The Christmas Clock and A Song For My Mother - Kat Martin Page 0,25
them and Syl panicked. He would find the photos she had taken of him! Dear Lord, what would he think?
“Some of these are really nice,” he said.
“Thanks.” She hurriedly reached out to scoop them up but it was already too late.
Joe held up a photo of him and Teddy. “I didn't know you took this. Any chance I could get a copy?”
“Sure." She reached for them again but before she could reach them, he plucked up the one she had taken of him. It was a photo of Joe in profile, his incredible blue eyes and solid jaw, his mouth slightly curved in a smile as he looked down at Teddy, his black hair ruffled by the wind. Joe studied it as if he couldn't quite believe his eyes.
He held up the photo. “Why, Syl?”
She shrugged, though she hardly felt nonchalant. “I like taking pictures. You make a good subject.”
“That's all?”
“I like looking at you. I always have.”
His eyes ran over her in that hot way that made her feel so sexy. “I like looking at you, too.” He took her hand. “Mind if we sit down?”
“No, of course not. I'm just... I'm not thinking very clearly. I was — you know ... surprised to see you here.”
“I'm surprised to be here. Well, not exactly surprised. I've been thinking about coming over for a while. I thought maybe we could talk a little more, see if we can find a way to get past the hurt and pain, get beyond the past… somehow.”
As she stared into his handsome face, an ache rose up inside her. “Do you think we ever really could?”
“Maybe. A lot has happened in both of our lives. Still, when I see you — I can't stop thinking of you, Syl.”
Her throat closed up. “I think of you, too, Joe.” He led her over to the sofa and both of them sat down. She tried not to think how good it was to have him sitting there beside her. “How's Teddy?” she asked.
Joe shook his head. “He's not taking this very well. They've got some kind of child psychiatrist talking to him. At the end of the week, they're placing him in what they call an emergency home. He'll be there until they can find him a permanent placement.”
“I feel so sorry for him. I stopped by to see him a couple of times. He's so completely alone.”
“What he needs is someone who will love him.” Joe raked a hand through his wavy black hair. “I've put in an application to become his foster parent but I don't think there's a snowball's chance in hell they'll let me have him. They do a full FBI investigation of anyone who's interested in providing him a home.”
“I'm sorry, Joe. I know how much you like kids. I could tell how much you cared for Teddy.”
“The system's so screwed up. They'd rather give Teddy to people more interested in the money they'll get for raising him than to someone who would love him and give him a really good home.”
“That doesn't always happen.”
He sighed. “No, I guess not.” He looked so tense, so worried. And weary. Bone weary. For the first time, Syl realized how much Joe had come to love the little boy.
“You want some coffee or something?”
“I'm fine.” He caught her hand a second time. His fingers were calloused, yet his touch was gentle. “I'd rather you just sat here and kept me company. Once, you were my best friend in the world. I could use a friend right now.”
Something soft swelled inside her. It was followed by a tremor of uncertainty. Surely he wasn’t thinking they could pick up where they had left off.
“Joe...”
“Take it easy. I'm not trying to push you into anything. We don't even know each other anymore.”
She relaxed a little. “No, we don't.”
“So, how about I take you out to dinner tonight and we make a stab at understanding the people we've become?”
She bit her lip, told herself to say no. She couldn't risk those kinds of feelings again, couldn't survive the pain if it didn't work out. Instead, she found herself nodding, saying, “Okay. What time?”
“I'm going by to see Teddy after work. I'll come get you after that... say about six-thirty?”
“Six-thirty sounds great.”
But as she watched him rise from the sofa, a sense of panic pressed down on her chest. What he'd said was true. They didn't really know each other anymore. Maybe Joe wanted some sort of revenge for the