Hard to Resist - By Kara Lennox Page 0,22

were folded in cardboard boxes. She needed a toy box. Shelves. A dresser.

Then there were the dingy white walls, peeling trim and bare lightbulbs, which only looked worse now that the place had been so scantily furnished.

Kat had said she would get around to furnishing the apartment, but somehow, Ethan doubted she had the resources.

“We can get a lot done in a day,” he said. “You know what my mom used to do? When someone new moved onto our block, she would organize a housewarming party. All the neighbors would get together, and they’d paint and fix things up. If the new people needed something like a crib or a high chair, someone always had an extra one.”

Priscilla seemed fascinated. “That’s cool. Something I never had growing up was a sense of community. We all drove into our attached garages and retreated to our yards behind our privacy fences. I knew a couple of neighbors, but that was it.”

“You’ll get community here. We have block parties, tree-planting parties, neighborhood yard sales.”

“So let’s do that for Kat and Samantha,” Priscilla said, catching Ethan’s enthusiasm. “We could call some of the guys from the station—they’re always willing to lend a hand. Although…” She reconsidered. “You think they’d help us? They barely talk to us.”

“We can try. It would be great if we could get it all done by the time Kat and Sam get home.”

Ethan had hoped he could count on at least a couple of the guys to pitch in—for a struggling single mom and her kid, if not for him. But he was surprised by the response. By noon, he had four off-duty firefighters, two of their wives, the neighbor from across the street and his mother committed to the While You Were Out–style makeover.

“Oh, this is pitiful,” his mother said, when she saw the barren apartment. “But, no matter. We can whip it into shape.”

“That’s why I called you, Mom. You’re the general.”

That she was. At four foot eleven and a hundred pounds, with short blond hair and bright pink lipstick, she still had more innate authority than anyone else. She divided the duties and assigned chores, and 250-pound firefighters were jumping to please her.

Tony joined them when he got home after taking his test. He brought a couple of pizzas, just in case anyone needed incentive to see the project through. “Mrs. B!” He folded Ethan’s mom in a bear hug.

“Careful, hon. You’ll get paint on you.”

“That’s what I’m here for. Put me to work.”

In addition to providing helping hands, the volunteers had brought furniture, paint, small appliances and a TV—all perfectly good stuff that wasn’t being used. Ethan went to Lowe’s and bought a new stove and fridge, which he’d intended to do anyway.

This little apartment was going to look ready for a magazine spread, by the time he was done. He couldn’t wait to see Kat’s reaction.

* * *

KAT’S FINAL MEETING of the day was a group counseling session with the Sunset High StrongGirls. She worked through the schools, which were only too happy to refer their “problem girls” to her and give her a place to meet.

This was her original StrongGirls group, and she would always have a special place in her heart for them.

The five girls and Kat met in the cafeteria, rather than in a classroom, so they could sit around a table informally. Kat usually bought them juice or milk from the vending machine and passed out granola bars. For some of them, it was the only healthy food they got all day. Yeah, it was charity, in a way. But they were still kids, and they couldn’t learn and grow to be independent if they didn’t have any fuel for their brains.

The girls greeted her excitedly. “Look, Ms. Kat, look what Tati has!” The speaker was Gwen, a tall, thin African-American girl with an amateur gang tattoo on her arm. She’d broken up with her drug-dealing boyfriend, at last, and was gradually pulling away from the gang herself.

Tati was Tatiana, a fifteen-year-old Hispanic girl with a shoplifting conviction. She’d come into the program with basement-level self-esteem, but gradually she was coming to realize she was pretty, smart and funny.

“What does Tati have?” Kat asked, trying to sound excited and expectant, rather than wary. The girls continually surprised her. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes not so good.

Today’s surprise was a boy’s class ring, heavily taped so it would fit on Tati’s middle finger.

“Nice,” Kat said as she passed out the granola