Free Winter Hopes (Seasons of Love) by Jennifer Gracen Page B

Sam of expensive brandy. Lydia’s expressive, beautiful eyes had captivated him from their first meeting. He studied the picture, taking in the happy expression on Lydia’s face. Warmth touched his heart with soft fingers.
    The second picture was of Lydia, Jane, a man that Sam assumed was Jane’s husband, since he stood next to her with his arm around her waist. Four children were lined up in front of them, all in costumes, three boys and a girl. They were all outside, in front of an attractive brick house and trees that were multicolored with autumn glory. “Andy, me, and the Aronson Family” the caption read.
    In the third picture, Lydia held her son’s hand as the two of them walked down a tree-lined suburban street, looking at each other and laughing. Whoever caught that moment got a great shot , Sam thought with approval.
    The last picture was of Lydia alone; she stood under a tree, in her orange sweater and jeans, smiling demurely at the camera with one eyebrow arched, and holding a large yellow leaf to her chest. Sam felt his insides warm and a smile etch deeply onto his face. It was a reminder of the day they’d met, when he’d caught a leaf just like that one as it blew towards them in the garden. He recalled the wary yet amused look on Lydia’s face as he’d held it out to her, an offering…
    He picked up his cell phone and hit speed dial, still smiling. Lydia picked up on the third ring, and before she could say anything beyond a hello, Sam said, “I love these pictures. Especially the last one, the one with the leaf. You know why.”
    Lydia laughed softly. “That leaf fell down right on my head! It made me think of you, of course. So I asked Jane to take that picture so I could send it to you.”
    “That’s pretty cool. I love it. I’m going to print this picture out, if you don’t mind.”
    “Seriously?” she asked.
    “Yeah, seriously. You look beautiful.” He leaned back in his chair, his eyes lingering on the photo. “I love this shot. The look on your face, your hair flowing over your shoulders, the colors, the leaf— everything about it.”
    “Well, thanks,” she said, sounding self-conscious. “I’m glad you like it… that you like all the pictures. I’d hoped you would.”
    “Your son is really adorable,” Sam said. “Except for the blue eyes, he looks a lot like you.”
    “That’s the rumor,” she joked lightly. "The blue eyes are from his father."
    “Okay. Woody costume, huh? Very cute.”
    “Thank you,” Lydia said. “Yeah, he was super cute. He had so much fun, I was so happy for him. This was the first year he really got that it was Halloween, understood what was going on, you know? The kids all had a ball.”
    “You have a nice family there,” Sam noted. “Looks like you all had a good time.”
    “Yeah, it was okay, considering,” Lydia said.
    “Considering what?” Sam asked.
    “Huh? Oh.” Lydia paused, the awkward pause of someone who’d slipped. “Um… well, guess who actually took that picture of my whole family?”
    “Uh… a neighbor?” Sam guessed.
    “I wish,” Lydia quipped. “No. My ex-husband. Matt came trick or treating with us. He called me the night before and asked if he could come. I was hoping he wouldn’t show up, but there he was at Jane’s door, right on time.”
    “Ah. I see.” Sam rubbed his jaw and asked, “How’d that go?”
    “Actually, not as bad as I thought it would. He wasn’t his usual sullen self, and he tried to be nice to everyone, even my sister. Andy was thrilled to have both of his parents there. What can I say? It was a glimpse of our future, I guess… having to deal with each other for Andy’s sake. We got through it.”
    “Well, I’m glad it went smoothly, then,” Sam said. Lydia didn’t usually talk about Matt with him. Sam was a bit surprised she’d brought up any of it, but was glad she did. He took it as a sign that she was starting to feel more comfortable with him.
    “Yeah. It was okay.”