Were sorry. Very sorry we took your unicorn. Said-offending unicorn came out of a shorts pocket, wrapped protectively in several miles of tissue, and was placed on Ariels workbench.
Oh, sweetheart... Ariel started to say, but she was cut off.
We have a little more to say than that, dont we, Patrice?
Yeah. Killer had to take a huge breath before she could get out the rest of the prepared speech. We unnerstand that you could call the cops and put me away for the rest of my life, but were hoping you wont. Because I would never steal anything again as long as I live. And because Im real sorry. And because you were nice, and that makes it extra bad that I stole something from you, and Ill probably never be able to forgive myself, even in my whole life.
Ariel couldnt wait another second before pushing off the stool and crouching down to the childs level. Well, we certainly cant have you feeling that bad. It takes a big person to own up to her mistakes, Killer, and it means a lot to me that you did that. You brought the unicorn back, and you apologized. That squares things with me just fine.
She raised her eyes to Killers dad. Really. The whole things forgotten as far as Im concerned, Mr. Penoyer.
Josh, he corrected her, which was about the last word he said. His parental mission accomplished, he scooped up his daughter and gave her a riding seat on the back of his shoulderswhere the little one was prevented from touching anything else in the shop, Ariel noted humorously. Less than a minute later, the two exited the store in a tinkle of bells.
From the window, Ariel watched him strap Killer into a dusty red Bronco, then take off. As hot and tired as she was, she stood there for a few more minutes. Belatedly she recognized that Josh had looked exhausted and hot, too, but that hadnt stopped him from making his childs problem a priority. That said a lot about his values as a dad. It said even more about him as a man.
Shed pegged him as a hard-core realistpositively her opposite in temperamentbut Ariel had no problem admitting that shed been charmed. Seriously and sincerely charmed. Killers behavior with her dad had been as revealing as a blueprint. Even when Josh had looked intimidatingly ready to blow the lid off that temper, the urchin had burrowed straight for his arms. He might get mad, but no way was his daughter afraid of him. The strong, loving bond between the two had been rich and rare, a measure of the man and his ability to love. Ariel hadnt met a special man like that in a long time.
She abruptly turned around and headed for the back stairs. It was tempting to mull and muse all night about Joshbut far more sensible to force her mind back on butter-brickle. Her stomach was growlinga problem she could easily fix. And shed learned young to steer clear of problems that she couldnt. The chances of her seeing either of the Penoyers again seemed doubtful. It was best to forget them.
* * *
She was pretty, wasnt she, Dad? Didnt you think she was pretty?
Since it was the fourth time Killer had asked the question during the drive home, Josh figured he wasnt going to get out of an answer. Yeah, sure, he said flatly. Truthfully, he thought that descriptive epitaph was an awfully pale peg for Ms. Lindstrom. Sexy. Wild. Flighty. Those were more like it.
Did you like her, Dad?
Sure, I liked her. He liked fireworks. He liked race cars and storms. And just because he was thirty-four and divorced didnt mean he was dead from the waist down. He liked long-legged, long-haired blondes built with a memorable upper deck just fine. But a grown man didnt have to dip his hand in flames to know there were unpleasant consequences to playing with fire.
Wasnt she nice? Didnt you think she was nice?
Yeah, Ms. Lindstrom was nice. But if you think talking about her is going to distract me from what you did, youre dreaming. Im still mad at you. What you did was real, real wrong, Patrice.
I know.
Aw, hell. Her lower lip was starting to tremble. Dammit, he hated it when the squirt did that.
Josh jammed a hand through his hair as he turned the corner. Calvin was fourteen, Bruiser thirteen. God knew they got into all kinds of mischief, but it was boy trouble, the kind Josh understood. The kind of stuff his daughter got into confused him. He was just no expert at six-year-old girls, and pretending he was qualified to be both Mom and Dad was a full-time challenge.
He sneaked another peek.
The lip was still trembling.
Look, I cant just forget it.
I know, Killer said pitifully.
Well go home. Have dinner. But after that, you go straight to your room. No playing. And no TV tonight. His voice was stern, but he checked her face again. Was the punishment too mean?
Okay. A single tear dribbled down his daughters cheek, caught on a smudge of dirt, then drooled the rest of the way down her neck.
