Sleeping Beauty (7 page)

Grant Research, Inc. will provide state-of-the-art testing, board-certified physicians, highly trained technologists, medical personnel and cutting-edge programs. Under Dr. Grants leadership, it is believed that this research facility and treatment center could become one of the outstanding facilities in the nation.

Only a small percentage of individuals with sleep disorders are diagnosed and treated, says Dr. Grant. Its my mission to raise that percentage and provide a better, easier life for the many individuals struggling with this issue.

So? I tried to sound casual but my heart was pounding in my chest. I experienced a feeling that had long been absent where my sleep disorder was concernedhope.

This is your chance, Suze. And youve already met! It will be easy to reconnect.

Right. Easy. As soon as I have a lobotomy and forget what happened between us.

Unfortunately David arrived at our table before I could get it scheduled.

He looked even better than I remembered. Thats amazing since what I remember was pretty remarkable.

Ms. Charles? he inquired politely. His eyes crinkled pleasantly at the corners. I recalled him as Id seen him that night in the hotelelegantly dressed, calm, amused but compassionateand I wished wed met under any other circumstances. Why couldnt I have had a flat tire in his presence? Or fallen down a flight of stairs? Something that, if not graceful, at least wasnt completely weird.

Too late to hide now however; might as well blunder through it. Hello, Dr. Grant.

I introduced Darla, who was kicking me under the table. She bestowed on him one of her brightest, most entrancing smiles. As I looked at David through my friends eyes, I understood why she was batting her eyelashes and playing the Southern belle even though she was about as Southern as the Canadian border.

Then, much to my dismay, Darla craned her neck as if looking for someone standing near the door to the ladies restroom. Uh-oh. Suddenly she began to wave and stood up from her chair. I think I see someone I might know. Dr. Grant, its so nice to meet you. Please, stay and visit with Suze while I check this out. And she steamed off purposefully, apparently determined to find this mysterious acquaintance of hers.

It was an old trick, something my friends had devised in college for discretely getting out of the way when one of us was talking to a good-looking guy. Evacuate the area, one of the girls would whisper and abruptly everyone was sure they recognized someone they knew in other parts of the room. It was also a clear signal that the guy in question had their mark of approval. We never left a friend alone with a guy of whom we didnt approve.

Dr. Grant was as good as wearing Darlas endorsement on his forehead now.

Any more episodes? he asked gently. Or would you rather not talk about it?

Things are fine, thanks. I closed my eyes against the image of Chipper strapped into Tommys car seat. Nothing unusually abnormal. Unfortunately I was telling the complete, honest truth about that. Once Id trimmed all the shrubs in my parents front yard during a midnight gardening frenzy.

He had to have felt the chilly wall I erected between us but he was gracious nonetheless.

This is a pleasant surprise. He glanced at one of the empty chairs at the table.

Not too obvious or anything, I thought. Would you like to sit down?

Thanks. Dont mind if I do.

As he slid into the chair, I wondered what was wrong with me. The best looking, probably most intelligent man in the room was making nice with me and I was miserable about it.

Do you come here often? he asked, using the oldest line in the book. Its one of my favorite places to eat. They have great ribs and the desserts are excellent.

I didnt admit that the prices were a little steep for me. They obviously didnt make a dent in his billfold.

I know. I indicated the to-go boxes. I had several.

Remember the diner we went to in Chicago? Thats my other favorite spot.

Id nearly forgotten. It was rather amazing, wasnt it? I believe I ate the worlds finest breakfast in that little place.

I hardly noticed Darla drift back into the picture. Dr. Grant was regaling me with a story of the time hed had to break up a fight between the cook and a biker who had accused the cook of over-salting the eggs. Not only that, mesmerized as I was by his dark good looks, I wasnt interested in looking around the room when the scenery was so pleasant here.

There were flecks of black in his irises that gave them more depth and mystery than Id observed when Id first met him. They were eyes worth staring into.

youll never believe it! Darla babbled. It was Janet Halder. Remember her? We worked together for three years. It is so much fun to see her. She asked us to come back to her place for dessert. What do you think?

