crutches?”
“At home. I turned them into weapons.” Travis blinked when Casey unexpectedly pulled a folded paper from his pocket and handed it to her. “See?”
“Hmm. What have we got here?” He giggled while she opened the paper with great ceremony. “Whoa, I certainly do see. How clever of you to make them into laser guns! Is that an interplanetary rocket they fit on?”
“Yeah.”
She pressed it to her heart. “Can I have this and put it up on the corkboard for the other children to see?”
He nodded.
“When we get inside, you have to autograph it.”
“Auto—?”
“Autograph’s a fancy word for your name.”
“Okay. I can print it.”
“I didn’t doubt it for a second. Come with me.”
Once the three of them reached her office, Melissa walked around the desk and opened the top drawer. “Here’s a good pen, Casey. Take the drawing over to the table by the books. After you print your name, you can put up your picture using those tacks on the board.”
“Where shall I print it?”
“Anyplace you like. Make sure it’s big so everyone can see it.”
Casey got down on his knees to get to work. That’s when Travis knew his son was no longer thinking about his leg. He chuckled as Casey’s tongue rubbed against his lower lip while he carried out her suggestion.
“Here,” she said when he was done, “I’ll make a little more room for it.” While she helped Casey mount the drawing, Travis returned the felt-tipped pen to her desk, then wandered over to see the finished product. But he found himself looking at the skein of lustrous hair caught at the nape of her neck with a coral flower clip. This morning she wore gold studs in her earlobes. Her fashion sense held strong appeal for him. Almost as much as her gorgeous body did.
“I love it!” she declared, drawing Travis’s attention back to the drawing. His son had put his name coming out of the tip of the rocket, with each letter getting a little bigger. “I especially like the way you make your y with the curlicue on the tail.”
Casey smiled again. Every time she opened her mouth, she built his son’s confidence, Travis realized.
“This calls for a celebration.” She walked back to her desk and reached in the drawer for a small envelope. Handing it to Casey, she said, “Inside this are three passes for your dad to take you and a close friend to a fun movie. And I have one more thing for you. It’s in the clinic kitchen. I’ll be right back.”
Travis felt the gift giving had gone on long enough, and would have told her so, but she left the office too fast. He sat down with Casey. “That was certainly nice of her. Be sure to thank her for those passes when she comes back in.”
“I will,” he answered, sounding preoccupied. Travis didn’t know how Casey felt about his latest present, but was glad he didn’t say he’d have preferred a toy. “Hey, Dad, look at the picture of the huge bulldog! I wish I could take that one home.”
Travis automatically complied, glancing toward the fabulous collection as he shook his head.
“Sorry, bud. That one stays on the wall.” If he had a dollar for every time his son wished for something …
Pretty soon Melissa came back with a bakery carton of iced cupcakes decorated in autumn colors, and put it on the table with some napkins.
“I noticed on your medical chart that you had a birthday a couple of weeks ago,” she said, “but since you weren’t in school, you didn’t have a chance to celebrate. Every kid celebrates birthdays at school. Today would be the perfect day to take these to class. The other kids will love a treat. There’s enough in the box for the three of us to have one before your dad drives you to school. Your teacher’s waiting for you.”
Casey looked as dumbfounded as Travis felt. “She is?”
“Of course. Doesn’t everyone go to school on Wednesdays?” Casey nodded. “She’s looking for one Mr. Casey Stillman to show up. Did you meet her at a parent-teacher conference before school started?”
“No. I couldn’t walk.”
“Well, you can now! Here—try one.” She opened the lid. “You pick the color you want.”
At first Casey couldn’t decide. Travis reached for a yellow one and ate it in two bites, his eyes meeting Melissa’s in amusement before she bit into hers. Finally Casey made his choice and devoured it quickly. She handed him a napkin, so he could wipe the frosting off his face. “If you’re thirsty, there’s a drinking fountain across the hall,” she said.
“Okay.” He slid off the chair and left her office.
Travis got to his feet, hardly knowing where to start thanking her for all she’d done. But before he could get a word out she said, “Quick—find your son and go. I’ll follow you to the front doors.” She picked up the cupcake carton and they left her office, gathering Casey along the way.
“I wish you could have stayed longer,” she explained to him, “but I’ve got another patient waiting for me. Have fun at school.” She handed the cupcakes to Travis. “Bye, Casey.”
“Bye.”
Her brilliant strategy had left his son confused. She’d been right; now was the time to act. Travis walked beside him to the car and they took off for his school, not giving him the luxury of thinking about what had just happened.
“Dad? I want Melissa to go to the movie with us.”
Oh, no. He should’ve known! “She meant you should take one of your friends, Casey. I was thinking Blaine.” He was a boy Casey often played with, who lived down the street from them.
“I don’t want to go with him. She’s more fun!”
She was definitely that. And maybe too clever? Travis wanted to believe the therapist had no ulterior motive when she’d handed him those passes, but he couldn’t be sure. If she was interested in him, then this wasn’t the first time a woman had tried to get his attention through his child.
Since moving to Utah, he’d met attractive women who’d come on to him, but he’d felt no answering spark and couldn’t pretend otherwise. After one date, he couldn’t bring himself to repeat the experience.
“We don’t have to worry about it now. The passes are good for six months.”
“But I want to see Spider-Man with her this week before the movie’s gone!”
“We’ll have to talk about it later.” Relieved that the school was in sight, he pulled into the parking lot.
Because Travis had talked with Casey’s teacher several times already, she handled the interruption to her morning class like the pro she was. The kids were delighted to get treats, and enough fuss was made of Casey that Travis could slip
