A Season of Angels Page 0,27

you that I have a child?"

Glen straightened in his seat. "Bother me? I consider your son a bonus."

"Don't say that until you meet him. He's quite a character."

"I'm looking forward to doing exactly that."

They were nearing the Seattle dock and Glen stood, eager for them to be on their way. He glanced at the gold watch on his wrist. "You think Timmy might still be awake?"

Jody laughed and nodded. "I'm sure of it. He's anxious to meet you too and please don't hold it against me if he asks you a lot of personal questions."

"Does Timmy like sports?"

"He loves them. According to his coach, he's going to be a dynamite pitcher someday."

"Really." Glen actually beamed. "I was the pitcher for our high school team."

"You were?" This was like a match made in heaven. Almost too good to be true. "If you mention that to my son, he'll be your friend for life."

Their pace was fast as they headed toward the car. Glen's hand was at Jody's elbow and although they were walking up a steep hill, it didn't seem to thwart their enthusiasm.

As Jody suspected, Timmy was dressed in his pajamas waiting for her return. The instant he heard the front door open, he raced from the family room like pistons firing awake an engine. He stopped abruptly in front of Glen and threw back his head to look up at him.

"How tall are you?"

"Six-two. Is that tall enough?" Glen asked, crouching down so that they met eye to eye.

"That depends."

"Timmy, where are your manners?" Jody reminded her son.

"I've got to check him out, don't I?"

"Let me introduce you before you bombard him with questions," she said.

Timmy held out his hand. "I'm Timothy Jeffery Potter."

Glen stuck out his much larger hand. "Glen Francis Richardson, but don't tell anyone my middle name's Francis, all right?" The two exchanged enthusiastic handshakes.

"I won't tell a soul." Timmy spit on his two fingers and crossed his heart. "I promise and you can zap me with a laser gun if you find out that I have."

Just then Helen Chandler came out of the family room, which was situated off the kitchen, and Jody made the introductions. "If you don't mind, I'm heading home. My favorite television program's about to start and I don't want to miss it."

"I'll see you to the door," Jody said. She needn't have worried about Glen. Timmy led him back into the family room, insisting that he show Glen his baseball card collection. At this rate her dinner date would be there for hours.

"How'd it go?" her mother whispered loud enough to be heard into the next county and certainly the family room.

"Very well," Jody said, opening the door. She didn't want to stand in the doorway and carry on a conversation when it was likely Glen could hear every word they were saying.

"Do you like him?"

"Mother."

"Well, do you?" Helen pressed.

"Yes."

Her mother threw back her head and shocked Jody out of five years of her life by shouting, "Hallelujah!"

"Mom," Timmy called from the other room. "Are you coming? Did you know Glen has a signed Ken Griffey, Jr. baseball card?"

"I have to go," Jody said, grateful to her son for the convenient excuse. This was neither the time nor the place for this intimate conversation with her mother. "I promise I'll call you after church tomorrow morning."

"Mom," Timmy shouted again, "can Glen go to church with us?"

"Ah . . ." Jody glanced from her mother to the other room, not knowing which way to turn.

"Go and talk to Glen and Timmy. We can chat later." Before Jody could turn away, her mother impulsively reached for her and hugged her. "Everything's going to be just fine. I can feel it. I've waited a good long time for this," she said and kissed Jody on the cheek with a loud smack.

"Mom." Timmy raced into the room and grabbed her by the hand, dragging her into the other room. "If Glen comes to church with us, you'll cook breakfast for him, won't you? Make something really good, though, okay, because I told him you're a really fabulous cook." He lowered his voice substantially, to a soft whisper. "Just don't serve that liver sausage stuff you did at Christmas, it was yucky."

"All right, all right," Jody said, walking into the room. It amazed her how easily Timmy had accepted Glen. Her eyes met Glen's and he smiled at her. "You've got yourself quite a son, Jody. He's everything you said and more."

"I like Glen, too,"