Afternoon Delight - By Mia Zachary Page 0,31

You have to know the gravity of the situation. I am in the position of deciding the fate of your life for the next several years. Have you nothing to say?”

Bruce sighed deeply, his round face tightening as though he fought strong emotions. His words came out as a broken whisper. “I just…It wasn’t supposed to—I had to do it so Brandon would see…. I’m so sorry.”

Rei’s heart twisted as the boy began to cry in earnest, finally expressing remorse for what he’d done. With prompting from Ms. Green, Bruce haltingly explained that his older brother, Brandon, was a member of the Westmob gang. Bruce thought that if he passed the gang initiation, he could live with his only remaining family instead of in foster care.

When Bruce finished, Frank Dowd stood up. “Your Honor, no matter what his motivations, the fact remains that Mr. Patterson has several cracked ribs and a skull fracture. The brutal nature of the assault precipitated a heart attack. Bruce Grayson’s deliberate, and now it would seem premeditated, act cannot go unpunished.”

“And it won’t, Mr. Dowd. But what I’m seeing here is the act of a child, a misguided and confused child. My ruling is that Bruce Grayson stand trial here in Family Court, with a sentencing recommendation that he receive psychiatric counseling during his time with the California Youth Authority. Mr. Grayson, I strongly suggest you take this opportunity to redeem yourself, to turn your life around and make something positive of it. We’re adjourned.”

Bruce Grayson stared at her in grateful disbelief then nodded his head. For one brief and shining moment, he smiled at her before the bailiff led him out. Rei sincerely hoped Bruce would make the most of the second chance she’d given him and that she’d never see him before her bench again.

Monday, April 14th

Accomplishments: Try sunrise Tai Chi in the park; Sign up for French cooking class; Write a fan letter to favorite author

REI WAS WHIPPING up a cheese and mushroom omelet for supper when the phone rang. The caller ID flashed P.J.’s number as she picked up the handset.

“Will you represent me if I get arrested for popping one of Dad’s friends in the mouth?”

Rei took the sautéing mushrooms off the heat. “Bad day at the office, Peej?”

“This guy all but patted me on the head.” P.J.’s voice raised an outraged octave. “He said that since I’m so interested in this dating service, it must finally be a sign that I’m ready to settle down, implying of course that I should be barefoot and in the kitchen.”

Rei glanced down at her naked feet but decided against mentioning them.

P.J. was still talking anyway. “So have you heard anything yet? Have hundreds of hot guys begged you to go out with them?”

Rei rolled her eyes and began whisking milk into the bowl of eggs. “We just signed up this afternoon. I seriously doubt I’ll hear from anyone this week.”

“You’ll let me know, though, right?” P.J.’s tone had turned unusually anxious.

“This really means a lot to you, doesn’t it? I mean, more than just wanting to make an investment in a promising business.”

There was a pause and then she heard a heavy sigh. “Yeah, this is important, Rei. It’s about proving myself. I know you understand that.”

Kent Hollinger had been dead for over five years, but his ghost and the stipulations in his will still haunted P.J. She was smart enough to control the reins of the finance company—she just needed the chance.

“Yeah, sweetie, I do. I’ll check the e-mail right after dinner, okay?”

Hello, Rei

Welcome to Lunch Meetings. Thank you again for signing up for our services. We hope that this will be a rewarding experience and look forward to helping you find the person you’re searching for. You currently have “4” new messages in your inbox. To access them, go to www.lunchmeetings.net and log in with your user name and password. This is a secure server and you can be assured that each message has been virus-scanned.

Good luck and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

The staff at Lunch Meetings

Four messages already? Rei was impressed and not a little intrigued. She connected to the Internet using the computer in the spare bedroom. If the service got match results this quickly, it was no wonder the business was doing well and P.J. would be smart to invest.

Hi, RLD49

The system said that we’re compatible and I couldn’t wait to introduce myself.

I already have a high level position in waste management