"You always keep your clients waiting?" Beth asked coolly as she followed Kevin out of the school to the teen center, where he'd left his lesson plan for the day.
"Clients?" He shook his head. "You're not my client."
"My daughter is."
"Amber's a kid, Beth. And, no, I don't keep the kids waiting."
She followed him into his office, which was the size of a postage stamp and held a beat-up old desk and a file cabinet with drawers that didn't shut all the way.
Beth tapped her foot, dressed to kill in a bloodred suit that showed off her assets, which had only improved with time and her surgeon's help. Deciding to display those assets, she perched prettily on the corner of his desk, crossing her legs to optimize the effect of their length.
Once upon a time he'd loved those legs, but he was eighteen and extremely stupid. "What do you need?" he asked.
"Amber's going to be here for a few weeks." She patted her perfectly coiffed blond hair and pulled out a small compact from her pocket to check her makeup, also perfect. But Kevin knew beneath that cool exterior beat a self-aware, needy, high-maintenance heart.
"God knows why, but the girl loves you," she said, sounding a little baffled.
Amber was Bern's daughter from her third-or was it fourth?-marriage. A Beth clone, Amber often found trouble simply because she felt lost in the shuffle.
"Just a warning-keep her away from the boys. She's smitten."
"By who?"
"By all of them." Beth pushed away from the desk and sauntered close, running a finger over a pec. "You're looking good, Kevin. Why is it men age so fine and women sag?"
He wasn't going to touch that with a ten-foot pole.
"Want to come over tonight?"
"So you can have my ass kicked again?"
"Oh, ' honestly." She huffed out a breath and waved a hand. "You've got to let bygones be bygones. I no longer have Daddy's bodyguards looking for your blood. I fight my own battles now."
"Uh huh." He rubbed the phantom ache in his ribs from that long-ago beating. "You got a cool mil out of husband number two, right? Or was that husband number three?"
"It was four, if you're counting." She batted her lashes at him.
"Then don't sell the teen center."
"It's too much trouble."
"What trouble?"
"The pipes are failing."
"I'll fix the pipes, I'll-"
"Oh, no," she said with a low laugh. "If you want to discuss it, come over." She smiled. "For old times' sake."
"Old times' sake." He put his hands on her arms and held her back from him. "Would that have been when you married me simply to piss off your father, or when you took what little savings I had and ran off to Paris for a shopping trip with your sister?"
At that moment Mike poked his head in the door. When he saw Beth, his eyes went flat.
"Well, look at you," Beth purred at him, cocking her head. "Haven't seen you in years."
Mike smiled grimly, relating in that one small movement gesture how well he read lips. It's been a pleasure to go so long without seeing you, he signed.
Beth shrugged and looked away, the ultimate rude gesture to the hearing-challenged. "Sorry, no comprendo."
Mike waited until she looked at him again, and then gave her a sign no one could misunderstand.
Bern's eyes went to ice as she stepped toward him.
Kevin quickly stepped between them. "Stop."
Beth laughed. "Still protecting him from the real world?"
"You've dropped Amber off, now go."
Yeah, go back to the rock you crawled out from beneath, Mike signed.
Unable to catch the meaning, Beth narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing here anyway? You need more money from your brother? Or is it just that it's too early to be hitting the bars and you're wasting the time checking out cute underage girls?"
Kevin had to plant a hand in the middle of Mike's chest to hold him back. He wrapped his other hand around Bern's upper arm and escorted her to the door. "If you're late to pick up Amber, I'm going to charge you by the minute."
"Oooh." She shivered, making sure to brush up against him. "You know I love it when you talk tough." Before he knew what she meant to do, she slid her fingers in his hair, tugged his face forward, and planted her lips on his. "Mmm," she purred when he jerked free. She licked her lips slowly and suggestively. "Still know how to kiss. Come on, have a drink with me tonight. For old times'."
He'd rather plow his bike into a cement freeway divider. "Six o'clock."
"Is that a yes?"
"Actually, it's a hell no."
"Fine." Her eyes frosted over. "You're still impossible." She straightened her purse on her shoulder, gave one last glare to Mike, who rolled his eyes, and stalked out.
What the fuck? Mike signed.
Ignore her.
I mean you. Why didn't you kick her ass out of here?
Were you not watching? That's what I just did.
Mike shook his head. You kept Amber for her.
Amber is a kid dealt a crappy set of parents. I'm not going to penalize her for her mother being the queen of bitches.
Mike looked at him, shook his head, but let out a low sound that was meant to be a laugh. Whatever.
Why are you here this early? Kevin signed.
Thought I'd check things out. See how things run.
