* * *
Garrett’s alarm went off at 7:15 a.m. He rolled out of bed, opened the drawer next to his bed, and pulled out the thick phone directory. He flipped through to the “F” section.
“Florist. Florist. There has to be one somewhere.” He found a full page and quickly scanned to see which one was close to the Plaza. He picked up the phone and dialed “0.”
When the front desk attendant picked up, Garrett said. “Hi. This is Garrett Andrews. I’d like to have some flowers delivered to Cathee Laurenson. Can I get her room number?”
“I’m sorry. We don’t give out that information, but if you have the flowers delivered here, we will notify Ms. Laurenson immediately.”
Disappointed, Garrett mumbled “Thanks” as he dropped the phone receiver into place. So much for trying to get the room number from staff. He’d have to pry it out of her. He didn’t think Christina was old enough to remember what room number they were staying in.
He called the local florist and ordered the flowers. “Yellow roses, please. I don’t care what else you have in there, but I want at least a dozen yellow roses.”
“Are you sure you don’t want red, sir?”
“I’m sure.”
Even if they didn’t get him the room number as he’d hoped they would, he still wanted Cathee to enjoy the fresh arrangement. Flowers were a statement of commitment. He wanted her to know his interest wasn’t fleeting. Yellow symbolized friendship. He didn’t want to scare her off with the red of romance.
He showered and dressed quickly, then stopped to watch the news. He was about to switch off the set when the announcer caught his attention. “A nationwide manhunt is on today for Juan Ortiz, who escaped a New York prison late last night. He is a suspect in the murder of college student Ellie Stonewall.” A picture of a muscular man with an olive complexion, dark hair and dark brown eyes flashed on the screen. “It is believed he is armed and dangerous. He is believed to be heading for Kansas or Oklahoma where he has family. If you see this man, please call 1-800-GET-JUAN.”
Garrett stared at the screen, engulfed in horror. A Juan Ortiz escaping from New York with ties to Kansas. This had to be the man who had fathered Christina. Did Cathee know the man was loose? He didn’t have her number, so he couldn’t call. He agonized over how he should handle this piece of information. He would just have to wait and see how Cathee was acting. Take his cues from her. He couldn’t imagine she’d take Juan’s escape well. He’d been there for her meltdown on Saturday. This couldn’t be good.
It was with some trepidation he approached their table at 8:10. He was relieved to see she hadn’t arrived yet. He wanted to be able to judge her state of mind as she entered the atrium.
He watched the other residents as they made their way to the restaurant. He checked his watch. 8:17. Maybe she wouldn’t show up. She’d have reason to hide with Juan running loose. He wouldn’t blame her if she decided to cut and run.
He was checking his watch again at 8:19 when Christina came running up, a huge smile on her face. “Good morning, Mr. Garrett.”
He ruffled her curls. “Hi, Christina. Did you sleep well?”
She nodded, then said, “I got to watch cartoons this morning while Mommy was getting dressed.”
Cathee looked embarrassed. “It wasn’t the most educational channel, but it kept her occupied while I took my shower.”
Garrett’s eyes lost their shadowed look. Cathee wondered what she had said to lighten his mood.
Garrett was relieved. Cathee had apparently not seen the newscast.
She had the Wall Street Journal tucked under her arm. He knew the story about Juan wouldn’t make it to the WSJ. Local crime stories weren’t normally covered there. Only items of potential interest to the financial community were included. He’d tag along for the day as planned. Hopefully, none of the places they were planning to visit would be broadcasting the story.
They moved to the restaurant. Cathee paused to let Garrett reach for her hand, a subtle change in her previous behavior. He’d had to be brazenly bold before. Garrett hoped this meant the ice was thawing.
As the waitress arrived, Cathee put in her order. “My daughter and I will have the French toast with maple syrup. We’d like hot chocolate as our beverage, and I’d like a glass of water as well.”
The waitress turned to Garrett. “What would you like, Sir?”
“I’ll have the pancake stack with a side of bacon.”
As the waitress left, Garrett looked at Cathee. “No grapefruit today?”
She giggled. “I decided it was out of season. It was nasty, wasn’t it?”
