She would handle it—for Tuti’s sake. The little
girl ran up to her and took her hand. Katie took it with a smile. Her budding
affection for Tuti was bittersweet. John hadn’t stuck with her to have the
family they’d planned. She’d thought he loved her, believed he would be loyal,
the way her father had been loyal to her mother when she’d had breast cancer. But no, John couldn’t handle her illness.
He’d gone off and had a kid with someone else.
The fact that Tuti was unplanned didn’t make it better. Her
mere existence hurt more than Katie could have imagined, almost as if she was
being taunted by her own dream. Here she’d beaten cancer, made a great life for
herself, written a book even. Yet the husband and children she longed for
remained elusive. That husband should have been John. And Tuti should have been
their child. But he wasn’t, and Tuti wasn’t. So much for her dream.
She went in John’s car since Springvale was thirty minutes away
and it made no sense to go separately. The open area food hall was a maze of
fruit and vegetable stalls, seafood, butchers and poultry. Most shoppers were
Vietnamese, speaking in their own language. Tuti clung tightly to Katie’s
hand.
John tried to take her hand, too. She let him but wouldn’t
relinquish Katie’s hand so the three of them wound their way awkwardly through
the crowded marketplace. Finally John gave up and let go.
Katie met his gaze. “Don’t take it personally. I’m her
teacher.”
“But I’m her father.”
Katie wasn’t likely to forget. She could see traces of John in
the girl. Not appearance necessarily, but his energy and humor, elements of his
personality John seemed to have buried. He’d always been the wild one, an
adventurer, blowing where the wind took him, with no clear pathway for the
future. After high school he’d drifted in and out of various jobs. Surfing and
Katie herself were the only constants in his life.
Then she’d gotten sick and he’d abandoned her to disappear for
a yearlong surfing safari. When he came home he’d gone straight into police
academy. Now he lived by rules, enforcing the law, demanding strict discipline
of himself and his officers. Only his relationships with women were
transient.
Since becoming a cop he’d had to become less spontaneous and
more by-the-book. At least she’d gleaned as much from things Riley said. It was
too bad. John’s zest for life was what had attracted her to him as a young
teenager. How many days and nights had she spent mooning over her older
brother’s hot friend?
She watched him move ahead, his shoulders broad and straight,
hips lean and butt tight in navy uniform pants. She stifled a sigh. He was still
hot. That hadn’t changed.
“This place looks good.” John stopped at a fruit stall and
picked up a basket. “Just get a variety of produce.”
Katie got her own basket and as she put items in, she told Tuti
the English name and got her to repeat the word. “You can do this wherever you
go,” she said to John. “Also, let her watch kids’ TV programs like Sesame Street where they teach the letters and
numbers.”
“Maybe I should hire a private tutor.” John inspected a papaya,
sniffing it for ripeness. “Are you interested?”
“Me?” Katie gave Tuti a plastic bag and pointed to a display of
apples. “Apples. Can you get me six apples?” She held up six fingers. “Six
apples.”
Tuti carefully placed an apple in her bag without repeating the
words. Hopefully she just needed time to adjust and then she would speak.
Katie turned back to John. “I have a job. In fact, I have two
jobs, teaching and writing. I’ve just been offered a new contract for three more
books.”
John whistled. “Did you accept?”
“Subject to negotiations between my agent and publisher, but
yes, I’ve committed to doing the books. So I won’t have a lot of spare
time.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s wonderful that your writing
is taking off. But
girl ran up to her and took her hand. Katie took it with a smile. Her budding
affection for Tuti was bittersweet. John hadn’t stuck with her to have the
family they’d planned. She’d thought he loved her, believed he would be loyal,
the way her father had been loyal to her mother when she’d had breast cancer. But no, John couldn’t handle her illness.
He’d gone off and had a kid with someone else.
The fact that Tuti was unplanned didn’t make it better. Her
mere existence hurt more than Katie could have imagined, almost as if she was
being taunted by her own dream. Here she’d beaten cancer, made a great life for
herself, written a book even. Yet the husband and children she longed for
remained elusive. That husband should have been John. And Tuti should have been
their child. But he wasn’t, and Tuti wasn’t. So much for her dream.
She went in John’s car since Springvale was thirty minutes away
and it made no sense to go separately. The open area food hall was a maze of
fruit and vegetable stalls, seafood, butchers and poultry. Most shoppers were
Vietnamese, speaking in their own language. Tuti clung tightly to Katie’s
hand.
John tried to take her hand, too. She let him but wouldn’t
relinquish Katie’s hand so the three of them wound their way awkwardly through
the crowded marketplace. Finally John gave up and let go.
Katie met his gaze. “Don’t take it personally. I’m her
teacher.”
“But I’m her father.”
Katie wasn’t likely to forget. She could see traces of John in
the girl. Not appearance necessarily, but his energy and humor, elements of his
personality John seemed to have buried. He’d always been the wild one, an
adventurer, blowing where the wind took him, with no clear pathway for the
future. After high school he’d drifted in and out of various jobs. Surfing and
Katie herself were the only constants in his life.
Then she’d gotten sick and he’d abandoned her to disappear for
a yearlong surfing safari. When he came home he’d gone straight into police
academy. Now he lived by rules, enforcing the law, demanding strict discipline
of himself and his officers. Only his relationships with women were
transient.
Since becoming a cop he’d had to become less spontaneous and
more by-the-book. At least she’d gleaned as much from things Riley said. It was
too bad. John’s zest for life was what had attracted her to him as a young
teenager. How many days and nights had she spent mooning over her older
brother’s hot friend?
She watched him move ahead, his shoulders broad and straight,
hips lean and butt tight in navy uniform pants. She stifled a sigh. He was still
hot. That hadn’t changed.
“This place looks good.” John stopped at a fruit stall and
picked up a basket. “Just get a variety of produce.”
Katie got her own basket and as she put items in, she told Tuti
the English name and got her to repeat the word. “You can do this wherever you
go,” she said to John. “Also, let her watch kids’ TV programs like Sesame Street where they teach the letters and
numbers.”
“Maybe I should hire a private tutor.” John inspected a papaya,
sniffing it for ripeness. “Are you interested?”
“Me?” Katie gave Tuti a plastic bag and pointed to a display of
apples. “Apples. Can you get me six apples?” She held up six fingers. “Six
apples.”
Tuti carefully placed an apple in her bag without repeating the
words. Hopefully she just needed time to adjust and then she would speak.
Katie turned back to John. “I have a job. In fact, I have two
jobs, teaching and writing. I’ve just been offered a new contract for three more
books.”
John whistled. “Did you accept?”
“Subject to negotiations between my agent and publisher, but
yes, I’ve committed to doing the books. So I won’t have a lot of spare
time.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s wonderful that your writing
is taking off. But
Similar Books
