LITMIR.BIZ

       CHAPTER SEVEN

      THEY WERE ABOUT to announce the winners.

      Despite Maddy’s warnings about Kaleb not getting too close to her daughter, the little girl had somehow wound up perched on his shoulders. To be able to see the podium, he’d said.

      In reality, seeing her up there melted a bigger hole in what was already a sizable chink in her armor. Kaleb held both of Chloe’s hands, and her small tennis shoes hit him midchest. Even when her daughter kicked her heels against him in excitement, the muscle mass didn’t move. There wasn’t an inch of flab beneath that black polo shirt. But there were dusty scuff marks from where her shoes were draped. Maddy’s heart clenched. Never once had Matthew held their child like this. And he’d never offered to be involved other than to make threats about taking Chloe away from her. That had come from a need to hurt her, though. Not from a need to forge a relationship with his daughter.

      Yet a man who barely knew them had taken it on himself to help make her happy. First with the kite. And now with this whole day, which Maddy had to admit had been pretty darned magical. A better birthday, she couldn’t imagine. Maybe being alone wasn’t such a huge treat after all. But she’d already arranged that her sister would take Chloe for the night. So she was stuck with the consequences of her decisions.

      Unless that dinner invitation Kaleb had mentioned earlier had been real. So far, he hadn’t mentioned it again.

      The loudspeaker gave a loud squeal as everyone gathered back in the main assembly area; the kites that had survived the event were back on display alongside their prototypes. Several prizes were due to be awarded, some based on the creativity of design and other aspects. The grand prize, which included the tickets to the Space Needle and restaurant, was to be awarded to the judges’ overall favorite.

      “The points from our judges have been tallied, and we’ll start with the honorable mention in design and move up from there.”

      The names and prizes soon became a blur, punctuated by small bursts of applause. Fifteen minutes later neither Roxy’s nor Chloe’s kite had been named, and Maddy wondered if her daughter was going to be disappointed after all. Well, that was okay. She would have to learn that life didn’t always reward hard work. There was often an element of luck involved.

      “And now for our grand prize.” From Maddy’s line of sight, the announcer shuffled pages back and forth, his brow furrowed before evidently finding what he was looking for. A smattering of nervous-sounding laughter swept through the room. “You thought I lost it, didn’t you? Yeah, me too. I could just see my spot going to someone else for next year’s festival.”

      He cleared his throat. “Before I announce the winner, though, I want to call Dr. Druthers up to the podium and ask that you all look at the screen to your right.”

      The crowd’s attention shifted to the white area where the monetary goal for the event was listed.

      The hospital CEO trotted up the steps to the podium and moved to the microphones, straightening his tie. His eyes went to the blank screen.

      “We’d hoped to raise fifty thousand dollars for our pediatric oncology department.” He smiled. “Well, folks, thanks to you, we surpassed it. You had those donations pouring in. Our total came to...one hundred and ten thousand, fifty-five dollars and twenty-one cents.”

      Maddy’s eyes widened, especially when the screen flashed the amount along with several pieces of medical equipment that could be purchased with that figure. It was mind-boggling. Maybe it was nothing for Seattle, but for someplace like her hometown that would have been a fortune.

      More applause came, this time the sound deafening. Dr. Druthers turned to the screen, adding his applause to the audience’s. The announcer waited for it to die down before moving back to the microphone and shaking the CEO’s hand. “That is great news for some very special patients.”

      She glanced toward Kaleb to see if he was smiling as much as she was, but he wasn’t. In fact, there was a pale line of pain around his lips that made her wonder if Chloe was getting too heavy for him. Her own smile faded. She touched his arm. He turned toward her, the pain reflected in his eyes as well.

      “Do you want me to take her?”

      If anything, his expression turned even more haunted, but he shook his head, just as Chloe dug her fingers into his hair as if getting ready to hold on for dear life.

      “No.” He swallowed. “She’s fine, as long as you’re okay with it.”

      “Yes, but...”

      Before she could say anything else, the loudspeaker came back to life. “Is everyone ready to hear who our overall winner is?”

      “Yes!” The shout went up as one.

      “All right, then.” The announcer held up his clipboard and peered at it for a minute. “The judges had a hard time picking just one winner, and if it had been based purely on looks and functionality, we might have had a three-or four-way tie. As it was, one entrant added an unusual element to the mix.”

      Maddy’s heart rate picked up, beginning to pump hard in her temples. Surely that had to mean...

      “Our winning entry tugged at the judges’ heartstrings and so the decision was unanimous.” The white-haired gentleman took a dramatic breath. “The prize of four tickets to the Seattle Space Needle goes to Maddy and Chloe Grimes and their high-flying, loud-purring cat, Jetta.”

      Chloe screamed, leaning down and wrapping her arms around Kaleb’s forehead. He seemed to share her happiness, holding her as he turned around in two quick spins. His eyes then met Maddy’s. The somber look he’d had moments earlier faded, and he gave her a smile that turned her insides to liquid fire.

      “Happy birthday, Maddy.” He leaned closer. “If you’ll give me your keys, I’ll load the stuff in your car in a few minutes. Meet me there after you say goodbye to Chloe and Roxy.”

      “Okay.” She swallowed hard, doing her best not to hear any other motive in his words, and dug in her pocket for her keys, handing them over to him. He’d said nothing else about dinner.

      “Come up and get your prize,” the announcer said.

      Happy birthday, Maddy.

      Had those low words held a hint of promise? She really hoped so, because that bubble bath was looking less and less like an attractive option, and more like a lonely sentence.

      Her sister gave her a quick thumbs-up sign. But when Kaleb acted as if he was going to hand Chloe down to her, she made a quick decision,

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