House Swap

He saw Meredith looking around and knew it creeped her out, too. "I'll just be a minute, okay?"

He watched her walk up to the door and a moment later a young woman opened it. He couldn't hear anything but he saw Meredith nodding her head.

"Oh, okay. So you're Gayle's mom. It's nice to meet you," her roommate said.

"Is she home?" Meredith asked.

"Um, no. She's um...she's out right now," the girl said. The look in her eyes told Meredith she was hiding something.

"Do you expect her back shortly? I don't mind waiting if it's okay with you."

The girl didn't reply. She was looking down and trying to avoid eye contact. "Did she leave for the night?" Meredith asked, that sinking feeling in her stomach getting deeper.

"Mrs. Lancaster? Please don't be mad at me, okay? I'm just the messenger." The girl looked up and with a pained expression said, "Gayle went to Phoenix with her boyfriend. In fact, I'm going home to Ohio tomorrow morning. I'm...I'm really sorry. She obviously never expected you to show up and I feel terrible."

Meredith's sinking feeling felt like a kick in the stomach. "It's okay," she said her voice hollow. "Phoenix, huh?"

"Yeah, that's where Drew's family lives. I don't really even know what to say, Mrs. Lancaster."

"This...Drew. Is he a nice boy?" she asked trying to get any kind of information to ease the pain.

"Yeah. He's cool. Very good looking and smart, too. He treats Gayle really well, you know?"

"Oh, okay. Well, um, sorry to have bothered you," Meredith said.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry, Mrs. Lancaster. I'm picturing my mom being in your place and..."

"It's fine, dear," she told her. "This is my fault. I...I should have checked first." She looked around then said, "Okay, then. I suppose I'll be going then."

The girl apologized one more time as Meredith made her way back to Chance's car. He got out and opened the door for her and saw the distressed look on her face. "No luck?"

"Um...no," she said her voice still hollow. She got in and he closed her door then went around.

"This is also none of my business but would this...friend...maybe be your daughter?" In spite of her physical appearance, it was the only thing that made any sense. Who would fly to Seattle from Florida just before Christmas to see anyone but a family member who went to college and who just happened to live in a tiny apartment right off campus?

"Yes," she said quietly. "Evidently, she's in Phoenix. With her boyfriend, Drew. Gayle—my daughter—has mentioned him quite a few times, and I thought they might be getting serious, but I never dreamed she'd tell me she was staying here then leave town with him."

Chance reached over and put his hand on the sleeve of her cashmere coat and said, "You okay?"

"I don't know," she told him truthfully. "I'm kind of in a state of shock right now. I just wanted to see her so badly, you know?" Meredith was staring out to the front of her as she spoke. "We've never not spent Christmas together, and I couldn't stand the thought of being alone."

She finally looked over at Chance then said, "I'm sorry. I'm rambling on about my problems and you need to get that sweet girl of yours home."

"You're not rambling and she doesn't have school tomorrow so..."

"Yay for no school!" Stephanie called out.

Meredith actually smiled then said, "At any rate. Thank you so much for waiting. I really would have been a little afraid waiting for a cab. Now I'm worried for my daughter's sake. This is a really...seedy area, isn't it?"

"Typical university town stuff," he told her. "Reminds me of the place I lived in my last two years of college."

"Oh, okay," she said kind of absentmindedly. "Then again, I suppose it's a bit different for boys than for girls, don't you think?"

"I'm sure my mother did plenty of worrying about me, and I'm also sure your daughter is very safe here." He tried to sound convincing but knew that was just a bold assertion. Then again, he didn't know what else to say.

"Back to your place?" he asked.

"Oh, sure. That would be great," she told him. She forced a weak smile and Chance knew she was hurting and the fact that she was made him hurt for her, too.

"Mrs. Lancaster? I know you have an agreement with my uncle and I also know his house is perfectly safe, but I'm pretty sure you had high hopes of not being alone tonight. Would you be willing to consider being our guest? We have several spare bedrooms and..."

"Stay with us! Pleeease?" Stephanie called out.

"Oh, honey. I...can't do that," she said turning out to look at the little girl in the car seat.

"Our house is really big. We have lots of rooms. You can sleep in the room right by me. Pleeease?"

She turned to Chance and said, "I just can't put you out like that. I've already been such a burden."

