“She’s doing as well as can be expected, thank you.”
“How’s your mother holding up?”
“Being my grandmother’s primary caregiver is tough on her, but she insists on doing most of it herself. She’s handling it all pretty well, though.”
He heard the concern underlying her words, and figured she worried almost as much about her mother as she did her grandmother. “Alice said she met your mom at your house yesterday after school.”
Meagan smiled wryly. “With all mom’s other responsibilities, she still thinks she needs to bring casseroles for me to stash in my freezer during my recuperation. Even though I keep telling her I’m perfectly capable of cooking for myself now. I really wasn’t down long, though to hear Mother talk about it, you’d think I’d been at death’s door.”
He still wasn’t sure exactly what type of surgery Meagan had undergone, but that seemed too personal to ask. Instead, he commented, “Alice liked your mother. She said she was funny.”
“Mom liked Alice, too. They got into a spirited discussion about a science fiction program on TV they both follow.”
“Ah. The one about the crazy town with all the oddball geniuses? Alice is obsessed with that show.”
“So is Mom, apparently. She watches quite a bit of television when she isn’t reading, since taking care of my grandmother keeps her at home most evenings.”
“How long ago did you lose your father?”
“A little over five years ago. I remember Alice mentioned that your father is still living. In…Texas?”
“Dallas,” he confirmed with a nod.
“Are you close?”
He shrugged. “We get along okay but I wouldn’t call us close, especially since my mother died ten years ago. He’s an architect and he travels a lot with his job, always has. We see each other a few times a year, talk on the phone once a month or so. Alice emails him occasionally and sends him pictures of herself.”
“I see.”
From the corner of his eye, he saw her toying with the little tassel hanging from her clutch zipper. Was she a bit more nervous about this outing than her serene expression let on? He had to admit it felt a bit different being with her without Alice chattering between them.
After a momentary pause, she spoke again. “Alice was looking forward to her sleepover party this evening.”
“Yes. Her three best friends are all going to be there. There will be some major giggling in that house tonight.”
Meagan laughed softly. “If it’s anything like the sleepover parties I attended at her age, I’m sure you’re right. I hope she’ll get a few hours sleep.”
He shrugged. “She can rest tomorrow. She doesn’t have any other plans, except for Waldo’s obedience class.”
“What are you going to do about Waldo’s class next week? Alice mentioned that next weekend is her visit with her grandparents in Heber Springs. Will you be taking Waldo to class?”
“I guess so, though the instructors recommend having the same person work with the dog in each class. But he’s just going to have to settle for me this time. If he flunks that class, Alice can blame me rather than her precious dog.”
She smiled in response to the joke, but spoke seriously. “It’s nice that Alice’s grandparents live close enough for her to maintain a relationship with them, especially since her mother is so far away.”
Seth nodded. “It’s just under a two-hour drive to their home on Greer’s Ferry Lake. They moved to Heber Springs when Harold—Alice’s grandfather—retired from his law practice in Jonesboro, where they raised Colleen. I met Colleen in law school, here in Little Rock. Her parents are decent people. They’ve mellowed in the past few years, and they’re very fond of their grandchildren. They fly to Denver fairly often to visit their other daughter’s family, and they see Alice one weekend a month. She enjoys spending time with them.”
“I’ve always been close to my grandparents. My father’s parents are still living in Florida, and my paternal grandmother and I stay in touch through the computer. She’s addicted to the social networking sites. My mom’s mother, on the other hand, has never touched a computer. She always considered them vaguely sinister.”
Seth laughed. “There are times I’d agree with her.”
Traffic had almost stopped when they approached the parking deck of the luxury hotel. He inched the car forward, hoping the deck wouldn’t fill up before he found a space. At least Meagan seemed to have relaxed with him a little during their chat about Alice. He wasn’t sure why she’d been tense at the beginning. Maybe it was just that first date thing.
Ten minutes later, they walked into the glittering ballroom. DeAnna had gone all out on decorations for the event, which was to raise money for a local battered women’s shelter. He’d never seen so much glittering purple in one venue. Attendance was good; the ballroom was almost filled with attendees in elegant clothing, their conversations underscored by the music of the eight-member orchestra situated in a far corner of the room.
He spotted quite a few familiar faces immediately, mingling in ever-changing groups or seated at the purple-and-silver draped tables arranged around the edges of the ballroom. He smiled and nodded toward one of the portly senior partners of the law firm, who was making a beeline toward the food tables. On the other side of the large room guests mingled around more tables, some scribbling their names on pads flanked by elegant floral arrangements. A silent auction was part of the night’s festivities. Seth supposed he’d have to examine the offerings and make a bid, himself. He hoped there was something worth bidding for.
“Dr. Baker!”