Free A Gift for All Seasons by Karen Templeton

everything it had to offer, you know? Then he knocked me into next week by asking if I’d consider marrying him, saying how happy it would make Helene, especially since he knew how fond she was of me.”
    Her eyes glanced off first Mel’s, then Blythe’s. “After everything he’d done for my parents—and me,” she said softly, “how could I say no?”
    The waitress came over, asked if they wanted dessert. Blythe and April said no, they were good, but Mel ordered a piece of strawberry chiffon pie as big as her head. Which the waitress served with three forks.
    Mel duly distributed the utensils, pushing the pie into the center of the table for easier access. No fool, she. “You didn’t even consider refusing?”
    April took a tiny forkful of the airy dessert, letting the tart sweetness melt on her tongue before she said, “I was shocked, of course, but...no. I cared for them both too much. He also promised,” she said softly, “that I’d never have to worry about my parents’ finances again.”
    Fork halfway to her mouth, Blythe frowned. “But you were married for nearly four years.”
    “I know. His oncologist was incredulous. Especially since Clay refused any aggressive treatment. In fact for a while he was even well enough to do some more traveling.”
    “And you never...?”
    April swiped another tiny bite that blurred as her eyes swam with tears. “Even if he could have...that wasn’t what we had.”
    “But was it what you wanted?”
    “I suppose I didn’t let myself think about it.”
    Blythe took the last bite of pie. Mel signaled for another piece. “But...four years...? Wow.”
    A tight smile tugged at April’s mouth. “Oh, when Clay realized he apparently wasn’t leaving on the doctors’ schedule, he asked me if I wanted to reconsider our arrangement. Several times. With the understanding that he’d keep his end of the agreement. About my parents, I mean. But each time I told him no.”
    “Because of everything he’d done for you?”
    April thought about that for a moment. “I’m not going to say that wasn’t part of it. Aside from that, though, I’d also made a promise, of my own free will. And I’m not one to back out of something simply because it gets hard. Or inconvenient. But the real reason I stayed was because I loved him. Loved them both. They were very dear friends, and I wouldn’t have turned my back on either of them for the world. And what other people think about that...well, it’s really none of their concern, is it?”
    She saw tears bunch in the corners of Mel’s eyes. “No. It sure as hell isn’t. Even so—” those eyes narrowed
“—Blythe and I aren’t ‘other people.’ And keeping secrets is for the birds. It’s kind of hard to get your back if you don’t let us see it. Am I right?” she said to Blythe, who muttered something that sounded like “Sure thing,” as the second piece of pie came.
    They all picked up their forks again and dived in, munching for several seconds before Blythe said to April, “And you really, truly never found anyone before you met Clayton you wanted to get naked with?”
    “Good Lord, Blythe,” Mel said, “give it a rest.”
    “No, it’s okay.” April looked Blythe in the eye. “I was hardly the only twenty-one-year-old virgin out there.”
    “One of the few. If not proud,” Blythe said, and Mel smacked her again.
    April shrugged. “First off, that’s none of anybody’s business, either. Secondly, this chick does not cast her pearls before swine, thank you very much,” which led Mel to mumble something about wishing somebody had said that to her, back in the day. Although, Blythe then pointed out, at least Mel’s pearls-before-swine experience had resulted in the smartest, most awesome ten-year-old girl, ever, so it all worked out, before swinging her gaze back to April.
    “Only now you’re twenty-six. And I take it Patrick’s not swine.”
    April stuffed another bite of pie into her mouth. Thought about