LITMIR.BIZ

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when we leave here. Dad says a person cruel to animals doesn’t deserve to own one.”

      Tiffany winced at the harshness of the words. Though she agreed with James Bishop’s assessment, she couldn’t help wondering if the punishment was too severe. Tom didn’t seem to be a cruel boy. More a foolish one. And that, hopefully, would be remedied with time. “You don’t need to bring Bandit to the shelter. I can keep him here.”

      The boy shrugged, an I-don’t-care gesture, and kicked at a clump of grass at his feet.

      “Well now, Miz Anderson, that’s kind of you. Come on, Tom, let’s go,” James said as he walked to the edge of the lawn. Tom, too, turned to leave. Tiffany couldn’t let him go. Reaching out, she placed a hand on his arm. He paused, shifting his gaze back toward Tiffany.

      “Tom, how old are you?”

      The boy looked surprised by the question but answered anyway. “I’ll be seventeen in a couple of weeks.”

      “Perfect. I’m doing some renovations on my house. Lots of painting, sanding, refinishing and stuff. It’s slow work. I could use an extra set of hands. Would you be interested?”

      “You mean a job?” Hope flared briefly in Tom’s eyes before he doused it.

      Tiffany held her grin in check. “Yes.”

      “I don’t know much about that kind of stuff.”

      “Neither do I, so we’ll make a good team. Besides I can’t pay a lot. Minimum wage, maybe a little more.”

      “I’m not sure….”

      “You don’t have to decide right now. Talk to your father. See what he says, then give me a call. I work at home so just look up my business number in the directory. I’m listed under Anderson’s Computer Technology.”

      “Tom! Come on. I got things to do.”

      The young man glanced at his father, but hesitated as if afraid that if he left, Tiffany would forget she had offered him the job.

      Tiffany smiled reassuringly. “You better go. Talk to your father, okay?”

      A slight nod was the only response she got before Tom shuffled to his father’s side. The two moved away, walking with the same stoop-shouldered carriage and unhurried stride.

      “The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, did it?” Jake’s voice drifted across the yard and Tiffany smiled toward him.

      “No. Though I doubt they’d acknowledge their likeness at this time in their lives.”

      “Probably not. Too bad Tom’s not living up to his father’s example. James is a good man. A hard worker.”

      “Tom will be, too. He just needs some focus.”

      Jake raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “A lot of folks wouldn’t see it that way.”

      “I’m not a lot of folks.”

      “No. You definitely aren’t.”

      Tiffany wasn’t sure if the statement was a compliment or criticism. She decided to ignore it. “Well, regardless of what other people think, I’m convinced Tom is a decent young man. As for being a hard worker, I’ll find out soon enough. I offered him a job.”

      Something flared in Jake’s eyes and was quickly extinguished. “Hopefully it will keep him out of trouble.”

      “That’s the plan.”

      Jake nodded, his face set in an expression Tiffany couldn’t read. “Good luck. Now, I’d better get the Bishops back home.”

      “All right. Goodbye.”

      “Bye.” As quickly as he had come, Jake was gone and the yard fell into silence once again.

      Letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, Tiffany turned back to the fence. Jake seemed concerned about Tom working for her, though she had to give him credit for not saying as much. She couldn’t help wondering if Brian would be as willing to hold his tongue.

      Shrugging away the worry, she went back to work on the fence, smiling as Bandit slipped out of his hiding place and plopped down on her feet. There were white splotches of paint on his midnight coat, and Tiffany wondered how difficult it would be to wrestle him into a bath. Probably very difficult.

      Oh, well, he looked rather cute with white polka dots.

      She reached into the pocket of her shorts and pulled out an animal cracker, then dropped it down onto the ground in front of Bandit. He inhaled it and looked up for more, the expression in his eyes so soulful, Tiffany had to laugh. “Getting a bit spoiled already, are you? That’s okay, I’m enjoying your company so you deserve a treat.”

      She dropped a few more animal crackers down. “Hey, maybe Brian will stop by later. Add a little life to our paint party. What do you think?”

      The dog woofed a response before dropping his head across Tiffany’s feet. She stepped to the side and lifted her paintbrush, smoothing another coat over the picket. “You know, I think I’m going to like having a dog. Talking to you is so much better than talking to myself.”

      A soft snore was Bandit’s only response.

      “So Tiffany offered Tom Bishop a job and you don’t approve.” Ben Avery’s words were muffled, his face half-hidden by the lid of the tackle box he was searching through.

      Jake waited until his friend was upright in the bow of the boat before responding. “It’s not that I don’t approve. I’m just surprised. Tom’s been in and out of trouble for years. I’d think Ms. Anderson would want to keep her distance. That would be the wise thing to do.”

      Ben chuckled as he pulled his fishing line out of the water and rebaited the hook. “Tiffany isn’t known for making choices based on the world’s wisdom. She makes them based on her heart.”

      “Yeah. I’m getting that impression. Maybe someone should talk to her.”

      “About what? About caring? About giving a chance to a kid who isn’t going to get one from anyone else?”

      “Chances are for people who earn them. Not for smart-alecky kids with chips on their shoulders.”

      “Everyone deserves a chance, Jake. You know that.”

      Jake sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. I know. Unfortunately, experience has taught me that most kids like Tom don’t respond well to second, third and fourth chances.”

      “But some do.”

      “The minority.”

      “That minority would be lost if not for people like Tiffany.”

      “And Will. Look what happened to him.” Jake knew he sounded bitter. He was bitter. William Banks had been his partner for ten years. His best friend for just as long.

      “He was a police officer. His situation was completely different than Tiffany’s.”

      “Not so different.” Jake cast his own fishing line, forcing his emotions down before he continued speaking. “Will was murdered by a kid he’d been mentoring for a year.”

      “I didn’t realize that.”

      Jake shrugged and gazed out over the still water of the lake. “He devoted his life to kids like Tom. Volunteered at the community center when he had time. Tried to set an example of what a man should be. The thanks he got was a bullet to the chest.”

      “And you think the same thing is going to happen to Tiffany?”

      “Who knows? I just hope she understands what she’s getting herself into. All the affection, help and chances in the world can’t change a kid who doesn’t want to be changed.”

      “She’s doing what she thinks is right. Living by the second greatest

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