Weve already had three desserts. Where would I put a fourthin my shoe?

Just for a little bit? Janet and I have a lot of catching up to do.

Why dont you drop me off at my place and then take the car? I dont mind.

Why dont you take Suzes car, and Ill take her home.

We both turned to stare at Dr. Grant. He shrugged. Im happy to do it. Suze and I have already shared one interesting experience. Id like to get to know her better. He looked me square in the eye and I was like a walleye with a jig and a minnow dangling in front of me. Caught.

O ur ride home was exceedingly uncomfortablefor me, at least. David seemed perfectly at ease behind the wheel of his BMW.

My grandmother lived in this part of town, he commented as we neared my home. I have fond memories of visiting her here. Her house always smelled like baking bread.

Is she gone now?

From the Twin Cities. She bought a penthouse condo in Florida and lives on the ocean.

Yay, Granny, I murmured.

David laughed out loud. I agree entirely. At eighty she walks the beach with her bulldog Esther and plays bridge four nights a week. My grandmother created a life she loves.

I felt a sudden irrational jealousy for Davids grandmother. Shed taken charge of her life. Why hadnt I, who was fifty years younger, been able to do so?

Because if I lived on the top floor in a high-rise building Id probably get out of bed one night, decide to walk a nonexistent dog off my patio and take a very long first step.

My house, with its plethora of gingerbread and a wide wraparound porch, came into view. I chose this house because it radiates my favorite quality in a homecozy. It speaks to my personality. Fluffy throws, puffy pillows, hot chocolate, sleeping puppies, bubble baths, warm towels and tea partiesthats me. Because I sometimes feel like a captive in my own house, the least I can do is make it a velvet prison.

Here we are. I opened the car door and practically fell out before he stopped the car.

David hurried out to help me, the perfect gentleman.

I wanted to run inside and close the door behind me but my good upbringing got in the way.

Thanks for the ride. The man did bring me home. Deciding not to make him think Im any wackier than I already am, with a sigh, I added, Would you like to come inside? I make a pretty good cup of hot cocoa.

There was no hesitation. Thank you, Id love to.

As we walked into the house I did a quick mental inventory of how Id left it. Im normally a tidy person but I also have a number of hobbies and collections that are not always easy to rein in. This week Id been piecing a quilt and doing decorative painting on a set of straight-backed chairs Id found at a garage sale. Mickey says its my nature to try to save everythinganimals, furniture, scraps of fabric and anything lonely or neglected.

She might be right, I realized as we walked into the house and I recalled that todays rescue mission had been the birds who feed on my deck and occasionally get disoriented and attempt to fly into my picture window. Two or three had knocked themselves silly only this morning and, because I have no curtains to draw on that particular window, Id done the next best thingtaped long strips of toilet paper to the tops of the windows. They drifted in the air from my forced-air heating system, creating enough movement and texture to warn the birds not to fly in that direction. It appeared that someone had T-P-ed the inside of my house.

That would have been bad enough, but Id also spread newspapers on the floor and set the primed chairs in the center of the room and begun painting swirling vines on the legs and backs of them. My idea was to create a jungle theme. Id tried to paint a roaring lion on the seat of one but the unfortunate lions mouth got too wide and his teeth too long. Regrettably the result was that the chair looked like it would devourbottom firstanyone who tried to sit in it.

And then there were the mustache cups. Mickey calls it odd, but ever since I was a child, Ive been fascinated with mustaches. I dont like them on the men I date, but I have fond memories of my late grandfathers bushy mustache. I was particularly intrigued by the concept of a cup meant to keep his mustache dry with an extra bit of porcelain stretched across the cup so that the drinker could sip through the small opening it provided and protect his mustache at the same time. As kids, wed scoured neighborhood rummage sales for the things and had come home with several cracked and chipped antiques.

Grandmother made sure that when Grandfather died I inherited those cups and, for some bizarre reason, also his shaving brushes. My grandfathers old-fashioned ways left me with shaving brushes, razor strops and empty bottles of Old Spice.