Chance forced himself not to laugh. "A burden? You can't be serious. You're all alone in a strange town, your daughter isn't in town, and now...well, I can only imagine how disappointed you are. You're not being a burden, Mrs. Lancaster. I promise you that."

He still hadn't moved the car and he was pretty sure he saw tears forming in her eyes. He put his hand back on her forearm and said, "Would you please be our guest? I'd feel so much better knowing you're not alone in that big old house?"

He had some tissues in the glovebox so he reached over and grabbed them and handed one to Meredith. "What do you say?"

She dabbed her eyes then said, "If I'm going to stay at your place, perhaps you might call me Meredith?"

"Only if you'll call me Chance," he told her smiling brightly at her.

"She's staying with us?" Stephanie said excitedly.

"I think so," her dad said.

"Yes, I'll stay with you tonight," she said. She turned and looked at Stephanie again then said, "But just tonight, okay, sweetheart?"

"Yesss!" Stephanie said doing another fist pump.

Meredith turned to Chance and said, "Thank you, Chance. I really didn't want to be alone tonight."

With that, he pulled back into traffic and headed south all the way to his Uncle Gregg's place so she could pick up what she needed. He offered to go in with her but she refused. "Don't worry, I won't trip the alarm or forget to set it on the way out." She was trying to be friendly, but Chance knew she was still hurting.

As they pulled into the Andrews residence, Meredith was impressed. "Four-car garage," Meredith said as it opened automatically for him.

"With just one car in it," he quipped as they pulled inside. "Sit tight and I'll get your door."

"Get mine first, Daddy!" Stephanie said. He went around and opened Meredith's and helped her out then opened his daughter's.

"Ladies first, right?" he said.

"I'm a lady!" she said authoritatively as he helped her out of her car seat.

"Not yet, pumpkin. You'll be a lady one day, but you're still a girl for a little longer while anyway."

Meredith caught the entire exchange and was smiling. "It doesn't take long, though. Trust me on that. Before you know it she'll be wearing a cap and gown and going off to college."

"I hope that doesn't happen too soon," he told her as he carried his little girl inside but making sure to let Meredith in first.

"Ladies first!" Stephanie said when her father opened the door then stepped aside.

"She is simply adorable!" Meredith said flashing a genuine smile for the first time since leaving the apartment where her daughter was supposed to be but wasn't.

"Okay, let's show you where your room is so you can put your things away," Chance said as he set Stephanie down.

"I'll show her!" she called out before running up the stairs.

"Oh to have that kind of energy again," Meredith said as she followed her.

They went down a long, wide hall and Stephanie said, "This is my room," pointing to what was obviously a little girl's bedroom.

"Oh, that's very pretty," Meredith said admiring all the pink and white.

Stephanie ignored her then pointed to the room next to hers. "And this will be your room!"

"Actually, honey, Mrs. Lancaster needs her own bathroom so is it okay if she stays in the room across the hall from yours?"

"Well, I guess that's okay," she said once she understood why. "Come on. I'll show you where your bed is!" she said grabbing Meredith's hand.

Chance leaned over and whispered, "Just in case you couldn't find it."

Meredith covered her mouth as she tried not to laugh when she saw the beautiful queen-sized bed. "Here it is!" Stephanie announced patting it firmly. "And this is your dresser and your table and that's your bathroom right there!"

"Okay, let's give Mrs. Lancaster some space so she can put things away," Chance said scooping Stephanie back up.

"See you in a few minutes!" she said as the left the bedroom.

It was about five minutes later when Meredith came back downstairs. She was very thankful to be able to use the bathroom after putting her coat away and setting her bags on the bed.

"You have a very lovely home, Chance," she told him. "Thank you again for putting me up. This is so very nice of you."

"My pleasure," he told her. "Can I get you something to drink? We have beer, wine, and I think we have some hard stuff somewhere around here."

"Wine would be very nice, but only if you'll have a glass with me," she said.

"Red or white?" he asked.

"Mmmm. Surprise me," she said sweetly smiling at him.

Before he'd walked away Stephanie was standing next to her and asked, "Can I sit with you?"

Meredith patted the seat next to her and Stephanie climbed up on the oversized chair and joined her. "The girls sit on this side and the boys sit on that side," she said pointing to the sofa across from them separated by a very expensive-looking coffee table.

"Okay. That sounds fine. Do you not like boys yet?" she asked knowing the answer.

