LITMIR.BIZ

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night. I have this client who’s driving me crazy. I’d tell her to forget it, but I took the job, so I’m going to get it done right. Damn work ethic. It gets me in trouble every time.”

      He was smiling as he spoke. There was humor in his dark brown eyes. She found herself staring into them, as if she could… What? Get lost there? How weird was that?

      “She’s fed and she doesn’t get much homework yet, so that’s not anything you have to deal with.” He glanced at his watch. “Let her watch TV another thirty minutes, then she can get ready for bed. She’ll get changed and brush her teeth by herself. Maybe you could read a story with her, if that’s not too much trouble.”

      “I would love to,” she said honestly. Spending time with Amy was easy. She’d always wanted kids and being around Wyatt’s daughter helped fill that empty part of her.

      “Great. Thanks. I really owe you.”

      He was smiling again. Had he always been so tall? He was much taller than her, and more muscled than most of the men she knew. He also dressed differently, wearing jeans and a plaid shirt rather than a suit or anything designer.

      “Claire?”

      “Hmm?”

      “You okay?”

      She blinked and looked away. “Sorry. I was thinking about something. I’m fine. Go meet with your client. I’ll take care of Amy.”

      “Thanks.”

      He touched her arm. It was nothing—a light brush of his fingers. But she felt the contact all the way down to her toes. It made her want to lean in to him and… And…

      Then he was gone. Before she could even figure out what she wanted. A kiss? What would a kiss with him be like? He was probably the kind of guy who liked to be in charge, which was okay with her. It wasn’t as if she had a ton of experience and someone needed to know what he or she was doing. Better him than her.

      She heard running footsteps on the hardwood, turned and saw Amy racing toward her.

      “Hi!” she said, then braced for impact as Amy threw herself into her arms.

      “You’re here,” Amy said, looking up at her and smiling. “I’m glad.”

      “Me, too. Your dad left instructions.”

      Amy wrinkled her nose.

      Claire laughed. “Hey, they’re not bad. You can watch TV until you have to get ready for bed. Then we’ll read a story together. I think that sounds like fun.”

      Amy signed, “Okay,” then asked, “Do you want to see my room?”

      “Sure.”

      The eight-year-old took her hand and led her through the house.

      Claire had a first impression of large rooms filled with light. Hardwood floors stretched throughout the house. She saw a big dining room, a study that she would guess Wyatt used for working at home, a huge kitchen, a downstairs bath and a media room that had more equipment than she’d ever seen at a theater.

      A wide curving staircase led to the second story. Amy’s room was the first bedroom on the left—a bright, open space with a window seat, a bed covered with pillows and stuffed animals, a child-size desk and a big bookshelf.

      The walls were pale lavender, the comforter a floral fabric of various shades of purple. A big dark purple rug covered most of the hardwood floor.

      Claire turned in a slow circle. “Hmm. I wonder what your favorite color is.”

      Amy laughed, then took her hand and pulled her onto the window seat.

      Claire was shown favorite dolls and stuffed bears, several board games and a dozen or so books that all looked well-read. Then Amy opened her nightstand drawer and pulled out a framed picture.

      “My mom,” she said, handing it to Claire.

      Claire wasn’t all that excited about seeing the former Mrs. Wyatt, but didn’t know how to politely decline. So she took the picture and braced herself for someone extraordinary.

      Shanna Knight was beautiful. A stunning blond with short, layered hair and a smile that could sell toothpaste. She had pretty features, a perfect mouth and a gleam of mischief in her eyes. No wonder Wyatt had fallen for her. But why had he let her go?

      “She’s very pretty,” Claire said.

      Amy took back the picture. “She’s in Thailand.”

      Claire couldn’t have heard that right. “Where?”

      Amy finger spelled the word. It was Thailand.

      “What is she doing there?”

      Amy shrugged. “I don’t know. She left when I was a baby. Daddy says it’s not because I’m deaf, but maybe it is.”

      Amy both spoke and signed, so Claire wasn’t sure she understood everything the girl said, but she caught most of it.

      What was she supposed to say? That it was all right? It wasn’t. She couldn’t imagine someone simply abandoning her husband and newborn daughter, yet that is what had happened. Even if Shanna and Wyatt had come to hate each other, wouldn’t the other woman still want to be closer to her child?

      It was a sad situation. Families shouldn’t be torn apart. She knew that from firsthand experience.

      “Nicole said her mom died,” Amy said. “Your mom, too?”

      Claire nodded. “Nicole and I are twins.”

      Amy’s eyes widened. She signed, “For real?”

      “Uh-huh. Fraternal.” Claire spelled the word slowly. “We don’t look alike, but we were born on the same day.”

      “I want to be a twin,” Amy said with a grin. Her smile faded. “Or have a brother or sister.”

      Claire wondered if Wyatt was seeing anyone. At the thought of another woman, she felt instantly edgy. “Your dad could get married again.”

      Amy frowned as if she didn’t understand the word, then clasped her hands together in front of her. “Married?”

      “Sure. People marry,” Claire made the sign, “again.”

      Amy wrinkled her nose. “Daddy does not have girlfriends.”

      Wyatt didn’t date? Why was that? Had he been so crushed by losing his wife? Claire didn’t want that to be the reason. Not that there was any really great reason for a man to stay single for all these years. Of course it was possible he saw women that Amy didn’t know about. He could be seeing a dozen right now.

      Something else she didn’t want to think about.

      “You could date him,” Amy said.

      Claire opened her mouth, then closed it.

      “Do you like Daddy?”

      “He’s, um, very nice.”

      Claire was grateful when that seemed to be the right answer. Amy put the picture of the beautiful Shanna back in her drawer, then took Claire’s hand.

      “Come on,” she signed.

      Claire followed her back downstairs, into a big living room with floor-to-ceiling windows. But what got her attention wasn’t the view or the well-decorated space or the fact that this was obviously one of those rooms people had but never used except when special company came over. What had her heart thudding faster and faster and her chest tightening was the black upright piano in the corner.

      Amy signed something that was probably a version of “play it” or “can you play it.” Claire didn’t respond. Instead she moved closer to the piano, staring at it with a combination of fear and longing.

      She hadn’t played in nearly four weeks. Not since that disastrous performance where

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