“If you’ll come in tomorrow,” Luke coaxed, “we can tour the neighborhood. I’d like to show you the most promising possibilities for the mural.”
“You needn’t offer enticements for me to visit the center.” Delighted he was more anxious to see her than it had first appeared, Catherine licked her lips.
“That’s good to hear, but I don’t want you to think I’m not interested in going ahead with the mural. There are too many kids sitting around here all day with nothing to do except get into trouble, and an ambitious mural would keep them occupied a long while.”
Catherine waited for him to say something more personal, then realized he must prefer to keep his office conversations focused on business. “I’ll be there in the morning. Sweet dreams,” she couldn’t resist adding before hanging up.
Thursday morning, Catherine wore tan slacks and a sunny yellow sweater into Lost Angel. Luke’s door was open, and this time it was Pam who waved her on in. Luke left his seat to close the door, and then he leaned back against his desk and pulled her between his splayed knees.
He kissed her lightly, then whispered, “I’ll always be glad to see you walk through my door, but we’ll have to be discreet. Whatever relationship we might have outside Lost Angel has to remain a closely guarded secret.”
She slid her arms around his waist. “You’re giving me a decidedly mixed message here, Dr. Starns, and as I recall, body language holds more truth than words.”
A warning flash crossed his gaze, but it faded before she could be certain she’d actually seen it. Still, she felt uneasy. “What’s the matter? Have I strayed into your area of expertise?”
He responded first with a reassuring kiss. “No. You’re an intelligent woman, and you have every right to your opinions. You’re also correct about my body language. It’s appalling.”
“I’m not appalled.” She ran her fingertips under his collar and leaned close to kiss him.
He sent that single kiss into a dozen before he found the presence of mind to ease her back a step. “We better get out of here, now.”
Amused by his haste, she remained where she stood. “Are you worried the kids will tease you unmercifully?”
“They already have. That day you served the spaghetti, Nick swore you had a crush on me.”
“Really? Did I give you extra spaghetti?”
“No, but you were flirting with me. So we’ll have to be more careful. I’m a father figure here, but I’m also the resident psychologist. It’s already a struggle to keep our group sessions focused on problems and solutions, but if the kids mention you to divert the attention from themselves, then my leadership will be severely compromised. I can’t allow that to happen.”
He was wearing a soft chambray shirt, but it was his heat she felt, not the smoothness of the fabric. He was holding her in an easy embrace and seemed sincerely pleased to see her rather than torn by regret. That was reassuring, but she doubted they could keep their budding romance a secret for long.
“While I can certainly be discreet,” she confided, “if the choice is seeing you or volunteering here, then you win in a heartbeat. After all, you have to be here. I don’t.”
“I appreciate that, but I haven’t dated any other volunteers, so maybe I’m just being overly cautious. I definitely want you to head up the mural project. Now come on, let’s go scout the neighborhood.”
She stepped back as he eased off the desk. “I’ve never made love on a desk, have you?”
He attempted an exasperated frown, but it was swiftly erased by laughter. “Is that your idea of discretion?”
She drew herself up into a prim and proper posture. “Sorry. I’ll give it more effort,” she promised, and she preceded him from the office with a purely professional nonchalance.
“Let’s use my car. We’ll be back within the hour, Pam.”
Catherine caught Pam’s wink and knew at least one person was already in on their secret. Pam would probably tell Dave, and he might mention it to Mabel, and before long, all the kids and volunteers would know they were seeing each other.
She waited until they were seated in Luke’s Subaru to speak. “I hope you’ve already had a talk with Pam, because if that sly wink meant anything, it’s that she already knows about us.”
“She knows, but she won’t cause either of us any trouble.” He pulled a hastily drawn map from his pocket. “Now let’s get to work. Here are the buildings I’m considering.”
Catherine scanned the map and the surrounding neighborhood. As Luke turned from the parking lot out onto the side street, she checked his notations. “Lost Angel is on the southwest corner. An automotive supply store is directly opposite us on the northwest corner. I never even noticed what it was, but with no windows facing the side street, it’s a possibility, but I wish it weren’t just one story.”
“Let’s circle the block. There’s a Ninety-Nine Cent store next to the auto supply. It has a graffiti-covered exterior wall facing the next side street, but I’d really like to do our first mural on a wall the kids could see from Lost Angel.”
“I would too.” She observed the buildings closely as Luke drove down the main boulevard. “We need a corner, don’t we, but that sleazy bar opposite the auto supply won’t do.”
“I agree, but it does have a suitable wall. Let’s just go a couple of blocks in each direction and see what strikes us.”
“Fine.” Other than visiting Lost Angel and the carpet store, Catherine was unfamiliar with the neighborhood, but she was unimpressed with what she saw. There were lots of little shops with dingy displays, fast-food restaurants, used car lots, apartment buildings with aluminum foil covering many windows, and a few single family homes that had seen far better days.