Happy Father's Day by Barbara Faith

Author:Barbara Faith [Barbara Faith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781459280571
Publisher: Harlequin

“This will take an hour or so,” Fernando said when he ushered her into his office on the sixth floor of an old and beautiful building. “Do you want to wait, or would you like to go out and walk around?”

“I think I’ll go shopping.”

“Fine. Come back in an hour, and I’ll be ready.” He put his arms around her. “Thank you for agreeing to stay with us, Kristen. I wanted you to see how we lived, to get to know the children.” He rested a hand on her cheek. “And me,” he said.

She wanted to tell him then that it wouldn’t work. Perhaps if there weren’t the children, the two of them might have had, in time, a future together. Fernando was a wonderful man, an admirable man. But a man who loved children. She didn’t. That was it. Period. The fault lay with her, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.

When she left him she window-shopped down the tree-lined Paseo del Parque. The stores here were elegant, and in one of them she saw a belt she thought would look good with her blue skirt. She went in to buy it, then a colorful silk scarf, and, thinking to buy some Spanish perfume for Tillie, moved farther on into the store.

When she passed the children’s section on her way to the perfume, she saw that the girls’ clothes were bright and pretty. She thought of the dark blue blouse and gray skirt Gretyl had worn today and stopped for a moment to look. When a clerk approached to ask if she could help with anything, she said, “Oh, no. I’m only looking.”

The clerk motioned toward the little-girl dresses on one of the racks. “Aren’t these pretty?” she said. “They’re our spring collection. They’ve just come in.”

“I really don’t have the time…” She touched one or two of the dresses. And again she thought of the gray skirt and dark-blue blouse Gretyl had worn today. It really wasn’t her business, but perhaps she could suggest to Fernando that brighter things be bought for the little girl.

“Isn’t this pink sweet?” the saleslady asked.

It was a pale pink cotton with a white collar and puffed sleeves. Kristen hesitated. It would be overstepping for her to buy Gretyl’s clothes. Wouldn’t it? On the other hand…“What size is it?” she asked.

“The sizes are different here than in the United States,” the woman said. “But it will fit a six- or seven-year-old.”

She thought of how it would look on Gretyl, how the pink would brighten her complexion. She said, “I don’t think so.” She even started to walk away. Then she came back and said, “All right. I’ll take it.” And found herself adding, “Can you show me some skirts and blouses?”

She bought a white ruffled blouse and a short red skirt and, knowing she shouldn’t give something to Gretyl without buying something for Lucita, bought a bright blue blouse and a blue hairband for the other little girl, along with a red hairband for Gretyl.

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