How Sweet It Is (14 page)

In the kitchen she found a fruit basket on
the gleaming tile countertop. Hoping it wasn’t for display only,
she took an apple and bit into it. She stared at the dark
neighborhood through the kitchen window. Once Delphine finished the
apple, she was still hungry, but couldn’t find the confidence to go
searching through someone else’s cupboards or refrigerator.

Tossing the apple core into the trash can
under the sink, she rubbed her hands on her arms, feeling strung
up, edgy, and lonely. Delphine took silent steps to the den, hoping
to find a book to take her mind off her grief. Instead she found
Brad, sprawled on the couch asleep, his head lolled to one
side.

She paused to watch him for a moment. He’d
changed from the more formal clothes she’d seen him in earlier into
his ubiquitous faded jeans and tropical shirt. She wondered why he
hadn’t gone to bed. He’d probably dozed when watching TV—except the
TV wasn’t on.

The room sat in darkness, aside for some
slight illumination coming through the drapes from the pool lights.
As much as she desired to seek him out, she knew she couldn’t
disturb him. She turned to go.

“Wait,” said a groggy voice.

Delphine started at the sound. Turning back,
she saw Brad struggling upright, blinking sleepily. He patted the
cushions. “Come here.”

Heart hammering, she crossed the room and
perched on the couch next to him. He studied her from under heavy
lids, and for a moment, she wondered if he was going to fall back
asleep.

He scooted toward her until they were
touching, and slung his arm along the back of the couch. Delphine
angled her head so she could face him.

“I’m sorry to disturb you,” she
whispered.

Brad yawned and shook his head. “No problem.
I’m glad to see you up and around.” His gaze swept across her face.
“How are you feeling?”

She shrugged, the action sapping her depleted
strength. “Okay, I guess. What else can I say? I can’t do anything
to change what happened. I just have to try to cope.”

Although his face was shadowed, she could
feel his concern for her somehow emanating from him.

“We missed you at dinner.
Are you hungry? My mom tried to wake you up, but you were
out
.”

“I’m okay. I ate an apple from the
kitchen.”

“You should’ve checked the fridge. My mom
has a plate made up for you. All you need to do is pop it in the
microwave.”

Moisture burned her eyes. “You and your
family have been so kind. I can never repay—”

Brad held up a hand, a frown settling on his
brow. “Don’t even say it. People help people. You need to accept it
without guilt or argument, okay?”

Lowering her eyes, she traced the pattern on
the arm of the couch. “I…I want to apologize for my behavior at the
shop. I don’t quite know what got into me.”

Brad reached over and took her hand in his.
His grip felt warm and reassuring; his voice, forgiving. “Don’t
worry about it. I think you were just totally stressed out.”

“I’m so sorry for doubting your friendship.”
She looked up at him, wishing she could read his mind. “And I said
some terrible things.”

He ran his thumb lightly over her knuckles.
“What did you call me? In French, I mean.”

Delphine let out a little groan. “Do I have
to tell you? You won’t like it.”

“I’ve been called a lot of things in my day.
It’ll be interesting to hear your version.” He tugged on her hand.
“Well?”

“Um, I think it was something like scoundrel
and oaf.” She felt herself color up under his gaze.

Brad raised a brow. “You wound me,
Delphine.”

“I did apologize,” she pointed out, feeling
a small lift of spirits at his gentle teasing.

“I think more than an apology is in order.
Those are some pretty strong words, and let me tell you, they sound
a lot worse in French.” He leaned his head close. “Shall we kiss
and make up?”

Delphine’s smile faded. All her insecurities
about him came rushing back. “I—”

Brad let out a ragged sigh and shook his
head. “Now it’s my turn to apologize. I don’t think I could be more
insensitive. I’m so sorry.”

The true contrition of his tone erased her
reservations—at least for the moment. She only wanted to be in his
arms, to have his embrace assuage her raw and frayed emotions.
Delphine brushed the side of his face with shaking fingers. The
moment she touched her lips to his, some of the turmoil in her
heart eased. Brad’s arms slid around her and held her tight.

