetie, I’m teasing,” he assured her.  “I’m not a
big fan of sprinkles.”

As the kids settled in beside the adults, they
chatted as they enjoyed the cones.  When they had nearly polished off the ice
cream, Kate asked her father if they could take a walk along the waterfront.

“That sounds like a great idea,” he said, but seemed
to remember Libby.  “Would you…?”

“Sure.  That sounds like fun.  I haven’t taken a
stroll along the waterfront in so long, I can’t remember when I was last
there.” 

Soon, the foursome climbed into Dan’s car and drove
over to the waterfront, only a mile or two away from the fast food restaurant. 
When they arrived, it was early evening and there was a slight chill in the
air.  “Grab your jackets, kids,” Dan called over his shoulder.  “I don’t want
anybody catching a cold.”

The kids cheerfully retrieved their coats and
scrambled out of the car.  Libby hadn’t thought to bring along a jacket or
sweater, since she hadn’t anticipated the outing.

Dan noticed and walked around to the back of the
car.  He opened the trunk and pulled out a jacket and passed it to her.  “You
should put this on.  It’s going to get chillier soon.”

She accepted it and smiled her thanks.  Slipping
into the coat, she immediately registered Dan’s masculine scent embedded within
the fabric.  Since he was much taller than her, the jacket hung nearly to her
knees. 

His offering the coat was a thoughtful gesture and
warmed her heart as much as the coat warmed her body.  The gesture made her
think about her former boyfriend—not because he’d been particularly thoughtful,
but because he hadn’t been.  What he had been was self-absorbed and selfish and
she had constantly made excuses for his behavior. 

Of course, there was no excusing his affair with one
of his co-workers.  When the woman had called her and informed her of her
boyfriend’s infidelity, Libby hadn’t wanted to believe her ex capable of such
duplicity.  But when the woman had described details about him that she
couldn’t have known without having a close relationship, she had confronted
him.  He had initially denied cheating, but had finally acknowledged that he
had been seeing the other woman for several months.

Remembering that confrontation, Libby shivered and
wrapped her arms around her body, as if warding off the pain.  Dan, who was
walking beside her, glanced over.   “Are you all right?” he asked with
concern.  “Is it too cold for you?”

“No, no,” she assured him.  “I’m fine.”

He watched her briefly and then gave a crisp nod. 
He glanced ahead and saw that the kids had run a distance ahead that was a bit
too far for comfort.  “Kids!” he called.  “Come back.  You’re too far away from
us.”

They obligingly dashed back to them.  Ricky charged
to his father and pointed out a large boat sailing by on the river beside them.

“That’s a terrific boat,” Dan enthused.

“I wish we could go swimming,” Kate said.

“It won’t be long before it’ll be warm enough to
take a dip,” Dan told her.

Marky gestured toward the water.  “In there?”

He shook his head.  “No, son.  We’ll probably get a
swimming pool this year and set it up in the backyard.”

Kate let out a delighted squeal.  “Really?  But you
said Marky’s still too young.”

Dan pinned his son with a look.  “Marky will have to
understand that a pool isn’t a toy and that he can’t go near it or in it
without adult supervision.  Because…”  He raised a clarifying finger.  “If he
does, I’ll have to take it down.”

“I promise I’ll stay away from it.”

Even Libby looked skeptical and Dan noticed.  “Do
you think it’s a bad idea?” he whispered.

She winced.  “I…  Well, he is a little boy, and you
know how curious he can be.”  She thought for a moment.  “How deep a pool do
you think you’ll get?”

He sighed.  “Well, I won’t go too big, or too deep. 
I know Kate would like a deeper pool, but…”  He ran a hand through his hair and
said apologetically, “Kids, I may have to rethink the pool.”

“But, Dad!” Kate cried.

“Look, I am sorry, but I may have spoken too soon. 
I’m not saying we’re not getting a pool, but Ricky is still only five…”

The little girl gave a weary sigh, but appeared to
relent.  “You’re probably right.  We’d have to watch him every second, and he’s
squirrelly…”

Dan laughed and pulled her into a hug.  “I promise
we’ll do something really fun this summer,” he told her, and then appeared to
have an idea.  “How would you like to go to the lake next weekend?  We can take
a picnic and go swimming if the water’s warm enough.”

Her eyes brightened.  “Can we, Dad?” she cried
eagerly.  “It’s been so long since we’ve been there.”

“Are we going to stay overnight at the cabin?” Marky
asked hopefully.

“No, son, I’m afraid not.  We’ll stay for the day
and drive home that evening.  But we’ll have a good time.  I promise.”

“Okay, Dad,” he said, and then grinned hopefully. 
“Is Missy Libby coming too?”

Libby chuckled uneasily.  “Oh, honey, it’s a family
day,” she said.

Dan angled a glance at her.  “We’d love it if you’d
join us.”

“Please come,” Kate implored.  “We’ll have more fun
if you come.”

She gave a tentative smile and turned to Dan.  “Are
you sure?  I hate to intrude on a family outing.  I know you don’t get many
days off.”

“It’s a date,” he said, and then abruptly frowned. 
“I mean…”

She smiled.  “I know what you mean.”

The
following Saturday, Libby arrived at Dan’s house with a beach bag and a small
cooler.  She was eager for a day at the lake, since she hadn’t been there in
years.  When she was a kid, her mother had taken her and her sister there as
often as she could manage, but excursions anywhere had been a rare treat. 

When the group arrived at Dan’s family cabin, Libby
had stared in awe at the pristine setting.  The large cabin set up on a rise
above the lake, its broad porch the perfect vantage point from which to watch
the sparkling water. 

