Read Online The Heart of the Matter by Muriel Jensen - Free Book Online
Authors: Muriel Jensen
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formally.
Adam and Eric collapsed into laughter. Jason warned them with a look, biting back a smile himself.
Matt thanked Laura for the sheets, then proceeded to launch into his life story. Adam took the phone from him and thanked her for the brownies, told her with crossed fingers how much he and Eric loved them, then passed the phone to Eric, who asked for the recipe.
Jason studied his besotted boys in wonder. Laura seemed to have brought out in them a level of social sophistication that astonished him.
Then Eric handed him the phone.
“Hi, Laura,” Jason said, remembering that she’d lied about her plans for the evening—probably to avoid him.
“Hi,” she replied in a quiet, breathless rush. “I just got home…from the office. I went to do paperwork, but I got hungry and…” She was babbling. He liked that.
“No need to explain,” he said magnanimously.
“But I didn’t want you to think.”
“Laura.” He stopped her with a quick and sudden decision that seemed to be forming even as the words tripped off his tongue. “I have to speak at a Kiwanis dinner on Saturday night,” he said. “And I need a date.”
He saw his boys exchange grins, but ignored them.
“I…ah…belong to the Kiwanis,” she said. “I’m going…to that dinner.”
“I’ll pick you up,” he insisted. “Seven-thirty.”
There was a pause. “Okay,” she said finally.
The boys were staring at him when he hung up.
“You’re going out on a date?” Adam asked, his tone incredulous. “Dad. Can you handle this?”
“Of course.” He went to put the kettle on. He needed something to kill the carob taste. “I dated your mother, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but that was a million years ago,” Eric informed him. “Now you have to be careful about stuff. You have to be careful how you treat girls or they takeyou to court. And you have to have safe sex or you’ll die!”
Jason nodded. “I’m glad you boys are aware of that. But this is a simple date. It isn’t about sex. It’s about getting acquainted. We’re going to have dinner and maybe dance.”
“Do you know how to dance?” Adam asked.
“Of course I know how to dance.”
Eric leaned toward him gravely. “He’s not talking about that two-lines thing they used to do in powdered wigs and big dresses, you know. Do you know what the macarena is?”
Jason put a hand to his eyes, wondering how their roles had become reversed. It was usually his job to caution and interrogate them.
“This is a stodgy affair. I don’t think anyone in town can do the macarena.”
Adam considered him worriedly. “Maybe you should talk to Uncle Barry.”
Laura pulled on a little black dress with cap sleeves, a round neckline and a straight skirt, and had a comb and pins in her hand to put her hair up when the doorbell rang.
It was Dixie. She held up a black jeweler’s box and burst past Laura into the small condo. “Sorry I’m late. Sammie had a clingy crisis when I tried to leave. Jerry had to peel her off me. You look—” she looked Laura up and down and smiled wistfully “—single.”
Laura took the box from Dixie, who followed her to the hall mirror. “Thanks, Dix. I appreciate this so much. I have so little jewelry and nothing to go with this dress.”
“That dress is sensational.” Dixie studied her reflection in the mirror. “Do you think this body will ever get to look like yours?”
Laura fumbled with the clasp, and Dixie reached up to help her.
“There’s nothing wrong with your body,” Laura told her for the tenth time in as many months. “You’ve gotten twenty pounds off, you’ve flattened your tummy and strengthened your glutes. You’re just rounder than I am, and I personally think that’s very attractive. And apparently so does Jerry. So be happy. You look maternal, ripe.”
The necklace clasped, Dixie stood back to let Laura’s image fill the mirror.
The necklace with its small circles of gold hanging at two-inch intervals along
Adam and Eric collapsed into laughter. Jason warned them with a look, biting back a smile himself.
Matt thanked Laura for the sheets, then proceeded to launch into his life story. Adam took the phone from him and thanked her for the brownies, told her with crossed fingers how much he and Eric loved them, then passed the phone to Eric, who asked for the recipe.
Jason studied his besotted boys in wonder. Laura seemed to have brought out in them a level of social sophistication that astonished him.
Then Eric handed him the phone.
“Hi, Laura,” Jason said, remembering that she’d lied about her plans for the evening—probably to avoid him.
“Hi,” she replied in a quiet, breathless rush. “I just got home…from the office. I went to do paperwork, but I got hungry and…” She was babbling. He liked that.
“No need to explain,” he said magnanimously.
“But I didn’t want you to think.”
“Laura.” He stopped her with a quick and sudden decision that seemed to be forming even as the words tripped off his tongue. “I have to speak at a Kiwanis dinner on Saturday night,” he said. “And I need a date.”
He saw his boys exchange grins, but ignored them.
“I…ah…belong to the Kiwanis,” she said. “I’m going…to that dinner.”
“I’ll pick you up,” he insisted. “Seven-thirty.”
There was a pause. “Okay,” she said finally.
The boys were staring at him when he hung up.
“You’re going out on a date?” Adam asked, his tone incredulous. “Dad. Can you handle this?”
“Of course.” He went to put the kettle on. He needed something to kill the carob taste. “I dated your mother, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but that was a million years ago,” Eric informed him. “Now you have to be careful about stuff. You have to be careful how you treat girls or they takeyou to court. And you have to have safe sex or you’ll die!”
Jason nodded. “I’m glad you boys are aware of that. But this is a simple date. It isn’t about sex. It’s about getting acquainted. We’re going to have dinner and maybe dance.”
“Do you know how to dance?” Adam asked.
“Of course I know how to dance.”
Eric leaned toward him gravely. “He’s not talking about that two-lines thing they used to do in powdered wigs and big dresses, you know. Do you know what the macarena is?”
Jason put a hand to his eyes, wondering how their roles had become reversed. It was usually his job to caution and interrogate them.
“This is a stodgy affair. I don’t think anyone in town can do the macarena.”
Adam considered him worriedly. “Maybe you should talk to Uncle Barry.”
Laura pulled on a little black dress with cap sleeves, a round neckline and a straight skirt, and had a comb and pins in her hand to put her hair up when the doorbell rang.
It was Dixie. She held up a black jeweler’s box and burst past Laura into the small condo. “Sorry I’m late. Sammie had a clingy crisis when I tried to leave. Jerry had to peel her off me. You look—” she looked Laura up and down and smiled wistfully “—single.”
Laura took the box from Dixie, who followed her to the hall mirror. “Thanks, Dix. I appreciate this so much. I have so little jewelry and nothing to go with this dress.”
“That dress is sensational.” Dixie studied her reflection in the mirror. “Do you think this body will ever get to look like yours?”
Laura fumbled with the clasp, and Dixie reached up to help her.
“There’s nothing wrong with your body,” Laura told her for the tenth time in as many months. “You’ve gotten twenty pounds off, you’ve flattened your tummy and strengthened your glutes. You’re just rounder than I am, and I personally think that’s very attractive. And apparently so does Jerry. So be happy. You look maternal, ripe.”
The necklace clasped, Dixie stood back to let Laura’s image fill the mirror.
The necklace with its small circles of gold hanging at two-inch intervals along
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