Id decided it was time to clear out my odd-ball collection and there were cracked cups, brushes and strops scattered all over my coffee table. And if that werent enough, Id baked yesterday and filled my collection of clown cookie jars with oatmeal-raisin, chocolate-chip and macadamia-nut white-chocolate cookies. The jars were still sitting on the counter beaming out at me with painted smiles, triangle eyebrows and large bow ties.

I was used to such chaos but if I imagined looking through Davids eyes, it must seem as if hed walked into a weird and freaky fun house at a surreal carnival.

And then Hammie, sensing my discomfort, began to race around on his squeaky wheel and Chipper careened on three legs into Davids ankles, took hold of his pant leg with his razor-sharp teeth and began to growl, obviously channeling a Rottweiler.

Welcome to my home, I said meekly. This might turn out all right after all. After this experience, David would never want to drive me home or even darken my doorstep again.

Thanks to his good breeding, David didnt flinch, although his eyes did widen when Chipper let go of his pant leg and tried to take a bite out of his highly polished shoe.

Sorry about this. I didnt know I was getting company.

Dont apologize. This is one of the mostinterestinghomes Ive ever seen.

Ill bet.

Chipper returned to gnawing on his pant leg. David, dragging the dog with him, moved toward the chairs. You have a lot of talent.

You are too kind. If I had talent, that lion would not look like it was going to eat alive the first person who sat on its face. I whisked the chairs out of the way, gathered the newspapers in my arm and nodded toward a pair of red chairs. Have a seat.

He dropped into the nearest chair, suppressing a sigh.

That will teach him to get involved with me, I thought wearily. Even I am confused when dealing with me.

I left him to absorb the atmosphere while I heated milk for hot chocolate. He seemed happy to see something familiarchina cups and a plate of fresh cookieswhen I returned.

Its not surprising I walk in my sleep, is it? I asked. When I look around here I realize that my waking life and my dream state are equally bizarre.

Hardly. He eyed the cup in my hand. If anything were to keep you awake it would probably be caffeine at 10:00 p.m.

Isnt cocoa supposed to put me to sleep?

He didnt answer. He just said, I like your house. Its cozy.

Cluttered.

Warm and inviting. Unique.

Ill give you that. It is interesting. And it will look much better once I get rid of the mustache cups, finish the chairs and give the dog away.

Pardon me? Give your dog away?

Hes not my dog. Not really. Im his foster mother.

Now David looked really confused. I didnt know. Is it a government program?

I couldnt help but smile. I wish it were. We could use the funding. And I told him about the rescue center and the dozens of animals Id mothered over the years.

Chipper has a new home. Hell be leaving here next week. The woman is very excited to have him and I think it will be a great match.

Wont you miss him?

Of course, but there is always another neglected or rejected animal to foster.

What will you get next?

Nothing, if I can help it. I planned to reject Charley and Chester the cat when they got to my door. The director thinks he has an animal for me but for the next two or three months Ill be watching my twin nephews while my sister goes to South America to adopt a baby. That will be problem enough.

David is a wonderful conversationalist and an even better listener. Without a bit of hesitation, I found myself telling him about Mickey and Jeff and their longing for another child.

Would you like to see pictures of my nephews? I volunteered.

We brought our beverages and a plate of my fresh cookies to the couch so I could sit beside him and show him the album of pictures of the boys.

Theyre a handsome pair, David commented. I dont know if Ive ever seen a cuter set of twins.

Thats part of the problem. Because they are so cute and have the look of little angels with tarnished halos, they get away with far more than they should. That combined with unquenchable energy, cunning intelligence and the slyness of a pair of fox pups, their parents never had a chance.

Never?

Tommy loves to pound, pummel, clobber, bash, hammer, crush and pulverize. Hes our he-man twin. Terry, on the other hand, has remarkable managerial skills. Hell be a CEO someday, Im sure of it.

So Terry is the brains and Tommy, the brawn?

A perfect combination for whipping a perfectly lovely but inexperienced set of parents into compliance, lunacy and servitude without them ever seeing it coming.