Текст книги "Until You"
Автор книги: Jeannie Moon
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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 22 страниц)
Chapter 5
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Kate shifted uncomfortably in the bus seat. She wasn’t sorry she’d gone through with it, but getting a tattoo the day before she had to ride in a bumpy school bus wasn’t her best idea. Julie saw her twisting and smiled.
“Does it hurt?”
“A little. Achy. Like a bad bruise.”
“You look fabulous.” Julie scanned her friend.
Kate looked down. Her jeans and white top were hardly anything special. “Whatever.” He isn’t even going to know I’m there. Which was what she wanted. Wasn’t it?
“Whatever?”
“I’m not allowed to look nice?”
“Kate, you look more than nice.”
Kate glanced at herself again, thought about the past day and a half, and had to acknowledge she’d prepped for this. She’d spent too much time putting together the ‘perfect’ outfit, right down to the jewelry, and spent an equal number of hours at the salon today having her hair and nails done.
Julie smirked, waiting for her to say something, but Kate wasn’t going to admit to anything out loud. Okay, maybe she dressed thinking if he saw her, and if was the operative word, he’d notice—maybe. But why would he? She was a blip on the screen of David Burke’s life. He was too busy being seen with local socialites. But earlier, as she stood before the full-length mirror in her bedroom, Kate knew exactly what she saw when she looked at her reflection. She couldn’t help it. As she pulled on the high-heeled black booties and sponged on her lip gloss, the person staring back from the mirror wanted to be noticed; she wanted David to suffer. But it was only in her twisted imagination that something like that would actually happen.
The bus pulled into the parking lot at the arena and Kate’s stomach lurched. It might have been up in her throat, it might have been in her chest—she wasn’t sure. Doing a quick head count after disembarking, they followed the kids into the arena. Kate wondered if it was too late to get the bus to take her home.
The place was packed. People moved along the concourse, stopping at concession stands for food or souvenirs. The kids bolted into the rink and headed toward the boards to watch the Flyers and that night’s opponents from Buffalo, during the pre-game skate.
Kate had forgotten about hockey arenas and was unprepared for the rush of testosterone that hit her as she walked down the steps. Rock music blared from the speakers and the players moved with a combination of brute force and poetic grace. The cutting sound of their skates, the click-clacking sound of the pucks hitting sticks, the entire scene assaulted every sense. She heard, she smelled, she felt…
Then she saw David, and her hormones headed south.
Julie gave her a nudge and Kate took another step, watching his movements with intensity. If she’d never seen this man before, she still would have wanted him. He didn’t wear a helmet during the warm up and his hair caught the breeze as he skated. He was enormous, fully padded, and so handsome she had to remember to breathe. Part of the thrill for her was knowing what was beneath the equipment, and knowing what David was like when he was off the ice. It took her a moment to absorb the rest of her surroundings. Women lined the boards, many of them wearing David’s jersey, and reality slapped Kate right in the face just like it did the day she saw him in New York.
He could have any one of them.
They were young and beautiful, with perfect bodies and flawless skin. His time with her was an aberration. She took a last look and just as she was about to turn away, David glanced in her direction and saw her. He froze. His eyes connected with hers and then a smile broke across his face. Part of Kate wanted to smile back, wave, something, but she held her enthusiasm and didn’t respond in kind. She saw no reason to give his ego the boost.
“He is so hot,” Julie said, tugging her sleeve. “And he’s looking right at you.”
“Don’t read too much into it.” Kate focused on the students because it was better than focusing on David and his phony flirtation. He was used to affecting women, and Kate had no intention of being affected. She called to the third chaperone who was at the boards with the kids and told him she and Julie were headed to the seats. A few of the kids waved and Kate turned to leave, never giving David an inch.
She glanced at Julie. “Where are we sitting?
“Kate, he’s still staring at you.”
“So?” Kate glanced back and saw the smile gone from his face.
David didn’t look angry, but confused. Confused? Really? She started up the steps. Well, good. After the way he treated her, he needed to feel like crap, even if it was only for twelve seconds.
*
Normally, David never looked at the crowd. It was an unwritten rule: the only fans who got his attention during warm-ups were the kids. He’d always toss a few pucks over the glass to the little guys, but everyone else didn’t exist. The signs, the women gawking and flirting, broke his concentration. And on a game day, from the minute he walked into the arena, the thing he focused on was the game at hand. Nothing else. He couldn’t afford distractions. But tonight, something made him look into the seats.
