Next To Forever
By Elaine Hopper

copyright © by Elaine Hopper, May 2000
ISBN 1-558608-133-0
Rocket Edition 1-58608-237-x
cover art by Eliza Black
New Concepts Publishing
Lake Park, GA 31636
www.newconceptspubishing.com

Other titles available from NCP by Elaine Hopper
Tigers Play Too Rough

Chapter One

Suzanne "Suki" Lawless squirmed under the vice principal’s lethal glare as if she were on trial for the crime of the century. Filled with unbearable dread, she awaited her son’s sentencing.

From beneath the veil of her lashes, she stole wary glances at the ogre scowling darkly at her across the imposing, mahogany desk. She schooled herself not to shiver under his intimidating stare. He looked as if he swallowed rebellious kids whole. Maybe their mothers, too.

Next to her, her son sat like a block of ice, his eyes red rimmed, his lips pressed together in a thin line.

She jerked when the man broke the ominous silence.

"Josh’s prank was brilliant. But very misguided," Kyle Damian said. He tugged at his tie as if it choked him.

She lifted her eyebrow and questioned in as steady tones as she could manage, "Says you?"

"His partner in crime, Mitch Johnson, is bad news. I’m surprised you let him hang out with that kind of trouble." The vice principal’s mustache twitched.

"I’ve never heard the name." Suki eyed her son who huddled to the far side of his chair, wondering how much else she didn’t know about him and his extra-curricular activities. Maybe she needed to invest in one of those electronic ankle bracelets that monitored his movements -- at least until he turned thirty.

Josh shifted uneasily, avoiding her direct gaze. He looked about as miserable as a soul could get. Well, almost. She had a sneaking suspicion that if she looked in a mirror, she might look worse.

It spelled trouble when he tucked his chin all the way to his chest, avoiding her eyes. She drew in a shuddering sigh, prepared to emulate a defense attorney. Where was Johnny Cochrane when she needed him?

"You don’t know your son’s friends?" Kyle’s eyebrows knitted together, his hands steepled atop his desk. His steely gaze bore into hers as if he could read her thoughts.

Slowly, she shook her head, and wetted her parched lips with the tip of her tongue, trying to get a grip on her overly vivid musings. But she hadn’t set herself an easy task under this man’s scathing scrutiny. "He’s never brought anyone home named Mitch. No one by that name’s called the house."

"Anyway..." Warning sirens vibrated in the man’s well-modulated tones. "We have a fifty-thousand dollar computer system at Taravella. We can’t have Josh here if he’s going to destroy it."

"He’ll never do it again." She hoped she retained enough control over the rebellious teen to carry through promises spoken in haste. "I swear he won’t. Will you?" Anguish and fury warred inside her, making her voice deadly quiet.

When Josh didn’t answer, she tapped his shin with the toe of her boot. She wished for the hundredth time that he didn’t think jeans with holes and slashes made a high fashion statement and that he didn’t wear pants so baggy the rim of his underwear greeted the world like a Hallmark card. Nor did it help that his sandy brown hair reminded her of a Brillo pad.

"I’ll never do it again." Irritating apathy dripped from Josh’s voice. "What’s the big deal? We only played a game." A long suffering moan rumbled in his chest. He lifted a resentful gaze that drilled into Kyle.

How she longed to stand him in the corner! Didn’t he realize he wasn’t helping matters? But defense attorneys would lose their case if they let the prosecutor see such personal interaction with their client. So she pursed her lips and kept her counsel until she figured out an articulate response that wouldn’t get her son nailed to the wall.

"And reset all the passwords." Kyle imprisoned Josh’s gaze. He pushed his fingers through his hair. A few strands of silver threaded through the dark strands but whether they were signs of age or stress, she couldn’t be sure. Several must be engraved with Josh’s name.

"The passwords defaulted to their normal settings. We didn’t know they’d do that..." Josh’s voice faltered, his gaze flickering between Suki and Kyle. He struggled to control his composure, too proud to give way to tears. In that way, he was just like his father.

"Jack Ass was not my default password," Kyle drawled flatly, leaning forward across his desk, glaring at Josh.

Not at all pleased with what she was witnessing, she lifted her eyebrow. This man seemed intent on blowing a childish prank out of all proportion. Hadn’t he ever been a kid?

"Mitch did that. I didn’t even know about it..." Josh fidgeted in his chair, his eyes shifting to his mother.

"If you don’t learn to take responsibility for your own screw ups now, Joshua, you could wind up in places far worse than you ever dreamed."

Her mother would have defended her to the hilt had anyone cast such aspersions against her character. And they wouldn’t have been any sorrier if a Mack truck had run over them at full speed.

Josh deserved the same support from her.

Bristling, she jumped to her feet. Not a full foot from his face, she leaned over his desk, glaring at him. "How dare you!" She seethed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Josh, would you excuse your mother and me for a moment?" Kyle’s smoky eyes narrowed on her. "Wait in the main office. I’ll call you when we’re ready for you."

Josh drew himself out of the chair, towering over her, his lanky frame tall enough to give him an edge in basketball, the defiant glint in his eye reminiscent of his father’s rebellious streak at the same age. He sauntered through the door, closing it firmly behind him. His footsteps faded into nothingness.

"Please sit down, Mrs. Lawless," Kyle said in tones hard enough to cut diamonds. His eyes snapped at her and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to read what was in his mind.

"Ms Lawless. Josh’s dad and I are divorced." She rubbed her wedding ring finger with the pad of her thumb, realizing that she hadn’t missed the diamond that had adorned her finger for almost fifteen years. Sam had never been a supportive husband or a nurturing father. But right now, she’d give the earth, moon and stars to have a strong man at her side to help her deal with Joshua and this self-appointed hanging judge.

She shook herself mentally and drew herself back to the present when she realized that she’d missed the vice principal’s last statement.

"Perhaps that’s part of the problem here, Ms Lawless." He leaned back in his chair, his feet hooked around the legs. The fluorescent light bouncing off his thick hair made it appear almost blue-black. "The boy’s brilliant, but lacks guidance and discipline. You’re lucky he only stole into the school computers and not some top secret files."

"Couldn’t have him provoke nuclear war, could we?" she quipped, wondering why the man was taking a boyish prank so seriously. Hadn’t he anything better to do with his time?

"It’s no joking matter." Kyle’s lips twisted into a wry smirk. "This is how major trouble begins. If you let this slide, his next address will be Leavenworth."

Heat suffused her cheeks, flooding to the roots of her hair. Tilting her head, she let her long silky tresses curtain her cheeks to hide her discomfort.

"I know Josh is hooked up to the Internet. I suggest you pull the plug immediately, until you get better control of him."

"First thing I planned to do when I get home," she mumbled, wishing she had her mother’s moxie to tell him what to do with his password. She resorted to her own brand of dry wit. "I can’t have him get into national defense codes, can I? Our bomb shelter isn't complete."

He bulldozed over her statement, predicting further doom. "If the damage turns out to be over three hundred dollars, we’ll be looking at a felony offense."

Blinking away sudden scalding tears, she jerked upright in her chair. Anxious fingers bit into the arms of the defenseless chair with such force they’d have snapped a sapling tree. "Felony? This is just a childish prank."

"We won’t know until our computer expert gets a better look at the damage." Cold eyes, sharp as stalagmites, pierced her.

"He just wanted to play a little game." Splaying her hands in her lap, her thoughts slid to her son. He had better know how to run fast because she was going to strangle him if she ever got her hands on him. And he’d best not go to sleep--ever.

"When will you know?" Her heart dropped to her knees. Bidding farewell to the contents of her wallet, she gnawed her lower lip and clutched her purse till her knuckles turned white.

"Not until Monday." Kyle sighed. "Mr. Casey, our computer teacher, is out of town at a convention." He snapped a book shut with a bang that jangled on her nerves.

"We have to wait the entire weekend to find out Josh’s fate? Can’t we work something out?" she asked, flabbergasted. Her chin jutted out defiantly. "How about community service? Can’t you let Josh work off his punishment?" she asked, lifting hopeful eyes to her persecutor.

"It depends on how much damage he did and on his attitude--which I’m sorry to say--isn’t the best at the moment," Kyle observed with a dry chuckle. He rapped the end of his pencil on the desk until she almost went mad and twisted it out of his fingers. Was this his form of Chinese water torture? Did vice-principal curricula offer courses on how to torment innocent mothers?

"Is any teenager’s?" she challenged, squaring her shoulders, flipping her hair behind her. "Can’t you see it was merely a boyish prank?"

"Maybe that’s the problem. You’re not taking this seriously. Which reminds me of another matter I’d like to discuss while you’re here." He crossed his leg over his knee, revealing several inches of black sock and half an inch of strong calf blanketed by profuse curly black hair.

"What else?" She eyed him warily. "Did Josh reprogram your grading system?" Dread drenched her. Her toes curled inside her soft leather boots. Her palms grew sweaty.

"No. It’s not about Josh directly." He glanced up at her. "Recently, a number of concerned members in the Parents for a Moral Society have expressed their concern that your home is not a very healthy environment in which to raise children."

Hands on her hips, her nostrils flaring, she shot to her feet. Her purse fell to the floor, dumping her wallet and keys. When she bent to retrieve the escapees, her knee bumped into Kyle’s desk. Ignoring the stab of pain that pierced her, she bit back a grimace. "Who told you that?"

"I’m not at liberty to say." Kyle faced off against her, his acrimonious eyes devouring her.

Shivers scraped down her spine.

"It’s not true. Our home’s perfectly fine."

He fished out a report, held it before him and recited, "Men parade in and out of your home at all hours of the night and day. You throw lots of wild parties." He glowered when he read the final paragraph then favored her with a cynical gaze.

"What men? Sam left two years ago. I’ve not dated since..." Since the Reagan administration. Next to forever. She felt positively ancient. Archaic.

Kyle hung on her every word, his ears perked. But this wasn’t the kind of attention she craved from a man.

She reeled her explanations in. It was none of his business. "No, I’m not going to do this." Her voice waxed deadly quiet. "I haven’t done anything wrong." How dare he stand as judge and jury before her? The tiny hairs on the back of her neck bristled. Anger sizzled in her stomach.

"The jury’s still out, Ms. Lawless." A domineering half smile twisted his lips.

"I dare you to drop by my house anytime." Jutting her chin forward, she injected just the right amount of haughtiness blended with honesty in her voice to make anyone believe her.

"Don’t be surprised if I show up."

"Can’t you people get your own life and stop spying on us?" She paced the room, her boots clopping on the hard floors.

"Don’t give them anything to watch."

"I don’t!" Simmering, about ready to boil over, she pivoted on the ball of her foot and pinned an accusing stare on him. Barbed insults always stung. Why did people’s opinions of her matter so much? Especially when they were so wrong about her?

"I have nothing to hide. I haven’t done anything wrong."

"So you say." Broad shoulders shrugged. Firm lips twitched. Skepticism flooded charcoal gray eyes.

Not even Sam had been so exasperating!

"If you’re through shooting poison darts, I’ll be on my way." Uncaring if he was through roasting her or not, she grabbed her purse and stomped out the door.

***

All the way home, tears stung the backs of her eyes. Her boot stomped heavier and heavier on the accelerator. How could that man stand there and accuse her of such horrible things!

Ooh! She wanted to throttle both that arrogant vice principal and her trouble-making son. Most of all, she wanted the town to mind their own business.

Frosty clouds boiled behind her old Vagrant. Slush clung to clumps of winter grass. Who cared that Valentine’s Day was next week? She didn’t care if she never met another man. Especially that condescending ape man.

Red lights whirled behind her, reflecting off her rear view mirror. Blaring sirens screamed stop! The sight of Deputy Hank in his shiny just-off-the-show-room-floor Goose Creek, Michigan police cruiser waving her over to the shoulder of the road, made her heart sink.

Easing off the gas pedal, she pulled over to the side of the road, handing over her license and registration to Deputy Hank when he sauntered up to her window.

"I was just about to give up hope of ever catching you speeding, Miss Suzanne." Hank grinned his famous movie star grin, highly polished teeth almost blinding her.

His huge shadow loomed over her, blocking out the noon-day sun.

"Never say never," she muttered under her breath. "Was I breaking the speed limit?" she asked in the most innocent voice she could muster.

"You didn’t just break it," Hank whistled in paradoxical amazement. "You demolished it. Sixty-five in a forty mile per hour zone." He flipped open his ticket book, scribbling in it with glee. "I’m putting you in the speeder’s hall of fame."

"You don’t have to look so happy about it." God how she yearned for this day to end! Nervously, she pushed the cuticles back from her nails. "I’m not a hardened criminal."

"I need you to step out of the car." Hank pushed the brim of his olive green Mounties hat back on his sandy blonde hair. His white fleece collar rippled on his broad shoulders when he turned away from the sun’s glare.

She gathered her coat around her and unfolded herself from her car, sighing deeply. Chill January wind slapped her in the face and she shivered. "You’ve known me all my life, Hank. Do I look like a criminal?"

"You’re pretty agitated today. And Connie O’Neill and the Parents for a Moral Society’s been saying there’s a parade of men going in and out of your house..."

"I wish that were true!" she drawled, her voice overflowing with sugared sweetness. The winter breeze whipped around her, biting her cheeks. Slush crunched under her boots, seeping around her toes.

"Walk that straight line down the center of the road." Deputy Hank tilted his head at the yellow center line.

"You can’t be serious. Tell me you’re kidding." She stood stock still and watched the deputy warily. Why had the whole world picked today to go stark raving crazy?

"Serious as a heart attack, Miss Suzanne," Hank’s face split into a dopey smile and she wondered if anybody was truly home.

"If I have to," she mumbled, frowning. She put one foot in front of the other on the yellow no crossing line, held her hands out as if she were on a balance beam in gym class, then walked a straight and narrow line. Just to prove a point, she repeated her steps, skipping a straight and narrow line. "Do I look drunk?" she asked, not particularly caring if she endeared herself to him right now.

"I s’pose not." Hank rubbed his baby smooth chin, wearing the look of a man puzzled.

A car horn blasted behind her and she jumped, her hand clutching her throat.

"Stop playing in the road!" her next door neighbor Connie O’Neill yelled from her open car window, a self-righteous smile playing around her lips. Her short curly white-blond hair danced in the breeze, whipping over her eyes. She brushed it back with an air of impatience.

Suki rolled her eyes mentally. "Great!" She groaned. "Of all the people to see me getting the drunk driving test, Goose Creek’s galloping gossip..." She put her hands on her hips and watched Connie’s town car languish down the road, an oblong of sun glinting off her rear bumper.

Deputy Hank tore off her ticket, handed it to her with a dopey grin and tipped his hat. "Don’t you be speeding down these roads, Miss Suzanne. They’re a might icy and I don’t want to be taking you to Goose Creek Hospital."

"That’s mighty kind of you." She snatched the ticket from his hand with less than good humor. The document burned her skin as she stuffed it into her glove compartment on top of Josh’s referral from school. For someone who never got into trouble, she was having a banner day and it wasn’t even noon yet!

She stewed all the way home, feeling like breaking cupid’s bow if she saw one more obnoxiously smiling cherub. Why couldn’t Halloween be next week? That fit in much better with her black mood than a day spun for lovers.

Her almost bald tires skidded to a halt on her drive way. She grumbled under her breath as she slid out of her car.

She slammed the Vagrant’s door. It wasn’t enough that her ex had emptied out their joint bank account and headed south with his voluptuous secretary. He’d saddled her with a car with more aches and groans than her eighty-two year old grandmother. Unfortunately, the car didn’t have a feisty spark in its engine.

"You hoo!" Connie O’Neill called from next door in a saccharine sweet voice. "Was that you I saw getting a ticket from Deputy Hank, Suki?"

Suki sucked in a deep sigh, the brisk air freezing her lungs. She turned and threw a neighborly wave to Connie like Midwest folk were taught to do from an early age. Her neighbor’s perfectly coifed frosted hair puffed around ears studded with diamond drops. She noted that the contrived smile didn’t quite reach the woman’s cats eyes. Connie stood tall and slim as a willow.

"Yours truly," Suki agreed, pasting a smile to her lips. She opened her trunk and hoisted a sack of groceries into her arms.

"I just made a loaf of wonderful banana nut bread and canned some home made strawberry jam this morning. Would you like to join me for a slice over a cup of mocha and tell me all about your little tragedy?" Connie asked.

Which tragedy? Suki peered into Connie’s eyes. Did she already know about the trouble Josh had landed himself into? "Gee Connie," Suki hedged, shifting the bag in her arms. "I-I really have to get inside. It’s really important." She searched her mind for an intelligent excuse. "Ah, ah. Judge Judy comes on in five minutes..." Suki groaned. Why had that popped out of her mouth? She hated those shows, but she’d rather watch Judge Judy decide the fate of a couch than sit in Martha Stewart’s perfect kitchen, eating her perfect jam, hearing about her perfect cheerleader daughter.

"I wanted to tell you all about Shelley’s scholarship offers..."

"Offers?" Suki smiled gulping. Already? In the plural? Shelley was just a sophomore in high-school like her own Josh. Josh hadn’t even sent out scholarship applications yet. "That’s really wonderful. Congratulate Shelley for me." She shuffled her boots in the slush. "But I really have to take a rain check."

"That’s a date," Connie said. "Don’t forget. I can’t wait to fill you in on everything!

"I can hardly wait," Suki said dryly. She seized a grocery bag by its plastic handles and then nudged the car’s trunk closed with her shoulder.

"Honey, I’m home!" Suki called out in a sing-song voice, closing the heavy front door with her foot. She shook the remnants from the snow off her boots and headed for the kitchen. When no sound greeted her, she called louder, "Is anybody home?"

Suki’s grandmother’s silvery head full of curls bobbed out from her bedroom door. Beatrice’s eyes, bright and mischievous despite her age, looked teensy without her coke bottle glasses on. She put her finger to her mouth and whispered, "Shush. You’ll disturb Harvey’s concentration. I promised him you’d be at the criminal’s school all day."

"Well, I’m back and your great-grandson isn’t a criminal." Suki jutted her chin forward defiantly. She maneuvered the grocery sack to the crook of her other arm, giving her tired arm a rest.

"You and Harvey Steiner aren’t..." Suki tried not to grimace or make a face.

"We’re..."

Suki flicked her hand in the air and turned away. "I don’t want to know. Even my granny is getting some loving and I haven’t had a date in nineteen years!"

"We’re just playing bridge with your Aunt Margaret and Wilbur." Beatrice cluck-clucked and a teasing smile lifted the corners of her lips. "I know where your mind is. I think I’ll ask Harvey if his grandson needs a date for Valentine’s Day..."

"Don’t you dare. Sam taught me that I’m much better off without a man" Suki groaned wishing she’d not brought up this subject. Her matriarchs were all a bunch of frustrated match-makers who seemed to focus on her love life–or lack of one.

"You just need to meet the right man." Her grandmother winked at her and closed the door in her face before she could reply.

Suki froze, nonplused.

Chapter Two

Kyle scratched his chin, laughing despite himself. Boys would be boys, wouldn't they?

Josh Lawless reminded him so much of himself at fifteen--bright, unfocused, rebellious, curious. It had taken a police officer and an economy portion of community service hours to turn him around and put him back on a good track.

Calling him a Jack Ass was typical fifteen year old boy thinking. He couldn't seriously get mad--even if he'd hoped the kids saw him as cool. He used to call his vice principal even more colorful metaphors if he were perfectly honest with himself.

Still, he was quite concerned with Josh's home environment. Reports of his wild, undisciplined home were becoming quite a legend in quiet Goose Creek. It reminded him too painfully of his own disastrous upbringing.

Of course, small towns loved to gossip and it had been a winter worthy of the Antarctic. But according to the grapevine, life had been anything but dull and boring at the Lawless house. On the chance that young Josh and his younger sister were having to relive his nightmare, he couldn’t sit back and let it happen.

Recalling Suki’s grace under fire, the spark of spunk hiding under the surface of her cool exterior and her angelic face, he wasn’t surprised that men found her charms irresistible. He’d always nursed a weakness for long-legged brunettes with lush tresses. Eyes that flashed fire was a bonus he wouldn’t shun.

He just wished the package didn’t come with such a scandalous reputation.

Leaning back in his chair, he thought long and hard. About his past. About the implications to Josh’s future. About his role in Josh’s life. Finally, he concluded that it was his civic and moral duty to make a visit and check out Josh’s home environment. A single, pretty woman like Josh’s mother couldn’t be telling the truth when she claimed celibacy. Now he just had to discover how wild her nighttimes were.

He grimaced at the open folder spread out on his desk. According to the school social workers and irate neighbors, daytimes at the Lawless house were lawless too.

Who did Suzanne Lawless think she was dealing with? Gomer Pyle?

He closed the folder, leaning back in his chair, his forefingers steepled at his chin. He couldn’t let this situation go unchecked and lose a kid to a gang, drugs or even white-collar computer theft. No kid would go to jail as he had if he could prevent it.

Intervention was clearly called for in this case. As there was no sign of neglect or abuse per se, he didn’t want to call in social services. Fast action was imperative at this stage. He needed to don his sleuthing hat.

Whether Josh Lawless or his mother liked it or not, the boy had a new guardian angel.

He swiveled in his chair, watching snowflakes drift in the sky and studied the icy tree limbs dusted with new powdery crystals. He hoped it would snow harder so the ski slopes would be packed for the weekend. He could think of nothing better than relaxing at the ski lodge after the week from hell. He could smell embers burning in the fireplace, visualize the stones glowing orange-red with the fire’s heat. Crackling flames spitting into the star-studded blue velvet night issued a luring invitation.

He couldn’t wait to get home and polish his skis and plan his trip.

He had three meetings scheduled, the first with Charlie Brandt and Luella Amsterdam of the Goose Creek School Board. He didn’t look forward to tangling with that pair of barracuda. If he could sneak away early, he wanted to make a surprise visit to the Lawless house on his way home.

He checked his watch. Lunch hour. As he had a few rare minutes spare, he signed onto the Internet to check out Taravella’s new web site.

***

Turning to her computer, Suki logged onto the Internet, looking for one of her friends to share today's woes with. Somehow, the anonymity of speaking to someone half the country away allowed her to open up more than she could with the Harper Valley PMS mentality of anyone in town--especially not the prima donna of the neighborhood -- Connie O’Neill.

But not one of her friends was logged on in the middle of the day. They all worked a job with sane hours, something she needed to get back to now that she wasn’t Sam’s corporate wife who needed to have his supper on the table at 5:30 sharp. She had her art degree and she’d kept up with her stained glass. She only hoped that she’d get a response one of these years on her teaching application she’d put in with the school board over a year ago.

She surfed the job market, looking at openings for art instructors or artists. There wasn’t exactly much demand for stained glass artists or high-school art teachers within driving distance. Everything seemed to be turning towards graphics and she’d completed her art degree while computer graphics was still in its infancy. She might just have to return to school and take some graphics courses if she decided she was really serious about re-entering the job market in a full-time capacity.

Frustrated, she surfed a little further until she found a parents of teens chat room. She lurked like a phantom, wondering if she dared ask strangers for advice about Josh’s latest stunt. She certainly didn’t want to open the floor to her family.

"Fix me a ham on rye with lots of mayo, Margaret," Wilbur quipped, his voice deep and vibrant. "I need brain food for all this exertion."

"Beatrice Agnes Carlisle, get your hand off my trick!" Harvey exclaimed with feeling.

Suki glanced up at that and her ears perked, unwillingly tuned into the conversation. She gazed at the wall in front of her as if she had x-ray vision and could see through it if she concentrated hard enough.

"He’s got strength but no length," Suki’s great aunt Margaret said.

Suki frowned, wondering what in the world they were they doing in there. She glanced at her watch. It was merely mid afternoon. Then she reminded herself that maybe she didn’t really want to know. Sometimes, she was better off with less knowledge when it came to her feisty grandmother.

"You don’t have to slap my hand, Harvey Detweiler. I just wanted to see how much strength and length you have."

"You don’t need to be so gosh dern nosy, Bea," Harvey said and Suki could hear the pout in his quavering voice. "You know I don’t like anyone touching my..." The last word faded out and Suki felt an insane desire to put her ear to the wall.

"I promise I won’t touch your precious cards. Anyone who didn’t know better would think this is a matter of life and death." Beatrice laughed. "I’m beginning to think I’m out of my mind playing bridge with you. And I won’t anymore unless you stop taking it so seriously."

She sighed a breath of relief and turned back to her computer. She could just envision Grammy Bea shaking her finger at Harvey with her pompous glare over the rim of her Coke-bottle glasses. She couldn’t help but chuckle. When her feisty grandmother got through with him, he’d wished he’d tangled with a disgruntled grizzly bear instead.

Adjusting her head phones over her ears, Suki turned on her oldies station to drown out the hot bridge game.

"Hi room," she typed. "May I ask a question?"

"Hi Matahari. Sure thing," Shakespeare said on the neon screen.

Suki took a sip of her hot cocoa that had cooled to the consistency of chocolate milk and grimaced. She wiped the chocolate residue from her lips with the back of her hand. She caught the glitter of sun reflecting off snowflakes that flitted past her window and huddled into her thick gray-blue cardigan with double ribbing.

"Have defiant, rebellious 16 year old son. What do I do with him?"

"Can you be more specific? I have some experience with adolescents," Shakespeare Instant Messaged her, the only rational voice in the room.

"Are you a parent of a teen?" A twinge of excitement shuddered through her. Could the answer to her problems be so easy? Just turn on her computer and get answers in the comfort of her very own bedroom? This Star Trek technology made life easy. If only she could get her own holodeck, all her prayers would be answered. She could have a virtual man that would be supportive and nurturing anytime she wanted. And then she could shut him off without a twinge of guilt.

"Have one teenage daughter. Work with many teens. What do you need to know?"

"Jimmy might get suspended at school. He’s generally defiant." She deliberately changed Josh’s name and kept the subject vague for anonymity purposes. There were a lot of crazies lurking on the web and just because this person seemed sane now, didn’t mean that was so. It was so easy to open up and trust people on the Internet.

"What does your husband say?"

A twinge of regret sparked deep in her core and she tapped her fingers lightly on the keyboard in agitation.

"I’m divorced. Jimmy’s father is out of the picture." She was glad he couldn’t see the wry expression twisting her lips. Sam had never really been clearly in the picture. He’d always been too preoccupied to care about his kids.

"I’m divorced too. I have joint custody of my daughter. She lives in the next town."

"At least you see her. My ex ignores my kids. I think that’s why Jimmy’s so rebellious." She released a pent up sigh. When was the last time she or the kids had heard from Sam? It had been that pitiful Christmas card with a $20.00 check to buy the kids a Christmas gift. She just bet he had plenty of money to spend to buy his new girlfriend a generous Christmas present, but he hardly remembered his kids. Some father!

She was doing it again, letting the bitterness swell inside her at mention of her ex. With extreme control, she clamped down on those feelings, pushing them away. Her pastor at church had counseled her that those feelings were counter-productive to herself and the children. She had to forgive and forget, turn the other cheek and practice gospel principles. She truly tried, but she had her lapses, especially when questions about Sam hit her out of the blue like this.

"Have you tried parent support groups? Do you have a brother, father, uncle that could act as a surrogate father/big brother?"

Not even a nibble. Sam was the last man to ask her out.

"No. My family is like a harem without a sheik. All women except for Jimmy." Unless you counted Wilbur and Harvey. But they weren’t exactly family... Her glance slid to her connecting wall, wondering who was winning the bridge game.

"Aren’t you going to protect my honor, Wilbur?" Margaret shrieked, piercing Suki’s ears. "He jumped me twice when he didn’t have the strength for one raise!"

"Settle down, Baby Cakes," Wilbur soothed. "I’ll protect your honor."

Suki grimaced and turned her music up a few notches. All men in the family might be a lot easier to live with, she realized.

"Boyfriend? Fiancé?"

"Me, myself and I. Problem child #1 and problem child #2 in the wings."

"You need to find a support network--get some help."

"No joke!" Suki typed, guffawing. She tapped her booted foot on her carpet. Her personalized set of Golden Girls weren’t much help, although they meant well. There wasn’t a mean-spirited bone in their bodies. But they were going through their second adolescence and she felt like the den mother to a group of overactive hormones.

"Where do you live?"

Suki stared at the screen with a prick of apprehension. She didn’t want to divulge anything personal. She’d heard too many horror stories of Internet loonies stalking victims. For that reason, she hadn't even composed a personal profile.

She pulled up Shakespeare’s personal profile to glean more information about him and scanned his statistics. Male. Well she knew that. At least that’s what he claimed. But the person also conversed like a male so she tended to believe that.

Divorced - 41. So he claimed.

Dwells somewhere beyond the rainbow. Uh-huh. Not too reassuring.

Profession: Educator/Psychologist. Maybe he would come in handy. She couldn’t exactly afford a shrink and it was darn certain no one at Josh’s school felt sympathetic enough towards her to lend a hand and give unbiased consultation.

Favorite quote: Spare the rod. Spoil the Child That sounded like something an educator might say.

"Mi..." she started to type, then stared at the screen. Could she really trust this person? Could she trust any man?

"Mississippi," she lied. "Where do you live?"

"Ohio," he said. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Suzanne." She started to type, then backspaced, erasing everything. She was trying to think of a Joanne Hancock when Leslie Gore’s strong voice started singing It’s My Party. "Leslie," she lied. "What’s your name?"

"Robert," he said.

"Robert from somewhere beyond the rainbow, what are you doing on-line in the middle of the day? Don't you work?"

"I'm on my lunch hour. And I have an important meeting in a few minutes. Nice talking to you. Hope everything works out with your kids."

"Thanks Shakespeare. I'll look for a support group."

"See if your son's school offers one."

Shakespeare signed off and she felt oddly empty and alone.

Suki blinked. Here one minute, gone the next. Story of her sorry history with men.

Oh well. This Shakespeare fellow was just a disembodied voice not even as real as a dream figure. At least in a dream she’d have a face and a body to put with the name. Maybe even a voice.

But he seemed nice. Not like that supercilious, chauvinistic, autocratic jerk that wanted to suspend Josh, Kyle what's-his-name.

She thought Josh's nick-name for the anal-retentive vice-principal very apropos. Mulling it over, she tried to bite back a smile and couldn't. Jack Ass was mild compared to the names flashing through her mind.

***

Kyle glanced at his almost illegible scrawl on the scrap of paper and checked the street address of the Lawless house. A nicely kept russet brick Cape Cod stood amidst a thick blanket of snow. A brown-haired girl in a sky blue snow-suit and knee high rubber boots packed a lopsided snowman in the front yard. The drive-way looked as crowded as a Dunkin' Donuts parking lot at breakfast.

"Right Suzanne Lawless! Your house is as quiet as a church. A Bible thumping evangelical church maybe," he mumbled under his breath.

Her drive way resembled an all Pontiac car-show. A Cadillac, a Duster, a Vega and a Dodge crowded onto the slush-covered asphalt, parked at crazy angles. He thought about parking his classic 1950 Woody at the back of the line then thought twice, opting for parking on the shoulder of the road. Those bumper stickers on the back of some of the cars weren’t very reassuring. Bridge players connect better. Or Bingo players pop all night.

The child stopped packing snow and glanced at him curiously as he climbed out of the Woody.

Pushing his coat sleeve back, he checked his digital watch. He flinched when it told him it was it was only three-thirty in the afternoon. Didn't she have any propriety? Couldn't she wait to entertain men until cover of darkness at least? Better yet, till her little girl went to sleep for the night?

Who did she think she was fooling?

He wondered what he would find? According to the Parents for a Moral Society dossier on the Lawless house, the inside would probably be little better than a massage parlor decorated with love beads and peace symbols.

He prepared himself mentally to enter the den of iniquity, adopting his proud hard-Ass vice-principal mask. The idea of entering a love-in clenched in his gut but he had to do this for the kids. They couldn't be allowed to live like this.

He strode down the slush-covered drive-way, his chest puffed out in offensive posture like a line-backer, his trusty cellular phone wedged in his back pocket just in case he had to dial 911 in a hurry.

He rapped on the front door, begrudgingly admiring the beautiful stained glass window inlaid into the heavy oak door. The artist who had crafted it was quite talented. It must’ve cost a mint.

The door swung wide, framing Suzanne Lawless who wore a shapeless white sweat-suit and gray-blue cardigan, her dark hair pulled back in a high pony-tail. That's what she wore to lure men? Not a hip-hugging leather mini skirt with a matching leather vest and go-go boots? Or black spandex? Or lace and ribbons?

He felt heat creep up his neck thinking about the woman before him clad in transparent lacy lingerie, then berated himself for such unwarranted thoughts.

"What are you doing here?" she greeted him as friendly as a Rottweiler, her dark brow rising quizzically. She barred the door so he couldn't see inside. His sixth sense reeled. She was hiding something. He’d bet the school on it.

"You told me to drop by anytime. Said you have nothing to hide." He grinned wickedly. "I'm here to take you up on your offer."

"I didn't think you were serious..." If her voice turned any frostier, she'd turn him to ice. Her feet shifted and her hands clenched at her sides. A stray wisp of hair blew over her eyes and she tucked it behind her ear.

"So you are hiding something?" he challenged, trying to peer over her shoulder.

That worked like a charm. The Lawless woman moved back and beckoned him to enter, accepting his challenge, a gleam hard as diamonds flickering across her dark eyes. "My mother and grandmother have guests over today. You'll have to excuse our other company."

Kyle looked around the house unabashedly, astonished at it's understated elegance and charm. No love beads. No faded posters clinging to the walls with browning, curling cellophane tape. No loud rock and roll music--although music drifted from the back of the house. Big band music. Benny Goodman? Stained glass and Tiffany lamps lent splashes of color and elegance in unexpected corners reminding him of the prizes in Cracker Jack boxes.

And the furniture was all early American with fine upholstery. His feet sank into heavy-duty worsted pile carpeting. Fresh-baked bread and cinnamon brewing wafted around him like a warm cocoon. Lacy hand-crocheted doilies sat beneath porcelain cats.

So he'd been wrong about the house. But what about all the Pontiacs layered in bumper stickers?

"Is Josh home?" He’d work his way up to his other questions. Hopefully, his powers of observation would answer his questions. A picture was worth a thousand words.

"He's grounded to his room." She cupped her hands around her mouth and called, "Joshua, Mr. Jack --uhm sorry, what was your name?"

"Damian," he said dryly, quelling an urge to cross his arms over his chest.

"Mr. Damian's here to see you."

When no answering response came, he offered, "Why don't we go see him?"

"Want to take a peek in his room? Make sure there's no human sacrifices in the offing?" Her pouty lips twisted into a wry grimace. She lifted a finely arched eyebrow, then pivoted on her booted heel. Her long pony tail bobbed behind her beguilingly and his gaze fell fascinated on her well-proportioned back side.

Uneasiness rushed over him. This woman had an uncanny ability to read his mind. He hadn't been thinking exactly what she'd said, but she came too close for comfort. He followed her through the neat-as-a-pin house, peeking into every corner, fascinated at the stained glass. He wondered if Suki was the collector or her grandmother?

Giggling and raucous laughter drifted out from behind closed doors.

Kyle's head snapped around. "What was that?" He turned accusing eyes on Suzanne and thought he saw a flicker of guilt flit across her eyes.

"My grandmother’s entertaining guests..." she said hesitantly, biting her bottom lip, looking decidedly guilty. She rapped on a closed door. "Josh? You have a visitor."

"Who is it?" Josh asked, peering out the door. His mouth dropped several notches when he spied Kyle and his eyes narrowed. "Am I under arrest?"

"Open your door, Josh. Mr. Damian wants to inspect your room. Make sure you're not sacrificing animals or growing pot..."

"You're getting really weird, Mom. Are you starting menopause?" Josh’s eyebrows rose as he leaned nonchalantly against his door frame.

"Today’s not the time," she warned, her voice hard as diamonds. Her eyes grew wide and she turned to Kyle.

After he let his gaze slide over Kyle insolently, Josh opened the door wide and bowed in two, waving his hand out with exaggerated mockery as if he were admitting royalty. "Enter my kingdom, but beware. My pet dragon, Beowulf, will incinerate mine enemies."

Suki slid him a reproving glance, her frown deepening. "Now who’s acting strange?" she whispered, nudging her son in the ribs with her elbow.

Kyle stepped into Josh’s lair and glanced around, satisfied it was an average boy's room. A computer--big surprise, he thought sarcastically. Posters of Pamela Sue, Yasmine Bleath and Kathy Ireland. A black light. A monster stereo he'd like to have in his own place. Stacks of CDs and science fiction books in semi-neat disarray. An autographed basketball on the floor in the corner. A few scattered comic books and baseball cards. Even a Bible was prominently displayed on the kid’s shelves.

"Satisfied? Or are you taking me into the precinct for arrest?" She held out her hands to him as if waiting for hand-cuffs, her stance disdainful, her chin jutted high in the air. The tip of her pony tail dusted her buttocks.

"Look," Kyle said, turning to Suki. "We're getting off on the wrong foot..."

"That's not my fault..."

More laughter escaped from down the hall and he glanced at it curiously.

"Lay down and let's see what you've got," a man’s voice resonated huskily, challenge lacing his tones.

Kyle frowned and he strained to hear more. Out of the corner of his eye, he noted Suki’s eyes widening in alarm. Pink flush stained her high cheekbones, otherwise all color drained from her face.

"Now it's time for me to play with Wilbur and you can play with Harvey."

"It’s just you and me, Baby Cakes." He swore he heard a lascivious wink in the man’s teasing voice. "Let’s show Maggie and Harvey how hot we are."

Just as he decided to investigate, a platinum blonde strolled into the hall. She was of indefinite age, but he judged her to be somewhere in her fifties or early sixties, a very well-kept, handsome woman with a mischievous twinkle in her china blue eyes. Her appreciative, curious gaze disconcerted him, but he stood his ground.

"Who are you?" she crooned, her smile crooked and lazy.

"This is the Jack..." Josh started to say.

Suki put her hand over Josh's mouth, pursing her lips. "Mother. This is Mr. Damian, Josh's principal..."

"Vice-principal," he corrected.

"This is my mother, Judy Woods."

"My, my, but you are a handsome buck," Judy drawled, taking his arm. She tossed her bleached blonde curls, provocatively and winked.

"Mom..." Pink stained Suki’s cheeks and she looked chagrined. At least she had the good grace to look embarrassed and well she should. He wasn’t exactly sure what was going on in here, but he didn’t like it.

"Oh," Judy said, flirtation in her voice, "is this one yours, Suki?"

Through gritted teeth, Suki practically growled. "He’s not mine."

"Too bad, dear." Judy grinned. She flashed a dazzling 100-kilowatt smile at Kyle then kissed her daughter on the cheek and departed down the hall, her Christmas white robes flowing behind her like a wedding train.

"I apologize for my mother," Suki said when Judy was out of ear shot. "She's not always very tactful..."

"Stop jumping me! You don't have the strength for one raise." A woman tittered.

"He won’t protect your honor like I would, Baby Cakes," a man with a deep western accent drawled.

Suki looked more and more embarrassed, fidgeting next to him, a dead give away of her extremely agitated state. He knew guilt when he saw it.

White boxers splattered with red hearts and cupids lay haphazardly on the floor and he retrieved them, letting them dangle on his finger in front of her, proof positive of the hanky panky he heard.

All color drained from Suki’s cheeks and her pallor grew ashen. "Give those here!" She snatched them from his hand, balled them up and stuck them in her pocket, hiding the evidence. "Those are my daughter’s. They must’ve fallen out of the laundry. All the girls wear them as pajamas now..."

Kyle stared at her in silence, letting her squirm and protest too much. He didn’t believe a word. He arched his eyebrow in response.

"Well, I guess we'll go home now. This is the last rubber," the first man announced in disgust.

"I think I've heard enough, Baby Cakes," Kyle drawled, revising his earlier assessment that maybe he'd jumped to inaccurate conclusions. He turned on his heel. "I'll let myself out. Call Monday for the sentence..."

"Wait!" Suki shouted, chasing him. She grasped his upper arm with her hands and he noted against his will how long and well shaped her fingers were. She had beautiful, shapely hands. Artistic hands. Now why did his thoughts stray to her physical attributes again? He forced himself to think about the kids’ welfare.

"I can explain everything," she said, her expressive eyes pleading with him. "They’re just playing a game..."

Kyle rounded on her and shook off her imprisoning hands. "I'd advise you to get your house in order. No wonder Josh acts out with such role models..."

"How dare you," Suki whispered, her eyes narrowed. She pointed at the front door where the late afternoon sun’s rays poured through the stained glass, creating a prism on the entryway floor. "Get out and don't ever talk to me that way again."