“Can we swim?” Marky cried, after they’d taken their
bags into the cabin.

“Just a minute, son,” Dan said.  “Give us a minute
and we’ll all go down to the water together.”

“I’m going to change into my swimming suit,” Kate
announced.  “Libby, are you going to swim with us?”

“I just might,” she said. 

“I’ll show you where you can change,” Kate told her,
extending a hand to her.

Moments later, they trudged down to the lake.  Libby
was delighted to see that a wooden staircase allowed easy access to a rocky
beach below.  A couple weathered Adirondack chairs sat side by side on the lake
bank, as did a bench.  A round fire pit provided the perfect place to roast hot
dogs and marshmallows.

Libby took in the beautiful scene, noting the water
was crystal clear and gently lapped the shore.  Sparkling rocks caught her attention
and she bent to pick one up.  Marky immediately joined her.

“Miss Libby, do you like rocks?”

She smiled.  “I do.  I’ve always been a rock hound.”

Marky’s face brightened and he watched Libby as if
she was the most wondrous person he’d ever met.  “Will you go rock hunting with
me?”

“Sure.”  She rose and took his hand, leading him
several yards down the beach.  The two spent the next thirty minutes searching
for rocks of every size, shape, and color.  After awhile, Kate ran along the
shoreline to join them, carrying a plastic bucket her father had given her.

“You can put the rocks in here,” she told them.

“But they’ll get mixed up,” Marky protested.

“It’s all right,” Libby assured him.  “You can keep
all of the rocks.  I have a huge collection at home.”

“Really?  Can I see it sometime?” Marky asked.

She took his hand.  “Sure.”

“Can we go swimming now?” Kate asked.

Libby reached a tentative hand toward the water. 
“Cold!” she cried, making an exaggerated face.

Kate laughed and took her free hand and the
threesome walked back to Dan.  He was sprawled out in one of the chairs, eyes
closed, and breathing deeply.

“Daddy’s sleeping,” Marky whispered.

Dan suddenly leapt out of the chair and grabbed him
in his arms.  “Daddy’s awake!” he cried, and started for the water.  “Brrrrrr,”
he said.

“Don’t drop me, Daddy!” Marky said, laughing, as his
father spun him around.

Kate charged out into the water and began tugging at
his arm.  “Are you going to swim, Dad?”

He smiled her way as he lowered Marky onto his
feet.  “Honey, I don’t know if my heart could take it.  This water hasn’t
warmed up enough yet.”

The kids turned toward Libby.  “Miss Libby…,” they
prompted.

She grimaced.  “It’s awfully cold, but…”  She
grinned.  “I’ll try…”  She began walking out into the water, passing Dan and
the kids, until the water reached her waist.  She gasped and stood on tip-toes,
as her body acclimated to the cold temperature.

“How does it feel?” Dan called.

Libby spun around to answer him, and her left foot
slipped on a smooth rock.  Instinctively she tried to gain purchase on the lake
bottom, to no avail.  She flailed until she felt her other foot launch and she
fell backward into the water.

Her heart gave a jolt the instant her body fully
submerged, and she came up gasping.  To her surprise, Dan appeared beside her. 
He took hold of her arm, his face rife with concern.

“Are you all right?”

She grinned, her teeth chattering.  “C…c…old!” she
told him.

He smiled in return and then took her hand and
escorted her back to the lake bank.  “We’d better get you warmed up.  You don’t
need a summer cold.”

He reached for a towel he’d draped over the back of
one of the chair and wrapped it around her.  She glanced up and their eyes
met.  She felt the same curious attraction she felt every time she was close to
him.  When Kate called out to her, she was relieved for the distraction. 

“Aren’t you going to swim, Miss Libby?”

Libby shed the towel.  Dan watched her questioningly
and she shrugged.  She turned and hurried toward Kate, and to the little girl’s
delight, she hurried past her and dove into the deeper water.  She came up with
a gasp.  “Brrrr!”

Kate clapped with delight and walked tentatively
toward deeper water.  When she made the final step and the water reached her
neck, she let out a piercing cry.  “It’s cold!”

Libby joined her and Kate took her hand.  They
splashed around for awhile, until Marky asked to join them.  Libby trudged
toward him and took his hand.

“It’s so cold,” he said through chattering teeth.

“Just jump in,” Kate told him.  “You’ll get used to
it.”

“Really?”

She nodded and he grinned, before dropping into the
water.  He burst up and gasped.  “Brrrrr!” 

It soon became apparent the children were water
babies, as they delighted in practicing their swim strokes and diving under water. 
Marky searched for rocks on the lake bottom, taking advantage of a swim mask
his father had brought along. 

Kate and Libby sat neck deep in the water, talking
and laughing.  Dan sat in a chair, watching.

“Aren’t you coming swimming, Dad?” Kate called out.

“I can’t handle the cold,” he said. 

“Come on, Daddy!” Marky implored.  “Come out here. 
It’s cold, but you’ll get used to it.  We did.”

Dan sighed, and then rose slowly from the chair.  He
took a deep breath and shed his t-shirt.  Libby saw he was slim, but powerfully
built, his muscles rippling with each movement.  She averted her eyes, lest he
notice she was watching him.

He strode into the water, gasping from the cold with
each step he took.  When he reached Kate and Libby, he paused.  They both rose
to stand beside him, and then smiled as he quaked from the cold. 

“Daddy, go under, or you’re going to freeze to
death,” Kate said.