Free Gillian's Do-Over by Kate Vale Page A

pointed to the drawing of the trees, in muted shades of green and blue against a golden sky.
    “You don’t have to pay me. I’ll give it to you, but it’s not quite finished. When it is, if you still want it, I’ll be happy to bring it by your office,” she offered. “Payment for getting Nick to leave me alone.”
    He gave her a wry smile. “ My daughter has a rule she insists I follow—I’m only allowed to hang signed originals on my office walls.”
    Gillian laughed. “As if my work would stack up against the masters.” But she couldn’t help feeling pleased. “Thanks for getting me out of a jam with my old boss.”
    “It was my pleasure.”
    They walked out of the espresso bar and toward her house, where she placed her art supplies on the entry porch. While Mo insisted on waiting outside, claiming his shoes were muddy, she changed into hiking shoes and locked the front door behind her.
     
    Two hours later she returned to the house, happy to have enjoyed a quiet conversation with Mo about nothing of consequence while they walked along the shoreline of Green Lake. During their walk, she learned Mo was a widower, and that he planned to work at the local clinic another ten years and then retire. Maybe on a houseboat.
    I think I’ve found a friend . A male friend. What would Quinn say about that? Or Lauren? Gillian chuckled as she imagined Lauren’s comments. A man friend. Not a coworker, or a neighbor, or even a neighbor’s husband. It felt nice knowing Mo, who reminded her of a well-worn shoe, easy to slip on, never making demands. And she hadn’t met him on the internet. Maybe she’d mention that to Quinn.

 
    Chapter 5
    Two weeks later Gillian was squatting on the ground next to the back fence when Quinn jiggled the gate noisily and called out. “Mom! Are you here?”
    “ Next to the climbing roses. I was cleaning out the weeds.” She waved at him as he strode toward her, his hand outstretched.
    “ Here. This is your ticket.”
    “ For what?”
    “ A rafting trip. With Bianca and me.”
    Gillian ’s pulse began to climb. “Me? On water? No. Never. You know I don’t swim all that well.” She stood up and swiped her hands against the legs of her jeans.
    “You don’t have to swim. You’ll be wearing a life preserver. Besides, it will be fun. You need to do more than work in the garden all summer. Man, it’s hot out here.” He wiped his brow of imaginary perspiration.
    “Since you’ve moved back home, you’re getting really bossy.” Gillian sighed, took a seat and angled the umbrella shading the table on the deck so she wouldn’t have to look directly into the sun.
    “You said you were going to ‘do over’ your life. I figured I’d encourage you.”
    Gillian chose to ignore his little jibe. “Bianca’s going, too?”
    “ Yes. She said it was to celebrate finishing her big case in California. You were right. It was the stress that made her think she was pregnant.”
    And you’re glad about that, too, I’ll bet. “Celebration is good.” She’d been meaning to talk to Bianca about her pregnancy scare, but she’d had no opportunity. Quinn’s fiancée was busy looking for another job. Except for a quick meal Gillian had brought to Quinn’s rented townhouse, she’d barely seen the two of them together.
    Quinn poured a glass of water and handed it to her. “It’s good that you had me put up this umbrella last time I came over.”
    She nodded. Maybe this rafting trip would give her time to get to know Bianca, to verify that she was the right person for her son. As if she could do anything about it. She sipped the water, removed her sunglasses and looked at Quinn. “Tell me more about this rafting thing.” She held up a hand when he grinned. “Not that I’m going. Just tell me what you and Bianca are going to do. And why.”
    “It’s on the Deschutes River—central Oregon. One of Bianca’s associates in California did it and he couldn’t stop talking about it. So I got