"I call them as I see them," he said, deadly quiet, meaning every syllable. "Don’t you want to join the fun?"

"Get out!" She yanked the door open. Chill February air smacked him in the face almost as surely as if her hand had connected with his cheek. "And get yourself some hearing aids and glasses!" She slammed the door behind him so hard his teeth rattled.

Chapter Three

Suki seethed about Kyle’s insufferable attitude all weekend. If she hadn’t known better, she’d think he was in the running for God. Hadn’t he ever played bridge before? Didn’t he know the latest fashion trends?

Even though Kyle had told her to telephone for his decree, she preferred the more personal approach. If he'd decided to press felony charges, she needed to be with Josh when they hauled him to jail. She needed to call her attorney.

Besides, she needed to prove to the supercilious Kyle Damian that she didn’t fear him, that she could stand up to him. She owed her son no less.

She aimed straight at Kyle’s office as if she were a heat seeking missile, her high heels click-clicking down Taravella High's almost deserted hallway like rifle volley. Her lips pursed as her resolve hardened. If he wanted war, he’d have it.

"May I see Mr. Damian?" she asked the receptionist in a voice filled with imitation honey.

"Do you have an appointment?" a middle-aged, flat-chested matron asked, glancing over the rim of her glasses, stopping in the middle of typing a sheet of correspondence. Her desk lay littered by mountains of multi-colored papers.

"More or less," Suki admitted, clutching her purse. Hearts and cupids decorated each window, closing in on Suki. She felt trapped. Did everybody and everything have to remind her she had no sweetheart on sweetheart’s day? Was this a conspiracy?

"Either you do or you don’t," the woman said, clearly out of patience.

Suki decided the secretary must not have a sweetheart either. What a grouch! She vaguely wondered if her demeanor lacked je ne sais quois also and if she came off like a grisly bear in heat?

"He told me to check back with him today," Suki said, her glance glued to one particularly cheerful, chubby cherub. She had the sudden urge to snap his bow in two and she had a crazy urge to file discrimination charges with the Cupid EEOC for leaving her dateless for so long. "But he didn’t give me a firm time."

"What’s your name?" the receptionist said on a huge sigh, putting her hand on the telephone receiver.

"Suzanne Lawless to see him about Josh." She favored the woman with her best I-mean-business smile, jutting her chin forward in what she hoped showed a gesture of confidence. She pushed Cupid and his insipid hearts to the furthest reaches of her mind.

A long, bony finger poked a button on the phone. "Mrs. Suzanne Lawless is here to see you about Josh?" The woman listened intently for a moment, her lips twisting into one long grimace, then she turned to glance over Suki as if she stood in a police line-up. "No, I don’t think she’s carrying any concealed weapons. Should I frisk her or put her through the metal detector?" If her voice waxed any drier, dust would billow from her lips.

Suki raised an eyebrow and squared her shoulders.

The woman hung up the phone. "You can go in, Mrs. Lawless."

"Thank you," Suki murmured, filled with an awful mixture of dreaded anticipation. "I promise I left my Uzi at home today."

The woman chuckled deep and throaty under her breath, the stern lines of her face relaxing a twinge. She fingered the designer silk scarf that draped her shoulders. "Maybe you shouldn’t have."

Suki mustered her courage, squared her shoulders and forced one foot in front of the other over the well-worn path to Kyle’s office that fancifully reminded her of the Yellow Brick Road. She lifted a tentative fist and knocked softly on his gold encrypted name.

"Enter." Kyle’s deep voice was muffled in his dungeon.

She turned the brass door knob, adding her fingerprints to the grubby collection. The door swung wide, granting her entrance. She stood on the threshold, transfixed, staring at the man she’d come to think of as her arch-enemy over the longest, most agitated weekend of her life.

He swung around from his computer terminal. Dark eyes narrowed, petrifying her to the spot. He waved his hand at the empty chairs in front of his desk.

Unable to stop herself, she quirked her brow, giving his hand a cursory look.

"Have a seat. Would you like something to drink?"

"No thanks. Are you sure you don’t want me to stand for the firing squad?" A sharp edge cut her voice. She crossed the room, and perched uncomfortably on the hard edge of one of the hot seats. She wondered uncomfortably if it was rigged for brainwashing.

He rocked back in his maroon chair. "You’re not the one on trial."

"Funny. You could’ve fooled me. Is this when you tell me you’re going to send out the school social worker to evaluate the home?"

Leaning forward, peering at her, he steepled his hands on top of his desk. "Do I need to?"

"No!" she hissed. "There’s no need to be concerned."

"We’ll see."

"Fine! I know I’m doing nothing wrong." She crossed her arms under her bosom, warding off the sudden chill. "Well? What’s the verdict? Are you pressing felony charges? Expulsion?"

A pregnant silence cloaked the room. Kyle’s lips twitched ever so slightly. Her eyes were drawn to the almost imperceptible fluttering pulse at the base of his neck.

"The damage wasn’t as bad as we’d feared."

Her head snapped up. A huge sigh of relief escaped her lips. Twisted knots uncoiled a notch or two in her stomach.

"The boys merely reset the passwords to the default--except mine which was deliberately changed."

He still didn’t appear friendly. Or was that her own apprehension talking? But she definitely felt undercurrents in the air. Maybe he was still angry about being called a Jack Ass? Giggles bubbled up in her throat. It took all her strength to choke them down. It really wouldn’t do to laugh in his face.

"What’s the punishment?"

"Three days in school suspension at ASP should do it."

"What’s ASP?" Perplexed, she leaned toward the desk, hanging on his every word as if it were an inaugural address.

"Alternative suspension program. It’s held off campus. But we won’t count him absent any days he’s in ASP and he’ll be allowed to do his school work in a supervised atmosphere."

"Thank God!"

"But," he warned, ice chilling his voice again. "I want you to seek family counseling." He scribbled on a note pad, tore off a three by five sheet of paper and held it out to her.

"What’s this?" She touched the paper carefully as if it held a barbed hook of some sort.

Warily, she eyed him.

"The phone number of a good counseling agency and the A-S-P office. The agency sees our public school kids on sliding scale fees when necessary."

"Thank you." Never had she heard her own tones so dry. Folding the slip of paper, she stuck it in her wallet. "When does the suspension start?"

"Tomorrow. Have Josh there no later than seven-thirty. And he has to be picked up at two..."

"Do you have a map?"

Kyle tore off another sheet of paper, made a few slashes on it and pushed it to her across the desk. "Here. It’s about ten blocks southeast of Taravella. I suggest you drive by it today so you know where you’re going..."

She’d like to tell him where to go! But she kept her mouth wisely shut.

"You have to drop Josh off and fill out some paperwork the first day, so I’d advise getting there about fifteen minutes after seven. And you have to sign the release papers on his last day. He’ll need the signed forms to get back into Taravella."

"Anything else?"

"That should be all you need to know," he said. "You’ve taken him off the Internet at home?" He peered at her, his brows drawn together.

"As the Beach Boys say, I took the keyboard away. He’s grounded from surfing..."

"That’s very wise. A bright, misguided kid like that can cause a passel of trouble..."

"He’s not misguided!" Suki said haughtily.

"I beg to differ. Hacking into someone else’s computer’s a criminal offense. But I suppose you’re patting him on the back for his ingenuity?" He rose to his full height, looming over her.

She clutched her purse, standing. "You’re the one who said he was brilliant in front of him. If you want to blame anyone, look in the mirror."

"Well, he is brilliant," Kyle said. "But he’s unfocused. He needs more guidance. More discipline. A firm hand."

"He gets a firm hand," she said between clenched teeth, stretching out of her chair. She shrugged into her cozy sheepskin jacket and slid the black vinyl purse strap over her shoulder.

"Indications say not."

"I might as well talk to thin air for all the good it’s doing me." She felt her stomach twisting into knots again and a dull pain was starting to throb in her temples. "Should I take him home with me?"

"I need him for awhile today. He can catch the bus home. He’ll start suspension tomorrow."

"He’ll be there," Suki ground out between clenched teeth.

Reeling on her heel, she departed his office, her head held as gracefully high as she could muster even though she felt like a boiling cauldron brewed in her stomach. She had a major case of acid indigestion.

The school day hadn’t passed quickly enough. Rather it had dragged on as if he had an abscessed tooth.

Everything had been on a steady downward slope until Josh Lawless's impertinent, pretty mother had darkened his office. From there it seemed as if he’d gone over a cliff.

Kyle took a cold beer out of the fridge, rubbed it over his hot forehead, then popped the ring tab. Golden brew bubbled over the edge which he slurped.

Padding across his thick carpet, he crossed to his computer, lowering his aching bones into the chair. He tapped his fingers on the key pad while he waited for the modem to signal that he was on-line.

He'd been itching to get on-line all day. He hoped Matahari would sign on. She'd sounded like she needed a good strong shoulder to lean on and some solid advice about her teenage son. Plus, he admitted reluctantly, he'd enjoyed chatting with her. She'd been sane, sweet and friendly, and lately, he felt a bit lonely in his old rambling house.

The modem blared, alerting him that he was hooked up to Globalserv.

He added Matahari to his Buddy List but she wasn't on-line and he felt a little miffed. Thus he surfed the web, looking up some antique car web sites. He found a couple of good ones for Woodies and even found mention of a few old car shows in the Detroit and Lansing areas. He printed out the pages and added them to his Favorite Places list.

His mind kept drifting to Matahari, then flip-flopped to Josh and his mother. He frowned. Josh Lawless worried him. If there was ever a kid headed for danger, it was Josh. Brilliant, misguided youths--especially computer geniuses--were just ripe for some foreign government to recruit for nefarious purposes. He fit the profile, and if his mother didn't wake up and smell the coffee, she could lose Josh to the dark side before she knew she was ever in a battle.

As there wasn't a man to take young Josh in hand, Kyle brain stormed for alternatives. Goose Creek was a little small to have a formal Big Brother program in place. And it was too far from either Detroit or Lansing for that to do any good.

He doubted if anyone in Josh's family attended church. Nor did he think Josh fit the Boy Scout mold, and he had steadfastly refused to try out for any of the organized sports at school even though he was tall and gangly enough to be a star basketball player.

Josh was like himself at age sixteen--a loner headed for big trouble.

Kyle felt a deep sigh building in his chest. He knew the answer was staring him straight between the eyes.

He should be Josh's big brother, his guardian angel, although that would break his self-imposed rule to keep a comfortable distance from his kids. Vice principals were supposed to have a rep as the school hard-ass, not the school angel.

If it got around that he had a soft-spot the size of Chicago in his heart for the kids--especially bright trouble-makers like Josh--he'd lose the competitive edge he needed to get the kids to toe the line.

He didn't see any other choice in this case, however, not unless he wanted to risk losing a kid who could have a great future. If he could just turn the boy around enough to get on the college/career track, he knew he could get the kid a good scholarship.

If he could get Josh that far, he knew the kid would take off like a rocket ship, zooming into the Fortune 500.

He tapped his fingers on his desk. If only he could get past the boy's mother.

Suzanne Lawless had made it perfectly clear she despised him. She probably feared him, and with good reason. He couldn't stomach lackadaisical, neglectful or abusive parents. He didn't think she was the latter, but letting a bright teen like Josh run all over her didn’t speak well of her parenting skills. A pretty woman like her probably spent every night on the town, ignoring the kids, and the kids were home watching their man-hungry grandma chase old coots.

Not a good home environment. Not good at all.

The screen blinked, catching his eye.

A slow smile spread across his lips. His fingertips tingled.

Matahari had finally decided to make an appearance. He'd been watching for her all day.

He took another swig of his rather warm beer, and grimaced.

"Hey diddle diddle. The dog jumped over the barn," he typed, then sent it flying through hyperspace.

"What are you talking about?" Matahari said.

"You're a super spy. And super spies always have secret codes. I took a stab in the dark." A smile played around his lips. Outside, the snow swirled around the window. The drift in his driveway had grown about a foot since he’d arrived home.

"ROFLOL. You're nuts. I thought Shakespeares were supposed to be more literary."

"O Helen, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine! To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyes," Robert quoted Shakespeare from A Midsummer's Night Dream. "Is that better?"

"For starters. I won’t prevent a man reciting Shakespeare or poetry to me. I had the meeting from hell today."

"Poor angel," Kyle said, his fingers moving swiftly over the keyboard. "Want to talk about it? I'm a good listener."

"I just want to forget it ever happened. But he won’t let it die."

"Poor baby," he said.

"Don't mind me. I'm still fuming. The insensitive brute had the nerve to tell me I'm a lousy mother."

"Some schmuck had the gall to say that to your face?" He whistled long and low under his breath. "And he calls himself a professional administrator?"

"Basically."

"Tell you what you do. You don't give him another thought. Just put it down to ignorance and bad grace. Maybe hemorrhoids."

"You can say that again. He probably doesn’t know what it’s like to be emotionally invested in a child of his own."

"That's typical. There’s a world of difference in working with someone else’s child than with your own."

"I feel comfortable talking to you. You understand me. Unlike him."

"I’m here for you. Did you look into a support group? Big Brothers of America? Your pastor at church or the boy scout leader? Or does your son have a coach that might take him under his wing?"

"I have to drag Jimmy to church these days. He thinks the boy scouts are for nerds. We live in a town so small there’s only one intersection, so there's no Big Brothers close enough to help."

"What about sports? Does he have a coach?" Kyle searched his mind for possibilities to help Leslie and her son. He made a mental note to get in touch with the school psychologist Monday.

"He doesn't go in for team sports. He's into cycling and swimming."

"Can he join a team?" Kyle drummed his fingers on his desk and leaned back in his chair. Romeo, his golden retriever rested his head on his lap and Kyle scratched behind his ears as the dog loved him to do. The dog’s tail thumped the floor and regarded Kyle adoringly with his over-bright golden eyes.

"I don't know if we have such teams. We're far from a city of any size."

"You live in a town like Mayberry?" He stared out his window watching the moon shining a shimmering path across glistening white snow. Much as he disliked the idea, he'd have to get to sleep early so he could get up bright and early and shovel out his driveway. He just might shovel some out tonight so it wouldn't be such a chore in the morning.

"Everybody's a busybody. Everybody wants to tell me how to live my life--especially that man."

"Forget him. Think pleasant thoughts. He doesn’t deserve your thoughts."

"I'm open for suggestions."

And he could think of a lot of things, shocking even himself. "Do you like to play games?"

There was a pregnant pause before she answered. "What type of games?"

"How about jet-fighter wars? Help me save the universe from the bad guys. It'll take your mind off your problems."

"For a few minutes. Then I have to get to work. I've been lazy today."

"You work at night?"

"I'm an artist. I have a show coming up for Valentine's Day and I have some finishing touches to do."

"Make something for me. Follow me, Leslie. It’s time to save the universe."

Chapter Four

Suki forgot her feet were frozen in her new kid boots as she stared at the School Board notification in her trembling hands. The other mail in her hands fluttered to the snow bank.

She’d been assigned the art teacher’s post at Taravella High School. She was to report to the administration immediately and take over the post within the week.

How she’d wanted this position, even dreamed of it! Now that it had become reality, dread wrapped it’s icy tentacles around her heart. She’d be working with the Jack Ass. Worse, she’d be under his thumb.

"You’re going to catch your death of pneumonia if you stand around outside all day!" Beatrice tutted, shaking her silvery curls. She bustled outside bundled in her heavy worsted coat and collected the forgotten mail which had started to freeze to the snow bank. "Come inside, Suki girl, and share that letter with us."

Suki nodded dumbly, plodding behind her grandmother. Her thoughts whizzed in a thousand different directions. She glanced up in time to notice Judy and Margaret’s noses pressed against the living room window peering at her.

Good news traveled fast. Bad news traveled faster. She still hadn’t figured out which category this revelation fell under. Only time would tell.

Beatrice corralled her inside then bolted the door behind her. Before Suki could regain her composure, Beatrice snatched the letter from her fingers and started reading it, her lips moving silently.

"May the Saints be praised!" Beatrice lifted her voice as if she were at a Revival meeting. "She got the job." She shook the parchment in the air, almost jumping up and down.

"This calls for celebration." Judy took Suki’s shawl from her shoulders as if she were eight years old again. She tousled Suki’s hair and snow drifted to the floor as if it were dandruff.

"I’ll heat up the coffee cake." Margaret headed for the kitchen.

"I had something not quite so tame in mind." A mischievous smile tugged at the corners of Judy’s lips. She squeezed Suki’s shoulders and dropped a kiss on her cheek.

Suki smiled wanly, still in shock. She hadn’t taught school in forever and wondered if she still could. Was everything computerized now? Would she bring 19th century knowledge into a 21st century classroom?

"You could look happy about your new job, Suzanne," Judy said. "Getting this position is all you’ve talk about for months."

"She looks as if she’s being led off to the guillotine," Beatrice observed, squinting at the letter’s small print.

"What’s wrong, Daughter?" Suki’s mother, Judy, asked as she ushered Suki into Margaret’s kingdom. Apple cinnamon coffee cake aroma swirled in the oven warmed air and Suki’s stomach grumbled. Margaret started percolating a fresh pot of her famous fresh ground coffee.

Suki plopped into the chair and rested her chin on her palm. Three sets of eyes turned on her and she felt as if she were on the spotlight news. She licked her parched lips with the tip of her tongue and wondered just how much she should divulge of her musings.

"Spill your guts, Granddaughter," Beatrice instructed. "You can tell us what’s on your mind." Beatrice patted Suki’s hand as Margaret put a china saucer with a double-sized portion of coffee cake in front of her. Judy slid a cup of steaming decaf next to the plate.

"Bribing me?" Suki laughed self-consciously, sinking her teeth into a soft chunk of heavenly baked apple. She closed her eyes to savor the scrumptious flavor.

"You bet." Margaret chuckled, tossing a platter full of the cake into the middle of the table and set plates in front of everyone, and then slid her plump frame into her chair.

A grin demanded to be released and Suki couldn’t fight it any longer. She could never stay melancholy long when her matriarchs ganged up on her. "I’m scared. I haven’t taught in almost eight years. Those kids’ll walk all over me..." Not to mention haughty Mr. Know-It-All Vice Principal.

She turned wide eyes in turn on the golden girls. "What if they use computers now? I never taught with computers before..."

"Pshaw!" Beatrice spluttered. "You’re good with those computer contraptions. You use that Internut thingie..."

Suki put her hand over her mouth, hiding a grin. She tried to keep her voice steady. "Josh runs circles around me with that thingie. All the kids probably will."

"Are they pressing charges against the criminal?" Beatrice asked, coffee cake crumbs dusting her lips. She peered at Suki.

"Didn’t I tell you?" Suki leaned back in her chair. "The damage wasn’t as bad as they feared. All they really did was change the principal’s pass word to Jack Ass..."

"That was a piece of brilliance." Judy laughed.

Suki grimaced. A piece of brilliance she’d have to pay for daily at work now. Kyle Damian wouldn’t let her forget it for a moment. He’d make her life miserable.

"You don’t think so, do you dear?" Aunt Margaret was always sensitive to her moods. "Are you afraid Josh’s antics will interfere with your new job?"

Suki curled both hands around her coffee mug and sipped the hot brew slowly, searching her heart. She nodded her head. "Wouldn’t you be? Mr. Damian thinks Josh is a criminal and that we run a bordello here. I can’t wait to see my first teaching review," she said dryly.

"That hadn’t occurred to me." Judy tapped her fingernails on the table.

"You worry too much, Granddaughter," Beatrice said matter of factly. "Don’t even dream of turning down this teaching position you’ve had your heart set on. Monday morning, you march into that school with your head held high and you show those kids who’s boss." Beatrice’s militant expression relaxed. "And that vice principal."

"She’s right, Suzanne," Judy said.

"We’ll go with you if you think it’ll help." Margaret said.

Judy nodded her head in agreement.

"Thanks." Suki tried to figure out how to tell them that she couldn’t walk into her new job with her mommy and Auntie Margaret in tow to hold her hand. It wouldn’t do at all to have her mother, her Aunt Margaret, and her grandmother escort her to her first day of work. "I have to do this alone."

"You let me know if the Jack Ass gives you any problems and I’ll take care of him," Beatrice offered.

Suki took a double take at her little granny, wondering if Rambo’s soul had been exchanged with hers.

Later that night Suki cut the new red glass ranging from shades of pearly pink to Christmas red with her old glass cutter, careful to cut it according to the pattern. Outside, the snow swirled on the brink of a blizzard, but her space heater kept the porch workshop warm and cozy. Her favorite oldies belted out of the radio. She wanted to sway her hips and tap her toes when Danny and the Juniors bopped to the hop, but she had to cut the glass precisely so she squelched her rhythmic instincts, opting for singing along at the top of her lungs. After all, she was alone and nobody would hear her over the blizzard brewing outdoors.

She cut out more hearts and cupid pieces.

Why did she do this to herself? Why did she give into retail mania?

Because people expected to find Valentine's hearts and cupids at a Valentine's show. It was that simple. If it were a Christmas fair she'd be making fat, jolly Santas, pretty angels and Rudolph the red nosed reindeer. If it were Halloween, she'd be making ghosts, ghouls, goblins, witches and a few turkeys and pilgrims for early Thanksgiving shoppers.

Lately, she felt more like a merchandiser than an artist. At least her new position would put her back on the right track. She wouldn’t have to be a slave to retail mania any more.

She mused about her new position, doubting that Kyle Damian would have given her the job as the art teacher at his school if he’d had a say in the matter. She snorted. She might despoil his impressionable students with her wicked ways.

Her hand slipped and she sliced the glass one hundred eighty degrees askew. She scowled deeply.

"You out here, Mom?" Josh called. Chill wind howled inside when he opened the squeaky shed door. "Can we talk?"

"Pull up a chair." She trimmed the ruined glass, tossed the ruined piece into the mounting pile on the far side of the table, then repositioned the pattern over her remaining piece.

"What’re you making?" Josh leaned over her shoulder, jostling her.

"Cupid. Be careful. I don't have enough glass to keep making mistakes." Under her breath, she added, "Especially not these reds. They cost a fortune."

"You sold out to the establishment, huh? You hate those guys."

"Well, yeah. But they fetch a pretty penny. I don't hear you complaining when I dish out your allowance." Suki flashed a smile at her son and winked.

"Speaking of my allowance," Josh said hopefully, "can I get an advance? I invited Shelley to the Valentine's dance at school Saturday."

"Shelley O'Neill?" Suki groaned inwardly. Anybody but Connie’s prissy daughter. She couldn't picture Miss Perky Cheerleader and Rebel without a Cause together. If they fell in love then married, she'd be in the kitchen canning strawberry preserves and giving Betty Crocker a run for her money--and putting down Suki who could barely open a can and heat up dinner. Thank God Aunt Margaret was a good old fashioned cook or they’d all starve.

"Yeah. Shelley next door. She's so beautiful." Josh pulled up a stool next to her and leaned his head on his hand. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot." She squinted at the pattern under the glass. Light reflecting off the glass kept moving, making it difficult to cut, even without extra distraction.

"How old were you when you first had sex?"

Suki jumped, tossing her cutting knife across the table in her surprise.

"Don't have a cow, Mom." Josh leaned his elbows on the table and stared at her raptly. "I didn’t tell you I’d had sex."

"Why are you asking?" She eyed her son dubiously. She forgot all about his computer hacking and her new position.

"Well." He fidgeting with his watch, avoiding her gaze. "I think I'm in love with Shelley. I feel sort of wonderful when she kisses me..."

"Kisses you? Oh my God!" Suki leaned back against her stool, the stained glass forgotten. "How many times has she kissed you?"

"We've been making out since we were fourteen..."

"Making out?" Suki choked on the words. Her heart thumped a couple times, then stopped a full beat, then sped up erratically. "You didn't...didn't..." She couldn't get out the words that felt like a basketball in her gut.

"We're sixteen," he said with a disgusted note in his voice. "We haven't gone to home plate if that's what you mean. But what if we did? We're practically grown up," he said defiantly, his chin wobbling, the expression in his eyes guarded.

"It sounds like you have it all figured out. Why bother asking me?" Suki felt ready to hyperventilate. Her baby wanted to have sex? Or maybe he had and this was his way of breaking it to her gently.

How should she handle this? She hadn't a clue. Not one coherent thought lingered in her mind. She eyed his peach fuzz and knobby knees and saw her baby standing before her in a blur.

Amber burst through the door. "Mommy! There's a fire on the stove. Grammy Bea tried to cook again. Come quick!" Amber tugged at Suki's arm, scared chocolate eyes pleading.

"Not now, Amber," Suki said, her thoughts befuddled. "We're in the middle of a crisis."

"Didn't you hear what I said? The house is on fire! Come quick!" Amber tugged at Suki again, her fingers biting into Suki’s arms.

Josh jumped off his stool, trotting for the door. He grabbed the fire extinguisher hanging by the door, swinging it into his arms. "Wake up Mom. We'd better put out the fire."

"You got that right!" Suki jumped off her stool, making tracks for the kitchen.

***

After putting out the stove fire a good half hour later, butting her head against the brick wall she’d named Joshua for the majority of the night without making a dent, Suki scooted onto her piano bench, better known as Sanctuary number two. Closing her eyes, she ran her fingers lightly across the worn ivories, playing her rendition of a Beethoven/Mozart medley softly so that she wouldn’t wake up the kids.

Playing the piano usually soothed her nerves and had been a life saver when Sam had left her.

"You hoo! You home Suki?" Connie O’Neill stuck her head into the living room. "That sounds so pretty. Had you ever thought of being a concert pianist?"

Suki jumped, banging the keys accidentally and winced when several sour notes pealed in her ears. She whirled around on the bench so fast that she bumped her knee and her long skirt swished around her ankles. Nervously, she smoothed imaginary wrinkles over her knees and tucked in her emerald cotton blouse. "Hi Connie. What brings you here?"

"I heard you playing so I knew you’d still be up." She crossed the room, holding out a jar of reddish preserves that could either be tomatoes or strawberry jam and a loaf of home-made bread. "I wanted to bring you a little something."

"How nice of you," Suki said. "There’s coffee brewing in the kitchen if you’d like a mug. I can heat up some of the bread..."

"Girl chat would be cozy. We don’t talk nearly enough."

Suki hid a grimace as she pulled the piano lid over the ivory keys. They talked too much. Standing, she smoothed her skirt over her legs and led the way to the warm kitchen. Behind her, flickering flames cast dancing shadows across the walls.

"Do you have sugar substitute?" Connie asked as they entered the bright kitchen. "And half and half."

"Look on the table." Suki poured two mugs of steaming coffee. She carried them to the table and eyed Connie warily. The kitchen still smelled of smoke and she wrinkled her nose.

Suki passed a slice of bread to Connie. "How’s Shelley? You wanted to tell me about her scholarship offers."

"Shell’s a terrific kid. Two more offers came in since last week." Holding up her fingers she ticked off the list, "Yale, Harvard, Stanford and Michigan State. I think she should attend Harvard."

"That’s pretty impressive. You’ve got a smart girl." Suki bit into the sweet bread which she’d smothered with raspberry preserves.

"How many offers does Josh have?"

Suki had dreaded this. She’d been waiting for this question since last week. She swallowed a lump of distaste and replied, "None yet. He hasn’t applied..."

"He hasn’t applied yet?" Connie looked stunned, then leaned forward, stirring her coffee. "You’d better light a fire beneath that boy before all the good scholarships are taken. Or he’ll get stuck in Detroit Junior College."

"He’s only a sophomore," Suki wished she’d lied. Connie would never have known the difference.

"You have to apply early for the best scholarships," she said knowingly, a trace of superiority in her voice. She leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "He has good grades, doesn’t he?"

Suki thought about his last report card. Mainly C’s. He wasn’t working up to his potential, but nothing she said seemed to get through to him. "They’re alright," she hedged.

"Well, take my advice and get those applications out now. You don’t want him left behind when his class moves on."

"Thank you," Suki muttered, envisioning putting dead bolts on the front door and perhaps a tiger pit in the yard for good measure.

Connie finished her coffee and rose. "I have to get home before Shelley sends out a search party for me. She worries over me." She patted Suki’s hand.

Suki rose, too mad to respond to the barb. Taking both mugs to the sink, she rinsed them out, and then dried her hands on the green and white striped dish towel that hung over the faucet. "It was nice chatting with you," she said between clenched teeth.

Connie pivoted at the door, a brilliant smile on her lips. "By the way, did I mention that I’m running for Parents for a Moral Society president? Luella Amsterdam nominated me at the last meeting."

What a terrible idea. How much did teachers have to bow to PMS edict? It had never occurred to her that Connie could be her boss as well as Kyle Damian. This new position looked worse and worse.

"No, you didn’t." Suki smiled so wide, so falsely, her lips were about to crack from the strain. "Congratulations." It occurred to her that perhaps she should mention her new teaching position, yet she couldn’t squeeze the words past her lips.

"Elections are next Tuesday in the school auditorium from six to seven. You’ll be sure to vote for me, won’t you?"

"I’ll have to check my schedule." Suki hemmed and hawed, fidgeting with the towel. She hung it over the faucet and forced herself to stand poised.

"I’ll stop in and remind you. Maybe we can car pool. There’s a meeting following at seven."

Chapter Five

"Good morning class," Suki said, mustering every ounce of courage she could as she faced her first class of her new job. She did her best to push the unpleasant confrontation with Kyle out of her mind when he’d learned she was Taravella’s new art teacher. Still, his shocked expression kept flitting before her mind’s eye and his words rang in her ears.

No one answered her. The teens eyed her with a mixture of curiosity, ambivalence and boredom. She wasn’t sure which emotion she preferred, only she couldn’t let them smell her fear.

One girl in a skimpy navy blue knit top that revealed her belly button when she lifted her arm, popped a huge bubble with her tongue and Suki stared at her, wondering what she’d gotten herself into.

"I’m Ms. Lawless, your new art teacher." She wrote her name on the board with chalk as she spoke, the writing instrument click-clicking on the slate.

The girl with the gum peered at her when Suki turned back to the class. She drawled in a nasal valley girl voice, "You’re Josh Lawless’s mom, aren’t you?"

Suki swallowed heavily and forced a noncommittal smile to her lips. "Yes, I am." She squared her shoulders and forced air into her lungs.

"He’s kewl," the girl pronounced judgment after several long seconds and Suki let out a sigh of relief. Did that mean they accepted her? But that would be too easy, too fast.

She walked to the table where she’d put some of her stained glass and clay busts on display. Motioning to them with her hands, she said, "My specialties are stained glass and clay sculpture.

However, we’ll touch on the school board curriculum as mandated."

A husky boy wearing a football jersey that proclaimed he was a Detroit Rams fan, raised his hand from the back row of the room. "Can we come up and see your work?"

Suki smiled at him, enveloping the entire class.

"Certainly. But after everyone tells me your names and what type of art work you most enjoy doing." She traced one of her Tiffany cupid lamps with her finger tip. "I’m Suzanne Leigh Lawless, Josh Lawless’s mom and your new art teacher. My favorite area of art is working with stained glass." She pointed to the football player to start the introductions. "Please stand when you introduce yourself."

The boy stood with the aplomb of someone twice his age. "I’m Jason Nelson and I like to paint water colors." The class guffawed and snickered. "And my favorite hobby is catching smart-alecks behind the school alone after dark." The snickering subsided, his classmates expressions immediately sobering.

Students stood in an undulating wave, introducing themselves. She tried to make mental notes of each student so she could remember them. She definitely needed a seating chart she decided after the fifteenth student and third Sarah introduced herself. She also had a set of Michaels and a set of Brandons.

When the bubble blower stood, she took particular note. "I’m Stephanie St. Michael and I like to paint nudes." She twirled her gum around her finger and stretched it out before her as if she were pulling taffy. Then she stretched, showing a mile of bare torso and Suki suppressed a gasp.

The boys eyes riveted on the girl and Suki’s newly found confidence plummeted. She had to regain control of the class, fast.

She did what she should have done when she’d walked in. Taking a Kleenex from the box on her desk, she held it out to the girl. "Gum please."

Stephanie gazed at her with a challenging twinkle in her emerald eyes. Suki refused to back down and didn’t move a muscle. Finally the girl put her gum in the tissue, grimaced, and plopped down in her seat with a sullen expression.

Suki tossed the tissue in the trash and gazed at her students.

Jason smiled, a devious expression in his eyes. "Can you get us a nude model?"

Several others chimed in, echoing his sentiment.

Suki felt like hyperventilating. How had she lost control so quickly? What had she done wrong?

"No," she said in clipped tones. "I thought we’d start classes by learning about stained glass..."

"We thought Josh’s mom would be kewl," Stephanie said, mocking her. "Why can’t we paint nudes? All the greatest artists do."

"I want to sculpt nudes," a gangly boy drawled from the front row, his teeth gleaming at her. "You could model for us." His eyes traced her figure and she felt herself blushing.

"No!" she said too harshly, the thought mind boggling.

"You’re just like all the other teachers. You don’t listen to us," Stephanie said, pouting, her arms crossed over her chest. She slouched in her seat, her legs stretched straight before her.

Suki felt like Captain Bly with a mutiny on her hands. She needed help, but she didn’t dare call Kyle the disciplinarian and get canned on her first day. She had to take control back, on her terms. But how?

"Stephanie could pose for us," Jason said, his eyebrows dancing up and down, his smile suggestive. The other boys howled in agreement. The girls giggled.

"Stop this right now!" Suki said in the most authoritative voice she could muster, her heart flip-flopping at her bold plan. "I won’t model and neither will Stephanie or any other student..."

The class rumbled their disapproval, then grew deathly quiet.

"But I’ll commission a nude model..."

She felt rather than heard him and she turned as if in slow motion, dread crawling down her spine, it’s tentacles wrapping around her and squeezing.

Kyle leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes smoldering. She’d thought her door had been securely closed. "I’ll expect to see you in my office on your first break."

"We do not model for our children." Kyle paced the floor. "We do not commission nudes for our children." He stopped every few paces to glare at her. "We don’t encourage our students to pose nude."

Suki sat in her chair silently, bristling. She opened her mouth to defend herself, to explain her plan, but he interrupted her again.

"Our job is to set a good example for our children. Their bodies may look developed, but their minds are not. As a mother of a teen, you should know this." He towered over her a if he realized what an imposing figure he cut. "Since you don’t seem to realize how important propriety is, I’m laying down the law. Taravella is an upstanding school and Goose Creek is a moral community. If you want to expose your students to new age ideas and artistic license I suggest you get a teaching post in Detroit or Chicago where free thinking is appreciated."

"But..." Suki tried to explain her plan. She had no intention of posing nude or allowing her students to do so. Just the idea sent shivers down her spine.

"I won’t tell the school board about this incident, but I’ll be watching every move you make, Ms. Lawless. Understood?"

"But..."

"I’m cutting you a break, but you’re not making my job easy." He paced the floor. "I don’t know where you taught before but you’re in a small town now and our parents expect us to shield their children from immorality and dangerous influences. Stick to your curriculum."

"But..." She felt ready to explode.

"Before you deviate from your prescribed curriculum, you must get it approved by your department head or by me. Understood?"

The bell shrilled and Suki had never heard anything sweeter in her life. She jumped out of her chair as fast as if she were a student. "Understood." She crossed to the door, pausing with her hand on the knob. "Do I need to sign it in blood? Or will you take me on faith?"

Kyle glowered at her. "Just do your job. Don’t make waves and we’ll get along just fine."

She sincerely doubted that. He seemed to have it out for her.

She left without a backwards glance, eager to escape his disapproval. If only he’d listen to her explanation.

Suki dragged home from the crafts show almost empty-handed but with pockets full of loot. She felt weary as a work horse on plowing day, but happy. She’d needed the weekend to relax after a full week at school, but she’d had this fair scheduled months in advance and couldn’t back out. Not that she minded the extra income.

A satisfied smile curled her lips. Her Tiffany lamps had sold out by midday. The experimental cherub lamp had generated a passel of orders--enough to keep her tied to her workshop until the Fourth of July. Maybe, just maybe, she’d get this business off the ground and be able to buy herself a reliable car.

She'd have to take more lamps tomorrow. Her stained glass earrings, as well as the cupids and hearts had about sold out.

All she wanted now was a hot relaxing soak in the tub. Then she'd pop Ghost into the VCR while she cuddled under her electric blanket eating a big dish of double chocolate fudge ice-cream. She'd get to sleep early so she could get loaded up with more wares and back to the show bright and early for the Sunday morning crowd.

She pulled onto her road, humming along to an old Righteous Brother's melody. Cars littered the shoulder of the road. Someone must be having a blow-out of a party.

As she drew nearer her house, she heard music--heavy bass and haunting sax. Maybe she detected a hint of jazzy trumpet.

She frowned. Cars double-parked, clogging the road, askew at all angles. Twinges of apprehension shot through her.

Premonitions of doom assailed her. Even before she spied her choked driveway, she knew the golden girls were at it again.

She groaned deep in her chest. She couldn't leave them out of her sight for one second.

Come to think of it, she'd felt electricity in the air this morning. She'd been so busy loading her wares into the back of the Vagrant, she'd put it down to Cupid's Day and ignored it.

Obviously, that had been a mistake.

Looking at her driveway in dismay, she cursed Cupid for working overtime--yet still skipping her. Stray thoughts jumped to Kyle Damian before she squelched them with fierce determination. She did not want to think of him–-ever.

The house fairly jumped with music. Lights flickered as if it were a disco or a house possessed.

Suki back-tracked, parked half a mile away, then trudged through newly fallen snow that reached the tops of her fur-lined boots. Moonlight shimmered on the dusty snow covering, but she shivered from cold despite it’s stark beauty.

Suki pushed her way into the house with trepidation, faint horror coiling inside her chest when she took in the throng of silvery haired dancers. Pressing her fingers to her throbbing temples, she looked around her normally placid house that now reminded her of Century Village.

A jazz band commandeered her burnt brick fireplace as their stage. An artsy sax player sporting a little silver goatee squeezed his eyes shut in ecstasy, leaning into his spotlight serenade. His sax wailed mournfully while silvery haired couples danced cheek-to-cheek. Suki jumped in horror when a little gray haired man pinched her derriere and grinned at her lasciviously.

Suki shook the snow from her boots then let the door slam behind her, wincing when her custom made stained glass window shook alarmingly.

Hiding her purse in the closet under her sheepskin coat, she tried to contain her anger, counting to ten, trying to remember the commandment about loving thy mother and obeying thy parents.

Then she went in search of the matriarchy heading this lunacy. Vaguely, she wondered where her kids were hiding or if they were in the middle of the melee.

When she scanned the room, she stopped, her jaw dropping wide. Harvey, dressed to the nines in a blood-red dinner jacket with a white silk ascot, sidled up to the punch bowl, checked the room furtively, dumped half a quart of Jack Daniels into the bowl, then hobbled away, a wicked grin playing around his lips.

Suki bee-lined for the punch, muttering under her breath. She snatched the crystal bowl in her arms, stalked to the kitchen, then dumped its contents into the stainless steel sink. The frothy liquid swirled down the drain as if it were a pink, filmy whirlpool.

"What d'ya think you're doing young lady?" Aunt Margaret tutted behind her, peering over her shoulder.

"Harvey spiked the punch. It looked pretty deadly."

"Let me make more..." Margaret said, exasperation lacing her tones. She yanked the freezer open, taking out a quart of orange sherbet ice cream then grabbed a bottle of lemon-lime soda. She mixed them in the bowl with a wooden spoon until it became frothy.

Suki had the sneaking suspicion the exasperation was aimed at her, not Harvey.

"What's going on?" Suki leaned her back against the counter, folding her arms under her bosom, tossing her hair behind her shoulders. She gave her aunt her best what-do-you-think-you’re-doing glare.

"What does it look like, Dear? We're having a party."

"No one told me..."

"Of course you're invited. Don’t' get in a tizzy..."

"But..." Suki spluttered when Aunt Margaret thrust the refilled punch bowl into her arms and spun her around by her shoulders, pushing her through the swinging kitchen door.

Wilbur kissed her cheek and took the punch bowl from her arms. "You're looking good, Baby Cakes. What a swinging party!"

"Yeah," Suki said, though not nearly so enthusiastically.

The jazz player shouted, "Macarena!"

Floyd Wright, her retired bus driver from back when she was in elementary school, grabbed Suki by the hand and yanked her into the front of the crowd. When she stood still, the crowd nearly plowed her down. She had to either Macarena or get squashed like a flap jack.

She mimicked the motions, seeking a way out, feeling like a swimmer in a pool of sharks. But every time she tried to sneak away, Floyd pulled her back with the strength of a warrior.

