“I think Figaro’s a great name,” Erin agreed. “Now,” she said as she stood up and adjusted her skirt, “I’ll hurry upstairs and change my clothes before I cook us all some dinner.”

Mrs. Cavenaugh and Krista exchanged knowing, conspiratorial glances. “Don’t bother,” Mrs. Cavenaugh suggested. “Krista and I are going to eat a pizza and watch The Late Show. I suppose the cat will too. Remember I told you that Kane called earlier. He wants the two of you to go out alone.”

“I don’t know….” Erin looked pensively at the blond girl in the wheelchair and the cat nestled comfortably in her lap. “Are you sure that Kane wanted only me? I thought he wanted to spend some time with Krista.”

“It’s already been decided,” Mrs. Cavenaugh stated firmly. “He called a few minutes ago. It was his idea. You’re supposed to meet him at a place called The Tattered Sail or some such nonsense. I think he said that it’s on the waterfront.”

“Are you sure?” Erin still wasn’t convinced. “He didn’t say anything to me about dinner….”

Mrs. Cavenaugh clucked her tongue and interrupted, “That’s why he called. He missed you. He’d been in some sort of a meeting with a fellow from California, a Mr….”

“Haney,” Erin supplied.

“That was it. Anyway, by the time he got out of the meeting, you had already gone.” Mrs. Cavenaugh noted the puzzled expression on Erin’s face. “Now, don’t ask me any more questions, because I don’t know anything else.”

Erin turned her attention to Kane’s daughter. The girl had managed to take a few steps on her own and flop down on the couch with the cat. Krista’s progress was encouraging. “Krista, wouldn’t you like to join us?”

The girl rolled her head negatively against the back of the couch and playfully scratched the kitten’s belly. “Naw—not tonight. I think I’d rather stay here with Figaro. Besides, we’ve already ordered the pizza, and the movie is going to be great!”

Erin glanced at Mrs. Cavenaugh, who lifted her shoulders. A tiny hint of a smile pulled at the corner of the wrinkled mouth. “Well, if you’re sure, but somehow I feel that I’m the innocent victim of a conspiracy.”

“No one could accuse you of a lack of imagination. Conspiracy, ha!” Mrs. Cavenaugh rejoined, but her wise old eyes brightened. “Now, you’d better get going. You don’t want to be late. Kane said he’d meet you at about eight o’clock.”

Convinced that both Mrs. Cavenaugh and Krista were satisfied with their plans for the evening, Erin made her way up the stairs and began changing for her dinner date with Kane. She couldn’t hide the feeling of excitement that surged within her. It seemed like an eternity since she had spent some time alone with him. It wasn’t that she begrudged him the time he shared with his daughter, it was just that Erin missed the intimate and quiet times she had shared with him in the past. He had seemed so remote lately.