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"Okay"

The waitress left and Shirley had a little ht"

"Ah, yes" He rested his back against the polished wood bench and lifted his glass "Like I was saying, Larry has a lot of sith art schools around the country"

Shirley soaked in every word "Do you think he ht open doors for Shaw? I mean, I don’t knohat Shaw’s financial situation is I seean artist He’s an attorney and wants Shaw to attend law school He’d probably need a scholarship"

That was understood; one look at Shaas enough to convince Will that the kid didn’t have a di to do that for Shaw? To ask Larry?"

But Will knew she also welcohter’s sake

"Only if you believe Shaw’s talent is sufficient," he said

"Oh, I do," she said earnestly

Will set his glass on the table, holding on to the steets these sorts of requests all the time"

"I’m sure he does I didn’t mean to imply that he should recoe"

He nodded "I’ve already had him look at Shaork, so Larry’s familiar hat the boy can do"

"Then you’ll ask?"

He nodded again, slowly "I’ll call Larry on Monday , then let you knohat he has to say"

Shirley’s face lit up with a huge srateful I aht that maybe, when the ti, he reenuine with this wo

Their meal was splendid and, true to her word, Shirley sampled one of his oysters

"Well?" he asked, confident that she’d order them the next time they dined at DD’s "What did you think?"

She smiled across the table at him "It was better than I re deep-fried" With a wry grimace, she added, "That’s why I usually stay away from that kind of food"

Will chuckled "Me, too But I allow ances on special occasions" He wanted her to understand that being with her was one of those occasions

"All in all, though…"

"Yes?" he said, eager to hear her verdict

"I’ll stick with the crab Louie"

Fourteen

"Cut off a little more on the sides," thirteen-year-old Jolene instructed Rachel, exa her reflection in the bathroom mirror

Rachel had set her up in the small hallway bathroom for a haircut Some of their best conversations came while she was busy with Jolene’s hair

Over the years, Rachel had developed a theory about why that was the case When she orking on a customer’s hair, Rachel was in that person’s space--by invitation This proximity created a sense of intih to share soured that was also why so ot started--or at least spread--at hair salons

"It looks really cute," Rachel said

Jolene turned her head from side to side "You think so?" she asked, her voice uncertain

"I do" Rachel plugged in the electric razor "Lean forward and tuck your chin down"

"Do you think Dad will like my hair this short?"

"Absolutely," Rachel assured her, although she wasn’t sure Jolene bowed her head, and Rachel clipped the hair at the base of the girl’s neck

When she’d finished, Jolene raised her head and their eyes met in the bathroom mirror Slowly Jolene exhaled "I’m not mad at you and my dad anymore"

"Good" It’d been an uncoht the two of theh about it now

Not Bruce

He’d been in such a state--of eer--that it’d taken him days to put the incident behind hiiven thelad you’re lad I aaze in theyour stepmother"

Jolene pointedly broke eye contact "If I tell you so, do you promise not to be mad?"

Rachel wasn’t about to make that kind of proerated sigh, the girl repeated, "I’lad you’re my stepmother," then added, "but I really wish you andand Rachel couldn’t respond for a moment "I love you and your father very much, Jolene It’s important for me to be part of your family"

"I know Dad needs you…and I do, too I feel selfish and "

"Then we should talk about it" Rachel needed to put aside her own e "Tell e of the bathtub, hands braced on either side, ankles crossed, hoping that if she looked relaxed, she’d encourage Jolene to confide in her

"But…I don’t want you to get ive the girl’s shoulder a gentle squeeze

Jolene kept her head lowered "Before you and Dad got married, I was afraid that if…if you moved into the house, Dad wouldn’t have time for me anymore"

"Do you think that’s happened?"

"No," she said after a ood, because Rachel knew Bruce had put a lot of effort into spending extra tihter He did more than drop her off at basketball practice these days Twice now he’d stayed and watched, just so Jolene would knoas interested Naturally, when the actual gaether