Despite herself, Suki started to enjoy herself. She released her inhibitions and let the music seep into her. When Wilbur brought her a glass of punch, she accepted. Too late, after she'd gulped half the glass prompted by a wicked thirst, she realized that someone had spiked it again. A warmth spread through her belly, diffusing through her limbs, and soon she didn't care.

"I’m tired of this schmaltz," he said. "All you cats and alligators, do you remember how to dillinger?" the sax player announced, switching tunes and tempo, leaning over his wailing sax.

"Let’s frisk the whiskers, Baby Cakes," Wilbur crooned, swinging her around to face him. He led her in a hot swing as if he were Scatman Carruthers, twisting and swirling with a grace she would have thought foreign to such a lanky cowboy.

"Huh?" she asked. "What foreign language are you talking?"

"Swingtime." He lifted his eyebrows up and down, making her laugh despite her resolve not to fraternize.

"You old smooth talker." She stumbled over her own feet, trying to follow his lead. "Should I call you Twinkle Toes?"

"Your mother holds that title. She dances like Ginger Rogers," Wilbur said.

"Where is Judy?" Suki glanced over his shoulder, apprehension twisting in her gut.

"Charleston!" Judy yelled from about two rows behind her, answering the question. She threw her beringed hands up in the air, then shook her booty.

Suki groaned.

The sax player winked at Judy, then nodded to his band. The music changed tempo abruptly.

Wilbur bent from his waist, placing his hands on his knees. "You'd better join in or get kicked in your derriere, Baby Cakes," he warned, chuckling warmly.

"I don't remember how to Charleston!" She tried to cross her hands over her knees but she was rather inept. It had been years since she’d learned the Charleston in gym class at Taravella High. When she was a teen, going through her dancing phase, when she’d bumped, discoed, and known all the steps that John Travolta had danced in Saturday Night Fever by hard. But this stuff was alien to her. Almost anyway.

"Follow my lead."

Suki giggled, watching Wilbur, joining in about two beats behind. She started laughing so hard, she almost doubled over, rolling on the floor.

Harvey plied her with another drink, then hobbled away. "Bea will send out a search party for me any minute if I don't twenty-two skeedoo!"

Exhausted, beads of perspiration dripping from her forehead in the stuffy room, Suki sought refuge. Spying the empty piano bench, she sank onto it. The ivories beckoned to her and she ran her fingers over them lightly, not loud enough to disturb the jazz band.

The band wailed a new tune, one she knew quite well and she started playing along.

The jazz player ambled over to her, leaning his shiny sax next to her. "Accompany me, Baby. Do that thing that you do soooo well, " he crooned, sounding as if he came straight from one of those sultry outdoor jazz joints on Bourbon Street that filled romantic bayou moonlit nights with soul.

Suki smiled and glanced up at him shyly. "You want me to play with you?" She flipped her hair behind her shoulders then rested her fingers on the polished keys, stroking them to get the feel.

"I do. Just follow my lead and ad lib wherever your little heart desires. The wilder, the better. These cats want to wang it"!

The sax player led off with an incredibly gutsy tune, full of heart, soul and inspiration. After his solo, to which everyone clapped, he bowed to Suki. "You’re on, Baby. Swing out!"

Suki ran her fingers over the ivories, letting her inhibitions loose, shaking her tousled hair around her flushed face, really getting into the spirit of the night. She hadn’t played jazz in forever. Longer than forever. She’d forgotten what a blast it felt like, how it lit up her soul.

She let loose, gave into the delicious feelings spiraling through her, stroking the keyboard with more heart than skill--although she had plenty of skill. Just lately, however, although she’d played technically correct, the heart and inspiration had been noticeably lacking in her music.

Tonight, she’d found it again and she kicked out as her Grammy Bea would advise.

Commotion broke out behind Suki. Distracted, she banged the keys like a toddler on a toy piano, grimacing. She turned around, looking for the source, flinching when she spied her dimple cheeked mother standing off to the side of a crowd gathering around two elderly gentlemen facing off as if they were fighting cocks.

"Don't fight over me, Delbert. You're acting like a little child," Judy chided with a false southern drawl. "And you should be ashamed of yourself too Cecil, trying to act like Henry Fonda at the OK Corral."

"Stay out of this Judith." Delbert snarled, shadow boxing as if he were Bruce Lee.

Heaving a huge sigh, Suki fell off her cloud with a bang. She inched closer, the weight of the situation penetrating her foggy brain. A faint semblance of reason returned, enough that she picked up a Tiffany lamp in each hand and carried them to her room.

"Mom!" Josh jumped off her bed, a guilty red stain flooding his cheeks. He pushed trembling fingers through his unruly hair. Shelley’s bright red lipstick bruised Josh’s swollen lips and lip prints decorated his neck as if he were a Cupid poster boy.

Shelley gathered her wits together and stood at Josh’s side, linking her fingers in his, her sooty black eyelashes lowered over high cheek bones Suki would kill for. Her long silky blonde hair was mussed, as if a bird had built a nest there.

"Does your mother know you’re over here?" Suki glared at Shelley who still wore her cheerleading outfit. She set the Tiffany lamps on each side of her computer. She wanted to rant and rave. She wanted to lecture her son and his girlfriend on the dangers of getting too intimate too young, but she held her tongue. For now.

"No," Shelley said in a small voice, lifting tentative violet eyes to Suki. She looked as if she thought Suki might swallow her whole. "I told her we were going to the Valentine’s Dance at school."

"You and I have to talk young man," Suki informed Josh as calmly as she could manage, even though she wanted to shake some sense into him. Didn’t he realize one little indiscretion could ruin his entire future? Just because she’d managed to complicate her life in the back of a ‘66 Mustang didn’t mean he had to.

"Now?" He gulped, his Adam’s apple protruding from his throat as if a marble were stuck there. The pulse at the base of his throat fluttered rapidly.

An elderly couple pushed the door open, then giggled. "Sorry. Didn’t know this room was taken," the man said in a gruff voice. They backed out the door then hobbled down the hall hand in hand.

Suki glared at their backs, rubbing her temples with her finger tips to try to make the pain dissipate. What next, dear Lord? She decided she’d better not ask that question and tempt fate.

"Later. But don’t think I’m going to forget." She turned to Shelley. "You’d better get home to your mama. She’ll be wondering where you are."

"But it’s Valentine’s Day, Mom!" Josh wailed defiantly. "It’s not even eight o’clock yet. The night’s just heating up..."

"Not in my bedroom." Suki flinched, noting that her quilted bedspread lay very rumpled and lumpy across her mattress. "Go home Shelley."

"Are you going to tell my mother?" Shelley asked, a hint of fear lacing her hesitant tones. "She’ll strangle me!"

"Should I?" Suki pretended to glare at the teens like she thought Kyle would do if he’d caught them in an incriminating position. But Shelley’s huge puppy dog eyes tugged at her heart, crumpling her resolve to play disciplinarian. Before either of the teens could answer, she said in a voice vibrant with more than a trace of compassion, "I’ll have to think about it."

A loud crash jangled down the hall, followed by cheering and moaning. "Go to your room, Joshua. Go home Shelley," she commanded, trotting for the living room, fearing what she would find. If this was a party, shouldn’t she be enjoying herself instead of playing fireman, constantly putting out fires?

The scene that met her eyes twisted her heart. One of her Tiffany lamps lay shattered on the floor. Shards of stained glass littered the former dance floor. A few people inched backward, shooting sheepish glances at Suki as she counted to ten as slowly as she could in a supreme effort to keep her anger in check. That had been one of her favorite lamps and now it was mulch.

"It was an accident, Suzanne. Really." Judy’s voice wavered an octave higher than normal. "I’m so sorry." Her hands danced hesitantly in the air.

"I can always make another," she said as gracefully as she could. Some year. Her attention was drawn to the blue light reflecting off the glass and she stared at it as she would at a crystal ball. Unfortunately, it provided none of the answers she sought. Worse, she didn’t know all the questions. She felt like one of her students facing puberty, a feeling she didn’t like one bit.

"I’ll buy you a new lamp," Delbert said, his voice husky and full of regret. His eyes shifted away from her, very chagrined.

"Thank you, but there’s no need. Really." It was one of a kind. She brushed stray wisps of hair off her forehead, then knelt and picked up the large pieces of glass as she tried to hide her sigh.

Aunt Margaret bustled to her side, holding a broom and a dustpan out to her. "Let me help you with that." Her voice was kindly, yet all business.

"Thanks." Suki took the dustpan and held it while Margaret swept glass splinters and twisted metal into it. She winced when she heard the glass tinkle into the garbage can. A month’s worth of work destroyed in the blink of an eye. What a waste!

"You haven’t heard the end of this Delbert Finney." Cecil’s voice was deep and gruff. His fist shook in the air menacingly where he stood in the dining room a few feet away from the kitchen.

Oh no! She had the crazy urge to move all the breakables to a safe closet as she had until Amber turned four and was no longer a threat to fragile family heirlooms. It seemed that testosterone levels ran inordinately high tonight, bringing out exasperating macho attitudes full throttle. That irritating Cupid must have let loose too many poison arrows. He’d probably sipped too much of Harvey’s spiked punch.

"You’re not going to get the best of me Old Man!"

"Speak for yourself Grampa Moses!"

"Please leave Cecil," Judy pleaded, ministering to Delbert’s bruises with a slightly damp wash cloth. She dabbed at his swollen lip that puffed out like a baby orangutan’s.

Delbert flinched when Judy’s fingers touched the discolored swelling. "Be careful Judith. I’m not made of stone."

"Just stop your blustering and take your treatment like a man. If you’d not behaved like a jealous school boy, you’d not have to suffer." Judy fixed her gaze on her task as if she were Florence Nightingale. "I swear. You men never grow up. You ain’t happy unless you’re fighting."

"You need a real man, Judy, not that over-stuffed turkey." Cecil stepped forward as if he thought he was Sir Lancelot getting ready to fight for Lady Guinevere’s hand.

"I can’t let him get away with that." Delbert growled, straining to take another go at Cecil. His lips curved in a snarl.

"I’m nobody’s prize." Judy looked more than slightly annoyed, even a little bored. Suki knew that meant a death knell to any relationship either man hoped to have with her mother.

"Break it up!" an authoritative male voice broke through the din.

Suki’s head snapped up, wisps of her hair falling into her eyes. "Oh no," she muttered, her heart feeling about as whole as her broken lamp. "What’s he doing here?" she mumbled under her breath, her lungs full and having trouble expelling air suddenly.

Miraculously, the crowd parted as if Moses had raised his cane at the Red Sea. A silver wave undulated, making it look as if the waters truly divided. Suki wished they’d carry her away, anywhere but here.

"I invited him as your date." Judy flashed a captivating smile at Kyle.

"You did what?" Aghast, she felt all the color drain from her cheeks. Any minute she’d start to hyperventilate. "How could you bring him into the middle of all this? He’ll crucify us. Why not just hand him the cross and nails? Better yet, why don’t you just nail me to the cross then gift wrap me with a bow?"

"What’s this gibberish you’re spouting, Suzanne?" Judy quirked her finely arched white-blonde brow. "The man’s adorable!" she crooned, the light in her blue eyes turning dreamy.

Suki lowered her head in her hands, feeling a miserable headache coming on. "He’s not a boy and he’s not adorable!" she hissed. "He’s a low-life. A tarantula. A-a..." she searched for the perfect metaphor, stumped.

Was Judy winding up to play match-maker again? The last time she’d tried her match-making antics, Judy had tried to get her to date the Roto-Rooter man. The time before that, Judy had invited the neighboring town’s proctologist to dinner without telling Suki. She never sat through a more boring mealtime conversation or eaten less.

But this stunt took the cake. Judy knew her personal prejudice to Kyle, and she knew Sam had soured her to looking for another relationship. She and the kids had been much better off without a man in their life than one that didn’t measure up to even nominal standards. The only good thing Suki could think to say about Sam is that he was still breathing.

"This is unforgivable, Mother. You know I don’t do arranged dates–or surprises." she muttered under her breath so that only Judy could hear her. She was careful to keep a smile pasted on her face. "How could you invite the enemy to break bread with us?" Even if he was the most handsome enemy she’d ever laid eyes on...

Now where had that traitorous thought come from?

"You couldn’t be the only one here without a date, Dear. Even Joshua brought his little friend."

Suki mentally slapped herself on her forehead. "You knew the kids were somewhere here together and you didn’t tell me?" She groaned. Whatever was she going to do with her mother?

"You worry too much, Daughter. There’s chaperones all over the place." Judy smiled broadly as if that settled the dispute.

"In case you hadn’t checked lately, the chaperones need chaperones. I wouldn’t go into your room without knocking first."

Judy lifted her eyebrow and Suki nodded. A sour taste filled her mouth.

"Hello Mrs. Lawless," Kyle drawled. "I hope you have humble pie on the buffet table."

"I wouldn’t know what there is to eat. It’s not my party..."

"It’s your house..." he countered glibly, looking around pointedly. An elderly couple trying to country line dance jostled him from behind, knocking him into her. Kyle grasped her shoulders steadying himself, then stepped back a discreet distance, his gaze never leaving her face.

Heat flared through her at his touch and she yanked away from him as if a backdraft had hit her. She shook her head, careful to school her features into a neutral expression so he wouldn’t see her reaction to him. She didn’t have a clue what was going on and until she did, she didn’t want him making any assumptions.

"This is my mother’s house. She just lets the rest of us live with her out of the goodness of her heart." She took a drink off the tray when Harvey sailed by. Her only thought was that her throat was so dry she’d choke, she swirled the contents, and then gulped it down. Golden liquid burned down her throat and she struggled not to spit it back up. God, this must be fifty proof. Why had she drank that concoction without testing it first? Finally, she couldn’t help but cough and clutch her throat when she felt she might choke if she held it in.

Kyle took the cup from her hands and sniffed it. His eyes darkened, colliding with hers over the rim of her cup. He took a sip and she flinched. "You serve this rot gut in your house and call this a good home environment?" His black as midnight gaze bored into her, his voice accusing.

"It’s a Valentine’s Day party," she said weakly, knowing what she’d think if their roles were reversed. "I thought it was punch." The evidence certainly looked damning, she admitted to herself. Why did this man always see her at her worst?

More importantly, why did she care? She didn’t, she told herself too quickly.

"Isn’t he adorable?" Judy said behind Suki in a sing-song voice, lifting her cup in a toast, flinging her coifed blonde curls with glee. "I think you should ask him if he has a girlfriend."

"Stop helping me, Mother," Suki said between clenched teeth.

"Give me a smackeroo, Baby Cakes!" Wilbur lassoed Margaret, drawing her into the circle of his arms as she tittered and half-heartedly protested. He put his cowboy hat on her and kissed her lingeringly.

"Heaven help me." She started to lift her arms for the handcuffs. Circumstantial evidence damned her. A Breathalyzer would back up Kyle’s dark suspicions and no judge or jury would rule that she’d been tricked or coerced by a group of great grandmas and grandpas. "Take me away..."

"Conga!" Wilbur’s strong hands encircled Suki’s waist, pushing her in a steady rhythm like a river current. She twisted her head enough to see that she headed a long caterpillar-like line twisting and churning, with legs kicking out at irregular intervals.

"Kick your legs out, Baby Cakes!" Wilbur chuckled.

She darted the old sweetheart a venomous glance. "I’m going to get you for this!" she promised. About midline, her mother yanked Kyle into the Conga line, her well-manicured hands encircling his flat stomach.

"For saving your sweet butt?" Wilbur laughed gruffly. He kicked bow-legged, like an old, saddle-sore cowboy who’d ridden too many hours in his chaps.

Suki giggled despite her misgivings. Darting secretive glances, she noted the smile spreading over Kyle’s face and his stiff frame relaxing, getting into the swing. Heat suffused her belly, spreading through her more potently than Harvey’s spiked punch.

Kyle was sinfully sexy, she admitted grudgingly, detesting herself for even thinking the enemy looked good. Was this how a southern belle felt when she fell in love with a Yankee soldier?

Love? Where did love come into this. She shook herself mentally to clear the cob webs from her addled brain.

"Look at this Luella!" Connie O’Neill’s voice rose above the crowd hysterically. "Here’s proof positive of what I’ve been telling you. I told you that they were having a drunken orgy over here!"

Suki’s head snapped up and she groaned. Her gaze clashed with that of a triumphant Connie O’Neill’s. Suki lifted a silent prayer that Shelley had gone home the back way and Connie hadn’t seen her here.

"Who are those uptight cats?" The jazz player quirked a bushy brow at Connie and Luella. "Give them some of your miracle punch Harvey, my man. It’s an emergency!"

The conga line caterpillared through the house, ignoring Connie and Luella’s shocked expressions.

"Looks like the devil’s infiltrated Goose Creek. It’s time for an exorcism," Connie said.

"Is that you Mr. Damian?" Luella’s wavery voice bellowed. The absurdly tall woman squinted in the dim light. "I saw your squirrely face. You can’t hide from the Goose Creek Parents for a Moral Society." She tossed her head as if that sealed her proclamation. "You’d best remember the night has a thousand eyes. You haven’t heard the last of us!"

Connie tromped out the front door, her head held so high it was a wonder she didn’t trip down the front stoop.

Luella slammed the door behind them as Suki flinched and held her breath, wondering if her designer window would shatter like her favorite lamp.

Chapter Six

"Break it up, Mr. Lawless. Miss O’Neill," Kyle commanded, looming over the kids locked in a clinch behind the basketball bleachers. His shadow stretched about ten feet tall, looking wicked and sinister. "No PDA on school grounds."

Josh lifted his head and glared at Kyle defiantly, his chin jutted forward, his eyes narrowed. He stood, helping Shelley to her feet. Static clung to her long blonde hair, causing several silky strands to cling to Josh’s jacket.

Josh’s chest puffed out like a Bantam rooster. "I was just giving my girlfriend a kiss goodbye before class..."

Kyle handed each teen a referral slip, holding it out between two fingers. "You’ve got detention every day after class for the remainder of the week."

Shelley snatched the slip from his hand. She tiptoed to kiss Josh on his cheek, then stopped and glared at Kyle. "I’ll see you in Science class," she told Josh. She pivoted on her heel and flounced off.

"This is hype and you know it," Josh challenged.

"Would you like to try for two weeks detention?" Kyle asked in a deadly quiet voice, standing his ground. "Come into my office." Kyle started walking, sure that Josh would follow without having to watch him.

Josh groaned, trudging behind him.

"Close the door behind you. Have a seat Josh. We need to talk." He walked to his chair and sank down. Leaning forward, Kyle laced his fingers together on top of his cluttered desk.

Josh shoved the door closed with a slam, then stalked to the chair and plopped down. His faded jeans split at his knee, fraying around the edges. The toes of his black boots were severely scuffed. "What’s it to you if I kiss my girlfriend?"

"No PDA on school property." Kyle stared at Josh, not backing down an inch to Josh’s brave display. He rummaged in his drawer, found what he sought then tossed the student handbook at Josh. "Read the rules."

"What’s that? No PMS?" Josh drawled in a challenge.

"PDA." Kyle bit back a smile. "Public display of affection. It’s a military term." Kyle regarded him quizzically. "In other words, no touching, no kissing. Shelley’s off limits on school grounds."

"This ain’t the military, man. And I ain’t no soldier." Josh tossed the book back without opening it. It fell on the desk with a plop.

"I’m Mr. Damian to you." Kyle narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah? And I’m Superman."

"Don’t get flip with me young man. You’re in plenty of trouble already."

"So? Suspend me. Shelley and I can dig a few days hanging out without teacher types watching our every move. Why don’t you get a life and stop spying on us?"

"What’s really going on, Josh?" Kyle asked in a low voice, leaning over his desk. "Is it bad at home? You’re mom ignoring you? You mad because she’s teaching here?"

Josh glared at him, blew a bubble, then popped it with the tip of his tongue. The pink gum spread over his lips and mingled with the peach fuzz on his chin. He licked it off with the tip of his tongue, taking his sweet time.

Just when Kyle thought Josh had declined to answer, he said, "Mom’s cool. Everything’s great at home. Grammy Bea’s a little ditzy--she almost burned down the house the other night. Amber can be a royal pain in the butt. She wants to follow me and Shelley everywhere..."

"How kewl is your mother?" Kyle tapped his fingers on his desk. "Does she go out a lot? Does she bring men into the house?"

"What is this? Double Jeopardy?" Suspicion laced Josh’s tones. He pushed himself out of his chair and loomed over Kyle. This felt foreign to him. At six foot three inches, Kyle stood so tall, he usually loomed over every body else in the room. "So? Am I suspended? Or am I to be consigned to more of that ASP?"

"You’re attitude could use some major adjusting," Kyle said, rising to his full height, squaring his shoulders.

"By you?" Josh snorted. His unruly hair fell over his eyes and he shoved it away, guffawing.

"I’ll do. Doesn’t seem to be anybody else volunteering for the job."

"Well, that’s supposed to be my dad’s job. But he doesn’t seem to care--why should you?"

Kyle heard a lot of repressed anger in Josh’s blunt assertion. Maybe he was getting somewhere. "I care," Kyle said simply. No long explanations, no gushy, mushy stuff. Just man to man. Something the kid apparently needed, but wouldn’t readily admit.

"Well," Josh said bitterly, "you wouldn’t understand..."

"Try me. I’ve been there."

Josh shot him a glance of disbelief, then rolled his eyes.

"My dad left when I was thirteen--a helluva time for a boy’s dad to pick up and leave town. I used to get in a lot of trouble too. Just like you..."

Josh rounded on him. "Don’t compare yourself to me. I’m just fine. All I did was kiss my girlfriend and you want to make a federal case of it. Maybe you’re just jealous because you don’t have a woman of your own."

"You think you’re so tough, Mr. Lawless?" Kyle said. "You think you know it all?"

"Yeah! I can take care of myself."

"Prove it! How about a little one on one in the gym?"

"Basketball’s for sissies." Josh scowled. "Any moron can put a ball through a hoop. Doesn’t take brains."

"What do you go in for?" Kyle thought for a moment. A slow smile split his face. "Computers?"

Interest flickered in Josh’s eyes for a moment before his eyes became a blank mask again.

"You consider yourself a computer whiz, don’t you? I’m not too shabby myself with a keyboard. Show me what you’ve got, Kid."

"I don’t have to show you a thing..."

"Chicken? Maybe you don’t know as much as you think you know," Kyle said in low tones, stepping away from his computer terminal, giving the boy space.

Josh rounded the desk, sitting in front of the computer. He cracked his knuckled and peered at the blank screen. "What do you wanna know?" he said with supreme confidence. "Let me show you my mom’s knew web-site. She designed it and I fixed the html and technical stuff..."

****

"Ms. Lawless, come to the front office immediately," Mrs. L’s voice buzzed over the intercom.

Suki pushed her call button to reply. "Can you take a message? I’m in the middle of class..."

"This is important. I’ll send someone to watch your class." Paper wads hit the intercom, then thudded to the floor.

"We don’t need a baby-sitter!" David McGraw quipped and the rest of the class heartily agreed.

"Shush!" Suki put a shushing finger to her lips. "Do you want to get me in trouble? I’m still on probation."

David twisted his lips and slunk in his chair, arms crossed over his chest.

"I’ll be right there." She looked around the class, adopting her sternest I-am-the-teacher look. "Megan, you’re in charge until I get back or another teacher comes. David, clean up this mess." She gestured to the paper wads piling up like a snow drift.

Megan sashayed to the front of the class, smoothed her skirt beneath her and took Suki’s chair regally. She smiled prettily at the class with a look that could melt butter.

Suki hurried to the front office, expecting to find Josh incarcerated in Kyle’s dungeon.

Breathless, she rushed to Mrs. L’s desk. "What’s wrong?"

"Phone call." Mrs. L gestured to the red phone on the counter.

"Thanks," she muttered, forcing herself to breath steadily as she crossed to the blinking phone. Curiosity scratched at her and she regarded the phone warily.

"Hello." Watching Kyle’s office, she half hoped to get a glimpse of him, half hoped she wouldn’t have to face him right now.

"Is this Suzanne Lawless?" a strange male voice asked in agitation. She could feel him bristling on the other end of the line and she covered the mouthpiece as if she were having a top secret conversation.

Mrs. L glanced at her as if she were half daft.

"Who wants to know?"

"This is Morty. I’m the manager down at the Cowsey Mowsey on Kellogg and Saginaw. Your mama and grandma are staging a sit-in and they refuse to leave. They’ve barricaded our doors..."

"Can you say that again?" Suki asked, astonished. She couldn’t have heard right. "Did you say they’ve barricaded your doors?" This was even a stretch for her matriarchs. She knew they were frisky, spunky and fun, but they were never radicals. At least not until now.

She turned her back on Mrs. L when the woman raised her eyebrows and stopped working to stare in her direction.

"They’re leading a revolt of little old people! They’re threatening to squash all our bread and smash all our fresh fruit unless we give in to their demands. And they won’t let anybody in or out of the store..."

"Are they holding you prisoner?" she whispered, hoping her voice didn’t carry across the room.

"You’re darn right they are! I need you to talk them out of here peacefully."

"They have guns?" She gasped. "They’ve never touched a firearm in their lives!"

"No. Worse."

"Worse?" Perplexed, her brows drew together into one long line. "What can be worse?" Bombs?

"They’re throwing beef steak tomatoes at anyone who tries to cross their line. The front of the store’s a holy mess."

Suki breathed a sigh of relief. "Is that all? You’re afraid of a little tomato?" she asked in disbelief, sinking against the counter.

"Not to mention the watermelons, honeydew melons and squash they’re throwing. Your grandma has a wicked aim. The White Sox would love to get ahold of her in their bullpen!" He whistled, long and loud in her ear. "She got ‘im."

"Come on. You want me to save you from a couple of little old ladies armed with tomatoes?" Suki laughed, relieved. "You’re putting me on..."

"This is the new millennium. The younger one says that if we touch her, she’ll sue Cowsey Mowsey and file personal indemnification charges. I’m not laying a finger on her. But unless you get them out of here in fifteen minutes, I’m pressing criminal charges and you can pick them up at Hank’s lock up."

She clutched at the pink collar framing her suddenly flushed face as her long skirts swished around her calves. "I’ll be there in ten minutes." She cradled the phone gently, aware of intent eyes searching her face for any hint of expression. Mentally, she wondered, how can they do this to me? while she kept a noncommittal smile planted firmly on her lips. She knew first hand how wicked small town gossip could be. Maybe there was still a prayer she could cover up this most unfortunate incident before the school board got wind of it.

"Family emergency," she told Mrs. L as she scribbled her name on the sign out sheet. "Can you get someone to cover my classes for a couple of hours?" She held the smile so tightly in place she was amazed her face didn’t crack. She pulled up her skirts and rushed out the door before hearing the reply.

She flew like the wind, pushing her Vagrant to superhuman effort despite icy roads.

When she pulled into Cowsey Mowsey’s parking lot, it was crammed full of news media vans and curious onlookers.

"Just great!" Her hopes dashed and her heart sank to lower than ocean floor depths.

Hoards of elderly people pushed in on the front doors. Several circled the store like planets in electro magnetic orbit, picketing out front.

She spied Aunt Margaret holding a sign proud and high above her head that proclaimed "Cowsey Mowsey Discriminates Against Defenseless Grandmas!". Judy toted a sign that announced, "Senior Citizens Treated Unfairly!" Beatrice beaned several newspaper reporters with tomatoes, a wicked gleam in her eye growing ever brighter. The poor, defenseless news crews ducked, but still held up their microphones to catch her inflammatory words.

Vince Elliott from the six o’clock news on WCRG grimaced, wiping squished tomato from his eyes. Tomato pulp and watery red juice dripped onto his designer suit.

Although Suki gasped, she didn’t exactly feel sorry for him. No sorrier than he typically appeared to be for the truly poor souls who lost their homes and loved ones that he spotlighted on the nightly news for his personal gain.

"Are you here to join them, Suki?" Connie O’Neill taunted beside her, her lips twisted into a semi smug, semi disgusted smile. "Keep the lunacy in the family?"

Suki glanced at her nosy neighbor with distaste. "Mind your own business, Connie," she replied vaguely, elbowing her way through the dense crowd.

"Did you hear?" Connie followed her, gloating.

"Hear what?" Suki asked, then kicked herself for encouraging Connie. Suki’s gaze was glued to Grammy Bea, making sure she didn’t get in the projectile path of one of the deadly tomatoes.

"I’m the new president of the Parents for a Moral Society. Karen Fuhrman resigned."

"That’s nice." Suki groaned. So now the PMS dossier would grow another two or three inches with today’s incident?

"You hoo! Suki!" Aunt Margaret called, thrusting a sign at her. "I’m so glad you came to help."

"I-I’m not here to picket!" Suki yelled to be heard above the din. "I’m here to take you home!"

Aunt Margaret frowned and pouted. "Traitor!"

"I don’t even know why you’re picketing," Suki dogged her aunt’s heels. "What did

Cowsey Mowsey do to Senior Citizens?"

"They raised their prices sky high and canceled our senior citizens discounts. They don’t want our business. They’re trying to drive us out. But we won’t let them. This is America and we have our rights!"

"Was this Grammy Bea’s idea?" Suki’s heart plummeted to her feet.

"I’m so glad you’re here daughter!" Judy pushed a picket sign at Suki.

"No you’re not." Margaret scowled. "She’s the enemy. She’s on the establishment’s side."

Margaret jutted her nose in the air and marched militantly, waving her sign high into the stratosphere.

"You can’t be Suzanne!" Judy wailed. "You can’t possibly support those capitalist Napoleons."

"I don’t, Mom." Suki sighed. "But you’re going about this all wrong. Violence never solved anything."

"We’re not violent. We’re demonstrating. It’s the American Way." Judy sashayed through the slush, thrusting her sign in front of every news camera that turned her way.

"I thought you threatened to sue. That’s the American Way," Suki said wryly.

"I like the old fashioned way. Everything was more fun in the sixties. You’re such a party poop, Suzanne. Sometimes I think my baby got switched at the hospital."

"Thanks, Mom. I love you, too." Suki grimaced. "Come home with me now and we’ll go about this in a more civilized manner..."

"No way!" Judy shook her head vehemently. "Tell your cohorts we’re not leaving until they meet our demands. Guillotine the price hikes!"

"Don’t get me fired." She groaned, wondering what Kyle and the PMS would make of this debacle.

The elders started to chant Guillotine the price hikes! Be nice to grandma!

Suki put her fingers to her temples and rubbed, closing her eyes, wishing away this nightmare.

Strong hands grabbed her arms. "I thought that was you on television leading this riot. I had to make sure."

Suki’s eyelids flew open and her startled gaze clashed with Kyle’s. "I’m not leading anything," she denied, shaking her head. "Afraid I’ll embarrass the school?"

"Yeah? Why’re you up front with the picketers?" He arched his dark eyebrow. His gaze traveled over the picketers then came back to her.

"I’m trying to get Mom, Grammy Bea and Aunt Margaret out of here. But they won’t listen to me," she said in resignation.

"You don’t look like you’re trying very hard to get them out of here."

Suki held out her hand and grinned a wooden grin. "Be my guest. See if you can do a better job. You’ve got my blessing."

"Piece of cake," he mumbled.

Vince Elliott stuck a sticky red microphone under Suki’s nose. "I was just told that you’re the mastermind behind this sit-in. Can you outline your demands for us? Rumor has it that this was all started by Cowsey Mowsey’s cancellation of the senior discount..."

Horrified, Suki hissed, "Who told you that? I’m not with them. I never saw them before in my life. I just came here to shop."

"Stop throwing tomatoes!" Morty said, covering his face with his hands. "I didn’t mean to say this was a stupid demonstration. Have mercy. Not the watermelon! It’s $2.29 per pound!"

Suki turned around just in time to get a tomato in the face. "Thanks Grammy!" she yelled sarcastically, wiping tomato pulp out of her eyes, flinging it to the ground in disgust. What hadn’t hit her splattered Vince Elliott. Served the sanctimonious beast right.

Kyle chortled sarcastically and she longed to wring his neck. "Looks like she’s mad at you..."

"My don’t we have a talent for understatement!" Suki grimaced. She started to shiver.

"My aren’t we sarcastic!" Kyle said. He was soaked with watermelon.

They glared at each other for several interminable seconds. Then the corners of Kyle’s eyes crinkled and he burst out laughing. It was infectious. Suki laughed until she doubled over.

Taking her arm, Kyle led her out of the crowd.

"You’re demented old woman!" Connie stomped her booted feet. Her feet skid out

from under her in the slush. She struggled to a sitting position and wiped tomato pulp out of eyes that glared daggers at Grammy Bea. Tomato pulp stained her bleached blonde hair.

Laughter rumbled deep in Suki’s belly, but she wisely kept her expression neutral and turned her back to Connie before she couldn’t hold in her mirth any longer and started World War III. Already, Connie would be gunning for her dear, sweet grandma.

A tomato missile sailed through the air and landed two feet to the right of Suki with a loud splat, accompanied by a lot of groans from the people it splattered. "Give me my ExLax or give me death!" Grammy Bea shouted.

Well maybe not so sweet--nor dear.

"Can I buy you a coffee?"

"Looking like this?" Suki grimaced, motioning to herself, but longing to escape from this scene. "No place will let either one of us in looking like refugees from a garden patch. I’m not even going to let myself in my car this way. I have to find somewhere to get cleaned up so I can go back to class." She searched the road for a gas station that might have a rest room where she could at least find some wet paper towels.

Kyle took a white embroidered handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped her face gently, erasing all traces of the tomato.

Suki stared at him, perplexed. "You ruined your good handkerchief."

He glanced down at his sheepskin coat. "My coat’s history. What’s a little handkerchief?"

"Thank you," she murmured, stepping away from his touch. Had she imagined it? Or had she felt an electric tingle when his fingers had touched her face and her neck? And where had this gentleness come from? Did she really want to find out?

She glanced at him from under the veil of her eyelashes. His easy manner, his good humor in this situation didn’t fit her image of him. She’d expected him to rant and rave that his coat was ruined, that her mother and grandmother were bad role models for her children. Shouldn’t he be threatening her with a visit from child protective services right about now? Or with the loss of her job?

Or was he having a chemical reaction to the watermelon?

Someone handed him a white paper towel and he wiped the watermelon residue from his face. He crumpled the towel, thrusting it into his slacks pocket.

"We’re not too far from my house. Do you want to stop in and get cleaned up?" Suki asked. "I’ll make us a pot of coffee and Aunt Margaret made some blueberry muffins this morning."

"I suppose so. It’s almost the end of the school day. I’ll have to call Mrs. L and tell her I won’t be back today."

"Neither of us can return to school looking like this," she pointed out, stifling a chuckle with much difficulty. She permitted her gaze to roam his long length with a disdainful eye.

He let his gaze linger on his ruined shirt and scowled. "Duck!" he ordered, tucking her head into his shoulder.

A plump, juicy tomato sailed over their heads, missing by a fraction of an inch.

"I think she’s aiming at us," Suki muttered. "They’re mad I won’t picket with them."

"We’d better leave while we still can." Capturing her hand, he pulled her across the parking lot.

Suki laughed with glee, the chill March wind whipping her hair behind her. "You’re crazy!"

"I always said the kids would drive me to it one day!"

"Traitor!" Judy yelled, megaphoning her hands around her mouth. "Don’t you dare desert our cause! Get back here and grab a sign right now!"

"I’ll be back in thirty years!" Suki yelled, chortling. "God. I hope they’re paying for the fruit. They must owe a small fortune by now--it’s out of season."

"They’re big girls. Let them clean up their own mess..." He squeezed her fingers in his and electricity flared up her arm.

"What a mess!" Suki said, tongue in cheek. "Grammy Bea has to shower before she steps foot in our clean house."

Within moments, they were safe and warm in Suki’s kitchen, coffee percolating in the machine, fluffy blueberry muffins with a slab of butter on top warming in the oven. The house filled with good, homey smells and Suki felt unusually warm inside.

Suki dabbed at Kyle’s shirt. Lifting her eyes to him, she admitted, "I can’t get the stain out this way. Take off your shirt..."

"What?"

"So I can throw it in the washer. It’ll only take half an hour. I’ll feed you while you wait."

Kyle loosened his tie, then slung it off. He shrugged out of his white button up shirt.

Suki averted her eyes but peeked from under veiled lashes. She’d never suspected how built the man was! Muscles bulked his arms and shoulders. A flat stomach tapered down to a slim waist where a narrow trail of dark curling hair disappeared against his twill slacks. She halted her gaze from traveling lower, feeling a blush creep into her cheeks.

This was her enemy for Heaven’s sake. Her boss!

"I’ll find you something to cover up with." Before he could protest, she grabbed a robe out of her mother’s closet, trying not to think why a man’s silk robe hung in there.

She ran into her room and changed quickly, then ran a brush through her hair.

When she rejoined Kyle, he was wearing the royal blue robe. He looked comfy and at home. Odd tingles shivered down her spine and she noticed her breath came out in little annoying bursts.

"I caught Josh with Shelley O’Neill behind the bleachers this morning..." Kyle said.

"Doing what?" Dreading the truth, she lifted her eyes to collide with his dark gaze straight on. She leaned against the kitchen counter, her legs stretched before her, trying to get her cascading emotions under control.

He leaned his elbow on the heavy oak table. The robe’s vee neck fell open, revealing a chest full of dark matted hair and she found herself longing to run her fingers through it.

"Making out," he said succinctly, taking a sip of his coffee as if he’d said nothing out of the ordinary.

Suki spluttered, spitting coffee out like a fountain. "I caught them necking in my room Valentine’s Day. I shooed them out and sent Shelley home. Josh got a little belligerent with me...They both have detention all week."

"Do you have any chastity belts while you’re at it?" She took the muffins out of the oven and handed him one on a china saucer. "Why don’t you give one to Connie to put on Shelley?"

"Couldn’t get funding for them..." he joked, then took a bite of his muffin. A few crumbs stuck in his mustache and she had to quell a strong urge to brush them off.

"You know Josh is a brilliant kid, don’t you? He showed me things on my computer I never knew. He’s got quite a career ahead of him..."

"Yeah--if he can get over his love affair with hacking..."

Alarm flickered across Kyle’s dark eyes, his coffee mug freezing mid way to this lips. "He’s still hacking?"

"I hope not. I was referring to the last incident." She sank her teeth into the luscious muffin, biting into a huge blueberry.

Kyle visibly relaxed. "He definitely needs more guidance..."

Suki bristled, straightening, glaring at him, the warm feelings dissipating as if she’d fallen into a snow drift. "I told you. I give him guidance..."

"I mean male guidance. The boy needs a man..."

"What do you propose I do? Advertise in the classifieds for a husband and father? Rent one for the day? Surf the web?" She looked at him suspiciously. Bristling, she banged her coffee cup on the counter. Carmel liquid sloshed over the rim of the cup. Grabbing a yellow sponge, she wiped it up with a grimace before it could stain the mauve marble counter top.

Turning back to him, she glared at him, her fingers curling around the counter’s edge. Her knuckles turned white. "Or maybe you’re applying for the job?"

"Actually," he drawled, standing, pouring himself a second cup of coffee, brushing his shoulder against hers. "I am applying for the job..."

"What?" Suki almost choked, spinning around. She couldn’t find any intelligible words to voice the myriad of questions that clamored at her.

"As a big brother figure." He sipped the steaming brew in his mug, and then set it down. He cornered her against the counter, his arms on either side of her as he loomed over her. His breath fanned her cheek and his lips tilted ever so slightly. "I’ve been where Josh is so I can relate to the boy. And we’re both something of computer enthusiasts."

"You’re a computer nerd?" She meant to scoff but her words sounded breathy.

Kyle grimaced. "Let’s just say I’m a surfer."

Suki let her glance slide over him, sizing him up as a potential big brother candidate to whip Joshua into shape. She liked what she saw -- too much. But then she reminded herself that he held a low opinion of her. Perhaps he was trying to trick her. "You really want to take on such a challenge? Don’t you get tired of kids after being swamped by them all day?"

"No. I like kids. Did you think I went into education to get rich?" He lifted a dark brow. His mustache twitched, bemused, and she almost melted. It took all her reserve not to lean forward the inch or two that separated them.

Something else he said caught her attention. "What did you mean when you said you’ve been where Josh is?" She quirked her eyebrow.

Kyle focused on a distant spot outside the kitchen window, looking as if he weren’t going to respond. When he finally spoke, he startled her. "I was constantly in trouble. I came from a home where I didn’t get much supervision and very little love..."

Red hot anger surged through her veins and she opened her mouth to protest.

Kyle held up his hand to prevent interruption. "Let me finish. I fell in with a gang. They dared me to steal and I did."

