Page 10 of Heart of a Hero

“In a way it is. But Lizzie is worth it.” He lovingly kissed the top of her head. “Are you about done with your dinner?” Conrad asked her, and Lizzie picked up the last of her pizza, eating a few bites. The server brought their check, and Conrad paid the bill before Forrest could get it.

“Fine,” Forrest said softly. “I’ll get the next one.” He held Conrad’s gaze and then slipped out of the booth. He waited for Conrad and Lizzie, then they left the restaurant. It had started to rain, but Lizzie hugged him and then Conrad said good-bye before they rushed off across the parking lot and into their car. They waved before getting in the car, and Forrest waved back and then ran to his car and got going.

He drove home and went inside. The small apartment had been about all he could afford, and it seemed empty. When he wasn’t in school, Forrest tended to spend a lot of time alone, though he usually didn’t feel lonely. But tonight, after the opening and dinner with Conrad, the rooms seemed empty. There was something about Conrad that made him smile and his heart do these little flips when he got a smile in return. But he needed to remember that Conrad was the parent of one of his students, and that meant Forrest needed to be careful if he tried to navigate that particular minefield.

Chapter 5

“SO WHO was the Mr. Clean you were having dinner with?” Lester asked the following Monday morning. Conrad hadn’t even reached his desk yet, and Lester was already on him.

“If you must know, he’s Lizzie’s teacher, and he joined us for dinner.” He glared at Lester. “Don’t you have work to do? I know I do.” He turned and went to his desk. Sure enough, he had a number of emails that needed attending to as well as phone calls to return. He took care of all of them and then got down to work on a number of projects he had in the works before his scheduled client meetings.

Most days Conrad had little time to breathe, and today was no exception. He ate his lunch at his desk between teleconferences and somehow managed to get out on time so he could get to his mother’s to pick up Lizzie.

“You’re wearing yourself down,” Mom told him as he schlumped at her table with a cup of coffee and one of her blueberry muffins.

“I really want this promotion, and I need to make sure the projects I’m working on are a success. That’s the only way they’re going to take me seriously. I also spent much of the day working with what I hope will be a new client for the entire firm.” He sat back as Lizzie bounded in. She always had so much energy. Lizzie climbed onto his lap and told him all about her day, who she played with at recess, and what Forrest told her.

“Did you learn a lot?” Conrad asked.

“About platypuses,” Lizzie told him, and then recited some of the things about the southern hemisphere animal.

“I can watch her for a little while more. Go on home, get a shower, and relax a little. I’ll walk Lizzie home in an hour. She and I were going to make cookies anyway.” Lizzie climbed down, and Conrad went on home, intending to take advantage of the time to himself.

He took a shower and was sitting in the living room watching Netflix when Mom brought Lizzie over. She ran to the sofa and jumped up next to him. Mom said good-bye and didn’t give him a chance to ask if she wanted dinner. Obviously she didn’t, and she was off.

“Gramma got a call, and she has a date,” Lizzie told him, giggling.

“Is it that same man as last week?” Conrad asked, and Lizzie shrugged before slipping off the sofa and running to her dolls. She began to play, and Conrad closed his eyes, feeling really tired. He lay back and soon fell asleep, feeling clammy and hot.

He woke when Lizzie tapped on his arm. She was hungry, so he forced himself to get up and make her a quick dinner. The thought of food did not sit well with him, so he just made Lizzie dinner and sat on the sofa, which morphed into him lying down and falling asleep.

TUESDAY MORNING, Conrad woke at one point to Lizzie tapping him on the shoulder. He managed to get up and put her to bed before climbing into his own and crashing. The next thing he knew, he cracked his eyes open to Forrest standing next to his bed.

His mouth tasted like death and his throat hurt like hell. He groaned and tried to make his voice work so he could ask what the hell was going on. Instead, he sipped from the glass of water Forrest offered him and lay back down. “Lizzie used your phone to call me.”

She climbed on the bed. “I thought you were dead like Mommy,” she told him, nearly crying.

“I’m okay, sweetheart.” He could barely hold his head up. “Really, I promise.” He hugged her, and then Lizzie climbed down, telling him she was going to draw him a picture to make him feel better.

“Apparently you didn’t wake up,” Forrest told him. “And she got scared and used your phone. By the way, I think you should change your passcode because she knows what it is.”

“Oh.” His mind sort of refused to work. “Okay.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll see that Lizzie gets to school.”

He thanked this angel man and settled back into the bed once Forrest got him to drink a little more, and sleep overtook him quickly.

IT WAS still light out when he woke again. Laughter drifted up from downstairs. Conrad got out of bed and pulled on comfortable clothes before using the bathroom and then slowly descending the stairs. Forrest and Lizzie sat on the floor playing some sort of card game that involved tossing the cards around and plenty of laughter. He sat on the sofa, watching them play and smiling.

Lizzie laughed hard and long, the joyous sound filling the room. She hadn’t laughed much since her mother died, and now it was full-on happiness. Conrad pulled the blanket up over his shoulders and settled back, letting the two of them have fun.

“Do you need anything?” Forrest asked during an apparent break in the game.

“No, I’m okay.” He sat back and enjoyed his daughter’s happiness.

Conrad must have dozed off again. When he woke this time, it was getting dark and the house smelled of chicken soup. He groaned and got himself off the sofa and headed to the kitchen, where Forrest stood at the stove.

“Is it done yet?” Lizzie asked.