Free Baby on Board by Lisa Ruff Page B

with a chuckle.
    Molly left the studio and Kate pulled out another blowpipe. She started forming a small glass vase and continued mulling over her situation. When she finished the piece, she looked at it critically and started another. Four hours later, she placed a third vase alongside the first two and the bowl. Kate closed the door to the annealing oven. She ought to be happy; for the first time in days, she had finished four pieces that pleased her. The bowl might even turn out to be one of her best works yet. Her aggravations had finally fueled her art instead of interfering with it.
    Kate turned off the lights and closed the door behind her with a snick of the lock. Outside, she breathed in the summer air, which, despite the heat, felt cool to her after hours in front of her furnaces. She could smell the spicy scent of geraniums from the garden, a welcome change from the acrid odor of hot dichroic. Pulling off her bandanna, Kate ran her fingers through her hair to let the breeze lift and separate the long damp strands. Walking leisurely along the path to the house, she spied a visitor seated on her steps. He rose when he saw her.
    “What are you doing here?” Her question was blurted out without thought.
    “Why, hello, Kate,” Evan McKenzie said. His eyes were hidden by sunglasses, which gave him the appearance of an enforcer. “It’s a pleasure to see you, too.”
    Kate flushed with embarrassment at his pointed pleasantness; her question had sounded rude. “Hello, Evan,” she said, keeping her tone neutral this time. “What can I do for you?”
    He stuck his hands in his trouser pockets. “I’m here because of Patrick.”
    “Oh? Is it any of your business?” Kate moved around him and up the steps.
    He stopped her with a hand on her arm, pulling off his sunglasses to hold her gaze with his own. “He’s my friend. I’m making it my business.”
    Kate saw the determination in his face and sighed. “All right. Come inside then.”
    Evan followed her into the house, down the hall to the kitchen. He took a seat at the table while Kate pulled a pitcher of iced tea out of the refrigerator. She filled two glasses, gave one to Evan and sat down across from him. After drinking deep of the icy liquid, she set the half-empty glass on the table and looked at him expectantly. He fidgeted with his own glass, but didn’t take a sip. She ran a finger over the condensation that had formed on the side of her glass. The room was quiet except for the faint tick of the clock on the wall. Now that he was here, Evan seemed to have nothing to say.
    Finally, he spoke. “Kate. About Patrick—”
    “Did he send you?”
    Evan looked surprised at her question. “Me?” he asked, then laughed once. “I’m the last person Patrick would send as an emissary.” His cool green eyes warmed as he laughed a second time in genuine amusement.
    “Then why are you here?”
    “Because he’s been my best friend for nearly twenty years. I know him.”
    “That’s nice but—”
    “He’s very sorry about what happened on the boat.”
    “I know. I accepted his apology already.”
    “He still feels at fault.”
    Kate rubbed a hand across her forehead. “Look, I know you’re here to help Patrick, but this really is just between him and me.”
    Evan’s gaze sharpened, but his voice remained smooth. “Then why not make an effort to work things out with him?”
    Kate took a sip of tea. “He’s not cut out to be a father.”
    Evan snorted. “Come on, Kate. Who really knows what kind of parent they’ll be before they’ve got a kid to practice on?”
    Kate opened her mouth to speak, but Evan beat her to it. “You haven’t seen all sides of Patrick. He’s great with kids. Have you ever seen him around his family?”
    “No. I’ve only seen him with Ian.”
    Evan leaned forward and shoved the glass of tea to one side. He clasped his fingers together and surveyed her coolly. “What if I told you that family was one of the most