You've given the job a lot of thought then. Kevin felt a surge of hope. Dealing with Mike was tricky, like dealing with his teens. If Kevin appeared too eager, Mike would blow him off.
But Mike surprised him. Yeah, and you'd better get to it before I wise up to the low pay and nonexistent benefits and get the hell out of here.
Kevin bit back his impatient reply. That Mike was here was good. It showed promise. He needed to leave it at that.
But, damn, he was getting really tired of coercing the people in his life to live up to their potential.
Hope resented like hell being treated like a stupid little kid. Granted, she'd acted the part earlier, cranking the stereo to headbanging rap for the pleasure of watching Aunt Apple's blood boil. She'd kept the music cranked as she applied her black eyeliner and lipstick. She'd actually not worn makeup until this year, when her best friend Amy-Ann dumped her for Sally, and then she was accused of stealing that lip gloss she hadn't stolen, and then her mother started acting like she was such a burden…
Everyone treated her as the black sheep. So she'd decided to dress the part.
Mia balked at the makeup. "Whatever look you were going for," she'd said earlier, "you missed."
"If you're worried I'm going to embarrass you," Hope had responded, "I could just stay here."
"I don't think so."
That burned, Hope admitted. Yet again being treated like a piranha or, worse, a common thief.
But truth was truth. She wasn't wanted here any more than she'd been wanted anywhere else. The thought brought a heavy weight to her shoulders and a despair that might have been assuaged by chocolate donuts, but there weren't any. There wasn't any breakfast at all except coffee and dry toast-ick-but Aunt Apple had promised to buy her whatever she wanted at the grocery store, and Hope was going to hold her to that.
They passed by the Diplomat, and Hope gave a tire a kick. It wouldn't start, but Kevin was going to look at it. She hoped he meant it.
She slid into Mia's fancy car, then struggled to act cool when she nearly drooled. The leather seats were soft, squishy, wonderful. They made an expensive-sounding noise, and she tried not to gawk over how great they felt compared to her own ripped seats, which scratched her skin.
Mia pulled out. Hope felt her glancing over, and finally she rolled her eyes. "What? Am I breathing wrong or something?"
"I thought teenagers were supposed to talk nonstop."
"And I thought adults weren't."
Mia sighed and slid on her fancy sunglasses, and they drove in silence until they pulled up to the biggest high school Hope had ever seen. The teen center was next to it, a building that looked like a fast-food joint without any signs.
"It used to be a drive-through burger place," Mia said. "Then an icecream shop. But the students kept ripping the place off, and both folded. It's a teen center now, at least until the building sells again."
They got out of the car. Hope suddenly felt like dragging her feet. It was one thing to go to her school and stick out like a sore thumb. Another entirely to do it in front of countless strangers.
"What's the matter?" Mia asked.
What if the kids didn't like her here either? "Nothing."
"Well, then pick it up. I'm late- Damn it!" One of her fancy high heels got caught on the asphalt and she nearly fell on her ass.
Hope's mouth twitched.
Mia straightened and glared at her. "I'm ruining my Manolos."
Hope glanced down at the admittedly gorgeous four-inch, strappy, satin-cork wedges and secretly drooled. "I'd be more worried about your ankles." Someday she was going to wear shoes just like that, in black, ankles be damned.
"I've been walking in heels for years, my ankles are-Argh!" She nearly went down again, but this time when she straightened she was lopsided.
She'd broken off the heel. "Shit."
"I hope you got those on sale," Hope said.
"Now what am I supposed to do?"
Hope lifted her heavy-soled black boots. "Payless specials, $15.99," she said, but truthfully they didn't look anywhere as sweet as the Manolos. "Want to borrow 'em?"
"No, thank you." Mia grated her teeth and hobbled into the building.
Hope followed more reluctantly. The inside of the building had been painted a different primary color on each wall, each with tons of Polaroids of the kids tacked up. In the front room, clearly once a dining area, were two huge L-shaped couches, a Ping-Pong table, and a TV with PlayStation 2 running.
There was an older girl, maybe a college student, running the show, checking kids in, assigning them to stations like Ping-Pong, PlayStation, basketball, etc. It must have been someone's birthday, because there was a balloon bouquet on the counter and confetti everywhere.
Watching Apple limp up to the sign-in area was fun. There was something to be said for Aunt Mia's confidence. Her shoulders never slumped, her chin was always high, and her clothes screamed I paid a fortune so back off, sucker.
Hope wanted to be just like her when she grew up.
The girl at the counter was reading an Us Weekly magazine with Paris Hilton on the cover, who wore some silly pink froufrou dress and was hoisting up her tiny little dog, who wore a matching outfit. The girl didn't even look at Mia.
"Excuse me," Mia said.
The girl kept reading but lifted a sign that said FULL TODAY.
