measure this kind of thing."
"Excuse me, ma'am," Rob said softly, without looking around. To Fawn: "How about this one? Can you lift it some?"
"Not as high as the other." The foot lifted and fell.
"That's just fine. Okay, now, you just hold still. You may feel some heat or some cold, but don't you worry about that." Rob reached forward to clasp the girl's bare ankle.
Joyce tilted her sleek blond head to look at the ceiling, then sighed and went to sit beside Kaitlyn.
"I suppose I should have known," she said, letting her hands with the watch and notebook fall on either side of her.
Kaitlyn was watching Rob.
His head was turned toward her, but he clearly wasn't seeing her. He seemed to be listening for something as his fingers moved nimbly over Fawn's ankle. As if looking at the ankle would only distract him.
Kaitlyn was fascinated by his face. Whatever she thought of boys in general, her artist's eye couldn't prevaricate. Words from a book she'd once read ran through her mind: "A beautiful, honest face with the eyes of a dreamer." And the stubborn jaw of a fighter,
she added to herself, with an amused sideways glance at Joyce.
"How does that feel?" Rob asked Fawn.
"I... sort of tingly," she said, with a breathless, nervous laugh. "Oh!"
"Try to lift this foot again."
Fawn's sneaker came up-almost ten inches off the footrest.
"I did that!" she gasped. "No-you did that." She was staring at him with huge eyes full of wonder.
"You did it," Rob said, and smiled. He was breathing quickly. "Now we'll work on the other one."
Kaitlyn felt a stab of jealousy.
She'd never felt anything quite like it before-it was similar to the ache she'd gotten back in Ohio when she'd heard Marcy Huang planning parties. Just now, the way Rob was concentrating on Fawn-and the way Fawn was looking at Rob . . .
Joyce chuckled. "Same thing I saw at his school," she said to Kait in a low voice. "Every girl swooning when he goes by-and him not even knowing what's going on. That boy has no idea he's so sexy."
That's it, Kait realized. He has no clue. "But why doesn't he?" she blurted.
"Probably because of the same thing that gave him his talent," Joyce said. "The accident."
"What accident?"
"He didn't mention it? I'm sure he'll tell you all about it if you ask. He was hang gliding and he crashed.
Broke most of his bones and ended up in a coma."
"Oh, my God," Kaitlyn said softly.
"They didn't expect him to live, but he did. When he woke up, he had his powers-but he also had some deficits. Like not knowing what girls are for."
Kaitlyn stared at her. "You're kidding."
"Nope." Joyce grinned. "He's pretty innocent about the world-in a lot of ways. He just doesn't see things quite the way other people do."
Kaitlyn shut her eyes. Of course, that explained why Rob casually reached up girls' skirts. It explained everything-except why just looking at him made her heart pound. And why just the thought of him lying in a coma hurt her. And why she had a very uncharitable desire to run over and physically drag him away from pretty Fawn right now.
There's a word for your condition, her mind told her snidely. It's called-Shut up, Kaitlyn thought. But it was no use. She knew.
"That's enough for now," Rob was saying to Fawn. He sat back on his heels and wiped his forehead. "If we kept working on it every week, I think I could maybe help more. Do you want to do that?"
All Fawn said was, "Yes." But it was the way she said it, and the melty, awed way she looked into Rob's eyes, Kait thought. Fortunately, at that moment Joyce stood up.
"Rob, you might talk to me about arranging that," she said.
He turned and looked at her mildly. "I knew you'd want me to," he said.
Joyce muttered something under her breath. Then she said, "Right, we'll work something out. Why don't you take a break now, Rob? And, Fawn, if you're too tired for another experiment. . ."
"No, I feel great," Fawn said, not sappily but buoyantly. "I feel so strong-ready for
"Excuse me, ma'am," Rob said softly, without looking around. To Fawn: "How about this one? Can you lift it some?"
"Not as high as the other." The foot lifted and fell.
"That's just fine. Okay, now, you just hold still. You may feel some heat or some cold, but don't you worry about that." Rob reached forward to clasp the girl's bare ankle.
Joyce tilted her sleek blond head to look at the ceiling, then sighed and went to sit beside Kaitlyn.
"I suppose I should have known," she said, letting her hands with the watch and notebook fall on either side of her.
Kaitlyn was watching Rob.
His head was turned toward her, but he clearly wasn't seeing her. He seemed to be listening for something as his fingers moved nimbly over Fawn's ankle. As if looking at the ankle would only distract him.
Kaitlyn was fascinated by his face. Whatever she thought of boys in general, her artist's eye couldn't prevaricate. Words from a book she'd once read ran through her mind: "A beautiful, honest face with the eyes of a dreamer." And the stubborn jaw of a fighter,
she added to herself, with an amused sideways glance at Joyce.
"How does that feel?" Rob asked Fawn.
"I... sort of tingly," she said, with a breathless, nervous laugh. "Oh!"
"Try to lift this foot again."
Fawn's sneaker came up-almost ten inches off the footrest.
"I did that!" she gasped. "No-you did that." She was staring at him with huge eyes full of wonder.
"You did it," Rob said, and smiled. He was breathing quickly. "Now we'll work on the other one."
Kaitlyn felt a stab of jealousy.
She'd never felt anything quite like it before-it was similar to the ache she'd gotten back in Ohio when she'd heard Marcy Huang planning parties. Just now, the way Rob was concentrating on Fawn-and the way Fawn was looking at Rob . . .
Joyce chuckled. "Same thing I saw at his school," she said to Kait in a low voice. "Every girl swooning when he goes by-and him not even knowing what's going on. That boy has no idea he's so sexy."
That's it, Kait realized. He has no clue. "But why doesn't he?" she blurted.
"Probably because of the same thing that gave him his talent," Joyce said. "The accident."
"What accident?"
"He didn't mention it? I'm sure he'll tell you all about it if you ask. He was hang gliding and he crashed.
Broke most of his bones and ended up in a coma."
"Oh, my God," Kaitlyn said softly.
"They didn't expect him to live, but he did. When he woke up, he had his powers-but he also had some deficits. Like not knowing what girls are for."
Kaitlyn stared at her. "You're kidding."
"Nope." Joyce grinned. "He's pretty innocent about the world-in a lot of ways. He just doesn't see things quite the way other people do."
Kaitlyn shut her eyes. Of course, that explained why Rob casually reached up girls' skirts. It explained everything-except why just looking at him made her heart pound. And why just the thought of him lying in a coma hurt her. And why she had a very uncharitable desire to run over and physically drag him away from pretty Fawn right now.
There's a word for your condition, her mind told her snidely. It's called-Shut up, Kaitlyn thought. But it was no use. She knew.
"That's enough for now," Rob was saying to Fawn. He sat back on his heels and wiped his forehead. "If we kept working on it every week, I think I could maybe help more. Do you want to do that?"
All Fawn said was, "Yes." But it was the way she said it, and the melty, awed way she looked into Rob's eyes, Kait thought. Fortunately, at that moment Joyce stood up.
"Rob, you might talk to me about arranging that," she said.
He turned and looked at her mildly. "I knew you'd want me to," he said.
Joyce muttered something under her breath. Then she said, "Right, we'll work something out. Why don't you take a break now, Rob? And, Fawn, if you're too tired for another experiment. . ."
"No, I feel great," Fawn said, not sappily but buoyantly. "I feel so strong-ready for
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