Tuesday's Child Read Free Page B

a hat.”
    “What about school?”
    “No idea, have to ask Jodie. They’re in the same form. Hey, what are you doing Sunday?”
    Adeline thought for a moment. “Nothing as far as I know.”
    “Come with us for dinner after church.”
    “I’d love that. I’ll bring dessert. See you tomorrow.”
    “Sure, but no dessert. I’ve got that covered. Night.” Jasmine opened the door and headed into the fine drizzle.
    Adeline reached down and petted Ben. “Shall we go home?” She smiled as he licked her hand. “I wonder what made Sgt. Holmes so sad. We’ll pray for him tonight, see if that helps.”
    She shivered as something touched her heart, a heaviness she knew all too well—a pressing need to pray for the man who just left. A burden that wouldn’t wait until later, and a heaviness that wouldn’t lift until she’d done what the Lord wanted. Locking the front door, Adeline turned back towards her office, not knowing what to pray, just knowing she had to and had to do so now.
     
     
     
     

2
     
    Saturday, unlike the day before, was blistering hot. Even with the fan on and the windows wide open, Adeline’s shirt was damp and sticking to her overheated skin. She was what her grandmother called a grease spot. Oh, the joys of an English summer, where you dress for the day and not for the season .
    Ben lay under the desk, panting hard, despite the bowl of water by his side. He still managed to tap her foot as the door opened.
    Adeline leaned down and patted his head, and then looked up. She smiled a welcome. “Hi.”
    Vianne skipped across reception to the desk, the pink and white striped dappy hat pulled down over her ears, braids swinging on either side. “Hello, Dr. Adeline. We’ve come to visit Amelia Jane.”
    “Sure. Susie will show you through.” She smiled as Vianne tugged free of her uncle’s hand and skipped after Susie. Adeline turned her attention to Nate. Dressed in a simple white tee shirt and beige slacks, he looked even more handsome than he had yesterday in his suit, tie and overcoat. Shivers ran down her spine, and her heart flip-flopped.
    “Would you like some coffee while she’s visiting?”
    “Coffee would be great, thank you. I have two sugars, no milk, please. And the invoice, if you have it done.”
    “I did it this morning.” Adeline pulled it from the drawer and handed it to him.
    Nate glanced down the sheet, his lips moving as he read.
    Adeline kept her smile to herself, knowing he hadn’t intended her to pick up on his immediate thoughts.
    His head jerked up and his gaze held hers. “Her eyes?”
    Adeline nodded. “Vianne asked me to look at them as the doll was blind. They were easy to fix. They’d simply come unattached.”
    “Oh, right. It’s a very old doll, belonged to her mother when she was a child.” He looked down again. “Do I pay now or…?”
    “When you pick her up is fine.” She turned her attention to pouring the coffee.
    His scent overpowered even the strong coffee she loved. He smelled of musk and spearmint. Did he know how captivating it was? Every nerve ending tingled with his nearness. She glanced down as Ben touched her foot, then back to Nate.
    “…place is set up.”
    Extrapolating quickly, Adeline guessed what he was asking. “I’ll give you a tour if you like.” She offered him the mug.
    “Thank you. That would be great.”
    Adeline led him through the door to the right. “Most of our work is done here. As you can see it’s laid out as you’d expect a workshop to be. Sometimes we have to order in parts, but most of them we have here already.”
    Nate glanced around. “How long has it been here?”
    “We’ve been on the High Street about a year. We moved from the original site in Datura Drive where we’d been since Dad started it thirty years ago. I’ve been running the place four years, since Dad retired.” She pushed open another door. “And this is the ward.”
    Nate’s expression became one of amazement much the same way