There she was. Her fitted jeans accented every curve and her shirt was cut just low enough for David to notice a bit of lace peeking from behind. When she moved her head, her hair softly swept her shoulders. Kate raked him with her hazel eyes, and even though she was staring at him like he was the lowest form of life on planet Earth, he couldn’t do anything but smile. Like a fucking idiot, he stood there and smiled.
Kate, on the other hand, didn’t smile at all. There wasn’t even the slightest twitch at her mouth. He thought she might soften, might give him some encouragement, but after a minute of making him feel like a complete shit, she looked at a group of teenagers near the boards, said something, and then turned on a very high heel and walked up the stairs.
Cam skated up next to him and fixed his eyes on the stands where Kate had been standing. “Was that the chick from California?”
David nodded.
“She looked pissed. Didn’t you take her out to dinner?”
David tapped his stick on the ice. “Yeah, I haven’t talked to her since, though.”
Cam shook his head. “Okay, so? You didn’t click.”
David focused on the blue line embedded in the ice. The problem was they had clicked. He liked her a lot and then he put her off, lapsing into his old routine.
It seemed impossible, but as David watched her retreating form, he felt a chill. Maybe it was a good thing he’d put the brakes on the relationship. Granted she was great in bed, but knowing how old she was, and all the baggage she brought to the table…
He stopped and used his gloved hand to push the hair back from his forehead. Jesus Christ. When did I become such a dick?
Kate wasn’t like any girl he’d ever known. She was sincere and sweet and totally unprepared for what happened between them. She didn’t expect anything. She’d been minding her own business and he took advantage. On top of that, he was the one who invited her out to dinner when they got home. David thought about how happy she looked in California, when he’d left her in that big bed with a light kiss and a promise to call. How she looked when she first saw him at Piccolo’s. Thinking about her made his heart tighten and his stomach jump, and David blew out a long breath. She mattered to him, regardless of how much he fought it. After just a couple of times together, Kate mattered.
Then he remembered the look on her face when he saw her at that restaurant in New York a week ago. She looked—then it dawned on him that the look on her face a few minutes ago was the same one he had seen last Sunday morning. He thought she was angry, but that wasn’t it—it was hurt. He’d hurt her. He’d said he wanted to see her again and then she saw him with Chelsea, and that made him a slimy cheat—just like her ex. Kate didn’t know how he felt about Chelsea, that what she saw that morning wasn’t a date. No, it was the perfect storm of misunderstandings. Except for the part where he avoided Kate when he found out her age. That was totally on him. He didn’t even want to think about it because basically it made him a first-class asshole. He may not be a cheater, but he was definitely a coward. A real fucking prize. Turning away from her retreating form, he skated toward the tunnel.
Shit. This game was too important for him to think about anything else. A win against a team like Buffalo early in the season would set a tone, but how was he supposed to get her out of his head? David leaned against the wall next to the dressing room door and cursed. She was up there someplace. He wanted to get a message to her. Maybe she could meet him after the game and he could explain what she saw last week.
She’s not important to me. I haven’t been with anyone since I met you.
Like she’d believe that. Trying to see Kate was probably not the best idea he ever had, but hey, what was life if he couldn’t live dangerously?
So where was she? When he last looked, she was on her way to the mezzanine with a tall blonde. He needed to see her. David didn’t know where the attack of conscience was coming from and why this woman was giving it to him, but something told him he should listen to himself. If he let Kate get away, he had a feeling it was going to be one of the worst mistakes of his life.
*
“You really froze him out,” Julie said. “No pun intended, of course.”
Kate finished the head count and sat down in her seat. “How is it you’re the advisor of this group, but I’m doing all the work?”
“You’re better at it, and the kids expect you to be in charge.” Julie handed her a bottle of water and pressed on, even though Kate had ignored everything she’d said about David so far. “I think he likes you.”
“I don’t think so,” Kate said. She shook her head and looked at Julie. “You know, I almost folded. I almost acknowledged him.”
“He’s so good looking. How did you breathe?”
“I don’t recall.” That was a lie. Kate remembered every second of their night, before and after they made love. The things they’d talked about. The easiness of it all. But she wasn’t going to be that kind of fool again. David may have been sweet when they spent time together, but that man was a broken heart waiting to happen. She must have been crazy, going out with him after California. Between Richard and Laura, Kate had more than enough to deal with.
She felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Taking it out, she saw the text. Damn him.
Meet me after the game. We need to talk.
“I can’t believe him.” Kate didn’t think she said it out loud, until she noticed Julie looking over her shoulder at her iPhone.
“He wants to see you?”
Kate was going to ignore the message, but instead she opened a reply and keyed in one word. No.
She sent it and then looked at Julie, who raised an eyebrow and shook her head.
“What?”
“Kate, you could see him if you wanted. Al and I can handle the trip back.”
“And what am I going to do? Wait around the locker room door like some desperate puck bunny?”
“I’m sure if you told him you were willing to meet him, he’d make sure that didn’t happen.”
For a split second Kate considered it. Part of her, the weak part, the part that let her ex-husband control her for twenty years, almost took out the phone and sent him another text. Then she thought about what would happen. He’d take her out. He’d make excuses. He’d seduce her. Make more promises. And then he’d vanish from her life.
“No. He’s a mistake. I don’t know what would make him think I’d actually go out with him after what he did.”
Julie laughed. “Uh, he’s David Burke. I’m guessing he doesn’t get turned down a lot.” She paused. “I mean if it was that number twenty-two guy, Tricarico, I could understand. That boy looks like he walked into a light post.”
“You’re a big help. I’d like to think I have some pride.”
“Pride isn’t going to keep you warm tonight,” Julie said.
“No,” Kate began, “but it could keep me from being hurt again.”
*
David cursed as he walked through the tunnel. The other team was up by two goals and had held them to six shots on goal. Of course, he and his teammates were acting more like prom queens than pro athletes, so it was no wonder they were getting their asses kicked. He got snagged for an interview, since he’d actually managed to score a goal, along with his three penalties, but he really just wanted to tell their media guy to shove it. What was he going to say? He was going to shovel clichés at the interviewer about teamwork and coming out and working hard the last two periods. Blah, blah, blah. It was all bullshit.
But bullshit or not, he had to do it, so he turned on the charm and gave them what they wanted. When he entered the dressing room, the coach was already screaming at the defense.
“…we’ll be lucky if the fans don’t start throwing shit at your sorry asses.” Coach spun at David. “And you—what was your fucking problem? We don’t pay you to sit in the penalty box, Burke.”
David almost responded, but didn’t. As captain, he had to set a good example for the younger players, and with the coach being in such a shit-ass mood, anything David said would likely earn him a fine.
The tirade went on for several minutes, and David tuned it out. He kept thinking about Kate and how she looked at him. Why did he feel so guilty? He’d ditched women before. But his mind couldn’t let go of how she felt in his arms, and how she kissed him, and more than anything, how what he did for a living didn’t matter. She’d gone out with him in spite of his playing hockey for a living, not because of it. Finally when the coach slammed his office door, David refocused and checked his messages.
She’d responded with one word. “No.” She didn’t clarify it, didn’t rip his head off, she just said no. He wiped his face with a towel, glanced to his right, and saw Jay Hemmings with his head down. He was a perennial forty-goal scorer and one of David’s best friends, but tonight Jay hadn’t been able to get close to the net. “You okay, Hemmy?”
“I had a fight with Annie before I left.”
David slapped his friend on the back. Jay was so in love with his wife, it was almost scary. “Call her. You’re no good to us if you’re worried about where you’re sleeping when you get home.”
“Yeah.” Jay looked over. “What’s up with you?”
“I’ll tell you about it later.”
“It? Or her?” Jay asked. “Your face says you’re having woman problems.”
David grimaced. Jay knew him too well. Realizing he’d pretty well blown it with Kate, David looked across the dressing room toward Cam and nodded. They’d talked briefly about going out after the game, but he’d held off answering until he heard from Kate. Now that he had, David was going to his back-up plan, to get drunk and laid.
Sticking his phone back in his pocket, he thought about that for a second, and it helped him understand yet another reason why Kate probably didn’t want to see him.
Chapter 6
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Laura walked to the bus stop, fully intending to go to school. But when her friend Tracy pulled up in the shiny red Mustang she’d received as a seventeenth birthday present, Laura hopped in. The two girls looked at each other, smiled, and knew they weren’t going to school that day. Who the hell needed school, anyway?
“Breakfast first?” Tracy asked.
