With shaking, unsteady hands she dialed the phone and made reservations for the week. Then, as calmly as possible, she wrote down the phone number and address of the hotel and placed it in an envelope before sitting down near the window and waiting. It wasn’t long, maybe only ten minutes, but it felt like an eternity to Erin before she saw Kane walk out toward his car. Fortunately Krista was with him. Erin managed a smile through her tears as she saw that Krista was able to walk to the car with her father’s assistance. Although she leaned heavily on Kane, the girl stumbled only once and he was able to catch her. The playful little kitten followed along. There appeared to be a slight argument of some sort, and Erin guessed that it had to do with the cat. Kane was shaking his head, but in the end, the black ball of fur was allowed to tag along for the ride.

After Kane’s car was out of sight, Erin hurried out of her apartment and sprinted down the stairs to knock on Mrs. Cavenaugh’s door. Erin tapped lightly against the wood, and the door was opened in an instant. The little old woman was up and dressed, as if she were expecting company.

“Good morning,” the gray-haired lady said cheerily, her wise blue eyes flicking from Erin’s distressed face to the suitcase in her hands. “Good morning, Mrs. Cavenaugh,” Erin replied. “I…I’ve got to leave town for a while….”

Mrs. Cavenaugh’s gray eyebrows shot upward and her mouth pursed into an expression of distaste. Erin continued. “Urgent business…I’ll be gone for a week, maybe longer. In this envelope is the telephone number and address of the hotel where I can be reached in case of an emergency….”

“Erin,” Mrs. Cavenaugh’s calm voice broke into her chatter. “You know that I hate to pry, but what’s the matter? Did something happen between you and Kane?” Kind, concerned blue eyes probed Erin’s rigid face.

“What…what do you mean?”

“I mean ‘leaving town because of urgent business’ is a trifle overused.” A wry smile twisted the wrinkled face. “Honestly I would have expected something with a little more imagination.”

“Well, it’s the truth,” Erin maintained.

“And you’re a terrible liar.”

“Mrs. Cavenaugh, I’m not lying, honestly. Something has come up, something I can’t deal with. I need a little time and distance in order to sort things out.”

Mrs. Cavenaugh’s knowing smile broadened. “Well, at least you’re opening up a little. I understand that you might need a little space, isn’t that what they say these days? I can’t argue with that, but….”

“What?”

“Well, don’t let your pride come between you and something you really want.”

Erin sucked in her breath. “You mean Kane, don’t you?” she sighed dismally and broke eye contact with her elderly tenant.

“He’s a man who loves you dearly. And his daughter!” The old lady threw up her hands and shook her head at the incredulity of the situation.