want. I want that girl at my party.â
âItâs Stephenâs party, and believe it or not I was working the other night. Meeting Morgan was business.â
âBest job youâve ever had, then. Iâve never seen that look on your face at the office.â
There was no arguing with her. Especially since he knew she was right. âWe canât keep doing this, you hounding me about my personal life. Please.â There was a long silence, and for a moment he thought the phone had gone dead. âMom.â
âBring her to the party and I will.â
Oh, dear heaven. Gage frowned as a new set of alarm bells went off. âWait. Youâll what? Back off? What exactly does âI willâ mean?â
âIt means.â He knew that âIâm seriousâ tone and embraced the possibilities. âBring Morgan Tremayne with you and Iâll stop pestering you about getting married. I wonât mention grandchildren. To you.â
âFor how long exactly?â He wanted details. Exact details. Carved in stone.
âTwo weeks.â
âSix months.â He sensed freedom in his grasp.
âTwo months.â
âThree and Iâll come for dinner once a month.â Desperation made a man do odd things.
âOnce a week.â
âDeal.â He scrubbed at his eyes. Something told him sheâd made out better than she expected and heâd just gotten screwed. âAm I going to need this in writing?â
âYour father will keep you honest.â
Yeah, thatâs what he was worried about. âIâll see you next Sunday, Mom. Iâll call you tomorrow.â
âI love you, Gage.â
âLove you, too.â He hung up the phone, sat down on the stool beside the workbench, and banged his head on the table. Then he popped up. Shit.
Heâd traded one problem for another. How the hell was he going to convince Morgan to attend a family party with him? And then he remembered.
Gage slid open the bottom drawer of his workbench. He tapped a finger against his lips and grinned. What was it his sister Liza always said?
A woman could never say no to a pair of fabulous shoes.
Chapter Five
âYou knew the rules from day one, Drew. Ditching school is unacceptable.â Morgan shoved the washing machine in place, praying the new water hose would solve the leak issue. Not a good start to her over-scheduled Wednesday. âThe answer is no. No movies. No basketball game. Youâre grounded for two weeks. Kelley. Brandon. Angelaâs waiting in the car.â
âIt was only gym and it was last period.â Anger radiated off sixteen-year-old Drew in waves and Morgan steadied herself to ride the surf.
âDonât care. Ditching is ditching. You have responsibilities, beginning with your education. You donât like the agreement you made when you came to live with us, you know your options.â Since those other options were limited to an extended stay in the juvenile detention center, Morgan considered the topic closed. âYouâre going to be late for homeroom if you donât leave now.â
âThis sucks,â Drew blasted, and for the hundredth time Morgan had to bite her tongue to suggest he get a haircut. She hadnât seen Drewâs eyes in weeks, covered as they were with the too-long sandy brown bangs. His baggy jeans and T-shirts reminded Morgan of a Woodstock documentary reject and made her feel old for complaining about the clothes these young people wore today. More importantly, his attire made it difficult to see if he was maintaining his weight, or if he was showing signs of jaundice, something heâd been dealing with on and off due to the damage the undiagnosed diabetes had done to his organs.
What she wouldnât give to take that black leather jacket that never left his sight to the cleaners for an extended visit.
âI suggest you remember just how much this sucks the next time
Dennis Berry Peter Wingfield F. Braun McAsh Valentine Pelka Ken Gord Stan Kirsch Don Anderson Roger Bellon Anthony De Longis Donna Lettow Peter Hudson Laura Brennan Jim Byrnes Bill Panzer Gillian Horvath, Darla Kershner