Grady shrugged. “I’m not sure I like you, either.”
Cathy’s short laugh was genuine. “I can imagine.”
“You’re opinionated, judgmental, and stubborn.”
“Impulsive and quick-tempered,” she finished for him.
“Not bad-looking, though.”
She flashed him a wide smile. “And my teeth are my own.”
Laughter crinkled lines about his eyes. “Would you like to order something?”
Cathy’s gaze met his, and she shrugged. “Why not?” She hadn’t eaten much dinner, her stomach uneasy over the coming meeting.
Grady signaled the waitress, who pulled a pad from her apron pocket as she approached.
“Are you ready?”
“I think so.” Grady looked at Cathy, indicating she should order first.
“I’d like a piece of apple pie.”
“I’ll have the pie and a cup of coffee.” As soon as the woman moved away from the table, Grady asked, “Do you normally order a diet drink with pie?”
Her eyes laughing, Cathy nodded. “It soothes the conscience somehow. I know I probably shouldn’t be eating desserts.”
“Why not?” Grady questioned. “It looks like you can afford to put on a few pounds.”
It was the truth. She had lost weight before and after Steve and MaryAnne’s wedding. Thoughts of them together caused her to look away.
When their order arrived, Cathy noted that he was studying her. They talked for a while about things in general, Alaska, and the coming winter. She told him about Peterkins and a little of her life in Kansas. She noticed he didn’t mention Angela or talk about his job. In an hour there wasn’t anything more to say.
“Well, I suppose I should think about heading home,” Cathy said. “I hate to worry my dog.”
“It’s been”—he paused, as though searching for the right word—“interesting,” he concluded.
Cathy quickly noted that he hadn’t admitted that their time together had been pleasant. At least he was honest. If she had to find a one-word summary of their date, interesting said it well. She was glad he didn’t suggest they meet again, because she wasn’t sure how she’d respond. Probably with a no.
He walked to the car with her. “Thank you, Grady. As you say, it’s been interesting.” As she withdrew the keys from her purse, Grady opened the car door for her. When Cathy glanced up, her mouth opened, then closed. “How’d you do that?” she burst out.
“Do what?” He looked puzzled.
“Open that door,” she demanded, her voice high and unreasonable. “It’s broken. It’s been broken for two weeks. I was waiting until payday because I couldn’t afford to have it fixed.”
Grady was laughing at her again, a lazy smile curving his mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t know. If I had, I would have left it alone.”
Her own mouth thinned as she scooted inside the car. “Curse you, Red Baron,” she murmured, and slammed the door shut. Cathy could feel his eyes following her as she drove out of the parking lot. By the time she pulled into her driveway, she found herself smiling. But the amusement died when she attempted to open the door. It wouldn’t budge. Ramming her shoulder against it as hard as she could, still it wouldn’t give. Sighing, she shook her head in disgust and climbed out the passenger side.
* * *
Linda phoned at ten Saturday morning. “Well?” she demanded. “How was he?”
“Okay,” Cathy admitted noncommittally. She felt strangely reluctant to explain that the man she had met was Grady Jones.
“That’s all?” Disappointment coated Linda’s naturally soft voice. “Will you be seeing him again?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Are you disappointed?”
Somehow it seemed important to Linda that Cathy have a good time. “No, I’m not disappointed in the least. It was an interesting experience.” There was that word again.
“Want me to look through the personals for you?”
“I doubt if you’ll wait for my approval,” Cathy said, in slight reprimand. “But next time I think I’ll revert to the more conventional means of meeting a man.”
“Don’t give up after one try,” Linda pleaded. “I kissed a lot of frogs before I found my prince.”
“I have no intentions of kissing anyone.” She didn’t, either. Not since Steve, almost a year ago. She was a healthy, reasonably attractive female. There had to be something wrong with her not to have been kissed in a year. She didn’t even want to be kissed unless it was Steve.
