LITMIR.BIZ

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television in her bedroom. We can do an official changing of the guard on Monday.” Tricia leaned close to him, sympathetic to his shock. “You need to call your brother David.”

      His mouth hardened. “In the meantime, may I speak to you in the hall?” he said, more a command than question, then he left the room without waiting for a response.

      Tricia steeled herself for the discussion. She’d expected surprise and resistance, based on David’s comments, as well as Jessica’s. But having spent the afternoon and evening with his children, she’d decided she would make him hire her. They needed her. Period.

      She set down the book and smiled at the children. “I’ll be back to finish it with you. Why don’t you have a pillow fight or something in the meantime?” She grinned as they looked at each other in astonishment.

      She crashed straight into her new boss as she left the room.

      “What took you so long?” he asked.

      “Ten seconds is long? I was assuring your children that I’d be back to finish reading the story.”

      “Aren’t they kind of old for bedtime stories? They do know how to read.”

      She was definitely going to have more problems with the father than the children. And, really, someone should’ve told her how incredibly attractive the man was, with his rich dark brown hair and eyes, and all that height and broad chest and shoulders. Too bad he didn’t have a funny bone.

      “Personally, I still love a good bedtime story,” she said, realizing he was waiting for her to answer.

      He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I take it Jessica is quitting.”

      “That’s the scoop.”

      “And my brother found out and intervened and hired you.”

      “Yes. I imagine he’s waiting to hear from you.”

      “Oh, he’ll hear from me, all right.”

      She wouldn’t want to be on the other end of that call.

      “What’s your background?” he asked.

      “Kindergarten teacher.” She figured he didn’t need to know yet that she hadn’t taught for five years. “Jessica showed me the curriculum. It looks doable.” Just needed a little shaking up to add some fun to the program.

      He angled away from her. “I’m going to talk to Jessica, then call David. Please come to my office when you’re done reading to the children. Do you know where it is?”

      “Jessica gave me a tour.” Seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, three stories. The tour lasted half an hour.

      “Good.” He started to walk away.

      “I’m sorry. I must have interrupted your saying good-night to your children,” she said cheerfully.

      He gave her a long look then sidestepped around her and went back into the room. She followed, wanting to watch them interact.

      No pillow fight going on, but that wasn’t a surprise.

      “So. Another change,” Noah said, standing in the middle of the room between the boys and girls. “I’m sorry.”

      “It’s okay,” Ashley said with a smile.

      “No, it’s not okay,” Noah said after a long moment. “I’ll fix it.”

      The girls were sitting cross-legged on the bed. He ruffled their long, strawberry-blond hair and said good-night, then did the same with the boys, who were so similar in coloring to their father, dark hair and eyes. They each said, “Good night, Father,” in return. He nodded at Tricia as he left the room.

      She picked up the book again. She only had three pages remaining to finish the story and figured he would need some time to take care of his business. She started reading, noted that the children got caught up in the story again instantly, their expressions rapt.

      Ashley applauded at the end. She was easy to distinguish from her twin, Zoe, because Ashley almost always smiled, while Zoe rarely did.

      “I guess it’s time for bed?” Tricia asked them, thinking it was early for twelve-year-olds, but they didn’t complain.

      The boys grabbed their beanbag chairs and headed for the door.

      “I’ll come say good-night,” she said to them.

      They looked at each other. “Why?” Adam asked. Tricia had noticed that Adam often spoke for Zachary, too, after exchanging a look. But Adam and his sister Zoe were also similar in that they were constantly moving. Even if they were sitting, their feet were rarely still.

      “Because I like to,” Tricia said to Adam. “I think it’s a nice way to end the day.”

      Again the boys looked at each other. The overly quiet Zachary shrugged and left. Adam followed.

      “You’ll be here on Monday, right?” Ashley asked as she climbed under her blankets.

      “Your dad will make the final decision, but I sure hope so. I’m looking forward to it.”

      “Why?” Zoe asked from her side of the room.

      Zoe was easily the most intense of the four, the one to question why.

      “Because I like you,” Tricia answered.

      “You don’t even know us,” Zoe scoffed.

      Ah, yes. Definitely not one to just go along. “That’s true, Zoe. And you don’t know me yet, either, but I really like what I’ve seen already.” She tucked Ashley’s blankets around her. “Good night. Sleep tight.”

      Ashley clung to Tricia’s arms for a moment, smiling sweetly. Zoe was resistant to being tucked in, so Tricia didn’t try.

      “Do you leave your door open or closed?” she asked. She’d already noted a nightlight on in their adjoining bathroom.

      “Closed,” Ashley said, quickly adding, “but not the bathroom door.”

      The slight tremor in her voice told Tricia all she needed to know. “Okay. Good night.”

      She went down the hall to the boys’ room. The door was already shut, no slit of light under it. She smiled. They had a lot to learn about Tricia McBride.

      She knocked. No answer. She opened the door wide, letting the hall light guide her way. Neither boy spoke. The lumps in their beds remained motionless. In the dark she couldn’t differentiate between the boys and didn’t know which one slept in which bed, either. She took her cue from what surrounded them. One side of the room was military neat. The other was a maze of sports equipment. She headed there first, tripping over a basketball.

      “Good night, Adam,” she said, rubbing his shoulder for a second. He lifted his head in a hurry.

      “How’d you know it was me?”

      “You are one of a kind, young man.”

      A moment of silence, then, “I am?”

      “You sure are. Sleep tight.”

      “Will you be coming back?”

      “I hope so.”

      She moved to Zachary’s bed and repeated her good-night and quick touch to his shoulder. He didn’t say anything until she’d reached the door.

      “I don’t remember your name,” he said in the darkness.

      “Tricia McBride. ’Night.”

      After shutting the door, she leaned against it for a moment, grateful she’d been able to tell them apart, hoping that impressed them in some way.

      Then she headed downstairs to beard the lion in his den.

      Noah drummed his fingers on his

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