Laws of Love by JT Schultz Page B

her. “This is really nice.”
    Joy dusted her strained features, relaxing them enough to bring a small smile. “I’m pleased with it. It didn’t always look like this.”
    “Hi, Ms. Crosby.” A young boy greeted them with one of his feet on a skateboard. He stood next to a younger girl on a bike.
    “Hi, Abby!” The young girl waved.
    Her face lit up and all traces of grief vanished. She looked genuinely pleased to see the children. “Hey kids. How are things at home?”
    “Good, the baby is better . But we have to get going or we’ll be late,” the girl called as they hurried off.
    Abby turned , still wearing the warm expression. “Mrs. Burlington, a woman in the neighborhood here, is their foster mother.”
    He glanced around again, still in awe about the park. Nothing about it was cheap or shabby and the design was reminiscent of something you would see in an upper middle class or gated community. “Tell me about this.”
    “I p layed here when I was younger.” She tilted her head to the side. “Let me try that again. When I’d run away and couldn’t handle being in the house, I came here. It was old and rusty and the grass was here was dead. I told myself, if I ever came into money, I would make it pretty and new so kids who were sad could come and be happy.”
    His smile faded as her words sunk in. She had stayed true to her word. “Abby, this is unbelievable.” He paused and weighed his words. “Then again, so are you.”
    “Don’t even go there ,” she whispered while her blue eyes darkened with grief. “Come on, there is more I want to show you.”
    He caught her by the wrist. “Do you realize how much this land is worth?”
    “Do you realize these people can’t afford to live anywhere else?”
    Her words stopped him. Standing there, blinking at her, he saw another side of the woman he truly adored. One completely different from anything he had ever known and he liked it—a lot. The sound of a seagull above, birds chirping in the trees, the distant laugh of a child filled his mind and he knew then, beyond a doubt, that he was falling in love with her. They wanted different things, but when he looked at her, he couldn’t help but wonder if they both wanted each other as well.
    I definitely want her. Now how am I going to get her?
     
    Abby went home after driving Jack back to Hunter Industries. She’d spent the afternoon with him, telling him why he should back down and not build the monstrosity shopping complex and high-end condos. Snuggled now under the weight of her robe, she sipped her coffee. So she had spiked it with a healthy dose of Irish Cream. It had been a very long day and emotionally taxing.
    In the end she didn’t think she’d made any progress in convincing him how important this case was to who she was now, because of her past. She found herself consumed with the situation. Unhealthy thoughts floated through her mind, thoughts of her with Jack. Most definitely she was falling in love with him. Not smart, but even she could be less than a genius occasionally and do less than smart things, couldn’t she?
    Sighing , she doubted that too. A heavy weight settled over her chest and she glanced around the apartment. For the first time since being a child, she felt alone. It was then it dawned on her, it wasn’t loneliness she was experiencing. She missed Jack.
    A knock on her apartment door caught her attention it. She didn’t get up, but instead stared at the entry while a fleeting spark of hope filled her heart.
    Maybe it’s him, maybe we can work this out—unfortunately I don’t know how.
    Abby shouldn’t be thinking like that, but she was. She set her mug down. If it was the paperboy she was going to be disappointed. She walked over to the door and pulled it open.
    Her eyes widened at the man she wasn’t expecting to see standing there. “What are you doing here?”
    An thony Frost narrowed his gaze. “We need to talk, and since you refuse to take my calls, I