"What happened?" She hung onto his words despite his implications.

"I got good at it. I didn’t get caught at first. Not for a long time. So I started stealing larger things." He paused and shook his head. "It was inevitable that I got caught. Lucky for me, the guy that caught me was more interested in saving my soul than locking me up in jail."

"So, he talked to you?" Suki backed away a few feet as his nearness set off alarm bells in her mind. She stirred her coffee slowly and took a sip, staring at him over the rim of her mug.

"Not initially." Kyle smile lopsidedly. "First, he beat the living daylights out of me to get my attention. Tough guys don’t talk."

"And you were a tough guy?" Suki eyed him with new eyes.

Kyle nodded. "I thought so. But I was just a scared kid, trying to prove myself in a world I thought didn’t want me."

"Josh is wanted. There’s never a moment he doesn’t know that." She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. "Are you saying he’s not?"

His expression softened. "His situation’s a little different than mine. He’s lucky to have you. But he still needs a man in his life. Someone like I had." He looked around at the flowery kitchen and Suki got his point. "It doesn’t look as if there’s much male influence here."

Her gaze fused to his. She considered his message. "Even when Sam was here," she confessed on a sigh, "he wasn’t really here. He wasn’t much more of a father than he was a husband."

His gaze blazed into hers, as if he pitied her. And she didn’t want to be pitied. Not ever.

She lowered her eyes, watching her finger circle the rim of her mug. "Finally, I decided it would be better for the kids as well as for me, if Sam left. But maybe I was wrong," she whispered, her voice catching. "Maybe he’d have been there for Josh as he got older. Maybe..."

He crossed the room in three strides, lifting her chin with his finger, forcing her eyes to meet his. "Don’t torture yourself with maybes. You did what you thought best. Don’t ever doubt your instincts."

"I don’t know..." As if her thoughts weren’t muddled enough without the heat from his body seeping into hers. She tried to back away but the counter already bit into her back.

"Give me a chance with Josh. I know where he’s coming from. I’d like to help."

Hot breath fanned her cheeks and she did her best to maintain her equilibrium. She was glad that the counter helped hold her up when her knees began to wobble.

"Tell you what," she paused, considering her strategy carefully. "I’ll give you a trial run. You have two weeks to get him to cut his hair and stop wearing ripped dungarees. If you can do that, you have a job..."

"Pick your battles wisely." His face was barely an inch from hers. "Sweat the big things, not the hair nor the breeches. Get yourself a pair of blinders if you must, but forget the mop. It’s not important."

"What do you propose?" She could have kicked herself for her poor word choice as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Get him involved in sports. Get him to interact with more boys his age. Put a little wedge between him and Shelley..."

"That doesn’t sound too bad," she said grudgingly. "Do you really think you can do that?" Her glance slid up to his and held. "I haven’t had any luck."

"Given time and your blessing, I know I can," he said with supreme confidence, smiling into her eyes. "Getting involved wouldn’t be a bad thing either..." he drawled and she started. "with the church youth group, I mean." The corner of his lips tilted further and she knew without a doubt that he had meant the double entendre. She wondered what he was up to? Seduction? Or trickery?

But he sounded so reasonable and rational. Supremely confident and sure of himself--which she found very, very sexy. She wanted to reach out and trail her fingers over his lips. She wanted to snuggle against his strength. She longed for help to shoulder the burden of two kids that didn’t want to listen to her anymore.

Then she realized she was day-dreaming about her adversary, breaking bread with her enemy and that she liked it, too much. She must have turned the bend into insanity. His sad story had endeared him to her in a way she’d never thought possible. Still, she was letting down woman kind and she hoped this side trip into insanity was only temporary.

Suki peeked over Kyle’s broad shoulder and checked the kitchen clock hanging over the sink, looking for an excuse to escape the thick tension of the room before she did something she’d regret. She licked suddenly parched lips, averting her eyes from his amused gaze. "Your shirt should be dry," she barely whispered. She ducked under his imprisoning arms, fleeing the room.

His deep, sultry chuckle mocked her and she bounded down the steps. Fire burned her cheeks.

"You hoo!" Connie entered the house without invitation. The heavy front door slammed behind her and Suki winced. Someday, her stained glass window would shatter. "I just finished baking coffee cake and thought you might like some..."

"Oh no!" Suki hissed under her breath, scrambling to retrace her steps up the basement stairs two at a time with Kyle’s shirt balled up in her hands.

"Mr. Damian!" Connie’s voice rose two octaves, squeaking. "What are you doing here in the middle of the day without clothes on? Where’s Suki?"

Suki winced and prayed for mercy.

Kyle mumbled something that Suki couldn’t hear no matter how hard she strained her ears. What she wouldn’t do to have bionic hearing right about now. Or a fairy godmother that would turn Connie into a grand footman.

She pushed the basement door open with trepidation. "He’s dressed. He has a robe on..." But no, he didn’t. At least not entirely. The robe was unbelted. His chest was practically bared. Her gaze flickered over him as if he were Fabio, lingering too long.

Lord have mercy! Her breath came in little bursts and she threatened to hyperventilate.

Connie glared from Kyle to Suki, her hands balled on her hips, her face fire-engine red. Suki waited with baited breath, wondering if she’d erupt in indignation or merely freeze them out.

"Well, I never saw anything so depraved in my entire life!" Her gaze made glaciers resemble a bonfire. She poked her finger into Kyle’s chest. "You, Mr. Damian, are supposed to be setting an example for our impressionable children. I expect this sort of behavior from a Lawless, but not from a well-bred man like you. This will go into my report to the Parents for a Moral Society." Pivoting on her heel, Connie sashayed through the house, coffee cake clutched to her chest. Her curls bounced around her head.

Suki exchanged worried glances with Kyle. She quipped in a ragged voice, "What now? Shotgun wedding time? Should I refresh my resume?"

Chapter Seven

Suki chafed at the long table where she and her matriarchs were lined up like recipients at the Last Supper. She steepled her hands atop the table and sat ram rod straight, her eyes narrowed on her arch enemy, Connie O’Neill. She bristled at being called away from class for this kangaroo court. She should be helping her students prepare for mid terms.

Slight movement caught her eye and she studied it with her peripheral vision. The heavy curtain fluttered as if a breeze blew, but there was no wind inside. Then she saw two heads peek out. Stephanie and Jason waved at her and gave her the thumbs up sign.

She didn’t know whether to feel warmed by their support or angry that they’d crashed a private meeting. She motioned with her head for them to leave. She feared this tête-à-tête would more resemble a blood bath than a peace talk.

Connie O’Neill banged a heavy gavel on the hollow wooden podium with resounding force, bringing Suki’s attention back to the matter at hand. It echoed through Taravella High's cafeteria like enemy rifle volley. "This emergency meeting of the Goose Creek Parents for a Moral Society Board will now commence!" Barely restrained furor made her voice quake.

Luella Amsterdam, Charlie Brandt and Pamela Winston flanked her as if she were their general and they her military aids. They nodded their heads woodenly at each word she spoke, confirming that they were Connie's puppets. They glared daggers at Suki and her matriarchs. Their chins lifted so high she expected nose bleeds from the altitude.

Connie wore a tweed gray suit, fashionable in the seventies. Her white blouse was bow-tied at her neck demurely.

"It’s been called to our attention repeatedly that Suzanne Lawless’s home is an unfit environment in which to raise her innocent children, Joshua and Amber. And now, she’s a role model for our impressionable children at Taravella."

"I object!" Beatrice's voice shot out loud and clear when she jumped to her feet, her support hose pooled at her ankles. "I demand to have our attorney present! I demand our rights be read!"

"Hush! This isn't a trial, Mother," Judy whispered, pulling Beatrice down to her seat. "Don't make a spectacle of yourself."

Beatrice bristled and perched on the edge of the hard plastic bench. Her pleated skirts billowed about her in a cotton candy cloud.

Harvey placed a reassuring gnarled hand on her shoulder. "Go get 'em Beatrice!" he said in an exaggerated stage whisper. "Let 'em have it!"

"Don't go encouragin' her!" Margaret’s silvery-blue curls bobbed up and down. "Remember what happened last time she got all riled up?"

Wilbur laced his fingers through Margaret's and squeezed. "There’s no tomatoes within eyeshot." He winked saucily at Suki and she couldn't help but crack a smile despite how much her stomach coiled in knots.

"Any kitchen’s worth it’s salt has fresh tomatoes in the pantry." Margaret nodded her head at the cafeteria. "It’s just a hop, skip and a jump till she’s armed."

Connie peered down her nose at Suki with distaste, her nostrils flared. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Connie continued as if she were a blue blood addressing her surfs. "Suki Lawless, the mother of these impressionable children, has been caught red-handed with a naked man in broad daylight. She's been throwing wild alcoholic parties in her house that disrupts the entire neighborhood. Her house has a stained glass revolving door through which men come and go all hours of the day and night..."

"Gracious! She's crucifying me." Suki groaned loudly. "She's making me sound like the tramp of the year! I’ll be banned from Sunday School, not to mention, fired."

"Don't let it bother you, Suzanne," Judy said, patting her platinum blonde curls. "We know you're a boring stick in the mud..."

"That hasn't had a date since the Reagan Administration..." Beatrice said, tongue in cheek.

Margaret elbowed her in her ribs and she scowled at her little sister.

"And Judy’s been banned from Sunday School since 1973 and she’s survived," Beatrice added her two cents. "You’ll survive too..."

"Who's side are you on?" Suki growled, glaring in disbelief at her not-so-supportive family. Hussy began to sound like poetry. She unbuttoned the top of her stuffy blouse and wriggled in her tight, nondescript suit. She curled her legs under her and she crossed her ankles.

"They're just trying to make you feel better, Dear," Margaret defended her niece and older sister.

"News flash." Suki grimaced inwardly, trying to keep her expression neutral. "It's not working! Stop trying to make me feel better or I'll start crying." She couldn’t prevent a slight waver from coloring her voice.

"Now, now." Margaret patted Suki's hand. "We love you unconditionally even if you are romantically challenged..."

Suki squeezed her eyes tightly shut and prayed for a fairy godmother to deliver her out of this nightmare. But when she opened her eyes, Connie O'Neill's lips were contorted in such a snarl, she flinched.

Afternoon sunshine gleamed benignly through the window, pouring fountains of light across the nearly deserted cafeteria. A Godzilla of a tom cat scratched the glass panes with his orange and white stripped paw. She wondered why he wanted in when she wanted out so badly.

Connie shook the manila dossier in her hands--at least three inches thick with inflammatory papers. "Suki Lawless lets her minor children run around wild while she entertains scads of men in that house that sees more traffic than downtown Detroit’s red light district! Deputy Hank stopped her for drunk driving before noonday! Her teenage son hacks into our school's new fifty thousand dollar computer system!" She paused for effect, inciting the other Board members who reminded Suki of an incensed Salem witch hunt tribunal.

Suki groaned deep in her throat, glancing around her in trepidation, clenching and unclenching her hands at her sides.

"When will this stop! How far will this be allowed to go before our decent, morality is tainted by this brazen tramp? How long before our innocent children are corrupted by this, this amoral, depraved hussy!" Feverish color suffused Connie's cheeks. Her shoulders shook.

Suki swore she heard hushed giggling from behind the stage curtain. Even sans Superman’s x-ray vision, she knew without a doubt that Stephanie and Jason had defied her and remained in hiding, listening to every word.

Beatrice jumped out of her seat, jarring the table. "How can my granddaughter be a hussy? She hasn’t had a date since Reagan was elected to office and all her dresses fall three inches below her knees!"

Comic relief flooded the meeting when the Board members roared with laughter and snickered.

"Grammy!" Suki slouched in her seat, hiding her heated face in her hands. "Stop trying to help me!" She felt like crawling under the table.

"I saw the proof with my own eyes!" Connie shook the dossier harder as if she were a Bible thumping evangelist at a rip-roaring revival. "I witnessed her depravity with my own eyes! She had a naked man in her kitchen at midday! They were fornicating on the kitchen table!"

"Fornicate?" Judy drawled waspishly. "Call it what it is, Connie. Sex! My daughter was going to have sex with a man?" Judy pivoted on her heels and grabbed Suki to her bosom in a delighted hug. "My daughter was having sex with a man! Hallelujah!"

"Mother!" Suki was thoroughly mortified. One didn't say things like that in a small town in front of a bunch of self-righteous zealots. They had memories two hundred miles long and twisted everything to suit their needs. Worse, virgin ears drank in every sordid, humiliating word. "This isn't helping. And she's wrong."

Judy pulled back, disappointed, frowning. "No?"

Suki shook her head. "No. She jumped to conclusions again."

Judy exhaled a pent up sigh. "A mother can hope, Darling. Someday..."

Harvey jumped to his feet and addressed the Board. "What do you want to do? Run this fine young woman out of town on a rail?"

"The Goose Creek Parents for a Moral Society want her brought under control! Snip her rampaging hormones in the bud! Stop her brazen behavior and heal the moral fiber of our upstanding community!"

Luella stretched to her abnormally tall height and started clapping. Her expression froze in a taut mask. "We don’t need bad influences on our children. Whoever hired her must have been looking at her other assets instead of her teaching credentials."

Svelte Charlie Brandt followed suit. Then Pamela.

"What’s going on in here?" Kyle barged into the cafeteria, his handsome features contorted with rage. He towered over the group at the table. Suki's heart flip-flopped. Her pulses raced. His ebony hair gleamed blue-black under the fluorescent lights.

"Where have you been, young man?" Judy shook her head. "Didn’t you receive an engraved invitation to the lynching?"

"I was called out of town for some bogus meeting. I just returned and heard the commotion." He slid an accusatory glance over Connie and her crones. "Don't you folks know we're trying to conduct class for your kids? It sounds like the World Series in here!"

"What would you care?" Connie eyes narrowed to mere slits. The arm that pointed at Suki shook with rage. "You're in cahoots with that hussy!"

"Did you book the cafeteria with the office? Who gave you permission to meet midday on school property?" Kyle heaved a deep sigh. "Or to take one of my teachers out of class without her department head being present?"

"Of course he's going to defend his girlfriend!" Connie turned her accusing finger at him. She had worked herself into a royal frenzy.

"Girlfriend?" Kyle asked, a perplexed note in his deep baritone.

Connie pointed at Suki. "Right there. Don't try to deny it. I caught you dead to rights!"

Kyle's gaze drifted over Suki, lingering too long on her legs and she squirmed under his intense scrutiny. Didn’t he realize he wasn’t helping matters any?

"You didn't see anything." His voice was deadly quiet, the kiss of death.

"But I s-saw y-you. And-and h-her." Connie spluttered, nonplused. She clutched the dossier to her chest as if for comfort.

"Nothing happened!" Kyle said in a bored tone. "Now, break this up and go home. I want you all off school property before one o'clock." He pushed up his sleeve and checked his digital Timex. "That's fifteen minutes so you'd better move it!" he drawled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Suki rose tentatively, smoothing her skirt over her thighs. She released a pent-up sigh. She began to retrace her steps to her class.

"Not you! In my office." He growled. He pointed at Suki.

Suki glanced over her shoulder, her gaze colliding with his. "Mrs. L is with my class. I need to get back."

"They’ll just have to wait."

I'd better escort you, dear." Beatrice stepped between Suki and Kyle. "He looks fit to be tied."

"I'll be fine, Grammy." Suki bustled around her. "I don't think he'll dare throw me to the lions during broad daylight in front of all these witnesses." The cafeteria did rather resemble the Coliseum... She wondered if more irate PMS members waited to attack from darkened doorways and she glanced at them apprehensively.

Kyle lifted a questioning eyebrow.

Suki squared her shoulders. She lifted her chin and marched past him in a bee-line for his office. Her high heels sounded like cannon balls on the checkered linoleum floor. She read the pep-squad signs advertising the next wrestling match against Northwest High the following Friday. The Taravella Tiger growled at her from most every vantage point in the hall.

Teenagers smooched in the hallway at open lockers. Gangly boys with bad complexions juggled weird looking science projects that made Suki's skin crawl. Her harried coworkers carried tons of papers as they bee-lined for the teachers’ lounge. At this time of day, they needed caffeine to keep them going until the three o'clock bell and precious freedom.

Kyle held his door for her, then locked it after she entered. "What was all that nonsense about?" he barked. "I don't like to have my school interrupted and my teachers taken out of class..."

"Why ask me?" Suki rounded on him. "The Parents for a Moral Society's got it in their heads I'm some kind of monster--that I'm an unfit mother and the worst possible choice of teacher. Aren't you in league with them?" she challenged.

"I didn't sanction that." He smiled enigmatically.

"Well?"

"Well what?" he asked glaring at her, looming over her.

"Do you or do you not agree with them? Do you think I'm a fit mother? A good teacher?"

Kyle hesitated, delving his hands in his deep pockets.

Suki got in his face, bristling. "How dare you!"

Kyle grasped her wrists. "Why are you so anxious for my approval?"

"You know I was innocent of their trumped up charges, yet you still stand in judgment on me..."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't say I'm innocent either!" She tried to break free of his grasp, to no avail.

"I'm still not sure. You were innocent that time..."

"Did you order me in here for a reason?" She felt stung that he could possibly still think her a bad parent or poor teacher and she couldn't look at his traitorous face a moment longer.

"I want to give you a private warning." His mustache twitched, dragging her eyes to his firm lips, lips that fascinated her and made her insides tingle in ways that were merely distant memories. She squelched these unwelcome feelings. This man was a traitor: the enemy. She couldn't let herself forget that no matter how her insides quivered at a mere glance from him.

"Warning?"

"Tread very carefully..."

"Or else?" she asked bitterly. Her fingernails bit into the soft flesh of her palms.

"I don't want to see the kids get hurt. Or..."

"You're too much!" She yanked her arm with all her might and stumbled to the door, unlocking it. Her right high heel twisted off her foot, the heel snapping off and she snatched it on the way out the door glaring at him as if he were at fault. "Stay away from my son! Stay away from me!" she warned, slamming the door behind her. Seething, she hobbled back to her class wearing one high heel, the broken one dangling from her hand. She tried her best to look dignified.

Chapter Eight

The rest of the school day had only sped downhill from the meeting. Good news traveled fast. Bad news traveled at light speed. Most of her colleagues avoided meeting her eyes for the rest of her day. Sweet little old Mrs. Tierney actually moved across the teacher’s lounge when Suki had sat next to her on break.

Her kids probed her for every juicy tidbit of information that she swore she wouldn’t divulge even if they tempted her with chocolate or threatened her with a cattle prod.

When she’d finally escaped terrible Taravella for the day, her Vagrant blew a tire about a mile outside of town.

Finally at home, she plopped onto the first empty chair she spied, leaning back with a deep sigh.

Margaret set a double helping of Angel Food cake before her, smothered with whipped cream and strawberry slices.

"What prompted that lovely meeting today, dear?" Margaret sat opposite Suki and stirred cream into her coffee.

"Connie barged into the house as usual yesterday afternoon and assumed the worst..." Suki said miserably, tracing the rim of her coffee mug with her finger, staring into the dark liquid’s murky depths as if she could read the future in its swirls.

Beatrice sipped her prune juice from a long tall frosty glass. Her wrinkled face lit up like a Christmas tree. "She must have found something to make her blow her top. It wasn’t us. We have an alibi..."

"If rotting in jail till I posted your bail can be called an alibi," Suki said wryly.

"What set her off this time?" Beatrice leaned closer to Suki. "Was there any truth in her accusations? Were you making time with your boss?"

Suki felt tattle-tale heat creep into her cheeks and she veiled her eyes before they could tell her secrets.

"Uh huh." Beatrice chortled. "I thought so. I knew I smelled smoke." She speared a fork full of cake from Suki’s plate and shoveled it into her mouth.

"It’s not what you think..." She could still feel Kyle’s warm breath fan her cheek from when he’d tried to kiss her. She felt like a traitor to her own self.

"You can lie to yourself but I know you too well." Beatrice slid Suki’s plate in front of her. "Since you’re watching your weight, I’ll just take this temptation away..."

Margaret batted at her older sister’s hands. "Your cholesterol’s already higher than a horse on a mountaintop. And Suki could stand to put on a few pounds. Men like rounded women."

"She’s man hunting and needs to be in peek form. I’ve already got my man." She shot a challenging look at Margaret and took another bite of cake.

"I’m not man hunting!" Suki put her head on the table. "What did I do to deserve this, Lord?"

"Nothin’ to be ashamed of, Granddaughter." Beatrice tweaked her hair. "It’s high time you got a man in your bed again."

"I don’t have a man in my bed despite what the PMS says!" Suki ground her teeth. Grudgingly she admitted to herself that it would be more than enjoyable to have Kyle tucked into her boudoir. "He only tried to kiss me..."

"I knew it!" Beatrice howled in triumph. "You’re sparkin’."

"Speaking of sparking... You know," Aunt Margaret said with a twinkle in her eyes, "Connie has no right to talk. I saw her car parked at Sammy’s Motel in broad daylight yesterday..."

"You didn’t!" Suki gasped, leaning forward, all ears. "How can you be sure it was her car?"

"Because we saw Connie and Arnold Casey kissing in front of the motel room, then he carried her across the threshold." Judy chimed in as she walked in the door.

"You’re making this up!" Suki’s gaze was caught by her mother’s stare. "Martha Stewart Connie?"

Judy crossed her heart with her hands and smiled wickedly. "Hope to die." She turned and poured herself a cup of decaf and loaded non fat creamer into her mug before sitting at the round table.

"That Pamela Winston isn’t any better even though she acts so high fallutin’," Beatrice whispered conspiratorially, her silvery head bobbing up and down. "She’s been nipping at the gin again. I smelled it on her breath at Cowsey Mowsey when she burst through our picket line."

"Really?" Suki was relieved they’d skewed off the subject of her and Kyle.

"And Charlie Brandt’s secretary left town mysteriously last week. The grapevine says a little Brandt is rising in the oven." Judy smiled like a contented cat.

"No!" Suki gasped. "I had no idea."

"He must have sent her packing so Mrs. Brandt won’t get wind of it." Aunt Margaret nodding her head. "Theresa Brandt would kick his sorry butt out on the street if she even suspected. And she holds all the purse strings."

"And Luella gambled away her entire family fortune." Judy patted her coifed hair as if she’d just delivered state secrets.

All eyes turned on Judy, awe struck. Egg-shell silence shrouded the room. Nobody moved a muscle for what felt like an eternity.

"Didn’t you know?" Judy swiveled her stick in her coffee as if she were talking about something mundane like the weather. "Don’t you remember when her family lived in that beautiful mansion up on Saginaw Manor?"

Margaret’s lips pulled down in a frown. "Luella Amsterdam is one of those Amsterdam’s?"

Judy nodded as she stirred her coffee. "And now she lives in a two bit apartment on Lansing and Vine. She’s really come down in the world."

Beatrice clucked her tongue. "What a shame. Is she still gambling?"

"According to the grapevine -- yes." Judy blew on her steaming hot coffee then took a careful sip.

"I feel sorry for them. Wait a minute!" Rage seethed in Suki’s veins and she pounded the table with her fist. Coffee sloshed into the saucers. "These are the same people who are standing in judgment on us? The same ones who barge into our house and invade our privacy without invitation like the Nazi Gestapo!"

"Same ones." Margaret shook her head and took a dainty bite from half a grapefruit.

"Typical muck rakin’ fools." Beatrice broke off a piece of her cake and lifted it to her lips. It dangled there when she spoke again. "Always concerning themselves with other people’s business and setting double standards for themselves. No matter how much our technology advances, human nature hasn’t changed one little iota."

"We can’t let this go on. It’s not fair." Suki glared towards Connie O’Neill’s house, furious.

"Life isn’t fair, dear.." Judy put a motherly hand over Suki’s with commiseration. "You can’t allow the self-righteous PMS to get to you. As long as you know you’re right and that you’re a good person, don’t let others’ opinions of you matter. You’ve always had a problem worrying about what everyone else thinks of you."

"She’s right, Suki." Great Aunt Margaret leaned across the table and patted Suki’s hand. "Stop worrying what everyone else thinks. Start enjoying yourself. Let your hair down. Live a little."

"But the PMS has a three inch thick dossier on us. They think we have orgies in here." Suki held her fingers wide to demonstrate how thick their bogus file was.

"Who cares what the PMS thinks! They can’t prove we’re doing a dang thing wrong ‘cause we ain’t." Grammy Bea blurted out. "Tell that Connie O’Neill to mind her own business."

"She shouldn’t live in a glass house till she cleans up her own mess." Judy sipped her decaf.

"Well." Suki sighed, leaning her chin on her hand. "This all sounds good. But we don’t have a smidgen of proof..."

"Who says we can’t get some?" Aunt Margaret said in a deadly quiet voice, quirking her silvery brows.

All heads turned in unison. Suki saw lights calculating behind each pair of eyes and slow smiles spread across the wrinkled, rice powdered faces.

"What devious thoughts are you scheming, Margaret?" Suki chanced to ask, knowing she just might be opening Pandora’s Box.

"Why not give the Goose Creek PMS a taste of their own medicine?" Margaret’s eyes twinkled mischievously. "They think we’re such brazen hussies, let’s give ‘em a run for their money!"

"You can’t mean that!" Suki gasped. "Stop throwing your voice to Aunt Margaret, Grammy Bea."

"She can have the credit for this idea." Beatrice chuckled. "It’s her brainstorm. I can’t claim it."

"Turn the town on its self-righteous ear!" Excitement sizzled in the depths of Judy’s eyes as she fidgeted on the edge of her chair. Suki wasn’t surprised that her mother liked this idea, but she was shocked that her great aunt even liked it much less thought it up.

"But I love it. Let’s wake up this sleepy burg," Beatrice said gruffly. "It’s been too boring since our shindig on Valentine’s Day. How about if we invite Duke back and you and he can have a clam-bake, Suki? You two played a pretty swinging duet."

"It was the cat’s pajamas." Margaret smiled dreamily. "Reminds me of the Benny Goodman days."

"You two sound pathetic." Judy made a tsk-tsk sound as she shook her blonde head. "You’d think we were ancient the way you talk. Personally, Delbert says I'm a sexy young chick."

Margaret tapped her forefinger on the table. "We’ve plans to make!"

"An offensive to mount!" Beatrice’s beady eyes twinkled with glee. Any moment, she’d start waving the flag and belting out the national anthem with full lung capacity.

"We’re going to nail their butts to the wall!" Judy sounded like the sixties flower child she had been, marching in a civil rights demonstration.

"Somebody get me off this roller-coaster," Suki whispered under her breath. "What kind of monster have I created?" She stole her cake back and dug into it.

***

"They want me to let my hair down," Suki muttered under her breath. "But I think I have to do just the opposite." She stared at the pictures in Amber’s glamour magazines, flipping through the pages, sticking her tongue out at the models too gorgeous to be earthlings.

She gazed at herself in the mirror objectively, studied the pictures, then wrinkled her nose at her reflection. Fingering her long mahogany hair, she grimaced. It looked too mundane, too old fashioned and lack-luster to lure a man or seriously contend with another woman for a man. Even if she colored it and hot rollered it, she'd just look like a Delta Dawn.

She needed a shorter, hipper style with some frosted highlights to brighten her face. That was to be her number one make-over.

And a make-up make-over couldn't hurt. Some good base foundation and a brighter lipstick might help give some color to her face.

The length of her granny skirt caught her eye next. Holding up her ankle to the mirror, she hitched up her skirt above her knee. She made a face at herself, then laughed. Shapely legs, she noted. She'd wear shorter, tighter skirts. Short enough to give Connie O'Neill a coronary--and twist Kyle Damian's head a full rotation. Robert, her online friend, would be so proud of her... So would her mother.

Before she could lose her nerve, she made herself an appointment at Detroit’s poshest beauty salon with its top hair stylist. Margaret promised to meet Amber off the bus and make sure the kids got a good hot meal and loving supervision while Suki and Judy drove into downtown Detroit for a day of heavy-duty shopping.

She needed a completely new wardrobe--one to set Goose Creek on its ear!

She wondered what it would take to turn Kyle Damian’s head. Perhaps Robert would give her some clues into the male psyche...

"I've missed you, sweetheart," Kyle typed. "I was beginning to think you’ve been hiding from me."

"I've been busy."

"I miss not talking to you." And he did. She had a sweetness he found uncommonly refreshing. A sense of humor that brought smiles to his lips.

He tapped his fingers on his keyboard, deep in thought. He'd been lonely for so long, and now, thoughts of two ladies warred in his mind. Feast or famine.

Leslie seemed so sweet, guileless and open. Just his type.

Conversely, Suki Lawless drove him crazy with her argumentative demeanor and her suspicious defiance. Just her presence at Taravella seemed to electrify the air. She was the type of woman he wanted to avoid at all costs.

Yet, he couldn't get her out of his mind as crazy as he knew it was. When she brushed against him, flares shot up his arms.

He should be certified crazy. Yet, he couldn't get her sweet scent of lilacs out of his mind. It seemed to follow him wherever he went. He couldn’t walk down a hallway without hoping to catch a glimpse of her, then berating himself for feeling so.

There was only one thing to do. Get his mind on a more willing woman...

"Hold me close, Sweetheart," Leslie said.

"How I wish I could. Are you good at make-believe?"

"I have a PhD in pretend. And U?"

"I get by. Let's dance under the moonlight. Come here, Leslie." He smiled at the moonlight streaming through his window, gazing at the twinkling stars. "Recite Shakespeare to me. <<Leaning my head on your shoulder. Running my fingers through your hair.>>"

"When his love he doth espy, let her shine as gloriously. As the Venus of the sky. How I wish you were here. What perfume are you wearing?"

"Lilac. Are you wearing after shave?"

"Old Spice."

"Uhm. You smell delicious. Do you have a beard? I love to bury my face in lush beards."

"No beard. But I can grow one for you."

"Please. I can’t resist a man in a beard. I love it when you rub it across my...cheek."

"We’d better not go there..." He tapped his fingers on the keyboard and gulped a huge glass of water to cool off. "What do you look like? Describe your hair."

"I have short and sassy mahogany hair."

"That sounds lovely." So why did he feel a twinge of disappointment? Romeo curled upon his feet, his silky tail swishing against his leg. The dog’s warmth seeped into him when Kyle leaned over to scratch behind his floppy ears.

"What song are we dancing to?"

"Stay by Jackson Brown. It's playing now. Can you hear it?"

"It's playing on my radio too."

"It must be Kismet." What were the chances that a radio station in Mississippi was playing the same song at the same time as his oldies station in Michigan? Well, he supposed, it was a very popular song. It did get a lot of air time. Still...

"I don’t believe in coincidence... Kismet’s unbelievably rare."

"Stop thinking so much and let me drink of your sweet, sweet lips."

"How can I refuse you anything when you're so charming? <<lifting my lips for your kisses>>."

"Your lips taste like honey. Hold me close. Never let me go." If he was talking to Leslie, why did he keep seeing Suki’s high cheek boned face?

"Don't ever let me go. I've just had another week that makes Tales from the Crypt look mild."

"Did you have another run in with your arch nemesis? You need to stand up for yourself. Don’t let people walk all over you."

"I wish it were that easy. But it’s not. My next door neighbor’s spying on me. And Jimmy thinks he's in love with her daughter. I had this horrible dream that she became Jimmy's mother-in-law and she’d end up being my side kick like Eve Arden in the Mother-in-Laws."

"Poor sweetheart. Let me help you forget your worries. Come here... <<kissing you, stroking your silky hair. Moonlight bathing us.>>" Kyle rubbed Romeo's tummy. Romeo’s legs bicycled in the air.

"You're so darling. Why aren't you married?"

"Most women aren't as smart as you, sweetheart. Most want a millionaire or a movie star or a super spy. Mere mortals aren't exciting enough."

"Their loss. My gain. If only..."

"If only what?" Kyle wanted to know why she sounded so wistful. If only were the loneliest words in the universe. "Is something else wrong?"

"I'm lonely. So very, very lonely. Sweet as you are, I want a real relationship. I want to be held in real arms, be kissed by real lips... Sorry. I don't mean to make you feel inadequate."

"You don't. I understand perfectly. You read my mind. Moonlight was meant to be shared, not described." He stared at the glorious moon spilling its light across his carpet. How long had it been since he’d held a special woman in his arms under the moonlight? So long he couldn’t remember.

"I finally find a man who understands me, one I can talk to -- and you're half a country away. Just my luck."

"Well, you never know. Maybe we could arrange a meeting sometime. Do you ski?" The germ of an idea sprouted in his mind.

"Snow ski?"

"Yes. Snow ski. I have reservations at a ski lodge next month."

"Are you inviting me to join you?"

"I don't know. Do you like to ski?" Somehow, her answer meant a lot and his eyes were glued to the screen awaiting her response.

"I haven't skied in years. I used to enjoy it."

"Would you want to meet me at the ski lodge? Can you get away from your kids for a long weekend?" He had never acted so impulsively. Why now? Something he couldn’t define drove him.

"My mother might agree to watch them. Can you get away from your job?"

"I have a long weekend in March. Snow should still be on the slopes. If not, they have their own snow machine."

"Are you seriously thinking we should do this?"

Kyle thought about it. In his dreams, he'd envisioned himself at the ski lodge with Suki. She smiled up at him, her laughter seeping through him like warm apple cider. But that was just a dream. The woman barely acted civil toward him most of the time. What had ever possessed the school board to employ such a potential troublemaker?

"Yes. What do we have to lose? We meet for a weekend. No promises. No strings. What do you say?" He held his breath for her answer.

"It sounds heavenly. What weekend? I may be working."

"What type of work do you do?"

I’m an artist. I make stained glass. Tiffany lamps. Mosaics. Windows. I’m making a web page. Would you like to see it?"

Alarm bells rang in the back of his mind, niggling at him. There was something he should remember. Something important. But he couldn’t quite connect it... "I’d love to. Is it running yet?"

"Partially. It’s at www.matahariglass.com. Maybe you can give me some pointers? I’m having some problems."

"Email me your questions/problems and I’ll see what I can do."

"Fire in the kitchen. Catch you later."

"Are U OK?" He stared at the screen feeling helpless. He didn’t know her last name, address or phone number. He couldn’t even call 911. What would he say? Matahari’s house is on fire? They’d haul him away in a straight jacket and stick him in a rubber room.

He didn’t even know her last name--and he’d made a date with her to take a long, romantic ski weekend.

What did he really know about Leslie? She had short and sassy dark hair. She had two kids. She lived in Mississippi. And she made stained glass for a living. That wasn’t a hell of a lot.

Stained glass...

The words rang in his mind. Josh’s mother worked with stained glass. She had a stained glass web site. And she worked with a jerk...

Finally the connection hit home and his stomach lurched as if he were on a ship rolling over turbulent seas. His new online friend reminded him of Suki because she was Suki with 99% probability.

He pushed unsteady fingers through his hair. What was he getting himself into? Did she know who his alter ego was? Was she playing games with him? Or taunting him?

He considered reporting a fire at the Lawless house to 911, then hopped in his Woody with Romeo at his side, and drove over to make sure that everything was fine for his own piece of mind.

Chapter Nine

Suki smiled to herself, amused at her own joke on her class. Today, she planned to prove she could be cool and win the kids confidence. Or was she being foolish? Would she earn their wrath or antipathy?

She rubbed her thumb on the rim of the bag she carried to her class. It was no larger than a brown bag lunch, but packed possible dynamite. She could get fired if caught. Ridiculed by the rest of the staff.

Or she could win the kids over...

No matter what happened, at least she’d hush their relentless requests. She hoped.

She screwed up her courage and took a deep breath before facing her class. She had decided it was time to start taking chances.

When she entered the class, Jason was perched on Stephanie’s desk, hovering over her within kissing distance. Little cliques buzzed as if they were beehives. One of the Michael was snoring like a freight train and she feared he’d break her Tiffany lamps if his whistles raised another octave.

She closed the door and cleared her throat. "Good morning class."

"Good morning Mrs. Lawless," they chimed in unison in sarcastic sing song voices that they have practiced to get that precise pitch and intonation. The sleeping Michael yanked up in his seat so fast he almost fell overboard.

The ring of Mrs. Lawless grated on her nerves like a dull razor. That didn’t suit her anymore. It hadn’t in a very long time.

"I’ve decided I’d like you to call me Suki. Only not in front of the administration." A smile curved her lips. When she motioned for Jason to return to his desk, Stephanie pouted prettily.

"Like Sukiyaki?" Jason flashed a Crest smile.

Everyone laughed.

"No. Just plain Suki." She fingered the bag wondering if she dared follow through on her plan. She wasn’t exactly Miss Popularity with the administration or the PMS.

"Should I get out the stained glass tools?" one of the Sara’s asked, rising from her seat daintily. Other students started to rise, automatically starting their morning routine.

"Sit down." She took a deep breath and forced herself to smile. She felt as if she was tottering on the brink of a precipice just as Jeff Goldblum had teetered in Jurassic Park when the T-Rex had tried to push him over the edge. Sometimes she wondered if her students weren’t even more predatory than the carnivorous prehistoric monsters. But it felt intoxicatingly exhilarating to take chances. "I thought I’d fulfill a promise today..."

"What promise?" Tamara Hill asked, her golden eyebrows drawn together.

Stephanie yawned, patting her hand over her mouth. She eyed Suki with lazy amusement.

"We’re going to learn some basic sketching techniques." She took a clay Indian pot with classic lines from her locked cabinet and displayed it on her podium.

"You want us to draw that?" Jason’s expression was incredulous. "A baby could draw that."

"My blind grandma could draw that," Michael Kraemer said in mocking tones.

"That’s bor-ing," Stephanie drawled in a melodious voice. "I don’t want to draw some plain old pot."

"I thought you were going to let us draw nudes," Jason said, his hand half-raised. "You promised us a model."

"You promised," Tamara said, her lips pouting, her gaze challenging.

"Are you going to break your promise like all our other teachers?" Sara Jeffries asked, flipping her long blonde hair behind her shoulder.

"She sold out to the establishment." Michael Gibson heaved a huge sigh. "We might as well be in science class."

It looked as if she had no choice. The time to deploy her secret weapon was at hand. "I don’t break my promises," she said, her voice low but vibrant. Before she could reconsider, Suki snatched her secret from the plain brown paper bag and held it over her head so that everyone in the class had a good view of her. "I brought your model. You can either sketch, paint or sculpt her..."

"You brought us a Barbie doll?" Jason scoffed. "That’s a baby toy. She’s not even nude!"

Stephanie guffawed. "She got you..."

Suki took pains to pose the scantily clad Barbie in her shimmering metallic bikini and her three toned hair that changed color when stuck in the freezer. Not that she had a decent clue why Mattel would create a toy that encouraged children to stick a human replica in a freezer. It reminded her of a Stephen King nightmare.

"This is as close to a nude model as you’re ever going to get at Taravella." Suki draped Barbie over the pot.

"Use your imagination Jason," Stephanie taunted.

The boys howled cat calls and the girls shot haughty glares at them.

"Shush! I’m taking a chance bringing her here. Do you want her to model or don’t you?" She smiled crookedly. "I can put her away and you can sketch the pot by itself. Or I can always give you a pop quiz on art history..."

Groans greeted her.

She adopted her sweetest smile as she passed out charcoal pencils and sketch paper. "Let’s start by practicing our sketching. Don’t draw anything until I give you some pointers..."

When she’d passed out roughly three quarters of the paper, the room grew deathly quiet and shivers shimmied up her spine. Before she spied him, she felt his gaze searing her. Inexorably, she felt his magnetic force turn her around.

Kyle sauntered to the first row of students, picked a sketch pad off the table and quirked his eyebrow. Then he sent a quelling glance at her. "What’s this?"

"A blank piece of paper?" she said hopefully. It was supposed to be, but she knew it

wasn’t. She prayed the budding artist had included the bikini but from Kyle’s thunderous expression, she imagined the drawing was sans clothing.

"Not unless my eyes deceive me." He strolled around the room looking at the papers, picked up two more, and put them in a stack. Pivoting on his heel, he honed in on Barbie.

Suki’s heart dropped to her high heels. "Goodbye career," she muttered under her breath. Why had she chanced it? In Goose Creek, she should have dressed Barbie in a gunny sack that covered her feet and her chin. Suddenly, taking chances didn’t seem like such a wonderful idea.

She watched, mesmerized, as he scooped up the doll and beckoned her to follow him with his crooked finger.

"Sara Jeffries. You’re in charge until I return." She felt as if she’d just recited her eulogy.

"If you return," Stephanie said dryly, as if reading her thoughts.

