Story Time

This time she laughed a genuine laugh. She hadn't done that in so long she'd forgotten how good it felt.

"You're too much!" she said as she laughed.

Josh smiled then told her he had to be taken in small doses which made her laugh again.

"I don't mean to keep you, but it's been such a pleasure talking with you Josh," she said as she looked for her son.

Josh was a good six inches taller and saw both children sitting together reading The Cat in the Hat and pointed them out.

"Let me go grab Lucas, and I'll leave you alone."

A minute later she was back, but the smile was gone. Lucas had tears in his eyes and Mia was also upset.

"What's wrong?" Josh asked.

"I don't want Lucas to go," she said before erupting in tears.

"Mom? I want to play with Mia," Lucas sobbed.

"Honey. We have to go home, and so does Mr....Josh."

She glanced at the younger man who kind of smiled before saying, "Could we maybe...would you mind possibly...getting together again? For the kids?"

"Oh. Um...sure. I...I'd like...I think the kids would enjoy that."

"Can we Mom?" Lucas asked as the tears dried up.

"Can we, Daddy?

"Um...sure. Lucas's mom and I will just...."

"Yay!" Mia called out as Lucas asked if they could play again right now.

"Not right now, buddy, but...."

"Tomorrow?" Josh suggested.

"Is tomorrow okay?"

Lucas nodded and hugged his mom.

"Let me give you my number," Josh said as he grabbed his phone.

They made the exchange, and he promised he'd call or text.

"I'll look forward to it, Josh," Lynn told him before telling Lucas to tell Mia goodbye.

When the two kids hugged, it was all Lynn could do to keep herself from tearing up, and it even warmed Josh's cold, cold heart to see his daughter so happy.

Josh grabbed Mia and walked Lynn outside.

"It's getting chilly," she said as the night air hit her.

"Yeah. Fall is in the air."

"Just seven more months till Spring," Lynn quipped. "I hate the cold."

Josh laughed and told her his wife did, too.

"Josh? I really am sorry."

"Me, too. For both of us," he replied before closing her door after she got Lucas in the car seat.

On the way home Mia told her father, "I love Lucas, Daddy."

"Ah, that's so nice, honey. I think he likes you, too."

"Can he be my boyfriend?"

"Well, maybe in a few more years?"

He wanted to say, "Like in 15 more years," but didn't.

Satisfied, Mia said, "Okay!" and that was that.

When they got home, Josh put Mia to bed, and while it was after nine o'clock, he wasn't tired. He grabbed his phone and sent Lynn a text about what Mia said.

He was surprised at how good he felt when she responded immediately.

"Too cute! But I have to say, I think they would make a very sweet couple. Just not until 2045 or so."

He laughed then told her he agreed and that he was looking forward to seeing her again.

Never thinking it could be anything more than a friendship involving their children she let him know she was, too.

"What time works for you?" he asked.

"Well, Lucas goes to bed at 8:30, so you could come by around 7:30."

As he was reading it, she sent an addendum.

"Or if you might like to have dinner with us, you could stop by around 6:30."

Josh was on a rollercoaster of emotion as the 7:30 idea made him feel like she wanted as little contact as possible. Then, the moment he saw the invitation for dinner, he was back on top of the world again as he told her that sounded really nice.

"Okay. We'll see the two of you--and your many accents--at 6:30! Question: chicken or beef?"

"Mia loves chicken," he wrote. "And so does her father!"

"I'll start plucking right away!"

He sent back a laughing emoji then sat there and thought about what was going on.

For the first time since losing his wife he was feeling something for another woman, and for a moment that made him feel terrible until he realized her absence was permanent. He knew that, of course, but he needed to fully come to grips with it knowing she would tell him to do just that. It would be a battle, but he was finally ready to at least try to fight it and do so without feeling like he was somehow being unfaithful.

Beyond that, he was trying to understand what the attraction was all about. Lynn was certainly a very nice looking woman, but he was only 28, and she was clearly older than him. He went back and forth on how much that mattered, but in the end, he let his need to be near an attractive woman whose company he enjoyed win the day. Or maybe the first skirmish of the 'war'.

Josh dropped his daughter off at daycare at 6am the following morning as he had an eight-hour job ahead of him repairing a damaged propeller on a Navy ship. Working made the time pass quickly, but anticipating his...time together...with Lynn caused him to check his large-faced watch numerous times throughout the day.