“I didn’t complain, but you’ll notice I didn’t order any, either.”
Their food arrived quickly. It didn’t take them long to finish.
As Garrett paid the bill, Cathee opened her purse and fished out the keys. Garrett didn’t hesitate to take them. If he was driving, he hoped Cathee wouldn’t mind his picking the music. His plans were to keep the radio off. He didn’t want their day ruined by the story of Juan’s escape.
Garrett turned to Cathee as he started the engine. “I haven’t been to the Governor’s mansion. Which direction do I need to go?”
Cathee opened her purse and pulled out a Mapquest page. “I printed out directions before our trip.” She handed him the page.
Garrett perused the map. “This shouldn’t be too complicated. It should take less than 15 minutes.”
“I picked the hotel for its proximity to the places I wanted to see. Everything is pretty close.”
“Smart lady.” He looked into her eyes and smiled. She was mesmerized. She blinked, broke the spell, then turned her gaze to the window. It was safer there. Her heart felt like she was on the last stretch of a marathon. It was a good thing she wasn’t walking. She wasn’t sure her legs would work right.
“Where are we going, Mommy?” Christina’s voice broke into Cathee’s thoughts.
“We’re going to see the Governor’s Mansion this morning. After we tour the building, I wanted to walk around the grounds until it gets too hot.”
“Can we see the capitol building today?”
“I wanted to see the Brown vs. Board of Education historical site today. If it doesn’t take long, we can see the capitol building afterward.” She turned to look at Christina. “We have four more days. We don’t have to do everything today.”
“I know.” Christina directed her next question to Garrett. “Can you go swimming with us tonight?”
Garrett turned startled eyes to Cathee. “Did you want me to go swimming with you?”
Cathee wasn’t ready for a swimming date. It turned her stomach to think about it. “Umm...I wasn’t planning...I mean...” What was she supposed to say? I don’t like wearing so little in front of men sounded childish, but that’s exactly how she felt. His eyes seemed to understand, so she trailed off.
“I didn’t bring a swimming suit. This was a business trip. I don’t have plans to shop this week, so I’ll probably pass on the swimming invitation.” He looked in the rearview mirror and smiled at Christina.
She seemed to accept his explanation, but her expression showed her disappointment. “I wanted to play Marco Polo with you and Mommy.”
“We can play some other time.”
Her eyes glittered with excitement. “Will you come and visit us?”
Garrett glanced at Christina, then turned his attention back to the road. “I’m not sure. You’ll have to check with your mommy on that one.”
Cathee bit her bottom lip. She hadn’t planned on giving Garrett any identifying information. Just because he had attended church on Sunday with her didn’t mean she could trust him with her information.
“Can Mr. Garrett come to our house, Mommy?”
“I’m not sure, Honey. I’ll have to think about it.”
“Okay.”
Garrett interrupted their conversation. “There it is.” He slowed as they approached the open front gates.
&nb
sp; “Wow. Mommy, look how big the house is.”
“That’s where the governor of Kansas and his family live.”
“What’s a governor?”
“It’s like the president of the state.”
“What’s a state?”
Cathee sighed. “I’ll show you when we get home, Sweetie.”
“Okay, Mommy.”
As they approached the gates, Cathee suggested, “If we go to the parking at the back, we won’t have to move the car for our walk.”
“Good idea.”
When Garrett drove past the open gates, Christina burst out, “What are those things on the gate, Mommy?”
“Those are sunflowers, Honey. They’re the Kansas state flower.”
Christina’s brows furrowed. “I thought sunflowers were yellow.”
“These are metal, honey. Maybe they didn’t want yellow paint to wash off in the rain. Aren’t they pretty? Look at the petals.”
Christina pushed out her bottom lip in a pout. “I like yellow flowers.”
“I do, too, Sweetie, but sometimes it’s nice to see something different.”
Before Christina could continue her argument, Garrett interrupted. “Apparently, we’re not the only ones to know about this lot.” He pulled the sedan next to a charter bus. The parking lot was almost full. “This seems to be a popular attraction.”
“It’s probably the time of year. I doubt it’s always this busy.”
