A Boy To Remember

“Thank you, son,” Martin said, giving the young man a thorough scrutiny. “You look familiar.”

“I’m Daniel Chandler,” he said, shaking Martin’s hand. “I’m from Greenfield. I’ll be working here this summer.”

“Aren’t you Gus Chandler’s kid? I’ve seen you at the hardware store.”

“I am.”

“Small world. My daughter Alexis will be working here, too. This is her first extended stay away from home.” Alex wished she had worn something much more fashionable than cutoffs and a T-shirt. She was mortified because her father made her sound like such a kid. Martin had told her this would be her chance for adventure, freedom, independence, and already he’d pegged her as an inexperienced child. And to this mature man!

Daniel’s grin spread, showing remarkably cute dimples. “Sounds good,” he said. “Follow me.”

The trio and their wobbly cart headed up the sidewalk to Pelican House. Daniel asked Alex for her room number and steered her belongings to a cramped bedroom for two at the end of the hall. The only furnishings were twin beds, two small dressers and one drying rack for towels and such. But to Alex it represented a whole new life, one where this wonderful boy would be living just upstairs.

Once the boxes were unloaded onto Alex’s bed, Daniel wished her good luck and said he’d see her later.

Alex wanted to say something clever to ensure that he would, but nothing cute or flirty or even intelligible came to mind. She didn’t know how to flirt, a skill she wished she’d perfected before this.

She walked outside with her father, hugged him and assured him she would be fine. When she went back inside Pelican House, Daniel was in the small lobby. Was he waiting for her? She could barely breathe.

“We’ve got a busy day tomorrow with orientation,” he said. “How about if I pick you up at your room this evening at five thirty and show you where the employee cafeteria is?”

“Thanks. That would be nice.”

She raced into her room and set her clock.

CHAPTER TWO

HAD THERE BEEN a place to hide, Alex would have run for it, but all the nonpublic places were backstage, and to get to them, she would have had to approach the three people on the stage. So, until the flare-up in her cheeks returned to normal—darn the curse of women with fair complexions—she sank into the audience seat and waited until Lizzie had auditioned.

How ironic that Daniel, the guy who had suggested she join the musical revue at the Birch Shore Resort, the man who’d dazzled her and changed her life, was now about to offer an opinion on Lizzie’s immediate future. She couldn’t trap a sigh as more memories of that magical summer flooded her mind. Her father had been right. Working at Birch Shore had given her opportunities. She’d met new people and shown off her talents. But Martin hadn’t known that three days into her summer she fell in love with a charismatic Greenfield boy.

Alex sat forward in the theater seat, trying to hear her daughter’s read for the part of Zaneeta. When Lizzie squealed her character’s famous line, Alex couldn’t help smiling. When Lizzie argued with Glen, who was playing her father, Alex felt proud. Lizzie had never argued with Teddy. Within reason, he’d given her everything she’d ever wanted, as if he was compensating for the family secret, the fact that he wasn’t her real father.

She heard Daniel’s booming baritone. “I can’t see any reason to audition another girl. This one is perfect.” He grinned at Lizzie. “Great read.”

“So what do you think?” Glen said. “Do you want the part? You realize we have three weeks of rehearsal before the run of the musical begins. Then it’s a full week of performances, a total of eight shows. Are you up to the challenge?”

Lizzie glanced into the theater. “I’ll have to talk to my mother, but yes, I can do it.”

Daniel moved to the edge of the stage. “Is that your mother out there?”

Lizzie nodded and Alex involuntarily sank farther into the chair.

“Hi, Mom,” Daniel called. “We need to talk.” He strode to the steps at the side of the stage and came down the aisle.

This was it. If he didn’t recognize her now, she could maybe pull off anonymity until the summer was over. The only other choice was to deny Lizzie the opportunity to be part of the play, and Alex wasn’t about to do that. This was the first time in months Lizzie had shown such enthusiasm.

Standing next to her, Daniel offered his hand. “Daniel Chandler. Among other things, I am an amateur actor—sort of.”

Daniel had never been an amateur anything.

“May I join you?”

Alex took the hand that had felt as natural as a glove during that summer. “Hello, Mr. Chandler.” She moved over a seat so he could sit next to her. What else could she do?

He did, giving her the same friendly smile that had won her over years before, a smile that was as genuine as it was memorable. “Daniel, please. I don’t even get called Mr. Chandler at the statehouse.”

