Read Online With a Little Luck by Janet Dailey - Free Book Online

going to tell me ‘some other time.’”
    In the kitchen, Luck filled a mug with coffee and helped himself to a handful of the cookies stacked on the table. “What did you and Eve talk about?” Settling onto a chair, he bit into one of the cookies and eyed Toby skeptically. “Did you really make these?”
    “Yeah,” was the defensive retort. “Eve told me how. She says you learn best by doing. She’s a teacher. Did you know that? I mean a for real teacher. She teaches music.”
    “No, I didn’t know that,” Luck admitted.
    “We talked about that some and a bunch of other things.” Toby frowned in an attempt to recall the subjects he’d discussed with Eve. “I told her you were thinking about getting married again.”
    Luck choked on the drink of coffee he’d taken and coughed, “You did what?!!” He set the mug down to stare at his son, controlling the anger that trembled beneath his disbelieving look.
    “I mentioned that you were talking about getting married again,” he repeated with all the round-eyed innocence of an eight-year-old. “Well, it’s true.”
    “No, you’ve been talking about it.” Luck pointed a finger at his son, shaking it slightly in his direction. “Why on earth did you mention it to Eve? I thought it was a private discussion between you and me.”
    “Gosh, dad, I didn’t know you wanted to keep it a secret,” Toby blinked.
    “Toby, you don’t go around discussing personal matters with strangers.” He ran his fingers through his damp haft in a gesture of exasperation. “My God, you’ll be blabbing it to the whole neighborhood next. Why don’t you just take an ad out in the paper? Wanted: A wife for a widower with an eightyear- old blabbermouth.”
    “Do you think anyone would apply?” Behind the thoughtful frown, there was the beginnings of a plan.
    “No!” Luck slammed his hand on the table. “If I find out that you’ve put an advertisement in any paper, I swear you won’t be able to sit down for a week! This marriage business has gone far enough!”
    “But you said — ” Toby started to protest.
    “I don’t care what I said,” Luck interrupted with a slicing wave of his hand to dismiss that argument. “I’ve played along with this marriage idea of yours, but it’s got to stop. I’ll decide when and if I’m getting married again without any prompting from you!”
    “But face it, dad, you should get married,” Toby patiently insisted. “You need somebody to keep you company and to look after you. I’m getting too old to be doing all this woman’s work around the house.”
    “You don’t get married just for companionship and someone to keep house.” Luck regretted his earlier, imprecise explanation of another’s role. It had started this whole mess. “There is more involved than that. A man is supposed to love the woman he marries.”
    “You’re talking about hugging and kissing and that stuff,” Toby nodded in understanding.
    “That and…other things,” Luck conceded with marked impatience.
    “You mean sex, like in that book you and I read together when you explained to me how babies were made,” his son replied quite calmly.
    Luck shook his head and scratched his forehead. “Yes, I mean sex and the feelings you have toward the woman you marry.”
    “Would you consider marrying someone like Eve?” Toby cocked his head at a wondering angle. “You said looks weren’t everything.”
    “Why did you say a thing like that?” he challenged with irritation. “Don’t you think Eve is an attractive woman?”
    “Eve is all right, I like her, but — ”
    “No buts!” Luck flashed. “Eve is a lovely young woman and I don’t want you implying otherwise with comments like ‘looks aren’t everything.’ It’s thoughtless remarks like that that hurt people’s feelings.” He should know. He had already wounded Eve when he called her a brown mouse, even though he hadn’t meant it to be unkind. “Don’t ever say anything to slight