patience. At this rate he'll be a terror by Christmas."
"And that's a good thing?"
"Yes. Ethan, I've worked with children who haven't faced nearly the
miseries Seth has, and it can take them so much longer to adjust, even
with counseling. You and Cam and Phillip have done wonders for Seth."
Cooling off, Ethan sipped his beer. "You had a hand in it."
"Yes, I did, which makes me as happy on a professional level as I am on
a personal one. And to prove it, I'll give you a hand with dinner." So
saying, she shrugged out of her jacket and began to roll up her sleeves.
"What did you have in mind to go with the meat loaf?"
He'd planned on sticking some potatoes in the microwave because they
didn't require any fussing, and maybe digging some frozen peas out.
Buta
"I thought maybe some of those cheese noodles you make would go nice as
a side dish."
"The alfredo? Cholesterol city, added to meat loaf, but what the hell.
I'll fix them. Why don't you sit down until the headache passes?"
It already had, but it seemed smarter not to mention it.
He sat, prepared to enjoy his beer--and fix his sister-in-law's wagon.
"Oh, Grace said I should thank you for the recipe. She'll let you know
how it turns out for her."
"Oh?" Turning to hide her satisfied smile, Anna reached for an apron.
"Yeah, I got the fried chicken makings for you--stuck it in the
cookbook." He hid his own smile with his beer when her head swiveled.
"Youa oh, wella"
"I'd have given it to you last night, but it was late when I got back,
and you were in bed. I ran into Jim when I left Grace's."
"Jim?" Puzzled annoyance showed clearly on her face.
"Went on over to his place to help him tune up this outboard that's been
giving him trouble."
"You were at Jim's last night?"
"Stayed later than I meant to, but there was a ball game on. The O's
were playing out in California."
She could have cheerfully smashed him over the head with his own beer
bottle. "You spent last night working on an engine and watching a ball
game?"
"Yeah." He sent her an innocent look. "Like I said, I got in kinda late,
but it was a hell of a game."
She huffed out a breath, yanked open the refrigerator to get out cheese
and milk. "Men," she muttered. "All of them idiots."
"What's that?"
"Nothing. Well, I hope you had a fine time watching your baseball game."
While Grace was home alone, miserable.
"I can't remember enjoying myself more. Went into extra innings." He was
grinning now, just couldn't help it. She looked so flustered and furious
and was trying desperately to hide it.
"Well, hot damn." Fuming, she shifted to get the fettuccine out of the
cupboard and saw his face. She turned slowly, holding the package of
pasta. "You didn't go over to Jim's to watch a ball game last night."
"Didn't I?" He lifted a brow, glanced thoughtfully at his beer, then