Garrett turned off the ignition, then quickly moved around the car to open Cathee’s door. He was relieved to see her patiently waiting for him to open it. Definitely thawing.
As Christina stepped out of the car, Cathee turned to her. “If you quietly listen to the tour guide and wait to ask questions until the end of our tour, I’ll play Marco Polo with you tonight.”
Christina jumped up and down and clapped. “I’ll be quiet. I promise.”
Cathee looked stern. She’d heard promises before. “If you don’t be quiet and listen, what do you think will happen?”
Christina stopped jumping to think. “Umm...I won’t get to go swimming?”
“That’s right.” Cathee reached for her hand. “Let’s go in. Just remember to be quiet.”
“Okay, Mommy.” Christina reached for Garrett with her other hand, and they all headed for the open gates at the foot of the hill where the mansion stood.
As they entered the building, a tour guide was talking quietly to a gathering of tourists. The guide looked up with a welcoming smile. When she finished with the answer she was giving, she informed them, “The tour starts in six minutes.” Then she turned to the group. “Before the tour starts, we ask that you please turn off your cell phones.”
Obediently, Cathee dug into her purse to pull out her phone. She turned hers off and noticed Garrett doing the same with his.
Cathee glanced down at Christina, who looked like she would burst at the seams. She obviously wanted to ask a question. Cathee wondered how long she would last before the questions came tumbling out. She doubted her daughter would be able to go five minutes, let alone the length of the entire tour.
Garrett’s laughing eyes met hers. He must be thinking the same thing. It was odd to be on the same wavelength as another adult.
Two minutes had passed, and Christina couldn’t hold her questions any longer. “Mommy?”
Cathee bent down and whispered, “Remember, if you talk, you won’t get to go swimming.”
Christina’s face showed her desire to go swimming with her mother, but her curiosity won out. She pulled Cathee’s head down so she could whisper in her ear. “How come it stinks in here?”
She had noticed the smell, as well. “Most old homes smell like this, Honey. This house was built a long time ago.”
“I wouldn’t want to live here.” She declared quietly.
Cathee had to give her points for trying. At least her volume was low. “I think you get used to it. Every house smells different. When you live there, you quit noticing the smell after a while.”
“How come?”
Garrett chuckled. “I knew you’d keep things interesting, Christina. Let’s follow the other people on the tour.”
Cathee tried to listen as the guide talked about the building. “Cedar Crest was built in 1928.”
Christina interrupted with a whisper. “Is that as old as you, Mommy?”
Cathee bit her lip to hide the smile. “Almost.”
The guide ignored their hushed conversation as she continued, “It was built for the newspaper publisher Frank P. MacLennan. He died in 1933. When his wife died in 1955, she willed it to the state with the condition it be used as the home of the governor of Kansas. This home has been used as the governor’s residence since 1962.”
As they walked past a wide window framing the manicured lawn, the guide paused. “The gift of the home included 244 acres of the surrounding land. After your tour here, you might want to take a self-guided tour of MacLennan Park. There are several trails you can choose from.”
Christina dropped their hands to examine a particularly interesting piece of furniture. Garrett took the opportunity to link his fingers in Cathee’s. Her first instinct was to pull away. She glanced up at Garrett. His calm assurance tempered her fear, and she left her fingers intertwined with his through the rest of the tour. When Christina had found their hands occupied, she settled for holding Cathee’s free hand. Cathee was surprised Christina hadn’t protested.
After the tour ended, they moved to the grounds and picked a promising trail. It wound down through trees and past dry stream beds. “Look, Mommy. What are these funny white things on the tree? They look like little beds. Are they elf beds?”
Cathee smiled. “They look like beds, don’t they?” Her voice rose in alarm as Christina reached out to touch one. “Don’t touch that. It’s a mushroom. It might be poisonous.”
Christina’s brows furrowed as she looked up at her mother. “I thought mushrooms were good to eat.”
“Not all mushrooms are. Some can make you very sick. Others can make you die. You should never touch a mushroom when you’re hiking, Sweetie.”
Christina’s eyes grew big and she stuffed her fingers in her mouth. “OK, Mommy,” sounded around her fingers.