"I'd like to get my niece into the program for this week," Mia said.
Still reading, the girl shook her head. "Sorry." She waved the sign. "Full today. It's horseback riding day, and we fill up fast."
Hope had no problem missing the horseback riding.
Mia opened her mouth, probably to blast the girl, but Hope tapped her aunt on the shoulder. "Um, I can go with you to work."
"No." Still looking cool as rain despite the early-morning heat and the fact that she'd broken her sandal, Mia shook her head. "You cannot come with me to work. Listen," she said to the college girl. "Where's Kevin McKnight?"
"He's in his office, but-"
"Great. I'll talk to him."
"He's getting ready to head over to the high school. He's teaching-"
Mia simply walked around the counter, pulling Hope along with her.
"Hey," the girl called. "You can't-"
"Watch me," Mia muttered.
Hope sure did. She watched Mia look like a woman on a mission, watched the younger woman cave, watched Mia get what she wanted.
God, to be like that.
They entered a hallway. There was a huge kitchen on the right, empty. The first door on the left opened wide and a woman sauntered out. She had perfect hair, perfect makeup, a perfect bright red suit and looked like she belonged on TV with a microphone, talking about an incoming tornado or something. Hope stared at her thinking Wow, a Mia double, except Mia was prettier and had nicer makeup. Were all the women in California totally put together and perfect?
And where did she sign up for being-perfect lessons?
The woman narrowed her eyes at Hope. "Didn't your mother ever teach you it's rude to stare?"
Mia stopped on the spot, one heel and all, drawing herself up even taller as she put her hand on Hope's arm. "And didn't your momma ever teach you it's rude to talk to a kid that way?"
Hope stopped staring at Barbie Doll and looked in shock at Mia. Had she just heard that right? Had Mia just… stood up for her?
Blondie looked Mia up and down, clearly assessing the clothes, the shoes, the one heel. A smirk crossed her face, but before she could put words with it, the office door opened again and out poked a head. Dark hair, matching dark eyes.
He looked just like Kevin.
He immediately turned to someone behind him and made a series of motions with his hands in an oddly graceful, beautiful way, signifying he was deaf.
Before Hope could digest that, Kevin appeared. Apparently possessing that adult ability to take in an entire situation with one glance, he sighed the sigh of a man greatly vexed. "Perfect," she thought she heard him mutter.
In Hope's world, a tense man meant things were going to start flying, so she took a big step back.
The Kevin look-alike joined them all in the hallway, smiling, though Hope had no idea what was so funny.
"If you charged all the people in designer clothes extra to babysit their brats," Blondie said to Kevin, "you'd be able to buy this place yourself."
"Six o'clock," Kevin said to her.
"Yeah, yeah." Blondie moved off, brushing her shoulder against Hope's as she went, knocking her back a few feet.
Mia reached for her and pulled her forward. "Forget her."
Hope wasn't worried about Blondie-she could have taken that skinny know-it-all-but Mia's concern did something odd: it sort of warmed her.
"Look," Mia said to Kevin. "I need to get Hope into your program today."
Kevin stood back and held open his office door for them to enter.
Mia hobbled past him, growling when Kevin took in her missing heel with a smile. "Zip it," she warned.
"I didn't say a word." The office was the size of Hope's car, but Kevin had a cool beanbag chair in the corner, red with white polka dots, and Hope sank into it. Next to her was a low shelving unit filled with books that had been on her high school reading list. Between two books was a jar filled with mini chocolate bars.
Her mouth watered. Just as good as donuts…
Her stomach rumbled hopefully. A quick glance at Kevin and Mia assured her they were still busy with their standoff. Jeez, those two needed to just knock it out or something, she thought. Anyway, she let her hand run over the books.
Then the jar.
She palmed two chocolate bars, and had already popped one into her mouth-heaven-when she felt someone's eyes on her. Shit. She turned her head and met Kevin's brother's steady gaze, and suddenly the chocolate tasted like sand.
She tightened her palm around the one chocolate she hadn't yet eaten and tried to pretend she didn't have anything in her mouth.
He lifted a brow.
She turned away and began to frantically chew so that she could swallow, but it wouldn't go down. Now everyone would really think she was a thief.
She'd deny it. And to that end, she slipped the second candy bar into her pocket and hoped it didn't melt, but since she was already sweating, that seemed unlikely. She looked anywhere else but at the brother: at Mia and Kevin arguing, at the ceiling and the two spitballs on the light box, then at the floor and the stacks of files next to Kevin's desk. She looked at… oh, God. There was nothing else. Slowly, inevitably, her gaze was drawn back to the dark eyes.
He reached out.
She shrank back.
