Page 39 of Playing With Fire

Hattie peered over Jaime’s curly brown mop. “Yes, they’re very good. Really responsive, and the staff are dedicated to the children.”

Ricky forced himself to push a little harder. “What about parent groups? Like this?”

He gestured around the room. Jodi was crawling under the coffee table in search of a piece of Duplo. The baggy jeans clung to her hips, revealing a patch of smooth white skin on her lower back.

Hattie was nodding. Jaime opened her eyes and immediately reached out her chubby arms towards Ricky. He took the weight of her small, compact body, felt her sticky hands around his neck, and inhaled the sweet baby smell of shampoo and cereal.

Without thinking, he kissed the top of the child’s head, felt the softness of her hair. Her hum of contentment vibrated against his chest, and he fought the urge to tighten his grip.

Hattie was talking. “There’s a group for foster parents and also adoptive parents. The county tries to get people together as much as possible, and most folks are keen. Nothing easy about taking a child into a family. Rewarding and fulfilling of course, but it can be tough.”

An urge to tell all, to download his desperate longing, ripped through Ricky, swiftly followed by the cold chill of reality. Hattie would listen of course, her brown eyes bright with empathy. But there was no way in God’s heaven that she would let him anywhere near the foster and adoptive parents if she knew the truth.

“I could come along,” he blurted before he lost his nerve. “Do a presentation, meet the kids so they would feel comfortable with a new authority figure. I expect that’s a problem for some of them.”

Before Hattie could respond, there was a surge of parents towards the front door and a general gathering-up of children and belongings.

Hattie reached over and took Jaime, whose eyelids were fluttering.

“You need your nap, sweetheart,” she whispered.

“No.”

Both adults smiled.

“I’ll think about that, Ricky, talk to the others. But excuse me now, and thanks again...”

Ricky found himself almost alone in the family room. It looked like a bomb had hit. Jodi stood by the door, tucking her camera into her bag.

Her expression was definitely less frosty—or at least he hoped so.

Ricky gathered up the remains of his pamphlets and rescued a trampled poster from the floor. A couple of stickers covered in yogurt and a banana-smeared coloring page of a fire truck went in the bin.

“That was pretty decent,” Jodi said. She followed him down the hall behind the departing parents and children. “In fact, I would go so far as to say it was an excellent idea.”

Ricky shrugged modestly. Yes, it had been one of his better inspirations, and fun to boot.

The dull morning had brightened into a brilliant day. The kind of day to imagine the bulbs hibernating beneath the cold earth, patiently waiting for the long months of cold to pass. A day full of promise.

Ricky slipped his arm through Jodi’s.

“Trying to avoid falls,” he explained gravely. “We at the Temple Mountain Fire Department are all about health and safety.”

She stiffened at his touch, then relaxed. She lifted her face to the pale sun like the first daffodil of the season, drawing in a contented breath.

The tightness in Ricky’s heart eased a fraction. He fought the desire to slip his arm around her waist and draw her close. To release the black clip securing her braid and watch the honey-colored waves fall around her shoulders.

“You were right, before,” she said quietly.

“Ummm?” Ricky hoped she wasn’t a mind reader. He frowned slightly. He was right? About what?

She laughed at his uneasy expression.

“About owing me lunch—at the very least—since I gave up my precious free time.” She jiggled the camera strap. “I do hope that you are a man of your word, Ricky Sharp. Because whether you like it or not, I hold your future and your reputation in my hands.”

Ricky felt his smile slipping away. His stomach tightened.

“Here’s the deal, bud,” she said briskly, zipping up her red jacket. “Lunch at Bean & Co, or I’ll publish that sneaky shot of you picking up little Troy and then realizing that his diaper was overflowing.”

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