Loving Ways by Gail Gaymer Martin

Author:Gail Gaymer Martin [Martin, Gail Gaymer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781460394397
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2003-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

At the barbecue, Annie sensed Ken’s discomfort. He stood at the sidelines, letting the party happen around him. She longed to know what had brought the dark look to his eyes.

She left the group of women chatting about children and recipes and moved to Ken’s side. She noticed his empty hands. “Nothing to drink?”

He slipped his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “Maybe later.”

“Okay.” She stood with him in silence, wishing she could help him relax. Before she had any idea what she could do, Annie looked up and saw Jemma heading their way.

“Welcome,” Jemma said to Ken. “You’ll find sodas in the plastic cooler over there.” She motioned toward it. “And thermoses of iced tea.”

“I’m fine,” Ken said. “I’ll have something later.”

“Great. You know where it is.” Jemma’s attention shifted to Annie. “Christie Hanuman just arrived.” She looked away, scanning the guests. “I’ll flag her over and have her meet you.”

“Christie Hanuman?” Annie asked, not sure she’d heard the name before.

“She owns Loving Care. The daycare center.” Jemma’s gaze shifted to Ken. “Don’t you think the facility would be a perfect place for Annie to work?”

“If it’s what she wants,” he said, staying non-committal.

Annie recalled only days earlier that Ken had thought it a good idea. Today his reticent reaction made her curious. Often Ken seemed a puzzle. Not just any puzzle. With most, a person could unscramble the pieces and find the answer. But Ken’s pieces were tangled and some seemed lost.

Then it struck her. More than likely he wanted her to put all her effort into the artwork. Ken had definitely been disappointed she hadn’t contacted Claire. He’d mentioned it numerous times, and she deduced he was disheartened by her lack of action.

Jemma’s face brightened as she lifted a hand, waving at an attractive young woman, perhaps in her early thirties. “Christie.”

“Hi,” the woman said as she approached Jemma. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“I’d like you to meet Annie O’Keefe and another friend, Ken Dewitt.”

“Nice to meet you,” Christie said, grasping each of their hands in a firm shake.

Annie listened as Jemma spoke of Christie’s child-care facility and mentioned Annie was looking for work. While they talked, Annie noticed Ken had shifted out of the small circle, and she found her mind half on the conversation and half on Ken.

“In fact, I was telling Annie you were looking for help,” Jemma said, grabbing Annie’s attention.

“Yes, I am,” Christie said.

Jemma nudged Annie. “You might be interested, right?”

“I need a job and I like kids,” Annie said, embarrassed by Jemma’s persistence.

“Stop by next week and fill out an application,” Christie said. “I could use someone mature like you.”

“If you need a reference, I’ll give her one,” Jemma said. “When she watches Ellie, I never worry. And Ellie loves her.”

Tossing off her funky moment, Annie chuckled. “Jemma’s my walking referral.”

“Can’t go wrong with that,” Christie said. “Please come by. Anytime.”

“Thanks. Maybe I will,” Annie said, her gaze drifting toward Ken, but when she looked around, her spirit lifted. She caught sight of Ken standing beside Philip, helping him keep an eye on the grill.

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