Alex didn’t comment, not wanting him to realize that she knew anything about him. As far as he was concerned, this was a first—and hopefully a last—meeting. After all, Glen was in charge of directing and producing. With any luck, Alex wouldn’t even see Daniel again.

Daniel stared at the stage. “Your daughter gave a good read,” he said before turning his attention to Alex. “We want her in the production.”

Alex’s gaze was caught in the warm beam of deep olive green eyes she’d never forgotten. She wanted to look away, look down, anything to keep him from scrutinizing her so closely. But his stare only became more intense.

And then his eyes widened. His brow furrowed. Another grin, slight, but just as charming as she remembered, tilted his full mouth. “Wait a minute,” he said. “I know you.”

She shook her head. “Well...perhaps...”

“Alex? Alex Foster?”

“No longer Foster now,” she stammered. “Alexis Pope.”

The grin spread. “So some lucky guy caught you. I’m not surprised. Do you remember me? If you don’t, it’s okay. There were lots of guys after you that summer.”

And she’d agreed to go out with a couple of them. But that was before Daniel became the best part of her stay at Birch Shore. The rest of her summer had been just Daniel.

“We were at the Birch Shore Resort together. I was going into my junior year of college at OSU and you were going to Wittenberg, I think, as a freshman.”

She never made it to Wittenberg. Instead, she enrolled in art history classes as Alexis Pope at the University of Chicago, where Teddy took her to live.

“I seem to recall having to talk you into joining the revue that summer,” Daniel continued. “It was the best way I could think of to get to know you better.”

And it worked. Daniel was unlike any of the boys she’d gone out with in high school. He was experienced in ways they weren’t. And he was nice. From the first day she’d met him, he’d treated her as if she was truly someone special.

Alex drew a long breath. She could hardly confess to not remembering the boy who’d... But then again, she couldn’t admit what they’d meant to each other that summer. Daniel might have forgotten her once he was back at school, once she told him she’d moved on.

“Oh, right,” she said. “I do remember you, though I don’t recall too much about that summer...” If lying was a sin, she was doomed.

His eyes narrowed with a flash of doubt. “You don’t remember spending time together, just you and me?”

“Well, yes, some,” she said. “But there were other kids around most of the time.”

He seemed to accept her answer. “It was a great summer, living in dorms, eating in the cafeteria, wearing those goofy uniforms.”

“Yes, it was.”

“Funny I’ve never run into you before now,” he said. “You still live in Fox Creek?”

At least she didn’t have to lie about that. “No. After I married, I went to live in Chicago. I’m just here visiting my father.”

“I hope you’ll be around long enough for Lizzie to have her chance on stage.”

“Yes, we plan to stay awhile.”

“Great. She’s a minor, right? So Glen will have to get your signature on some papers, but we’ll treat her with kid gloves.”

“How involved are you, Daniel? Will you have an acting part in the play?”

“Nothing as glamorous as that. While I’m on hiatus from my real job, I’m helping with the sets. And since I’ve had some acting experience, I may try my hand at coaching some of the newer players. It’s just a diversion for me really, and I’ve known Glen for a long time.”

He was being modest. He had been the star of the resort revue. Audiences had loved his singing and dancing. All the girls had confessed to having crushes on him. The resort guests asked for him personally when they needed a favor during the day. That summer he had cleaned up on tips, stashing away every cent to pay for college.

“So this has your stamp of approval for Lizzie, Alex?” he asked. “I hope so. She’s a natural.”

“Sure. Whatever she wants.”

He stood and called toward the stage. “Come on down, Lizzie. Your mom is on board.”

Lizzie bounded down to the main floor. She scurried up to her mother and Daniel. “It’s okay with you, Mom? I can drive myself whenever you don’t want to bring me. You won’t have to operate a taxi the whole summer.”

“Yes, honey, I think it’s a great idea.”

Lizzie gave her a hug.

“It’s settled, then,” Daniel said. “Take a copy of the script home and start learning the lines. We’ll have to get your dress size and shoe size so we can alert the costume designer that we have our Zaneeta. This was the last major role we had to fill.”

Having heard the exchange, Glen joined the others. “I’d say this calls for a celebration, not just because we have our Zaneeta, but because old friends have met in this theater today. We need to catch up with each other. What do you say, Alex? All of us, dinner on me at the Jug and Boar?”