Josh glanced at traffic behind him, then reached over and gently wiped the tear away. You have to have a punishment when you do something this serious. Could you try and understand that? Its my job as a dad, for Petes sake. I have to do this, Killer.
I said okay.
Maybe it was okay, but he saw another tear welling. Nothing with Calvin or Bruiser had ever been this complicated. Hed never hesitated to give the boys a swat on the behind at this agelike if theyd run in the street or broken a windowand for sure, stealing rated up there as a spanking offense. But somehow hed never managed to lay a hand on Killer. Even when he was mad enough to strangle herand God knew, the squirt could be exasperatinghe had to work like a dog to even raise his voice. Something in those big brown eyes sabotaged him every time. They made him feel like melting. They made him feel like mush. They made him feel guilty.
Josh swung into the driveway, mentally damning Nancy for taking off on him and the kids. The divorce had been final for a year now. Whatever had gone wrong in the relationship, he hadnt had time to figure out. He was too busy coping with work, bills, dishes, cooking, laundry, two teenage sons and a six-year-old daughter.
Still, as long as he ran sixty miles an hour, hed really believed that hed been copinguntil a problem like this happened. I still dont get it. What possessed you to take that unicorn thing? he asked his daughter.
It was pretty.
Yeah? So? Lots of things are pretty, but if its not yours, you dont touch it. You know that.
I know, Dad.
Somehow he was failing to gain any comprehension of the six-year-old feminine mind. Did you ever see me take anything that wasnt mine?
No, Daddy.
Did you ever see me touch anything that didnt belong to me?
No, Daddy.
He was parked, the engine off, and she wanted out of the Bronco in the worst way. It wasnt as if he were gaining any ground. Okay, skedaddle. Ill be in to make dinner in just a second.
She skedaddled faster than a puppy with a burr, but Josh sat in the silence for a moment longer. Their house was at the end of a cul-de-sac on the hilltop. Matching frame bungalows lined the street, typical of a working-class neighborhood. Nothing fancy, but it wasnt rough. The kids had a ravine and woods to play in. Clusters of old maples and ash and birch trees lined the block. Anyone could identify his house as being womanless, though.
She skedaddled faster than a puppy with a burr, but Josh sat in the silence for a moment longer. Their house was at the end of a cul-de-sac on the hilltop. Matching frame bungalows lined the street, typical of a working-class neighborhood. Nothing fancy, but it wasnt rough. The kids had a ravine and woods to play in. Clusters of old maples and ash and birch trees lined the block. Anyone could identify his house as being womanless, though.
Two rusty bicycles lay abandoned in the yard, not put away. The curtains in the front window didnt hang the way a woman seemed to genetically know how to hang the blasted things. There were no flowers planted in the beds. And inside, Josh already knew he was going to find dirty glasses, thrown towels, shoes and clothes that reproduced in the strangest places, and a bathroom that risked being condemned by the health department. His bedroom maymayhave been left sacrosanct, but for sure the only company he was likely to find in that lonely double bed was one of the boys basketballs.
Josh sighed with exasperation. Hed screwed up plenty in his life, but he valued integrity and tried to pass on that value to his kids. The problem was, it was hard to climb all over his daughter for falling prey to an irresistible impulse...when he personally knew how easily that could happen.
Hed taken one look at Ms. Lindstrom and felt as if hed stepped in a land mine of blatant, irresistible impulses. Hed bet the bank that silvery blond hair reached her waist in length. The green eyes and pearl skin and that soft mouth still lingered in his mind. So did the swell of her breasts peeking out of that open-throated shirt. He suddenly recalledto the dayhow long hed been celibate, which sure as hell wasnt his nature or his choice.
It wasnt as if anything had changed. There wasnt a sane woman on the planet whod take him and his brood on. And assuming he had the time and energy to pursue a womanwhich he didnthed never pick a flighty seller-of-magic. His kids needed stability. Hell, so did he. But one look in those almond-shaped eyes had sparked a chemical combustion that woke up every masculine hormone. He likened it to trying to sleep when someone was hitting you over the head with a club.
Josh wasnt going to do anything about it.