His smile faded and he slowly opened his palm, showing her another chocolate. Offering it.
He knew. She shook her head.
He arched a brow that said I know you want it.
Again she vehemently shook her head. No. Don't look at me. She closed her eyes. When she finally got up the nerve to look at him again, he was moving toward the door.
Mia stopped arguing with Kevin.
Kevin's brother signed something, and Hope's chest went tight. He was telling on her.
Indeed Kevin turned his head and looked right at her, then at the candy jar.
Hope stopped breathing.
Kevin nodded, and his brother walked out the door.
Kevin watched him go as if maybe he really wanted to say something else, but he didn't.
Instead he once again looked at Hope. A trickle of sweat ran between the breasts she'd just gotten last year, but Kevin smiled. He smiled like he really meant it, and Hope let out a helpless one in return, hoping she didn't have chocolate on her teeth.
Whatever he'd been mad at, it hadn't been her. She didn't know why she cared really, except for that she did. A lot. "So how are you doing this morning, Hope?" he asked.
Hope knew most people asked that as a matter of greeting, not really caring about the answer, but he sounded like he really wanted to know.
How was she doing? Actually, she hadn't given a lot of thought to that, as she'd been quite busy just surviving. Then she'd woken up in a bed, a huge, comfy, expensive bed, instead of her car. She wasn't on the road-hallelujah!-and the realization had been a little unsettling. Nice, but unsettling. Cranking the music to cover that unease had been fun, and it had the added benefit of annoying Mia. That was nice, too. And the ride over here in the Audi… wow. The navigation system alone could have kept her entertained for another cross-country drive-not that she wanted to ever make that drive again. "Fine."
His smile felt genuine. "I'm glad to hear it." He turned back to Mia. "You know, your accent matches Mia's."
Mia seemed to grind her teeth at this. "I do not have an accent."
"Right," he said and laughed. "Well, I'm sorry. The teen center is truly full today. I can get her in tomorrow-"
"I need her in today."
Leaning back against the wall, he crossed his arms and feet casually, lifting a brow. "Maybe you could take her sightseeing today, get to know her, and then tomorrow-"
"I have to get into work." Mia glanced at her fancy-smancy watch that Hope was betting was not a Kmart special. "I'm already running late. I need you to take her."
"Hmm."
"And what does that mean?"
"It means you have a real thing about getting your way," Kevin said lightly.
This seemed to make Mia's eyes nearly bug out of her head. She looked pretty good today, Hope had to admit, even with one of her sandals broken. Her skirt was a pale blue and floated on air when she moved, and her jacket revealed a lacy thing beneath, both of which hugged her body. It was a sexy, elegant look that Hope could never pull off in a million years, even if she wanted to wear colors again.
"Can you, or can you not, take Hope?" Mia said in a quiet but scary voice that made Hope's spine itch.
Hope would have sworn Kevin's smile changed now that it was aimed at Mia. It wasn't kind anymore, but filled with mischief, revenge, and… heat. Yowza, lots of heat.
"Not," he said firmly in an apologetic tone that didn't match his expression. "We're full up. Unless…"
Mia gritted her teeth. She was going to grind them to powder if she didn't watch it. "Unless what?"
"You say please." Kevin's smile widened. "You do know the word, right?"
Mia let out a low growl that sounded a bit rabid as she turned to Hope. "We're outta here."
Hope was surprised, because if you asked her, these two had some unfinished business. Their mouths were arguing, but the rest of them were not. "We are?"
"You're coming into work with me."
Hope didn't know if she was excited or wary but settled for somewhere in between because it beat the hell out of riding a horse.
Or being on a bus heading back to Tennessee.
They left Kevin's office and walked back into the bright morning sunlight. With each hobbling step Mia appeared to become more and more uptight. "Here," she said to Hope when they got outside and handed her the keys. "Start the car. I'll be right there. I need to talk to Kevin for a sec. In private."
Hmm. Hope supposed that was code for getting a quickie or something, but she stared down at the keys in her hand, then lifted her head, trying to hide her elation. "You trust me with your car?"
Mia narrowed her eyes.
"I mean, it's good," she said quickly. "I'm, like, totally trustworthy." She began to walk away, but Mia snagged her by the scruff of the neck and pulled her back.
"Let me just add that if anything happens to my car I'll personally deliver you to Tennessee right this very minute."
Hope didn't dare smile. No way was Mia going back to Tennessee to bring her home, this minute or otherwise.
"Are we clear?" Mia asked.
Hope pretended not to care less, even lifting an insolent shoulder, but inside she was jumping.
She had the keys to the Audi! And Mia hadn't said don't drive it, she'd just said not to let anything happen to it. Biting her lip to keep her smile in, she nodded. "Take your time."