Cathee reached for her daughter’s hand, holding the wet fingers securely in hers. “If we are very quiet, we might be able to see some deer. Would you like that?”
Christina nodded, and they moved forward quietly. The trees and plants cooled the hot air and muffled the sounds of the city.
“It’s like a different world here, isn’t it?” Cathee observed quietly.
Christina nodded again, and Garrett agreed. “Time hasn’t changed this place much. It’s nice it’s been preserved.”
As they walked along the trail, Cathee paused. “Look at the ground, Christina. Can you see those prints?”
Christina nodded.
“Those are deer prints. I think they hide during the day. We’d have to be here either really early or just before dark to see them.”
“Can we come back when the deer come out?”
“I’m not sure, Sweetie. We’ll have to see how the week goes.”
As the air became noticeably warmer even in the shelter of the trees, Garrett said, “This trail is going to take more than two hours to walk over. Do you want to head back to the parking lot?”
Cathee nodded her agreement. “Yes. I really don’t like being out in the heat.”
“I don’t know about you, but all this walking has made me hungry. Would it be alright with you if we ate lunch before we headed over to the Brown Historical Site? I noticed a couple of places on our way over here. Did you have a preference?”
“I’m not picky. Whatever you like will be fine.”
Christina turned from examining a flower growing next to the path. “I want some Apple Dippers.”
Cathee laughed. “If the restaurant doesn’t have any, we’ll pick some up another day.”
Chris
tina’s face registered disappointment, but the iridescent glitter of a dragonfly’s wings caught her attention. It landed on the dirt path a few feet ahead of them. She skipped toward it as it rested in the sun. It zoomed away just as she reached out to touch its delicate wings. Christina followed until it darted out of sight, then she turned back and reached for Cathee’s free hand.
Cathee’s other hand had been claimed by Garrett. Cathee’s fears were dissipating. She was surprised by how natural it felt to be walking with her hand enveloped by Garrett’s.
They walked back to the car quickly. The heat gave them incentive to hurry. As Garrett opened the car doors, they could feel the heat escaping from the car. He reached across the passenger seat to stick the keys in the ignition, turned over the engine, then flipped on the air conditioning. He glanced up at Cathee, who was staring, wide eyed. “I think we’ll need the air.”
“No doubt.” She agreed.
Garrett stepped back to let Cathee buckle in Christina, then climb into her own seat. He shut the doors and headed over to the driver’s side.
As the air conditioning struggled to cool the heated interior, Garrett turned to Cathee, “Do you have a map to the Brown vs. Board of Education Site?”
She pulled a folded Mapquest page from her purse. “Here it is. I have one for all the sites I wanted to see this week.” She patted the bag and laughed. “I like to carry a lot of stuff with me. That’s why I have such a big bag.”
Garrett smiled, then opened the folded page. He glanced over the directions. “It’s about ten minutes from the sandwich shop. We should have plenty of time to catch the tour.”
“I’m not worried about it. The site doesn’t close until 5:00.”
He looked over his shoulder and backed carefully past the bus still parked next to the sedan. The passengers had apparently decided to stay and tour the grounds, just as they had done.
The car didn’t have time to completely cool before they arrived at the sandwich shop. They ordered quickly, then sat at the tall stools at an eating bar. Garrett hoisted Christina so she didn’t have to climb. “Thanks, Mr. Garrett.”
“My pleasure.” He smiled, catching her gaze.
I wonder, Cathee thought, why he is always looking into Christina’s eyes. Does it have something to do with his therapy training? I like him looking into my eyes. I feel like he is making a sincere effort to get to know who I really am, but should an adult make the same kind of eye contact with a child? She glanced through her eyelashes at Garret. He seemed genuinely caring. He’s done the same thing to everyone we’ve met. It must be a therapeutic technique. Really paying attention to someone else–even if it is just a waitress taking our food order...or a child making a simple comment.
After they finished their meal, they headed back to the car. The car had already lost all the cool air by the time Garrett opened the doors. He re-played the earlier scene, and Cathee appreciated his making the effort to get the cooling on before he climbed into the car. In the Kansas heat, every second of air conditioning counted.