Mia's first question when he picked her up was, "When are we going to Lucas's house?"

Little did he know that Lucas had asked his mom the same question before and after Kindergarten, where he'd been in school for almost a week. He cried the first day she dropped him off even though Lynn went inside to show him his desk and make him feel less sad. But today there were no tears. He even ran inside when she let him out of the car which both made her proud and sad. Proud because he wasn't sad and sad because she already saw him leaving home for college.

As she drove him home after school she thought about Josh in a way she hadn't before. It wasn't serious thinking, it was more a kind of 'what if' sort of thing. She chuckled out loud when she tried to make it turn serious.

"Serious. Get real," she said prompting Lucas to ask, "What's serious, Mommy?"

"Nothing, buddy," she told him as she bit her lower lip.

Josh was very cute, but...a boyfriend?

"Uh-uh. No...way," she said to herself, dismissing the notion out of hand.

They stopped at the store to buy a pack of chicken breasts, thighs, and drumsticks and a couple of other things for dinner. Money was always tight, and Lynn was careful with what she had. This was an unexpected expense, but she couldn't remember the last time her son was excited about anything, and the cost was well worth it.

"Except for last night," she reminded herself when he laughed all the way through story time.

Lucas flew off the coach when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" he said as he tore across the house.

He could barely reach the door handle but got it open.

"Hi, buddy!" Josh said when they saw each other.

"Mommy! It's Josh and Mia!!!"

"I'm right behind you, Lucas," she said to him while smiling at Josh and inviting him and Mia to come in.

"Yeah. Come in and read stories!" Lucas said as his mom tried not to laugh.

"I think he's just a wee bit excited, Josh."

"That's good, because so am I. And so is Mia, right, honey?"

"Can I play with Lucas?" she asked ignoring his question.

Lynn shrugged and Josh told her it would fine for a little while.

"I hope that's okay," he said to Lynn, believing he understood her body language.

"Sure. It gives us a chance to talk, right?"

Her smile was amazing and Josh was amazed himself that he not only noticed but that it did something to him he hadn't expected. Something good. Something...pleasant.

"Right. That'd be great."

"Would you like a glass of wine?"

"Sure. That also sounds...great."

"Great!" Lynn said with a little laugh as she grabbed a bottle of white from the fridge.

"I only have white, so I hope that's okay."

Josh didn't drink much of anything but told her that was...great.

She laughed and told him he had a good sense of humor.

As they sat down across from one another Lynn said, "I know there are times when we want to talk about our loss, and others when it's the last thing you even want to think about. I just want you to know you can talk or not talk about what happened with anytime."

"You are so right. I think I'm always afraid that the other person is thinking, 'Enough already. Sheesh!' when they ask me what happened. That makes me avoid even mentioning it."

"Oh do I know what you mean," Lynn replied in a way that said she'd experienced that, too.

"But it's different with you," Josh offered as he looked at her and realized she was every big as beautiful as he'd initially thought.

"So tell me about your wife, Josh."

He gave her the Cliff Notes version then asked about her late husband. She did the same then the two of them sat in an awkward silence until a timer went off.

"Oh! That's the chicken," a relieved Lynn said as she set her glass down and went to the kitchen.

"May I give you a hand?"

"No. That's okay, but thank you for offering."

Having a natural break in the conversation was good for both of them as there was really nothing more to say without getting into personal details that were too much for anyone to have to deal with.

The conversation turned to hobbies and favorites such as favorite movie, song, or activity. Josh did his best to come up with answers, but he ended up apologizing and explaining why he did little more than work and sleep.

Lynn said she understood but encouraged him to maybe try and find something to captivate his interest. Lynn loved photography and reading and she also did Yoga three days a week.

Not knowing how to respond, Josh said something he wished he could take back but couldn't.

"I enjoy spending time with you."

The look on Lynn's face made him feel terrible until she smiled.

"Hmmm. Then we have at least one more thing in common."

It took Josh a moment to realize she was telling him she felt the same way and even longer to realized what the 'other thing' was--their kids.

Now feeling more confident he said, "You're actually the first and only woman I've really talked to since losing Emma."

