Second-Time Lucky. Laurie Paige

      “I’m ready. Sammy will be here any moment.”

      Caileen turned from the kitchen window and smiled at her daughter, who had a backpack slung over one shoulder. “What time should I expect you tomorrow?”

      Zia sighed. Loudly. “By noon.”

      “Great. You can have the car to go to the library. I’m going to work in the yard.”

      “You should hire someone to do the mowing. I know, we’re saving for a new roof,” Zia added glumly before Caileen could remind the girl of the harsh reality.

      The doorbell rang.

      “There’s Sammy. See you tomorrow,” Zia sang out and dashed for the door, the backpack swinging jauntily against her hip. “Uh, Mom, I think it’s someone for you,” she called a few seconds later.

      Caileen went into the living room. Jeff Aquilon stood on the porch. “Hello,” she said, flustered at seeing him.

      He held up the books. “Krista finished these. I thought I would return them since I was in town.”

      Zia stepped back so he could enter. The room seemed much smaller with his presence. Noting the questions in her daughter’s eyes, Caileen introduced the two.

      “Mr. Aquilon is the guardian of two of my clients. Zia is my daughter,” she explained to him.

      “Call me Jeff,” he said, shaking hands with the girl.

      “Thank you,” Zia said. Her smile was quick and dazzling. “There’s a guy in my four o’clock history class at the university whose name is Aquilon.”

      “That would be my nephew, Jeremy,” Jeff said, returning the smile. “He’s finishing his senior year in high school, plus taking some college courses. He missed a year, so he’s in a hurry to make it up.”

      “I see. Please, won’t you have a seat?”

      He glanced at Caileen. She indicated the easy chair and took her place at the end of the sofa.

      Zia glanced out the door. “Here’s Sammy. I have to run. Nice meeting you, Jeff.”

      With another one of her dazzling smiles, she was out the door and off on her grand adventure. Silence prevailed.

      “Did Krista enjoy the stories?” Caileen asked.

      “She did. I wondered if you could recommend others. Perhaps longer books. She went through those in two nights and could have done it in one if Wednesday hadn’t been a school night.”

      “She has a high reading score, more than two grades above the fifth-grade level. I should have remembered that.”

      “Is she gifted? Is that the word the academics use nowadays?”

      “Yes, it is.” She stared at him while she considered.

      He wore dark slacks and a white shirt, the cuffs rolled up on his arms. The collar was open, revealing a white T-shirt. He looked fit and strong.

      Forcing herself to look away, she told him, “I’ll have to check her record, but I think she missed the standard tests for the gifted program last year.”

      “Can she take them now?”

      Caileen shook her head. “It’s only given once a year and only to fourth graders in elementary school.”

      He gave an exasperated snort. “Bureaucracy.”

      “You can have her tested, but you’ll have to pay the costs. I can give you the names of the approved testing services so you can consult with them.”

      “Good. What do you think of the gifted program in the local school system?”

      “Zia loved the field trips and advanced experiments they did, but some teachers just gave extra work to those in the program. The kids didn’t think that was fair.”

      He grimaced. “Busywork. I’d hate that, too.” He paused, then added on a thoughtful note, “Your daughter is quite beautiful.” His gaze ran over her as if wondering where the beauty came from.

      Caileen nodded. “She looks exactly like her father. Blond, curly hair. Blue eyes. Same shape face. The same tall, slender body. The energy. I always felt as if I were in a mysterious force field when I was with him. When things were good between us.” She winced internally at the last phrase. She hadn’t meant to say that at all.

      “Things do change,” he said casually.

      “Yes. Sometimes I wish she could have stayed Krista’s age.”

      “But kids grow up.”

      “And have minds of their own.” She managed a smile.

      Then, to her amazement, her eyes misted over as worry over her child assailed her. She blinked rapidly and got the errant tears under control as Jeff prepared to leave.

      “Well, I suppose I’d better get home. Friday is Tony’s night to cook dinner. It’s always grilled hamburgers. Krista got after him about the fat content of the potato chips we used to have with them so we’re having lime gelatin with pineapple chunks and grated carrots and grapes instead.” He grinned somewhat wryly as he described the meal.

      “That’s nice,” she said. Her voice wobbled.

      “Are you okay?”

      She nodded and burst into tears.