Free Wish on the Moon by Karen Rose Smith Page A

straight and tall, his
eyes denying the closeness they'd just experienced.
    ***
    Nora and Mandy were building a bridge with
wooden blocks when Mitch and Laura returned to the house. As soon
as they walked into the kitchen, Nora asked, "How is he?"
    Her worry for Ray touched Laura. It seemed to
be more than concern for a stranger and she wondered again how well
Nora knew her father. "He's doing as well as can be expected." The
lump in her throat threatened to bring tears to her eyes. Before it
could, she hugged her daughter and tickled her.
    Mandy giggled. "Don't, Mommy. My bridge will
fall down."
    Mitch came around to Mandy's other side,
turned the chair beside her around and straddled the seat, his arms
crossed on the top rung. He studied every angle of the structure.
"It's a sturdy bridge. You and Mom do good work. Maybe when you
grow up, you can build real bridges."
    So...something else learned about Mitch,
Laura thought. He believed a man or a woman could be whatever they
dreamed. Interesting.
    Mandy shook her head. "I want to be a
ballerina."
    "This week," Laura mumbled. "Last week she
wanted to be an animal doctor."
    Nora rose and stepped away from the table.
"Mitch, why don't you help Mandy build a tower while I talk to
Laura."
    His brows lifted but he didn't comment.
    Curiously Laura followed Nora to the living
room. She asked immediately, "Is something wrong? I'm sorry we
weren't back sooner. If you want to go home now--"
    Nora's fingers moved nervously. She sat on
the edge of the sofa, looking hesitant to speak her mind. "I don't
want to go home. I...I mean...today and yesterday I felt...useful
again. The kids at the day care center are always glad to see me
but that's just a few hours two days a week. Since I stopped
working, I have a lot of time on my hands. Mitch doesn't want me to
work but he doesn't understand."
    From the little Mitch had said, Laura guessed
Nora had had a hard life and he wanted to make it as easy for her
as he could now. She admired him for that, but she also realized he
wasn't tuned in to his mother's feelings.
    Laura parked next to Nora. "You want to feel
like you make a difference."
    Nora's blue eyes found Laura's.
"Exactly."
    Laura was puzzled. "But why did you want to
talk to me about this?"
    "Because I like taking care of Mandy and I
think she's already fond of me. What are you going to do with her
when you're helping at the store?"
    Laura finally understood Nora's earnestness
and what she had in mind. "Truthfully, I haven't thought about it.
I don't want to put her in day care." To find out exactly what Nora
was thinking, she added, "I guess I could take her with me."
    "The poor little tyke will get so bored,"
Nora blurted out. "Let me stay here and take care of her. I can
cook the meals and take care of details so you can keep your mind
on your dad and the store and have time for Mandy when you get
home." She rushed on. "Have you thought about what you're going to
do when Ray comes home? Someone will have to stay with him for a
while. If I'm here with Mandy, I can look after both of them."
    Laura leaned against the sofa back. "Do you
know what you're thinking about? Taking care of a four-year-old is
hard enough, but Dad could be very demanding."
    "He just needs some tender loving care."
Quickly, she added, "Not that you can't give it to him, of
course."
    Nora's cheeks were pink, her eyes bright.
Laura smiled. Did Nora have an interest in Ray? If so, did Mitch
know? "So you'd like to stay here and take on the monumental job of
taking care of all of us?"
    "Yes, I'd like to do that."
    "Does Mitch know about this?" He could be one
very tall obstacle, though she didn't believe Mitch could refuse
his mother anything.
    "No. I wanted to talk to you first."
    How would Mitch feel about his mother working
for Ray Applegate? "When Dad's feeling better, I'll have to ask him
what he's willing to pay."
    Nora held up her hand like a stop sign. "No,
I don't want money. I've offered--"
    "If we can't pay