“I’ve got to go, Linda. I’ll talk to you Monday.” Cathy didn’t mean to sound abrupt, although she realized she did. Replacing the receiver, she exhaled. Why did everything come back to Steve? Why couldn’t she sever him from her thoughts as sharply and effectively as she’d cut herself away from her family and Kansas?
* * *
School went well the next week. Routine filled her days. She wasn’t a regular teacher in a classroom. Her job involved working with the students who had problems with basic skills, such as phonics, reading, and fundamental math. In all, she worked with sixty students during the week for short periods of time in small groups. A great deal of satisfaction came as a result of seeing a child make strides in a particular problem area.
Linda continued to read her the personal ads every morning, but Cathy was successful in warding off any attempts to contact another potential relationship. The last week of September merged with October and the hint of the first blast of a frigid winter. Already the days had begun to grow short.
* * *
The letter caught her off guard. Although it was addressed to Cathy Thompson, Cathy recognized the handwriting immediately. Her heartbeat raced as she stared at the blunt lettering on the business-size envelope. The minute she was in the car, she tore it open. Normally, she waited until she was home and had relaxed a bit before sorting through her mail. Her bottom lip was quivering as she read the message: “Interested in renegotiating heights. Captain Bartlett’s Friday, 6:30 p.m. Grady.”
Cathy wasn’t sure why she was so pleased. She didn’t really like Grady Jones. He was everything she had accused him of being and more.
“I’m not going,” she told Peterkins Friday after school. “It would be a waste of time for us both. We’re not alike at all. I can’t see furthering a relationship that won’t go anywhere.”
Peterkins raised his head from its resting position on her thigh, then lowered it again. Immersed in her thoughts, Cathy continued to run her hand down the dog’s black coat.
“Maybe I should. I hate to keep him sitting there alone. It wouldn’t hurt anything, would it?” Again Peterkins looked up at her, cocking his head at an angle. “All right, I’ll go. But I’m going to make it clear this is the last time.”
She changed clothes twice. First she chose a pale blue wool dress. One glance in the mirror and she realized she looked far too formal for Alaska. She didn’t want Grady to think she’d gone to any trouble, or that this meeting was important to her. Designer jeans and a thick red cable-knit sweater seemed to satisfy her need to appear casual, along with her thick coat, knitted scarf, and matching gloves.
Peterkins lay at the foot of the bed, watching her movements in and out of the closet.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she mumbled irritably. “I know I’m being ridiculous.”
Grady was already at the restaurant by the time she arrived, sitting in the same booth they’d occupied on their first meeting.
He didn’t smile when she entered the restaurant, and Cathy had the impression he wasn’t sure what he was doing there, either. Their eyes met and held for a moment as she paused before walking across the room.
“Hi.” She felt awkward and slightly gauche as she slid into the seat opposite him. “You’re early.”
“No, I’m not,” he immediately contradicted her.
She made a production of examining her wristwatch. “It’s precisely six twenty-five,” she said, showing him the digital face.
“Your letter said six thirty, which means you’re five minutes early.”
Grady looked taken aback for a moment. “I don’t think I want you to explain that.”
“Fine. Just believe me, you’re early.” Without further comment, she picked up the menu, feeling the color invade her cheeks. What an absurd way to start an evening, arguing over the time.
“I hope you didn’t have dinner.”
“No, I was too busy deciding if I was going to show up tonight or not.” She hadn’t meant to be quite that honest.
Their eyes clashed above the top of the menu. He released her gaze by focusing his attention on her softly parted lips. “I was sure you would,” Grady said, with complete confidence.
Deliberately, Cathy laid her menu aside. “I think you should know that the only reason I came is because my car door’s broken again. I just wanted to see if you could open it a second time.”
A smile twitched at the corners of his mouth.
Cathy couldn’t keep from smiling herself. Every time she was with Grady she couldn’t help but marvel what a handsome devil he was. Tonight he wore a smoke-colored sweater and charcoal-gray slacks. He was provocative, stimulating, and all male. If it weren’t for Steve, she could see herself easily being attracted to him. When she realized she was staring, Cathy quickly averted her attention by seizing the menu.
