staring at her. “Mommy? You look beautiful!” Walker sighs.
“Really?” Sarah’s heart melts. Walker has never said this before in his life, and she gathers him in her arms and kisses him.
“Yes, Mommy,” Maggie says, not wanting to be left out. “You a pretty lady, Mommy.”
“Oh, thank you, darling,” Sarah says, kissing her.
“I put on lipstick too.” Maggie grabs the blusher and puts it on her lips as Sarah laughs.
The doorbell rings and Sarah frowns, pulling her robe tighter around herself. Damn. She hates going to the door when she’s not dressed, but it’s her own fault, she thinks, for messing around with her hair and makeup instead of showering and dressing as she usually does.
“Come on.” She lifts up Maggie and gestures for Walker to run in front of them. “Let’s go and see who’s at the door.”
“Hello?” a man’s voice calls back. “Mrs. Evans? It’s Joe.” Pause. “The contractor? I’m here to look at your wall?”
“Oh, right. Sure.” She’d completely forgotten, and she opens the door to find herself staring into a pair of bright green eyes, and a large dimpled smile.
“Oh,” she says, instantly feeling vulnerable in her robe in the presence of not just any man, but someone who’s actually cute. And then composing herself, she extends her hand and says in her most businesslike tone, “Hi, I’m Sarah Evans. Nice to meet you. Please come in. Will you excuse me just a second while I get dressed?”
“Absolutely,” he says. “Hi!” he says to Maggie, who smiles shyly and buries her head in Sarah’s robe. “You’re a cutie, aren’t you. What’s your name?”
“Maggie?” Sarah says. “Can you say hello?” There’s a shake of her head and Sarah shrugs an apology as Walker comes dashing back into the hall in a Darth Vader mask wielding a light saber.
“Whoa!” says Joe the contractor. “I didn’t know Darth Vader lived here. That’s pretty scary.”
“I’m gonna chop you with my light saber!” Walker says, and Sarah reprimands him.
“Walker, that’s not nice. Say sorry.”
“Don’t worry.” Joe smiles. “How old is he? Five?” Sarah nods. “I have a five-year-old as well. I’m well versed in Star Wars . I’ll watch them if you want.”
Sarah thinks for a second, but he looks normal, and he’s a recommendation from another mother at school who had used him to redo her kitchen, so he must be okay. She smiles gratefully. “That would be great.” She shows him into the kitchen and runs upstairs to get changed. Oh, shit , she thinks, catching sight of herself in the bathroom mirror. What must he have thought of me, opening the door in full makeup and a bathrobe ?
She pulls on her track pants and a sweatshirt and then pauses by the bedroom door. Not that there’s anything wrong with her track pants, and not, absolutely not, that she’s trying to impress the cute contractor downstairs, who by the way, has a son and is therefore almost certainly married (not that she’s looking), but didn’t the Today Show woman talk about showing off your assets rather than hiding them, and doesn’t this make her look rather middle-aged and dull?
Sarah strips them off and puts on some cargo pants with a tight, long-sleeved T-shirt. Thank God for Gap, she offers a silent prayer as she gives herself a cursory glance in the mirror and goes back downstairs.
All the cushions are off the sofa in the family room and Walker, Maggie, and Joe the contractor are huddled under the table.
“What’s going on?” Sarah asks uncertainly, unused to seeing strange men crouching under tables in her family room with her children.
“Mom! Mom! Joe made us a fort!” Walker shouts delightedly. “And look! It has a doorway too. You can come in too!” The pillows from the sofa have been propped up in such a way as to create a doorway, Joe’s jacket draped over the top.
“I don’t think so.” Sarah smiles, ever the grown-up. “And it’s not Joe; it’s
“Really?” Sarah’s heart melts. Walker has never said this before in his life, and she gathers him in her arms and kisses him.
“Yes, Mommy,” Maggie says, not wanting to be left out. “You a pretty lady, Mommy.”
“Oh, thank you, darling,” Sarah says, kissing her.
“I put on lipstick too.” Maggie grabs the blusher and puts it on her lips as Sarah laughs.
The doorbell rings and Sarah frowns, pulling her robe tighter around herself. Damn. She hates going to the door when she’s not dressed, but it’s her own fault, she thinks, for messing around with her hair and makeup instead of showering and dressing as she usually does.
“Come on.” She lifts up Maggie and gestures for Walker to run in front of them. “Let’s go and see who’s at the door.”
“Hello?” a man’s voice calls back. “Mrs. Evans? It’s Joe.” Pause. “The contractor? I’m here to look at your wall?”
“Oh, right. Sure.” She’d completely forgotten, and she opens the door to find herself staring into a pair of bright green eyes, and a large dimpled smile.
“Oh,” she says, instantly feeling vulnerable in her robe in the presence of not just any man, but someone who’s actually cute. And then composing herself, she extends her hand and says in her most businesslike tone, “Hi, I’m Sarah Evans. Nice to meet you. Please come in. Will you excuse me just a second while I get dressed?”
“Absolutely,” he says. “Hi!” he says to Maggie, who smiles shyly and buries her head in Sarah’s robe. “You’re a cutie, aren’t you. What’s your name?”
“Maggie?” Sarah says. “Can you say hello?” There’s a shake of her head and Sarah shrugs an apology as Walker comes dashing back into the hall in a Darth Vader mask wielding a light saber.
“Whoa!” says Joe the contractor. “I didn’t know Darth Vader lived here. That’s pretty scary.”
“I’m gonna chop you with my light saber!” Walker says, and Sarah reprimands him.
“Walker, that’s not nice. Say sorry.”
“Don’t worry.” Joe smiles. “How old is he? Five?” Sarah nods. “I have a five-year-old as well. I’m well versed in Star Wars . I’ll watch them if you want.”
Sarah thinks for a second, but he looks normal, and he’s a recommendation from another mother at school who had used him to redo her kitchen, so he must be okay. She smiles gratefully. “That would be great.” She shows him into the kitchen and runs upstairs to get changed. Oh, shit , she thinks, catching sight of herself in the bathroom mirror. What must he have thought of me, opening the door in full makeup and a bathrobe ?
She pulls on her track pants and a sweatshirt and then pauses by the bedroom door. Not that there’s anything wrong with her track pants, and not, absolutely not, that she’s trying to impress the cute contractor downstairs, who by the way, has a son and is therefore almost certainly married (not that she’s looking), but didn’t the Today Show woman talk about showing off your assets rather than hiding them, and doesn’t this make her look rather middle-aged and dull?
Sarah strips them off and puts on some cargo pants with a tight, long-sleeved T-shirt. Thank God for Gap, she offers a silent prayer as she gives herself a cursory glance in the mirror and goes back downstairs.
All the cushions are off the sofa in the family room and Walker, Maggie, and Joe the contractor are huddled under the table.
“What’s going on?” Sarah asks uncertainly, unused to seeing strange men crouching under tables in her family room with her children.
“Mom! Mom! Joe made us a fort!” Walker shouts delightedly. “And look! It has a doorway too. You can come in too!” The pillows from the sofa have been propped up in such a way as to create a doorway, Joe’s jacket draped over the top.
“I don’t think so.” Sarah smiles, ever the grown-up. “And it’s not Joe; it’s
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