"So, they're really getting along?" Mark asked.
"Yeah, the girls are in love with him." Carol switched the phone from one ear to the other. "They're all at the park right now."
"At least they don't hate him."
"Gee, thanks, Mark."
"How are you two getting along? You and Doug?"
"We're okay. He got a box of his stuff he left...did you know he had a ring?"
"What do you mean, a ring?"
"A wedding ring."
"You saw that?"
"You knew about it?"
"I wasn't going to tell you, it wasn't my place."
"Mommy, we're home!" Little feet were heard through the hall.
"They're home, I've got to go."
"Alright, Carol, I'll see you tomorrow." Carol hung up the phone and walked to the front porch.
"Take off your boots, Kate." She told the youngest girl. "Did you three have fun?"
"Yeah!" Tess cried. "We swung."
"And we see-sawed." Kate chimed in.
"Go wash up for dinner." She told them, and the two marched to the washroom, leaving Carol alone with Doug.
"I'm gonna go over to my hotel." Doug stepped off the porch. "I'll call tomorrow after the funeral."
"Doug." Carol stopped him. "Why don't you stay for dinner?"
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yeah...." She nodded. "I mean, it's just macaroni, not much, but...for old times' sake, in the least."
"Alright." Doug smiled sincerely and walked back inside.
Later that night, after Kate and Tess had gone to bed, Carol and Doug sat on the couch, looking over old photos and talking quietly, their old camaraderie returned in full.
"The Fourth of July baseball game." Doug chuckled. "Remember the fireworks?"
"I remember you losing the game." Carol retorted.
"I did not lose!" he cried.
"You did too, you dropped the ball." She laughed. "And Susan." Carol pointed to a young Susan Lewis making a face at the camera.
"She's back at the hospital, from what I heard." Doug said.
"Yeah, she came back after her sister moved...that was about two years ago." She nodded.
"Oh, look at this...." Doug laughed, holding up a particularly naughty picture of Carol on their old bed.
"Oh, my God, give me those!" Carol snatched at the pictures.
"No way!" Doug held them high above her head. "These are my pictures, I keep them."
"Doug!" she shrieked. He stood and ran around the downstairs, the pictures clutched in his hand, Carol following him closely. He stopped short in the hallway and she bumped into him, crashing onto the floor with a thump, their faces mere inches from each other. Carol felt his hot breath on her neck, where she had felt it so many times before, and a shiver went through her again. She quickly got off of the floor, shaking her hair back and dusting off her clothes.
"Sorry about that." Doug smiled wickedly, holding out the photos.
"Burn these." She said, shoving them back into his hands.
"You start the fire." He replied and she cracked a small smile. Minutes later, a small fire was crackling in the living room as the two crouched in front of it, feeding it with the dirty pictures.
"So, how have you been since we last saw each other?" Carol asked, grimacing at a photo and tossing it in.
"Fine, just fine." Doug said. "I got a job at a children's hospital downtown. Bought a nice house."
"A house?" Carol raised her eyebrows. "Not just an apartment or something?"
"Well, I...you see, I met this woman in Seattle, Jessie." Doug cleared his throat nervously. "And we got married."
"Married?" Carol raised her eyebrows.
"Yeah." He nodded.
"The Great Douglas Ross settled down and had a family?" she asked incredulously.
"For a little while." Doug replied. "We divorced eight months after."
"Eight months?" Carol's eyebrows went even higher. "That's all it lasted?"
"You know me and my relationships." He smiled a little.
"Why'd you end it?" she asked.
"Same reason I ended all the others." He shrugged. "I got bored, wasn't interested, and ended it."
"Is that why you ended ours? The first time?" she tilted her head to one side.
"No." he shook his head.
"Then why?"
"I was...in awe of you." He said, his voice dropping. "You were so...I just didn't want to get involved, I didn't want to hurt you." Carol smiled a bit.
"Guess that didn't work out so well, hmm?" She said quietly, trying not to let sarcasm invade her voice.
"Guess not." He shook his head. "I'm going. I'll call tomorrow." Doug leaned over and gently kissed her cheek, his lips barely brushing her soft skin, just enough to send a small patter through her heart that she quickly forced to stop.
"Goodnight." She said, as he opened the door.
