The Road To Love: Love by Degree / The Rain Sparrow

“I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

Ellen suppressed a shudder at the thought of what would’ve happened had Reed caught a glimpse of Monte’s antics. She herself handled the boys’ teasing with good-natured indulgence, but she was fairly sure that Reed would take offense at their nonsense. And heaven forbid that Danielle should ever catch a hint of what was going on—not that anything was going on.

With her thoughts becoming more muddled every minute, Ellen made her way to the third floor to change into a pair of gray tailored pants and a frilly pale blue silk blouse. One glance in the mirror and she sadly shook her head. They were only going out for pizza—there was no need to wear anything so elaborate. Hurriedly, she changed into dark brown cords and a turtleneck sweater the color of summer wheat. Then she ran a brush through her short curls and freshened her lipstick.

When Ellen returned to the living room, Reed was already waiting for her. “You’re sure you don’t mind going out?” she asked again.

“Are you dodging your pizza offer?”

He was so serious that Ellen couldn’t help laughing. “Not at all.”

“Good. I hope you like spicy sausage with lots of olives.”

“Love it.”

His hand rested on her shoulder. “And a cold beer.”

“This is sounding better all the time.” Ellen would have guessed that Reed was the type of man who drank martinis or expensive cocktails. In some ways, he was completely down-to-earth and in others, surprisingly complex. Perceptive, unpretentious and unpredictable—she knew that much about him, but she didn’t expect to understand him anytime soon.

Reed helped her into his pickup, which was parked in the driveway. The evening sky was already dark and Ellen regretted not having brought her coat.

“Cold?” Reed asked her when they stopped at a red light.

“Only a little.”

He adjusted the switches for the heater and soon a rush of warm air filled the cab. Reed chatted easily, telling her about his project in California and explaining why his work demanded so much travel. “That’s changing now.”

“Oh?” She couldn’t restrain a little shiver of gladness at his announcement. “Will you be coming home more often?”

“Not for another three or four months. I’m up for promotion and then I’ll be able to pick and choose my assignments more carefully. Over the past four years, I’ve traveled enough to last me a lifetime.”

“Then it’s true that there’s no place like home.”

“Be it ever so humble,” he added with a chuckle.

“I don’t exactly consider a three-storey, twenty-room turn-of-the-century mansion all that humble.”

“Throw in four college students and you’ll quickly discover how unassuming it can become.”

“Oh?”

“You like that word, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she agreed, her mouth curving into a lazy smile. “It’s amazing how much you can say with that one little sound.”

Reed exited the freeway close to the Seattle Center and continued north. At her questioning glance, he explained, “The best pizza in Seattle is made at a small place near the Center. You don’t mind coming this far, do you?”

“Of course not. I’ll travel a whole lot farther than this for a good pizza.” Suddenly slouching forward, she dropped her forehead into her hand. “Oh, no. It’s happening.”

“What is?”

“I’m beginning to sound like Monte.”

They both laughed. It felt so good to be sitting there with Reed, sharing an easy, relaxed companionship, that Ellen could almost forget about Danielle. Almost, but not quite.

Although Ellen had said she’d pay for the pizza, Reed insisted on picking up the tab. They sat across from each other at a narrow booth in the corner of the semidarkened room. A lighted red candle in a glass bowl flickered on the table between them and Ellen decided this was the perfect atmosphere. The old-fashioned jukebox blared out the latest country hits, drowning out the possibility of any audible conversation, but that seemed just as well since she was feeling strangely tongue-tied.

When their number was called, Reed slid from the booth and returned a minute later with two frothy beers in ice-cold mugs and a huge steaming pizza.

“I hope you don’t expect us to eat all this?” Ellen said, shouting above the music. The pizza certainly smelled enticing, but Ellen doubted she’d manage to eat more than two or three pieces.

“We’ll put a dent in it, anyway,” Reed said, resuming his seat. “I bought the largest, figuring the boys would enjoy the leftovers.”

“You’re a terrific older brother.”

The song on the jukebox was fading into silence at last.

“There are times I’d like to shake some sense into Derek, though,” Reed said.

Ellen looked down at the spicy pizza and put a small slice on her plate. Strings of melted cheese still linked the piece to the rest of the pie. She pulled them loose and licked her fingers. “I can imagine how you felt when you discovered that Derek had accidentally-on-purpose forgotten to tell you about renting out rooms.”

Reed shrugged noncommittally. “I was thinking more about the time he let you climb on top of the roof,” he muttered.

“He didn’t let me, I went all by myself.”

“But you won’t do it again. Right?”

“Right.” Ellen nodded reluctantly. Behind Reed’s slow smiles and easy banter, she recognized his unrelenting male pride. “You still haven’t forgiven me for that, have you?”

“Not you. Derek.”

“I think this is one of those subjects on which we should agree to disagree.”

“Have you heard from your mother?” Reed asked, apparently just as willing to change the subject.

“Yes. She’s emailed me several times. She seems very happy and after a day or two, I discovered I couldn’t be more pleased for her. She deserves a lot of contentment.”

“I knew you’d realize that.” Warmth briefly showed in his green eyes.

“I felt a lot better after talking to you. I was surprised when Mom announced her marriage, but I shouldn’t have been. The signs were there all along. I suppose once the three of us kids were gone, she felt free to remarry. And I suppose she thought that presenting it to the family as a fait accompli would make it easier for all of us.”

There was a comfortable silence as they finished eating. The pizza was thick with sausage and cheese, and Ellen placed her hands on her stomach after leisurely eating two narrow pieces. “I’m stuffed,” she declared, leaning back. “But you’re right, this has got to be the best pizza in town.”

“I thought you’d like it.”

Reed brought over a carry-out box and Ellen carefully put the leftovers inside.

“How about a movie?” he asked once they were in the car park.