Friday's Child by Kylie Brant

some excellent sources at the school,” she responded. “I have copies of a few books myself. You’re welcome to use them.”
    â€œThanks. Trask is gathering up all the resources he can for me. He’s read the material I brought home, as well. He’s pretty attached to Chloe.”
    â€œHave you discussed this with Chloe’s mother?”
    Michael’s hand halted halfway to his mouth with another cookie. “God, no,” he muttered feelingly. Though she didn’t say anything, he could feel her disapproval. “First I want to learn more about it myself. If I ever do decide to take Chloe to a doctor about it, I’ll talk to Deanna then.” He wouldn’t look forward to that discussion, but he wasn’t going to worry overmuch about it yet. He still believed that the possibilityof Chloe having the disorder was remote. He wasn’t going to put himself through a tangle with Deanna unless he was certain there was a need for it.
    He dismissed his ex-wife from his mind with casual ease and returned all his attention to Kate. She reached for a cookie from the plate between them, and his gaze lingered on the delicate wrist, the long, slender fingers. She was fairly tall for a woman but still came only up to his shoulder. He’d dated a few models and had always enjoyed not having to fold himself in half to kiss them. But this woman would make a little effort worthwhile. He hadn’t liked the bony angles and lack of feminine curves on the models, preferring instead a woman with defined female attributes. Kate’s breasts were shown off to perfection in the thin cotton shirt she was wearing. High and round, each would be a luscious handful.
    Suddenly aware of where his gaze had lingered, Michael looked quickly at her face to see if she’d noticed. Judging by the color that had returned to her cheeks, she had. Deliberately changing the subject, he said, “Actually, I had another reason for coming to see you today.” He leaned back in the chair and stretched his legs out, crossing them at the ankle. “Chloe has a birthday coming up next week.”
    Kate nodded. “Yes, I know. We celebrate birthdays in the classroom, too.”
    â€œDeanna has arranged a party for her and a few friends the weekend after her birthday, but I’ll be spending the day with her, and I wanted to do something special. She’s made the plans, and they include you.”
    â€œMe?”
    Michael’s eyes glinted with humor. “Yes. You, Miss Rose, are her idol. You can do no wrong, and there’s nothing she’d like more than to have you join us for a trip to—” he barely restrained the grimace “—Freddie’s Funhouse.”
    Kate appeared to choose her words carefully. “That’s sweet, but I don’t belong at a family celebration.”
    One eyebrow cocked, he inquired, “You wouldn’t by any chance be turning us down because you have an aversion to Freddie’s, would you?”
    She shook her head. “Actually, I’ve never even been there.”
    â€œAh. Well then, you should know that at Freddie’s, they use only real cheese on their pizzas, the tokens for the games are four for a dollar, and the fun never ends.”
    Her lips twitched. “It’s a very attractive offer, but I still would feel out of place.”
    Michael leaned forward, suddenly serious. “I hope you’re not turning down the invitation because of the way I acted at our previous meetings. I’d hate for Chloe to be disappointed because of my behavior.”
    He’d succeeded in flustering her. Her gaze bounced to his, and then away. “No. We’ve reached a truce, remember?”
    His shoulders relaxed against the back of his chair. “Good. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, but I really do hope you’ll consider joining us, Kate. I wasn’t exaggerating when I mentioned how much Chloe likes