aren’t in the book, but they’ll shape and mold Kayla just the same. More important, her classmates shouldn’t feel left out because they aren’t in a book. They’re just as important.” Catherine glanced down at Kayla. “What do you think?”
“They’re my friends,” Kayla said softly. “Some of them came Saturday to see me. I’d like them to be in the picture.”
“Ms. Franklin, I wouldn’t mind stepping over to Kayla’s classroom and asking the teacher’s assistant with them to let them join us,” Luke said.
The reporter’s frown morphed into a smile. “Would you, Mr. Grayson?” she asked, her voice dropping a husky octave, her hand on his muscled forearm. “It appears Mrs. Grayson has good instinct in other matters as well.”
Luke turned away without comment. The woman’s hand fell away, but her eyes stayed on him for seconds too long before she moved to the waiting photographer. If the woman had seen the expression on Catherine’s face, she would have run for her car.
Instinctively Naomi placed her hand on Catherine’s arm to soothe her. Luke loved her. They made a good team. Together they had effectively put the spin on the article they wanted: that all children mattered. Catherine knew better than anyone that Luke wouldn’t cheat.
Naomi wouldn’t have minded if her ex had cheated. That meant he would have stayed away from her.
Catherine leaned over and whispered, “She bats those eyes at him again, and I might not be responsible.”
Naomi didn’t know what to say. Catherine was always so calm. Naomi would have never thought she’d be possessive—least of all over a man. Catherine must have read her thoughts.
“There are men, and then there are those who pretend to be men,” Catherine said softly. “Some you thank God daily for placing in your life; others you thank Him that they aren’t.”
Naomi shivered. She knew about the latter group all too well.
“You’ve had the bad,” Catherine went on to say in a soft whisper. “Open your heart to the possibility that there are good men out there.”
Naomi didn’t answer as Kayla’s classmates, with huge grins, came out of the classroom down the hallway in single file. However, this was one time she had no intention of taking her friend’s advice.
She didn’t want a man.
If that meant cutting Richard out of her life, so be it. She’d just have to deal with the loneliness that she already felt the best way she could.
* * *
Naomi’s intent to end her friendship with Richard came at half past five that night. As soon as Kayla had eaten her dinner and finished her homework, she’d asked to go next door to tell Fallon about her day at school.
“When I come back, I’ll call Dr. Richard. It’s almost closing time at the clinic and he’s always the busiest now,” Kayla explained, proud that she remembered so much about his schedule.
Naomi might have been equally proud if the situation were different. She didn’t have a clue how to tell her that they’d be seeing less of Richard, so she’d walked her to Fallon’s apartment, then returned. To keep her mind off Richard, she called Sierra. She punched in the phone number without taking her seat.
“Hello,” Sierra greeted, laughter in her voice.
Naomi wrapped an arm around her waist and hoped she wasn’t interrupting anything. “Hi, Sierra. It’s Naomi. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“Hi, Naomi,” Sierra greeted, then asked a question of her own. “You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”
“No.” That was the one thing she was certain about. “I’d like to look at homes that need minor repairs. Maybe I could get a better deal,” she said, trying not to recall that it was the idea of the man she planned to cut out of her life.
“Excellent idea. When Luke and Daniel’s cabin was being built in the mountains, I helped,” Sierra said. “A woman can build or repair just as well as any man.”
Naomi thought she heard male laughter in the
“They’re my friends,” Kayla said softly. “Some of them came Saturday to see me. I’d like them to be in the picture.”
“Ms. Franklin, I wouldn’t mind stepping over to Kayla’s classroom and asking the teacher’s assistant with them to let them join us,” Luke said.
The reporter’s frown morphed into a smile. “Would you, Mr. Grayson?” she asked, her voice dropping a husky octave, her hand on his muscled forearm. “It appears Mrs. Grayson has good instinct in other matters as well.”
Luke turned away without comment. The woman’s hand fell away, but her eyes stayed on him for seconds too long before she moved to the waiting photographer. If the woman had seen the expression on Catherine’s face, she would have run for her car.
Instinctively Naomi placed her hand on Catherine’s arm to soothe her. Luke loved her. They made a good team. Together they had effectively put the spin on the article they wanted: that all children mattered. Catherine knew better than anyone that Luke wouldn’t cheat.
Naomi wouldn’t have minded if her ex had cheated. That meant he would have stayed away from her.
Catherine leaned over and whispered, “She bats those eyes at him again, and I might not be responsible.”
Naomi didn’t know what to say. Catherine was always so calm. Naomi would have never thought she’d be possessive—least of all over a man. Catherine must have read her thoughts.
“There are men, and then there are those who pretend to be men,” Catherine said softly. “Some you thank God daily for placing in your life; others you thank Him that they aren’t.”
Naomi shivered. She knew about the latter group all too well.
“You’ve had the bad,” Catherine went on to say in a soft whisper. “Open your heart to the possibility that there are good men out there.”
Naomi didn’t answer as Kayla’s classmates, with huge grins, came out of the classroom down the hallway in single file. However, this was one time she had no intention of taking her friend’s advice.
She didn’t want a man.
If that meant cutting Richard out of her life, so be it. She’d just have to deal with the loneliness that she already felt the best way she could.
* * *
Naomi’s intent to end her friendship with Richard came at half past five that night. As soon as Kayla had eaten her dinner and finished her homework, she’d asked to go next door to tell Fallon about her day at school.
“When I come back, I’ll call Dr. Richard. It’s almost closing time at the clinic and he’s always the busiest now,” Kayla explained, proud that she remembered so much about his schedule.
Naomi might have been equally proud if the situation were different. She didn’t have a clue how to tell her that they’d be seeing less of Richard, so she’d walked her to Fallon’s apartment, then returned. To keep her mind off Richard, she called Sierra. She punched in the phone number without taking her seat.
“Hello,” Sierra greeted, laughter in her voice.
Naomi wrapped an arm around her waist and hoped she wasn’t interrupting anything. “Hi, Sierra. It’s Naomi. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“Hi, Naomi,” Sierra greeted, then asked a question of her own. “You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”
“No.” That was the one thing she was certain about. “I’d like to look at homes that need minor repairs. Maybe I could get a better deal,” she said, trying not to recall that it was the idea of the man she planned to cut out of her life.
“Excellent idea. When Luke and Daniel’s cabin was being built in the mountains, I helped,” Sierra said. “A woman can build or repair just as well as any man.”
Naomi thought she heard male laughter in the
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