"This year would be nice, Ms. Lawless." Kyle paused outside the door until she joined him, then he set off toward his dungeon at a brisk pace.

She followed like a lamb to the slaughter, wondering what she could possibly say to extricate herself from this newest mess.

Mrs. L’s eyes widened behind her thick lenses as Suki passed her behind a grim faced Kyle. His assistant wore her usual designer silk scarf over an A-lined dress and her nails were impeccably manicured. Vaguely, Suki wondered how the woman could type accurately with model length nails.

Kyle didn’t even pretend to stand on ceremony when she entered his office. He locked his door behind her and rounded on her as if volcanic steam boiled inside him. He stuck one of the student’s sketches under her nose and she cringed at the amount of trouble she found herself in while simultaneously admiring the student’s natural talents.

"Since when did the school board include sketching nudes in the eleventh grade art class curriculum?" He backed her into the edge of his desk. He towered over her, his nostrils flaring, his gaze burning into her.

"Michael’s quite talented, don’t you think?" she asked, trying to diffuse his anger, proud of herself that she kept the quaver out of her voice. "See how he added shading, making it look realistic..."

"It looks too damned realistic!" His breath scorched her cheeks and she leaned away from him. "If the Parents for a Moral Society or the School Board gets wind of this they’ll have your job and mine."

"Does this mean you won’t report this?" Hope flickered in her heart and she searched his eyes for any trace of mercy.

He raked his fingers through his hair, his gaze boring into hers. "I should, but I’ll let this slide with a verbal warning."

"Thank you." Her voice sounded husky in her own ears. She wished he’d move away. The heat from his body made it difficult to think or breath.

"Don’t thank me. I don’t want to lose my job either. And I know you have two kids to support."

"How gentlemanly of you." She tried to slink away from him. Instead, she misjudged the distance between them and rubbed against him.

Instant electricity sparked and she froze, afraid to escalate matters. She held her breath, holding herself as rigid as she could, feeling her traitorous body melt against his warmth.

"I think so." He stared at her. "I’m breaking major policy by not reporting this incident."

"So why don’t you?" Her voice sounded raspy and she repressed a deep sigh. "I don’t expect special favors." Her lips felt chafed and she ran the tip of her tongue over them. She realized this second mistake when his gaze shifted to her lips and his eyes grew dark as summer storm clouds.

His gaze held her as if he had bewitched her. She strained to hold onto the final shred of sanity that guided her. "I should be getting back to my class. There’s no telling what kind of mischief they’ll get into..."

"Mrs. L’s with them. She could handle a tribe of wild Indians."

"Oh," was the only response she could come up with. She berated herself for her sudden lack of articulation. Good thing she was the art teacher and not the language arts instructor. But then, if she had been, maybe her wits wouldn’t desert her so easily.

Before she could think of an eloquent response, his arms trapped her against the desk, his lips descended on hers.

If his lips had been hard or passionate, he might have scared her. They weren’t. They caressed hers ever so softly as if exploring the taste of her, as if he needed questions answered.

The tension that had been coiled inside her since Connie had found them alone in the kitchen on the brink of a kiss found release in his caresses. Her better judgment deserted her, overridden by cravings that had been kept locked up too long, and she curled her arms around his neck.

How long they stayed locked in the illicit embrace, she couldn’t say. But when the class bell blared in her ears, she jumped back startled, shocked at herself for succumbing to her baser instincts. She took advantage of crucial seconds that he remained in a stunned stupor to make her escape back to the sanctuary of her class room.

***

Kyle couldn’t wait to get home after the confusing day’s events. Suki Lawless or Leslie the temptress, whatever she called herself today, had his head spinning. He didn’t know what to think, what to do. So she wanted to play games. He had just enough curiosity to play along -- for awhile -- to discover her motives. He told himself he did so because he was broad minded and bored, squelching the niggling voice that told him he did so because she intrigued him.

His Woody beckoned him and Romeo would be begging for a walk after being shut up in the house all day. He locked up his office, dug his keys from his pocket, and strode to his parking space, glad that the brisk wind cooled his heated thoughts.

A die-hard group of boys shooting hoops on courts edged by snow caught his attention. It never failed to amuse him that the same kids who skipped every other class as if they were allergic to school, hung out with their friends or played basketball on the school courts after the final bell.

Today was no exception. Only he didn’t feel so blasé about it when he spied Josh Lawless and his girlfriend leaning on his antique car in a clinch that could melt all the snow in Michigan.

"Hey Josh!" Kyle called. Fierce March winds whipped his words away. Or the kid ignored him. He wouldn’t put it past the boy. He pulled his sheepskin collar around his cheeks, and then shoved his hands deep into his pockets and pushed into the wind.

He grimaced, noting that Josh held Shelley close against his side. How she withstood the chill March winds in just her cheerleader’s sweater and pleated skirt, he didn’t know. Her mile long legs must be freezing, but he didn’t see any goose bumps.

When the cheerleader twisted in Josh’s arms and snaked her arms around the kid’s neck, her fingers playing in the unruly hair at his nape, Kyle knew trouble was brewing. He could feel it in his gut and his instincts rarely led him astray. They looked too close. Too cozy for fifteen year old kids.

Another intervention session beckoned. His expert judgment warned him there wasn’t a moment to spare. Kyle tromped through what was left of the snow after the noonday sun had glared upon it, to the kids, his short black boots squelching like a swamp creature in the slush and mud.

Josh brushed Shelley’s lips with his, his hands stroking her back too sensuously. Defiantly he tilted a chin that sported just a trace of peach fuzz then glared at Kyle as if challenging him to interfere. The hard glint in the boy’s eyes would have made most men think twice. To Kyle, it was another signal that he’d chosen the right mission.

"Hi, Josh. Shelley. Josh, can I speak to you alone for a minute?" Kyle asked, struggling to keep his voice steady.

"I don’t keep any secrets from Shelley. Whatever you want to say to me, you can say to her too." Contempt dripped from Josh’s clipped words. He bristled as his Brillo pad hair whipped around in the wind.

"I’d rather this be man to man..."

Shelley stepped out of Josh’s arms, linking her fingers through his. Josh squeezed

Shelley’s hand and drew her closer to his side. The teens stared at Kyle silently, presenting a united front.

Kyle suppressed a deep sigh. So, it was going to go down hard. But he wasn’t a quitter and young Josh Lawless was going to find out that he had just met the immovable force. "Let’s go to my office."

"School’s over. We’re on our own time."

"So am I. So humor me." Kyle refused to back down. "This is important."

"Isn’t it enough that the PMS and Shelley’s mom are harassing my mom? Can’t you all mind your own business?"

"Settle down Josh." Shelley’s large china blue eyes pleaded with him. She had her mother’s tip-tilted nose and cupid’s bowed lips. Her long blonde hair whipped around her shoulders. "Hear him out."

Josh squeezed Shelley’s hand, smiling at her with adoration shining in his eyes and the set of his mouth softened.

Kyle hoped it wasn’t too late--that the teenagers hadn’t taken the plunge into sexuality yet. They were so young. Yet, he wasn’t an ostrich with his head in the sand. He knew that kids much younger experimented with sex--and that lots of girls Shelley’s age dropped out of school to raise children.

He didn’t want to see that happen ever--but it would be doubly tragic with two such bright kids that had the world by the tail.

"I’d really prefer to speak in private. This isn’t the place..." Kyle scowled. Teens milled around smoking, playing basketball, hanging out -- just outside his jurisdiction off school grounds. Nearby conversation droned like bees swarming. Cars and trucks whizzed by on the highway on their way to Detroit, just over the rise. "Just give me fifteen minutes..."

"We have plans." Josh pulled Shelley by the hand, sauntering away.

"Ten minutes." Kyle crossed his fingers inside his pocket, hoping the kids would hear him out. The sun glinted in his eyes and he squinted into the bright rays.

Josh shook his head, his hair ruffling in the stiff breeze. "We’re busy..."

"Tell you what," Kyle said, winging it as he went. He watched a group of boys playing basketball on the court. As one boy leapt into a high jump, another slapped the ball to the opposing team. A short kid jumped on the ball and dribbled it through his spread-eagle legs as if he were a Harlem Globetrotter. "If I best you at a round of basketball, you give me ten minutes."

"I told you. I’m not into basketball..." Josh shot him a look that told him the kid thought he was deaf and dumb.

"Afraid you can’t shoot hoops?" Kyle challenged, his lips curling up on one end. "Afraid an old man will beat you?" His fingers itched to get at the ball. It had been eons since he’d been on a court, but he was sure he still had the right stuff.

Josh tore off his heavy flight jacket. "Hold this Shell. I’ll show this chap he doesn’t know what he’s talking about."

Kyle shrugged out of his sheepskin jacket, still lightly tinged pink from the watermelon and hoped the kid didn’t have as deadly an aim as his great-grandma. He tossed his coat over the mesh fence. These ten minutes were crucial to the kids’ future. If only they’d listen. He’d have to make sure they did.

Shelley watched from the sidelines, clutching Josh’s jacket to her chest. She wore a worried frown, her brows puckered.

"You start." Kyle hurled the ball underhand to Josh.

Josh caught it in his stomach and almost doubled over. Slowly, he started dribbling the ball, keeping a hawk-eye on Kyle, peering at the net.

He sped up, tried to do a lay-up into the basket, but Kyle interceded, stealing the ball with barely any effort.

Kyle chuckled under his breath. He still had what it took. In a smooth, swift jump, he lofted the ball in the air and watched it spin. The afternoon sun haloed it, making Kyle squint at it.

So far, so good. The ball sailed easily toward its target, then sunk through the mesh net.

Josh heaved a huge sigh and retrieved the ball. He turned, shooting the ball to Kyle. Defiant resignation flickered in his eyes. "Ten minutes. No promises." He sulked back to Shelley and shrugged into his jacket. He stretched his long arm around Shelley’s shoulders and followed Kyle, his lope long and awkward.

Kyle took what he could get. Even a foot in the door was better than nothing. He ushered the young couple into his office and closed the door. "Have a seat."

He folded himself into his chair so as not to appear too imposing or too threatening. Steepling his fingers on top of his desk, he leaned forward and gazed into Josh’s eyes. "I’m concerned at how close the two of you appear."

"That’s not your business, man." Josh leaned back in his seat, his eyes hooded and lazy. "You ain’t my daddy."

"I’m making it my business. You’re only fifteen..."

"I’ll be sixteen in two months," Shelley said. "Lots of girls marry at sixteen..."

"You’re not lots of girls!" Kyle exploded, then sat back in his chair, angry with himself for losing his cool. He tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair and tried to regain his composure. Kids didn’t respond to yelling and criticism. "You already have scholarship offers at two or three big colleges. Do you really want to blow that by getting pregnant and having to raise a baby instead? Do you want to become a waitress working for nickels and quarters to support your kid then rebuke yourself for the rest of your life because you missed out on college and a good career?"

"You’re exaggerating Damian." Josh studied the ceiling as if it were a video game. "We haven’t done anything to have a kid."

"But you will if you keep going the way you are," Kyle predicted with ninety-nine percent certainty. "These things sneak up on you and you’re stuck before you know it."

"Next you’ll be telling us we’re in danger of getting AIDS," Shelley said with a self-conscious laugh.

"That’s a definite possibility you shouldn’t discount." Kyle glared at her. "Are you ready to chance that?"

"I said, we’d be careful..."

"Did you know that condoms aren’t one hundred percent effective? To stop either pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease?"

Shelley glanced at Josh apprehensively. "I didn’t know that," she said in a small, uncertain voice. She slid a questioning glance at Josh, her eyes wide and fearful.

"He’s just trying to scare you." Josh dragged his gaze back to Kyle. He crossed his left leg over his right knee and rotated his foot in a slow circle.

Kyle dug in his desk drawer and pulled out a brochure. He slid it across the desk. "Read this. It’s all in here." He shut the drawer with a snap.

Josh didn’t move a muscle. He didn’t blink, as if he had the heart of an android and the bravado of the King of the jungle.

Shelley leaned forward and took it, her brows puckered. Opening it, she scanned the pamphlet, her lips moving silently as she read.

Kyle pinned his gaze on Josh. "And what about you?"

"What about me?" Josh rested his ankle on his knee and settled back in his chair.

"Are you ready to be a father? And a husband? Are you ready to give up a promising career in computers?" Kyle challenged pinning Josh with his gaze.

"Who said they’re mutually exclusive?" Josh challenged.

"Maybe they’re not. But it’ll be a helluva lot harder to get through college when you have to work fifty hours a week to support a wife and a kid. How much studying do you think you’ll get done with a crying baby waking you up every night at three a.m.?"

"Who died and made you God?" Josh jumped to his feet in one lithe movement. His eyes narrowed and slid over Kyle contemptuously. "Who ever said we were having sex?"

"Your mother told me you were thinking about it."

"Everybody thinks about it! Even my great-grandma. Even old geezers like you." He dropped his hands on Shelley’s shoulders. "And I love Shelley. She loves me."

Shelley nodded, her eyes wide and bright. A faint hint of worry flickered across her bright blue eyes. Her hand fluttered to her shoulder to hold Josh’s broad hand and he squeezed it gently.

"Read the brochure. Both of you." Kyle put as much authority into his voice as he could muster.

"You want us to break up?" Shelley said, the brightness of her eyes betraying a trace of tears. Her lower lip trembled into a sultry pout.

"Don’t worry about that," Josh said with confidence. "I don’t jump just because he says so."

"I’m not saying you have to break up." Kyle tired of this exchange. "Just slow down. Back off a little. You have plenty of time."

"Are you in love, Mr. Damian?" Shelley pinned her gaze on him. She twirled Josh’s thick class ring around her finger as she spoke. "Do you know how we feel?"

"I’m acquainted with the emotion..." He shifted his eyes away from the kids.

"Back in the good old days, right?" Josh asked wickedly. "When you trudged to school through ten miles of snow? I’ve heard that song and dance enough that if I earned a dime every time I’d be a billionaire."

Kyle smiled. "I just want to save you kids some heartache. And I don’t want to see you forfeit your futures..."

"Your ten minutes are up." Josh hauled Shelley to her feet.

Shelley smoothed her cheerleader skirts over her thighs and flicked her long blonde hair behind her shoulders.

"Read that brochure. Think about what I said," Kyle said to Josh’s parting back. "Keep it cool and I can probably wangle you a scholarship to Yale or Stanford..."

Josh turned, catching Kyle’s eye. A flicker of interest finally gleamed in his eyes. "I’ll think about it, man."

***

"I love your new hair, Baby Cakes!" Wilbur greeted, swatting Suki’s derriere playfully, dropping a kiss on her cheek. "And why have you been hiding those great legs?"

Suki patted her new short and sassy hair, smiling shyly. She tugged at the hem of her red leather mini skirt self-consciously.

Judy cleared her throat and motioned for Suki to keep her chin up. "It’s all in the attitude. You’re not going to best Connie O’Neill and the PMS going soft like that. You need confidence."

"That’s easier said than done..." Suki gnawed her lower lip. She remembered her encounter with Kyle earlier in his office and her cheeks felt aflame. She made a mental note to herself to put Amber’s Barbie back in her room before she missed the doll and had a fit. Her legs felt chilly without her normal long skirts or slacks to warm them.

Chilly made her think of skiing on snowy slopes and she felt confused about Robert and their rendezvous. Kyle had certainly confused her even more than she’d already been when he’d kissed her this morning. She didn’t know who or what she wanted...

"Nonsense!" Judy snorted. "You’re every bit as good as they are. Better in fact." She beamed at her only chick with pride.

"They’re just a bunch of hypocrites, Dear," Beatrice chimed in. "They’re probably jealous of you."

"I saw Connie and Arnie coming out of the motel again this morning," Aunt Margaret said conspiratorially. "And I heard that Pamela showed up tipsy at the PMS meeting Tuesday night." She continued stirring the home made cake batter in the plastic bowl. Wilbur swiped the side of the bowl with his finger and licked the pink batter. Margaret swatted his hand. "Don’t do that!"

"You’re a darn fine cook, Maggie." He reached around her other side and swiped another finger in it.

Margaret slapped his other hand, tittering. "It won’t be edible if you keep that up."

"You worry too much. Live a little." Taking the bowl from her hands, he slid it on the counter and shut her up with a kiss.

Beatrice lowered the glasses on her nose and watched them as if she were grading a school assignment. Suki coughed self-consciously and lowered her eyes, but she felt a silly grin spread across her face. Their love felt warm and merry and she felt like squeezing herself as if she were watching an old romantic movie with Cary Grant or Clark Gable. Only this was better. It was the genuine article.

Where were the violins when one needed them? Unrequited longing for a special love of her own and Kyle’s mischievous smile tugged at her heart. She shook herself to erase the feelings.

"You just need a lesson in self-confidence." Judy’s gaze flickering over the couple clinched over the cake batter. "You need a man."

"Mother!" Suki hissed, horrified. "Don’t you dare start match-making again..."

Judy waved her fears away with a laugh. "I’m not going to fix you up..."

"That’s a relief!" Suki heaved a big sigh, taking a sip of her diet soda. The bubbles tickled

her nose and she coughed. She put the can on the kitchen table then leaned against the wall, her hands clasped behind her back.

"We’re taking you to Desperado’s tonight so you can find your own man..." Judy stared at her challengingly, daring her to refuse. She lifted a finely arched white brow and smiled wickedly.

"No!" Suki shouted. "That rowdy country bar? Where they line dance?"

"You’ve heard of it?" Judy’s face lit up. "It’s my favorite twist and shout."

"Everybody’s heard of it. It’s famous..." Suki rolled her eyes mentally and groaned inwardly. "Or infamous," she added dryly. All she needed was a bunch of drunken cowboys yelling yee-haw, stomping on her toes all night in their heavy boots and playing goose and grab with her new short skirts. She’d probably get splinters in her feet from the sawdust floor covering.

"Infamous," Margaret pulled away from Wilbur, her eyebrows dancing in mirth. "But there’s oodles of men your age. Nothing’s sexier than a tall cowboy."

In your opinion. Suki preferred the James Bond type. Debonair, dashing and suave. Sexier than sin. Like Kyle...

"Thank you," Wilbur said gruffly, pinching Margaret. A wicked gleam flashed in his dark eyes and he flashed her a crooked smile.

Margaret jumped, tittering. She slapped his hand away when he went for a second pinch in an embarrassing quadrant. "Stop that!"

"Wear that sexy red number I made you buy," Judy ordered. She adjusted her bra strap and her skirt, then patted her fluffy blonde curls.

Suki sipped her drink. She felt all eyes upon her. "You mean now?"

Margaret peered at her gold watch. "They heat up in an hour. I don’t want to miss the line

dancing class."

"Who’ll baby-sit?" Suki asked.

"Josh is old enough to watch Amber. She’ll be in bed before we go."

"I don’t know."

"Do you want to make Connie and the self-righteous PMS eat humble pie or not?" Judy’s fisted hands balled on her hips.

"Yes!" Suki said without hesitation. "I want to rub their faces in the dirt."

"Good. Then do as we say." Judy peered into her compact mirror and studied her face critically as she applied brick red lip stick then outlined her lips with lip liner.

"Listen to them, Baby Cakes. They know what they’re doing," Wilbur advised, a twinkle in his eyes. "You’re mother’s the master charmer."

Margaret glared at him. If her gaze were poison darts, Wilbur would be dead and buried.

"Second only to you, Maggie," Wilbur amended, dragging her close to his side, nuzzling her neck until she begged for mercy.

"If only all men were as sweet as you, Wilbur..." Suki tweaked his wrinkled cheek then bent to give him a swift kiss on the top of his head. He sure had a thick head of hair for a seventy-five-year-old man. And it looked authentic from her vantage point.

"If only I were thirty years younger..." he said, eyeing Suki.

"Stop flirting with my niece, Old Man," Margaret warned, tapping his chin. "You’re spoken for."

"Does this mean you’re accepting my proposal?" Wilbur asked, squaring his shoulders. He pinned a steady gaze on her and all eyes in the room riveted to the couple.

Speechless, Margaret looked nonplused for a few moments.

Beatrice nudged her with her elbow. "Do it. You ain’t getting any younger."

"I can’t leave Beatrice...She’d starve..." Margaret slid a helpless look to her older sister. Twinges of color spotted her cheeks and she lowered her eyelashes demurely.

"Pshaw!" Beatrice chuckled. "I can take care of myself..."

"You keep setting fire to the kitchen, old woman. Who’ll watch over you? Who will cook

for you? And who will help Suki with Josh and Amber?"

"What do I look like?" Judy clamped her hand on her hip, her eyes flashing fire. "Horse flesh?"

"You’re the best horse flesh I ever saw," Wilbur teased. His eyes danced gleefully.

"What happens when you get married and leave?" Margaret challenged. She smoothed her floral patterned skirt over her knees, her fingers visibly trembling.

"This is my house. I’m not leaving. And Mom has a home here as long as she wants whether I’m married or not. This house is plenty big enough to fill it with an entire brigade," Judy assured her.

"See?" Wilbur slid out of his chair, bending down on one knee. He extracted a small royal blue velvet box from his jacket pocket. "There’s nothing holding you back--except you. Marry me, Maggie? Make me the happiest man in the universe?"

He flipped open the blue velvet box flashing the largest, brightest diamond solitaire Suki had ever seen. It winked under the fluorescent kitchen lights, hypnotizing her.

She sighed. Why didn’t things like this happen to her? Aunt Margaret was right. She was romantically challenged. No wonder she hadn’t had a date since the Reagan administration. Maybe she was riding a high horse and a trip to the twist and shout with her mother might teach her to loosen up around men. Not that she hadn’t been pretty loose with her boss this afternoon...

Expectant silence hung in the air. Wilbur gazed into Margaret’s eyes, love, longing and hope burning in his deep brown eyes. It was clear to Suki how much he cherished her dear aunt.

"But Beatrice..."

"Who says I’m not getting remarried? I hadn’t told you yet but Harvey proposed to me last week..."

"Are you getting married, Mom?" Judy asked, the expression on her face stunned. "Why are you holding out on us?

Suki’s head whirled. Things were moving too fast for her. Cupid had certainly been hard at work. Next, her mother would be announcing her wedding plans. She looked at her expectantly, a question in her eyes.

"Well? What’s it to be, Maggie? Do you make me the happiest man in the world? Or do I throw myself off Sutter’s Peak?" He took the ring out of the box and poised it at the tip of her engagement finger.

"Give me that ring Wilbur Schoenfeldt and stop yaking!" Margaret threw herself into his arms. He kissed her long and hard.

Judy oohed and ahhed, practically melting.

Suki’s emotions warred. She’d never seen anything so romantic and Kyle Damian’s handsome face flashed across her mind, mocking her. She tried to push away the image but it wouldn’t leave her.

What about Robert on-line and the lure of a possible romantic weekend? Would his kisses make her forget Kyle? He certainly talked pretty, quoting Shakespeare, complimenting her, supporting her. Wasn’t that what she needed in a man? Someone to quote her poetry in bed and whisper sweet nothings in her ear? Not scathing insinuations from Kyle Damian that she was a bad mother, that her kids ran wild and unsupervised and she was a moral blemish on the face of Goose Creek and who took every opportunity to taunt her. Maybe he’d make her forget her impossible yearnings for the sexy vice principal? No better medicine to get over a man than another sexy man.

When Margaret and Wilbur finally came up for air, Margaret rested her head on Wilbur’s broad shoulder, tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks.

"You can have a double wedding!" Judy exclaimed, clapping her hands.

"I don’t know..." Beatrice said.

"Why not?" Margaret looked at her older sister. "That would be a charming idea."

"I think you’re too tame for us..."

"Too tame?" Wilbur arched his bushy eyebrow. "What d’ya have in mind?"

"Harvey and I thought we’d go up to Canada and go bungee jumping. Have the preacher marry us on the bridge, then jump..."

"Mom!" Judy said, finally scandalized. Her cheeks turned ashen. "You can’t do that! Your old bones are too brittle! They’ll snap like chicken bones."

"I’m only eighty-one and I ain’t gettin’ any younger. If we don’t do it now, we’ll never do it."

"You can’t be serious, Grammy! Mom’s right. You’d snap in two. You’d never see me doing anything so foolish."

"Serious as a heart attack," Beatrice asserted. She peered over the rim of her glasses. "I ain’t a stick in the mud like you, dear Granddaughter."

"You’ll have a heart attack before you have the honeymoon..." Judy asserted.

"If it’s my time, it’s my time," Beatrice said fatalistically.

"When are you doing this?" Judy whispered in awe. Her jaw still dropped to the floor.

"As soon as the ice melts..."

"That could be next month! When were you going to tell us?" Judy accused, her eyes narrowed. "That’s hardly time to give you a wedding shower."

"Long as I get the honeymoon, who cares about a bunch of silver tea platters and espresso machines?" Beatrice asked. "Although, if you want to make that a sexy lingerie party, count me in! Harvey’s partial to red. The brighter and skimpier the better! And I’d like to try one of those new Wonder Bras. I hear they drive men crazy."

She’s a dirty old woman! Suki’s jaw almost dropped to the floor. She paused in mid-stream, her soda poised mid air. She’d suspected it. Now she knew proof positive.

Wilbur looked at Margaret. "Are you in, Maggie?"

Margaret stared at him with a baffled expression. Then her eyes widened in shock. "Bungee jumping? Are you crazy? I ain’t no wishbone. I want to be around to enjoy our honeymoon."

"I’m only crazy about you," he whispered, kissing her again. "I hope they make that a double lingerie party..."

"Wilbur!" Margaret spluttered, trying to pull away from him as if shocked.

"They’re all big girls." He lowered his lips on Margaret’s, silencing her objections.

"I don’t think they’re going to Desperado’s with us. Change into your red dress," Judy commanded, staring at Suki. She checked her watch. "You’ve got fifteen minutes. Wear your new cowboy boots and your brightest lipstick. You’re going to knock ‘em dead!"

"I thought Desperado’s is a country night club?"

"Wear a cowboy hat. I don’t think Wilbur will be wearing his tonight." Judy winked and Suki felt herself blush.

Wilbur lifted Margaret in his arms and strode purposefully toward the back of the house. Margaret giggled in his arms. "Don’t be so sure," Margaret warned.

Suki watched them, her jaw dropping several notches.

"Don’t be so jealous." Beatrice put her finger under Suki’s chin and shutting her mouth for her. "You follow your ma’s advice and go to Desperado’s in that red dress. You’ll catch yourself a fellow."

"Grammy!" Suki exclaimed scandalized. What had suddenly made her their target tonight?

"Maybe that sexy vice principal will be there..." Judy said.

Suki whirled on her mother. "You didn’t invite him, did you?" Soda sloshed over the rim of the can and she grimaced when the sticky liquid rolled down her hand. She lifted it to her lips and licked it off. She’d die of mortification...

"Would I do that?" Judy’s eyes were wide and too innocent.

Suki groaned and gave herself permission to roll her eyes heavenward. "I’m not going!"

"I didn’t invite him," Judy admitted on a sigh. "But would it be so bad if I had? He’s adorable..."

Then you date him," Suki said, not really meaning it, a twinge of jealousy clenching in her gut.

"I would--if he wasn’t twenty-five years younger than me. He’s perfect for you..."

Suki flicked her hand in the air. "He’s anything but perfect. Self-righteous, supercilious, chauvinistic..." she started to tick off on her fingers like a grocery list. She refused to tell them how intoxicating his kisses were.

"She’s hooked," Beatrice said. "Maybe we should reserve the group bungee jumping rate."

"Demolished." Judy grinned from ear to ear.

"For your information," Suki plunged in where no sane person dared to tread. "I have a boyfriend named Robert and we’re going on a ski weekend in two weeks..."

All eyes turned on Suki. "Who’s Robert?" Judy asked. "I don’t know any Roberts, Bobs, or Bobbies’ in Goose Creek."

"I haven’t seen you with a man since that no good Sam walked out on you, slinking off with his secretary to Buenos Aires," Beatrice said. "Where’d you dig this one up?"

"How long have you been seeing him?" Judy drilled her with the first, second and third degrees.

"Around," Suki was loathe to admit that she’d met him over the Internet. Actually, they hadn’t really met...

"Around where?" Judy pushed and prodded. "I want to know who my little girl is seeing..."

"I’m not a little girl anymore. I’m almost old enough to be a grandma..." Heaven forbid!

"Don’t get flip with your mama, young lady," Beatrice said. "What’s wrong with him?"

"Huh?" Suki asked, not following the train of thought. She pushed her short hair behind her ears.

"What’s wrong with him? Why haven’t you brought him home?"

"Call him," Beatrice said. "Bring him with us tonight."

Judy put the phone to her ear, her finger poised over the phone pad. "I want to meet him. What’s his number?"

Suki pursed her lips. What could she say?

"Well? Answer your ma."

"I haven’t actually met him yet," she whispered, looking anywhere but at her mother or grandmother. Late afternoon sunlight glinted through the kitchen window and she fixed her gaze

on an oblong of sun bouncing off melting snow in the windowsill.

"What did you say?" Judy leaned closer to Suki.

"I haven’t actually met him." She gulped.

Judy hung up the phone and rested her hands on her hips. "Let me get this straight. You have a romantic rendezvous at a ski resort with somebody you’ve never met?"

"That’s about it." She lowered her eyes. She wrung her hands together, peeking at her grandmother, then her mother through veiled lashes.

Her personalized set of golden girls looked at each other questioningly.

Lifting her eyes to clash with her mother’s, Suki said, "I met him on-line. We’ve been talking..."

"You’ve been cybering!" Judy gasped. "My little girl!"

"I’m sorry, Mom. I..."

Judy threw her arms around her and squeezed her in a bear hug. "You’re not so hopeless after all."

Suki stomped her foot, tearing herself away. "Stop calling me hopeless!"

"You’re not anymore," Judy smiled smugly. She looked Suki over with a

practiced eye. "With your new do, you’ll start reeling them in..."

"So...am I off the hook for Desperado’s?" she asked hopefully, sinking into a kitchen chair next to her grandmother.

"Certainly not!" Judy prodded her to rise to her feet. "You’ve got to practice on lots of real men before you go to that ski resort. Plus, you still have to confront the PMS."

Chapter Ten

Another day. Another summons to the office. What was her crime this time? Using too much creamer in her coffee? Xeroxing too many copies? Sharpening her pencils too far?

Really, this was getting ridiculous. Sometimes, she felt as if she could barely breath. Was she really a teacher? Or a glorified student? The rules and regulations suffocated her. Art teachers weren’t known to be sticklers for rules. She was no exception.

"I’ve had about enough of you and the Board," an angry male voice growled just before she rounded the corner to Kyle’s office.

She drew herself up short so she wouldn’t walk into the middle of a heated situation. Without volition, her ears perked.

"You know the routine, Arnie. The school levy was voted down again and there’s insufficient funds in the budget to cover your requests..." Kyle sounded exasperated. She could just imagine the scowl marring his handsome features.

"But you practically guaranteed me that new equipment. I need that to run the lab properly."

Suki jumped, startled, when it sounded as if someone put a fist through Kyle’s desk. She backed up a pace.

"There’s no need to get violent." She could hear the frown in Kyle’s voice. "If it were up to me, I’d fund you the moneys you need to outfit the computer lab. But it’s not up to me..."

"I can’t do my job properly with caveman props. We need more Internet access. And zip drives. And terminals."

She heard papers rattle as if they were being shaken.

"So draw up a proposal and we’ll go after a private grant."

"You go after the grant, Damian! I’m too busy teaching these kids 21st century computer applications using spears and flintlocks." The door slammed and she held her breath until the heavy, angry footsteps faded.

After waiting a few moments, she rapped on Kyle’s door and opened it. She slipped inside, not waiting to be invited in. "Does this mean if I acquisition more paint and paper, my request will be denied?" She laughed hesitantly.

Kyle spun around, straightening his tie, his eyes narrowed. "You witnessed that?"

"I think everybody between here and Dearborn heard that. Maybe even the East Bank."

He chuckled wryly. "It’s my job to be the bad boy. Principal Winston gets to grin, smile and wave like the president on tour while I do all the dirty work."

"Don’t kid me. You love it." Suki chortled. "You’re the power behind the power."

Kyle cracked a grin and his face lit up.

She bit back a self-conscious smile and pretended to study her books. The man was too handsome to be legal.

"You may be right," he drawled. He sighed and shoved his hand through his hair, leaving it disheveled. "Do you know why I called you in here?"

She scrunched up her face. "I Xeroxed too many copies?"

Kyle didn’t seem to appreciate the joke. "Connie O’Neill caught Josh in Shelley’s bedroom last night." He paused to let his words sink in. Then, he carefully articulated, "They were half naked."

Suki felt flabbergasted, as if she’d just found out she lived on Venus instead of Earth. Kyle’s words tried to seep into her brain but wouldn’t quite penetrate. Her books almost slipped off her knees, but she caught them in a last minute save. Her hands shook as she twisted, depositing them onto the chair beside her.

She lifted her chin a notch to better see his face. With the light behind him, however, his rugged features lay in shadow.

"You couldn't have said what I just think you said?" Suki asked rhetorically, shock filtering through her veins.

"Connie found Josh and Shelley on the brink of..."

"I heard you," Suki whispered. "I suppose you think I'm a contemptible mother..." Or deaf.

"Teens have a mind of their own. Actually, Josh claims he'd changed his mind and was trying to extricate himself from the situation..."

Suki peered into Kyle's dark eyes, trying to read their unfathomable expression. His mustache twitched ever so slightly. She stared at it, thinking that he had a few more gray hairs than the last time she'd seen him. The Josh and Shelley incident had probably put them there. She knew first hand what it was to deal with Connie when she was in a rage. Her turn would be very soon, no doubt.

"Do you believe him?" she asked, not sure what to believe. "He defied us. He left his sister in the house alone and snuck out to rendezvous with his girlfriend..."

"Granted. That wasn't the brightest move in the world. But he's remorseful. He's afraid of how you'll react..."

"Hell! I don't know how to react. If only his father were here. He'd know how to handle this. I never had a teenage boy before..." She jumped to her feet, pacing much as Josh had paced in Kyle's office.

Kyle rose as well and moved toward her. "I know it must be rough on you," Kyle murmured. He cupped his hand to her heated cheek and peered hard at her. "You look different."

Suki blushed even more furiously, averting her eyes. Then she remembered Judy's assertions that she had to lift her chin high and meet adversity--even compliments--with aplomb.

She lifted her chin and forced herself to gaze into Kyle's eyes, startled at what she read there. Passion flickered across their dark depths so quickly that she wondered if she were imagining things.

"I cut my hair..."

"That isn't everything. You're different. You're dressed differently too..." His gaze roamed over her unabashedly, lingering on her neckline.

Her hand fluttered to her chest, trying to cover it. She was well aware her attempts were feeble at best. Too much cleavage showed.

He caught her hand, hauling her against his chest, lowering his lips to hers. They felt warm, secure on hers. His mustache tickled her lips. She'd never kissed a man who wore facial hair before and it felt different--but wonderful. If she allowed herself to be totally honest, she liked the way it burned her soft skin. It made her all the more aware of his potent maleness.

Forgetting how lowly he regarded her, forgetting their differences about child rearing, she pressed her lips to his, seeking his warmth. It had been so long since a man had kissed her, held her in his arms, she'd forgotten how wonderful it felt and she lost herself in the swirl of emotion that threatened to drown her.

Kyle pulled her closer and she arched against him, pressing her breasts into his hard chest. The tip of his tongue sought admittance to her mouth. Shyly, she parted her lips, almost swooning when his tongue touched hers in a seductive duel.

"Oh my!" Mrs. L said, her hand at her throat. She tried to beat a hasty retreat. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

Suki pulled away from Kyle's warmth, a sudden rush of sanity engulfing her. With the sanity, an enormous dose of horror washed over her. What had she done?

She inched away from Kyle. To cover her embarrassment, she pushed her hair behind her ears and pretended to shuffle papers on his desk. She touched her bruised lips in awe.

Mrs. L backed toward the door, her voice barely audible. "I'll leave you two alone. Forget I'm here."

"I’m just going back to class." Suki gathered her books haphazardly in her hurry to escape.

She slanted a glance at Kyle from beneath veiled lashes. How could he look so suave and debonair and not be upset at having his secretary catch him in a compromising position during work hours?

He cleared his throat. "We’re not finished..."

"Charlie Brandt’s on the phone for you." Mrs. L averted her eyes.

"Take a message and I’ll return his call. Tell him I’m in a meeting and can’t be disturbed."

"Yes, Sir." Mrs. L excused herself and shut the door softly behind her.

Kyle pinned Suki with a hard gaze. "I know you don’t want to hear it, but damage control is definitely called for before you and Connie become as famous as the Hatfields and McCoys."

"Josh has a good heart. And I don’t think he’s ready to take such a giant step." She felt awkward talking to Kyle about such personal matters. And sex. Even if it regarded her son and not herself.

"I believe you. But he was understandably tempted," Kyle said. "Shelley's a beautiful girl and a boy can only take so much. He said she came on to him..." He cracked a wry grin. "Seeing that you're neighbors and I presume you have no plans to move, I suggest you make amends with Mrs. O'Neill..."

Suki looked at Kyle as if he were crazy. "Apologize to Connie because her daughter tried to seduce my son? That has about as much chance of happening as Mick Jagger being twenty again."

"Really. It's for your best interest. This is a small town and she's right next door."

Kyle returned to his desk and shuffled some papers, signaling that this meeting had come to a close. "This isn't about right and wrong..."

"You're talking to the wrong person. Go tell it to the she-devil," Suki replied with such sugared sweetness she thought she’d choke. She half turned, squaring her shoulders and glared at him with the most cavalier stare she could muster.

Chapter Eleven

"We need a dynamite plan to save Suki's job and get that uppity self-righteous group off our backs." Margaret folded her hands atop a table cloth that reminded Suki of a sunflower garden.

"Starting with Luella Amsterdam." Distaste flickered in Judy’s eyes. Her thick terry cloth robe fell open a smidgen revealing wispy black lace that failed to cover her ample assets. Her napkin fluttered to the table in wispy shreds. "They’re going to wish they never tangled with us."

"How long ago did she lose the family farm?" Beatrice asked. "Forty years ago?"

"That long?" Josh ambled into the kitchen and yanked open the refrigerator door, delving inside for a twenty ounce bottle of orange juice. "How old would that make you Grandma?" He straightened and turned, twisting the lid off his juice. "Sixty five? Seventy?"

Judy pulled herself up, lifting her chin defiantly. She glared at her grandson. "Go cut your hair and stop listening to that rap Babel..."

"When you stop listening to Mick Jagger, Grandma." Josh winked, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

Judy folded her arms under her bosom then jutted her chin in the air. "Just remember who gives you money when your mama says no."

Josh squeezed Judy's shoulders from behind, dropping a kiss on her powdered cheek. "I love you, Grandma."

"Mom!" Suki whirled in her seat. "You're undermining me with the kids. You can't give them money after I tell them no.."

"Grandmas are supposed to spoil their grand kids." Judy palmed a bill to Josh. "Have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Josh stuffed the bill deep into his pocket, averting his eyes from his mother.

"Stop doing that!" Suki glared at her mother. "You'll spoil the kids." Through clenched teeth, she said, "He'd better not do anything you'd do."

Beatrice cleared her throat and pointed to her cheek with a withered finger. "Love you too, Grammy Bea. Aunt Margaret. Mom." He brushed his lips to the proffered cheeks.

"Stay away from the O'Neill lass," Margaret chided, clicking her tongue. She scooped a section of grapefruit into her spoon.

Suki shook her head, laying her hand atop Margaret's. In a hushed whisper, she said, "You'll only push him into her arms."

"Nonsense!" Margaret said. "He can't fraternize with the enemy while we're mounting an offensive..."

"The only thing that girl has on her mind is the size of Josh's biceps," Beatrice said.

"The only thing that girl has on her mind is the size of Josh's¼"

"Grammy Bea!"

"Biceps." Bea grinned with pseudo-innocence. "I was just going to say the size of his biceps. Lands sakes...the mind on you!"

"Shush!" Suki zipped her lips motioning for her Golden Girls to zip their lips. She inclined her head at Josh. Turning a fake smile on her son, Suki said, "Be home by five for dinner. Aunt Margaret's making a roast."

"Five. Got it." Josh nodded, then skedaddled from the room with his juice.

"I planned on cooking," Beatrice said. "Harvey's coming over for dinner and I want to impress him with my culinary skills. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach..."

"Is the fire insurance policy up to date?" Judy asked with a twinge of alarm. "When did we last replace the batteries in the smoke detector?"

Beatrice glared at her daughter. Her eyes looked beady behind her glasses.