“Let’s go to the city. There’s more around, and then we can go shopping,” Laura said. She scooted into the seat, and rummaged through her purse for a pair of sunglasses. “I hate my mother.”
Tracy looked over and rolled her eyes. “I don’t know what your problem is. Your mom is like the nicest person on the planet.”
“She’s such a pain in the ass. I swear she has no clue what it’s like to live with her, with her questions and prying and always wanting to get into my life. She won’t give me the money for the Bahamas, which totally pissed off my dad, and, get this, I think there might be a guy in the picture.”
“That’s awesome! Who? Is he nice?”
“I have no idea. She and her friend were talking. I think it might be over, though. I dunno. I hope it is.”
“Why? Your dad has a girlfriend,” Tracy responded.
“That’s different. Marie is, well you know, she’s cool.”
“Marie is weird.”
“Whose side are you on, anyway?” Laura asked.
“Lor, I love you, but your mom got treated shitty by your dad. He talked to her like she was dirt and cheated on her. And Marie is creepy.”
“Dad said she deserved it.” Laura did not want to talk about this.
“No one deserves that. I hope she found some hot guy to date.”
“Not likely.”
“Why do you say that? Laura, your mother is gorgeous and famous. She could probably have any guy she wanted.”
Everything Tracy had said was true. Her mother was all those things and more, and Marie was a little off, but Laura still didn’t know what to believe. Who was telling her the truth? Maybe that was the problem. Her mother never told her anything.
“I don’t want to talk about her anymore. Can we go eat?”
Tracy shook her head and drove toward Philadelphia. There was a little café near Rittenhouse where they could eat, and hopefully Laura would cool off and relax.
*
They entered the café and were seated at a booth near the counter. No one questioned their presence. They didn’t look like two high school girls cutting school; they looked like two college girls out for a bite to eat, and they knew it.
They’d been there close to half an hour when Laura watched Tracy’s eyes go wide as she stared at the door. “Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod!” Half whisper, half scream, her friend was barely breathing as spoke.
“What?”
“Tyler Graves and Jack Nelson just walked in.”
Laura turned in her seat and her own mouth dropped open. It was true. Coming toward them were two gorgeous hockey players. And the guys were looking right at her. Holy crap.
Tyler Graves was huge and good looking in tough kind of way, but Jack Nelson was so… he was just perfect.
“I think I’m dreaming.” Tall and buff, with light brown hair and amazing eyes, the twenty-one-year-old center was a vision. She always thought David Burke was the best-looking guy on the team, until she saw Jack in person.
“They are so hot,” Tracy whispered.
Laura could only nod. Jack smiled at Laura and Tracy as he walked past and sat in the next booth. Tyler Graves sat directly behind Tracy and she just about fainted. But Jack slid into the other side of the booth and before he looked at his menu, he grinned at her again and winked. Was she awake? He just winked at her?
Laura drew a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She went back to her breakfast, but looked up from time to time to see the hockey player was still staring at her. She almost died in her seat when he broke into a wide smile. He was flirting with her. Honest to God flirting, like he was interested in her or something. She couldn’t help it; she bit her lip and blushed.
“You are bright red,” Tracy told her.
“I know—I can feel it. He keeps staring at me.” She glanced up again. Yup. Still watching.
“So what? You could do worse.”
That was the truth, but since when did this happen to her? He was the hottest guy she had ever seen. She was only seventeen, a music nerd, and other than one guy last year, who was so shy he could barely talk to her, boys were not interested in her. Not that Jack Nelson was a boy. He was a man, which made the situation even more unnerving. Running away seemed like a good idea. “Let’s go. It’s making me uncomfortable.”
She grabbed her jacket and purse, and just as she was about to slide out of the booth, Jack slid in next to her.
“Hi,” he said. “Okay if I sit down for a minute?”
“Uh, sure.” Laura moved in, toward the window, and glanced at Tracy, who was completely dumbstruck. Tyler Graves walked by the table, patted Jack on the shoulder and nodded at them. “See you later, Nelly.”
“Later, man.” Once Tyler had left, he turned his attention to her. “I’m Jack.”
Laura blinked her eyes, but didn’t speak. She couldn’t. Oh, God. Holy crap. Say something. Something!
“I figured I should talk to you rather than just stare.” He grinned, more than likely realizing he’d sent them both into shock, but he was sweet. Kind. In fact, he almost seemed a little nervous. No way. “Do you have a name?”