He just wasnt going to lie to himself and pretend the feeling never happened. Irresistible impulses were a human frailty. Six-year-olds had an understandably difficult problem controlling them. A man his agethank Godwas smarter, older, wiser.
The safest thing to do was to put her straight, totally and completely, out of his mind.
And he did.
Two
Uh-oh. It was a good thing that Ariel glanced up when the tinkling of the bell announced someone had entered the store. A second later, and she might have missed the urchin in the backward baseball cap and oversize Pittsburgh Steelers T-shirt.
She hadnt seen Patrice in daysnor expected tobut temporarily she had her hands full. The entire morning had been an exercise in commotion and locomotion. Dot wasnt due in until three. The phone refused to stop ringing; three browsers were wandering around; a woman lunch shopper was waiting at the cash register to buy earrings; and Ariel was stuck behind the jewelry counter with a gentleman who was sweating blood, trying to pick out a present for his wife.
The young blond man fingered a moonstone-and-mother-of-pearl pendant, which was about the ninetieth thing hed considered, and shot her a helpless look. Do you think shell like it?
Since Ariel had never met his wife, she didnt have a clue. I think its beautiful myself, and I dont see how you can go too wrong with thatnot if she likes antiquey-type jewelry.
She loves all kinds of antiquey stuff. But this has to be special. He confided, Weve been married six months today.
By todays divorce statistics, enduring six months together was probably a record, but Ariel had no time to give him an attaboy. The woman at the cash register was impatiently tapping her foot. The phone rang again. And normally Ariel would have been happy to spend all day with blondiehe was really a darling, just a little short in the decision-making department. But she felt uneasy about Killer being in the store alone, and the urchin had already disappeared from sight.
Ill tell you what, she told the gentleman. You think about this for a minute, while I take care of the lady up front, and Ill be right back. She jogged to the front, quickly dealt with the phone call, rang up the sale, bagged it, answered a fast question from the browsers on stained-glass prices and galloped back to her man.
En route, she caught a glimpse of the miniature brunette near the magic aisle, which was enough to relieve her mind.
She was delighted to see the child again. She also believed the little ones ardent promises about never stealing again. It was just that shed met few adults who could keep their promisesespecially ardently made promisesand she wasnt about to believe the six-year-old had mastered temptation. Thankfully, the magic tricks were all safely locked inside the glass cabinet. She really didnt want to see the urchin get into any more trouble.
The gentleman eventually chose a black-button pearl bracelet and paidbless him!in cash; the earrings shopper left; and the three browsers meandered to the front with their stained-glass window ornaments. Once they were gone, the transition from commotion to total silence was astoundingly quick. Ariel hustled toward the magic aisle.
Killers nose was pressed to the glass. Hi, she said, when Ariel crouched down.
Hi, back.
I have money today. To illustrate proof, Killer pushed up the Pittsburgh Steelers T-shirt and dug in the pockets of her cherry-red shorts. Once all the pockets were turned inside out, five dollars in crumpled ones and change gradually accumulated on the counter.
Wow. You have lots of money.
I want a magic trick. If thats okay. She hesitated. I wasnt sure if it was okay if I came back. Maybe youre still mad at me.
I was never mad at you, Killer. You made a mistake. Ive made a few mistakes myself. And youre welcome to come in the store as often as you want, sweetie, as long as you have your dads permission.
Hes gone during the day. But I asked Mary Sue. She takes care of me, and she said yes. I can pretty much go anyplace as long as I dont have to cross streets, and all I gotta do to get here is walk down the ravine and then up the sidewalk and then down the alley.
Well, that settled the issue of permission, but the purchase of the magic trick was a more complicated business. The quest for the Holy Grail never took this long. The goal was to dazzle and bedazzle her older brothers, but finding a magic trick that Killer could handle and her older brothers couldnt figure out took some experimenting.
They tried card tricks. They tried cutting-rope tricks. They made a quarter miraculously disappear in a glass of water, and a scarf miraculously change color, and a broken toothpick miraculously heal itself. By then, Killer was chattering six for a dozen. The topic strayed from magic to girl stuff. Important things, like how to braid hair. Dolls. Perfume. Best friends. How disgusting boys wereespecially Tommy Bradley.
He tried to kiss me, Killer said with a scrunch of her nose. What a yuck.