moved between the twins as she returned her rented skates.
"All right, that's enough, Mary," Misty admonished. "If you want
to go to Rumpelmayer's, don't say another word."
Mary made a face but fell silent.
Not wanting to catch sight of Luc, Misty
kept her eyes on the two youngsters until they were out on the street. She
hailed a cab to take them to the ice cream parlor. The sun was shining, but the
wind had a cold bite to it. Had Luc called her? Misty wondered. If Aileen had
heard the phone and answered it, would she have told Luc that she had gone
skating? Misty struggled to keep from thinking of him.
As usual, Rumpelmayer's was a great
success with the twins, but somehow the luster of the afternoon was gone for
Misty. She had to fight to concentrate on the children who were chattering
about their new friend Janie.
That night she shared a supper with David
and Aileen after the twins were in bed. "Mary said you know Janie
Patterson's uncle," Aileen said, sipping her coffee and watching Misty
over the rim of her cup.
"Yes. The girl's uncle is Luc
Harrison."
David whistled, then coughed when Aileen
glared at him. "He called asking for you," Aileen told Misty.
She shrugged. "The twins loved
Rumpelmayer's."
"They always do," Aileen
agreed, not protesting Misty's abrupt change of subject. But several times that
evening Misty felt her friend's anxious gaze fixed on her, and soon afterward
she rose to say good night.
"Just be careful, Misty. Don't get
hurt again," Aileen said at the door, hugging her.
"I have no intention of getting
hurt," Misty assured her. But her smile wavered.
She smiled. "All right, I'll come.
But remember, I have to be home early so I can take a nap before I go to
work." The two girls broke into loud whoops and raced down the stairs.
Misty hurried through the rest of her
chores, took a shower, and put on thermal underwear, cord jeans, a blue wool
sweater, and a down vest.
When she arrived downstairs, the door to
the Collinses' apartment stood open, and she walked in. "All right, slowpokes,
let's move it—" She stopped short, her mouth falling open at the sight of
Luc Harrison sitting at Aileen's kitchen table drinking coffee. The three
children were already tugging on their coats and boots.
"Isn't this great?" Aileen
exclaimed, rushing into nervous speech. "Janie wants to go for a bus ride,
and Luc says he'll go, too." She laughed gaily, watching Misty the way a
bird watches a snake.
"I see," Misty said calmly,
though she wanted to shake her friend. She glared at Luc, who saluted her with
his coffee cup, his eyes steady on her, his mouth lifting in a polite smile.
He rose from the table and drained the
last of his coffee before putting the cup in the sink. "Very good coffee,
Aileen. Thank you. Well, shall we go?" he asked the three youngsters,
ignoring Misty's mutinous expression.
The children swept out the door,
chattering nonstop. Luc and Misty followed side by side in silence.
Half a block from the bus stop, Misty
said, "You had no right to come to the house."
"Janie wanted to skate with Mark and
Mary again."
"Then you should have sent her
alone. I would have been glad to take her with the twins."
"Thank you so much, but / can take
care of my niece." Luc's voice was frigid.
"Then do so. But don't include
me."
"I won't ever again."
"Good." Misty ran to catch the
bus and stepped inside with change in her hand. But another hand pushed past
hers and dropped money for all of them into the box. Ignoring that, she made
her way to the middle of the bus where Mark, Mary, and Janie were crowded into
two seats. Misty tried to sit down next to a plump woman with a big shopping
bag on the seat, but the woman glared at her.
"There's an empty seat farther
back," the woman muttered, making no effort to move her shopping bag.
"Come along, darling. We'll sit
behind the children,' Luc said smoothly.
"Yeah, sit behind your kids.
Disgusting the way these modern mothers ignore your brats. I never
"All right, that's enough, Mary," Misty admonished. "If you want
to go to Rumpelmayer's, don't say another word."
Mary made a face but fell silent.
Not wanting to catch sight of Luc, Misty
kept her eyes on the two youngsters until they were out on the street. She
hailed a cab to take them to the ice cream parlor. The sun was shining, but the
wind had a cold bite to it. Had Luc called her? Misty wondered. If Aileen had
heard the phone and answered it, would she have told Luc that she had gone
skating? Misty struggled to keep from thinking of him.
As usual, Rumpelmayer's was a great
success with the twins, but somehow the luster of the afternoon was gone for
Misty. She had to fight to concentrate on the children who were chattering
about their new friend Janie.
That night she shared a supper with David
and Aileen after the twins were in bed. "Mary said you know Janie
Patterson's uncle," Aileen said, sipping her coffee and watching Misty
over the rim of her cup.
"Yes. The girl's uncle is Luc
Harrison."
David whistled, then coughed when Aileen
glared at him. "He called asking for you," Aileen told Misty.
She shrugged. "The twins loved
Rumpelmayer's."
"They always do," Aileen
agreed, not protesting Misty's abrupt change of subject. But several times that
evening Misty felt her friend's anxious gaze fixed on her, and soon afterward
she rose to say good night.
"Just be careful, Misty. Don't get
hurt again," Aileen said at the door, hugging her.
"I have no intention of getting
hurt," Misty assured her. But her smile wavered.
She smiled. "All right, I'll come.
But remember, I have to be home early so I can take a nap before I go to
work." The two girls broke into loud whoops and raced down the stairs.
Misty hurried through the rest of her
chores, took a shower, and put on thermal underwear, cord jeans, a blue wool
sweater, and a down vest.
When she arrived downstairs, the door to
the Collinses' apartment stood open, and she walked in. "All right, slowpokes,
let's move it—" She stopped short, her mouth falling open at the sight of
Luc Harrison sitting at Aileen's kitchen table drinking coffee. The three
children were already tugging on their coats and boots.
"Isn't this great?" Aileen
exclaimed, rushing into nervous speech. "Janie wants to go for a bus ride,
and Luc says he'll go, too." She laughed gaily, watching Misty the way a
bird watches a snake.
"I see," Misty said calmly,
though she wanted to shake her friend. She glared at Luc, who saluted her with
his coffee cup, his eyes steady on her, his mouth lifting in a polite smile.
He rose from the table and drained the
last of his coffee before putting the cup in the sink. "Very good coffee,
Aileen. Thank you. Well, shall we go?" he asked the three youngsters,
ignoring Misty's mutinous expression.
The children swept out the door,
chattering nonstop. Luc and Misty followed side by side in silence.
Half a block from the bus stop, Misty
said, "You had no right to come to the house."
"Janie wanted to skate with Mark and
Mary again."
"Then you should have sent her
alone. I would have been glad to take her with the twins."
"Thank you so much, but / can take
care of my niece." Luc's voice was frigid.
"Then do so. But don't include
me."
"I won't ever again."
"Good." Misty ran to catch the
bus and stepped inside with change in her hand. But another hand pushed past
hers and dropped money for all of them into the box. Ignoring that, she made
her way to the middle of the bus where Mark, Mary, and Janie were crowded into
two seats. Misty tried to sit down next to a plump woman with a big shopping
bag on the seat, but the woman glared at her.
"There's an empty seat farther
back," the woman muttered, making no effort to move her shopping bag.
"Come along, darling. We'll sit
behind the children,' Luc said smoothly.
"Yeah, sit behind your kids.
Disgusting the way these modern mothers ignore your brats. I never
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