question Danny had asked her more than once—and also the way she had felt when she’d faced Fletcher again today for the first time in over a week.
Cleo smiled. “Right now I’m just … happy for you.” She squeezed the little hand tucked so trustingly into her own. “Congratulations on being five years old.”
Ashlyn’s frown faded. “Thank you.” A few feet away Fletcher boosted a little boy onto his shoulders—a little boy with blue eyes and the cutest kid-size cleft in his chin. “That’s my cousin, Davey,” Ashlyn explained. “He’s three. Sometimes he makes me crazy, but mostly he’s all right. Daddy has to take care of him because Aunt Celia couldn’t come to my party after all. She had to have a baby yesterday.”
So Celia had delivered her baby at last. “Wow. That’s exciting. Boy or girl?”
“A girl. She’s my new cousin and her name is Jillian Jane. She got her name from Aunt Celia’s two best friends in the whole wide world, my aunt Jillian and my aunt Jane. But my great-aunt Caitlin said the baby looked like a J.J. That made everybody laugh, though I don’t really understand why it was funny. After that, they all called her little J.J. It’s her Nick name, Daddy told me. That’s kind of funny, huh? You get another name and it’s called your Nick name even though you don’t even know anybody named Nick?” Ashlyn frowned again. “I don’t have one.”
“A nickname, you mean?”
“That’s right. I don’t. Do you?”
“Yep. My nickname is Cleo.”
Ashlyn’s big eyes got even wider. “Then what’s your real name?”
“Cleopatra.”
Ashlyn tested the word. “Clee-o-pat-ra. It’s very long.”
“Cleopatra was once the queen of a country called Egypt.”
Ashlyn considered. “A queen? Really?”
“Yes.”
“I like Cleo better.”
“Good. Because that’s what everyone calls me.”
“Did you know that I’m going to go to your school?”
“Yes, I did.”
“My daddy told me. Livvy’s leaving next week and I will go to your school when she’s gone. I’ll miss Livvy lots, but I think I’m getting old enough that I should be going to school.”
“I’m very pleased that you’ll be one of our students—and I think we just missed our balloon ride.”
“Oh, that’s all right.” Ashlyn tugged on Cleo’s hand. “Come on. We can get in line and ride the next time….”
They ended up riding with Fletcher and Davey. The kids laughed and cried out in delight as they rose toward the pink Adventuredome sky—and Cleo tried not to let her gaze collide with Fletcher’s.
Later, before the cake and ice cream, Ashlyn opened her presents. Cleo had given her a stack of books—some by Dr. Seuss and some by Shel Silverstein and one of Cleo’s personal favorites called Goodnight, Moon. Ashlyn tore off the bright birthday paper, let out a glad cry and then jumped down from her chair. She rushed over to Cleo and held out her arms. Cleo bent down and Ashlyn grabbed her around the neck in a tight hug.
“Cleo, how did you know I love books?”
“Easy. The first time I saw you, you were reading The Funny Little Bunny to Olivia.”
“That’s right. You come over to my house, okay? I’ll read to you.”
Cleo was far too aware of Fletcher sitting across the big round table. She made the mistake of glancing his way. He was looking right at her.
She met those haunting eyes and she felt it—that familiar heat burning beneath her skin. Her heart stuttered, then started racing….
She tore her gaze from his and focused on Ashlyn again. “You’ll be going to my school soon, remember?”
“Acourse I remember.”
Cleo smoothed the silky brown hair. “You can read to me there, at school.”
“Okay. I will.” Ashlyn grabbed her in another hug and planted a big wet kiss on her cheek. Then she returned to her chair and the pile of birthday presents still waiting to be opened.
Ashlyn really was something, Cleo found herself thinking, so thoughtful and mature for her age. Fletcher’s daughter exclaimed over each gift as she opened it and seemed sincere in her excitement every time. She didn’t come across as spoiled in the least—and that was surprising. In Cleo’s experience, children of doting wealthy parents tended to get big attitudes early on.
After the presents came the cake. They all sang the birthday song. Then Ashlyn made her wish and blew out her five candles in one breath. Olivia and another young woman worked together to serve up the cake, piling generous scoops of vanilla ice cream on top.
It was five o’clock in no time. Cleo got another hug from Ashlyn and said a quick thank-you and goodbye to Fletcher and she was out of there.
That night Danny asked her again if something was wrong. Again she told him there was nothing. She saw in his eyes that even he, so patient and always understanding, was growing tired of the way she avoided his touch.
After he left, she lay awake much too late, hating herself for not treating him right, actually beginning to admit that the best and most honest thing to do would be to break things off with him.
And no, she had no intention of getting anything started with … anyone else. But Danny was such a fine man. He deserved a woman who couldn’t keep her hands off him. Cleo wasn’t that woman. At least, not anymore.
She had a while to think it over. Danny left town Sunday for two big car shows, one in Phoenix and a second in Southern California. He wouldn’t return until the fifteenth or sixteenth. By then, the new KinderWay should be open and operating. Things wouldn’t be so hectic. She would sit down with him and they would talk it out, come to a real understanding—one way or the other.
The week sped by, as stressful, busy and exciting as the one before it. Cleo and Megan worked straight through the weekend.
Their efforts paid off. On Monday, the fourteenth of February, KinderWay at Impresario opened its doors.
Cleo had opted to spend that first morning going from classroom to classroom, checking out the various first-day welcoming activities, seeing that everything ran smoothly. She happened to be in the three-year-olds’ room when Celia Bravo dropped Davey off. She had her new baby with her.
Cleo went straight for that baby. “I hear you’re calling her J.J.”
Celia sighed. “I’m afraid so.”
“May I …?”
Celia beamed her a wide smile. “Absolutely.”
So Cleo held out her hungry arms and Celia laid the warm
