And Jamie’s a nice name.”
“It’s okay. I’m the only Jamie in first grade, anyway. Do you have a nickname?”
“My brothers always called me Ally.” She had a quick memory of Luke and Chad at that age, always exploding with energy.
Jamie’s gaze flickered around the office again. “My daddy says you have a cat. He said you hit him with it.”
She had to repress a smile at this artless confession. “I bumped him with the cat’s carrier. I didn’t mean to.” That wasn’t exactly true, but she hadn’t meant to hit Nick in particular. Just whoever had grabbed her.
Jamie stooped to look under the desk. “I thought maybe your cat would be here.”
Clearly it was Hector who was the attraction. “Hector is over at Mrs. Anderson’s house. He was taking a nap with her cat when I left, so I let him stay.”
She expected Jamie to be disappointed, but he grinned.
“He’s having a sleepover. My friend Kevin had a sleepover at my house once, but he had a bad dream in the night, and Daddy had to take him home. Daddy said he should have known better than to say yes, but Grammy said they shouldn’t say no just because it was incon...incon...”
“Inconvenient?” she supplied.
“Yeah, that’s it.” Jamie was swinging on the edge of her desk by this time, seeming sure of his welcome. “And Daddy said he was the one who had to drive back to town at one o’clock and she said it wouldn’t hurt him. And Uncle Mac said—”
Allison began to feel a bit guilty listening to all this. “Maybe the sleepover will work better the next time you try.”
“Maybe,” he said, sounding doubtful.
“So you live with your grammy and grandpa, do you?” she asked, trying to change the subject but having little idea what interested a six-year-old.
“Grammy, Grandpa, Daddy, Uncle Mac and me. And Shep, that’s the dog.”
“Sounds like a full house.” And it sounded as if Jamie was surrounded by people he loved. His parents were divorced, according to Sarah, but wasn’t his mother in the picture?
“Yep.” He came closer, leaning confidingly on the arm of her chair. “My mommy lives in Los Angeles. Sometimes she sends me presents.”
That was said very matter-of-factly, but it caused a twinge in Allison’s heart. “When I was little, my daddy lived far away, but he used to send me presents sometimes, too.”
He nodded, fixing a pair of big brown eyes on her face. “Did he sometimes send things that were too babyish for you?”
“Sometimes,” she admitted. “I guess he just didn’t know how much I’d grown.”
“Yeah, that must be it. Can I see your cat sometime?”
“Sure you can. Anytime.” There must be a kind of universal pattern for children who had a parent leave them behind. But Jamie seemed to be well provided for with people who cared for him, and he had plenty of confidence.
“Jamie!” The voice floated up from below. “Jamie, where are you?”
“Sounds as if we’d better tell your daddy where you are, right?” She rose, thinking she’d walk him to the door.
“Sure thing.” He grabbed her hand. “You come, too, okay?”
Since he was tugging her along, she didn’t have much choice. They reached the head of the stairs, and she glanced down, seeing Nick staring up at them, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of her with his son.
Jamie pulled her hand. “Come on, Ally.”
They started down the steps, with Jamie’s hand confidently in hers. It felt nice. He was the first person she’d met since she’d arrived in town who hadn’t wanted something from her.
Jamie seemed to feel her watching him. He looked up as they neared the bottom of the stairs. “Were you scared last night?”
“Scared?” Her mind spun. “What makes you think that?”
“I heard Uncle Mac and Daddy talking, and Daddy said somebody might be trying to scare you. And Uncle Mac said maybe you were imagining it.”
“So that’s what Uncle Mac thinks, is it?” It sounded as if her little chat with the police chief hadn’t gotten her anywhere.
“That’s what he says when I say there’s something under my bed.”
“Well, I’m sure there’s not really anything under your bed.” That had to be the right response, didn’t it? As for the Whiting brothers...
She met Nick’s eyes and realized he’d overheard.
His gaze slid away from hers, and color came up under his tan. “Jamie, it’s not polite to listen to what other people are saying.”
“But, Daddy, you’re always telling me to listen when grown-ups talk.”
Allison’s lips twitched. “I think he has you there.”
Nick’s embarrassment dissolved in a smile. “Sorry. Mac was just, well, trying to figure out the possibilities.”
“I’m sure.” She longed to ask him if he’d meant it when he said someone might be trying to scare her away, but she couldn’t say that in front of the child.
“Daddy, Ally says I can come see her cat anytime.” Jamie was tugging on Nick’s sleeve.
“She does, does she?” Nick looked down at his son, and there was suddenly so much love in his expression that her heart turned over. Nick gave her a questioning glance. “Ally?”
“That’s her nickname,” Jamie said, sounding important. “Her little brothers used to call her that.”
Nick’s brows went up. “I didn’t know you had brothers.”
There was no reason why he should. “Two of them. Half brothers, to be exact. They’re ten years younger than I am. Twins.”
“Wish I was a twin. It would be fun to have someone look just like me.”
“Two of you?” Nick ruffled his hair. “I think one is enough. Look, here’s Grammy.”
Jamie went running to the woman who’d just come in the front door. He hurled himself at her legs. “Grammy, Grammy! I got a star on my spelling homework, and Ally says I can come see her cat anytime I want.”
The woman bent to hug him. “That’s great, Jamie. Do you want to introduce me to your new friend?”
He took her hand and pulled her over. “Ally, this is Grammy.”
“Allison Standish,” Nick murmured.
“I’m Ellen
