“What's dicyan-cetylene?”she asked.
“Di-cyano-acetylene—” He pronounced it slowly and clearly, “is a compound made of carbon and nitrogen.Extremely unstable stuff.”
At the pinochle tables, the next round of play commenced.But there was no table talk.Bonnie realized with no small dismay that the group's attention was firmly on her and Grayson ...and now her kids.
As if on cue, Ruth said, just loud enough for Bonnie to hear, “The youngest Lawton boy's sitting with Bonnie Watson and her kids.”
Bonnie mentally snorted.The handsome, clearly intelligent man sitting across from her was hardly a boy.
Walter retorted, sounding unimpressed, “People sit in booths, Ruth.That's what booths are for.”
Ruth declared, “Bonnie's got pink in her cheeks.”
Walter replied a little more sharply, “It's cold outside.Everyone's got pink in their cheeks.”
God bless Walter.Even if he was still a nosy old coot.
Ruth harrumphed.“There’s more to it than that.Mark my words, Walter.”
“You say that every week.”
“And I'm right every week.”
“She's right, you know,” Cassidy said conversationally, helping herself to the last bite of Bonnie's cinnamon roll.
Bonnie stared at her daughter.“Excuse me?”Was itthatobvious she thought Gray was attractive?
“About your cheeks.You always get pink cheeks when it’s cold out.You forget to wear a scarf and get wind burn on your face.”Cassidy licked the frosting off her finger with complete innocence.“May I have a hot chocolate?”
“Me, too!”Noah shouted.
“Indoor voice, Noah,” she retorted.“And yes, you may both have a cup of hot chocolate while you do your homework.But promise me you won’t bother Mr.Lawton any more.He is obviously busy.”
“I’m doing homework, too,” Gray volunteered.
“Did you have hot chocolate?”Noah asked.
“I was drinking coffee.But now that you mention it, that sounds tasty.Rose, could we have hot chocolates for the whole table?”
“Thanks, but count me out,” Bonnie replied, standing up.“I need to get back to the office.Cassidy, Noah—stay here and do your homework.Rose said she'd keep an eye on you while I finish up some work at the office.”
“May I look at the fire books?”Noah asked Gray.
Gray looked at Bonnie.
Honestly, the last thing she wanted Noah to become fascinated by was the profession that killed his father.But she also hated to stifle Noah’s curiosity.She wavered for half a second, then said reluctantly to Gray, “If it’s okay with you, it’s okay with me.”
“I don't mind,” Gray said easily.
She left the diner, and the cold March air bit into her exposed skin with tiny, sharp teeth.As she walked down the block to the mayor's office, the sun came out from behind a cloud.It flooded Main Street with blindingly bright light that reflected off the snow and made it look as if God had tossed handfuls of diamonds across it.
Something moved inside her, slowly, as if it had been hibernating for a long time and was just starting to wake.She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her kids interact with a man who wasn't their grandfather or a pastor.There'd been a ...hunger ...in her kids' eyes that she didn't know what to do with.
Her steps away from the silver-eyed cowboy in the diner sped up a little.
There was definitelynothunger to spend time with a man under the age of seventy stirring in her own heart, too.
2
