LITMIR.BIZ

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his eyes dark and serious. “I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you.”

      “You’re not taking advantage. I want to help. I want to be there for Josh.” Seeing him now, after missing him for several days, she wondered if she’d been wrong to compare him to James. “Besides, I owe you for the way you stood up for me with my sister. She told me what you said to her in the cafeteria.”

      Dan scowled. “She needed to hear the truth. But that doesn’t matter, because there isn’t a score card, Molly. Friends help friends without expecting anything in return.”

      “I know.” She kept the smile on her face, even though she feared her cheeks might crack from the pressure. Her instincts were screaming at her that she’d been wrong, but this wasn’t the time or the place to discuss their personal issues.

      He let out a heavy sigh. “I have to go, but I hope maybe after Josh’s party you and I can talk. There are … some things I’d like to share with you.”

      Now he’d intrigued her. “All right.”

      He flashed a lopsided grin and then nodded. “See you tomorrow, Molly.”

      “Until then, Dan.” She couldn’t understand the sudden sadness that nearly overwhelmed her when he walked away.

      She had trouble falling asleep that night, thinking too much about Dan and Josh, and then overslept. When she realized it was almost ten in the morning, she shot out of bed like a rocket.

      Thankfully, she’d already wrapped her present for Josh, hoping he’d like the Yankees sweatshirt she’d bought him, a miniature replica of his father’s. She’d been tempted to get the full uniform, but since she knew he wouldn’t be playing much this year, she’d chosen the sweatshirt instead.

      But she still had dozens of gifts to hide near where they were going to play wheelchair football. She quickly showered and changed her clothes. Once she was ready, she tossed the items in a large reusable grocery bag and then headed down to the subway.

      The ride to Central Park didn’t take long, and she relaxed when she realized she had almost two full hours to get the gifts hidden and the banner ready. Hiding the gifts didn’t take long, and she spent some of her extra time lining up the wheelchairs into two teams.

      As she’d suspected, several kids came early. “Where’s Josh and his dad?” the first mom asked, craning her neck as if to search him out.

      “They’re not here yet. He’s bringing Josh at one-fifteen. The party is a surprise.”

      “Oh.” Her face fell in disappointment.

      Molly tried not to scowl at how the woman was clearly interested in Dan, considering she’d shown up at the birthday party dressed to kill in cream slacks and a red blouse that dipped low enough in the front to show off a fair amount of cleavage.

      “I guess I can wait, then.”

      Molly’s gaze narrowed but she simply shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

      “What did you say your name was again?” the woman asked as she turned to greet the next child.

      “Molly Shriver.” Maybe it was small of her, but she didn’t label herself as Josh’s physical therapist. She turned to the next new arrival. “Hi, welcome to Josh’s surprise party. Thanks so much for coming.”

      By ten after one a large crowd of kids had gathered in the park in front of the wheelchairs. Molly took charge, unrolling the banner and getting all the kids together to hold it up for Josh.

      When Dan and Josh arrived, Josh’s eyes widened in shock as everyone yelled, “Surprise!”

      “Happy birthday, Josh,” Dan said, as he got Josh’s wheelchair out of the trunk. “Guess what? We’re going to play wheelchair football.”

      “We are?” Josh looked as if he was shell-shocked as the kids crowded around and wished him happy birthday before picking out their own wheelchairs.

      “We are,” Molly said, crossing over to give him a hug. “And you’re going to have the advantage in this game,” she whispered, giving him a secret wink. “You know how to use your wheelchair, they don’t.”

      “Oh, yeah!” Josh’s eyes glittered with excitement.

      “Dan? Hi, Dan, remember me? Stephanie Albert?” The woman in the cream-colored slacks that were distinctly out of place here at the park came rushing over.

      “Oh, uh, yeah, sure,” Dan said in a vague, distracted tone. “It was nice of you to bring your son to Josh’s party.”

      “Well, of course I brought him. He’s friends with Josh, isn’t he?” The way Stephanie beamed up at Dan made Molly curl her hands into fists. Not that she had any right to be upset.

      Or jealous.

      “Hey, Molly, what do you think? Should we act as referees?” Dan asked, as the kids started piling into their wheelchairs.

      She hid a grin as the nicely dressed woman wrinkled her nose in distaste. Clearly she wasn’t offering to referee, the way she’d dressed. “Sounds good. We can each coach one of the teams, too.”

      “Excellent plan,” Dan said, ignoring Stephanie as if she didn’t exist. “I brought us whistles,” he said, handing her one of the shiny metal whistles on a chain. “Let’s go.”

      “I’ll pick up Craig later,” Stephanie called out, as if desperate for one last fragment of attention.

      Dan lifted his hand, but didn’t turn around so he didn’t see the way Stephanie frowned and stomped away, like a spoiled little kid who hadn’t gotten her way.

      But Molly sensed that the woman had only retreated for the moment. It was clear she had every intention of trying to be the next Mrs. Doctor Dan Morris.

      A plot that Dan seemed completely oblivious to. Which made her feel ridiculously happy as she hurried after Dan onto the football field.

      Dan couldn’t have asked for a better day for Josh’s birthday party, and he had nearly as much fun as his son. The look of excitement in Josh’s eyes was worth every minute of the seemingly endless preparations.

      “Go, Josh, go!” he shouted, when his son went racing out toward the end zone for a pass.

      “Get him!” Molly screamed to her team, but it was too late. Josh caught the ball and then rolled in for the winning touchdown.

      “Way to go, Josh,” Dan shouted again, all attempt at being impartial gone. “Way to go!”

      Molly threw up her hands in disgust, but she didn’t look too upset when she went over to give Josh a high five.

      “This was too hard,” Craig Albert said, letting go of his wheelchair wheels in a deep sulk. “We should have played regular football.”

      Dan had to bite his tongue to stop himself from pointing out it was Josh’s party, and Josh couldn’t play regular football. He did his best to ignore Craig’s whining. “Good game, everybody, good game,” he said, slapping his hands against each team member’s in a high five.

      “There are prizes hidden around the park,” Molly said, when the kids had gathered in the center of the football field. “You might want to stay in your wheelchairs to find them and there’s one for each of you, so once you find a prize, you need to come back here, okay?”

      “Yay, prizes!” Craig rolled across the grass, but then was the first to abandon his wheelchair, so that he could look for the best hiding places.

      “That kid grates on my nerves,” Dan muttered to Molly, keeping his tone low so that the other kids couldn’t hear him.

      “Really? I thought you were friends with his mother?”

      He stared at her in shock. “Are you crazy? That viper? Where do you think that poor kid gets his attitude from?”

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