Finding her voice wasn’t easy, but finally she managed to squeak out a response. “Laura.” She could play coy or dumb, but decided not to. “You play for the Flyers, right?”
“A lady who knows her hockey.”
Sipping what was left of her tea to give herself a few seconds to regroup, she nodded. “Mm hmm.”
He started talking and Laura responded, but the words were bouncing around her brain. She took in the whole package, while Tracy tried to keep from fainting. He seemed genuinely nice, very down to earth, and he could form complete sentences, which was always a plus. He kept his hair short, but it was thick and gleamed with gold flecks. Laura marveled at the length of his eyelashes, which framed eyes that were such a deep blue she could swim in them. What made him even more beautiful was his smile. He was one of those people who smiled with his eyes. That was all it took. Laura melted and just barely heard herself say yes when he asked for her number.
She keyed it into his phone for him and only started breathing again when he’d left the diner.
Laura dropped her head on the table. “Tell me that really happened.”
“It happened.”
“Holy shit,” she squeaked.
“Holy shit is right,” Tracy said. “If he wants to see you, how are you going to get out?”
“I’ll figure it out. How old did I tell him I was?”
“You didn’t, but he thinks you go to Penn.”
Laura nodded. When Jack asked if she was a student at the Ivy League university, she said yes. “I did take a class there.” A little lie.
Tracy raised her eyebrows. “How are you going to get out?”
“I’ll make sure I’m at my dad’s. Marie believes in giving me my freedom. You know, the ability to take charge of my life.”
“Your mom would flip.”
This was how Laura was going to deal with her screwed up life. What was that old saying about lemons and making lemonade? The upside to her father having custody was that he and Marie wouldn’t be paying attention. Her mom would be, and that would make seeing Jack impossible. Not that he was going to call her. She didn’t believe for one second that she would actually hear from him, but if she did…
“My dad keeps talking about petitioning for sole custody. Chances are I’ll be with him fulltime anyway. They’re so wrapped up in each other they won’t even notice.”
Tracy stood and grabbed her coat. A small redhead with a riot of freckles across her nose, she spoke her mind. “That sucks.”
“Maybe,” Laura said. “But he could make it feel better.”
*
Kate ran the brush through her hair, pulled it neatly into a clip, and mentally prepared for her day. She didn’t have to keep teaching, but she really enjoyed the time away from the house. When her last book was sold, quitting crossed her mind, but then Richard left and the thought of being isolated in her office with only her characters to keep her company was too frightening. Her work at school, her friends, kept her sane through the divorce.
It was three classes at a very wealthy private school, hardly a tough schedule, and the headmaster gave her whatever time she needed to tend to business about her books. But ultimately it was about the kids. She enjoyed being with them, teaching them, watching them develop a love for the written word. Kate knew this was good work, not lucrative, but good work nonetheless, and she was happy she didn’t have to worry about money.
“Kate?” The deep voice carried effortlessly through the old house. “Where are you?”
Kate’s stomach churned. Richard. Why was he there? How did he get in the house? Eight-thirty in the morning and she had to deal with this aggravation. What a way to start the day. She slipped into her shoes, adjusted her plaid skirt and looked in the mirror one more time. Evaluating how she looked, Kate opened one more button on her sweater, and then headed downstairs. She met Richard in the hallway, getting ready to come up.
“Oh, good. I want to talk to you,” he said.
“How did you get in?”
“Laura gave me her code to the garage door.” He grinned sheepishly, hoping to use the charm that always made Kate bend to his will. She knew his pattern. Unfortunately, if his charm didn’t work, he’d resort to using something else to get his way. She steeled herself and walked past him toward the kitchen.
“I’d appreciate, since you no longer live here, that you don’t come in without an invitation.”
He followed her, tossing his blazer over the back of a chair. Kate checked over her shoulder during a prolonged silence and saw her ex-husband staring at her ass. Great.
Mentally counting to ten, Kate filled her thermal mug with coffee, added a packet of sweetener, a little milk, and then turned to face him. “What do you want, Richard?”
“About Laura’s trip,” he started. “You only gave her half.”
“That’s right. I figured that was fair. You can pay the other half.”
“I’m not as well set as you are.”
“What do you mean, ‘well set’?”
“Your book is doing very well. And I know your agent is negotiating a new contract for you. Something quite lucrative.”
