Hannah's List (Blossom Street #7)(82)

"I'm so glad you're here," she said fervently.

I kissed her because it was impossible not to. I couldn't be this close to her and resist. But she was so lovely I had trouble taking my eyes off her, even to kiss her.

"I want to tell you my news," she said, breaking off the kiss.

I set her back down on the sidewalk and waited for her to speak. But before she did, she placed her hands on either side of my face and kissed me again.

"So tell me," I urged, loving her enthusiasm for life, loving everything about her.

"I got a part in a local TV commercial!" she said. "I get to be a shopper at the Safeway store."

"A shopper?"

"I push a cart down the aisle and take a box of breakfast cereal from a display at the end of the aisle and put it in my cart. I'm supposed to look pleasantly surprised at the discounted price and from there, I move the cart off screen."

I did my best to look impressed. "Congratulations!"

"The production company is taping it a week from Friday."

"Fabulous."

"If I do well, I might get a speaking role next. No guarantees, of course. The man who produces the radio ads I do recommended me for this. Is that fantastic or what?"

"It is," I told her. She'd explained to me that working in television was high on her list of career goals. And, of course, she had more of those than most people.

"I heard from the TV people this morning that I got the job. Then I did a radio spot for a landscaping service. Oh, and I should be completely finished the mural by the end of the week."

She bounced from one subject to the next with hardly a breath in between.

We'd been standing on the walkway leading to her porch, so she hadn't noticed the pink bicycle attached to my car.

"I brought you something," I said.

"What?" Her eyes grew huge with curiosity.

I ran my hands down the length of her arms, my gaze never leaving her face. I wanted to see her reaction when she first caught sight of the bicycle. "Look behind me. At the car."

She frowned. "You brought me a car?"

"No." I laughed. "The bicycle at the back of my car."

Her face exploded with reaction. She covered her mouth with her fingers, then raced to my car. "Oh, Michael, pink! I love pink."

I helped her remove it from the carrier and let her examine all the features. She laughed at the tassels and the white basket I'd had attached to the front. White with pink flowers!

"I've always wanted a pink bicycle," she told me breathlessly.

"You like it?"

"Are you kidding? I love it! I absolutely love it. Thank you, oh, thank you so much." Once again her arms were around me--not that I was complaining. Her spontaneous joy filled me with joy, too. I was still unaccustomed to emotion like this. It burned in my chest the same way as tears did, and now I understood why people sometimes cry out of happiness.

After Macy had studied every inch of the bicycle, I handed it to her. She immediately hopped on and started pedaling down the empty sidewalk. She wore a skirt and her slim legs pumped the lime-green pedals as her laughter echoed along the street.

The moment he saw her, Sammy jumped down from Harvey's porch to chase after her, barking wildly. She braked and got off, pausing to crouch and rub Sammy's ears. Then she walked the bicycle back to me. She kept her gaze on the ground and I felt a stab of fear.

"What's wrong?"

"Michael," she whispered, close to tears. "Thank you so much."

"Don't cry, please." I shook my head. "I just wanted to give you something special, and your bicycle was ruined."

Tears spilled from her eyes. I'd never seen Macy cry before, and I wasn't sure what to say. Or do. I felt completely helpless. "Macy..."

"I'm so afraid of what'll happen if I fall in love with you. But I...think it's too late."

"Is loving me so bad?" I asked gently.

"Oh, no! It's just that you're an important doctor and, well, look at me," she said, gesturing at her white-andpurple saddle shoes with their pom-pom laces. "You're dignified and I'm...me."

"I'm falling in love with funny, undignified you and that's a good thing."

She brought one hand to her mouth and hid a sob. "That'll change, though. Men think I'm fun and different, and then they get to know me and after a while they decide I'm...annoying. Or silly. And I couldn't stand it if that happened with you."

I clasped her shoulders. "Nothing's going to change my mind about you, Macy. Understand?"

She nodded.

"Come on," I said and took the bike from her. I leaned it against the fence and we sat together on the top step of her porch. Sammy lay at my feet with his chin on my shoe. I stroked his thick fur and he groaned softly, a sound that expressed contentment. A dog or cat asked for so little, I thought--food, shelter, affection--and gave so much.

Meanwhile Macy continued to sniffle.

"I want to tell you something," I finally said. I'd decided it was time Macy knew about Hannah's list, so I told her how I'd come to make that phone call all those weeks ago.

She listened intently as I described what Hannah had written. Her eyes revealed astonishment when I explained that Hannah had given me her name.