Page 67 of A Heart of Little Faith
Tom tipped his head to the side. “I’d probably send the child for an x-ray. Do you know what an x-ray is?” His deep voice purred, like it did when he examined a frightened child, and Claire leaned in closer to him.
She nodded. “Yeah, it’s a picture of your bones.”
“That’s right. I’d examine the x-ray, find out where the broken part of the bone was and put a cast on it.”
“Would the person have to sit in a wheelchair?” Claire asked.
“Maybe at the hospital, but you use crutches when you have a broken leg.”
“Oh, well, I have a friend who sits in a wheelchair.”
“Is she in your class?”
Claire giggled. “She’s a he, and no, he’s not in my class, he’s a grown up.” She rushed ahead. “He’s really nice, and he loves to play games with me and we draw together and he even coaches a basketball team at the center. He brought me there once and it was fun. I got to meet all of his kids and I’m going to go back there again soon.” Lily’s stomach tightened.
Tom rested his elbows on his knees, splayed fingers pressed together, and smiled. “Wow, he sounds nice.”
“He is, and Mommy likes him, too. They talk on the phone a lot after I go to sleep, and he comes over on weekends to see her and to play with me.”
Before he could respond, Lily came in with a plate of cookies, a cup of coffee for Tom and tea for herself. Her face was hot and palms were damp. Tom and Daniel had been best friends. What would he think of her dating someone? She’d dreaded this moment from the first time she’d spoken with Tom on the phone. Now it arrived, and she covered her discomfort in mom mode. “Claire, it’s time to get ready for bed, sweetie.”
“Moooommmmm, please? Can’t I stay up a little later?”
“No, honey, tonight is a school night. Let’s go get ready for bed. Tom, will you excuse me for a moment?” He waved goodnight to Claire. They left and ten minutes later, Lily returned.
“So you’ve got a boyfriend.” Tom put down the magazine he’d been paging through and smiled at her. His eyes bored into hers as he spoke, filled with curiosity. “That’s good Lily, real good. He sounds great.”
Lily’s face heated as a weight lifted. “It’s complicated.”
“So when can I meet him?”
“I’d love for you to meet him, only, maybe it would be weird. I don’t know, maybe it’s not such a good idea. You really want to meet him?”
“Of course I do. I need to check him out, make sure he’s good enough for you.” Lily swatted him with the magazine. Tom grabbed her cold hands between his hot ones. “Now that was uncalled for. Here I am, trying to look out for my best friend’s gorgeous wife, and what do I get?” They laughed.
Getting serious, Lily removed her hands from his and twisted them in her lap. “Do you think it’s okay? I mean…”
Tom lifted her chin. “Daniel would want you to be happy, Lily.” Their eyes welled with tears. “Are you happy with him?”
“His name is Gideon,” Lily whispered.
“Are you happy with Gideon?”
Lily nodded. Being with Gideon filled the empty places inside of her, spaces she thought would remain empty forever. He made her feel cherished.
“I’m happy for you, too, and I think it’s great.” A knock on the door interrupted them. Lily wiped her face as she rose and opened the door to Gideon.
“Hey Lily, I’m going to Samantha’s, but I wanted to return your book. Are you okay?” His forehead creased in a frown and he caressed her arm. She offered him a watery smile and clenched her fists to keep them from wiping the crease away. Not now. Instead, she took a deep breath and blocked the doorway.
“Hi, Gideon. Yes, I’m fine.”
He craned his neck to peer around her body. Lily couldn’t prevent the two men from meeting each other. With their strong personalities and assertive nature, it would be like trying to contain a hurricane in a bottle. Reluctantly, she moved out of the doorway and made room for Gideon. He wheeled into the room. Tom walked over to him and they shook hands.
“Hi, I’m Tom. Claire’s been telling me all about you.”
“Gideon. Since she beat me the last time we played Trouble, I’ll assume she said good things about me. Lily’s told me a little about you, but apparently I’ll have to get Claire to fill me in on the details. Lily was surprisingly vague.” His voice was filled with humor and his face was relaxed as he made no effort to hide his curiosity.
Tom laughed, a bottomless sound that started in the tips of his toes, built pressure as it rose and poured out of his mouth. “Good, maybe someone has missed out on the embarrassing stories about me. It’s great to meet you!” Gideon chuckled.