The Christmas Clock and A Song For My Mother - Kat Martin Page 0,19

with the bag that held her lunch: a turkey sandwich, an apple, a bag of Fritos, and a Snickers bar for dessert.

The dock moved under her feet as Teddy led her forward, stopping right next to Joe.

“Me and Joe—we caught four fish! Look how big this one is.” Teddy proudly held up one of the fish which was at least eighteen inches long. “Joe says he's gonna fry him for dinner.”

Syl looked up at Joe.

The fake smile he mustered lifted the edges of his mouth. “You always did like to come out to the lake.”

Syl flushed. They used to park at the lake as often as they could. This wasn't the same lake where they had made love but the reference was clear. Syl had never forgotten that night. Apparently, Joe hadn't, either.

For Teddy's sake, she managed a smile. “It was such a nice day, I thought I would treat myself to a picnic.”

Teddy grinned. “We were just gonna eat our lunch, weren't we, Joe? Why don't you come and eat with us?”

Joe's face was a thundercloud. She racked her brain for some excuse not to join them but her mind refused to come up with anything remotely believable.

Teddy dropped the fish into a woven creel sitting at Joe's feet. “Come on, Joe, I'm hungry. I bet Miss Winters is, too.”

She had been hungry when she arrived at the lake. Now she couldn't imagine swallowing a single bite of food.

Joe picked up the creel and slung it over his shoulder. He'd always had wide shoulders, and if anything, they were even more muscular now. He grabbed a pole and handed it to Teddy and picked up his own and the three of them started back down the dock.

There were tables along the edge of the water. One of them had a red-checked plastic cloth draped over it and a brown paper bag sitting on top.

“Joe made roast beef sandwiches,” Teddy said. “They're my favorite.”

Still scowling, Joe reached into the bag and started setting paper plates out on the table. He set one down in front of her, along with a paper napkin for each of them. A cooler rested at the far end of the table.

“We've got Coke,” Joe said. “I know you women usually drink Diet.”

“Regular's fine. It's a picnic. I get to splurge.” Joe put out the food, Syl put out the lunch she had brought and they sat down on benches across from each other. As Teddy kept up a running conversation, eventually the tension in Joe's face began to ease. Teddy smiled up at him, and Joe smiled back. He had always liked children. It was clear he had come to care a great deal for Teddy.

“Can I fish some more?” the boy asked, the first one to clean up his plate.

“Don't go out on the dock. You can fish off the bank at the edge of the water. Just be sure to stay where I can see you.”

Teddy looked wistfully at the dock where they had caught the big fish but didn't complain. He was such a sweet boy. Maybe Joe would be willing to take him if it came to that. The thought abruptly faded. Joe was a convicted felon. There was no way they would let him have the boy.

“So how's work going?” he asked, which returned her attention to Joe. She could feel his gaze on her and ignored a thread of longing.

“I got lucky. I've always liked nursing and Dr. Davis's office is a really good place to work. I'm also taking night classes to get my requirements to become a physician's assistant.”

“Good for you.”

“What about you? Mary says you're buying Mr. Murdock's interest in his auto repair shop.”

He nodded. “Bumper wants to retire. I own half the place already. At night, I'm taking business classes at the college. I plan to open repair shops all over the state.”

“You'll do it. You always did what you set out to.”

His smile turned feral. “You're taking night classes and so am I. Maybe we'll run into each other at school. It'll be just like the old days.”

The words knifed into her heart. “Joe ... I know ... after what I did ... we're never going to be friends, but—”

“You're right, Syl.” He straightened on the bench, a move that made him look even taller than he usually did. “The last thing I want is to be your friend.” His eyes ran over her in a way they never had before and a little