Delphine pressed her face into the hollow of
his shoulder, realizing she’d never felt so sheltered, so cherished
before.

And it was addictive. A part of her thanked
God for this experience, another part braced for the inevitable
moment when it would end.

Brad pulled back a little and nudged her chin
up with his hand. His gaze seemed serious and tender at the same
time. “I don’t know if this is the right time to say this, but I
want you to know that I love you, too.”

Her eyes widened, her heart
fluttering like a trapped bird within her.
After all that’s happened? Impossible!
When she started to speak, he interrupted her.

“You didn’t give me a chance to tell you
when we were at the shop.”

Delphine swallowed, unable to believe what
she was hearing. “But, I thought—”

Brad caressed her cheek with his knuckle. “I
know what you thought. I didn’t respond right away because I
couldn’t believe you said it.” His mouth tipped in a sheepish grin.
“I was pretty sure you liked me, but even my ego isn’t so big that
I could assume more than that.”

He inclined his head, his gaze serious. “And
just to make sure you understand, I’ll say it again. I love you,
Delphine.”

Tears slipped down her cheeks. From the hell
of losing her father, to the heaven of Brad’s words, Delphine’s
heart and mind tilted in a dizzy whirl. She leaned close and
pressed her lips against his, allowing for the moment, the honeyed
sensations of his kiss to sweep away all that was dark and bitter
in her world.

Eleven

At the reception following her father’s
funeral and internment, Delphine leaned into Brad’s side. When his
arm tightened around her waist, she sent him a grateful smile. The
look in his blue eyes reaffirmed his words of love. How she
would’ve made it through the past few days without him, she didn’t
know.

The funeral had been a simple affair, held
where her parents had married twenty-five years earlier. The church
was constructed of mellow, golden stone and an abundance of stained
glass windows. The reception hall, lined with oak paneling and
edged with hall tables, sported vases of fragrant flowers. Brocade
upholstered chairs, mostly empty, save for a few neighbors, dotted
the room. A long table at one end of the room held several trays of
finger foods. Ornate brass floor lamps with amber glass shades
illuminated the area in a soothing glow.

Delphine wished her parents had been more
committed to fellowshipping with other worshippers. Perhaps they
could’ve been guided to make better decisions throughout their
lives.

She bit her lip, inwardly chastising herself
for her critical attitude, yet frustrated at the lingering sense of
resentment she felt for her upbringing. She reminded herself that
for all their faults, her parents were congenial, loving people.
Besides, who was she to be critical of others when she had her own
issues?

The thought made her think about her
spiritual condition. She read her Bible and prayed, though more in
anxiousness than in praise. And wasn’t she following in their
footsteps with her own sporadic church attendance? What negative
patterns in her life developed because she struggled along on her
own without the support of a church family?

Delphine decided she’d attend with Brad the
following Sunday. With the decision came renewed worry that again
she was relying too much on the Larsens.

Stifling a weary sigh, she tugged on Brad’s
hand and approached where her mother stood rattling away in French
to her sister, Josephine Du Bois who had flown in for the funeral.
It was the first time Delphine had met her aunt.

Josephine and her sister were similar in
size, but where her mother tended toward frailty and flightiness,
her aunt appeared a grim and staunch lady. Delphine knew she’d
never approved of her sister marrying and staying in America.

Clarice turned to Delphine,
her dark eyes glittering with a hectic light. “
Ma chèrie
, my sister has offered to
take me back home to France. I have decided to accept.”

Delphine felt the air leave her lungs in a
sudden rush. She struggled to form coherent words. Brad squeezed
her hand.

“
Maman
, what is this? You’re not
leaving?”

Clarice lifted her shoulders in a Gallic
shrug. “I have been too long from my homeland. And Josephine is a
retired nurse so you may be easy about my health.”

Delphine glanced at the stern visage of Mme.
DuBois and shuddered to think of having the woman as a nurse in a
hospital. She sighed inwardly, trying to absorb the implications of
her mother’s words.

