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      His tone was so frosty, Spring thought he’d ice up the remaining tea in her cup. That reminded her to pour him another of the still hot brew, but she only got a downward twist of his mouth for her trouble.

      Oddly, she liked the way his mouth moved. Wide and sensual, she thought it very expressive. Right now Chad wasn’t in a good mood. Understandably, he was tired and confused, and angry over matters that were beyond his control. But on a normal day, with a regular routine, when he felt comfortable and relaxed, his face would lighten a lot, wouldn’t it? What would bring a smile to his mouth then? And what would that smile be like?

      “Baby-sitting,” Honor answered with pride. “But never alone and only in our apartment complex or for church families. And once, a mother paid us to run her little girl’s birthday party. That was fun. We often get dinner, too, when we sit in the evenings, so we—”

      “You what!”

      His outrage stung. Honor fell silent, while Spring reassessed his temper. Maybe she’d underestimated his mood just a tad. She pushed the jam jar forward a bit, thinking he could use a little sweetening, and pointed out, “It’s an honored profession, Mr. Alexander.”

      “Well, it may be,” he said, pulling his mouth into a straight line. “But I don’t want Honor to do it anymore. She doesn’t have to work, and she’s too young, just a kid. Whatever possessed you? I don’t want her out on the streets, or out…out at night.”

      “That’s right, Chad, I’m a kid and kids baby-sit to earn money all the time.” Honor’s chin came out while her eyes flashed stubbornness. “There’s nothing wrong in baby-sitting or having a job.”

      “But to depend on getting dinner when you sit?”

      “It’s an accepted practice, Mr. Alexander,” Spring added in a placating tone. “Even teens from wealthy families baby-sit, and often have supper with the children. And there’s safety in being a team. I promise you, it isn’t robbing Honor of study time, and we make a strict rule of being home by ten on a school night.”

      “That’s not the only thing that concerns me,” he muttered. “If my associates get wind of this, they could misconstrue the entire situation.”

      “Well, we needed the money,” Honor said with a finalizing note. “And Daddy would have said I’m not too young to learn about balancing my finances.”

      “Baby-sitting money?” Chad shook his head. “How could you need that piddling amount? Surely, the matter isn’t that bad, or Walter Peebles would’ve notified me. Or Jonathan.”

      “Who’s Jonathan?” Spring queried, to which Chad gave a disbelieving glance.

      “Jonathan Feathers? The senior partner in my law firm.”

      “Oh, Mr. Feathers doesn’t know anything about it,” Honor said. “And we begged Uncle Walter not to contact you. You couldn’t have done anything without coming home, and we didn’t feel we should interrupt your trip. Besides, Spring and I wanted to take care of ourselves. And we have.”

      Chad’s features settled into angry, stubborn lines. His stare caught Spring’s in a glacier mass. She wondered if he thought she was responsible for the entire series of events. Or, that she’d taken advantage of them for her own gain?

      “Well, I’m home now,” he said on a hard note, “and I’ll take care of the finances and Honor’s allowance. No more outside jobs, d’you hear? You won’t need the money any longer. Or, at least, Honor won’t.”

      “But, Chad, I like baby-sitting,” Honor protested, her fist on a hip. “I’m good at it. And Spring and I are gaining a reputation by sitting as a team. The kids like us, and the parents like us even more. We’ve even sat for Mr. and Mrs. Peebles.”

      Chad groaned and closed his eyes. “Oh, great! I really needed to hear that…”

      Spring added hastily, “We weren’t unsafe, if that’s what worries you. They sent us home in a cab, although it wasn’t late. Lester was kind enough to wait up to see that we got into the building safely.”

      Eyes flashing like roman candles, Chad opened his mouth as though he wanted to swear roundly, but with one look at Honor’s gaze, both pleading and puzzled, clamped it tightly closed and drummed his fingers on the table.

      “All right,” he muttered through his teeth. “I’ll talk to Walter first thing in the morning and get a few things straightened out. Go to bed, now, pet. I want to talk to Spring alone.”

      “I don’t think that’s fair, Chad.” Honor tossed her long dark braid behind her shoulder. “Spring’s my friend and I—”

      “Whether it’s fair or not, go to bed!”

      “It’s all right, Honor.” Spring laid a consoling hand on the girl’s arm. “Perhaps you should go on to bed. You have that math final first thing tomorrow and need to sleep. Nothing drastic is going to happen tonight. We’ll smooth things out.”

      “Chad?” Honor’s gaze implored his compliance.

      “Okay, okay. I promise I won’t clobber your friend here, or eat her alive.”

      Honor visibly relaxed and let out a sudden giggle, dimples flashing. “Okay. But you won’t fire her or anything, will you? Please?”

      Chad took a deep breath and swung his chair away from the table before answering. “I won’t take any action concerning Spring without discussing it with you first, is that all right? Now will you go to bed?”

      Still, Honor hesitated, and he added, “We’ll let you know in the morning if there’s any change in the current, uh, living arrangements.”

      “Well, I think I should have a vote in what that is. In what happens now.”

      Chad seemed to gather whatever remnants of patience he had left as he answered one last argument. “I’ve heard your vote, Honor. I’ll consider the matter from your viewpoint as well as my own, I double promise you, okay? Now scoot.”

      Spring turned her back and finished wiping the counter. After stacking the teacups into the small dishwasher, she closed the door and listened to Honor’s footsteps fade. Behind her, Chad rose, and she glanced over her shoulder.

      No longer angry, he appeared only exhausted.

      “I’m going to take a quick shower and change. Do you mind staying up a while longer so we can have our little chat?”

      “Of course not,” she agreed. “But are you sure you’re up to it? I mean, we can talk tomorrow morning just as well.”

      “I’d rather not put it off. I’ll meet you in the living room in twenty minutes or so.”

      Spring waited as instructed, curled up in a deep chocolate-colored leather chair. The twenty minutes stretched to thirty, then forty.

      She was ready for sleep, too, she thought, and yawned. A morning person, she usually turned in when Honor did.

      He reappeared finally, wearing cutoff sweats. His hair was still damp. It was nearing midnight, and he hadn’t bothered to СКАЧАТЬ