Free Liar's Moon by Heather Graham Page B

continuing a little dryly, “Jesse talked about you—quite frequently. But you don’t know Blake. Tracy Kuger, Blake Johnston. Blake, Miss Tracy Kuger, Uncle Jesse’s daughter.”
    Blake stuck a hand out over his father’s shoulder, still watching her with unabashed and blunt curiosity. “How do you do, Tracy?” He said very politely and solemnly.
    She discovered that she could talk after all, that she could give him a deep and natural smile.
    “Very well, thank you, Blake. How are you?”
    “Super! I missed my daddy, but we’re back together, and it’s really okay, you know, because I know that Jamie needed him.”
    “Hey, Leif!” Tiger called out suddenly. “Leif, the press is tearing up the place back here. You want to take a minute and say something so we can get out of here.”
    “Uh—yeah.”
    Leif turned around, setting Blake down. He gazed up at Tracy questioningly, then looked back to his son. “Will you stay with Tracy for just a minute and then I promise I’ll be right back?”
    Blake nodded solemnly. Leif walked away. Tracy felt a little hand fit snugly into hers.
    “I’m sorry about your daddy, Tracy. I loved Uncle Jesse a whole lot. But you mustn’t worry about him, you know. He went up to heaven to live with the angels, and my mother is there, too, so I’m sure he won’t be lonely.”
    Tears pricked her eyes and Tracy decided that it was only because it had been a horribly traumatic day and a worse night. She knelt down beside Blake Johnston, smiling a little to note that he had a small and very stubborn cowlick in his hair—exactly the same as his father’s. While Leif was dark, Blake was a soft blond—but the cowlick was still the same.
    “Thank you, Blake. I’m sorry about your mommy, too, and I’m very glad that she and my dad will be together.” He gave her a very encouraging grin and squeezed her hand. She squeezed his back, thinking what a nice, normal little child he was. He seemed to know that his father was famous—but he didn’t seem to think that he should be especially privileged because of it.
    “Do you know my Aunt Liz?” he asked her.
    Tracy shook her head. Blake dragged her over to where Tiger and Sam were talking to a tall brunette woman. She turned at Tracy’s approach, and Tracy saw another version of Leif’s deep gray eyes. Liz also resembled Leif in her coloring, her elegant height, and in her slow, charming smile.
    “Tracy? I’m Liz. Glad to meet you at last.” She chuckled lightly. “How strange! Leif has been searching high and low for you over the last year—and here you are!” Tracy smiled weakly, startled to hear that Leif’s search for her had been that intensive. She liked Liz instantly. She seemed to encompass all kinds of easy warmth and grace.
    “It’s nice to meet you, Liz,” she said, extending a hand.
    But then she had to stop to wonder if Liz knew anything about what had happened all those years ago, and if she did know, what did she think? Or was Tracy blowing it all out of proportion herself? Maybe no one would really think anything of it at all …
    “Ah, here comes Jamie! Show’s over!” Liz said.
    Jamie came in off the stage, dripping wet with perspiration, grinning from ear to ear. He gave Tracy a sloppy kiss first, hugged Liz, then swept Blake off the floor, while effusively thanking Tiger and Sam for coming on stage with him. Blake giggled away, and then it seemed that everyone was talking at once.
    “Jamie—go take a shower so we can get out of here!” Liz begged at last. “Oh—look. That man from the weekly has Leif over there. He does so hate interviews— but he looks calm. Jamie—go get changed, please. Then give him a few words, too, so we can go somewhere private!”
    “Gotcha, Liz!” Jamie saluted her neatly, then started toward the dressing room. He turned back once.
    “Tracy—was I great?”
    He asked with such eager enthusiasm that she nodded.
    “You were great, Jamie.”
    He blew her a kiss. “So