my breakfast?”
He glanced up and gave her a warm smile that darkened his eyes. “Yeah, I didn’t want you to think you had to do everything. I pick breakfast up for the office on Fridays when I don’t have court. I’ve gotten pretty good at to-go orders.”
“Well, thanks. It was...it was nice of you.” More than ready to move away from any further expressions of gratitude, she asked, “Where’s Uncle Charles?”
“He took the dogs for a short walk through the neighborhood.” Then he turned the conversation back to her. “I didn’t know you liked dogs.”
“A pet’s one of the first things they told me I couldn’t have when I went into foster care.”
“Why don’t you get one now?”
Typical Delaney logic. “I want” was good reason to do something, no matter how impractical. But she had responsibilities that kept her away from home into the evening. The desire for a pet was a little girl’s dream. But she offered the practical excuse she used on herself whenever she walked past a pet store and willed herself to ignore the cute puppies in the window. “I’m never home. It wouldn’t be fair to keep one crated all the time.”
“I guess not.”
She couldn’t think of anything else to say. She rocked on her heels, her hands stuffed in her back pockets.
He rose and faced her. “Look, Kat. Excuse me, Katherine...”
“You can call me Kat outside the courtroom.” Maybe that small concession would fool Uncle Charles into believing she was cooperating.
“Thanks. Why don’t we trade information now? Then you won’t have to talk to me again until after lunch.”
He’d given her an out. She should be relieved. He must be as reluctant to be around her as she was to be around him. “Okay. What do you want to know about me?”
“What’s your favorite color, your favorite time of day, and why?”
Huh? Of all the things he could ask, those shouldn’t be on the list. She stared out over the lawn. “My favorite time of day is sunset. It relaxes me to watch the sun slip away. My favorite color is sapphire blue.” She looked back and her gaze collided with eyes the exact shade she’d described. Her stomach lurched and she fought for breath.
He watched her for a long time without saying anything. The tightness built in her chest. She was an idiot. He wasn’t the type of man to let an opening like that pass without some sort of smug comment.
“Now it’s your turn.”
She pasted on a false smile. “What do you do in your free time?”
“I play basketball on a community league team.” He picked up his mug and the paper. “Thanks for sharing a little about yourself.” He moved past her, leaving her alone on the porch.
She sat on the chaise longue, but got up after a few minutes and stood by the rail, staring out into the woods. Finally, she sat down in the chair he’d vacated. The scent of his spicy aftershave lingered on the cushion. She closed her eyes and breathed deep, not thinking about or wanting to feel anything.
Uncle Charles’s weekend sabbatical was giving her too much time to think about herself and her life. She missed Alice. She drew a deep breath and released it slowly, settling the jumble of emotions this weekend had stirred within her. But she wasn’t brave enough to go inside until she heard the dogs barking and knew Uncle Charles was back.
* * *
Nick was in the library when Judge Pierce and the dogs came in. “There you are,” the judge said. “I’d hoped we’d get a chance to talk this morning.” The dogs went over and lay down at Nick’s feet.
At the judge’s comment, he smiled sardonically. “Let me guess, you want to talk about Katherine.”
“I do, but I also want to talk about you. What happened between you two in high school?”
Nick had tried to remember their history and his actions and couldn’t think of a cause for Kat’s animosity toward him now. But he knew in his bones that her behavior stemmed from some slight she blamed him for.
He glanced up and gave her a warm smile that darkened his eyes. “Yeah, I didn’t want you to think you had to do everything. I pick breakfast up for the office on Fridays when I don’t have court. I’ve gotten pretty good at to-go orders.”
“Well, thanks. It was...it was nice of you.” More than ready to move away from any further expressions of gratitude, she asked, “Where’s Uncle Charles?”
“He took the dogs for a short walk through the neighborhood.” Then he turned the conversation back to her. “I didn’t know you liked dogs.”
“A pet’s one of the first things they told me I couldn’t have when I went into foster care.”
“Why don’t you get one now?”
Typical Delaney logic. “I want” was good reason to do something, no matter how impractical. But she had responsibilities that kept her away from home into the evening. The desire for a pet was a little girl’s dream. But she offered the practical excuse she used on herself whenever she walked past a pet store and willed herself to ignore the cute puppies in the window. “I’m never home. It wouldn’t be fair to keep one crated all the time.”
“I guess not.”
She couldn’t think of anything else to say. She rocked on her heels, her hands stuffed in her back pockets.
He rose and faced her. “Look, Kat. Excuse me, Katherine...”
“You can call me Kat outside the courtroom.” Maybe that small concession would fool Uncle Charles into believing she was cooperating.
“Thanks. Why don’t we trade information now? Then you won’t have to talk to me again until after lunch.”
He’d given her an out. She should be relieved. He must be as reluctant to be around her as she was to be around him. “Okay. What do you want to know about me?”
“What’s your favorite color, your favorite time of day, and why?”
Huh? Of all the things he could ask, those shouldn’t be on the list. She stared out over the lawn. “My favorite time of day is sunset. It relaxes me to watch the sun slip away. My favorite color is sapphire blue.” She looked back and her gaze collided with eyes the exact shade she’d described. Her stomach lurched and she fought for breath.
He watched her for a long time without saying anything. The tightness built in her chest. She was an idiot. He wasn’t the type of man to let an opening like that pass without some sort of smug comment.
“Now it’s your turn.”
She pasted on a false smile. “What do you do in your free time?”
“I play basketball on a community league team.” He picked up his mug and the paper. “Thanks for sharing a little about yourself.” He moved past her, leaving her alone on the porch.
She sat on the chaise longue, but got up after a few minutes and stood by the rail, staring out into the woods. Finally, she sat down in the chair he’d vacated. The scent of his spicy aftershave lingered on the cushion. She closed her eyes and breathed deep, not thinking about or wanting to feel anything.
Uncle Charles’s weekend sabbatical was giving her too much time to think about herself and her life. She missed Alice. She drew a deep breath and released it slowly, settling the jumble of emotions this weekend had stirred within her. But she wasn’t brave enough to go inside until she heard the dogs barking and knew Uncle Charles was back.
* * *
Nick was in the library when Judge Pierce and the dogs came in. “There you are,” the judge said. “I’d hoped we’d get a chance to talk this morning.” The dogs went over and lay down at Nick’s feet.
At the judge’s comment, he smiled sardonically. “Let me guess, you want to talk about Katherine.”
“I do, but I also want to talk about you. What happened between you two in high school?”
Nick had tried to remember their history and his actions and couldn’t think of a cause for Kat’s animosity toward him now. But he knew in his bones that her behavior stemmed from some slight she blamed him for.
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