couldnât wait even long enough to tell me goodbye before you got the hell out of our one-horse town?â
âI had my reasons.â
Luke snorted.
The woman was certifiable. Though the rock in his gut told him Daisy still had secrets causing the shadows beneath her eyes, he had to admit he couldnât wait to start hanging out with their son.
Chapter Four
âFor the record,â Barb said Monday morning, âI think this is a perfectly dreadful idea.â
âDuly noted.â Regardless, Daisy continued unloading her office-desk drawers into boxes. From the Remold Buildingâs twenty-second floor, the city view was surreal. The furnishings were sleek chrome, glass and rich leather. Their corporate clients expected the best and didnât mind shelling out the big bucks required to obtain it.
Standing at just over five foot ten, Barb was a big, brassy redhead who hot-rolled her hair daily into a helmet of curls. Her clothes were all custom and her jewelry bodyguard-worthy. In court, her opponents nicknamed her Barbwire for her cutting legal mind. Outside of her workday, her heart was as big as her wallet. âNot only does your leaving put me in a major bind with the Hallworth case next week, but think about what this is going to do to Kolt. Everything heâs ever known is here, in San Francisco. Heâs a city kid. Howâs he going to take living in the sticks of Oklahoma?â
âKolt will be fine.â
Barb crossed her arms. âWhy donât you take a leave of absence? A year if you need it. But donât do anything rash. Get a short-term tenant in your loft and donât officially give up Koltâs slot at school.â
âI get all of your points, but the one thing you forgot to mention is the not-so-small matter of Koltâs father. My son deserves to get to know the man.â
Sighing, Barb looked to the ceiling. âYouâre being melodramaticânot to mention simplistic. You think just because this Luke character made you a cup of tea with honey that heâs going to magically forgive you for keeping his son from him for the past ten years?â
âIâd be lying if I said Lukeâs not upsetâunderstandably so. But I know heâll forgive me, andââ
Barb smacked her palm on the desk. âSpit on the floor and call me Violet, youâre nuttier than an Okie fruitcake. This man will never again put his trust in you. Wait a minute⦠Please tell me youâre not harboring a secret reunion fantasy?â
âOf course, not. But I donât want to think of him as an enemy.â Daisy glanced up to find Barb giving her the same, narrow-eyed glare she was legendary for sporting in courtroom battles. It was the same one that nine times out of ten preceded witnesses spilling their guts. âYou can quit with the look, Barb. Iâve already told you everything.â
Her friendâs dubious expression said she wasnât buying Daisyâs explanation. âDefine everythingâ¦.â
Â
K OLT S MITH, FRESH OFF THE BUS from a week spent at Camp Redwood, couldnât wait to get to his room.Camp was fun and all, but heâd missed his toys. Some of the guys in his cabin had said they were too old for toys and spent most of their summer chasing girls, but Kolt thought girls were grossâexcept for his mom. Ohâand Aunt Barb who always gave great birthday and Christmas presents.
âSlow down!â his mother yelled when he raced off the elevator toward their door.
âCanât, Mom! Iâve gotta pee!â
She not only laughed, but ran alongside him. Very weird when she was usually so serious. Lots of times at night, when she didnât know he was awake, heâd even heard her crying.
âBeat you,â she said, tagging the door.
âYeah, but you cheated by shoving me out of the way.â
âIâm a lady,â she teased, âand I never
Tim Curran, Cody Goodfellow, Gary McMahon, C.J. Henderson, William Meikle, T.E. Grau, Laurel Halbany, Christine Morgan, Edward Morris