Alex ran a hand through her shoulder-length hair. “I don’t know, Glen. I have obligations...”

“You can bring your husband,” Daniel said. “And Lizzie can bring a friend...”

“I don’t have friends here,” Lizzie said. “And my father died...”

Alex felt the cold rush of guilt creep into her cheeks. There had been no reason for her to tell Daniel she was a widow, and yet she somehow felt as if she’d withheld that information from him.

Daniel stepped back. “I’m so sorry. How long ago?”

“It was January,” Alex said. “We’re still adjusting.”

“Of course you are. Wow, that’s tough. If there’s anything I can do...”

“There isn’t. I’m with my family.”

“Okay, but if you think of something...”

Glen covered the awkward silence. “I think that dinner is even more important now,” he said. “What do you say, Alex? Is tomorrow night good for you?”

Alex stood and maneuvered her way to the aisle. “I couldn’t. You understand. Lizzie and I have to go now.”

“Sure,” Glen said. “We start rehearsals on Wednesday, kid. We’ll see you at nine o’clock.”

“I’ll be here.”

Alex and Lizzie walked to the exit, and only when she’d opened the door did Alex take a normal breath. She’d felt Daniel’s gaze on her the entire way up the aisle and now had to convince her knees to quit trembling.

“Why didn’t you want to go to dinner, Mom?” Lizzie asked. “Those guys are so nice. I wanted to go.”

“Maybe some other time, honey. We’ve just arrived here. Grandpa wants time with you.”

“Okay, but if they ask again, say yes.”

Alex nodded. You got away with this, she told herself. No harm done. Surely she could manage a short summer season without Daniel Chandler knowing the truth about his daughter.

* * *

“HEY, WE’VE STILL got a bridge to build. Can we get some work done today?”

Daniel hadn’t realized he’d been staring at a closed door until Richie Parker’s voice echoed off the theater walls. Beside him, Glen chuckled. “Guess Richie doesn’t realize we got something important done today that didn’t include the bridge.”

“Yeah,” Daniel agreed. “Hiring Lizzie was a stroke of luck.”

Both men turned and headed toward the stage, where construction of the romantic bridge had halted. “I don’t know about luck,” Glen said. “I remember Alex having a good bit of talent that summer at the resort. Maybe it runs in the family. At any rate, you and Alex made my job as choreographer run smoothly.”

Daniel had thought of Alex Foster many times in the past few years. Because of her, that summer was the best he’d ever spent at Birch Shore. He had noticed her right away. In fact, he clearly recalled rushing up to the SUV her father drove and offering to transport Alex’s bags into the dormitory. And it hadn’t been ten minutes after her dad left that Daniel had invited her to go with him to the cafeteria for supper. And so began a relationship that seemed to have been built on days of grinding rehearsals, subpar meals and, what made it all worthwhile, moonlit walks on the beach that led to his eventually making love to Alex.

Oh, yeah, he’d had it bad for Alex that summer. Unfortunately, she seemed to have developed something equally as bad for another guy as soon as the season ended. The resort closed, the kids left, and except for a few phone calls, Daniel never made contact with her again. He’d searched his brain for reasons to explain her sudden surprising behavior. When logical explanations didn’t come to him, he tried to forget her, to move on with other girls. But he’d ended the best summer of his life with a broken heart.

Eighteen years earlier

DANIEL RETURNED TO Ohio State believing that he’d met the girl of his dreams, the one who would make all his hard work and sacrifice worth it. Someday I’m going to marry Alex Foster, he’d told his friends at Ohio State.

The first phone calls had been exciting, fun, sprinkled with sweet words, and them sharing their dreams. They planned when they would get together again. And then, the last time she spoke to him, everything changed.

“You shouldn’t call me anymore, Daniel,” she said.

“Why? What’s wrong? Are you ill?” If there was something wrong with Alex, Daniel made up his mind to leave campus and go to her immediately.

“No, I’m fine. But I’m moving on.”

“Moving on? What does that mean?”

“I never meant to hurt you,” she said. “But I’ve met someone else. Actually, he’s a man I’ve known for quite some time, and we’ve just discovered we’re in love.”

“I don’t believe you, Alex. Something’s wrong. We don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving. I’ll come to Wittenberg to see you. I can leave tonight.”

