herself she'd have to thank him for that, even if she choked on it.
Day care had been good for her son. He still hadn't made any close friends, but he was a little more talkative, a bit more demanding-although with Edward, that was relative. Twice now, when she'd told him it was bedtime, he'd said, 'Do I have to?' For him, that was a major rebellion.
'Wait till you see the playground.' She handed him a shopping bag filled with some toys to keep him occupied for the day, then picked up a sack that held their lunches and a few snacks. As they walked toward the playground, Horse dangling from his hand, she saw how much stronger he looked. His legs and arms were tanned, and there was a liveliness to his movements that she hadn't seen since his illness.
'The playground's all fixed up,' she said. 'And look. We added some picnic tables, so you'll have a place to sit and draw.'
She'd bought him a new coloring set that included a sixty-four count box of crayons instead of a skimpy twenty-four, then she'd purchased new sneakers for him, as well as pajamas printed with race cars. When she'd let him pick out an inexpensive T-shirt, he'd bypassed the childish cartoon designs and chosen one that said
She glanced down at her own clothes. She cleaned the dirt and paint from her black oxfords every day, and they were holding up well. Thanks to Annie Glide's wardrobe of old housedresses, she hadn't needed to waste a penny on herself.
Just then, Gabe's pickup swooped into the lot accompanied by a wake of dust. Edward slipped behind the turtle where, she suspected, he intended to make himself as invisible as possible. She headed for the truck and watched Gabe step out, all lazy grace and boneless elegance.
Yesterday he'd given her the key to Cal's house so she could search for the Bible while he went out to dinner with Ethan. It hadn't been there, but she appreciated the fact that he'd trusted her enough to let her look.
His eyes caressed her as he came nearer, and she grew dizzy with the memory of how he'd felt inside her two days earlier.
'Good morning.' His voice was deep and husky with sexual promise.
The breeze lifted the hem of her skirt so it brushed against his jeans. 'Good morning yourself.' Her tongue felt clumsy in her mouth.
He slipped his hand under her hair and curled it around the back of her neck. 'No electrician today.'
But they weren't alone, she was having her period, he didn't know about Edward, and he still controlled her paycheck. With a reluctant sigh, she drew away. 'I can't afford you.'
'Are we back to that again?'
'I'm afraid so.'
He didn't say anything. He simply frowned at her paint-spattered orange dress and oxfords, which seemed to annoy him more each day. 'You left those jeans of Jane's on the bed when you were looking for the Bible. Why didn't you keep them?'
'Because they weren't mine.'
'I swear, I'm buying you some today.'
She raised an eyebrow at him. 'No jeans. Give me a raise instead.'
'Forget it.'
A good argument was just what she needed to distract herself, and she splayed a hand on her hip. 'I'm working my butt off for you, Bonner. There's not a man in the world who would have done as much as I have for what you're paying, which, in case you've forgotten, is barely minimum wage.'
'That's true,' he replied agreeably. 'You're the best bargain in town.'
'I'm getting sweatshop wages!'
'That's why you're such a bargain. And don't forget that you're getting paid exactly what we agreed to.'
A lot more, if she considered the fringe benefits of house and car. Still, at this rate, she'd never be able to set anything aside, and if she didn't find that Bible, she and Edward would be stuck in Salvation forever.
She still needed to tell him Edward was with her, but even though he was less inclined to snarl these days, she wasn't anxious to break the news. She stalled for a few seconds by dividing her ponytail in half and pulling it tight in the rubber band.
'I hope you don't mind, but I had to bring Edward with me today.'
A wariness came over his expression. 'I don't see him.'
She tilted her head toward the playground. 'He's hiding. He's afraid of you.'
'I haven't done anything to him.'
That was so patently untrue that she didn't bother contradicting him.
He glared at her. 'I told you not to bring him here.'
'It's Saturday, and there's noplace else for him to go.'
'I thought Kristy was keeping him on Saturday.'
'Out of the goodness of her heart, but I'm not imposing on her again. Besides, she'll be moving into her condo soon, and she has things to do.'
He glanced toward the playground, but Edward remained hidden. Gabe's antagonism toward her son hurt. Couldn't he see how special Edward was? How could any intelligent person meet Edward and not fall in love with him?
'Fine,' he snapped. 'Just keep your eye on him so he doesn't get into anything.'
'This is a drive-in, Gabe, not a china shop. There isn't much he can break.'
Instead of replying, he headed for the back of the pickup where he grabbed a wooden spool of cable and stalked away.
His attitude toward Edward felt like a betrayal. If he cared about her, he should care about her son, too. If he-
She caught herself just in time. She was thinking about Gabe as if they had some future instead of remembering that her relationship with him had only two facets: he was her boss and he was her sex toy. That was all.
13
Kristy pressed the palm of her hand to her chest, which was barely covered by a scoopy little ice-blue tank top tucked into a pair of white jeans so tight they would have showed her panty line if she weren't wearing something called a thong that didn't leave a panty line, but did give her a wedgie.
As she settled behind the neatly arranged desk in her office, her heart was beating so hard she could feel it in her throat, but she couldn't feel it beneath her palm because her breasts were in the way, monumental breasts pushed up to centerfold proportions by the Wonderbra that the saleslady at the boutique in Asheville told her she absolutely had to buy, along with several dozen other essentials that had eaten up a chunk of the savings she'd set aside to furnish the bedroom in her new condo.
She'd been building up her nerve for two weeks, ever since the night she'd told Rachel about her feelings for Ethan. In four days, she'd be moving into her condo. It was a time for new beginnings.
The breeze from the open window lifted a lock of her dark, baby-fine hair. It was cut short now and feathered. That's what the hairdresser had said:
Now her simple, yet important, hair tickled her cheeks and brushed the nape of her neck. A few feathers flew over her eyebrows and into her eyes. Feathers flicked the sparkly one-karat cubic zirconia studs in her earlobes. Feathers., feathers, feathers, until she felt like a canary. It was so
When she'd walked into the cottage after her makeover yesterday and seen Rachel's jaw drop in amazement, she'd burst into tears.
Rachel, however, had burst out in delighted laughter. 'Kristy, you look like a really stylish tramp! And I mean