“What do you recommend?”
“The crab’s excellent.”
“No.” She shook her head, ruffling the brown curls. “I don’t eat anything that walks sideways.”
Studying the menu, Cathy was surprised to note that it catered to a full range of appetites. “I think I’ll try the shrimp scampi.”
Grady gave the order for two of the same to the waitress, who glanced from one to the other, obviously remembering them from the last time. “Glad to see you two agree,” she murmured.
Cathy’s fingers nervously toyed with the water glass. “I was surprised to get your message.”
“I hadn’t planned to see you again,” Grady admitted. “I was flying into Deadhorse for one of the oil companies and—” He stopped. “You have a beautiful smile, Cathy.”
She gave him one of her brightest. “A lot of men are impressed with my teeth.” It hadn’t taken her long to realize the only way she was going to be comfortable with Grady was if she could joke.
Their meal arrived. Cathy was surprised when Grady began talking about himself. He explained how he had started out with one airplane and had built the company to its present holdings. The facts were stated without bragging or boasting. He didn’t need to mention how much of his life Alaska Cargo Company had required. It had cost him a marriage already. If Grady was anything like her father, there were a lot more sacrifices to come.
“Alaska Cargo is important to me,” Grady said, after pushing his empty plate aside. “But so is Angela. I realize I’m gone too much and too involved to be a decent father.”
Cathy was surprised that he would openly admit to as much. “What about her mother? Perhaps it would be better if she lived with her.”
“Pam’s dead.” The words were blunt and clipped.
Cathy lowered her gaze. “I apologize, Grady, I didn’t know. I assumed you were divorced.”
Without looking up, he said, “We were headed that way.”
“Who cares for Angela while you’re away?”
“Louise. She’s the housekeeper, but she’s retiring and moving to Seattle to be closer to her children.”
“Who will care for Angela once the housekeeper moves to Seattle?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know yet.” He frowned. “Come on, let’s go.” He paid for their dinner and walked Cathy to her Honda.
Her car keys in her hand, Cathy stood beside the driver’s side of the vehicle. “Well,” she insisted, “go ahead. I’m waiting.”
“Waiting?” A perplexed look widened his eyes.
“I want to see you open the door,” she insisted.
He gave her a half-smile. With little difficulty and one fierce jerk, the door opened.
“I don’t believe this,” Cathy mumbled with an exasperated sigh.
“I’ll admit it was a little tight,” Grady said.
“A little tight?” she repeated loudly. “I’ve seen bank vaults with easier access.”
“Come around tomorrow and I’ll have Ray fix it for you.”
“Ray?”
“My A-and-P mechanic, secretary, and all-around fix-it man,” Grady explained.
The memory of the gruff-voiced man who had answered her repeated calls to Grady and the picture of the older man who had escorted her into his office came to mind. “Yes, I believe we’ve met.”
“Can you be there about eleven?”
Tomorrow was Saturday, and she didn’t have anything planned. “Sure.” She hesitated, her fingers clenching the strap of her white purse. “Thanks for the dinner.”
“The pleasure was mine.” He took a step closer, and Cathy’s heart skipped a beat. He was going to kiss her. A feeling of panic rose within her, and she moved to climb into the open car. A hand at her shoulder stopped her.
“Don’t look so frightened.” He sounded as though he was silently laughing at her. “My kisses rarely inflict pain. A few women have been known to like ’em.”
Forced to meet his eyes, Cathy felt an embarrassed rush of hot color sweep over her features.
His index finger tilted her chin upward. As he lowered his mouth to hers, Cathy slowly closed her eyes. The lips that fit over hers were gentle, sweet. Gradually, the kiss deepened, and she slid her arms around his neck. The sky didn’t burst into a thousand shooting stars; she didn’t hear sky rockets, not even tinkling bells. The kiss was nothing more than pleasant.
