Page 61 of Her Cadillac Cowboy
“Thanks.” His confidence restored, the boy bounced up out of his chair and flew to the door.
Sara rose, expecting to have to close the door herself. But he looked back over his shoulder, and she stopped.
“Y’know, Ms. Carson, you ain’t half as big a badass as most of the guys in the shop say you are.”
“Thank you, Will, but would you keep that to yourself?"
The kid raised his eyebrows.
”I worked hard to earn the respect of those men. If they start to think I’m weak, they’ll lose respect for me. I’m the boss, and I need their respect.
“Yeah, sure, I catch ya.”
“Thanks.”
“No prob, Ms. Carson.” He closed the door.
???
Monday morning Sara opened the door to her office, relieved to be away from her father. Even guilt over that relief couldn’t dim the brightness she felt at escaping the emotional shackles she’d endured during the weekend. He wanted her to read out loud. He wanted soup. The soup was too hot and thick. Then too cold and thin. More blankets. Take a letter. Why had she piled all these blankets on top of him? Thank goodness she had a strong aversion to murder.
On her desk stood a Mason jar filled with water and a bunch of scraggly bluebonnets. She sat down just as Carol brought in the weekend mail.
“I seem to have a secret admirer.”
“Oh, I forgot. Those are from Will. He said to tell you that you werefresh.”
Sara glanced at the drooping posies. “They don’t look fresh to me.”
“No, you’re fresh.”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s a compliment, Ms. Carson. He likes you.”
“I hardly know what to say.”
“Thank you would do for starters.”
“By all means. Call the body shop and ask Steve to notify me when Will comes in.”
As Carol left, Sara sorted through the mail. She’d almost tossed the neon yellow flyer in the wastebasket when she noticed Springboard Inc. printed in the bottom corner. Silhouettes of children involved in all sorts of physical activity framed a text that described the services provided by the Springboard Center and announced its grand opening.
That’s right, the center opened today. Josh had probably been working all weekend to get ready. Maybe she’d just drop by and take a look-see this afternoon. The early rush should be over by then, and she wouldn’t be in the way.
It was one o’clock before Sara could get away. She told Carol to page her if anything came up, then strode off to the daycare. The sun steamed the pavement. Sweat trickled down her back. But today, Sara wasn’t worried about persuading Josh to break his lease. Today she was curious. Curious to see what Josh had made of the huge warehouse space. Curious to see how Josh would react to her on his turf.
She knocked. When no one answered, she wasn’t surprised. After all, she’d chosen the back entrance. She opened the door and stepped inside.
Cold air and the sounds of pandemonium hit her at the same time. She traversed the short hallway between what had once been an office and a storage room. What did Josh use them for? The hallway ended at the open space of the huge daycare.
The floor had been painted into bright sections. One large area was dedicated to sports like gymnastics, basketball, and floor hockey. A trampoline and indoor jungle gym took up more space. A material that resembled cork but shared the varied colors on the floor lined the concrete walls and the ceiling.
Keeping to the sidelines as much as possible, Sara made her way around the room. Smaller areas flanking the sports center were dedicated to arts and crafts, reading, video and computer activities. Each area had its own distinctive but sturdy décor of shelves, tables, chairs, throw rugs, and huge pillows, all coordinated with the color of the floor that identified the area. Off to the left, Sara could see a series of doors. A picket fence cordoned off the reception area and front door.
He’s really given this some thought. I wouldn’t mind having my kids spend time here. If I had kids, that is.Why Josh’s face came to mind at that precise moment, she couldn’t say.
The open space was alive with activity and noise. Staff members in bright shirts and shorts refereed games and chased after children of all shapes, sizes, and colors.