"Then that's another thing because you're the first man I've spent any time with since my husband was k...died."

Josh started to say he'd enjoy spending more time with her when Mia came running out.

"Daddy! Do your pirate voice!"

She was holding a book about a friendly pirate and handed it to him.

"Can you?" Lucas pleaded as he and Mia looked up at him with those innocent eyes that melted his heart.

"I suppose I could do that. Cmon!"

He sat down, took the book, and found the page Mia had shown him. Lynn watched and listened from the kitchen and found herself tearing up when Lucas laughed so hard it got to her.

The moment he finished, the kids ran back to Lucas's room leaving the adults laughing and looking at each other.

"You have a real talent, Josh."

"Not really. Maybe a knack but not a talent."

Lynn got serious and said, "It is to me. Anything that can make my son laugh again is a talent."

She thought for a moment then said, "No. It's a godsend. You have no idea what it means to me to see him be his old self."

As gently as he could Josh reminded her that he did have an idea of what that was like.

"Josh. I...I'm sorry. That was thoughtless me. I can't believe I said that. Not to you."

She'd been watching and listening from the kitchen and walked toward the sofa where was sitting. He stood up when she did, and for a moment she didn't know whether to sit down or stand there. What he did next so surprised her she couldn't move. Or think.

Josh moved to within a few inches and took her hands in his.

"Lynn. You don't need to apologize. We're not the only ones to lose a spouse, but most of us don't know anyone else who did under the age of maybe 65 or 70. We're used to talking to people who just don't know what it's like, and it's true that they have no idea."

She was trying to listen to him but just the touch of his hands made it impossible to sort through the words. The way she responded to it caused her to want nothing but for him to kiss her, and although she couldn't think straight, she knew that was wrong. Until Josh moved even closer and hugged her.

Slowly, her arms moved up and around his body, and relished the feeling of being so close to a man again. Josh let his arms relax but Lynn pulled him back and held him until he did the same.

"You okay?" he asked, barely above a whisper.

"Do you know how long it's been since a man held me in his arms?"

"I have a pretty good idea."

Her brain reengaged, and his use of 'good idea' made her smile. She pulled her back just enough to look at him, and he was smiling, too.

"You're so beautiful," he said, just as quietly.

"You've already made me feel good, Josh. You don't need to make things up to make feel even better."

"I'm not."

The way he said it sent a shiver through her body.

"I noticed you the moment you walked into the library. You were the most beautiful woman in the room."

"Josh, please. You can't be serious," she said, her heart beating faster by the second.

"I can prove it."

"What? How would you even go about...."

Her brain disengaged again when it realized he was leaning in to kiss her. When he did, her mind went blank, but not before she kissed him back.

When the long, soft kiss ended, Lynn glanced at him then looked down.

"I...I should check on dinner before it...."

"That's my proof. I couldn't go one more minute without kissing you," he told her as he gently brushed her hair back.

"Josh, no. You can't...I'm...this...I don't understand. Any of this."

He was still holding her and said, "I haven't had any interest whatsoever in any woman since the first time I kissed Emma. But I can't stop looking at you or wanting to be near you, and if that scares you off, so be it, but as God is my witness, it's true, Lynn."

Something took control of her rational mind, and without any thought whatsoever, she kissed him; a kiss that became passionate and even a bit noisy. It was the kissing sounds that brought her back to reality as the fear of the kids walking in on them panicked her.

"I...I don't know why I did that. I'm really sorry. That's not like me at all, and I...."

Josh smiled and waited for her to stop.

"I understand, Lynn. I feel the same way."

"You...you do?"

Her eyes darted back and forth as though she were trying to divine the truth from somewhere deep inside him until she realized he was telling her the truth.

"You...are, aren't you?" she all but whispered.

"I am."

The smell of something burning jolted her out of her dazed state.

"Oh, no!"

She ran to the kitchen and opened the oven door.

"It's...ruined! No, no, no!!!"

A smoke alarm went off, and the kids came running it.

"Is our house on fire, Mommy?" Lucas asked as smoke billowed out of the kitchen.

Josh picked him up then grabbed Mia.

"No. Everything is fine. Except...the chicken."

Once the smoke cleared Lynn came over and said, "Okay. The chicken is burned pretty bad, but I think we can salvage enough for a meal."

