kate spade lori shoulder bag Your grandfather winked at him before going on, as if to tell the boy he was welcome to stay, and the boy kind of smiledAnd Keith Peckerhead He stifled the urge to issue a string of profanities"Here's the thing, Beth," he whisperedClayton didn't want to believe it, but there was Gramps actu?ally complimenting Thigh-bolt after church"What should I do?"He shrugged, looking and sounding like the ten-year-old he was Despite his memories, he was struck by the beauty of her face and the dark gold curtain of her hair""That doesn't sound fair They were in the third week of school, and Beth was still getting back into the flow of teaching again, which necessitated long hours in her small home office, updating lesson plans and correcting homework On the last throw, while Zeus retrieved it, he didn't trot toward Ben I think my question is fair But she knew how he felt, and when she and Keith separated, it was Drake she turned to for support as she tried to find her footing as a newly single mothert explain, this place felt right "That's what you were look?ing for when you broke into my house And half the time, it's like I don't re?member how to have an ordinary conversation with people Word would get around that the deputies around here were cod If he hadn't been so damn angry, it might have excited him, knowing she was in there, getting it on, getting all hot and sweaty There was a storm on the way, and the heaviness in the air portended a big one""How could he learn it so fast?""He just does I know you really liked him "It's going to be a big one You have to make it on the porch, or it isn't the sameBut the exchange troubled her""I don't plan on quitting," he said Instead he said, "I bought Zeus in Germany Thibault raised his palm toward Zeus One minute he was shoveling snow from the driveway, and the next minute he was gone""Yeah," Ben confirmed, "I did She was done with thishe began, and methodically walked her through the process, making sure she understood each step He had nothing against the kid getting good grades, but he couldn't play soccer this year because he wanted to play the violin? What kind of crap was that? kate spade new york shoulder bag Violin? Might as well start dressing the boy in pink and teaching him to ride sidesaddle""And?""I don't know yet A few more daysofthis, j -she thought, and roads would begin closing"Would you get me a beer, please?" he asked "No And I'll make sure to check on the dogs when I finish up at school, okay? I'm sure Nana didn't mention that to you either I explained that Ben meant a lot to me and that being his father was the most important thing in my life Simple as that What with the stroke and all and the disappointment she'd feel "About running other men off? Nothing that man did would surprise me Tuning out the service, she found herself recalling easy conversations with Logan, the feel of his solid embrace, his natural way with Ben"Maybe it was When I was in college Thibault no?ticed that since he'd started work, Ben had been watching him from behind the curtains or peeking in Thibault's direction when he spent time with Nana There was noway kate spade adela shoulder bag the guy could know these things That was the most important thing "Chess humor?""We've got lots of jokes like that," Ben said, obviously proud She turned the wheel in the direction of the office, telling herself that Logan didn't have the picture, that the whole thing had been a mistake "Yeah, I think he's telling the truth about that She put a couple of dabs of butter into a saucepan and turned on the burner"So am I," she said And I decided then and there that I should be the one to marry him No one claimed it for a reason Most of the time, Ben was the one who pleaded with Logan to stay, but by Wednesday, it had become obvious to Beth that Logan was not only pleased to spend time with them, but more than happy to let Ben continue to orches?trate things Then he trotted toward Thigh-bolt, leaving Clayton standing in the rain, wondering how everything that had been so perfect could have suddenly gone so wrong I'm sorry This was the angle, he thought; this was where the picture had been taken She said she's bored and that she misses me Beth lunged toward them as both Zeus and Ben staggered from the waterWhen Zeus snarled and began to creep forward, Clayton stopped shortNana called that night to say that she needed to be picked up the following Friday, and in her absence, Logan joined Beth and Ben for dinner every night""You read?"He sounded amused He had a few beers now and then but wasn't kate spade leighton shoulder bag an alco?holic; he didn't take drugs; he had never been abusive to either of them In a minute, he won't remember anything other than the fact that he's supposed to stay As they walked, thunder boomed again It wasn't the trip itself that both?ered her, but what their little struggle at the dinner table signaled "Why do I have to go to Dad's? It's not like we're going to do anything fun "Better him than me" He turned toward her with a shrug But what happened next wasn't his fault Not once I work with a lot of great people, so that makes it easier Even when she visited the cemetery to talk to him, she no longer experienced the agony those visits once aroused Thibault heard him cursing under his breath as he stalked back to the car, opened the door, and slammed it shut behind him only to be killed on a fishing trip Afterward, she remained curled beneath his arm, her body coiled in contentment"When he held them out, she knew she could simply thank him and say good night, but