“No, I don’t want you to do that.” She paused for torturously long moments. “I won’t be at Wittenberg. I’m getting married.”

“So it’s over, just like that? We’re through?” He hated the petulant tone of his voice, but it was so difficult to get the words out.

“I’m sorry. Really, I am.” Her voice hitched. He wanted to reach out and grab her, shake her, find out what was wrong. “I have to go now.”

The line went dead, and he held on to the phone even after her voice had faded. It took a long time for him to accept what had happened. That the girl he’d fallen so hard for had joined the insular world of the married, while he became part of the blur of a summer soon forgotten. But Daniel didn’t forget. His grades suffered. His friendships became almost meaningless. No, Daniel hadn’t forgotten.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Glen said.

His friend’s voice brought Daniel back from a heartache he’d carried for a long time.

“Something wrong?”

Daniel shook his head. “No. I was just thinking...it’s a shame that Alex is a widow at such a young age. Must have been hard.”

“I’m sure it was, but maybe not all that surprising.”

“Why? What do you mean?”

“I heard that she married someone her father’s age, another doctor. That would make him even older than I am.” Glen smoothed a few strands of thinning blond hair from his forehead. “If you can imagine that.”

Daniel halted, stared at Glen. “Wow, I almost can’t.” Truly, he couldn’t put the young, sweet Alex Foster with a man her father’s age. “Why would she do that?” he asked.

“Love works in mysterious ways, my friend,” Glen said. “I’m just sayin’...the guy could have died from old age.”

Daniel didn’t believe that, but still, it was strange. “Incredible,” he said under his breath.

“Maybe she’ll get another chance with someone her own age,” Glen said, echoing Daniel’s thoughts. “In the meantime, our pal Richie up there is getting grumpier by the minute. Hope you’ve got some time left in your busy day, Senator.”

“I do. I told my dad I’d be at the hardware store by 3:00. That gives me five hours, minus a few minutes to eat the lunch you’re going to treat me to.”

Glen laughed, slapped a hand on Daniel’s back. “You got it. Isn’t it nice to have a hiatus from the state capital, Danny? You have all this time to sit around and contemplate the meaning of life.”

“Right. Between working for you and my father, I haven’t had time to contemplate the headlines in the Greenfield Gazette.”

Only now he found himself contemplating relationships, especially one from his past.

CHAPTER THREE

WEDNESDAY MORNING JUDE breezed in the back door of the house, followed by an energetic Mutt. She grabbed a piece of toast from the platter left from breakfast, poured a cup of coffee and sat in the nearest chair. “Hi, sis. I talked to Dad before he left for the office, and he says you’re going into Greenfield today.”

Jude moved so fast and with such an economy of effort that Alex’s head was about to spin. “I am, just as soon as I take Lizzie to the Red Barn Theater. Rehearsals start today.”

Jude munched on the dry toast, alternating taking a bite for herself and offering bits to Mutt. “She excited?”

“She is. I think this activity is going to be great for her.” Minus the fact that she might be working with her biological father. “And just exactly why are you interested in my trip to Greenfield? I need a few things at the drugstore, so I shouldn’t be long.”

Dusting crumbs from her hands onto the table, Jude reached into her back jeans pocket. “I thought maybe you could pick up some stuff for me at the hardware store.”

No way. The only hardware store close by was Chandler’s, owned for years by Daniel’s father, Gus. Alex intended to steer clear of that location. Not that the junior state senator would be there, but why take the chance?

“I don’t know anything about hardware, Jude,” Alex said. “I live in a maintained condo in the middle of Chicago. I’ve never fixed so much as a loose lightbulb.”

“You don’t have to know in order to buy,” Jude said. “Just show the list to Gus, and he’ll gather everything. Anyway, it’s just a slide bolt for the hay bin, some pegs for the board in the tack room, a galvanized bucket...”

“Whoa. This sounds confusing.”

“No, it doesn’t. Why are you acting like stopping at Chandler’s is such a big deal?”

Jude’s ability to see through any ploy had often been irritating, but never more so than this morning. Jude had a sixth sense for sniffing out the truth, and she was right. Going to a hardware store shouldn’t be a big deal. Unless a woman’s old boyfriend, one who barely remembered her and was the key to a life-altering secret, might happen to be there.