She saw the understanding way Josh looked at her, and it melted her heart.

"We won't mind, will we?" he said to the kids as he kept his eye on the beautiful, older woman who smiled at him.

"It's okay, Mommy. It will still taste good!"

"I want some!" Mia said, too.

"Okay, brave soldiers. Dinner will be served. Shortly!"

It was pretty bad, but there was enough breast meat that the kids had their share. They adults picked through the rest and ate filled up on side dishes.

Once the kids went back to play, Lynn apologized.

"Why? This was still the best home cooked meal we've had in ages."

"You poor man!" Lynn said. "What do you two eat?

"Um...whatever goes into a microwave?"

She slid over next to him and he put his arm around her.

"I so wanted this to be a wonderful dinner for us," she said, a sound of resignation in her voice.

"It was."

She looked up at him with a 'you have to be joking' look that made him laugh.

"No. Think about it. When our grandkids are older we'll be able to tell them the story of how we met and our first...burnt offering."

Lynn tried not to laugh and pretended to be upset with him and pushed his chest.

"How dare you!"

When she finally smiled, Josh said, "Like this," and kissed her again.

Lynn melted into his arms as tongues touched then swirled, her hand on his handsome face.

"Wow," she said when she could take a breath.

"Wow indeed. You're not just beautiful, you're a helluva kisser!"

"I...how dare you!" she said again, causing him to repeat his line of 'like this'.

Only this time he tickled her. Within seconds she was screaming with laughter and begging him to stop. He did, but only after two little children came running back in to see what was going on.

"Does you dad love my mom?" Lucas asked Mia.

"It sure looks like it, huh?" she told him as they watched their parents trying to pretend nothing happened in spite of Lynn's red cheeks and messy hair.

"So. Who wants dessert!" she asked, not only changing the subject but getting a happy response, as well.

"Saved by the...chocolate cake," Josh told her as he got up to help her serve dessert.

Their playfulness continued when he stuck his finger in the icing and then in his mouth.

"Josh Lucas! What are you doing?"

"This."

He did it again only this time he offered the icing to him. Lynn looked at him for a second then opened her mouth. Josh gently put his fingertip near her soft lips, and she not only sucked it off, she took half the finger in her mouth before very slowly removing her lips.

"You are a very bad girl," he said, his mouth very close to her ear.

"That's because there's a bad boy who's a very bad influence on me."

She gave him a 'take that' kind of look, tossed her head back, and again tried not to laugh as she grabbed two plates and told Josh to grab the other two.

"Aye, aye, Captain!" he said as he followed her orders.

Lynn was in heaven as the kids ate, talked, and laughed. She almost forgot there was someone else at the table until she noticed him enjoying the banter as much as her.

He saw her looking at him and asked, "What?"

"I'm just enjoying all of this so much."

"It's pretty great, huh?"

She felt a flutter then said, "I can't thank you enough."

"Thank me?"

"Yes. If it wasn't for Story Time this wouldn't be happening, and Lucas would still be in his shell sulking in his room."

Josh saw the sincerity in her eyes as she said, "This means everything to me."

He held his hand out under the table and Lynn took it without hesitation.

"You're pretty amazing yourself," he told her as Mia loud so hard it made them laugh and look to see what was so funny.

Lucas had a big glob of frosting in his nose. Neither Josh nor his mom knew how it got there, but if it made their children laugh, it didn't matter.

It was almost nine o'clock when Lynn asked what time Mia normally went to bed.

He laughed a little and told her his bedtime was 8:30.

"Same for Lucas. I just hate to make them stop, you know."

They were still having fun, and their parents could hear them from the back bedroom.

"There's no school tomorrow," Josh reminded her.

"That's true, and staying up late one night won't do any harm, right?"

"No. None at all," Josh readily agreed.

He looked at her then said, "And I don't really want to leave, either."

Lynn felt herself blush a little for the first time in forever. She looked away for a second then told him she didn't want him to leave, either. The way he was looking at her made her tummy do a flip-flop, and she so wanted him to kiss her. When he didn't she felt a huge let down but reminded herself that he was a very good looking guy and she was...43.

She saw him looking across the room and also turned to see what had captured his attention. It was a photo of her late husband.

"Your husband?" he asked as he walked over to pay respects.

"Yes."

"This is a great photo."