Page 76 of Big Bad Wolfe

“Yes. And Lynn Reynolds is willing to put in extra volunteer hours at the Center while Loucinda’s out, which is a real blessing. I’ll still be totally swamped, but having her around will help a lot.”

“I’ll fill in wherever I can, too.” Gulping coffee, Zane slid into a chair across the table from Casey.

The little boy paused with his dripping spoon suspended above his half-eaten cereal and gave him a milk-mustached grin. “Hi-ya, Zane.”

“Hi-ya yourself, pal. What’s for breakfast?”

“Oatey-O’s with sliced banana, and toast. Aunt Jelly has to go to school early today ‘cause of the play tonight and doesn’t have time to cook. Ya want some?”

“Sure, why not?”

Jillian handed Zane a bowl, spoon, and butter knife. He dumped in cereal, peeled and sliced a banana. “Aren’t you eating, Jillian?”

“I already did.”

Zane poured milk from the carton on the table into his bowl. “Casey, did you show your aunt our ribbon?”

Last night Casey had zonked out during the short drive to the house. Jillian had pulled into the driveway behind them in Loucinda’s sleek red car, and immediately carried the sleepy little boy to bed.

Zane had grabbed the opportunity to escape to his room and seek out badly needed solitude, where yeah, he’d Googled Reeves and gained a lot of respect for the guy. He’d logged in hours researching Deb’s case until he could finally fall asleep.

“Oooh, not yet. I left it in my pocket.” Casey leapt up, pounded up the stairs. He pounded back down and tore into the kitchen, triumphantly waving the white ribbon. Beaming, he handed it to Jillian. “We didn’t get first, but that’s okay, ‘cause we had fun. And Zane says enjoying life is more important than winning first place.”

She hugged the child. “He’s right. We’ll tack this ribbon to your bulletin board when I finish redoing your room, and every time you see it you can remember the fun you had with Zane.”

“I like that.” Casey plopped into his chair and again attacked his cereal.

Jillian smiled at Zane, her gaze tender. “You taught him something valuable yesterday.”

His gut clenched at the respect on her face, the approval in her voice. He’d been genuinely surprised at how much he’d enjoyed time with Casey and the child’s open acceptance of him.

And the soul-shaking depth of the connection he’d felt in return.

Zane dropped his gaze, concentrating fiercely on his cereal. “He taught me something, too.”

“That happens to me often,” Jillian replied. “Casey is a constant learning experience.”

Desperate to change the subject, Zane said, “I see King Aragorn has deigned to return to the palace.”

“Yes, one of Pop’s other construction sites had an equipment malfunction while he was at the hospital yesterday, so he had to bring Aragorn over and head out ASAP this morning. Construction at the Center is postponed until at least tomorrow.”

Her cell phone started singing “Staying Alive” from inside her skirt pocket and she retrieved it. “Hello.What?” She inhaled shakily, bit her lip. “Yes, thanks for letting me know.”

Zane was already out of his chair and at her side before she hung up. “What happened?”

Her glance slid to Casey, happily crunching Oatey-O’s, and she inclined her head toward the living room. She didn’t want the child to overhear. Was it about the custody suit?

Shoulders taut, he followed her into the other room.

“That was Officer Ray. Someone painted gang graffiti, obscene pictures and profanities all over the outside of the Center! And the musical is tonight!” Tears dampened her lashes, and his stomach cramped. “The kids and their parents can’t see that. We’ll have to close for today and cancel opening night of the play. After all our hard work …” She gulped down a sob.

Rage roared through his veins. “How much time do we have before the rugrats are supposed to start arriving?”

Wiping her eyes, she glanced at her watch. “Ninety minutes. Which will barely give me enough time to get there, go through the directory and call all the parents and tell them not to bring in their kids today.”

He gave her a hard hug. “Round up Casey and meet me at the car. I’ll be right out.”

He made several phone calls, then jogged outside. Casey chattered all during the drive, but Jillian remained edgy and silent.

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