"Goodnight." He replied, walking out.
"Yeah, the girls are in love with him." Carol switched the phone from one ear to the other. "They're all at the park right now."
"At least they don't hate him."
"Gee, thanks, Mark."
"How are you two getting along? You and Doug?"
"We're okay. He got a box of his stuff he left...did you know he had a ring?"
"What do you mean, a ring?"
"A wedding ring."
"You saw that?"
"You knew about it?"
"I wasn't going to tell you, it wasn't my place."
"Mommy, we're home!" Little feet were heard through the hall.
"They're home, I've got to go."
"Alright, Carol, I'll see you tomorrow." Carol hung up the phone and walked to the front porch.
"Take off your boots, Kate." She told the youngest girl. "Did you three have fun?"
"Yeah!" Tess cried. "We swung."
"And we see-sawed." Kate chimed in.
"Go wash up for dinner." She told them, and the two marched to the washroom, leaving Carol alone with Doug.
"I'm gonna go over to my hotel." Doug stepped off the porch. "I'll call tomorrow after the funeral."
"Doug." Carol stopped him. "Why don't you stay for dinner?"
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yeah...." She nodded. "I mean, it's just macaroni, not much, but...for old times' sake, in the least."
"Alright." Doug smiled sincerely and walked back inside.
Later that night, after Kate and Tess had gone to bed, Carol and Doug sat on the couch, looking over old photos and talking quietly, their old camaraderie returned in full.
"The Fourth of July baseball game." Doug chuckled. "Remember the fireworks?"
"I remember you losing the game." Carol retorted.
"I did not lose!" he cried.
"You did too, you dropped the ball." She laughed. "And Susan." Carol pointed to a young Susan Lewis making a face at the camera.
"She's back at the hospital, from what I heard." Doug said.
"Yeah, she came back after her sister moved...that was about two years ago." She nodded.
"Oh, look at this...." Doug laughed, holding up a particularly naughty picture of Carol on their old bed.
"Oh, my God, give me those!" Carol snatched at the pictures.
"No way!" Doug held them high above her head. "These are my pictures, I keep them."
"Doug!" she shrieked. He stood and ran around the downstairs, the pictures clutched in his hand, Carol following him closely. He stopped short in the hallway and she bumped into him, crashing onto the floor with a thump, their faces mere inches from each other. Carol felt his hot breath on her neck, where she had felt it so many times before, and a shiver went through her again. She quickly got off of the floor, shaking her hair back and dusting off her clothes.
"Sorry about that." Doug smiled wickedly, holding out the photos.
"Burn these." She said, shoving them back into his hands.
"You start the fire." He replied and she cracked a small smile. Minutes later, a small fire was crackling in the living room as the two crouched in front of it, feeding it with the dirty pictures.
"So, how have you been since we last saw each other?" Carol asked, grimacing at a photo and tossing it in.
"Fine, just fine." Doug said. "I got a job at a children's hospital downtown. Bought a nice house."
"A house?" Carol raised her eyebrows. "Not just an apartment or something?"
"Well, I...you see, I met this woman in Seattle, Jessie." Doug cleared his throat nervously. "And we got married."
"Married?" Carol raised her eyebrows.
"Yeah." He nodded.
"The Great Douglas Ross settled down and had a family?" she asked incredulously.
"For a little while." Doug replied. "We divorced eight months after."
"Eight months?" Carol's eyebrows went even higher. "That's all it lasted?"
"You know me and my relationships." He smiled a little.
"Why'd you end it?" she asked.
"Same reason I ended all the others." He shrugged. "I got bored, wasn't interested, and ended it."
"Is that why you ended ours? The first time?" she tilted her head to one side.
"No." he shook his head.
"Then why?"
"I was...in awe of you." He said, his voice dropping. "You were so...I just didn't want to get involved, I didn't want to hurt you." Carol smiled a bit.
"Guess that didn't work out so well, hmm?" She said quietly, trying not to let sarcasm invade her voice.
"Guess not." He shook his head. "I'm going. I'll call tomorrow." Doug leaned over and gently kissed her cheek, his lips barely brushing her soft skin, just enough to send a small patter through her heart that she quickly forced to stop.
"Goodnight." She said, as he opened the door.
"Goodnight." He replied, walking out.