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her there was light at the end of the tunnel. “Do you want to talk about it?”
    “No, I’m not ready.” Their gazes caught and held.
    “Mr. Royce? Wow, I can’t believe it’s really you!” Jake trotted up, genuine gladness widening his smile.
    “What are you doing here?” Wyatt asked. “Shouldn’t you be at practice or something?”
    “Nope. No practice on Mondays. Tomorrow’s a different story. So, you’re here checking things out?”
    “More or less.”
    “Hey, you aren’t catching up with Mom, are you? Got any more stories to tell?”
    “Let’s see.” Wyatt turned thoughtful, but his twinkling eyes served as a warning. “There was the time your mom was caught smoking behind the gym.”
    “Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me. And all that valedictorian stuff is just bogus, right?”
    “Absolutely. She spent more time skipping classes than in them. She was a bad influence on me.”
    “Honestly, you two.” Mariah shook her head, not at all liking them uniting against her. “You know I was the kind of girl who asked for extra homework from my teachers. I was a total bookworm.”
    “I’m just kidding, Jake. Your mom was the nicest and the smartest girl in school.”
    “Yeah, that’s what I figured.”
    “Some guys even thought she was the prettiest.”
    Mariah couldn’t say why her heart warmed. “Nope, that’s not going to work with me, not now. I’m wiser to a man’s flattery. That’s the supper bell. Jake, would you mind rounding up the kids and putting the balls away?”
    “I live to serve.” The teenager winked. “See ya later, Mr. Royce.”
    “Bye, Jake.”
    Her time with Wyatt had come to an end again. Mariah couldn’t say why that made her sad as she walked him to the door. Or why that sadness clung to her, refusing to let go after she’d said goodbye.

Chapter Four
    Although it was Wednesday, it felt like a Monday, Wyatt thought as he crossed his office. Constant phone calls, new crises cropping up, and now that the meeting called to deal with all of it was finally over, he dropped into his chair. He breathed in the calm, hoping it wasn’t the lull before another storm. He was beat.
    Carol, his executive assistant, knocked on his door and opened it. “Sorry, I know you didn’t want to be interrupted.”
    “It was inevitable. What’s up?”
    “The projections from accounting. You said you wanted them as soon as they arrived.”
    “That I did.” He stood, meeting her halfway across the spacious room, saving her a few steps. She was having the same kind of day he was. “Why don’t you take off early? It’s almost four and you worked through lunch, too.”
    “I nibbled on something at my desk.”
    “Not good enough.” He couldn’t help it. He wanted to make sure she took care of herself. “Go on. You need to take advantage of this quiet while you can. No telling what’s coming next.”
    “There’s a mountain of work—“
    “The company won’t fall apart overnight.” Not his company. He worked hard to make sure it was as healthy as a corporation could be. “I insist. Good night.”
    “I’m not sure I should leave you to your own devices.” Carol squinted up at him, skeptical. “My assistant can keep an eye on you. Don’t you stay too late. You’re trying to cut back, remember?”
    “The harder I try, the more work there is to do.”
    “Then try harder. Learn to say no.” Carol winked on her way out the door, heading home to her husband and daughter. To what truly mattered.
    Well, so much for keeping my promises today, Wyatt thought as he hunkered down at his desk and flipped open the file folder Carol had handed him. Spreadsheets stared up at him, numbers that he couldn’t seem to make sense of. Just tired, he told himself, rubbing his forehead. He shoved the file to one side. The day had gotten away from him again.
    Time to wrap up loose ends and check his email. Hoping everything could wait until morning, he scrolled through his in-box. A note