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“That means no,” Zack said.
Emily‟s face fell.
Liz drew a careful breath. “It means we need to talk. You caught me by surprise.”
“That‟s „Hell, no,‟ ” Zack translated.
“We have to be responsible,” Liz insisted. “We have to consider the consequences.”
“Why?” Morgan asked.
She turned on him. “Excuse me?”
He took a step toward her, holding her gaze. “You are taking something simple and making it complicated. Your daughter
wants a cat. I found her a cat.”
“You found it.”
He nodded. “Behind the restaurant.”
A stray. It probably had germs. Fleas. Parasites.
And none of that mattered compared to the look on her daughter‟s face. Emily sat on the floor with the kitten in her lap,
happiness shining in her eyes.
“We don‟t have anything to feed it,” Liz said weakly.
“Regina has been feeding it scraps from the kitchen.” Morgan moved closer, lowering his voice so only she could hear.
“Let go, Elizabeth. Give in. There is no harm in losing a little control.”
Her face burned. “This isn‟t about us. This is about what‟s best for Emily.”
“Your daughter needs friends. She needs this.”
Oh, God, he was right. How could she have missed it? How could he understand what her children needed better than she
did herself?
Her sense of failure tightened her throat. She forced herself to smile. “Advice from an expert?”
“Easy enough to give her what she wants.” His smile gleamed. “You are more difficult.”
Her breath shuddered out. No one else looked at her the way he did. Wanted her the way he seemed to. How could he say
such things to her now, in front of her children? Emily, thank God, was too young to understand, but Zack . . .
“I can bring home the food and litter and stuff,” Zack said from above them on the stairs. “When I get off work.”
“It‟s too much for you to carry.”
“I can do it.”
“I‟ll pick you up,” she said. “When do you get off, eleven? It‟ll be dark anyway.”
“And Em will be in bed,” Zack said. “Stop treating me like a kid, Mom.”
He was a kid. Her kid. She didn‟t want to coddle him, but life had taught her how unexpectedly things could go suddenly,
horribly wrong.
“I‟m still responsible for you.”
Zack shook his head. “I‟m out of here.” He thumped down the stairs, stepped over Emily in the hall.
“Zack . . .”
“See you.” He brushed by Morgan and slammed out the door.
Liz closed her eyes.
“If you want him to be a man,” Morgan said, “you must let him take a man‟s part.”
It was a relief to have someone her own age to fight. She opened her eyes to glare. “He‟s only fifteen.”
“Old enough to pull at a tight rein. Did you never take the bit in your mouth when you were his age?”
“Not really. I was a good girl. A good student.” Her voice was only faintly bitter. “I spent my time cramming to get into a
good school.”
“Ah, yes. The Plan.” His lips curved, cool and amused. “I remember.”
She blinked. “You do?”
His gaze met hers, and her heart jolted. His eyes were not cool at all. “There was a time you wanted more than your parents
wanted for you.”
She swallowed. “And I got more than I bargained for.”
“An adventure,” he said softly.
Memory thumped in the pit of her stomach.