Wednesday's Child Read Online Free PDF

should go mark those papers.”
    He turned, seeing in his mind the figure on the swing. He gave her one final push and ran around the other side to smile at her. Only this time the hair flying around her face was long and dark, not long and fair.
    Another stab of guilt pierced him for letting this woman he didn’t know get under his skin and into his thoughts. He had no right to think of anyone but Sally.
     
    ****
     
    Jacqui washed the casserole dish and handed it to Holly. “So what’s Kyle doing tonight? Not still cutting hair at this hour?”
    Holly shook her head as she dried the dish. “No, he’s preaching.”
    Surprise filled her. “Preaching? I didn’t think he was into that side of the ministry.”
    Holly nodded. “Pastor Jack asked him to speak at the old folk’s home on Crescent Road. He was looking forward to it.”
    Jacqui smiled. “Well good for him. Of course he might end up doing it forever now.”
    “I don’t think he’ll mind. It’s only once a month.” Holly paused. “So how did the presentation go? You were a bundle of nerves when we spoke on the phone last night.”
    She looked at the bubbles coating her hands as she cleaned the saucepan. “And with good reason, my whole career is resting on this one.” She scrubbed hard at the pan before setting it on the draining board. “It was fine, eventually. There was this one guy, Liam Page. We met in the cafe at lunchtime when he knocked a vase of flowers over onto my laptop and killed it. He teaches at the school and spent the entire presentation making eyes at me before asking me out at the end of it.”
    “Oh, aye? What’s he like, then?”
    “He’s tall, dark, and handsome, has a cute beard and looks like a movie star.”
    “Very nice. You know that’s a pretty romantic way to meet someone. He throws flowers all over you.”
    “You’re a fine one to talk. You thought Kyle was a mass murderer when you first met him.” Jacqui flicked soap bubbles at Holly.
    “Hey, in my defense, it was a dark night and he accosted me while I was lying under the car trying to fix it.” She winked. “But you know it is kind of funny meeting someone like that.”
    “Please don’t look at me like that. I already got the “say it with flowers” joke from Eve, more than once, and it wasn’t funny then. Besides, there is one very big hitch in any matchmaking plans you might have. He’s married.”
    “Oh.” Holly looked at her, aghast. “Married?”
    Jacqui nodded. It sounded worse when she spoke it aloud. She needed to distract Holly. “Yes, he’s married. The good ones always are. We can’t all land the perfect man, you know. And they don’t all save us from serial killers, either.”
    The smile on Holly’s face lit her eyes. “Yeah, Kyle was rather heroic, wasn’t he?”
    “Is Kyle’s head as big as it ought to be?” Jacqui teased her friend.
    Holly laughed. “He gets rid of spiders, too. Want me to send him over?”
    Jacqui handed her another dish. “It’s fine. I’m not scared of spiders.”
    “So this Liam…what does he teach?”
    “He’s head of English at the secondary school. And please no jokes about it being ironic that a Mr. Page teaches English. Eve’s done that one to death, as well. He offered to pay for the laptop, so I guess he can’t be all bad. And he’s taking me to dinner tomorrow to apologize.”
    Consternation flooded Holly’s face. “But you said he’s married. Jac, is that the wisest option? You don’t want to give him the wrong idea.”
    “I’m not. I made it perfectly clear it’s just dinner and nothing more. He looked flustered when I asked if his wife would mind. He was adamant she wouldn’t.”
    “Hmmm, must be a very understanding woman then. Not sure I’d like Kyle taking another woman to dinner. Not even to apologize. Unless he took me along, too, then I guess it’d be all right. Where are you going?”
    “He’s taking me to the pizza place on the Riverside. Why? What are you