Margaret said, "The insurance is up to date. But they'd only renew it if I promised that Beatrice wouldn't cook anymore."

"You're making that up." Beatrice forked eggs into her mouth, gumming them. Her dentures sat in a glass on the kitchen window sill where rays of bright morning sunshine speared them. Dawn raced like a bullet through the sky.

"Swear to God!" Margaret held her hand up as if in sacred oath. "I had to sign a clause that forbids you from cooking after that last fire."

"It wasn't my fault if you left grease on the burner..."

"I swear to the Almighty!" Judy said. "You two are worse than little children."

The front door slammed and they were alone. "Mom's right. We need solidarity." Suki turned to the group, favoring them with a conspiratorial smile. She tossed her head, feeling freed from the bonds of propriety that had shackled her far too long. "Talk is cheap. Let's make battle plans."

***

Connie O'Neill and Luella Amsterdam burst into Kyle's office without invitation. "You've got to do something about those harlots next door!" Connie demanded, huffing. She fisted her hands on her hips, looming over him.

"Hello, ladies," Kyle said dryly. "Nice of you to drop in to see me." He rocked back in his chair and stared up at them, careful to keep his expression professionally neutral.

"Well?" Connie asked in disbelief. "What do you plan to do about them?"

"Plan to do about who?" Kyle asked. He decided to let them have their say just as he would one of his unruly teens suffering from a puberty flare-up.

"The situation at the Lawless house is totally unbearable," Luella said with barely controlled irritation in her husky voice. Her hands gesticulated in the air. "They throw wild parties. They have men in and out of that house at all hours of the day and night. Now Suki Lawless is wearing skin tight mini skirts and parading her cleavage for the whole town."

"And that worthless kid of hers tried to seduce my poor little baby." Connie took a dainty white handkerchief out of her shoulder bag and sniffed, dabbing at her teary eyes. "He defiled my little angel. I'll have to send her away to boarding school to keep her safe from that raging hormone."

"He's a dangerous radical all right!" Luella said with a knowing nod. "Look at that hair! Those clothes. He'll wind up in jail before he's twenty. Mark my words!"

"Just what do you expect me to do?" Kyle asked.

"Make her stop!" Connie’s cheeks puffed out and her eyes bulged like black marbles.

"How do you propose I do that? Run her out of Dodge City on the last stagecoach? Tar and feather her?" Kyle couldn’t believe his ears.

"Surely you have the power to stop this inexcusable behavior," Luella said. "She's one of your teachers. Her boy's in your school. Call child protective services."

Kyle came to his feet and stared at Luella eye to eye, his face about three inches from hers. "I've seen no evidence that suggests I should make any such report. Her kids are healthy, happy, and well-adjusted. Her students' love her..."

"But it's a den of iniquity. Sodom and Gomorah ready to fall on my house!" Connie spluttered. "Suki Lawless should be arrested for indecent exposure. And that mother of hers, too!"

"I've checked out the house," Kyle said. "There's nothing to suggest inadequate parenting or a dangerous home environment..."

"You're a man!" Luella straightened to her remarkable height. Kyle judged she must be as tall as himself. "Of course you don't object to the way those hussies dress. You like it!"

"That's right!" Connie whirled. "I caught you with her in her kitchen. You're in league with that woman." Connie hitched her shoulder bag higher on her shoulder, striding for the door. Her eyes flashed midnight blue fire. "Come on Luella. We're not going to get anywhere with him. She's got him brainwashed."

"She might be doing other favors for him, too." Luella tossed her auburn head.

"We'll just have to call an emergency meeting of the Parents for a Moral Society Board and lay down the law to that woman." Connie tossed her head as Luella had. She followed the well-worn trail to the door and huffed through it.

"You'll be exposed, Damian. No one will hire you as vice-principal anywhere. You'll be lucky to land a job as school janitor when we're through with you!" Luella marched out the door, her back indignantly straight.

"Have a nice day ladies." Kyle strode across the room and slammed the door behind them.

***

"Are you sure that Connie comes here every Thursday noon?" Suki slid a glance to her mother. She crouched behind a row of bushes, cradling her video camera under her green oversized cable knit sweater.

"Like clockwork." Judy peered around them. A few stragglers sauntered through the parking lot past Suki’s old, rusty cars. Noon day traffic zoomed past the front of the motel on the boulevard. Sun glinted off the windows of the motel office.

"I'm getting charley horses in my legs." Suki pushed her sleeve back, glancing at her watch. "I don't think they're coming. It's almost four-thirty. Let's go."

"They're just running late. They're here every week," Judy said confidently.

Suki turned accusing eyes on her mother. "How do you know?"

Judy glared at her. "I'm not a guest if that's what you mean." She twisted her lips wryly. "Morty, the manager, is a dear friend of mine. Remember him from Valentine's Day? He was the trumpet player."

"Ah, yeah," Suki said. "His toupee fell off in the middle of his solo?"

"That's the one." She nodded her head. A gentle breeze tugged at her perfectly coifed hair. "He likes to talk a lot. He told me."

"Remind me not to check into this motel," Suki mumbled under her breath. She turned and sank onto the cold pavement, stretching her feet before her.

"You and that adorable vice-principal thinking of coming here?"

Suki grimaced. "Not likely in this existence." She ticked off the reasons on her fingers. "One, he's my boss and he thinks I'm trouble. Besides, he's too proper to do anything like this."

"He's a man. A very handsome man." Judy jabbed a finger into Suki's chest. "You're attracted to each other. Admit it."

"Let's drop this," Suki said, unwilling to discuss this with her mother.

"You could wrap him around your little finger if you just used some feminine wiles. That man has a thing for you. It's so evident."

"How so?" Suki was interested despite herself. She turned to her mother too eagerly.

Judy grabbed her shoulder, pointing towards the motel. "They're here!"

"Where?" Suki struggled to her knees, peering carefully around the corner of the bushes.

"Get back here. They'll see you," Judy hissed, tugging on Suki's sweater.

"How am I going to take pictures?" Suki asked, pulling the camera out of its hiding place under her sweater.

Judy pulled a section of bush back and held it. "Through here. Think James Bond."

"I guess I'm sneakiness challenged," Suki said.

"Good thing I'm not." Judy parted the branches to get a better look. "Really, Suzanne. Didn't I raise you better? Where's your spunk?"

Suki ignored her mother, twisting to get the best angle for her movie. Leaves and branches scratched her face and her hands but she pushed the pain out of her mind.

Connie and Arnie looked around them as if expecting to see ghosts jump out. Connie hunched into her coat and ran for her room.

"Come on Connie," Suki coaxed. "Let me see your face. Give us a good shot of you and Arnie together."

"What's wrong?" Judy tugged on her sleeve, trying to squeeze into the small opening she held back.

"You're jostling me. The picture's going to be all blurry," Suki warned. "I can't get a clear shot of her face."

"Use the telephoto lens. Zoom in."

"I'm zooming. But she's hiding. No one will recognize her. All I can see is her coat. All we'll be able to prove is that Arnie went to the motel with a grizzly bear..."

"Give me that camera!" Judy grabbed for it.

Suki held tight. "I've got it, Mom." Suki kept her eye pressed into the site, watching Connie's every movement, keeping her finger on the button, the film rolling.

Connie turned and seemed to stare straight into the camera. Arnie bent and slanted his lips over hers, dipping her into a scandalous kiss. The coat collar dropped away from her face.

"Gotcha!"

Suki kept the camera aimed and rolling. Her pulse raced. Her breath caught in her throat.

Connie and Arnie fell across the threshold, lip-locked, hands groping each other. Suki filmed until Arnie kicked the door shut with his foot.

Judy grabbed her arm, shaking it. "What are they doing?"

Suki pushed the stop record button, bouncing back on her haunches. Patting the camera, she smiled at her mother. "Move over 007." Her eyebrows danced the Groucho dance and she kissed the camera. "The PMS will be sorry they ever messed with us."

"Let's get on with Phase Two," A wicked gleam flickered across Judy’s eyes. She shivered and crossed her arms over her chest. "At least we won't be in the deep freeze for the next phase of our plan."

"I need a copy of the deed for the old Amsterdam Mansion." Suki stared straight into the high-school receptionist's eyes. Suki gave her best schoolmarm impression. "That’s public record, isn’t it?"

"The one on Lansing and Main?" The woman said, as she pivoted on her heel. "It should be."

"This is too easy," Suki murmured. "I keep wondering when someone's going to throw a net over us."

"No one will. Luella and the PMS are too wrapped up in their own hypocrisies to imagine anyone might be checking into their past." She snorted. "They're too busy judging us."

"Not for much longer." Suki smiled slyly. "They're going to get a dose of their own medicine---in triplicate."

"Here are your copies." The woman passed a manila envelope over the counter.

Judy took the envelope and peeked inside, shuffling a few papers. "This is exactly what we need."

Suki shook the woman's hand. "Thank you.."

"Anytime." The woman grinned. "I'm glad to do my part."

"You’ve been a peach." Judy backed out the door.

Suki pivoted on her heel and pulled her mother behind her. "Thank you." She tossed the words over her shoulder.

I'm not the only actress in the family," Judy said, a note of pride and appreciation in her voice. "You're learning."

"From the best." Suki grinned.

Once they were out of eyeshot of the helpful receptionist, Suki grabbed for the envelope. "Let me see that."

Judy snatched it back. "Let's get out of here before our friend has second thoughts."

"Where to now?" Suki slid into the Vagrant and revved the engine. A sickly white smoke billowed out the exhaust pipe.

"The One Hour Photomart. We're getting poster-sized blow-ups. I want the audience to see Lu's face clear to the back of the room."

"Sometimes you worry me, Mom." Suki slid a glance over her mother as she merged into the westbound flow of traffic heading back to Goose Creek.

"Remember, Daughter. If you're going to do a job, do it right." Judy's lips set in a grimace. She shivered, and then pulled her furry coat collar closer around her throat to ward off a sudden chill. "I wonder how Ma's doing with phase three?"

Pamela Winston tipped the bubbly liquid to her lips and guzzled it down. Her cheeks were flushed rosy pink and her dull brown eyes looked lackluster. Still, Suki grimaced, Pamela looked as if she'd fared better than Grammy Bea. Beatrice's head drooped to the scarred wooden table, her normal silvery curls wind tossed and teased.

"I think you'd better take Bea home," Bernie, the bartender, said. "She passed three kites to the wind a couple of hours ago." He turned accusing eyes on Judy, then Suki. "You should keep a better eye on her. She's too old to drink herself under the table. And to do it with an old pro like Pamela..."

"Pamela comes in here a lot?" Judy asked quietly, nibbling on a pretzel.

Suki leaned forward to hear better.

"She should own stock in the joint," Bernie said. "She's our most regular customer. Every afternoon like clockwork, she's in here. I can set my watch by her."

"I never would have guessed." Judy shook her head, her blue eyes too widely innocent. "A respected PMS board member like her. What a shame."

"Yeah, I guess." Bernie stroked imaginary whiskers on his double chin. The large wall mirror behind him reflected the balding spot on the top of his head. He'd combed several strands of blonde hair over it in a vain attempt to hide it. "I'll call Pamela's daughter to get her. You best concern yourself with Beatrice. She's a nice woman. I don't like to see her in this condition." He busied his hands pouring a rum and coke for a customer sitting at the other end of the bar. Suki watched his hands, big and fleshy but sure of their craft.

"Don't worry." Suki flashed the bartender a friendly smile. "We'll take her home right now. What's she been drinking, by the way?"

"Double scotch, straight up." Bernie smiled a knowing smile and inclined his head to an almost empty Scotch bottle behind him on the ledge by the cloudy mirror.

"Ouch!" Judy said. "Do you have any Bloody Mary mix to go? Ma's going to feel pretty bad in the morning."

Suki winced. "Did Grammy have to get this much into her part? Couldn't we have just talked to Bernie?" she mumbled.

Judy shot her a quelling glance and leaned forward, showing Bernie a glimpse of tantalizing cleavage. "Thanks for the information. I owe you one." She slid off the old wooden bar stool and blew a kiss to Bernie, reminding Suki of Marilyn Monroe at her most flirtatious.

Suki wondered how her mother could be such a flirt and how the genes seemed to have bypassed her totally? Could she be adopted? She slid a veiled glance at her pretty mother and noted the high cheekbones and tip-tilted nose that were a replica of her own. Well, she wasn't adopted, but maybe she was a mutation.

"Hello, Mother. Pamela," Judy said as she reached the table, the expression in her eyes icy. She injected just the right amount of shock into her voice. "I'm surprised at the two of you! Blasted out of your gourds before five in the afternoon. It's positively scandalous!"

Pamela giggled as if champagne bubbles tickled her nose. "Hi!" Her hand waved in a slow half circle in front of her face. Her hair like her dress, was disheveled and mussed. Her buttons were askew and her dress fell lopsided around her knees.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Judy glared at her mother.

Beatrice lifted her head with extreme effort, valiantly trying to focus blood shot eyes on Judy and Suki. "Did I do a good job?" Her head sank to the table, muffing her slurred words so that they were almost indistinct. Then a rumbling sound whirred in the air around her head, reminiscent of snoring.

"She's asleep," Suki said.

"Passed out," Judy slid a concerned glance at Suki. "How are we going to carry her out of here?"

"We'll each take a shoulder and carry her to the car." Suki strode to Beatrice's right side and positioned her grandmother's arm around her shoulders. She looked at Judy pointedly.

Judy followed suit. "This is definitely backwards. She's always gotten me out of trouble before."

"On the count of three, lift," Suki commanded. Through gritted teeth, she counted, "One. Two. Three. Lift!"

Judy grunted.

Suki groaned and strained her back to lift her grandmother's dead weight. The will was there but not the means.

Beatrice lifted about three inches off her seat before she plopped back to the chair, her arms flailed behind her. Suki stumbled, holding onto the table's edge for support.

Judy fell to the floor. "I'm putting Ma on a diet first thing in the morning. She'll eat grapefruit with the rest of us. No more eggs smothered in butter or bacon."

She chewed her bottom lip. "What now? She's too heavy for us."

Bernie tossed a dish rag onto the bar. He sauntered over to them, his gut jiggling over his belt. "I'll carry her to your car. Get the door for me."

"Thanks." Judy shot a glance of pure appreciation to Bernie and smiled her most flirtatious smile. Suki watched in awe, storing the technique for later use. She tugged her short skirt down, still uncomfortable with so much expanse of leg uncovered for public view. Hurrying to the door, she held it open for Bernie. Chill arctic wind smacked her in the face and she huddled into her sweater, wishing she'd worn her sheepskin jacket.

"Did we really need to send Grammy into the lion's den?" Suki asked as she pulled away from the curb a few minutes later.

Beatrice lolled across the back seat. She moaned, then hiccuped, then giggled.

Judy glanced over her shoulder. "I didn't tell her to drink herself silly. She was just supposed to talk to Bernie and spy on Pamela. Not drink her under the table."

"I think Pamela drank Grammy under the table," Suki observed dryly, glancing in the rearview mirror. Beatrice rolled to her side and curled up in a fetal position. "You can take care of her when she awakes."

"We're in this together," Judy said, leveling a wicked stare on her daughter. "Share and share alike."

"Maybe this plan isn't so good." Suki kept one eye on traffic, the other on her rearview mirror, glad she'd thought to strap Beatrice into her seat so she wouldn't roll onto the floor.

"Charlie Brandt's embezzling funds from the PMS," Beatrice mumbled.

"Did Grammy say something?" Suki turned to her mother, quirking her eyebrow.

"I couldn't understand it." Judy turned around in her seat. "What did you say, Ma? Say it again."

"Charlie's embezzling PMS funds," Beatrice said, her voice very slurred. "Pamela told me."

"We got a bonus," Judy said. "I didn't suspect this."

"We have to get proof." Suki nibbled her lower lip. She flipped on her turn signal and slid into the left lane. "Presuming this is even true. We can't make empty accusations."

"We won't. If he's really embezzling, we'll get iron clad proof."

Suki felt a deep sigh building in her chest. She made a sharp U-turn, throwing Judy against her. "Where to now boss? City hall?"

Chapter Twelve

"Have you considered my invitation?"

Suki stared at her computer screen as if she’d just received a message from Mars.

Did she want to take such a chance? Was she ready? Was she plain crazy for even contemplating it?

"I've been thinking about it," Suki admitted, leaning over the keyboard. A ski weekend would be nice. A weekend spent with a handsome man would be nicer. Visions of Kyle's rugged face drifted through her mind uninvited. She tried to push it away, reminding herself that if he were interested in pursuing a relationship with her, he had her number and he’d not come knocking. "I have a situation unfolding here. I don't know if I can get away."

"Please try. I've rented our suite and bought our lift tickets. I promise a very romantic weekend."

"Read me Shakespeare by firelight? Dance with me under the moonlight? Hold me close?"

"All that and more," he promised. "Say you'll come. Don't break my heart."

"You make it hard to say no." Suki chewed on the end of her pencil. Her gaze shifted to her window and her eye was caught by the glint of moonlight on the sparkling snow blanketing her front yard. "This isn't fair."

"Please say yes."

"This is crazy! We don't really know each other. What if we hate each other?"

"Believe me, that won't happen. But if you don't like me, you've no obligation to stay. No strings attached."

Suki turned on her favorite oldies station. The Four Tops belted out Can't Help Myself and she sympathized, humming along, tapping her foot in rhythm to the lively tune. She didn't know if she could help herself either. She had to do something to get Kyle out of her system. What could be wrong with just meeting this gentle man who knew the stakes?

"You might not like me..." Sam had found her wanting. He'd told her she was staid, boring and frumpy. Then he’d run off with his gorgeous secretary. Funny, how the pain dulled with time. She could finally say good riddance to Sam without a trace of pain.

"There's only one way to find out. If you're worried that I'm not trustworthy, we'll be in the main lodge with plenty of chaperones at all times. You'll be perfectly safe."

"If I come, how will I recognize you?" Suki asked. She smiled dreamily, thinking of the old romantic movies. Valentine’s Day had passed so meeting at the Empire State Building was out.

"I'll wear a carnation in my lapel."

Suki bit her lower lip. Could she really go through with this? Did she have the gumption?

Attitude, she heard Judy whisper. It's all a matter of attitude. Go for the gusto.

"I'll try." Her fingers trembling as she typed. She had to take her destiny in her hands and make her future count for something. She had three excellent examples right in her own home. She wanted to be more like them. They would do this without a moment's hesitation.

"Our reservations are set for March 28 at Houghton Lake Ski Lodge in Roscommon County, Michigan. I know you said you skied before. Did you ski often?"

"I used to ski all the time." Houghton Lake, Michigan? That wasn't far from Goose Creek. Not far at all. Shivers chased down her spine. What a coincidence... "You don't ski in Ohio?"

"If I can't get away for the weekend, there's small slopes just north of here. But the skiing in Michigan's better. You'll love it. How did a Southern girl like you go skiing all the time?"

She didn't like all this lying, yet something held her back from telling the truth. Despite his assurances, she didn't really know him. What if he tried to hurt her? What if he turned out to be Norman Bates reincarnated? "Everybody takes ski trips in the winter."

"Should I meet you at the airport?"

Airport? Right. He thought she'd be flying in from Mississippi instead of driving from in state. "I'll meet you at the lodge, if it's all the same."

"Don't trust me, do you? That's alright. A little caution won't hurt. Let's meet in the lodge dining room at eight p.m. Thursday night, March 28th. I'll wear a carnation in my lapel."

"I'll wear a corsage of yellow roses on my wrist." Suki fingered her wrist. This crazy plan felt like a dream. Could she be sleeping? Could she really be making plans to meet a total stranger as if she were Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle? Maybe she should take a chaperone or two. They lived close enough they could turn around and drive home the same night. But what if she liked Robert? Her chaperones might refuse to leave them alone. Anything was possible with her mother and grandmother. She rejected the idea as ludicrous.

"Have you made plane reservations? I have a travel agent friend that can get you a good discount."

"That won't be necessary. I have a friend of a friend that will help me." She hoped God wouldn’t get her for these lies. They seemed to be mounting up faster than the Flash could reach the far side of her bedroom.

"Good. I'll put the directions into an E-mail for you. Rendezvous at Houghton Lake Ski Resort Lodge Thursday eight p.m. March 28th."

"I'll remember." Suki hugged herself tightly, her sweater bunching around her waist. Apprehension shivered down her spine. She was really going to do this. She was going to meet a an she'd never even seen a picture of. She must be certifiable.

***

"Hey Mom," Josh dropped a kiss on her cheek. He stuffed a heavy weight envelope into her hands and straightened. "Shelley's mom told me to give this to you."

"What is it?" Suki turned the envelope over in her hands, dread seeping into her bones.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Josh dropped his book bag on the floor. He flung his coat

over the chair, then plopped onto the couch, ignoring Suki's glare of disapproval. Grabbing the remote control, he channel surfed through the cable stations until he found M-TV.

"Turn down that racket! I can’t think straight." With a deep sigh, she ripped into the envelope and extracted an official looking document printed on Taravella High stationery.

"What does Mrs. O'Neill want?" Josh glanced up from the television.

"Shush!" Suki said. "Let me read it."

"Dear Mrs. Lawless, It has come to the attention of the Goose Creek Parents for a Moral Society Board that you've been wearing mini skirts, parading your cleavage and drinking and going wild. Reports of wild parties going on at your house, men going in and out of your house at all hours of the day and night and your son is going wild, threatening the safety and welfare of innocent young girls in our upstanding, moral community. You, your mother, your grandmother and your aunt are hereby summoned to an emergency meeting of the Goose Creek Parents for a Moral Society Board tonight at seven P.M. in the Taravella High School cafeteria."

"Whew!" Suki sank to the chair, leaning on Josh's coat. The letter fluttered to the floor. "The showdown's sooner than we anticipated."

"What showdown?" Josh asked with a trace of premonition in his voice. "Can I see the letter?" Swinging his legs over the side of the couch, he sat up and held his hand out for the letter.

Suki nodded almost imperceptibly, retrieved the paper off the floor and handed it to her son.

Josh scanned the letter, then let out a long low whistle. When his eyes lifted to hers, his knowing gaze probed hers. "That's less than three hours away. Shouldn't you tell Grandma and Grammy Bea?"

"Go get them, will you?" She felt like she was floating through a thick fog on the Loch Ness. Monsters were raising their heads everywhere.

Josh jumped up from the couch, jogging out of the living room with his long, loping gait, his hair bouncing around his head.

"What's that she-devil and her hell's angels trying to pull now?" Grammy Bea said in her gruff voice as she bustled into the room. She pulled her pastel flowered robe closer about her and curled her white stockinged toes inside her bunny slippers.

"War room." Judy tapped Suki on the shoulder. She tossed her head regally and sashayed to the kitchen.

Suki rose to her feet, following the matriarchs to the kitchen table.

"Can I come?" Josh asked.

"Can I come too?" Amber pleaded, her eyes lighting up.

Suki paused, her hand on the kitchen door. She shook her head. "Take Amber outside for awhile, Joshua. Build a snowman."

"Oh man!" Josh wailed. "Why do I have to watch the brat?"

"I'm not a brat!" Amber stomped her feet and stuck her tongue out at her older brother. "You're a computer geek!"

Josh made a swipe for her head. "You're so ugly, a horny toad would run and hide if it saw you coming."

"Mommy!" Amber’s expression crumpled as her eyes grew suspiciously bright. "Josh called me ugly."

"None of that you two. Suki rolled her eyes mentally. "I don't have time to argue." She snapped the door shut behind her with a finality both Josh and Amber knew. They wouldn’t defy her again today. "Get over here." Judy tapped the empty chair with her fingernail.

Suki sank into the chair, her eyes narrowed. "Did everyone read the letter?"

"You mean the she-devil's royal summons?" Grammy Bea asked. "We saw it." Beatrice snorted.

"Is everything ready?" Aunt Margaret asked. "Are all the records blown up? All the photographs?"

"I got them back this morning." Judy nodded . Her lips twisted into a mischievous smile and her eyes twinkled.

"Well," Bea said. "What are we doing sitting around twiddling our thumbs? Get our visual aids in order and get ready to kick PMS butt!"

"Grammy Bea!" Suki gasped.

Margaret put a restraining hand on Suki's arm. "It's no good trying to stop her when she's riled. Just hide all the tomatoes and projectiles. Quickly!"

When Suki rose to do Margaret's bidding, Judy grasped her wrist. "We don't have time for that. I'll keep an eye on Ma." She swiveled a wicked eyed gaze on Suki. "Go make yourself gorgeous. Wear that little red leather mini-skirt number with the black lace chamois. And put on lots of that brick red lipstick."

"I can't go to a PMS meeting looking like that! They'll crucify us!"

"They're already trying to pin us to the cross. We've got to show them we're not scared. We're not going to play the game their way!" Judy jumped to her feet, her jaw jutting forward defiantly.

"She's right, Suki," Margaret said. "Don't let them think they've intimidated us. We've got to go into that meeting with attitude and take charge."

"They'll be sorry they messed with me and my girls!" Beatrice vowed, banging the table with her coffee mug.

"Don't worry, Ma," Judy’s eyes narrowed to mere slits. "They don't have a clue who they're messing with and they don't see their own doom coming. Thanks to you, we put the final puzzle piece together."

"What did I do?" Beatrice’s brows drew together in a straight line.

"You got Pamela to confess she and Charlie have embezzled PMS funds. And it goes deeper. They got their greedy hands on other Taravella funds too."

"They didn't!" Margaret gasped. "You didn't tell me."

"We didn't have a chance. Everything's happened so fast," Suki said, feeling caught up in a whirlwind. She glanced at her watch. Five o'clock. "Two hours and counting down."

"Go get 'em kiddo," Judy said. "Dress exactly the way I told you..."

"But..." Suki tried to object.

"Trust me, Daughter. Trust me." A wicked gleam flickered across her blue eyes. "I know what I’m doing."

***

Judy led the way into the Parents for a Moral Society Board meeting, her head held high, her jaw jutted forward defiantly. She wore a tight fitting black leather mini skirt and enough make-up to make Tammi Faye appear naked.

Suki followed in her red leather mini skirt and black lace chamois, her fashion boots completing the picture. She tossed her short and sassy hair then squared her shoulders when a loud gasp resounded on the stage. She felt a hot gaze on her and she turned, meeting Kyle's narrowed gaze across the room.

Margaret followed close on Suki's heels. Judy had talked her into wearing one of her short skirts as well.

Beatrice brought up the rear, her head held so high Suki was afraid she'd have a nose bleed from the high altitude.

"What's the meaning of this?" Connie O'Neill shouted into the microphone from the cafeteria stage.

"Don't answer!" Judy hissed in a stage whisper, her heels click-clicking on the hard tile floor. "Let her simmer in her own juices for a few minutes."

"Well? What do you have to say for yourselves? You, you hussies!" Connie spat, her face contorted in hatred and disdain.

Judy headed for the stage like a heat sinking missile. Her heels sounded like rifle fire on the hollow wooden stage.

"You can't come up here!" Connie gasped, her spine stiffening. "You don't have the floor!"

"You just asked what we have to say for ourselves." Suki seethed. "I think you opened the floor to us."

"We haven't officially opened the meeting..."

"Move over, O'Neill!" Beatrice growled. "Give my granddaughter the stage. She has something to say to you and your hypocrites."

"I will not!" Connie stood her ground.

Judy extracted a large photo from her portfolio. "Have it your way then." She slid the photograph out of its protective case.

"What are you doing?" Suspicion laced Connie’s supercilious tones.

Suki almost felt a wave of compassion for Connie. Almost...

"Get off my stage you hussies!" Connie said, her voice deadly quiet. "We haven't roasted you yet."

Connie's cruelty doused any embers of compassion Suki felt for her.

Suki stepped forward, taking the ten by twenty glossy from her mother and turned it so that the Board and Kyle could see, holding it high, turning it slowly to give everyone equal view.

Connie's cheeks turned ashen and she clutched the table. Her knuckles turned snow white. "Put that propaganda away this minute!"

Everyone released a collective gasp. Luella clutched her throat, looking shocked. Pamela’s and Charlie’s eyes turned accusingly on Connie.

Connie lunged at the picture like a wild woman, snatching for it.

Margaret blocked her way, her hands on her ample hips. "You take one more step towards my great-niece and you're dead meat!"

Beatrice ambled to the microphone. "As you know, the Goose Creek Parents for a Moral Society sent a letter home with my grandson, Josh, today, threatening my family about our wild, immoral ways, no better than a Salem witch hunt!" She paused to let her words sink in. "They complained about my granddaughter wearing short skirts. They say we throw wild parties all the time. They want to run us out of town on a rail! Are you going to let this lynch mob mentality run Goose Creek? If they do it to us, you'll be next."

"You're having an adulterous affair with Arnold Casey! What would Howard think if he knew?" Suki seethed. "And your daughter tried to seduce my son. And you have the nerve to threaten him?" Suki got into Connie's face and glared at her. "You're pathetic!"

"How dare you spy on me!" Connie accused.

"How dare you spy on us! And lie," Suki shot back. "You've gone too far this time and you're going to pay the price."

Connie glared at her, gathered her long skirts and ran off the stage.

Luella Amsterdam jumped to her feet. She lifted her hand in a gesture of silence. "That was most melodramatic and most unfortunate. Can we have order? Everyone please sit down."

"What do you have to say to that Luella?" a man in the crowd yelled.

Luella raised the microphone to speak into it comfortably. "We don't have an official position on this yet. The board is as shocked by Mrs. O'Neill's apparent scandalous behavior as all of you. And I emphasize apparent. We don't have all the facts yet. So I ask you to hold your judgment until we have an opportunity to investigate this unfortunate incident."

Judy dug in her satchel and took out enlarged copies of the motel bills. "Here's more proof!"

Murmurs went up from the crowd. Judy skipped down the stairs and handed the paper to the nearest woman in the front row of the audience. The woman perused the bills and Morty's affirmation that Connie and Arnie were regular Thursday afternoon visitors to the Lake Kennedy Motel. She passed it onto her neighbor to circulate.

"Let's get back to the purpose of this meeting which remains the same," Luella announced. "And that's to address the scandalous, immoral behavior Suki Lawless and her family exhibit on a daily basis. Can we let their behavior rip apart the moral fiber of our community? Can we let them threaten our basic values and lead our children astray? Can we let them parade around town like hussies? Myself and the Parents for a Moral Society Board demand they be stopped now!"

Suki strode to the microphone, oblivious of Luella's deadly glare. She took the microphone out of Luella's hands and covered it with her own. In a low voice, she said to Luella, "People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Mama remembers your family mansion and how you lost it."

"You wouldn’t dare bring that up here. So I like a little poker. And I play the slot machines occasionally." Luella made a grab for the microphone that Suki held tight.

"Occasionally?" Suki arched her eyebrow. "We know it’s a lot more than occasionally." Leaning close to Luella, she whispered. "I don’t care what you do in your private life as long as you don’t hurt anyone else. But I demand the same respect."

Luella fell silent and studied her with a somber gaze.

"Stop talking in riddles," a lady from the audience demanded. "Speak out!"

"Well?" Suki asked, hands on her hips, an incredulous note in her voice.

Luella gazed at Suki as if weighing her words. "Point taken." She returned to her chair and folded her hands before her demurely.

Charlie Brandt cleared his throat and stood, thrusting his hands into his pockets. He strode to the podium. "I think we’re straying from the issue at hand. The question is, is Suki Lawless, her mother, grandmother and aunt fit role models to raise two impressionable children?" He turned to Judy and Suki. "If you'll take seats, we'll resume this meeting."

"Sorry, Charlie!" Beatrice drawled. "We're only getting warmed up."

Charlie narrowed his eyes and covered the microphone with his hand. "What do you mean?"

Judy pulled out another blown up glossy. "This is a record of how Charlie Brandt has been embezzling PMS and Taravella High School funds for the past six years."

"Give me that!" Charlie dived for the records.

"Tut, tut!" Judy said. "Do you think we're so stupid we don't have more copies locked away in a safe place?"

"They're in a very safe place," Margaret said.

"What do you mean?" Charlie’s face grew red as fire.

"I handed over copies to the FBI this morning. So sorry, Charlie." Suki's gaze clashed with Kyle's. He gazed at her with an unfathomable expression and her heart flip-flopped in her chest.

Charlie pivoted on his heel and made a mad dash for the back door.

Margaret stuck her foot out and tripped him. Several men from the audience rushed on stage and apprehended the struggling Charlie.

"I've been framed!" Charlie said. "I'll sue you for slander! I'll sue you for every last penny you own!" His face contorted into angry purple and red blotches. His mouth twisted in a wry grimace. His gaze was pure venom.

"Why'd you run if you were innocent, Charlie?" Judy asked. "Innocent people stand and fight."

Charlie didn't answer. He fumed silently on the floor, his face contorted in pain and rage.

"Cat got your tongue, Charlie?" Judy asked, widening her eyes, smiling her most innocent smile.

Pamela started to rise to take the podium microphone.

Suki shot her a poisonous glare. "I wouldn't if you knew what was good for you."

Pamela stared at her for several moments, her eyes growing wider. Retracing her steps, she sat down, her hands in her lap, her lips pursed in a sour line.

Kyle climbed the stage in three large strides. He tapped the microphone with his finger. It shrieked in protest. "Thank you," he murmured. He turned to the board and stretched the microphone behind him so he had run of the stage. Clearing his throat, he announced, "I think this session of Parents for a Moral Society has come to a close. If you’re school staff, return to work."

Chapter Thirteen

"What are you doing here?" Suki whispered, aghast. Her gaze enveloped her three elders. Aunt Margaret was the only one that had the grace to look the slightest bit uncomfortable.

"I tried to talk some sense into them, Suki dear." Margaret flashed her a wistful glance. "But you know my big sister, Beatrice, never listens to me. Neither does your mother, my niece."

"I couldn’t let my only daughter meet a man in person she’s only met over the Internet without protection!" Judy crossed her arms and she glared at her daughter.

"And I couldn’t let my granddaughter make a gosh dern fool of herself or the family," Beatrice added, staring at Suki.

"You couldn’t let me make a fool of you?" Suki’s amazed laughter rang hollow in her ears. "I can’t believe this. I really can’t believe this." She pinned her gaze on Margaret. "I’m not surprised at them. But couldn’t you have tried harder? Tie them up or something?"

"Two against one, dear. I really did try." Sweet Aunt Margaret’s expression fell.

Suki hugged her great aunt to her. "I know, dear. I’m sorry. I’m just nervous as a cat being chased by a pack of wild dogs." She patted her heart and tried to catch her breath. "I’m not sure what I’m doing here."

"Good, then you can come home with us and I’ll call that adorable vice principal over." Judy tugged at her arm, trying to haul her out the front door.

"No!" Suki’s shout rang in her own ears. "Don’t you dare." Under her breath, she added, "He should’ve stood up for us with the PMS." Some savior.

"Is Romeo here?" Margaret whispered in Suki's ear, bringing her back to the present, to thoughts of Robert whom she’d come to meet. Margaret clutched at Suki's arm, her fingers biting into the soft flesh.

"Look for a man wearing a red carnation in his lapel." Suki let her fevered gaze journey across the restaurant packed with guests. "He'll be fortyish, distinguished, with a mustache and short, black hair..."

"Sounds like that adorable principal," Judy said. "Sounds like you're looking for a substitute."

"Lay off, Mother." Suki shook the dusting of snow out of her hair, squinting in the dim, romantic light. "Kyle Damian made it perfectly clear what he thinks of me at the PMS meeting. If I ever liked that man, he made it painfully clear he doesn't like me." Under her breath, she added, "Why beat a dead horse?"

"You gave up too easily." Beatrice head bobbed. "You didn't give that boy a chance."

"Really!" Suki chuckled.

"If you're so sure you want to do this, why do you look so nervous?" Judy quirked a well defined brow. She bestowed a dazzling smile on a gentleman of indistinguishable years, but obvious wealth.

"I’m not like you, Mother," she said dryly. "I don’t belong to the date of the week club." As if she wasn’t nervous enough with tons of butterflies somersaulting in her stomach at the idea of meeting a man she’d never laid eyes on before.

"That’s right, Daughter. She’s not had a date since the Reagan Administration," Beatrice agreed, clucking her tongue.

Suki whirled on the matriarchy, arching her brows. "This isn’t helping." She took a deep breath. "I don't understand. You're always telling me I don't take enough chances. That I should go for the gusto. Well, I'm taking your advice and now you don't like it. What gives?"

"You're in love with that adorable principal. You've no business gallivanting around with someone you've only met over the Internet." Judy glared at her.

Suki closed her eyes, wishing it weren't so. "Even if that were true," she spoke carefully, "Kyle's not interested in me. He thinks I'm the world's lousiest mother."

"You're a great mother. And don't you ever doubt it!" Judy squeezed her shoulders almost strangling her. "Josh is turning out great. And he and Josh get along famously."

"He'd make a wonderful father. You and the kids need a man in your life. A real man..."

"Not someone you met on-line," Margaret agreed. "What do you know about this man you're meeting?"

"It's just dinner and skiing..." Suki wondered where Robert was. Had he gotten cold feet and not shown up? Was he running late? Had he gotten held up in a snow storm? Perhaps he'd never had any intention of showing up? Maybe this was all some colossal joke on her?

Well, if it was a joke, she wasn't laughing. She checked her watch again. Seven twenty. Their meeting was scheduled for seven sharp.

Judy grasped her upper arm. "You'll never believe who I see," she exclaimed in a stage whisper. China blue eyes opened wide in awe.

"Kevin Costner? Mic Jagger?" Suki followed her mother's gaze expecting to see some famous, gorgeous movie star judging from the star struck expression on her face. Instead, she saw Kyle. And he wore a red carnation in his lapel.

She felt all color drain from her face. He looked so sinfully sexy, the vision of her most cherished dreams. Her knees went weak and her mouth went dry as the desert sand. Everyone else in the room faded away, shimmery and hazy as if they were merely a mirage.

"What a coincidence," Judy drawled. "That adorable principal is here. You're here. The moon is full and they're playing your song..."

"We don't have a song." Suki couldn't take her gaze from Kyle. In the half-light with the silvery moon shining on his ebony hair, he looked incredibly handsome. Move over John Travolta! Childhood idols were shoved to the far reaches of her mind.

Haunting jazz wafted to her over the din of diners and skiers coming off the slopes.

"He's Shakespeare," she muttered under her breath, feeling even weaker in the knees. How? Had he set her up? What now?

Another, even more disturbing thought evaded her thoughts. What if he knew she and Matahari were one and the same?

Then, maybe everything would be okay. But what if he didn't know? He might think she had set him up?

She slipped her carnation off her wrist and slipped it into her pocket as stealthily as she could, feeling guiltier than original sin. She couldn't let him discover her alter ego.

"Are we going to hang out in the lobby like poor relations all night?" Beatrice asked, her hips swaying to the soft melody.

"Why don't we join your friend?" Margaret said. "He looks lonely." Margaret didn't wait for an answer and strolled toward Kyle's table.

"Don't!" Suki gasped. "He might be on a date. We can't invade his privacy."

"Pshaw!" Beatrice's lips quirked in a devilish smile. "He looks positively lonely. I'm sure he'd enjoy our company. He's looking our way." Beatrice waved.

"I'm sure he wouldn't!" Suki had never been more embarrassed in her life. Considering her family, she was very, very embarrassed. "Now I’m dead meat," she muttered, wishing she could crawl under a table.

When Kyle returned a casual wave, she felt like a fly caught in a spider's web. His eyes narrowed on her speculatively and her breath caught in her throat.

It was as if everyone else in the room disappeared. She only had eyes for Kyle. He drew himself to his full height with a leonine grace that made her heart flutter. She remembered the days in his office when he'd held her close and kissed her. Her fingers fluttered to her lips, barely brushing them. When she realized what she was doing, she snatched her hands away, horrified.

"Go to him." Judy nudged her forward. "What's stopping you? Don’t you dare tell me you’re saving yourself for that Internet Lothario."

"It's preordained," Margaret said. "This is kismet."

"Wasn't Howard Keel so handsome in that movie?" Beatrice drooled. "They don't make men like that anymore..."

"I don't know about that." Suki outlined her lips with the tip of her tongue, wondering if his beard would feel smooth and silky against her cheek, or coarse and scratchy?

"So what's stopping you?" Judy challenged. "If you don't claim that man, someone else will. Don't you see how the women are staring at him?"

"He only has eyes for you," Margaret concurred. "Don't let him get away."

"You'll regret it the rest of your life, if you do." Beatrice shook her head. "Take it from one who knows."

Candle light flickered on the tables. Outside, snow fluttered to the ground in a Christmas wonderland. Kyle wound his way through the tables. With each step closer, Suki's heart hammered a little faster. She froze to the spot.