"Yuck! Boys are icky!" she said. "Well, except for Preston. He's really cute. I like Preston. He's a boy."

Meredith covered her mouth again just as Chance came back with two glasses of red wine. "I forgot how much fun they are at this age," she said before thanking him for the drink.

"She's very precocious," he said. "In case you hadn't noticed."

Meredith ran her fingers through Stephanie's long, blonde hair and said, "I think she's precious." Stephanie giggled and Meredith laughed.

"Feeling any better yet?" Chance asked as they took a first sip.

"Yes. Much better, thank you. I can't imagine going home to your uncle's house and sitting there all by myself. I looked at the basket full of remote controls and wasn't sure if I could even watch television."

Chance laughed and told her, "Good thing you're here then. One of those controls the security system and I might have been back for another visit before the night was through."

"I would have probably begged you to stay and keep me company after you took care of the alarm again," she said still smiling happily.

"So what grade are you in this year, Miss Stephanie?" Meredith asked.

Stephanie monopolized the next ten minutes straight barely taking a breath as she gave Meredith a lengthy stream-of-consciousness information dump. She sat there and listened, nodded occasionally, and said things like 'oh, uh-uh, and really?' every now and then.

"Okay, ten more minutes then it's off to bed for six-year old girls," her father announced.

"But I want to sit with Mrs. Lancaster, Dad. She's my friend." She looked up at the older woman then said, "Right?"

"Yes, you are," Meredith said with another bright smile.

"See? We're best friends. So can I stay up for one more hour?"

Chance tried not to laugh as he glanced at Meredith. "Tell you what. Since you're being such a good hostess, I'll give you twenty more minutes. But that's all, okay?"

"Yes!" she said doing her fist pump thing.

Meredith put her arm around her and played with her hair as she chatted with Chance.

A half hour flew by before either of them realized the time and when he looked, Stephanie was sound asleep.

"No bedtime stories tonight," he said as he stood up to get her.

Meredith raised her arm and pulled away to give Chance as much space as possible. He thanked her then went to reach for Stephanie. He was standing a little too far back and as he went to move up, his hand slipped and just grazed Meredith's breast.

"Well, I'm not sure what to say other than I'm very sorry and more than a little bit embarrassed."

Meredith actually laughed but quietly. "Don't be. It was accident."

"I can assure I don't make a habit of doing that," he said as he picked up the limp rag called Stephanie.

"Well, it's not every day an attractive man gets this close to me so how about we call it even?" She set her glass down and said, "Let me go upstairs with you. An extra set of hands is always a good thing."

Meredith went in first and pulled down her comforter and fluffed her pillow. "Okay. All set," she said as her dad laid her down. He pulled up the sheet and blanket then kissed her cheek.

"She's like a little angel," Meredith said. "I always wanted another child, but it didn't work out for us."

"We wanted another one too, but...life, as you called it...had other plans for us."

An hour and another glass of wine later, after a lot of very pleasant conversation, Chance finally decided to ask.

"It's still none of my business, Meredith, but knowing you have a daughter in college just doesn't seem possible. I mean, I didn't want to give you an exact age earlier, but I was thinking maybe...37. So unless you had your daughter when you were..."

"I just turned 50," she said providing the answer without further prodding.

"Whoa! Fifty? As in five-oh?" he said with complete incredulity.

"Yes. Fifty. It's hard to believe, but as of August 12th, I am indeed that age. Ugh!"

"I find that very hard to believe. Very, very hard to believe."

Meredith smiled and said, "Thank you, Chance! You have no idea how nice that is to hear you say. I was so sad when Gayle wasn't there and now you've made me almost forget about that. You're a very nice man."

"I try," he said. He looked her for a few more seconds then said, "I'm still not sure I believe you. I may have to sneak into your purse and actually see your drivers license for myself."

Meredith laughed then said, "It may be the wine talking, but if I knew you better, I'd kiss you for making feel so good."

Now Chance laughed before saying, "I know it's the wine talking because otherwise I'd never say something like, 'That would be just fine if you did kiss me.'"

The two of them sat there smiling and looking at one another. The smiles soon faded and were replaced with something else. Some kind of...feeling neither of them expected. After a few more seconds, Meredith blinked twice then said, "I should probably be going to bed. It's well past midnight in Orlando and I'm not exactly a night owl."

