“You take all the time you want.”
“You’re very determined about this.”
“I’d do anything to help Caroline. I know what she was like before she lost her father.”
“I think I’ve misjudged you. I had preconceptions built by tabloids and television,” she admitted.
“It’s good news to discover your opinion of me is improving. Hopefully, we’ll get better acquainted.”
She smiled. “I’m flying to Dallas to get to know Caroline.”
“I’ll have to work on my image. I’m not accustomed to having someone I’m with tell me she is not interested in getting to know me.”
“It really isn’t important that we become buddies,” she said, pausing over her salad.
“It will be far more fun, and you might be surprised what you discover. I know I want to get to know you,” he said, his voice lowering a notch.
“I ought to tell you no flirting,” she said, shaking her head, “but I suspect that’s impossible. I imagine at this point in your life, it’s as much a habit as breathing.”
“And where a beautiful woman is concerned—as necessary. You’ll be gone in two days, so what does a little flirting hurt?”
“Maybe you deserved your media coverage after all.”
“Forget the media. I really don’t know that much about you except you’re excellent in dealing with children and reading. You’ve taught and you said you recently earned a doctorate.”
“Correct.”
“What do you plan to do with the degree?”
“I publish texts on teaching reading, children’s books on reading and games. Hopefully, the degree lends more credibility. I plan to open a private school—at this point, limited to first and second grade—and use some of my own methods for reading instruction. I’m working on securing grants. I have limited funds for this.”
“Opening a school is ambitious,” he said with admiration, reassessing his opinion of her. “A woman with drive.” And one who hoped to get grants for the financial backing—a bargaining point that gave him an advantage.
Beautiful, driven and intelligent—an enticing combination that excited him.
“A lot of the praise I received about you was about your ability to work with children,” he stated.
“I like kids and feel at ease with them. I have younger siblings. I try to make all this interesting and appealing to kids. Not necessarily easy, because learning isn’t always easy. I love working with kids and want to dedicate my life to them.”
“How many siblings?”
“I have two younger sisters, Trinity and Summer. Trinity is a technical writer for an exclusive Austin clothing store chain. My youngest sister is home for the summer. She’ll be a sophomore in college and wants to teach.”
“Parents? And where’s home?”
“My dad has a feed store in Lubbock and my mom is a dental hygienist. So what about your family other than Caroline?”
“Besides my late brother, Adam, I have two other brothers. Zach, who is rarely home because of his job, and the youngest, Ryan, works in Houston. My parents divorced years ago, and my mother is twice remarried and lives in Atlanta now. My dad recently passed away and his estate isn’t settled yet. That’s it.”
“Your brother who is rarely home—does he have any responsibility in Caroline’s care?”
“No. I’m her guardian and I’ve always been closer to her and to Adam. He was born three years before I was. Zach is thirty-two, four years younger than I am. He’s in demolition and travels because he works in Europe and Japan—all over the world, actually. He’s good at what he does, but rarely home. Ryan is twenty-nine. He’s the one who lives in Houston and has taken over a drilling company we own. None of us are really daddy material.”
“So tell me about Caroline, as well as her nanny. What does she like to do? All kids have something they like.”
“Swimming. If you like to swim, bring your swimsuit. It’s a way to interact with her. Also, she likes to read.”
“She’s five and can read—that’s early, and it’s good news.”
“She won’t participate at school, so they don’t know how well she reads. I tell her teacher that she reads at home, but since she won’t read at school or say what she’s read, her teacher is skeptical.”
“Do you think Caroline is really reading?”
“I know she is. She started reading very simple books before her dad was killed. The beginner Dr. Seuss books, for example.”
“She was young to be reading like that.”
“Her dad doted on her and worked with her. She’s a sharp kid, so that makes her withdrawal painful. If it was a book she liked, she would talk at length about what she read. I give her books because that’s one thing that seems to please her.”
“I take her reading as a hopeful sign. If she likes to read, it will give her tutor a chance to reach her.”
He glanced at their plates. “We’re both finished. Would you like dessert? They have great ones.”
“No, thanks. We’ll head for the bookstore. There’s one close.”
He escorted her to a waiting limo. At the bookstore Will held the door for her, watching the slight sway of her hips as she entered, momentarily forgetting his mission while he thought about Ava. He wanted to ask her out for an evening where no business would be discussed.
She led him to the children’s section and began to pick out books. “How about this one?”
“Caroline has that book and likes it,” he said, looking at a familiar story. “I can’t remember everything she has. Get what you want and I’ll call Rosalyn and ask her.”
“I can bring it back if she already has it.” While Ava strolled along the row of books, Will watched her, catching up with her when she stopped to pull out a book.
“That you have no men in your life surprises me. And six years is a long time.”
“I’m not interested in going out with anyone. Actually, I’m too busy.”
“No one is that busy.”
She paused to smile at him. “And you’re offering to fill the void? Let’s stick to finding a tutor for your niece and then we’ll go our separate ways. Unfortunately, I don’t know many single, cute young tutors.”
“Under different circumstances, I would agree with you about going our separate ways, but there’s something going on here that prevents that,” he said, lowering his voice and stepping closer to her. Her eyes widened a fraction as she gazed at him.
