Mrs. Miracle Page 0,23

as he. She'd promised to put together several ideas and get back to him.

He'd walked out of the agency, taking small backward steps until he'd backed into the door. It wasn't until he'd raced across the parking lot and was sitting inside his vehicle that he'd realized he hadn't given her his name or phone number. He'd started back to leave the necessary information when she'd met him in the parking lot.

"I need - "

"Could you...Dinner. Friday night?"

His heart returned to his throat at the awkward way in which he'd asked her to dinner. He was certain she hadn't understood a word he'd said until she'd laughed and nodded. They'd set a time to meet and he'd hurried back to his car, his heart jumping rope inside his chest.

He had a date, his first in longer than he could remember. All he had to do now was behave like a human instead of an alien from outer space. Excitement swelled like a water-soaked sponge inside him.

Seth started for his study with a fresh cup of coffee, then hesitated. He needed to ask Mrs. Merkle if she would be available to baby-sit the twins Friday evening. There weren't provisions in her contract for weekend baby-sitting. Naturally he'd pay her overtime, whatever she wanted. The woman was worth ten Mrs. Hampstons.

With his coffee in his hand he walked into the living room, to find the children snuggled one on each side of the housekeeper. Her reading glasses were balanced halfway down her nose, a book open. The children were enraptured. The only time Seth had ever seen them this still was when they were sound asleep.

Jason braced his head against the housekeeper's pudgy arm. Judd's arms were tucked about his bent knees, and his chin rested there.

It took Seth a couple of moments to recognize the story: it was C. S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Pamela's favorite childhood story. The one she'd longed to read to her children one day, only to be cheated out of the long awaited joy.

Mrs. Merkle glanced up and smiled.

"Hi, Daddy." Jason covered his mouth and yawned loudly. "Mrs. Miracle is reading us a new story."

"So I see." Some of his tension leaked into his voice. Of all the books in the world, he wondered how it was that she'd chosen that particular one.

"It's good, too," Judd added. "None of that mushy girl stuff."

Seth's gaze fell to the book itself. Moments earlier his heart had raced with thoughts of Reba and the impromptu dinner date he'd arranged. Now it skidded to a sudden, grinding halt. His chest tightened painfully.

"Where'd you get that book?" he demanded, not bothering to disguise his distress.

"The book." Mrs. Merkle closed the volume and stared at the front cover. "It's mine. I brought it with me."

"It's Pamela's," he countered sharply. The woman had been in his den and had searched through his desk drawers. He didn't care how good a cook she was, he wouldn't have her sneaking around in his office.

"Mr. Webster, let me assure you - "

"I'll prove it," he said, his voice rough with shock and anger. Without another word he marched back into his office and sat down at the desk he'd recently vacated. The children raced into the room after him, and Mrs. Merkle followed, looking flustered and red in the face.

"I put it here myself just recently," he said, jerking open the bottom drawer. He'd held that very book in his hands. Seen for himself how the corners had frayed and worn down so that the filler showed through, just the way the one she had did. The gold lettering had faded on the title, the same as with the book Mrs. Merkle held.

"See," he said, leveling his gaze toward the drawer.

The book was there. Seth's mouth dropped, and he glanced up at the housekeeper, dumbfounded. Slowly, almost as if he were afraid Pam's volume would vanish if he touched it, he lifted it from its resting place.

His round, shock-filled eyes returned to Mrs. Merkle.

"Did she take Mommy's book?" Judd asked.

Seth shook his head. "I'm afraid I owe you an apology," he said, nearly choking on the words. Not because he wasn't sorry, for he was. But he'd been so sure. Not only had the woman chosen to read the one book his wife had loved, but she'd read from a copy that was identical to Pam's in every way.

How was that possible? Had he walked into an episode of The Twilight Zone?