She stood up and so did Chance. She handed him her glass and thanked him again for being such a good sport and such a good conversationalist. "This was very pleasant. I really enjoyed talking with you, Chance," she told him as they headed toward the kitchen.

"Come on, I'll walk upstairs with you," he said motioning for her to go ahead.

They both peeked in and checked on Stephanie before ending up in front of her room.

"Sleep tight," he told her as he stood directly in front of her.

"Thank you. You too, Chance," she said. "This really was very nice of you." She stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. "Not exactly a real kiss, but probably about as much as you'd be interested in from a woman my age."

Their eyes met briefly and then they locked. "Hardly," he told her as he reached up and touched her cheek. "Because of the two glasses of wine, I won't embarrass myself and kiss you the way I was hoping you'd kiss me. I'll just wish you a good..."

Meredith stood on her toes again as she put her hands on his chest and kissed him softly on the lips. "I'm sure I'll regret that in the morning, but I'm blaming the wine tonight," she said before looking away.

Chance reached for her hand and said, "I can assure you I won't regret it." He touched her fingers with his for a second or two then let it slowly slide away before finally wishing her a good night.

Meredith was exhausted when she woke up and very disappointed to see the time was only 5am. It was already 8am in Florida and she normally got up around 7 o'clock each morning. There was no going back to sleep so she grabbed her robe and headed downstairs. Then she remembered 'the kiss.'

"Oh, my Lord. What were you thinking?" she said to herself. She found the coffee pot and started checking cupboards for coffee when she heard his voice.

"It's in the pantry," Chance said. He saw her spin around then said, "I didn't mean to startle you—again."

"You did," she said. "I'm really whacked out from the time change, too. I would have loved to sleep a couple more hours, but my body told me I'm done."

"Can I give you a hand?" he asked moving toward her.

"Oh, um...well, if you want to make the coffee, that's fine. It is your house, after all. I tend to make mine pretty strong so..."

She handed him the can and Chance said, "You look just as young and beautiful first thing in the morning as you do during the day."

"Oh, my gosh! I'm a sight. Look at me!" she said showing off her old robe, her hair being a mess, and her eyes puffy from lack of sleep. "If I didn't scare you off last night, this'll do the trick."

He smiled at her and said, "Not even close." He filled the carafe with water then said, "And for the record, I don't regret it."

"Sorry?" she said. "My head is pounding. I never have a second glass of wine and I never, ever stay up that late. For Florida time, I mean."

"The kiss. The one you said I'd probably regret. I don't."

Meredith put her hand on her forehead then said, "Oh, that. Do you have a rock I can slither under around here anywhere?"

Chance chuckled then said, "Why would you want to do that? Do you regret it?"

"Because I feel more than a little foolish. Let's just say that's something else I never do," she said. "It really was the wine, you know."

"Yeah. Sure. Okay. Let's go with that," he said smiling over his shoulder.

"Well, it couldn't have been anything but...what did Stephanie say about boys? Icky, right? It had to be pretty 'icky' to have some old woman kiss you so, yes, I'm blaming the wine. Otherwise, I might have to be committed to some kind of mental institution."

He added the coffee, turned the pot on, then walked over to her.

"Okay, so we were a little impulsive and yes, we can blame it on the alcohol, but I have to be honest here, Meredith. I haven't kissed a woman since Kathy died because I haven't wanted to. Yeah, I know. Technically, you kissed me, but I was kind of hoping you would because I needed a...a jump start."

"Well, as long as I can still blame the wine, I'll make a confession, too. I've had couple of men kiss me goodnight after a date, but I never wanted to kiss them back or actually kiss anyone since losing my husband."

Chance smiled at her and said, "Maybe I should have kissed you first."

Meredith looked into his eyes for less than a second then suddenly changed the subject. "Looks like the coffee is almost ready. Maybe that'll make the headache go away," she said as she went over to pour herself a cup.

"If you're having caffeine withdrawal it'll help. But it might make anything else worse."

"I'll risk it," she said taking a first sip. "Oh, that's good!"

"I made it stronger than I like it. It's okay?"

"It's perfect. Thank you," she told him. "Listen. I'll just finish this then go take a shower and change and I'll be out of your hair, if that's okay."

"Sure, that's fine, but Stephanie doesn't have school again until the first week of January so unless you're in a hurry to leave, you can relax for bit and maybe even have breakfast with us."