“How do you…” Kate’s stomach turned at the amount of information he had. Her agent had spoken to her a few days ago about the possibility of a multi-book deal and Richard already knew about it. How? And why didn’t her lawyers have information about him? It was making her crazy. He cleared his throat and that forced her to focus her attention back to the matter at hand.
Laura.
“Richard, according to the joint custody agreement, she was supposed to spend Thanksgiving with me. I had a trip planned for us that I may now have to cancel. We shouldn’t even be having this conversation.”
“So this is your way of forcing her to spend time with you?” He folded his arms and leaned against the counter.
“No, I thought she wanted to spend time with me. I guess I was wrong. She can go, but I’m not footing the whole bill.” Kate moved away from him again, going into the back foyer, putting on her coat and picking up her messenger bag. Trying to maintain her composure in the face of her ex-husband’s assault wasn’t easy. “If you don’t want to pay the other half, she has plenty of money in her savings account. I told her I’d co-sign the withdrawal.”
“You are one selfish bitch.” Richard had perfected the disdainful sneer he cast in her direction, but Kate felt her heart chill down ten degrees when he started to approach. “That bag you just tossed over your shoulder cost nearly as much as what Laura needs. You’ll spend money so you can have your little toys and luxuries, but your daughter can go to hell.” He trapped her against a wall with one hand on each side of her and pressed his hips against hers. Kate could feel he was aroused and she looked away. Once upon a time she would have been happy to know she could excite him, now she was disgusted. It wasn’t about attraction, but about power. He had it, she didn’t, but she had to find a way to get it away from him. Finally, when she made eye contact, when she didn’t fall apart, Richard stepped away.
It was a small victory, but Kate would take it. Drawing a breath, she centered herself and thought about getting a restraining order.
“Richard, I know it’s a novelty for you, but I have to go to work.” At this point all she wanted was to get away from him. The comments about her supposed selfishness were the most ridiculous things she ever heard. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, jeez! Richard and Marie had turned materialism into an art form. Kate pulled open the back door and held it for him.
“You aren’t going to change your mind?” he asked.
“Why should I? It’s bad enough I have to bear the indignity of my daughter choosing you and your mistress over me. You want me to pay for it, too?”
“Face facts, Laura doesn’t want to be with you.” Richard crossed the room again and stood over her. He was close, threatening, but he didn’t do anything. He didn’t even make a move with his hand. He just talked. “She wants to live with Marie and me. Every minute she’s here, she’s miserable.”
Kate drew a long breath as her heart collapsed. It was an old dig. She knew Laura was unhappy, but hearing Richard use it yet again, hurt. Another minute and Kate would lose it.
“You know I’ve been trying to avoid this,” he began, “but Laura’s been begging me to call the attorney. I think I might.” He turned away from her and walked toward his car.
“Richard!” she called.
“We’ll be in touch.”
He didn’t turn back, didn’t give her an inch. Having joint custody was all Kate had to keep her relationship with Laura from completely falling apart. If she went to Richard permanently, she’d lose her daughter altogether. Climbing into her car, she slammed her fist on the steering wheel. Life just sucked.
*
The chocolate ice cream slid down her throat and Kate thought that some days seriously needed to be do-overs. Hers had started with Richard being a disgusting pig and was ending with her tearing apart her den.
Kate thought she’d left the folder with all her old rejection letters in the desk in the den. Setting aside the now empty ice cream bowl, she rifled through the drawers, found nothing, and moved her search to the large bookcase. The doors on the bottom half concealed more papers than Kate wanted to see at that point, but finding the letters was important. She wanted to show her creative writing class how many rejections she received on her first book.
The saying went that most writers could wallpaper a bathroom with all the rejections they received; Kate could wallpaper several.
It had been an interesting journey. She sat down to write her first book when Laura started school. She was working part time, just as she was now, and needed something else to fill her days while her daughter was at school and evenings while Richard climbed the academic ladder. There were always late meetings and drinks with colleagues. He made sure he was home for Laura, always eager to hear about her day and take her to whatever activity she may have had. Kate loved his devotion to their child and admired that he took care of business after she had gone to bed for the night. It was then that Kate worked on her stories, sometimes late into the night, following a childhood dream of writing wonderful books. Her first two books were horrible, and were still tucked in a drawer in her desk, never to be seen by another soul. She was struggling with the third one, and then everything changed.