"Go to him, Suzanne. Meet him half way." Judy sighed dreamily. "Isn't this better than An Affair to Remember?"

"Shush!" Suki ordered. "You'll scare him away."

"She's right," Margaret said. "The young ones don't need us hanging all over them. They're too old for chaperones." Margaret tried to round up her older sister and niece and corral them to a secluded table.

"Oh, okay," Judy said, seething. Then her eyes widened and she whispered, "Look at that gorgeous man." She trotted off without a backward glance.

"There she goes," Beatrice said, chortling. "That’s my girl."

"You're on your own," Margaret whispered in Suki’s ear. She left her with a wink.

Kyle held out his hands to her. "What are you doing here? Do you ski?"

"I used to," Suki said shyly, putting her hands in his large, strong ones. "You look like you're waiting for someone."

"Is it that obvious?" Kyle chuckled. She could smell his woodsy aftershave and she ached to nuzzle against him and taste the savory flavor of his flesh.

"I-I don't want to intrude." Suki felt loathe to confess that he awaited her, even though she wanted nothing more than to stay and spend the weekend with him. She didn't care if they never saw a ski slope.

"You couldn’t do that if you tried." He smiled lazily, tugging at her conscience. "Would you like to join me?"

"What if she turns up?" Suki asked, her heart in her throat.

Kyle reached up and pulled the carnation off his lapel. Without warning, he pinned it on her dress, his fingers fumbling at her empire neckline. When his fingertips brushed her bare flesh at the swell of her breast, she trembled ever so slightly.

"You look ravishing tonight. I only have eyes for you" His fingers trailed lightly down her arm sending shock waves to her core. "Dance with me, pretty lady?"

Without waiting for a verbal response, Kyle folded Suki against him, tucking her into his warm arms. He nuzzled his head into her perfumed hair. "You smell wonderful."

Suki wanted to lose herself in this man but she felt eyes boring into her back. Nor did she know when this magic spell would end. He wasn't acting like himself. Maybe he was in the mood for love and would take any substitute for his no-show date.

But that was crazy. She was his date. How could she be a substitute for herself?

Kyle's hand encircled her neck, his fingers caressing the soft skin at the base of her skull hypnotically. When he lowered his lips to hers, she lifted her parted lips to meet his, burying all her objections and hesitation in his warmth. His beard, soft and somewhere in between silky and coarse, rubbed her chin and she lost all rational thought.

His kiss lasted an eternity and she melted against him in a perfect fit. How could she ever have thought of this sexy, charming man as cold and aloof? Nothing could be further from the truth.

When he lifted his lips from hers, her senses whirled and she could barely remember her name.

"I have a confession to make." She stared into his eyes as she whet her swollen, seared lips.

"So do I," he murmured, dropping feather light kisses into her hair. "But I'd rather talk in private, without your chaperones." He took her hand in his and led her away from the restaurant. Strains of soft jazz grew dimmer as he led her to the lobby of the hotel.

When the elevator door opened, two couples arm in arm, dressed in ski wear, alighted giggling, exchanging light kisses. Love permeated the air, wrapping it's tendrils around her, tightening.

Kyle led her into the empty cubicle and summoned the vehicle to stop at the fourth floor. As the door whooshed closed on them, he drew her into his arms, pressing against her in the way only a man aroused can.

If she weren't leaning fully against him, she'd have fallen. She allowed her fingers to play in his thick hair and bend his head to hers. His lips touched hers ever so softly at first, then claimed them with a desire that surprised and excited her.

She hadn't even realized the elevator door had opened until she heard embarrassed giggles and Kyle drew away from her an inch, leaving her feeling bereft.

Smiling shyly at the elderly couple that claimed the elevator after Kyle led her off, she let herself be led to their weekend hide-away. Only he didn't know she'd planned to be here with him.

Guilt washed over her. Even though she hadn't intended to deceive him, she had. Why had she hid her identity and carried on such a silly flirtation with someone she couldn't see? Although she'd never dreamed in a billion years her elicit rendezvous would turn out to be with the real man of her affections, it still hadn't been honest.

Before she realized it, Kyle had her ensconced in the room. He turned the lights on, but only very dimly then turned back to her smiling in a come-hither way.

"Come here Matahari." He held his hand out to her.

Suki froze, her eyes wide. Ringing in her ears almost deafened her. He hadn't just said what she'd thought she'd heard, had he? He couldn't know. Could he?

She thought over their conversations and couldn't see how or where she'd given away her real identity.

The butterflies loop de looped frantically and she clutched her stomach. "Excuse me," she mumbled, then ran for the bathroom. She locked herself in and leaned over the bathroom sink. Feverish eyes met her in the mirror. Her cheeks flamed red hot.

Could that really be her staring back with those huge eyes in that gamin face?

Could she really be on the verge of doing what she thought she was about to do? After the Sam fiasco?

She straightened, pacing the small room, having a mental conversation with herself, glad no one could see her and lock her away. Sam had left such a sour taste in her mouth, could she truly risk her heart again to a man who’d voiced his doubt in her and her son?

Should she allow sexual attraction to override her well won caution?

Could she really take a chance? And if she didn’t, what then? Would she wind up a bitter, lonely old woman? She didn’t have a wonderful sister like her grandmother or her great-aunt to share her golden years with.

After a few moments of soul searching, she emerged from the bathroom, embarrassed at her flight. "How did you know?" Her voice was barely audible. She stood across the room, her gaze fused with his. Moonlight haloed him through the open curtain.

"Just little clues I pieced together. But your stained glass web site was the clincher."

Suki drew her brows together in a frown. "My name isn't on the web page. How did that clue you in? I'm very secretive over the Internet."

"Your son is very proud of you. He showed me your web page and told me how you'd designed it yourself." His smile widened. "You did a great job."

"He did?" Suki smoothed her dress against her thighs wondering if he could see how fast her heart galloped in her chest. It pounded about a hundred miles per minute.

"That's quite a boy you have. He and I connected quite well. I think all he needed was a man to relate to..."

Suki lowered her head. "Sam failed miserably in that area," she whispered.

"Josh isn't the only one who’s stolen my heart, you know." Kyle took two steps forward, closing the gap that separated them. With a gentle finger, he lifted her chin so that her gaze met his heated one. "You intrigued me from the moment I met you."

Only intrigued? As in fascinated?

It wasn't quite the emotion she desired from him, but she supposed it was a start.

"You're full of paradoxes, Suki Lawless. You're demure and gutsy all at the same time. You told me you lived a boring life, but your life is about the most un-boring one I've ever encountered. You made me remember what it is to live again. To love again." His hand slid around her neck, pulling her closer. His thumb rubbed her jaw line, lulling her into a trance.

This man must be pure magic for she'd never felt so wonderful and all he had to do was touch her with the merest of caresses.

Then the reality of his confession sank in. Love again. He was in love with her? Her eyes flew to his and she read her answer in their passionate depths.

"I love you too." She smiled tremulously at him, admitting it aloud for the first time. "I've never felt this way before. Not even with Sam. Am I dreaming?"

"If you are, don't ever wake up," Kyle ordered, drawing her inexorably toward him, his lips poised an inch above hers, teasing her unmercifully.

"Won't the PMS be scandalized if they find out we're in a hotel room together?" Suki bit her lower lip, thinking of the scandal this would cause was it to be discovered.

"I know a fool proof way to prevent scandal..." He rubbed his body against hers, enveloping her in his feverish heat. She could barely think straight.

Moaning deep in her throat constricted with desire, she asked, "How could we do that?"

"Marry me. Be mine."

Suki gasped, pulling away, the trance broken. "I am dreaming!"

Kyle pulled her back into his arms, moonlight from the golden night bathing him as if he were an angel. "This is a beautiful dream. One that will last forever--if you'll just say yes. Say yes, Suki. Marry me." He slipped a blue velvet box out of his upper suit jacket pocket, looking as polished as Cary Grant. He flipped it open, revealing a dazzling diamond solitaire set in a band of gleaming gold, then held it out to her reverently.

Suki couldn't take her gaze off the tiny box that contained eternity. Bliss lay as close as her arm length. All she had to do was reach out and grasp it with both hands.

Tears of joy pressed against the backs of her eyes. She held out her hand. "Can you put it on for me?"

"I love you, Suki Lawless," Kyle confessed. "And I love your wonderful family."

Suki hesitated. Her gaze probed his smoldering gray eyes. "Are you sure? Really sure? I have about the most colorful family in all of Goose Creek. Probably all of Michigan."

"I find them enchanting and absolutely endearing. And I always wanted a son." Kyle put his hands on her waist and his flesh burned through the thick material of her wool dress. She wanted to bury herself against him, but not yet.

"How do I know you're not marrying me to gain a son?"

"You'll have to take me on faith. Just as you do Him." Kyle glanced heavenward, smiling a knowing smile. He looked back at her. "I think I've earned it, don't you?"

"Anyone who can stand up to the Goose Creek PMS has my undying devotion." Her hands crept up to his shoulders as he drew her closer.

"Better late than never. I'm sorry I ever listened to them. But then, I'm glad..."

"Glad?" Suki wrenched herself free, anger washing over her in droves, replacing her desire of a moment before. She turned her back on him and felt a fever creep up her neck and settle into her cheeks. "You do think I'm a bad mother..."

Kyle's hands clamped on her shoulders, turning her gently to face him. "Let me finish. I'm glad because without their interference, I might not have gotten to know you. Then I wouldn't have fallen in love with you. I owe them a lot."

"Oh!" Suki mulled over his words and realized how true they were. "I suppose we do have the PMS to thank. Strange, isn't it?"

"Life is full of surprises. And I want to share each and every one with you and your family."

Suki eyed the king size bed dominating the room, beckoning her like a siren beckoned ancient sailors to their sweet demise. It looked so forlorn and empty in the moonlight with the stars high in the sky.

Kyle followed her gaze. "Do you think it would cause too much of a scandal if we had our honeymoon before the wedding? We have the suite all weekend." Kyle's voice was very husky in her ears.

Suki nestled into his strength, yearning for long forgotten treasures. "I'm beyond caring what other people think," she confessed, lifting her hungry mouth to his, tracing his lips with the tip of her tongue. She drew back teasingly when he bent his head to capture her lips. "The only person I care about pleasing now is me--and you."

"You please me very much." He hoisted her into his arms before she realized his intentions and carried her to the bed, laying down beside her.

She laughed joyously, her voice silvery and carefree. Silk sheets caressed her heated flesh and she sank into them as a baby bird into its nest.

She unbuttoned his shirt, sliding her hand inside, reveling at the feel of his warm, hard chest under the palm of her hand.

"But you please me more without this." He lifted her wool dress over her head and flung it across the room with wild abandon, very un-principled. Suki loved this unexpected wild side of him and wanted to experience more of this enigma of a man. She imagined he had many more surprises--and exquisite, mind-numbing pleasures in store for her for the rest of their lives.

Suki laughed, feeling free of her inhibitions at last. She rubbed against him, reveling in the power she exercised over him when she felt him quiver at her touch. "I don't think we'll get much skiing in this weekend."

"None at all," he murmured against her lips. She snuggled closer as he buried his head into the valley between her breasts and she gave herself up to the most exquisite pleasure in all time and eternity.

Chapter Fourteen

The classroom door burst open without ceremony. Suki’s gaze flew to Kyle who filled the doorway. Her heart sang...until she saw the storm clouds brewing in his eyes. And she noticed an ominous shadow next to his on the floor.

The class seemed to sense something as their normal chattering gave way to dead silence. Only Stephanie’s popping bubble broke the still air.

Kyle stared at her, pain flickering across his eyes for a millisecond before he shuttered them.

Suki grew rigid as a stalagmite. She could barely breath. What was wrong? Had something happened to one of her children? Or to Grammy Bea? Or to her mother?

Kyle motioned for her to leave the class.

The students found their voices. The boys howled and blew wolf whistles while the girls put their heads together and giggled.

Stephanie wound her gum around her finger and drawled, "I’ll follow you anywhere Mr. Damien."

Suki shot her a reproving glance over her shoulder, then turned her thoughts to her fiancé.

When she spied Kyle’s companions, her blood froze in her veins and her step faltered. Deputy Hank escorted two plain clothed feds.

Kyle closed the door behind her with a decisive click.

All eyes devoured her. "What’s wrong?"

"Not here. In my office," Kyle said, his voice devoid of color or inflection. He clasped her elbow and led her briskly to his dungeon.

Mrs. Llewinsky towered over Josh and Matt, guarding them. She looked like an arrow in an A-line dress ringed with bright stripes.

Josh slunk in his chair, his chin tucked down, his hands clamped together so tightly in his lap his knuckles looked like polar snow caps.

Matt stared defiantly at the entourage entering the dungeon. His brown-black eyes glittered, reminding Suki of a mad man. When he turned his formidable gaze on her, her insides chilled.

She turned to Kyle, seeking answers in his eyes. "Why’s Joshua here?"

Kyle released her, rounding to the far side of his desk and he cleared his throat. "Please lock the door behind you, Mrs. L. Hold my calls, but send Mr. Casey in when he arrives."

"Yes, Mr. Damian." Suki watched the door close with trepidation and felt suddenly claustrophobic.

"Sit down, Suzanne." Kyle raked unsteady fingers through his hair and studied the group before him.

Suki took the chair closest to her son and scooted it closer.

Josh’s lips trembled and looked pale around the rims.

Suki shot an accusing glance at Kyle. "Are you planning to tell me what’s wrong? Or must I guess?"

"We’re waiting on Mr. Casey to join us. Then we’ll start."

Mr. & Mrs. Fed glared at her as if she were Charles Manson’s mother. Deputy Hank fidgeted, the look in his eyes deeply troubled. His normally blinding smile lay hidden behind sullen lips.

After an interminable silence in which Suki considered grabbing Josh and making a freedom flight, Mr. Casey finally joined them. He avoided Suki’s eyes and her heart fell another notch.

She put her lips to her son’s ear. "Did you hack into the computer?"

Josh glared at her with narrowed eyes.

Kyle frowned and shook his head. "Don’t say anything until your rights are read..."

"Rights?" Suki’s voice squeaked and her neck snapped around. It felt as if an iron fist squeezed her heart.

Mrs. Fed stood and rattled off the Miranda Rights while Suki fell into a semi-stupor.

As soon as the woman’s words faded, Suki lifted her eyes and asked in scathing tones, "What is my son accused of?" Her fingers pleated her skirt over her knees.

Mrs. Fed said in a voice dry enough to freeze dry coffee, "They’re accused of setting off a deadly virus in Taravella’s computer network..."

Suki swung her glance to Kyle, feeling as if the world had just been jerked to an abrupt stop and she were hanging on with one hand and slipping fast. "Did the virus get released?"

He glared at the boys and sighed deeply. "Yesterday. It wiped out half our records and still could be eating away the rest."

Mr. Casey interjected his two cents. "It could spread to the entire Detroit School System."

"And you think Josh did that?" Suki pondered her words and their implication as she tested them on her lips. Her heart ached as if a dull knife had been thrust into its core and twisted slowly. "Kyle?" All the pathos building inside her reverberated in this one word.

If he deserted her now, if he turned his back on her, she’d lose all confidence in him and in his love for her. She’d also doubt her own judgment in falling in love with him. His reaction proved crucial to their future.

The seconds before his response weighed heavy on her heart.

Kyle held her eyes for several seconds, his expression inscrutable, then he lowered his eyelashes and turned away from her. "I’m not at liberty to say anything Suzanne."

"Damn you!" she swore softly under her breath, squeezing scalding tears behind her eyelids. She squeezed Josh’s hand so tightly that he muttered an oath and snatched his hand away.

Every shred of hope lingering in her heart fled. She laughed, feeling a stone’s throw away from insanity. She really knew how to pick men. First Sam. Now Mr. Freeze.

"I demand our attorney be present." Suki delved in her purse, seeking her miniature address book where she held the card to Aunt Margaret’s attorney friend.

"That could take awhile," Mr. Fed said, his tone tres drole.

"Do you suggest railroad justice?" Suki felt aflame with indignation. "What about this other child? Where’s his parents? His attorney?" Her eyes raked over the lanky youth who’d lifted his eyebrows when she’d called him a child.

"We’d hoped that wouldn’t be necessary." The feds eyed each other as if they shared telepathy.

"You brought up rights." The hair on the back of her neck stood straight up.

"My mom died when I was ten." Matt cuffed his flannel shirt sleeves. "Dad’s on the road. Probably between Sioux Falls and Montana about now."

"Who are you staying with?" Suki’s maternal instincts erupted. This child didn’t look to be much older than Josh even if he put on a show of being a tough guy in his James Dean ensemble.

Matt quirked his brows as if amused. "I take care of myself. I’ve been taking care of Dad ever since Mom died."

"You can’t do this until his father returns." She pinned Kyle with her gaze and everyone else seemed to fade from the room as they engaged in a battle of wills.

Kyle backed down first, leaned on his desk and stared at Matt. "Who’s your closest relative?"

"My Grandpa’s in the Veteran’s Hospital up in Chicago." He scratched the peach fuzz on his jaw. "Reckon it’s just me and Dad."

"How do you contact him when he’s on the road?" Mrs. Fed flipped open a note pad, her pen hovering over the green ruled paper.

"Call his cell phone." Matt kicked back in his chair and linked his fingers behind his head. "You might reach him but he can’t dump his cargo to get me out of a jam."

"Don’t you realize how serious a mess you’re in?" Kyle slammed his fist on his desk, scattering papers. The corner stack slid to the floor.

When Matt opened his mouth to speak, Suki shushed him. "You don’t have to say anything without your lawyer present. Don’t!"

"We can’t wait in my office until we get his father back from Tim Buk Tu." He glanced at the feds for further direction and Suki felt hatred rise in her throat like bile. "What do we do with them?"

Mr. Fed turned to Hank. "Can we lock them up in your cell at the station?"

Hank pushed off the wall. "I don’t know." His voice wavered indecisively. "They’re younger than the other guys we got locked up. I’d have to check with the Sheriff."

"If that’s not an option," Mrs. Fed spoke in a hushed whisper to her counter part, "we’ll have to take them to juvy in Detroit..."

"You don’t want to take these boys there!" Hank interjected. "Maybe I can move Old Oscar. I’ll see if Indian Rock has an empty cell they can keep him for a spell."

"Lock them up?" Suki’s words were measured, each bitten out in short gasps. "You can’t do that!"

"We can’t set them free." Mr. Fed snapped his briefcase shut as if that settled the matter. "Until you find Mr. Congeniality’s father and procure yourself an attorney, they’ll be locked up where we can find them."

"But..." Suki spluttered her hands talking in the air. She jumped to her feet, battle ready.

"Put the cuffs on." Mr. Fed looked at Hank expectantly.

"I don’t think that’s necessary..." Hank hung back passively.

"Don’t you lay a hand on my son!" Suki marched to Mr. Fed and toed off in front of him, thrusting her face into his space. "I’ll have you fired..."

Kyle muttered explosively, reaching Suki in three long strides. His heavy hands fell on her shoulders and he tried to pull her back.

Infuriated, Suki shook his hands off and whirled on him. "Don’t ever touch me again." Her words were deathly quiet, menacing. "I don’t know you and I don’t want to."

"Don’t say that." He reached for her and she backed off as if stung.

"Take them away," Mr. Fed commanded Hank.

Hank’s sad eyes sought Suki’s. "I don’t want to do this Miss Suzanne but I don’t got no choice." He snapped the handcuffs on Matt, then Josh. "I hope you don’t hate me."

"I don’t hate you," she said, her gaze glued to Kyle’s. "You’re only doing your job." She followed the parade out the door, refusing to look at Connie O’Neill who gloated in the hall.

Kyle escorted them to the front door of the school and she wondered if he’d barricade the doors behind them the moment they stepped out the door.

***

Suki slammed the phone down, her hands shaking. Aunt Margaret’s attorney friend hadn’t been able to tell her what she wanted to hear. Josh couldn’t be released on bail to her custody as he wasn’t any run of the mill criminal. According to the FBI, he was a threat to national defense and world peace.

It didn’t seem to matter that he proclaimed his innocence. The FBI, nor Kyle, believed him.

"Oh no." Margaret tilted her head down and peered at Suki over the rim of her glasses. "Eddie couldn’t help?"

"The only one who could help us is Johnny Cochrane or David Copperfield." Suki slouched in her chair.

Margaret plied her with freshly baked chocolate cake, but she pushed it away, her stomach in turmoil.

"Oh dear. This is bad." Margaret hovered over her.

"Of course she’s worried about the criminal." Beatrice took a hefty bite of Suki’s cake.

"Not now, Bea!" Margaret swatted her hand away and shushed her older sister.

"That’s what the six o’clock news called him."

The door slammed and Judy burst into the room, her cheeks flushed, her eyes feverish. She flung her purse on the table. "They’ve got that jail house locked up tighter than the Vatican. You’d think they were guarding Al Capone."

"You didn’t get anywhere?" Margaret put a fresh cup of coffee into Judy’s hands.

"I hope you laced this with whiskey..." Judy claimed the chair next to Suki. "They have Deputy Hank so cowed he won’t he won’t even flirt with me. This is really scary."

Suki threw back her head and stared at the Heavens. "Why Lord?"

"Where’s your fiancé?" Judy pinned her with a searing stare. "Shouldn’t he be doing something to help?"

"That traitor?" Beatrice chuckled wryly. "He’s gone over to the enemy encampment."

Suki spied wide gestures out of the corner of her eye and turned in time to catch Margaret proverbially slicing her throat with a quick jerk of her hand. Smiling sheepishly, Margaret clucked. "Hush your big mouth, Bea. This isn’t helping our girl."

"He’s not my fiancé. Suki twisted the engagement ring off her finger and slammed it on the table. "Thank Heaven I found out his true colors in time," she mumbled morosely. "I hope he and the PMS choke on their pomposity."

The door bell rang. Suki jumped and jarred the table with her knees. Had her thoughts conjured him out of thin air? Everyone stared at each other. The silence almost suffocated her.

"Don’t look at me. I’m not going." Judy stared down her nose haughtily. "If it’s the traitor, I might kill him."

"My lumbago’s acting up," Beatrice said.

Suki couldn’t find her voice.

Margaret sighed. "I’ll see to the door."

Suki grabbed her wrist. "Don’t let him in. I never want to se him again."

Margaret shook her hand off. "The two of you need to talk about this."

"He’s said more than enough. I don’t need any more of his abuse."

Within seconds, a frantic Shelley flung herself into Suki’s arms knocking the breath out of her. Her eyes were too wide for her urchin face. Fear flooded them. "Did you make bail? Did you clear him?"

Suki hugged the trembling girl to her. When she found her voice, a frog had taken up residence in her larynx. "He’s been denied bail..."

"A trial could take months, maybe years," Beatrice chimed in.

"Out with you, old woman." Margaret pointed to the door. "Did you get none of the tact in the family?"

"Year?" A silvery tear tricked down Shelley’s cheek and she sniffed.

"I call them as I see them." Beatrice snorted, stealing another bite of Suki’s cake.

"We’re working on it." Suki smiled wanly. Her face felt like it would crack under the strain.

Someone leaned on the doorbell. "Don’t let him in!" Suki’s nerves were about as frayed as Josh’s jeans.

"If it’s that Vincent Elliott from the WCRG news, there’s a loaded shot gun in the coat closet." Judy pushed her chair back and it scraped the floor. She trotted after Margaret, a menacing gleam in her eyes.

"Wait!" Beatrice jumped up and her chair toppled backwards. "I’ll get the tomatoes!" She scurried to her stash, loaded her arms and scuttled after her daughter.

Suki sat still as a stone, her ears perked.

Shelley stood like a statue, her face ghostly pale.

Commotion broke out, but Suki detected no deep male voices. As she turned in her chair towards the door, Connie burst into the kitchen, her eyes wild. She grabbed Shelley by her wrist and pulled the girl behind her roughly. She glared at Suki, the gleam in her eyes a stone’s throw from sanity. "Stop corrupting my baby. She’s too good for your criminal."

Shelley whimpered like a wounded animal, pulling back from Connie’s wrath.

Suki bristled.

"I told you to stay away from this house. You’re too good for the likes of Joshua and his lawless clan," Connie snapped at Shelley.

Suki lifted her eyebrows, her indignation climbing to combustion levels. "Pardon me? Is your memory so short?" She glared at Connie’s hand. "Stop hurting that child."

Connie paused. "Don’t tell me how to raise my child. You’re not a glowing testimonial of parenthood."

"Get out, Connie." Suki pried Connie’s fingers off Shelley’s arm, scowling when red finger prints marred the girl’s flesh. "If you ever barge into my house again, I’ll have you arrested."

Shelley looked even more crestfallen if that were possible.

Suki squeezed the girl’s shoulders. "You’re always welcome, sweetie. Thanks for standing by Josh. He’s lucky to have you."

When someone clapped behind her, she whirled and her gaze flew to the source.

Kyle filled the doorway, leaning against the white door frame, putting his hands together. "Very impressive."

"I wish everyone had your loyalty," Suki muttered under her breath. "Maybe I should get a dog. They’re trustworthy."

Shelley massaged her arms. "What?"

"Never mind." Suki patted the girl affectionately. "I hope you never find out." Her gaze slid to Kyle.

"I-I’m sorry, Honey." A puppy dog in a pet store window had nothing on Connie’s expression. "I’d never hurt you intentionally..." She stretched a tentative hand to Shelley. "Come home?"

Beatrice elbowed her way past Kyle. "Sorry, Granddaughter. He barged through the door..."

"We need to talk." His gaze fell on Suki’s engagement ring winking at him from the table. He scooped it up and walked over to her, holding the ring out in his hand. "Why’d you take it off?" His voice was husky, his eyes imploring.

She eyed him warily, making no move to accept the ring.

Judy and Margaret flanked Suki. Beatrice stood at Kyle’s elbow.

Connie’s jaw dropped several notches.

"Get on your knees, boy." Beatrice pointed at the floor. "Romance her. Grovel."

Judy stepped in front of Suki, her eyes flashing danger signals. "You’re not welcome here. Leave my daughter alone."

Margaret cleared her throat. "Let’s give the young ones some privacy. Suki doesn’t need us making her decisions." She corralled everyone from the room, even Connie who craned her neck to watch.

When Suki stepped forward to follow the others from the room, Kyle grasped her elbow in an iron grip.

"I’ve nothing to say to you."

"I’ve plenty to say to you. First, will you put your ring on?" His eyes darkened.

Suki glared at the golden circle as if it were a coiled viper. "I don’t think so. Our engagement was a mistake."

Kyle pocketed the ring, glowering. "You’re holding it against me that I did my job?" he asked, his tones flat. He unbuttoned his wool lined jean jacket and struck a male defense pose. "I didn’t have a choice."

Suki laughed without humor. "You had a choice. You made it. You believe my son’s guilty and you think I’m a rotten mother."

"I think you’re a wonderful mother and a wonderful teacher. The kids love you." Pregnant silence punctuated his statements.

She elevated her chin and they stared at each other. He shifted his weight, leaning closer until his breath warmed her cheek. "I love you."

Suki closed her eyes, willing herself to stay strong. Her traitorous body tingled at his nearness, however. Her knees knocked. Her throat felt dry as desert sand.

But her maternal instincts kicked in, overriding her physical attraction to him and she held herself aloof.

"If you think my son’s guilty of such serious charges, you can’t love me."

Kyle swore softly and pulled her to him, plundering her lips with his, pressing her against the counter with his weight.

She struggled, turning her face from him. Instead of thwarting him, he sought the fluttering pulse at the base of her neck she unwittingly offered. It was almost her undoing.

She couldn’t think straight with his moist lips moving over her erotically or his thumbs massaging concentric circles on the slopes of her breasts.

"We belong together. Can’t you feel it?"

Suki moaned deep in her throat, turning her face for his kisses.

Against her lips, he said, "I hope Joshua’s innocent..."

His words slapped her in the face like hurricane force winds. He still suspected Josh was guilty of the charges?

She brought her hands to his chest, pushed him away and ducked under his arms. "This won’t work. I can’t divide my loyalties." She strode from the room without a backward glance.

Chapter Fifteen

Kyle tried to concentrate on the grant proposal spread out before him. New costs projections and an addendum was called for.

Thoughts of Suki flashed through his mind. Her ring burned through his pocket like molten lava and he slammed his fist on the table.

Why did she insist on being so unreasonable? He’d told her he thought she was a good mother and a good teacher. He’d gone so far as to admit he hoped Josh was innocent of the charges and he’d meant it.

Numbers blurred before him and he accidentally deleted an important formula, sending everything on his spreadsheet askew. Scolding himself with colorful admonitions, he closed the program without saving then kicked back in his chair.

The question of Josh’s innocence taunted him. What if the kid was falsely accused? What if he were found guilty? Could he live with himself?

He made a snap decision. Shoveling his papers into a folder, he pushed it to the corner of his desk.

He needed to speak to Josh and Mitch. The spirit, not the letter of the law, needed to prevail. His integrity meant more than black and white rules on cheap paper. Even more important was that an innocent child didn’t get run over by an indifferent system.

Three quarters of an hour later, he’d convinced Deputy Hank to let him talk to the boys. It hadn’t been easy as Hank seemed to have strong loyalties to Suki. He suspected that the deputy might be nursing a bout of unrequited love. He didn’t like it one bit.

Josh glared at him when Deputy Hank let him into the cell and locked the door behind him. "Slumming? Or do you think you can get information out of me?" Josh kicked the wall and Kyle knew it was a proverbial kick at himself and the system.

"Your mom says you’re innocent." He watched for the boy’s reaction, counting on his sixth sense to lead him to the truth.

"Well," Josh drawled, lacing his fingers behind his head.

He stretched his feet on his hard as nails bunk and leaned against the cement block wall. "Moms are supposed to think their babies are innocent."

"I want to believe her," Kyle said. He leaned against the far wall.

Josh snorted. "You just want to get into her pants. And she won't let you if you don't set me free."

Poker hot anger flared at the kid's words. Kyle catapulted himself off the wall and loomed over the youth, bristling. "Don't ever speak of your mother with such disrespect again."

Josh peered at him through narrowed eyes for an interminable time. Finally, he deigned to answer. "Okay, man. You've got it bad for my old lady. So you're here to play daddy?"

"I'm not here to play games. And if that's what you think this is, you're in worse trouble than I thought." Kyle pushed his fingers through his hair.

Josh shivered, rubbing his arms briskly.

Kyle looked around for a blanket, a sheet, anything to toss over the boy. The cell was as bare as a baby's behind. He shrugged out of his own wool-lined jacket and covered Josh's torso.

Josh looked as if he was about to decline then his expression softened slightly. "Thanks, man." Josh studied him. "Why do you want to help me then? And I don't buy that stuff about me reminding me of you when you were my age."

"Why're you trying so hard to be a tough guy? Because you live in a house full of women?" Kyle paced the cage, starting to feel claustrophobic. This place brought back too many painful reminders of his own Jailhouse period. He shoved his demons down, trying to lock the door to the cell where he kept them at bay.

"Well, you do remind me of me and that scares the hell out of me. But," Kyle said, halting in the middle of the cell, pivoting on his heel to look the boy straight in the eyes. "I just happen to care what happens to you and the other kids at my school. Do you think I'm in this job for the money?" He chuckled mirthlessly. "Think again."

Josh seemed to ponder this last revelation, pursing his lips. Lights flashed in his eyes as if a calculator examined new input. "I thought you made a lot."

It was Kyle's turn to snort. "Hardly. I could leave the school right now and make at least double my salary without half the hassle I put up with from you punks."

Josh opened his mouth to protest, but Kyle pressed forward. "I can call you a punk because I was a punk, not to mention that I gave you my jacket." He did his best to ignore the cold. The cell felt like an ice box! Didn't prisoners get basic rights?

"Okay, I believe you. So what? Can you spring me from this joint? Can you get Deputy Hank off my back?"

"Where did you get such a smart mouth?" Kyle scowled at the

boy. "You don't make it easy to help you. Show a little respect when someone's trying to save your sorry neck."

"Mom says I get it from Grammy Bea!" The boy beamed as if he'd been bestowed with a badge of honor. Kyle glanced under the bed to make sure the kid didn't have a stash of tomatoes like his feisty grandma. "Well, uhm," Kyle thought aloud, rubbing his chin. "Tell me everything that happened the day you reset my password and don't leave a single thing out..."

"We've been over this a thousand times..." Josh groaned, slinking further onto the bunk.

"Move over kid." Kyle plopped onto the opposite end of the bunk, groaning when it cracked his tail bone. Were the beds made out of concrete like the walls? "Tell me again. Maybe we weren't looking for the right things before..."

A light went on in Josh's eyes. "You think someone set us up?"

"Could be...or maybe you're just the unluckiest son of a gun that ever lived in Goose Creek." Kyle shifted his bulk so that he could be at least semi-comfortable. "Someone put that virus in our computers. The only way to clear you now is to catch the real culprit."

"I like the way your mind thinks." Josh looked at him with real respect, practically adoration.

"Don't thank me till you're exonerated." Kyle coughed self-consciously, uncomfortable with undue praise and idol worship. "It won’t be easy to prove."

"Maybe Mitch can help."

"I'll talk to him too." His stomach grumbled. "Hey. Did they feed you?"

"Only some slop that looked like Grammy Bea's burnt oatmeal." Josh grimaced, pulling a wry face. "I wouldn't feed it to your dog."

"I'll be back in a jiffy." He banged on the cell bars for Deputy Hank. "Hank! Did you forget about me, you old dog?"

Hank ambled in with his easy long lope, but glared at him as if he considered letting him cool his heels for the night. When he breathed free air once again, Kyle ran up to the local diner, grabbed some edible grub and a couple of big sodas. Then he stopped by the Goose Creek K-Mart and purchased the two warmest quilts he could find and a new jacket. He dropped off his bounty at the jail, had a heart to heart with Mitch, then went home where he had a fitful night's rest.

Her thoughts with her son, Suki didn’t pay close attention to the path she took to her fourth period class. At the hallway junction, she collided with Gertrude St. Vincent, the old, rickety math teacher who it was rumored had been born before the advent of algebra.

Suki’s fingers lost their grip on her books and she made a mad grab for them. Loose papers in her manila folder scattered to the floor at her feet and she bent to retrieve them. "I’m sorry," she said, glancing up at Gertrude.

"I should have known it was the likes of you. Careening around these halls as if you owned them, showing no respect to a body."

"Are you alright?" Suki shoved her papers into the file haphazardly and rose to her full height. She touched Gertrude’s arm to ensure herself that the older woman wasn’t shaken.

Gertrude recoiled as if stung by hornets. "I was just fine before the likes of you was hired. And I’ll be just fine when you’re fired."

"Excuse me?" Suki’s stomach plummeted. Her hand fluttered back to her stack of books.

"You heard me." Gertrude’s voice rose shrilly.

Several students craned their necks to watch the showdown. Some backtracked, encircling them.

"Apples don’t fall far from the tree, my mama told me. It was just a matter of time before you or your young one was arrested for breaking the law..."

"You can’t mean that." Suki gasped, feeling as if the woman had just stabbed her in the heart with a dull knife. "My son’s innocent.

"That’s what they all say." Gertrude snorted. She poked her finger into Suki’s chest. "My granddaughter’s in your class and my daughter’s pulling her out today. The Parents for a Morale Society is going to see that you don’t get another chance to corrupt our children..."

"She’s not corrupting us!" Jason interjected, elbowing his way through the crowd, dragging Stephanie with him. "She’s the best teacher we’ve got."

"Yeah!" Stephanie blew a bubble, popped it and twirled her gum around her index finger. "She listens to us."

Chants of "She’s the best teacher!" echoed through the halls. Suki tried to hush them, but they were too incensed.

Others swarmed to the circle and a heated debate raged. Teachers faced off against students and divided against each other. Suki wanted to melt into the scenery and quietly slink away. But Gertrude blocked her every move as if she were a center on a basketball court.

Suddenly, Shelley disengaged from the crowd and shielded Suki from Gertrude. Her shoulders squared. Her eyes blazed blue fire. "Josh is innocent. And Ms. Lawless is a great mom!"

"She’s brainwashed all of you. Must be subliminal messages in that stained glass." Gertrude harumphed, tossing her silvery head. "Everyone in town knows about the wild goings on at that Lawless house. It’s positively scandalous."

"That’s not true." Suki kept her voice very low, as controlled as possible, which wasn’t easy when bile rose in her throat.

"Your own mother told me, child." Gertrude pinned her glare on Shelley. "She’s been taking notes for years."

Kyle cleared his throat and the crowd parted. "What’s going on here?" His lethal gaze chilled her to the bone.

Everybody surrounded him, offering explanations at ear-splitting decibels. Everybody but Suki. She tried to slink away, but the crowd pushed in too tightly, swallowing her and Kyle whole.

Claustrophobia seeped into her bones and she knew without a doubt what Jonah had felt in the whale’s belly.

"Everybody go back to class. The show’s over."

"You’re on her side, aren’t you?" Gertrude asked.

"I suggest you excuse yourself to go to your class and let administration administer. Your opinion’s been noted." Kyle looked at Gertrude with an absence of expression. Suki knew that look. It was his Vice Principal mask that he adopted to deal with difficult discipline problems.

Reluctantly, students and teachers detached themselves from the swarming hive of activity and excused themselves to their appointed places.

"Fresh upstarts." Gertrude tossed her head and stomped away.

Suki turned to follow the crowd.

"Ms. Lawless..."

She pulled herself up short. "Not me," she recited from the script with a sigh. "Go to your office." Her feet knew the routine. Her thoughts in turmoil, she didn’t remember how she arrived at her destination.

"Am I fired?" Suki faced off against Kyle, her hackles raised. She held her wrists out to him. "Or should you just arrest me and throw me in the cell with Josh?"

"Stop this, Suzanne. Sarcasm isn’t getting us anywhere. Your defensive posture isn’t winning you brownie points with the staff and you’re not making it easy for me to help you."

She laughed sarcastically. "What do you expect me to do?" She curtsied at his feet. "Bow and kiss their ringed hands?"

"Stop throwing proverbial tomatoes."

"I liked you better as Robert." Sadness overwhelmed her and she started to touch his cheek, rethought her actions and let her hand flutter to her side. "Where did he go? Did he ever exist?" she whispered huskily, her heart breaking.

"I’m right here..." He stepped towards her and she backed away.

"You’re Mr. Hyde. I can’t trust you. You can’t wait to throw away the key on Josh. I wouldn’t have time for you even if I forgave you – I’ll be spending every weekend at the jail."

"Stop this, Suki! Stop it!" Kyle hauled her against him and dropped heated kisses on her lips. His arms held her to him securely. His beard tickled her cheeks.

She tried to turn her face away, but his hands settled on her cheeks, preventing lateral movement. His breath teased her lips as he stole her breath.

His lips descended on hers again, teasing persuasively until her lips parted.

Just as she felt her senses slipping and she started to snuggle against him, he said, "I want to help... If Josh is innocent, I want to prove it..."

Suki searched Kyle's eyes through a haze of pain. "If..." She couldn't get past that insurmountable two letter word. "You seem to have a problem with faith. You were ready to make him your son..."

"I still am. If you'll let me."

She pulled away and shoved her hand through her hair. "We seem to be having trouble with if, don't we?" She laughed self-consciously then caught her lower lip in her teeth.

He took a step toward her and she held up her hand. "I can't marry you or anyone who can't support me or my children one hundred percent..."

"But..."

"Hear me out. Sam wasn't there for us, even when he was there. He was always too busy, or preoccupied or just uninterested." She paused, looking into the portal of the past. "I promised myself I'd never get involved in a lukewarm relationship again. If I can't have one hundred percent commitment, I'd just as soon have nothing."

A shuttered expression flitted across his face. Resignation laced his flat tones. "I can only hope Josh isn't guilty. I don't know that for a fact."

"That's that, I s'pose." Her shoulders drooped as if they bore the weight of ten worlds. She opened the door to leave.

"Don't you want to prove him innocent?" Kyle's voice held an invitation and a challenge.

She froze mid step and turned very slowly as if on a turnstile, her gaze clashing with his. "How do you propose I do that?"

"I think a little sleuthing is called for." He stroked the whiskers on his chin as if in deep thought. "Are you game to play detective?"

The thought flashed through her mind, again? But of course she'd do it! Her son's future lay on the line. She'd do almost anything to prove his innocence. Even dance with the devil?

She eyed him, wondering if she could trust him.

She knew this meant trouble, but this was Josh they were talking about.