Alex couldn’t think of a reason to avoid Jude’s errand. Besides, rehearsals started this morning. Daniel had said he wanted to coach, so if he was anywhere close, he’d be at the theater. And even if he wasn’t, what were the chances he’d be at the store? Didn’t he have civic duties to perform?

“Fine. Give me your list,” she said.

“You’ll be back by 2:30, won’t you?”

“Sure, but why?”

“I have to pick Wesley up at the bus stop, and I want to be at the barn when you come by. Thought you might like to see some of the improvements I’ve made to the property.”

“I would. Lizzie enjoyed her tour yesterday, and she’s even less of a horse person than I am.”

Jude stood suddenly. “Gotta go. Got a dozen goats waiting for breakfast.” She left by the back door, trailed by a tail-wagging Mutt, and hollered over her shoulder. “Thanks, Allie-belle!”

Alex smiled. Despite the tension of knowing Daniel was nearby, coming home had its advantages. Like being with her mother and father, and hearing the nickname she’d almost forgotten in the past few years. The Foster sisters were a tight group, each different from the other, yet loving in her own way. Alex missed Carrie. They talked two or three times a week, but even so, her absence felt as if a piece of the puzzle was missing.

“Mom, I’m ready!” Lizzie came into the kitchen, her backpack over her shoulder, the script she’d been studying in her hand, and her dark hair fastened into two braids. “It’s 8:30. I don’t want to be late.”

“Let’s go, then.”

The drive on the rural road to the Red Barn was peaceful. A few farm trucks gave a pastoral feel to the mix of BMWs and other classy cars of Fox Creek neighbors. On the way, Lizzie went over her lines. “I don’t have that big a part, but I want to do a good job. This is my first real acting gig.”

“And your last before you head off to Bryn Mawr,” Alex said. The two women had carefully considered all the top schools in the east where Lizzie could study literature, and they’d decided on the all-female Pennsylvania college. At first Lizzie had protested the absence of men, but when she discovered she could take classes at the University of Pennsylvania, which was coed, she readily accepted Bryn Mawr’s offer.

“I wonder if Daniel Chandler will be here today,” Lizzie said as they approached the theater. “I hope he is.”

Alex took a deep breath. “I don’t know, honey. He didn’t sound as if he’d be terribly involved when I talked to him.”

“He’s really good-looking, isn’t he?”

“Ah...” What would be the point of denying what was so obviously true. “I suppose.”

“Did you notice his arms and hands? He has lots of muscles for a guy who normally wears a suit.”

Alex didn’t answer, but she definitely remembered those strong, athletic arms.

“I mentioned him to Grandpa, and he told me that Daniel was elected to the state senate two years ago. He’s really popular with everyone in this district. Grandpa voted for him.”

“I would imagine that he’s kept busy with his duties. I wouldn’t count on seeing too much of him at the theater.”

Lizzie sighed with a typical teenage dreaminess. “He’d make a hunky Henry Hill, don’t you think?”

Determined not to focus on the fact that Lizzie was talking so openly about her father, Alex made light of the question. “I’m sure a state senator doesn’t have time to be the lead in a small-town summer production.”

“You’re probably right.”

They pulled into the lot and got out of the car. Lizzie entered the theater first and went right to the stage, where Glen and several other people were milling about. Thank goodness Daniel wasn’t one of them.

“Hey there, Zaneeta!” Glen called. “Now we’re all here for the first day’s rehearsal.” He smiled at Alex. “You want to stay, Alex? I’m sure we can put you to work.”

She laughed. “I’ve already been given an assignment from my sister. I’m on my way into Greenfield.”

“Okay. We’ll probably wrap up around three. But I’ll have Lizzie call you.”

Glen was introducing Lizzie to the other cast members as Alex left the theater. Okay, so their first meeting was just a temporary snag. Chances were, Lizzie wouldn’t see much of Daniel for the rest of the summer. And Alex wouldn’t, either. Crisis averted.

Once she’d finished paying for her purchases at the drugstore, Alex drove down Main Street to Chandler’s Hardware. She’d run in, hand the list to Gus and be out in five minutes, tops. She angle-parked in front of the century-old brick building and went inside. Familiar smells made her remember trips to this store with her dad when she was a very little girl, before her studies kept her busy. The scent of freshly cut lumber, the rusty tang of old nails, the smell of tanned leather. All good memories, until she met the owner’s son and hadn’t returned since.