Sunlight filtered through oak trees in full leaf, and Jack felt the late-summer sun on his shoulders through the worn cotton of his oxford shirt. He crossed his legs on the park bench, gazing across Logan Square at the Four Seasons Hotel. In one hand he held the red tape leash of a fuzzy golden retriever puppy, who was chewing happily on the looped shoelace of Jack's sneaker. The traffic around the hotel flowed steadily on this Saturday afternoon, affording him and his partner on the bench, Lou Jacobs, a decent view of the restaurant.
'I remember the day I was here, with Mary,' Lou was saying. His eyes looked flinty in the sun, and his tanned hands rested on the pressed crease of his khaki pants. His white polo shirt was a neat concession to Philadelphia's humidity. 'It was right after she met you, on the case. She was tellin' me about the fountain.'
'Swann Fountain?' Jack looked behind him. The fountain spurted and bubbled at the center of the cobblestone plaza, sending graceful arcs of frothy water into the circular pool and misting the air with cooling droplets. 'What about the fountain?'
'She liked it.'
'I can see why.' Jack smiled at the sight. Two little boys played in the fountain in front of an indulgent mother, squealing with each cold splash. At the sound, the puppy's neck swiveled and his wavy-haired ears lifted to attention. Jack breathed in the fresh smells of the greenery and the faintly chlorinated scent of the fountain water. He had so much to be grateful for and so much to regret. 'Tell me what she liked about it. Do you remember?'
'Sure. The statues around the fountain are a man, a woman, and a young girl. See?' Lou's eyes remained fixed on the hotel. Filaments of his silvery hair caught a passing breeze. 'Mary said it reminded her of you, your wife, and your daughter.'
'She said that?' Jack felt touched that Mary had been thinking of him even then. He had been thinking of her that early, too, but he had been lonelier than she, he just hadn't known it. 'What's going on now?' he asked, turning to the hotel.
'Hold on.' Lou raised the binoculars to his eyes and aimed them at the hotel restaurant. The baby shower, taking place two months after the baby had arrived, was going on inside, and through the window he could see the hen party was breaking up. 'Finally they stopped yapping.'
'It's sports, they're crazy about sports,' Jack said, standing up and eyeing the hotel entrance. He could barely see inside the restaurant. Paige was hostessing the shower, for the baby's adoptive mother. 'Seems stupid they don't let men into these things, still.'
'Nah, who wants to go? Not me.' Lou stood up, too, and let the binoculars hang at his neck. 'I'd rather sit out here and tell dirty jokes.'
'Agreed,' Jack said, with a smile. He watched the hotel entrance, and Judy came out first, her height helping him identify her even across the street. She would be wanting her puppy back, and he would happily off-load it. Raising a daughter, especially belatedly, was enough for him. He'd spent the last few months trying to undo his past mistakes with Paige. 'You see my kid yet?'
'There.' Lou pointed as Paige appeared. Her new haircut, a shiny red wedge, was a bright spot in the sunlight. Her arms were full of baby gifts, which she was loading into the couple's minivan. The baby was at home with his adoptive father, a teacher. Jack's heart warmed at the thought. Paige had grown up so much in the past few months and with counseling had taken the hardest step
of her life. She'd decided the most responsible thing she could do as a mother was to offer her baby to a couple who could love and raise him. Jack hadn't disagreed with a word.
'There's Mary!' Lou said, with a smile, and Jack looked over.
Mary had managed to abscond with not one, not two, but with five centerpieces of roses, daisies, freesia, and even an orchid or two. She moved with the bouquets like the most petite float in the Mummers Parade. Jack smiled. 'Why do women take center-pieces?'
'Because they can,' Lou said, and they both laughed.