at a restoration shop while he saved up to go on the road with his band.”
“Your dad’s a musician?”
“Not since I was born.” According to her Uncle Justin, her father had been really talented and a bit of a bad-ass before he married her mom. “But he still plays his guitar for fun.”
“I’m in a band. We’ve booked a bunch of high school dances in the area. You think your dad might listen to us sometime and give us a few pointers?”
“Get in line,” she muttered, zipping her backpack.
“Her father lives in California,” Haley explained.
Dani closed her locker. “I’d love to hear you, though.”
“Maybe sometime you can come to one of my gigs.” He paused to clear his throat. “I, umm, I was thinking you might like a ride home today. We can drop Haley off on the way.”
Haley grinned, bouncing up and down behind his back, her thumbs turned up.
Terrific. Dani had been forbidden to ride with anyone other than a parent. She’d already pushed her luck going to the bowling alley with Allison last week and then lying about her friend’s mother driving. If she was caught, she would be in trouble with a capital T. Still, if she turned Ryan down, he might not offer again.
Oh, what the heck. Her mom was at work. She’d never know. “Sounds great.”
“I’ll get my car and pick the two of you up at the curb.” He waved, heading for the door.
“Can you believe it?” Haley pummeled Dani’s shoulder. “Ryan asked you out!”
“No, he didn’t. He simply offered to take us home.”
“Wait. He will,” Haley predicted and then glanced at her sideways. “So are you gonna tell him about your leukem—”
“Shhh!” Dani glanced around the hallway to see if anyone had been listening.
After she’d finally finished her maintenance chemo last spring, her parents had agreed, if she remained in remission, she could start high school that fall. Only a few kids, who remembered her from elementary school, knew she’d been sick. She’d sworn them all to secrecy and told everyone else she’d been traveling with her parents. It wasn’t a complete lie. They’d traveled constantly—to and from her doctor’s appointments in Princeton.
“I’m not telling anyone and neither are you,” Dani whispered, heading toward Haley’s locker. “If it gets out I have cancer, everyone will treat me like I have AIDS or something.”
“Had,” Haley corrected, bobbing and weaving to avoid the herd of oncoming students.
“I can still relapse. I’ve only been off chemo for five months.” She didn’t dare become too optimistic, or she’d never be able to handle it if she got sick again. She’d done enough research to know she couldn’t do the Snoopy-dance until she’d maintained a continuous remission for five years. Even then, her leukemia still had a small chance of returning. Only when she made her ten-year milestone would she finally be considered cured.
For now, she had to live for the moment.
~*~
Nick peered through the window in the door to Sam’s preschool classroom. She leaned over a child-sized table, helping one of her students cut a piece of orange construction paper into the shape of a leaf. The little boy looked a lot like Michael might have. Dark hair like his, blue eyes like Sam’s.
His chest tightened. How could a merciful God limit a woman who cherished kids as much as Sammy did to only one child? And, worse, threaten that child’s life with a terminal illness?
Sam chuckled at something the toddler said. She had the best smile.
As she straightened and arched her spine to rub the small of her back, her chest thrust out, causing him to nearly choke on his tongue. Damn! Her breasts had practically doubled in size.
Okay, doubled was a big exaggeration, however, she could never squeeze them into the 32B cup bras she’d worn a year ago
Not that this was a bad thing. He’d always had a weakness for Sam’s breasts, but he’d enjoyed them most during the year she’d nursed
“Your dad’s a musician?”
“Not since I was born.” According to her Uncle Justin, her father had been really talented and a bit of a bad-ass before he married her mom. “But he still plays his guitar for fun.”
“I’m in a band. We’ve booked a bunch of high school dances in the area. You think your dad might listen to us sometime and give us a few pointers?”
“Get in line,” she muttered, zipping her backpack.
“Her father lives in California,” Haley explained.
Dani closed her locker. “I’d love to hear you, though.”
“Maybe sometime you can come to one of my gigs.” He paused to clear his throat. “I, umm, I was thinking you might like a ride home today. We can drop Haley off on the way.”
Haley grinned, bouncing up and down behind his back, her thumbs turned up.
Terrific. Dani had been forbidden to ride with anyone other than a parent. She’d already pushed her luck going to the bowling alley with Allison last week and then lying about her friend’s mother driving. If she was caught, she would be in trouble with a capital T. Still, if she turned Ryan down, he might not offer again.
Oh, what the heck. Her mom was at work. She’d never know. “Sounds great.”
“I’ll get my car and pick the two of you up at the curb.” He waved, heading for the door.
“Can you believe it?” Haley pummeled Dani’s shoulder. “Ryan asked you out!”
“No, he didn’t. He simply offered to take us home.”
“Wait. He will,” Haley predicted and then glanced at her sideways. “So are you gonna tell him about your leukem—”
“Shhh!” Dani glanced around the hallway to see if anyone had been listening.
After she’d finally finished her maintenance chemo last spring, her parents had agreed, if she remained in remission, she could start high school that fall. Only a few kids, who remembered her from elementary school, knew she’d been sick. She’d sworn them all to secrecy and told everyone else she’d been traveling with her parents. It wasn’t a complete lie. They’d traveled constantly—to and from her doctor’s appointments in Princeton.
“I’m not telling anyone and neither are you,” Dani whispered, heading toward Haley’s locker. “If it gets out I have cancer, everyone will treat me like I have AIDS or something.”
“Had,” Haley corrected, bobbing and weaving to avoid the herd of oncoming students.
“I can still relapse. I’ve only been off chemo for five months.” She didn’t dare become too optimistic, or she’d never be able to handle it if she got sick again. She’d done enough research to know she couldn’t do the Snoopy-dance until she’d maintained a continuous remission for five years. Even then, her leukemia still had a small chance of returning. Only when she made her ten-year milestone would she finally be considered cured.
For now, she had to live for the moment.
~*~
Nick peered through the window in the door to Sam’s preschool classroom. She leaned over a child-sized table, helping one of her students cut a piece of orange construction paper into the shape of a leaf. The little boy looked a lot like Michael might have. Dark hair like his, blue eyes like Sam’s.
His chest tightened. How could a merciful God limit a woman who cherished kids as much as Sammy did to only one child? And, worse, threaten that child’s life with a terminal illness?
Sam chuckled at something the toddler said. She had the best smile.
As she straightened and arched her spine to rub the small of her back, her chest thrust out, causing him to nearly choke on his tongue. Damn! Her breasts had practically doubled in size.
Okay, doubled was a big exaggeration, however, she could never squeeze them into the 32B cup bras she’d worn a year ago
Not that this was a bad thing. He’d always had a weakness for Sam’s breasts, but he’d enjoyed them most during the year she’d nursed
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