Wonders Of The Heart. Ruth Scofield

tide, leaving a mini-wake along her veins as it settled. If it really had settled. She wasn’t sure. How they would get along on a day-to-day existence remained to be seen, but if he continued to look at her the way he had, she was likely to turn blue with holding her breath. Perhaps his odd effect on her would wear off in time.

      Uh-huh. And she was likely to be invited to dinner at Trump Towers.

      Twirling away from the dining room, she giggled and set a CD to play. It was too late to make any kind of business rounds today. Perhaps, since Honor would be completing her math finals, Spring would bake a pie to celebrate, instead.

      She liked baking pies. Her thoughts often did their most creative design work while her hands were otherwise occupied. She’d come up with a lovely idea for a summer suit just yesterday, and was eager to buy some lightweight fabric to make it up.

      Sighing, she realized that would now have to wait. Her personal activities had to be curtailed and arranged around her daily housekeeping chores. She wouldn’t have as much time to follow through with her own plans.

      Ah, well. There were worse things than living on New York’s upper east side and making a salary, while looking for the ideal job. At least Uncle William’s exacting demands for a spotless house would not go to waste. She and Autumn had learned to clean, cook and sew with the best little Good Housekeeping examples Uncle William could find. She could recall his often repeated words as though he said them at her shoulder now: “A disordered home denotes a disordered life.”

      She smiled. Uncle William would approve of her. She’d been smart and frugal with her funds, and hadn’t had to spend much of her small inheritance.

      But she sincerely hoped Chad had no occasion to peek into her bedroom. It was a shambles, with stacks of fabric and sewing debris piled wherever she’d found available space. Her main task there was to at least keep the pins off the floor to prevent injury to her bare feet.

      Or she needed to remember to put on her shoes.

      The quiet ring of the phone caught her just as she slid the pie into the oven. She’d taken a couple of messages for Chad already today—female voices, sounding young and sophisticated, or savvy and businesslike, asking to have Chad return their calls. Spring had taken several such calls when she first took up residence with Honor, but over the passing weeks the calls had slowed and stopped.

      News of Chad’s return had rocketed now, she thought in amusement as she grabbed the kitchen extension.

      “This is Chad,” he said in return to her hello, then proceeded to give her directions with a firm, instructional tone. “I’ve arranged for a household account for anything you or Honor may need, and opened up a couple of charge cards for Honor at Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and a couple of other places. Did you find the cash I left on the kitchen counter for groceries?”

      “Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. Thanks, I’ll restock the cupboards and fridge. Is there anything particular you’d like for dinner?”

      “Don’t think I’ll make it home for dinner. Sorry.”

      “Oh. Well, is there a message for Honor?”

      “Um, no, I…just tell my sister to follow her usual routine. I’ll stop into her room to say good-night before going to bed.”

      “All right. Chad?”

      “Yes?”

      “Honor would like to enroll in a summer ballet class, if it’s all right with you.”

      “Sure. Why shouldn’t it be?”

      “Well, it runs through August. I didn’t know what your summer plans may be.”

      “Plans?” He sounded distracted.

      “Many people don’t like to be tied down through the summer months,” she explained. “If you have family vacation plans, it may interfere.”

      “Ah.” He’d caught her direction, but his immediate “No, I don’t have any further plans for the summer” put an end to her hope that he’d take a week or so to spend with Honor. The girl needed her brother’s company, in Spring’s opinion. She’d noticed too many lost, plaintive expressions on the child’s face while Honor had thought herself unobserved.

      “If she wants to join the class,” he went on quickly, giving her the feeling he was in a hurry to wrap up the conversation, “it’s fine with me. Whatever equipment or clothing she needs, use the charge cards. I’ll discuss it more fully later, all right?”

      “Yes, of course, I only thought—” But he was gone before she could voice her thoughts.

      She sighed, picked up a stack of bills lying beneath the phone, then set them down again. They were no longer her worry.

      Glancing at her watch, she realized Honor would be home soon. She made up her mind. Since Chad wouldn’t be home until late, why shouldn’t she take Honor to register this very afternoon? Then they could buy what Honor needed for the class, find a bite to eat, and run straight on to the Wednesday night teen gathering at church. She could deliver the finished dress to her customer Mary Beth, on the way.

      But she wasn’t about to tell Mary Beth that this was the last sewing she could do for her. Chad couldn’t dictate whom she sewed for, and if he didn’t know she was being paid for it, he couldn’t object.