“Oh, definitely. My father bought them for me and smuggled them into the house when Mother wasn’t looking. I had a red towel that was my ‘cape’ and I begged for a pair of red boots. Mother couldn’t imagine where I got all those silly ideas.”
There was a smile in her eyes as the memories crossed her face. She was obviously more amused than annoyed by her mother’s quirks, which showed that the family had been close despite their oddities. As different as Catherine’s family had been from his own, he could identify with the closeness—and with the fond exasperation over a strict mother’s sometimes capricious rules.
He was absolutely enthralled with the mental picture of a pint-size Catherine in a red towel and red boots. “Superhero to scientist,” he murmured. “Interesting metamorphosis.”
“Some would say it’s an oxymoron.”
Chasing a runaway ball, a towheaded little boy of maybe five barreled across the playground and nearly crashed into Mike’s legs. Mike steadied himself quickly and caught the kid’s shoulders before the boy went over backward. “You okay, sport?”
“Uh-huh. Will you throw me the ball?”
Grinning, Mike reached down to pick up the ball. “Okay. Go long.”
Proving that sports were already a part of his life, the boy started running, looking back expectantly at Mike. Mike drew back his arm and lobbed the ball neatly into the kid’s grasp. The boy whooped victoriously and dashed off again.
Mike turned back to Catherine, who was watching him with a smile. “You’re good with kids,” she said.
“I like kids. I told you, I’m cool Uncle Mike.”
They turned back toward the cabin, their steps matching automatically. “I always thought I would make a good aunt. You know, the kind who gives books and chemistry sets for Christmas gifts? But since my parents neglected to provide me with siblings, I suppose I’ll never know.”
“You could always marry into some,” he quipped.
The lighthearted remark sort of hung in the air between them, then dropped heavily into awkward silence. Mike cleared his throat and hastily changed the subject. “Nice sailboat out there, isn’t it? Have you ever done any sailing?”
“No, I haven’t,” she said entirely too brightly. “I’ve always thought it looked interesting, though.”
Relived that the sticky moment had passed, Mike started babbling about sailing.
Still, at the back of his mind he found himself thinking that Catherine would make a terrific aunt.
They sat outside after dinner, flames flickering in a fire bowl in front of their outdoor chairs. The temperature had dropped, and they had both donned heavier jackets. The warmth of the fire felt good against Catherine’s cheeks. She sighed and stretched her feet toward the bowl, warming her toes through her boots.
“We should have thought to buy some marshmallows,” Mike said lazily, gazing into the flames.
“I’m not hungry, anyway.” They had made spaghetti for dinner, using sauce from a jar, with frozen garlic rolls and premade salads on the side. Her tummy was still pleasantly full as she rocked gently in the wrought iron spring chair.
Moonlight sparkled over the lake ahead of her, and she could hear night birds calling in the distance. The scent of smoke tickled her nose. A car went by on the road behind them, the radio bass booming so loudly that she could almost feel the vibration in her teeth, but then it was gone and the night was peaceful again.
“Are you too cold?” Mike asked.
“No, I’m fine. The fire feels good.”
“Yeah, it does.” He reached down beside his chair, picked up a stick of wood and tossed it into the flames, adding another few degrees of warmth.
They sat in companionable silence for a little while longer. Catherine couldn’t remember being this utterly relaxed in a very long time. She could almost go to sleep right there in her chair.
“It’s been a nice day, hasn’t it?”
She roused enough to respond. “It’s been a wonderful day.”
A few minutes later he chuckled.
“What?” she asked.
“Oh, I was just thinking about that kid we saw in the park today. He’s a handful, I bet.”
Remembering the boy’s ear-piercing shrieks, Catherine smiled. “No doubt about that. But he was cute, wasn’t he?”