When he lifted his head, his gaze searched hers. “You’ll be there tomorrow?”
Cathy nodded.
* * *
“I don’t know how else to describe it,” she told Peterkins sometime later. “The kiss was”—she paused and laughed—“interesting.”
She lay awake for a long time afterward, staring at the ceiling. When she kissed Steve, her body’s response to him had been immediate. But she loved Steve, she was supposed to react like that. Try as she might, she couldn’t recall what it had been like when she had been kissed by men she’d known before him. He had filled her life for so long it was hard to remember. Not that it mattered now, she reminded herself.
Sleep came several hours later, her mind battling her will, forcing out the memories. It was six months since the wedding now. How much longer? her heart asked. How much longer would it continue to hurt?
At precisely eleven-thirteen, Cathy pulled off Airport Way and drove toward the sign high above the building that read ALASKA CARGO COMPANY.
Wiping his hands on a rag, Ray sauntered out from one of the hangars toward Cathy. “Hello again.”
“Hello, Ray.” She’d washed her hair, curling it carefully. Grady hadn’t said anything about seeing her this morning. Even if he had agreed to meet her, she wouldn’t want him to think she’d done herself up for him. As if to prove something to herself, she wore her most faded jeans and an old sweatshirt.
“Grady said you’d be coming. He’s waiting for you in his office.”
“He is?” She hoped some of the astonishment she felt couldn’t be detected in her voice.
“While you’re with him, I’ll see to your car door.”
Her attention swiveled from the office building back to the mechanic. “Ray,” she asked, a little shyly, “would you mind opening the car door on the driver’s side for me?”
There was a mocking light to the faded blue eyes, but he did as she asked and moved to her car. He pulled, jerked, and heaved. His fists hammered at the lock, and still the door wouldn’t budge. “I’m afraid it’s shut solid, miss,” he pronounced gravely.
“Just checking.” Her eyes shined with a happy light. “Thank you, Ray, thank you very much.”
Ray paused and removed his cap to
scratch his head, a puzzled look furrowing his brow as Cathy walked toward Grady’s office.
Grady was on the phone, his voice low and lazy, when Cathy entered the building. The outer room looked exactly as it had the day of her visit. Newspapers and magazines littered the chairs, the ashtray looked even fuller, the butts balanced carelessly in a large heap. Cathy was standing at the counter, trying to make sense out of one of the charts, when Grady stepped out of his office and came to stand beside her.
His voice was filled with laughter when he took the chart and turned it around. “You’re looking at that upside down.”
“I knew that,” she lied, with the ease of a beguiling child.
“I’m glad you’re here. I’ve been waiting for you,” he said, as he took a thick winter coat off a rack.
“I’m not late, am I?” She examined her watch. “It’s eleven-fifteen. Two minutes, if that.”
Grady’s arm was in one sleeve when he hesitated. He looked as if he was going to question her, but lightly shook his head. “Never mind.” His smile was full.
His charm might have fazed a lot of women, Cathy decided. Fortunately, she wasn’t one of them. “You’ve been waiting for me? What for?” He hadn’t mentioned anything last night.
“I thought you might like to take a short run with me. It’s clear enough to get a fantastic view of Mount McKinley.”
“A short run?” she questioned. “You don’t mean fly, do you?”
He was laughing at her again. “Yes, my sweet schoolmarm, I mean fly. You don’t get airsick, do you?”
“How would I know?” she shot back, losing her patience. “I’ve never flown before. Not ever.”
“Never?” he asked, and sounded incredulous.
“Never.”
“Then how’d you get to Fairbanks from Kansas?”
She would have thought the answer was obvious. “I drove.”
“From Kansas?”
“Yes.” He made it sound like an impossible feat. The truth was she’d enjoyed the trip and considered it an adventure.
“There’s always a first time. Are you afraid?”
“Darn it, how am I supposed to know? I’ve never been in a plane. Did you hear what I said?” she asked him, doing her best to disguise the panic in her voice. She rammed both fists inside the thick jacket.