so much alike they could pass for siblings. Would anyone else notice? “Okay, but you hold on to him. I don’t want him jumping around the furniture.”
He opened the cage door and Pele scampered up Sam’s arm to his shoulder. Alicia’s brown eyes sparked with instant fascination. The monkey was a great little icebreaker.
“Can we take him to the beach?” she asked.
“Maybe after Sam comes inside to meet his...” Cheyanne cut off her words with a muffled gasp. She almost said family. “Your mother and father are waiting.”
Alicia led the way up the sidewalk. “Can I hold him?”
“Okay, but just so you know...” Sam launched into the dos and don’ts of the Colobus species. In his zeal to convince Cheyanne he could handle the pet, he had done hours of research. All of which he evidently planned to pass on in one breath.
Cheyanne left the two on the front porch and went inside the house.
Isabelle greeted her. “I’m sorry. She’s been waiting at the window for half an hour.”
“No problem.” She gave her friend a hug. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m great. Really, it was just false labor. Doc says everything is fine with the baby.”
“Good.”
Isabelle lowered herself slowly into an overstuffed chair and glanced out the window. “Wow. You weren’t kidding. He is tall. He must take after his father.”
“What?” Cheyanne choked out.
“I pictured him light like you and Rita. He must get that coloring and height from his father’s family.”
“You’re right, he does.” Cheyanne had no wish to discuss her late husband—a striking blonde like herself—nor Sam’s parentage. She needed a quick change of subject. “I brought that disk for the restaurant bill of materials program Tony wanted.”
Although talented in the cooking department, Tony and Isabelle wanted to learn more about the business side, so they could hopefully get a larger place. Tony had asked her so many questions at work that Cheyanne had promised to give him her textbooks and computer disks from the Institute.
“He told me about the idea of doing a buffet for the summer dinner crowd. It’s so perfect I don’t know why we didn’t think of it before. It’s so much easier, more cost effective...”
“Lord, Izzy,” Tony said as he walked into the room. “Let me give her a drink before we pummel her with business questions.”
“Don’t blame the pregnant lady. I brought it up.”
The children came inside. Introductions were made. If anyone other than Cheyanne noticed the resemblance, they didn’t mention it. However, they did welcome her son as family. The monkey too.
Pele sat on Alicia’s shoulder, picking through her sable colored hair. “Guess what, Dad? It means he likes me when he’s looking for bugs.”
Tony, unfazed by the announcement, chuckled. “Did he find any yet?”
“No. Can we take him to show Uncle Luc?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea today,” Isabelle said before Cheyanne could.
Evidently Luc had expressed his disinterest to his sister. If he wanted to meet her son, he would have made an excuse to stop by. He never had any trouble in the past. Isabelle and Tony more than made up for Luc’s absence. Sam needed his family, even if he didn’t know they were his yet. She wouldn’t regret her decision to bring him here no matter what happened with Luc. If he didn’t want to be part of their lives that was his loss.
And hers as well.
****
Luc parked his truck in the lot at the community sports field and stepped from the air-conditioned cab into the humid summer heat. He joined his cousin at the sideline. Miguel watched as a group of youngsters played soccer prior to the start of practice.
“What are you doing here?” Miguel asked.
“I wanted to go over a few things for the demolition before you get started.”
“Even the Lord rested on Sunday, Luc.”
The Lord wasn’t trying to banish a woman from his mind. He had spent the weekend on his boat to get away
He opened the cage door and Pele scampered up Sam’s arm to his shoulder. Alicia’s brown eyes sparked with instant fascination. The monkey was a great little icebreaker.
“Can we take him to the beach?” she asked.
“Maybe after Sam comes inside to meet his...” Cheyanne cut off her words with a muffled gasp. She almost said family. “Your mother and father are waiting.”
Alicia led the way up the sidewalk. “Can I hold him?”
“Okay, but just so you know...” Sam launched into the dos and don’ts of the Colobus species. In his zeal to convince Cheyanne he could handle the pet, he had done hours of research. All of which he evidently planned to pass on in one breath.
Cheyanne left the two on the front porch and went inside the house.
Isabelle greeted her. “I’m sorry. She’s been waiting at the window for half an hour.”
“No problem.” She gave her friend a hug. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m great. Really, it was just false labor. Doc says everything is fine with the baby.”
“Good.”
Isabelle lowered herself slowly into an overstuffed chair and glanced out the window. “Wow. You weren’t kidding. He is tall. He must take after his father.”
“What?” Cheyanne choked out.
“I pictured him light like you and Rita. He must get that coloring and height from his father’s family.”
“You’re right, he does.” Cheyanne had no wish to discuss her late husband—a striking blonde like herself—nor Sam’s parentage. She needed a quick change of subject. “I brought that disk for the restaurant bill of materials program Tony wanted.”
Although talented in the cooking department, Tony and Isabelle wanted to learn more about the business side, so they could hopefully get a larger place. Tony had asked her so many questions at work that Cheyanne had promised to give him her textbooks and computer disks from the Institute.
“He told me about the idea of doing a buffet for the summer dinner crowd. It’s so perfect I don’t know why we didn’t think of it before. It’s so much easier, more cost effective...”
“Lord, Izzy,” Tony said as he walked into the room. “Let me give her a drink before we pummel her with business questions.”
“Don’t blame the pregnant lady. I brought it up.”
The children came inside. Introductions were made. If anyone other than Cheyanne noticed the resemblance, they didn’t mention it. However, they did welcome her son as family. The monkey too.
Pele sat on Alicia’s shoulder, picking through her sable colored hair. “Guess what, Dad? It means he likes me when he’s looking for bugs.”
Tony, unfazed by the announcement, chuckled. “Did he find any yet?”
“No. Can we take him to show Uncle Luc?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea today,” Isabelle said before Cheyanne could.
Evidently Luc had expressed his disinterest to his sister. If he wanted to meet her son, he would have made an excuse to stop by. He never had any trouble in the past. Isabelle and Tony more than made up for Luc’s absence. Sam needed his family, even if he didn’t know they were his yet. She wouldn’t regret her decision to bring him here no matter what happened with Luc. If he didn’t want to be part of their lives that was his loss.
And hers as well.
****
Luc parked his truck in the lot at the community sports field and stepped from the air-conditioned cab into the humid summer heat. He joined his cousin at the sideline. Miguel watched as a group of youngsters played soccer prior to the start of practice.
“What are you doing here?” Miguel asked.
“I wanted to go over a few things for the demolition before you get started.”
“Even the Lord rested on Sunday, Luc.”
The Lord wasn’t trying to banish a woman from his mind. He had spent the weekend on his boat to get away
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