She Never Knew Read Online Free PDF Page B

minutes.” She bent down and kissed the top of Tyler’s head before walking
up to the secretary’s desk.
    Dottie was
sitting at her computer, her back to Kat. When she heard Kat approach, she
turned in her chair to face her, a smile on her face.
    “How’s it going,
lady?” Dottie stood and approached the counter.
    “It’s going just
fine.” Kat said, suddenly hesitant about signing up. “I wanted to ask you about
the self-defense class.”
    “Okay, sure.” Dottie
replied. “The lady that was in here earlier said she has some friends from her
church who were talking about starting up a class.” She looked at Kat. “Did you
want to sign up?”
    “Uh, yes, I-I
think so.” Kat stammered. She felt her face flush and hoped that Dottie
wouldn’t notice, but she had.
    Dottie peered at
Kat with concern. “Are you all right?”
    “Oh yes, I’m
fine. Kat covered. “I’m just tired.”
    Dottie dismissed
this for a later conversation. Instead, she said, “Well, as I had mentioned
earlier, this class would be for women only. The techniques you’ll learn will
focus on what you can do to prepare yourself in the event you are attacked or
abducted.”
    Kat stood
nervously, playing with her hair. “That sounds really good. Can I sign up now?”
    “You can sign up
now, sure.” Dottie reached for the sheet of paper she had used earlier when
talking with the woman from before. “Write your name down right here.” She
pointed.
    Kat printed her
name, phone number, and email address on the sheet. “How much do you charge for
something like this?” she inquired.
    Dottie answered,
“Twenty-five dollars per person.” When Kat looked at her in surprise, Dottie
nodded. “If it means saving a life, I have no problems making that happen.”
    Kat instantly
relaxed. She smiled warmly at Dottie and asked, “To keep your prices low, do
you have a minimum class size requirement?”
    Dottie nodded.
“I do. I like to keep it around twelve to fourteen people, preferably an even
number so that everyone has a partner.”
    Kat studied her
for a moment, then took a deep breath and said, “Well, that settles it. Count
me in!”
    “All righty,
then.” Dottie approved. “I’ll let you know when I come up with a couple of
dates. I’ve got to check the schedule from my other job, but I’d like to have
the class on a Saturday morning.” Kat nodded in agreement and Dottie continued,
“Most people can usually get the time off.”
    “Sounds good.”
Kat said. By this time, Tyler joined them and was ready to leave. “You itching
to go, little boy?” she said.
    “Yes!” Tyler
jumped up and down. “Bye bye, Miss Dottie.”
    “See you next
week!” Dottie held up her hand and Tyler gave her a high five.
    After Kat and
Tyler left, Dottie thought about their conversation with curiosity. There’s
a story behind that one, she thought. Shaking her head, she returned to her
computer and resumed her work.

Chapter 4
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    After Kat tucked
Tyler into bed, she walked across the hall toward the guest room she used as an
office. She usually did her computer work at night so that she could focus on
Tyler during the day.
    Her home office
was similar to the one in her former apartment, except that here her furniture
was antiquated. She had sold her computer desk because it was unstable and too
much trouble to dismantle. Besides, the wood had been dark in color and she
wanted something entirely different.
    The walls of her
office were separated by a chair rail. Above the rail, Kat had painted a green
monsoon color that emanated a cozy atmosphere throughout the room. The bottom
section was coated with a deep mahogany color, giving the space a subtle flair
of ambiance.
    In one corner
sat her computer desk. It was more of a table that one would typically place in
a foyer. Kat had fallen in love with it when she discovered it at an antique store.
It had a flip-down panel shelf that accommodated her keyboard and mouse.