The Parent Trap(45)

She clicked on a button to see who all these people were. Kids from the high school, their mothers, other businesswomen. But Eleanor Bentley—who would have guessed she was using social media?—and a woman from Boise, Idaho, were completely unexpected. Kate had set the page to like other local businesses and many had already reciprocated. Earlier in the week, she photographed individual items and somehow programmed the page to post one photo every day along with a description.

Sarah understood almost nothing about social media, but she knew effective advertising when she saw it. The photographs were great, and every item, including the one Kate had posted yesterday morning, had sold. This was one business-savvy fourteen-year-old.

She might even have mentioned this to Jonathan while they’d walked the dog last week, except she’d had other things on her mind. Instead of talking about kids, about being parents, they had spent the time getting to know each other. She already liked what was on the outside, and now she was drawn to the man on the inside, too. He was funny, easy to talk to, and he made her feel...

He made her feel. She put her hands to her face to cool her cheeks with her palms.

The front door banged shut and was followed by Casey’s customary, “Mo-om, we’re home.”

“Be right down, sweetie.” She shut down the computer and checked her list. The only thing left on it was tonight’s dinner. Frozen entrees had no appeal. They would go for fish and chips instead. If the rain held off, they could walk down and eat at one of the nearby picnic tables. With fall almost here, there wouldn’t be many more opportunities to eat outside. They could even invite Jonathan and Kate to join them. She was sure he wanted to spend time together as much as she did, and she was beginning to realize that it was up to her to make it happen.

But first she wanted to hear all about Casey’s afternoon. Now that she was spending more time with friends, some of whom were boys, Sarah intended to keep the lines of communication wide open. After they talked, she would run next door and invite Jonathan and Kate to join them for dinner.



JON WAS WAITING inside the front door when Kate returned, the new bag casually slung over her shoulder.

“Hi, Dad.” She eyed him suspiciously. “What’s up?”

“I’m not sure. I was hoping you’d tell me.”

“Oh-kay.”

“Did you talk to your mother?”

She at least had the grace to look uncomfortable. “No. My friends and I went for coffee and then we hung out at the beach. It wasn’t a good time to talk.”

“You couldn’t have answered, let her know when she could call you back?”

She shrugged. “I guess. Did she call you?”

“Yes, she did. She wanted to know why you didn’t pick up.”

Kate rolled her eyes. “I’m sure she’s not mad because I missed a call. I talk to her pretty much every day.”

“She wasn’t mad.” Not at Kate, anyway. “But you’re always wondering when she’s going to call, checking for text messages, so I was surprised you didn’t take her call.”

“Fine. I’ll text her to let her know I’m home and she can call me if it’s not too late over there.” She unzipped one of her high black leather boots and pulled it off, removed the other one, and headed for the stairs. The bag still swung from her shoulder.

“Not so fast,” he said.

She turned around, her sullen expression easy to read. Now what?

“I asked your mother if you’d thanked her for giving you that bag.”

Her defiance waned.

“She said she didn’t send it.”

Kate lowered her gaze to the floor.

Keep your cool, he warned himself. “I have a pretty good idea how much it cost and I know you didn’t have enough money to buy it. Where did you get it?”

She kept her head down, her eyes low, but it was the indifferent shrug that made him lose it.

“You don’t know where it came from? You expect me to believe that?”

Her head snapped up and the defiance was back, in spades. “Duh. Of course I know where it came from. I got it at Sarah’s.”

Duh? Not a good way to respond to a man whose patience was worn dangerously thin. “You...borrowed it?”

“Not from her house, from her store. And I didn’t borrow it, she gave it to me.”

He walked away from her, drew a long breath as he raised his hands and jabbed his fingers through his hair. Heaven help him. He exhaled slowly, turned to face her again.

“Sarah gave you an expensive handbag? For no reason, she just gave it to you?”

“No, she didn’t just give it to me.” She hiked her nose in the air, hitched the bag higher and held one arm against it, as if protecting it from him. “I earned it.”