saw a little girl with carrot red hair, about the same age as Kristen, come romping down the stairs. Immediately, Lauren noted the little girl's distinctive features did not resemble any of the other members of the family and knew she must also be adopted.
"Julie!" Kristen squealed. In the next few minutes, they all learned that Julie, Judy's daughter, was a classmate of Kristen's. The two friends bolted upstairs to play with a dollhouse in Julie's room.
Suddenly feeling alone, Lauren took a deep breath and followed Judy down the hallway to a room off the back of the large eat-in kitchen. When she saw a long blond form stretch out on the floor being tackled by a child dressed in a Batman costume, Lauren realized it must be Kyle. A chuckle bubbled up from inside her and she placed her hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter.
"Lauren's here," Judy announced. "And don't you dare hurt your brother."
Kyle twisted around until he saw Lauren. His face was beet red and his hair tousled from rough housing with the little boy. "Okay, Scotty, you won."
The little caped crusader wound up his fist and slugged Kyle in the stomach.
"Ooof! I said you won, buddy." Kyle rubbed his stomach and shook his head as he lifted to a kneeling position. "That little guy packs a pretty good punch," he said to Judy. "And you were afraid that I was going to hurt him?"
Judy playfully smacked him on the back of his head with her hand. "Oh, don't be such a baby. Dinner will be ready in about a half hour or so."
"It's a good time to feed Max. Care to brave meeting man's best friend?" Kyle asked, now standing. "I'll tell you all about Thanksgiving."
"Don't remind me," Judy said as she left the room.
He laughed. "Come on. I'll show you around."
Kyle clamped the collar of his coat as he and Lauren walked the frozen pebble stoned path toward the carriage house. He shot a quick glance over to Lauren as she walked beside him. The moon light shined against her silky blond hair and gave it a sultry quality against the soft features of her face. She turned and caught him staring and dipped her head in response before returning a coy smile. My, but she was pretty.
Tonight, she had a particularly noticeable bounce in her step as they walked and he wondered why? Hopefully, it was because she was having a good time, he thought. The way he'd commandeered her into coming to dinner may not have been the smoothest way to approach the woman, but it had been effective just the same.
"I didn't realize that your sister Julie was in Kristen's class," Lauren said.
"Julie is so shy. I'm glad she's taken to Kristen. They'll have a good time together today."
Lauren chuckled. "All Julie had to say was the word 'dollhouse' and Krissy flew up the stairs."
"Does she have one?"
"No, but I know she'd love one. What little girl wouldn't?"
"Is Santa bringing her one?" Kyle said, giving her a wink.
He watched her expression droop, but she still held on to her smile. "Not this year. Santa's budget is not quite that big."
Kyle stopped walking when they got to the side door of the carriage house that led to his apartment and he paused. His first thought was that if Lauren was in need, he'd just loan her the money. He knew that she had a hard time accepting help from others, so giving her money as a gift would certainly be out of the question. Money had ceased to be an issue for him since his explosion into the world of real estate development, but the last thing he wanted to do was insult Lauren with an offer of charity.
With full force, he pulled open the sliding door, flicked the light switch on the wall, and waited until Lauren walked into the garage section of the carriage house. He steered her to a closed set of stairs that rose to the living quarters.
"I could get her one," he suggested as they climbed the stairs, going against his earlier reasoning.
Lauren swung around to
"Julie!" Kristen squealed. In the next few minutes, they all learned that Julie, Judy's daughter, was a classmate of Kristen's. The two friends bolted upstairs to play with a dollhouse in Julie's room.
Suddenly feeling alone, Lauren took a deep breath and followed Judy down the hallway to a room off the back of the large eat-in kitchen. When she saw a long blond form stretch out on the floor being tackled by a child dressed in a Batman costume, Lauren realized it must be Kyle. A chuckle bubbled up from inside her and she placed her hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter.
"Lauren's here," Judy announced. "And don't you dare hurt your brother."
Kyle twisted around until he saw Lauren. His face was beet red and his hair tousled from rough housing with the little boy. "Okay, Scotty, you won."
The little caped crusader wound up his fist and slugged Kyle in the stomach.
"Ooof! I said you won, buddy." Kyle rubbed his stomach and shook his head as he lifted to a kneeling position. "That little guy packs a pretty good punch," he said to Judy. "And you were afraid that I was going to hurt him?"
Judy playfully smacked him on the back of his head with her hand. "Oh, don't be such a baby. Dinner will be ready in about a half hour or so."
"It's a good time to feed Max. Care to brave meeting man's best friend?" Kyle asked, now standing. "I'll tell you all about Thanksgiving."
"Don't remind me," Judy said as she left the room.
He laughed. "Come on. I'll show you around."
Kyle clamped the collar of his coat as he and Lauren walked the frozen pebble stoned path toward the carriage house. He shot a quick glance over to Lauren as she walked beside him. The moon light shined against her silky blond hair and gave it a sultry quality against the soft features of her face. She turned and caught him staring and dipped her head in response before returning a coy smile. My, but she was pretty.
Tonight, she had a particularly noticeable bounce in her step as they walked and he wondered why? Hopefully, it was because she was having a good time, he thought. The way he'd commandeered her into coming to dinner may not have been the smoothest way to approach the woman, but it had been effective just the same.
"I didn't realize that your sister Julie was in Kristen's class," Lauren said.
"Julie is so shy. I'm glad she's taken to Kristen. They'll have a good time together today."
Lauren chuckled. "All Julie had to say was the word 'dollhouse' and Krissy flew up the stairs."
"Does she have one?"
"No, but I know she'd love one. What little girl wouldn't?"
"Is Santa bringing her one?" Kyle said, giving her a wink.
He watched her expression droop, but she still held on to her smile. "Not this year. Santa's budget is not quite that big."
Kyle stopped walking when they got to the side door of the carriage house that led to his apartment and he paused. His first thought was that if Lauren was in need, he'd just loan her the money. He knew that she had a hard time accepting help from others, so giving her money as a gift would certainly be out of the question. Money had ceased to be an issue for him since his explosion into the world of real estate development, but the last thing he wanted to do was insult Lauren with an offer of charity.
With full force, he pulled open the sliding door, flicked the light switch on the wall, and waited until Lauren walked into the garage section of the carriage house. He steered her to a closed set of stairs that rose to the living quarters.
"I could get her one," he suggested as they climbed the stairs, going against his earlier reasoning.
Lauren swung around to
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