‘I’d love it,’ Grace said firmly. She was clipping the dog’s lead onto his harness so Charles couldn’t see if she really meant that but then she straightened and caught his gaze.
‘You can show me the best places to walk. I don’t know anything about Central Park.’
Her smile was strong again and he could see a gleam in her eyes that he remembered very well. He’d seen it often enough in the past, usually when they were both heading in to the same examination.
Determination, that was what it was.
But why did she need to tap into that kind of reserve for something that should be no problem? A pleasure, even...
It was puzzling.
‘Have you never been to New York before?’ Juggling two small children and a dog on the busy pavement meant that Charles had to wait until they were almost at the gates of the park to say anything more to Grace.
‘Never. I was born in Australia and then my family moved to Florida when my dad got a job with NASA.’ She was smiling again. ‘He thinks it’s hilarious that I’ve got a job looking after a dog called Houston. Anyway...coming here was always a plan once I got to medical school in Boston but there never seemed to be enough time. I was too busy studying...’ The glance Charles received was mischievous. ‘Trying to keep up with you.’
‘I think it was the other way round.’ Charles kept a firm grip on small mittened hands, as he paused to wait until a horse-drawn carriage rolled past, carrying tourists on a relaxed tour of the park, but he was holding Grace’s gaze as well. They would have to part company very soon and it felt...disappointing?
‘Okay...we have two favourite playgrounds close to here but...’
‘But dogs aren’t allowed, I know. When I looked on the map, there was a track called the Bridle Path? That sounds like a nice place to walk.’
‘It is. Come with us as far as the playground and I’ll show you which direction to take to find it. Next time, I’ll bring the boys’ bikes and we can all go on the Bridle Path.’
The way Grace’s eyes widened revealed her surprise, which was quite understandable because Charles was a little surprised himself that the suggestion had emerged so casually. As if this was already a thing—this walking in the park together like a...like a family? A whole family, with two parents and even a dog.
And her surprise quickly morphed into something else. Something softer that hadn’t been fuelled by determination. Pleasure, even? Was she enjoying their company as much as he was enjoying hers?
Charles was silent the rest of the way to the playground. Not that anybody seemed to notice because Cameron and Max were making sure that Grace didn’t miss any of the important attractions.
‘Look, Gace...it’s a sk-wirrel...’
‘Oh, yes...I love squirrels.’
‘Look at all the leafs. Why are they all on the ground?’
‘Because it’s autumn. The trees get undressed for winter. Like you do when you’re getting ready for bed. Aren’t they pretty?’
Why had it felt so natural up until now, Charles wondered, to add feminine and canine company to his little troupe when it could be seen as potentially disturbing? He and his boys didn’t need extra people in their lives. Against quite a few odds, he had managed perfectly well up until now and his children were happy and healthy and safe...
At least things would go back to normal any second now. Grace would continue her dog walk and he’d stand around with the other parents, watching the children run and climb and shout, until he was summoned to push the swings.
But when they got to the wrought-iron fence surrounding the playground, it seemed that his boys wanted a larger audience for their exploits.
‘I want Horse to watch me on the slide,’ Cameron said.
‘And Gace,’ Max added. His face was serious enough to let them know that this was important. ‘Gace can push me on the swing.’
* * *
‘Um...’ Grace hadn’t missed the slightly awkward edge to the atmosphere in the last minute or two because it had left her feeling just a bit confused.
She’d been happy to have company on her first walk to Central Park because it was always so much easier to go somewhere new with somebody who knew the way. And because it had been so good to see the twins again. Especially Max. Cameron’s smile was identical, of course, but there was something a little more serious about Max that pulled her heartstrings so hard it was too close to pain to be comfortable. That was why, for a heartbeat back at the apartment block, she had wondered if it wasn’t a good idea to share even a part of this walk. But she’d pushed aside any deeply personal misgivings. Maybe it did still hurt that she would never be part of her own family group like this, but surely she could embrace this moment for what it was? Being included, instead of watching from a distance?
Having Houston walking by her side helped a lot. In fact, the last few days had been a revelation. Due to her work hours and never settling in one place for very long, Grace had never considered adopting a dog and getting to know Houston had been a joy. She wished she’d learned years ago that a companion like this could make you feel so much less alone in the world.
Charles’s company was surprisingly good, too. When she’d told him of her father’s amusement about the dog’s name, the appreciative glint in his eyes made her remember how easy that telephone conversation the other night had been. How close to the surface laughter had felt. He’d caught her memory of how focused life had been back in medical school, too, but twisted it slightly, to make it sound as if he’d been a lot more aware of her than she had realised.
And then he’d made that comment about them all coming to the park again together, as if this was the start of something that he’d expected to happen all along? That was when the awkwardness had sprouted.
Had he somehow heard the alarm bells sounding in her own head or did he have a warning system of his own?
Maybe she should just say goodbye and head off with Houston to explore the park and leave Charles to have time with his boys.
Except...it felt like it would suddenly be less interesting. A bit lonely, even?
And the way Max was looking up at her, with those big, blue eyes, as if her being here was the most important thing in the world to him. He had eyes just like his father, she realised. That amazingly bright blue, made even more striking by the darker rim around the irises.
‘I have to stay here, on this side of the fence. To look after Horse.’ She smiled at Max. ‘But I could watch Daddy push you?’
Houston seemed perfectly happy to sit by her side and Grace was grateful for the dog’s warmth as he leaned against her leg. She watched Charles lift the little boys into the bucket seats of the swings, side by side, and then position himself between them so that he could push a swing with each hand. She could see the huge grins on the children’s faces and hear the peals of their laughter as the arc of movement got steadily higher. And Charles finally looked exactly as she’d remembered him. Happy. Carefree. Enjoying all the best things in life that automatically came his way because he was one of life’s golden people that always had the best available.
Except she knew better now. Charles might have had a very different upbringing from her solid, middle-class existence, but he hadn’t been protected from the hard things in life any more than she had. His world had been shattered, maybe as much as hers had been, but he was making the best of it and clearly fatherhood was just as important to him as his work. More important, perhaps. He hadn’t hesitated in taking time off when his children needed him.
That said a lot about who he was, didn’t it? About his ability to cherish the things that were most important in life?
A beat of something very poignant washed