hurt her a bit. An’ I’m real sorry I took her, ’cause my dad’s so mad at me.”
“Luke?” He was so sweet and so worried she had to fight not to smile. “Is that why you’re sorry? Because your dad found out what you did and he got mad?”
Luke puzzled over that for a moment, as if it might be a trick question. “Well,” he admitted, “I am sorry he found out. And that he’s mad. But…I’m not s’pposed to take things that don’t belong to me. Is that what I’m s’pposed to be sorry about?”
Samantha couldn’t help it. She smiled, then started to laugh, then felt all the tension leave her body. “I think you know what you did wrong, Luke.”
“I really am sorry,” he said. “I liked it here and I liked you. Are you really mad at me?”
“I think I can forgive you,” she said.
“And you’ll still gimme my wish?” he asked earnestly.
“Wish?”
“You don’t have to pretend with me,” he whispered, then looked around as if to see if anyone was listening. “I know who you are.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. I recognized you from when you came to my school that day in your real clothes.”
“Real clothes?” Oh, no. Samantha knew what was coming next.
“You’re the tooth fairy! I know ’cause you look just like the one in my magic book. An’ I saw you do the magic, too! Tell me you’re not really mad. Tell me you’re still gonna gimme my wish.”
Samantha got down on her knees in front of him and told herself not to ask. It was none of her business, and he wasn’t her kid. Much as she might wish for someone just like him in her life, there was no one. And she’d promised herself she’d never fall in love with another man’s kids again.
It was too much of a risk. If she came to love Luke, as she’d loved Abbie and Sarah, then lost him, she simply wouldn’t survive it this time.
“Please,” said the precious little boy, near tears now.
Bracing herself, she ignored the whole argument about her magical powers and asked, “What do you want, Luke?”
“My mom,” he said solemnly. “I want her to come back.”
Samantha stared at him, unable to say anything.
“Can you do it?” Luke asked with absolute sincerity. “I know you can. You have to, ’cause nobody else would.”
Samantha shook her head, trying to clear it so she could think. “What do you mean, no one else would?”
“Santa didn’t do it. And I wished on my birthday candles, but that didn’t work. I wished on a star and a four-leaf clover, but that didn’t work, either. But I didn’t know about you, then. I didn’t understand that the magic is real. And then I saw you do it, and I knew you were the one. I knew you could bring my mom back for me. So will you?”
“Luke,” she began, then looked around in hopes that Joe might come back. Honestly, this wasn’t anything for her to handle. This was Joe’s son, Joe’s problem. It was none of her business.
“I know I don’t have all the teeth yet, but I’m working on it. I thought a hundred would do it.”
“A hundred!” She nearly shrieked. “A hundred baby teeth?”
Luke nodded solemnly, and Samantha had to sit down. She took one of the smaller chairs pulled to the front of her desk, and Luke sat down in the other, as if they were going to negotiate some business between them here in Samantha’s office.
“Is a hundred enough?” Luke asked. “I only have six now, but I’ve got two loose teeth. See?” He opened up his mouth and wiggled two of his teeth with his tongue. “And I know three other kids in my class who have loose teeth, too. One of ’em’s already promised me his for fifty cents and a really cool T-rex sticker I got at the zoo.”
Samantha just sat there with her mouth hanging open, not knowing how to begin to explain this to him.
“T-rex is a dinosaur,” Luke explained.
“Oh, Luke,” Samantha said, then simply didn’t know what to add.
Luke must have known something was wrong, because he looked near tears
“Luke?” He was so sweet and so worried she had to fight not to smile. “Is that why you’re sorry? Because your dad found out what you did and he got mad?”
Luke puzzled over that for a moment, as if it might be a trick question. “Well,” he admitted, “I am sorry he found out. And that he’s mad. But…I’m not s’pposed to take things that don’t belong to me. Is that what I’m s’pposed to be sorry about?”
Samantha couldn’t help it. She smiled, then started to laugh, then felt all the tension leave her body. “I think you know what you did wrong, Luke.”
“I really am sorry,” he said. “I liked it here and I liked you. Are you really mad at me?”
“I think I can forgive you,” she said.
“And you’ll still gimme my wish?” he asked earnestly.
“Wish?”
“You don’t have to pretend with me,” he whispered, then looked around as if to see if anyone was listening. “I know who you are.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. I recognized you from when you came to my school that day in your real clothes.”
“Real clothes?” Oh, no. Samantha knew what was coming next.
“You’re the tooth fairy! I know ’cause you look just like the one in my magic book. An’ I saw you do the magic, too! Tell me you’re not really mad. Tell me you’re still gonna gimme my wish.”
Samantha got down on her knees in front of him and told herself not to ask. It was none of her business, and he wasn’t her kid. Much as she might wish for someone just like him in her life, there was no one. And she’d promised herself she’d never fall in love with another man’s kids again.
It was too much of a risk. If she came to love Luke, as she’d loved Abbie and Sarah, then lost him, she simply wouldn’t survive it this time.
“Please,” said the precious little boy, near tears now.
Bracing herself, she ignored the whole argument about her magical powers and asked, “What do you want, Luke?”
“My mom,” he said solemnly. “I want her to come back.”
Samantha stared at him, unable to say anything.
“Can you do it?” Luke asked with absolute sincerity. “I know you can. You have to, ’cause nobody else would.”
Samantha shook her head, trying to clear it so she could think. “What do you mean, no one else would?”
“Santa didn’t do it. And I wished on my birthday candles, but that didn’t work. I wished on a star and a four-leaf clover, but that didn’t work, either. But I didn’t know about you, then. I didn’t understand that the magic is real. And then I saw you do it, and I knew you were the one. I knew you could bring my mom back for me. So will you?”
“Luke,” she began, then looked around in hopes that Joe might come back. Honestly, this wasn’t anything for her to handle. This was Joe’s son, Joe’s problem. It was none of her business.
“I know I don’t have all the teeth yet, but I’m working on it. I thought a hundred would do it.”
“A hundred!” She nearly shrieked. “A hundred baby teeth?”
Luke nodded solemnly, and Samantha had to sit down. She took one of the smaller chairs pulled to the front of her desk, and Luke sat down in the other, as if they were going to negotiate some business between them here in Samantha’s office.
“Is a hundred enough?” Luke asked. “I only have six now, but I’ve got two loose teeth. See?” He opened up his mouth and wiggled two of his teeth with his tongue. “And I know three other kids in my class who have loose teeth, too. One of ’em’s already promised me his for fifty cents and a really cool T-rex sticker I got at the zoo.”
Samantha just sat there with her mouth hanging open, not knowing how to begin to explain this to him.
“T-rex is a dinosaur,” Luke explained.
“Oh, Luke,” Samantha said, then simply didn’t know what to add.
Luke must have known something was wrong, because he looked near tears
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