“Are you sure,
Maman
, that is what you
wish?” She knew her mother could be easily swayed by those with a
stronger personality. With her mouth drawn down in a scowl, and
hair scraped in a utilitarian bun, Mme. DuBois looked more like a
jailer than a loving sister.

Clarice pressed her hands together. “I shall
see the Loire Valley, the rivers, and chateaus…” She dabbed
delicately at her eyes with a handkerchief pulled from her pocket.
“Beside, with my Leone gone, there is nothing here for me now.”

The words hit Delphine like a blow to the
mid-section, leaving her dazed and sore, and hardly able to believe
she heard her mother right. Brad put his arm around her.

“Excuse me,
Maman
, Aunt,” she said
faintly, allowing him to lead her away.

Across the room, Delphine pressed her hands
against her cheeks, blinking the tears away. “I know she didn’t
mean it the way it sounded,” she whispered. She glanced up at him,
hoping for affirmation.

Brad’s dark brows had settled low over his
eyes, his lips compressed in a firm line. She sighed, wishing he
hadn’t witnessed her mortification.

“You okay?” he whispered.

When she nodded, he drew her hand to his lips
and sent her a sympathetic smile.

Delphine studied his face, wondering what he
really thought of her and her family. Her mother had earlier
whispered in her ear that the Larsens had graciously covered the
expenses of the funeral. Instead of being thankful, Delphine felt
an even greater weight of despair. Brad could airily tell her to
stop worrying about money, but she’d learned early in life to
despise the lack of it.

Soon the reception ended, and Delphine left
with Brad’s family, her heart full of anguish at having to say
good-bye to her father for the last time.

****

At the Larsen’s home afterwards, Delphine
hugged Mrs. Larsen and thanked her for everything. She shook Mr.
Larsen’s hand, unable to stifle a feeling of dread at that awful
debt she owed him. Brad then drove her, her mother, and aunt over
to the apartment.

While he made stilted
conversation with Mme. DuBois, Delphine helped her mother pack in
her parents’ bedroom.
How empty it seems
without my father’s cheerful presence
. She
saw a crossword puzzle book he’d been working on and had to
suppress a sudden urge to cry.

She turned to her mother,
unwilling to have both parents desert her. She took a deep breath.
“It’s so soon,
Maman
, to make such a big decision. Are you sure you don’t need
more time to think this over?”

Clarice’s hands smoothed the blouse she had
just folded into the suitcase. “Josephine has made it clear I must
accompany her at once. She’s already purchased my ticket. What
purpose would it serve to wait until later?”

What about me?

Delphine found herself unable to voice the
thought aloud. “Are…are you sure you can co-exist peacefully with
your sister? You’ve told me of how she used to bully you in your
youth.”

Clarice shrugged her thin shoulders. “She can
be managed. This is the best way.”

Delphine sank onto the edge of the bed,
hugging a pillow to her chest. Grief thickened her throat. “Why?
Why can’t you stay? I can still take care of you.” She reached out
and touched her mother’s arm. “Won’t…won’t you miss me?”

Clarice reached up and gave Delphine a gentle
pat on the cheek. “My mind has been made up. When you become
successful in your business, you will come and visit me.”

“Of course,” Delphine
murmured, deflated. In her heart she felt certain her mother wasn’t
as sure of her decision as she said.
It
seems I must lose two parents instead of one
. Stuffing down her emotions, she wearily helped her mother
finish packing.

Once Clarice had two large suitcases full,
Delphine brought them out to the living room. When she returned to
her parents’ bedroom, it looked so bleak.

The day before the funeral, they had gone
through much of her father’s things and disposed of his clothing.
Clarice had kept all their shared mementos, leaving only a framed
portrait of their wedding picture for Delphine.

They followed Brad out to
the car, where he loaded the suitcases into the trunk of the Jetta
and drove them to the airport. Delphine watched the passing lights
and cars during the drive.
It seems
everything always passes me by, just out of
reach
.