Free His-And-Hers Family by Bonnie K. Winn Page A

she couldn’t be a mother without being a woman.
    But there were women. And there were women.
    Somehow, while he was out of the country, she’d slipped from one category to the other.
    The tight, pinched expression, along with the worry that had prompted it, was gone from her face, he realized, making her look younger, more vibrant. Now she certainly didn’t look old enough to have teenage children. Blake watched her quiet competence, the ease with which she presided over the meal, drawing out each of the children. Yet he wondered about the slight flush of her skin, the brightness of her eyes.
    And the kids were cleaning their plates, he noticed. No requests for burgers or pizza this time. And they dug into the fruit-filled dessert with equal enthusiasm. Another one of Cassie’s transformations?
    Cassie turned to Jimmy Ray. “I haven’t had a chance to ask you. How’d the computer project go?”
    “Pretty good, Mama. It’s going to be in the science fair.”
    Cassie clapped her hands together. “That’s wonderful. And to think you were more than a year behind the other kids in the class!”
    Blake thought it was nothing less than amazing. He wished his own executives possessed as much drive as this teenager.
    Kevin snorted. “Yeah, but if you’re in the science fair, you have to waste a whole Saturday sitting around with a bunch of science geeks.”
    Blake cleared his throat. This was treacherous territory. While he wanted to instill motivation in his kids, he didn’t want them to resent being compared to the Hawkins children. At the same time, he didn’t want Jimmy Ray’s accomplishment to be ridiculed. “What’s fascinating to one person can be boring to another. Jimmy Ray might not like spending a day at the beach. He might prefer something else....” Blake searched his mind. “Like a day at the museum.”
    Both Kevin and Jimmy Ray looked at him as though he’d lost his mind.
    “That was just an example,” Blake finished hurriedly, realizing he was sinking rapidly. Avoiding their stares, he made the mistake of looking at Cassie instead. And found himself feeling even more unsettled.
    A tinge of pink still dusted Cassie’s cheeks, and her tongue flicked to one corner of her mouth. Why hadn’t he noticed before how full her lips were? Or their deep rose color, without benefit of lipstick?
    She glanced up at him, and he saw the silver of her eyes deepen before she reached for the pitcher of tea, refilling glasses. He wondered what had prompted her sudden solicitousness. Competence, or nerves?
    “Mr. Matthews is right. You boys both have things to be proud of. Kevin, did you tell your father what you made on your English assignment?”
    Kevin mumbled something unintelligible.
    Blake watched as Kevin uncharacteristically kept his gaze directed at his plate. This was his quick-comeback kid, without one shy bone in his body. “I didn’t hear you, Kevin.”
    “I made a ‘B,’ okay?” he responded defiantly.
    Considering that his average generally hovered between D and F, it was remarkable. More treacherous ground. Blake didn’t want to unseat his progress with too much false-sounding enthusiasm.
    “Sounds good to me,” he replied mildly. “Is this unit something you’re interested in?”
    “Sort of.”
    Blake wondered if digging for gold was as difficult as this. “What was it?”
    “A book report.”
    Which usually earned Kevin a zero, since he hated to read.
    “Must have been an interesting book,” Blake said carefully.
    “It was okay. I’m done eating. I need to meet the guys.”
    “What do you have planned for the evening?” Cassie asked Kevin as she spooned more fruit into the twins’ dishes.
    “Just hanging out at Brian’s, videos and stuff.”
    Blake watched in silent amazement as the exchange continued. Kevin never gave him any details. In fact, he was usually hard-pressed to get him to answer at all.
    “Is all your homework done?” Cassie asked. “You have a math test