think about it.â
Olivia looked as if she might drop the batter ladle. âYou will?â
Matthew was stunned, too.
Nicole smiled as if their surprise was coming out of left field. âLet me have a few cups of coffee before I commit to anything, but I donât see why the idea should be off the table.â
Maybe because it went against every opinion sheâd ever stated on the subject? Matthew wondered what had happened to make her consider changing her mind.
Showing incredible restraint, Olivia didnât beg or wheedle. Probably she knew better than to push her luck. âAre you going to be back for Career Day at school?â she asked, already moving on to the next thing.
âWhen is it?â Nicole asked.
âThe Wednesday after my birthday.â
âOh. I should be,â Nicole said. âI think weâll finish up somewhere around then.â
That somewhere didnât escape Matthew.
âCan I sign you up to talk? I could get my class contribution over with for the year.â
âYour what?â Matthew asked.
âEverybody has to either bring a show-and-tell, or give a talk about vacation or a favorite book or something, or bring someone to Fall Career Day or Spring Career Day.â
Matthew laughed. âSo a kid can either bring his pet turtle or his mother and they both count for the same?â
âTurtles are really interesting,â Olivia said. âMore interesting than some peopleâs parents, for sure. I wish I could have one.â
Nicole lifted her hands. âPlease. No reptiles. Iâll be glad to show up myself and do a short presentation.â She spooned some fruit salad onto her plate. âAnd on the off chance that I canât make it, Matthew could substitute for me. He might be as entertaining as a turtle.â
Oliviaâs brow crinkled. âMatthew?â
He took a deep breath. âDonât worry, Olivia. My talk about writing economic impact studies always knocks âem cold.â
He was a little confused as to why he might have to substitute for Nicole, though. If she was going to be back for the birthday party, surely the Career Day afterward wasnât in question. And why had she opened the door to a birthday party at a stable? When he and Nicole were clearing up the breakfast things, he took advantage of Oliviaâs not being within earshot to ask.
âI thought you were dead-set against horses,â he reminded her.
Nicole sighed. âI really donât know about Olivia. Why couldnât she be like every other kid in the world and want a cat or dog?â
âIâm sure she wouldnât turn one down if you wanted to give her one.â
âWell, I donât, particularly. At least horses donât shed all over the house.â
âItâs not that crazy a wish. Lots of kids want to learn to ride, especially around here. Raising a girl in horse country and telling them they canât ride is a little like raising a kid by the ocean and telling them they shouldnât swim.â
âI guess youâre right,â Nicole said. âI was hoping the mania would fade, but it obviously wonât.â
Was she actually relenting?
Nicole rinsed a cup in the sink and handed it to him to transfer to the dishwasher. âItâs not just that Iâm tired of rehashing the horse argument for the umpty-millionth time. The way things are going out in Oregon, maybe the timing isnât that bad to give Olivia a treat. Absentee mom guilt is wearing me down.â
He frowned. âDid something go wrong with the test?â
Her groan said it all, but she added, âItâs a train wreck. Thereâs no way Iâll be finished out there in a week, or even probably two weeks. In fact, by the time Oliviaâs birthday rolls around, I might be stuck in Hawaii.â
His brain scrambled to keep up. First, sheâd never mentioned the possibility of the test site
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