Page 25 of Phoenix Rising

Maybe he hadn’t had the warmth and affection from his parents that he’d craved, but he knew they loved him. Once, when he and Gennie had fought, she’d accused him of being incapable of loving anyone. He’d scoffed at her, and she’d apologized later, but now he wondered if she’d been on to something. What did he know about love? Any time he and Gennie had broken up, he’d never pined for her. He’d dated other women instead. Even now, after the divorce, he didn’t long to have her back. Did that mean he hadn’t loved her? He’d cared for her, sure.

Reese’s thoughts drifted to Audria. He didn’t know how to categorize his feelings for her, but they were stronger than anything he’d felt for his ex-wife. Knowing they would have to part once they found Paige was too painful to contemplate. He was truly happy when he was with her, something he’d never felt before.

Pops clapped his hands, jarring Reese from his thoughts. He glanced over at Audria, and she smiled at him. His heart flipped in his chest. She brought him joy like he’d never known before.

“Good job, everyone,” Pops praised. “Now the fun begins. We have eight stations set up, and you will each get fifteen minutes to enjoy the activity. When the recess bell rings, move to the next station. You will be partnered in groups of two. Boys, remember when you were young and thought girls were gross? Girls, remember when you thought all boys had cooties?” Several people chuckled. “With that thought, we’ve randomly assigned the teams to match genders. Get to know your buddy. Make a new friend. Remember how easy that was to do when you were little?”

Pops slid out of the rocking chair, and a woman handed him a stack of stapled papers. “When I call your name, come on up.” He announced the first two people and assigned them to one of the stations. “Ross and Marty.”

Reese leaned over and kissed Audria, just because he needed to, before standing to meet his new partner.

“Marty Cash.” The man with a mop of curly brown hair and green eyes said with a genuine smile.

“Ross Green.”

They shook hands and headed to their assigned station, which turned out to be Play-Doh. Reese had never played with the stuff, though he’d always wanted to. He hadn’t been allowed to have anything that might stain the Persian rugs or Italian furniture. There were cutters and rollers and a plethora of awesome accessories. Reese rolled up his sleeves and dug in.

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Audria watched Reese walk away. He should’ve looked ridiculous in the onesie, but he didn’t. He was handsome and capable. Authoritative. She wanted more of his random kisses. Even knowing he was doing it because they were playing the part of a married couple couldn’t stop the thrill that zinged through her system.

“Amy and Jules.”

She noticed the smile on Reese’s face when he scooped up a gigantic hunk of red Play-Doh. He acted as if he didn’t know what to do with it, and his partner was giving him instructions.

“Is there an Amy here?”

Audria shook her head and stood.Oops, she was Amy. Focus on her assignment. A woman’s life might be in danger. That sobered her as she walked to the lady in a yellow outfit covered in teddy bears that clashed with her wavy red hair.

“I’m Amy. Nice to meet you, Jules.”

“You too, Amy.” Jules grabbed her hands. “We’re going to be fast friends, I can tell.”

Amy led the way to the finger-painting station. They each chose a paper pad and sat on the cushions on the floor in front of a table with open paint containers.

“Is this your first time here?” Jules asked.

“It is. You?”

“My sixteenth.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, my husband and I love it here. It brings you back to happier times when you didn’t have to worry about paying a mortgage or going to work or if the kid’s cough is really incurable cancer. A wonderful stress reliever.”

Audria winced, hoping Jules wasn’t speaking from experience. She dipped her finger in a pot of brown and made several tree trunks. Then she went for the red to dab on leaves. “When was the last time you were here?”

“About a week ago. We live in Flagstaff, so it’s an easy drive. I’m glad we discovered it.”

“A friend was here about a week ago, too. Her name is Jan.”

Jules gasped. “My last partner was named Jan!”

Audria’s breath quickened, and she tried not to react. What were the odds? Too bad she didn’t have her cell phone to show Jules the picture. “Did she have shoulder-length blonde hair and brown eyes?”

“She did! She said she was originally from Boston.”

As was Paige. It had to be her.

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