She closed the door, locked it behind her and leaned against it, the cool glass soothing her neck. She stared at him, hoping she wasn’t selling her soul for nothing. "When do we start?"

***

Suki slicked back her hair with mousse until it felt as if she wore a helmet. She slid her legs into black leggings, and then donned a black sweater. Grimacing at herself in the mirror, she felt like one of Hogan’s Heroes on a dangerous mission.

Shiny eyes, alert and shifty, stared back at her, black as onyx. Her creamy complexion glowed. She had the urge to apply black shoe polish under her eyes to eliminate the shine, but she resisted. Instead, she patted powder over her cheeks.

Kyle hadn’t told her to dress this way... in fact, he’d probably laugh at her. But she had an unquenchable urge to fade into the shadows as she played a real-life Matahari.

"Supper’s on the table," Aunt Margaret said, sticking her head around Suki’s door. Garlic and tomato sauce permeated the air, but only served to turn her stomach.

"Thanks, but I’m not hungry..." She wiggled her fingers into her gloves, one at a time.

"Halloween’s long gone, so what are you dressed up for?" Margaret invited herself in. "A jail break?"

"Not completely unthinkable," Suki mumbled under her breath.

"Don’t fret. We’ll find a way to clear Joshua’s name..."

Guilt washed over Suki and she looked away from Aunt Margaret’s probing gaze. "We’re working on it..." Her voice sounded hesitant to her own ears. She scooped her keys off her night stand. They jingled as they danced through the air.

"What are you up to?" Margaret sidled up to her, gazing at her over the rim of her lowered eye glasses.

"What makes you think I’m up to something?" Suki adopted her most innocent expression, forcing her body to relax.

Margaret’s deliberate gaze studied Suki from head to foot. "Oh, I don’t know dear. But you don’t usually go in for the James Bond look." She circled Suki, tut-tutting. "You’re normally fresh as spring, but tonight you look like a vampire."

"Well, I’m not feeling like my normal self, either. It’s not every day my son’s locked up in jail facing federal charges."

Margaret’s face crumpled and Suki felt chastised. She hugged her aunt.

"Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m just upset about Josh." She planted a kiss on Margaret’s withered cheek.

Margaret patted her back. "It’s okay, Dear. We’re all scared." She favored Suki with a glare so penetrating, it felt as if she could read her thoughts. "It won’t help Josh if you end up in jail."

"Who else is going to jail?" Beatrice lifted her brow at Suki. "Did someone die?" She ambled into the room uninvited.

"No one else is going to jail. No one died." Suki slid a cursory glance at her watch. Kyle should already be waiting for her at their appointed rendezvous. If she didn’t hurry, he’d think she had contracted a case of cold feet and stood him up.

She skirted the older generation, edging her way toward the door. "Don’t wait supper on me. I’ll be late."

"Where are you going?" Margaret asked, exchanging a worried glance with her older sister.

"Out!" She grabbed her jacket then dashed through the front door.

***

Kyle looked at his watch pointedly. "I was beginning to think you had stood me up."

"I got...delayed." She crooked her finger, feeling daring. "Time’s wasting." Tossing her head, she led the way to her car.

"I’ll drive. Get in the Woody." He veered away, dragging her after him.

Suki eyed the antique vehicle with trepidation. "Won’t that be rather...conspicuous?" She batted her eyelashes in her best femme fatale imitation.

Kyle scowled, studying her car. "I can’t fit in that tin can..."

Complain, complain, complain..."

"They’re used to seeing my car at school..."

"At nine p.m. on a weekend?"

Kyle’s eyes narrowed. "We’ll park at Cowsey Mowsey and walk over."

"We’ve been banned from the Cowsey Mowsey for life..." She grimaced, remembering the dressing down she’d got from Morty over the incident.

Kyle covered her hand with his and squeezed. "Don’t worry. We won’t let that happen."

Her heart flip-flopped. He sounded just like Robert... Supportive, caring... and he sounded as if he might believe in her. She turned her hand over and laced her fingers through his, rewarding him. "Thank you."

His thumb brushed the back of her hand and he slanted her a grin. "I’m on your side whether you know it or not. If there’s evidence at the school, we’ll find it."

He parked the Woody and helped her out. When he slipped his arm around her waist and drew her close, she tried to draw away.

He whispered in her ear and his mustache tickled her sensitive flesh, sending shivers down her spine. He was making it almost impossible to dislike him. "We’ll be less conspicuous if we look like lovers." Huskily, he added, "There’s a full moon as a prop."

Sure enough, the moon bathed them in its golden glow. Deep inside, she felt an inner glow spark as he led her toward the school.

"Uhm." She didn’t trust herself to speak. The wind whipped against them and she huddled closer – for warmth she told herself.

They strolled, arm in arm, her head nestled against his shoulder. A light flickered on in a nearby apartment building and lovers silhouetted on a window shade kissed languorously.

"That could be us," Kyle murmured against her ear. His lips lingered, nuzzling the sensitive skin of her neck.

Suki caught her breath. Her step faltered.

"Aren’t we supposed to be clearing Josh?"

"We will." His palm cupped her cheek and turned her face to his.

They stared at each other, starlight reflected in his eyes. He smiled crookedly. Sobering, he lowered his lips on hers, coaxing a response from her.

Her hands crept around his shoulders. They played in the soft hair at the nape of his neck. She turned her head and opened her mouth to him.

Then something crashed in the alley not ten feet from them. Suki jumped back, startled. Her nerve endings sizzled.

"What the..." Kyle strode to the alley, peered into the dark corridor and stood stock still.

Suki sidled up to him, letting her eyes adjust to the dark. An orange tom cat spat and jumped on top of a garbage can. Its orange fur raised on its back.

"Stray cats." Kyle took her elbow and led her toward the school, past the silhouette. "Nothing to worry about."

A familiar scent wafted around her. Was it Obsession? Grammy Bea’s favorite perfume?

She squinted into the darkness, wishing she had nocturnal vision. She took a step into the alley but when the cat hissed at her.

"Something wrong?" Kyle asked, frowning down at her?

She perked her ears, listening for clues. Hearing none, she decided she must be imaging things. She did have an active imagination and it worked overtime in situations like this.

"No. No. I thought I heard something. But it must’ve been the cats like you said." Maybe rats. She suppressed a shiver.

He resumed his step, briskly this time. His hand on her elbow propelled her forward.

"How do you plan to prove Josh’s innocence?" she asked in a stage whisper at the back door to the school. She glanced over her shoulder, alarmed at all the shadows. She rubbed her arms briskly to ward off the evening chill.

"Most viruses have a signature. Hackers are usually pretty cocky and leave their Hallmark..." Kyle’s key fumbled in the lock. Then he strode across the lobby and punched his security code into the key pad.

"Is it easy to find?" She inched backward, checking out each and every shadow. She bumped into his back, gasped and her hand flew to her throat. She spun around on the ball of her foot.

"No. And it’s not necessarily the same person who injects the virus as who created it."

Suki stopped short. "Then we can’t prove my son’s innocence?"

"We might get lucky. It’s worth a shot." He backtracked, clasped her hand and pulled her to Mr. Casey’s computer lab. Neither noticed the new shadows spilling through the door.

"You have to break code? Do you know how?" She stood behind him as he sat in front of the main computer. Her fingers itched to do something, but she didn’t know how to help.

He shrugged out of his jacket, and then cracked his knuckles over the keyboard. "I know a fair bit of programming. It was my double major."

Suki’s eyes widened as his fingers manipulated keys as if he made love to a woman. Lights flashed on the screen with a rapidity that nearly blinded her.

Encrypted code scrolled across the screen. She knew the letters, but not the language. It resembled gibberish. Tension coiled around her stomach and she dropped her hands on Kyle’s shoulders without thinking about it.

"Do you understand all that?"

"Uhm." His voice sounded distant as if he were on a phone call from another world. Her creative right brain shied away from the left lobe’s domain. She usually left logical tasks to Josh.

"I’ll look around." Although she had no idea what she was looking for. She flipped through stacks of papers, feeling as if she was rifling through her mother’s memoirs...or worse, her lingerie drawer.

Kyle grunted and she glanced up. "Find something?"

"Maybe." His fingers flew over more keys. "I’m not sure yet."

Feeling dirty, Suki put the papers back. Then she spied something out of place and stepped forward for closer inspection. A file folder marked Pay Stubs lay tumbled on the floor and one remittance form stuck out. A huge red circle encompassed the pay. Angry words slashed the page. "Should have been $1,300 a week!"

She knelt on one knee and opened the folder. Several similar messages sprawled across the forms, some highly inflammatory. "I think I found a clue..."

"Show me." Kyle twisted in his chair, squinting at her. He took the paper from her outstretched hand. After he read it, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I think we found our man. We have to check out his house."

Suki’s heart and lungs froze. She hadn’t just heard what she thought she’d heard, had she? "Are you daft? We can’t break into someone’s house!"

"Do you want to prove Josh innocent?" Kyle’s gaze caught and held hers. When she nodded her head, he switched off the computer and stood, capturing her hand in his. "Well, then, we have to check out Casey’s house." He pulled her behind him and she let herself be dragged.

"I can’t believe I’m letting you do this." Her voice was barely a whisper but it reverberated in the deserted building. She barely breathed as they walked stealthily to Casey’s house just a couple of blocks away from the school.

Chills shivered down her spine. She had the eeriest feeling they weren’t alone. What night creatures stalked them? Just stray cats? Or someone fearsome.

"Won’t he be home?" It was bed time for normal people. She chewed her lower lip.

Kyle looked over his shoulder and flashed her a grin. "He’s on the school bowling league so it’s not likely. We should have another hour easy. It’ll only take us fifteen minutes."

It sounded as if he had experience with this cloak and dagger stuff. "I hope you know what you’re doing because I don’t." They were going to fry for this. If it were anybody but one of her children on the line, she wouldn’t be caught dead doing this.

Kyle stopped dead in front of a two story house. "Good. The car’s gone. He’s not here." Crouching low, he ducked into the shadows pulling her behind him.

All the doors were locked and Kyle grunted each time he tried a knob that wouldn’t budge. "Stand back."

"What are you going to do?" Dread filled her when he took off his jacket and wrapped it around his hand.

He punched his cloaked fist into a basement window that was hidden by a hedge. Quickly and carefully, he picked out shards of glass that were left in the pane. "This." Reaching into the window, he opened it and slid down. When he stood, he reached up for her. "Come on. Time’s wasting."

"We’re going to burn for this. We’re really going to burn," she mumbled under her breath. She’d never met a vice principal like this one. She never would’ve believed he’d do something like this.

"We’re doing this for Josh. Remember that." When she opened her mouth to reply, he covered her lips with a quick kiss. "Up here. He keeps the computer on the first floor."

Luckily the basement door was unlocked and they found Casey’s computer with little trouble. Moonlight helped them to see. "You look in his files and any papers on his desk. I’ll check out the computer."

They busied themselves snooping.

Then she heard it. The stair creaked. She practically jumped on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Kyle! Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" He smiled into her eyes, but lifted his head as if listening. "I don’t hear anything."

"Someone’s here. I heard creaking, like someone’s walking around. He must be home." She tugged at his hand. "Let’s get out of here."

"Calm down. Just another moment. I just found something." He pulled his hand away and turned back to the computer.

The door burst open and light flooded the room, blinding her. "Put your hands up. This is the police. You’re under arrest."

Suki’s heart stopped cold and she froze, her breath trapped in her lungs.

"Get up slowly and turn around."

She tucked the papers she had in her hand under her sleeve, then turned in slow motion.

Kyle stood, his expression impassive. His lips pressed together tightly. Behind him, the computer glowed.

As the policeman read their rights, Aunt Margaret’s warning taunted her, "It won’t help Josh if you wind up in jail."

Deputy Hank strode into the room leading a recalcitrant Margaret still in her robe, Beatrice who looked ready to chew steel and Judy who pouted better than Amber had when she was three.

Suki’s jaw dropped open. Someone had been following them. The Obsession smelled cloying.

"I’m surprised at you Miss Suzanne. This isn’t like you." Hank rubbed his chin and stared at her with troubled eyes. He tipped his hat back on his head.

"It’s not like me, either." Judy’s pout deepened. "I was just trying to help my baby. We wanted to stop her from hacking into the school technician’s computer system." She batted her eyelashes at Hank and he inched away from her.

"Like the criminal," Beatrice said.

"We know you’re only doing what you feel is necessary, Dear," Aunt Margaret said in a sympathetic voice.

"You’re not helping me." Suki clenched her teeth. A headache struck her like an avalanche.

"Ixnay on the alkintay!" Kyle’s voice rumbled from deep in his chest, his eyes stormy.

Suki looked around and realized that everyone but her daughter was here. "Who’s with Amber?" She turned an accusing gaze on her elders. "Did you leave her alone?"

"Wilbur’s entertaining her," Margaret said.

"Wilbur let you do this?" Suki asked in disbelief.

Margaret looked sheepish then looked at her feet. "I didn’t tell him where we were going."

A commotion broke out down the hall and everyone exchanged questioning gazes.

"I caught another one, Hank. They seem to be coming out of the wood work." A junior policeman dragged a struggling Connie O’Neill into the room.

"Arrest these criminals! They’re up to no good." Connie pointed her finger at Suki’s chest. Her expression couldn’t have been haughtier if she were a real duchess.

"Yes Ma’am." The officer clamped cuffs on Connie’s hands first.

"Not me. Them!" She lifted her joined hands, her fingers pointing at Suki. "They broke into the school. Somebody had to keep an eye on them..."

"Read her her rights," Hank mumbled. He ushered everyone to three waiting black and whites as if they were a chain gang. He personally escorted Suki.

***

Suki paced her cage, her mind in turmoil. Across the barren cell, the golden girls played bridge with Connie. She had to stop herself from rubbing her eyes to ensure she wasn’t seeing a mirage.

Judy batted her eye lashes at the senior policemen who blushed from ear to ear.

Suki didn’t even want to glance at Connie. The last time she’d made that mistake, the woman’s cold eyed glare reminded her of the Alien. She’d felt like Sigourney Weaver just before she started running for her life.

"Oh, Josh!" Shelley wailed with a pathos that broke Suki’s heart.

Suki went to the bars and peeked through. She hadn’t known that the girl was coming, but she shouldn’t be surprised. It seemed Shelley was devoted to her son.

She envied Josh that he’d found a girl with a heart of pure gold.

Josh grinned crookedly as he loped to the front of his cell. Grasping Shelley’s hands, he held them reverently. He stared at her speechless, adoration shining in his eyes.

"I can’t stand to see you caged like an animal." Shelley’s gold tipped lashes swept her high cheek bones. "Are they treating you well?"

"I’m tough, Shell. I’ll survive." Their lips just met between the bars and Suki watched in awe, feeling as if the teens were teaching her a lesson in love.

Suki hadn’t been so choked up since she’d seen Patrick Swayze nuzzle Demi Moore in Ghost. Tingles curled her toes. She bit back a love sick sigh and wished for a love as eternal.

"Shelley?" Connie sounded shocked. "Did you come to get me out?" Connie flung her bridge cards helter skelter on the bunk and skipped to Suki’s side. She shook the bars as if she could rip them from the wall.

Suki gave her wide berth as she would a rabid animal.

Shelley released Josh’s hands and closed the distance to her mother. "Mom?" Her eyes widened with shock. "What are you doing here?"

Connie chuckled mirthlessly. "I couldn’t miss the hot bridge game." She tilted her head toward Suki’s family. "I’ve been framed. What do you think?"

Shelley’s eyes widened further in her gamin face. Her gaze traveled from Suki’s family to Suki. "Why are you in here, Miss Suki?"

Suki sighed. "It’s a very long story..."

Connie snorted. "You’ve got nothing but time. Of course," she paused and perused the golden girls. "You could tangle with the card sharks to kill some of it."

"Stop jumping me! You don't have the strength for one raise." Beatrice chuckled.

"She won’t protect your honor like I would, big sister," Margaret promised.

"Get me out of here before they drive me to drink," Connie pleaded. She clutched Shelley’s hand and held onto it as if she were drowning.

"Dejavu vu," Kyle whispered from the cell next door.

Suki tried to suppress the giggle that bubbled in her throat. She put her hand over her mouth.

"Well, I guess we'll go home now," Beatrice informed everyone within shouting distance. "This is the last rubber."

"Oh, Deputy Hank!" Connie called in a bored imitation of a sing-song voice. "They used their last rubber. They’re ready to go home."

Suki burst out laughing. She turned her back immediately and tried to get a grip on herself.

Kyle’s deep chuckle cloaked her like a thick comforter.

"Mom!" Shelley’s cheeks flushed as red as a Valentine’s heart and her eyes mirrored her confusion. "I can’t believe you’re saying such things. What’s wrong with you?"

"Nothing that a healthy dose of freedom won’t cure. And a good attorney." Connie’s features twisted into a wry grimace.

"What’s freedom?" Josh scuffed the toe of his boot on the cold concrete floor. Then, he spoke Sotto voce. "Freedom’s but a dim memory. A sparrow soaring in the breeze. A cub leaving his mother. A young man leaving home." He recited his piece as if he were a poet, with his hand held dramatically over his heart, pondering his feet as if they held the secrets of eternity.

Suki listened with surprise. Maybe computers wasn’t her son’s calling after all. "I should get you an appointment with the Royal Academy," she muttered under her breath.

Shelley abandoned her mother. She fairly floated to Josh as if he’d just returned from war. "Oh Josh, Darling. This horrid dungeon is no place for you..."

"It’s no place for me either!" Connie called. "Call your grandfather’s attorney. Our’s is a good for nothing, two-bit, rotten scoundrel..."

"He couldn’t get you out?" Suki asked in commiseration, a wry smile twisting her lips. She knew the feeling.

Connie kicked at the air with her toe. "Does it look as if he sprung me? I’m just here for the bridge." She scowled at Suki. "I’m definitely not here for Hank’s mother’s five star cuisine."

Suki lifted both eyebrows and hid a small smile. She turned her sights on the soap opera unfolding across the corridor.

Shelley reached through the bars of Josh’s cell and grasped his hands as if she held a lifeline.

Josh lifted her hand to his lips and kissed each finger tip.

"He sure didn’t get that from his father," she sighed dreamily. "I wonder if we’re related to Clark Gable? Or Cary Grant?"

"Hey!" Connie yelled. "Stop touching my little girl."

"She’s not a little girl anymore." Suki put a gentle hand on Connie’s arm. "Take a good look. She’s almost a woman. Don’t they look sweet?"

Connie turned a glare cold as a glacier on the young couple. She opened her mouth to speak, then shut it. After a few moments perusal, her gaze softened.

"I don’t want her to get pregnant like I did..." Connie gasped. Her complexion turned ashen. Remorse filled her eyes. Her bottom lip trembled. "I didn’t mean to say that."

"Is that why you’re so against them?" Suki felt a stirring of compassion and comprehension. "You’re afraid history will repeat itself?"

"Yeah." Connie trembled like a leaf and held herself tightly. She seemed to exert great effort to bring herself under control. She shot a look of envy at Suki. "You wouldn’t understand what it’s like...staying home with a baby instead of going off to college with all your friends. Like you did."

"Are you jealous of me?" Suki asked in wonderment. "Why didn’t you go back to school when Shelley and Brent were in school? What stopped you?"

Connie laughed dryly. "Howard. He had very set ideas on what his wife should be. What she should do. Being a college student or a career woman didn’t fit his image of the corporate wife." Her eyes focused on a distant spot.

"Was it that bad? I always thought you had the perfect life. A beautiful home. Terrific children. Pillar of the community..." Suki spread her hands before her.

Connie shrugged and blinked. Her blue eyes looked glassy as if she fought unshed tears. "I guess I’d be ungrateful if I said that wasn’t enough. That I’m not fulfilled." She twisted her wedding band around her finger. "Do you know what it’s like to live your life through your husband? Then through your children? Knowing you could have been more, but you didn’t have the gumption to go after the gold star?"

Suki held up her own hand, squinting at the bare ring finger. "Oh, I think I have an idea."

Connie snorted. "You have a teaching degree. You have your art. Your music. And your career. And a family that loves you..." She drew a shuddering sigh and glanced longingly over her shoulder at the loud bunch in the corner who were tossing cards around as if they could care less if they were never released.

"My life’s not always a bed of roses. But it’s not bad." Suki looked at the half foot of concrete separating her from Kyle and wondered if heaven were in the next room?

She donned her teacher’s hat. "You could go back now. There’s a lot of scholarships for women."

Connie’s gaze snapped to hers. She regarded her critically. "You think so?"

"I know so." Suki turned Connie gently and nodded her head at Josh and Shelley still cuddled as close as they could get with the cell bars between them. "Meanwhile, count your blessings."

"They’re certainly devoted to each other..." she said with uncertainty.

"Without a doubt," Suki agreed. A devilish grin split her face. "You know we may end up being in-laws?"

"Heaven forbid," Connie chuckled. "Goose Creek would never be the same."

"Wouldn’t that be wonderful?" Suki thought it sounded like Utopia. Hope leaped in her heart. The lamb and the lion would lay down together.

Connie watched the love birds whispering across the corridor for several moments without replying. A myriad of expressions crossed her features. Finally, she bestowed a half-smile on Suki. "So long as it’s at least six years before they marry and Shelley finishes college," she decreed.

"Don’t worry. Josh and I had a long talk. He’s not ready for marriage or children." Pride welled in her heart when she looked at her son. "He wants to earn his college degree before he does anything else." Her smile faded. "If he’s not in jail. If this doesn’t wreck his future." Her voice faded to almost nothing.

"Let’s pray that doesn’t happen."

Astonishment rendered her speechless for several moments. "Thank you," she whispered.

Connie stuck her hand out to Suki. "Times change. My future son-in-law needs to be able to support my only daughter in style."

Suki hesitated for a moment. Then she put her hand in Connie’s and shook. "Truce?"

Connie’s glance shifted to her daughter and paused. Then it swung back to her. "Truce." She turned on her heel and plopped on the cement bunk next to Beatrice. "Deal me in."

"Suki. Now that the touching scene is over, we need to talk," Kyle said in a hushed whisper.

She saw his hand reaching out for her and she tried to link her fingers through his. The best she could manage was to touch his finger tips. Even that tiny contact infused her with warmth and helped chase away the demons that tormented her.

"What did you find?" Kyle asked in a low voice.

Suki looked around her to ensure no one was watching. She slipped the folded paper from her sleeve and held it in her fingers until she felt him grab it. "I don’t know if it’s anything, but it looked odd."

Kyle didn’t say anything for a few moments and she missed the warmth of his touch. "Interesting. Casey missed a promotion a few months ago. He was none too happy about it."

"There was more." In her mind’s eye she saw the glaring red scrawl spewing fury at the school, at the county, at the world in general. "He’d written all sorts of angry comments on the other stubs. I didn’t have time to snag them..."

"Uhm. Maybe there’s something here." She heard the paper rattle as if it were being folded.

"What did you find?"

"A signature."

Suki’s heart quickened. "Was it Casey’s? Did he do it?"

"It didn’t say Arnold Casey if that’s what you mean."

Her heart beat slowed and disappointment surged through her. "Then we can’t prove anything..."

"Maybe. Maybe not. With what you found, maybe we can trick him into confessing."

"We could if we weren’t stuck in here." Her gaze traveled over the dismal surroundings.

"Then we have to get out..." His tone sounded dangerous and her ears perked up.

"A jail break?" she gasped. She glanced over her shoulder to ensure the policeman hadn’t heard her startled words. Relief flooded her when she saw that he was cozying up to her mother and wasn’t paying attention to anybody else.

"Not exactly what I had in mind..." he drawled. His fingers wiggled through the cell and she touched his fingertips again. Electric current jumped between them and she nursed the warmth that enveloped her.

"Do you have a plan?" She glanced at Josh who lounged on his bunk across the corridor.

"Have you noticed that Deputy Hank’s sweet on you?"

Suki was startled. She hadn’t expected that. "N-no." Then she bit her lip and thought back. "Well, he had a crush on me in high school. Then I married Sam and he married Barbara Ann Kushner. They divorced about the same time Sam and I did..."

"Maybe if you reason with him, he’ll let us out..."

"And if he won’t, then what?"

"Flirt with him."

"What?" She snatched her hand away from his, appalled. "I can’t do that!"

"Do you want to see Josh and Mitch in the federal pen?"

"That’s cruel." She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the cell wall, pain engulfing her when she thought of her son living with hardened criminals.

"It’s realistic. If Casey finds out we’re onto him before we confront him, he might leave town or cover his tracks. We need to move fast."

"I think you highly overestimate my persuasive powers..."

"On the contrary," Kyle drawled. "You underestimate your powers. You put me under your spell. I’m a goner."

Suki’s heart lurched and warmth coiled inside her. "Stop being so sweet," she murmured under her breath. "It’s not fair."

He was being sweet. And supportive. He’d landed himself in jail for Josh and his only thoughts were for the boys, not for himself. She realized how much she’d misjudged him.

"Suki? You can do it. I have faith in you."

Deputy Hank appeared as if conjured up by their thoughts.

"Here goes nothing," she whispered, then sashayed to Hank. She glanced at her mother, studying her under the veil of her lashes. She needed pointers on how to flirt and Judy was the unqualified expert.

"You’re looking good today, Hank. I loved your mama’s stew." She trailed her fingers lightly over his arm and gazed into his eyes as if he were the only man on earth. "Do you think she’d give me the recipe?"

"Mama will be pleased to hear that. But she won’t give you her secret recipe. She won first prize at the county fair with it." He leaned against the cell bars, beaming at her with pride in his eyes.

"You know, Hank, I was thinking..." She let her voice trail off seductively and blinked at him innocently.

Hank leaned closer. "What were you thinking?"

"Well..." She glanced around the cell furtively, her flesh tingling when she met Connie’s accusing glare. She rubbed her sweater between her finger and thumb. "It’s rather private. Everybody will hear me if I say it here. And I don’t want anybody but you to hear this..."

Hank looked taken aback. "Maybe if you whisper in my ear." He leaned closer.

She whispered, "Let’s talk in your office. You can trust me."

Hank gazed at her, as if assessing her. "A few moments won’t hurt, I s’pose." He put his key in the door and turned the lock.

Suki slid through the narrow opening.

Connie jumped to her feet. "Finally! The Parents Moral Society Coalition will hear about this. You can’t treat me like this and get away with it. I’ll have your badge." She tried to march through the door but Hank closed it in her face.

"PMS doesn’t frighten me. Leave my granddaughter alone before I put you into next week." Beatrice glared at Connie.

"But..." Connie spluttered, pulling on the bars.

Beatrice moved into Connie’s personal space. "I’m tired of your mouth and I won’t have it. Now sit!"

Connie glared at Beatrice then sulked to the corner of the cell.

Suki winked at Kyle who looked sexier than sin leaning against his cell door. She waved to Josh.

When they were alone in Hank’s office, he asked, "What did you want to tell me?" He perched on his desk and leaned towards her. His teeth flashed at her like neon signs.

"My son’s being set up. We think Arnold Casey, the school computer wizard, is behind this. We were gathering proof last night when you arrested us..."

Hank held up his hand. "Whoa! Slow down. What’s this you’re spewing?"

"Josh and Mitch were set up. Framed!" She jumped out of her chair and paced the room. "We found some evidence that will clear my son." She turned and gazed imploringly at Hank. She crossed the room and took his hand between hers. "But we can’t prove it unless you let us out. Will you help us?"

Hank removed his hat and shoved his hand through his springy brown hair. "I don’t know that I can do that. Sheriff Naylor left me in charge while he’s gone..."

"You’re in charge. Your word’s law in these parts." She inserted all the pathos she could muster into her voice. "Please help us. You don’t want to see two innocent kids railroaded while the real criminal gets away."

Deputy Hank looked as if he warred with himself, his gaze never leaving her face.

"Please. It would mean so much to me." Suki wasn’t beyond groveling for her son’s sake. "You can come with us. In fact, we’d welcome your help."

"How can I help?" he asked after a pause so long she thought the subject was closed without a trial.

She bestowed a winning smile on him and heaved a sigh of relief. "Can we bring Kyle in here and we’ll decide that together?"

Chapter Sixteen

Monday morning, Suki, Kyle and Deputy Hank arrived at Taravella High before the dawn lifted it’s cheery face. They set up their evidence as agreed upon and ran through some rehearsals, trying to anticipate every turn the showdown could take.

Suki’s skin crawled with trepidation as she waited and worried that Arnold Casey might not show. Maybe he’d sensed a trap. Maybe he’d left town. Maybe he’d be so cool, he wouldn’t crack under pressure. Maybe he wasn’t guilty...

Her gut told her he was guilty, however. But why would he frame two innocent kids? Why her son?

Warm hands dropped on her shoulders and started to massage them. "It’ll be okay," Kyle murmured in her ear. His hot breath tickled her ear and she shivered. "If Casey has a trace of guilt, he’ll crack."

"And if he doesn’t? What then?" Her voice was barely audible. "What will happen to Josh?"

"You’re worrying prematurely. If Casey’s not the guilty party, we’ll find who is. I won’t give up till we clear Josh." His heat seeped into her back and she leaned back slightly, taking comfort in his strength.

She reached up and took his hand. Turning it, she dropped a kiss in his palm. "Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me? We’ve not caught the culprit yet."

She turned and gazed up at him, still holding his hand between hers. A soft smile curved her lips. She couldn’t muster much more. "For standing by my son. By me."

He drew her up and cradled her face, peering into her eyes. "I’m glad you see it."

They gazed at each other, forgetting Hank’s presence. Kyle’s lips descended to hers and Suki didn’t spare a thought to resistance.

Static crackled and Hank spoke lowly into his radio. Then he cleared his throat and she awoke from her stupor, drawing back a pace from Kyle.

"Get in your places. He’s coming." Via radio, he gave further instruction to his junior deputies under cover in the hall.

Suki drew away from Kyle, returning to her appointed place.

Kyle stretched out in front of the computer terminal, his legs propped up on the table as if he hadn’t a care in the world. He looked as suave and sure of himself as James Bond. He folded his hands in his lap. The evidence was lined up in a neat row before him.

Deputy Hank stood in the shadows.

They didn’t have to wait long. Carefree whistling preceded Casey’s advent. It rankled that he could be so happy when the two boys had been jailed all weekend. Didn’t he care? Didn’t the man have a conscience?

The whistling stopped abruptly when he threw his door open and spied Kyle smiling at him like a lion licking his chops.

Suki held her breath, the oxygen burning her lungs. She could’ve heard a caterpillar spinning its cocoon in the ensuing silence.

Casey stood transfixed, his eyes narrowed. A shuttered expression flickered across his eyes. His face turned to stone.

Kyle cracked his knuckles over his knees.

"What are you doing in my office?" Casey only had eyes for Kyle. Apparently, he hadn’t seen Suki or Deputy Hank.

Kyle let him stew for a few minutes before deigning to answer. "What are you doing poisoning the computers with your virus?" He lifted a satirical brow.

Thunder rolled across Casey’s eyes and Suki watched him as she would a tornado. "You’re talking crazy. I did no such thing." He closed the door behind him and locked it.

Trepidation lurked along her nerve endings and she stood petrified. She felt as if she was watching a mystery play.

Kyle picked up one of the pay stubs riddled with so many red words and exclamation points it looked as if blood dripped from it. "I think differently. Recognize this?"

The thunder spread to Casey’s features. He stomped across the room and snatched the paper and stuck it in the shredder. "You have nothing."

"Au contraire, Arnie," Kyle drawled, letting his legs fall to the floor one at a time, then drawing himself to his full height. "We filmed all the evidence and Deputy Hank has it locked up downtown."

Casey’s complexion paled. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. His mouth opened then shut without issuing a sound.

"Why’d you let two innocent kids take the rap for your crimes? What’d they do to you?" Kyle took two steps forward.

"Those pay stubs only prove I was disgruntled about my demotion...and the budget cuts. A demotion you know I didn’t deserve." Bitterness threaded his words.

"We found your signature in the virus." Kyle smiled crookedly, taking Suki’s breath away.

"But I didn’t use my name..." He drew up short, as if realizing his mistake too late. "We?"

Suki stepped into the light. "We."

Casey’s gaze shifted to her. "Everybody knows you and your kid are trouble. Your whole family’s nuts." He chuckled maniacally.

"How could you do this to innocent boys?" Her voice was barely audible, but highly accusing. "A man wouldn’t pin his dirty work on kids."

"It’s your word against mine." His gaze shifted between Kyle and Suki haughtily. "No one will believe you. My confession’s worthless..."

"I believe her," Kyle said with conviction.

"So do I." Deputy Hank divorced himself from the shadows. "That sounded like a confession to me. How about if you take a little ride with me and we have a nice long chat at the station."

"Look, I wasn’t going to let the boys take the rap. I was going to miraculously kill the virus, restore the system and be a hero. Then you’d have to give me what I asked for. I’d have said that somebody else framed the kids..."

"How convenient of you to say so now," Kyle drawled. He picked up another pay stub and dangled it in front of Arnie. "It’s a little hard to believe you at this point."

"No one’s hurt?" Suki teetered on the edge of hysteria and pointed an accusing finger at Casey’s chest. "My son’s been jailed all weekend. He’s been slandered and humiliated. The PMS wants to take my job. No one’s been hurt?"

"Settle down, Suki. You won’t lose your job. The boys’ will be freed."

"Not if he had his way," she said scathingly. She walked over and stared him in the eye. "You’re despicable."

"Let’s take you to the station and get you fingerprinted." Deputy Hank said as he crossed the room.

"Don’t I get my rights? I’ve been framed." Arnie broke for the door, fumbling with the lock. "This is entrapment," he muttered.

Deputy Hank and Kyle dashed after him. Half way out the door, they apprehended him and a scuffle ensued. Three junior deputies blocked the door’s exit.

Casey’s glance overflowed with venom. "I’ve been framed. This won’t stand up in court."

Students and staff crowded around the door like moths drawn to flame.

"Everybody back to class!" Kyle ordered.

"Class hasn’t started yet, Mr. Damian," Stephanie said, giggling.

"It’s high time you arrested her," Gertrude St. Vincent said. She tossed her head and snorted.

"Hush your mouth, Gertie!" Beatrice said, elbowing her way through the crowd, followed closely by Margaret, Judy and Harvey. "You’ve had an ax to grind since Harvey turned his eye on me instead of you."

"What are you doing here?" Suki asked.

"Supporting our girl." Judy bustled through the crowd and hugged her. "We couldn’t miss the best show in town."

"But you were locked up!"

"Was is right. Hank let us out. The school dropped the charges." Margaret beamed at her. "I brought you some breakfast in case you’re hungry."

"Way to go Miss Suki!" Jason yelled. Other students started chanting their support.

"Does this mean Josh and Mitch are free?" Suki asked, afraid to breathe. Her eyes were glued to Deputy Hank.

Kyle detached himself from the others and joined her. His arm slipped around her waste. He kissed her cheek and she shivered.

"Seeing we have a confession, I think they’re off the hook..."

"Yahoo!" Suki yelled, finally able to catch her breath. She threw herself into Kyle’s arms and kissed him without reserve.

Kyle’s arms held her tight, molding her to his body.

Beatrice cleared her throat. "Well, we’re here for the show..."

Kyle lifted his lips and stared into Suki’s eyes. His were dark with passion and something else she couldn’t quite define. Something that made her catch her breath.

Judy elbowed Kyle. "Get on with it. We don’t have all day."

"What’s going on?" Suki asked, eyeing her golden girls.

"Wait!" Wilbur called, dragging Amber behind him. "We want to watch."

"Watch what?" Suki asked, growing more perplexed. She turned a questioning gaze on Kyle. "Do you know what they’re talking about?"

Wilbur put his arm around Margaret. "This will be the best show since Benny Goodman, Baby Cakes."

Beatrice gave Harvey a big smooch.

The suspense was killing her. "What’s going on? What show?"

Kyle bent on one knee and took her hand in his.

The crowd gasped in unison then fell so silent they could hear an eggshell crack.

Suki’s cheeks infused with a warmth that almost suffocated her. When Kyle kissed her hand, she felt the blush cover her entire body. She glanced at the swelling crowd.

Kyle dug in his pocket and pulled out her ring.

Her heart stopped its trip hammering rhythm and she almost collapsed. Her fingers tingled where his touch warmed her.

"Please say yes." He poised the gold band at the tip of her fourth finger. "Marry me, Suzanne." He gazed up at her with big puppy dog eyes.

She felt like a royal princess standing over him. Sam had never had this effect on her. This is what she’d waited for her entire life. Love like she’d never known cocooned her.

"Say yes Mommy!" Amber jumped up and down beside Judy, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Yes," she whispered.

Kyle slipped the ring on her finger. She felt its electric current sizzle through her.

"We didn’t hear you!" Beatrice cupped her hands around her mouth to make her voice louder. "You can do better, Granddaughter."

"Yes!" Suki shouted. "I’ll marry you!"

Kyle rose to his full height. He grabbed her and swung her around. The crowd clapped and cheered. Wolf whistles warred with sighs.

She laughed carefree, planting eager kisses on his lips. "I love you!" she shouted for all to hear. She hoped the whole world heard. The universe! Not a trace of doubt lingered in her heart.

"I adore you," he mumbled against her lips. "I’ll cherish you forever."

Stephanie sidled up to Jason and gazed up at him with hound dog eyes.

Shelley beamed warmly, holding her thumbs up.

"Administration can’t fraternize with the teaching staff!" Luella Amsterdam interjected.

"It’s positively disgraceful!" Gertrude agreed.

"Stuff a sock in it," Beatrice grumbled. "Have your PMS elsewhere. This is a happy occasion."

Luella and Gertrude lifted their chins. Pivoting on their heels, they marched away together.

"Good riddance!" Beatrice mumbled. "We don’t need those spoilsports ruining our party."

Hank ambled up to Kyle with his long lope. He stuck his hand out. "I guess the best man won."

Kyle shook his hand fervently. "Thanks for your help. We’re both eternally indebted to you."

"Can I kiss the bride?" Hank asked, a trace of melancholy in his normally chipper voice. Suki bestowed him with a gracious smile. "Come here, Hank." Hank kissed her square on the lips. Suki squirmed.

Kyle tapped the deputy on the shoulder when the kiss lingered too long. "That’s enough consolation prize, buddy. The lady’s mine."

"Oh, sorry." Deputy Hank pulled back reluctantly, holding Suki’s hands. "I got carried away."

"I’m available." Judy sidled up to him, batting her long eye lashes.

Hank looked uncomfortable. "That’s awfully nice of you ma’am." He fell back a few paces, a blush creeping into his cheeks. "I-I’ve got to get the prisoner downtown." He rushed off, hauling Casey with him.

Judy chased after him and Hank almost ran.

"Let’s spring the boys," Kyle said. "Josh is withering away on that prison food."

"I can’t wait to take him home."

"And my daughter, too. We’ll take Josh and Amber and go get her." Kyle dropped a feather light kiss on her hair.

"Will you be back for supper?" Margaret said.

"Don’t count on it." Suki gazed at Kyle. She had eyes for no one else. "I think you’d better arrange for a substitute to teach my classes."

"Already done." He brushed her hair away from her face and smiled down at her.

"Be back for the party!" Beatrice ordered. "We’re having a humdinger at our place. Eight sharp. Duke wants his favorite piano player to accompany him."

"Isn’t this how you got into trouble in the first place?" Kyle’s smile belied his words.

Suki gazed at Kyle imploringly. "It could be our engagement party."

"I thought we might sneak away to the ski lodge for a few days. I have some vacation time."

"Shouldn’t we save that for the honeymoon?" Her insides fused with warmth. Her lips suddenly felt parched and she licked her lips with the tip of her tongue.

"It could be..."

"But I don’t have any vacation time yet. I can’t get off."

"I think I can arrange that. Leave it up to me. Have I let you down yet?" His eyes darkened until they glowed pure ebony.

"N-no. You’ve been wonderful." She wondered at her own glowing reflection in his eyes. "You’re everything I ever dreamed of."

He pulled her even closer and lowered his mouth to hers. Against her lips, he replied. "I’ll never let you or your kids down. If I love you forever, will that be sufficient?"

She snuggled closer, oblivious of the crowd ogling them as if they were the Sunday matinee. "That’s a good start, Mister." When she parted her lips to him, she gave him the key to her heart and soul.

Over the din of the cheering crowd, she heard Margaret say in an aside to Beatrice, "Do you think they’d go for a triple wedding ceremony?"

Beatrice chuckled in her tittering fashion. "Only if they’re willing to go bungee jumping."

Then her senses were filled with Kyle. His kiss. His touch. His scent. Everyone could have disappeared from the face of the earth and she’d never have noticed.