“All right. You can pick me up at seven.”
“Great.”
“And you can go out that way.” She pointed toward the patio door.
“No problem.” He walked to the door, glanced back. “You really are pretty,” he said, then eased the door open just enough to squeeze out.
She watched him unhook the dog, watched him stagger under the weight when Moe leaped up to lavishly kiss his face. She waited until they’d trotted off before she chuckled.
Chapter Five
MALORY found Zoe’s little house easily enough. It was a tiny box on a narrow stamp of lawn. But it had been painted a cheerful yellow with bright white trim. A colorful patch of flowers bloomed vigorously along either side of the door.
Even if Malory hadn’t been sure of the addr
ess, hadn’t recognized Zoe’s car parked at the curb, she’d have known the house by the boy in the yard, tossing a ball high in the air, then racing to catch it.
He looked almost eerily like his mother. The dark hair, the long-lidded eyes in a pixie face. He had a slight build clad in ripped jeans and a Pittsburgh Pirates T-shirt.
When he spotted Malory, he stood, legs apart, flipping the ball lightly into the pocket of his glove.
He had the cautious and somewhat arrogant stance of a boy who’d had “don’t talk to strangers” drummed into his head, and thought he was old enough, smart enough, to handle himself with one anyway.
“You must be Simon. I’m Malory Price, a friend of your mother’s.” She kept a smile on her face as the boy sized her up—and she wished she knew more about baseball than that it involved a number of men throwing, hitting, and trying to catch a ball and running around a field.
“She’s in the house. I can get her.” His way of doing so was to trot toward the door and shout, “Mom! There’s a lady out here to see you!”
Moments later, Zoe opened the screen door, stood there wiping her hands on a dish towel. Somehow, despite the baggy shorts, old shirt, and bare feet, she still managed to look exotic.
“Oh. Malory.” She lifted a hand to fiddle with one of the buttons of her shirt. “I wasn’t expecting . . .”
“If this is a bad time—”
“No, no, of course not. Simon, this is Miss Price. One of the ladies I’m going to be working with for a while.”
“Okay. Hi. Can I go over to Scott’s now? I finished mowing the lawn.”
“Looks great. Do you want a snack first?”
“Nuh-uh.” At her arch look, he grinned, showing a missing tooth and sudden, dazzling charm. “I mean, no thanks.”
“Go ahead, then. Have a good time.”
“Yes!” He started to race off, then skidded to a halt when she spoke his name in a tone that Malory assumed mothers developed through hormonal changes during gestation.
He rolled his eyes, but made sure his back was to Zoe as he did. Then he gave Malory a quick and easy smile. “Nice to meet you, and all.”
“Nice to meet you, and all too, Simon.”
He dashed off, like an inmate escaping the prison walls.
“He’s gorgeous.”
At Malory’s statement, Zoe’s face lit up with pride and pleasure. “He really is, isn’t he? Sometimes I’ll sneak to the window while he’s out in the yard and just look at him. He’s my whole world.”
“I could see that. And now you’re worried that what we’ve done could hurt him somehow.”
“Worrying about Simon is part of my job description. Listen, I’m sorry, come in. I used to spend Saturdays at the salon, so I thought I’d take advantage of