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She couldn’t

Not even her parents knew the full truth

She dared not tell her dad for fear he’d lose his trust in Anson--and in her

Allison was grateful for this job at her father’s office Even though it was only part-time, it distracted her from her troubles for at least a few hours a day

Her father had tried to help Anson Allison appreciated the way he’d stepped in and stood at Anson’s side after that fire in the park Her father had been the only one, too Anson’s own mother had turned her back on him; Cherry Butler had as ot Nor did she see to Cherry, he’d co any ti about him Allison was horrified by his mother’s attitude

If Allison had run away, she knew her parents would never stop looking for her And they wouldn’t ever give up on her, like Anson’s mother had on hiht he left--that Allison was lucky She had parents who loved her and cared about her Anson clai Allison cared Her parents, too, were concerned about hioal was to protect Allison

Some kids were born lucky, Anson had told her, and she was one of them He wasn’t He insisted that he had to make his own luck

As she opened the front door of Smith, Cox and Jefferson, Allison noticed that the reception area was full of clients who’d waited until the last o until April fifteenth, she sensed the uneasiness in the room It was like this every year

Mary Lou, the receptionist, returned Allison’s smile "There’s someone to see you in the kitchen," she said

For a fleeting ht be Anson It couldn’t be, though The minute he showed up, the sheriff’s office would become involved Her father would be duty-bound to call them Because Sheriff Davis suspected Anson would try to contact her at some point, her parents had discussed the possibility and the action they’d have to take The matter was out of her hands and her father’s, too Allison had no choice but to accept that

"Who is it?" she asked

Another smile appeared on the receptionist’s face "You’ll just have to check it out for yourself"

Allison was puzzled, since it wasn’t like Mary Lou to be so mysterious

The kitchen, located behind the office, wasn’t a real kitchen--erator, plus a table and four chairs Most days, Allison stuck her schoolbooks and purse in a cupboard there As she walked into the roo on the table

"Cecilia!" she cried, delighted beyond words Her father’s assistant had been a good friend to Allison, a better friend than either of her parents would ever know

Three years earlier, Zach and Rosie Cox had divorced It had been a terrible tiing out with the wrong crowd Her grades had slipped drastically and she’d stopped caring about

When her father offered her a part-time job, she wasn’t fooled She’d been well aware that the only reason he illing to hire her was to keep an eye on her after school She’d taken the job, but she’d gone into it with a bad attitude

Then she discovered she wouldn’t be working for her dad He’d assigned her to assist Cecilia Randall, and the young navy wife had helped Allison understand her own behavior--what she was doing and why Cecilia’s parents had divorced when she was ten and she understood the pain Allison was feeling Cecilia had guided her out of the self-destructive rut into which she’d stumbled

As soon as Cecilia saw Allison now, she opened her ar "I decided Aaron could do with a day out in the sunshine," her friend said, wrapping her ar her close The baby was only three weeks old, so Cecilia hadn’t been out of the office long It felt like an eternity, though, because soAllison’s shoulders, Cecilia leaned back and studied her "You look…"

"Dreadful," Allisonher parents, she could pretend, but not with Cecilia She wasn’t sleeping nights, and she’d grown so weary of carrying this burden of worry and fear

"Anson," Cecilia whispered

Allison nodded

The baby began to cry, de attention He was loosely covered with the blanket Allison had knit At first glance she thought Aaron resembled Cecilia’s husband, Ian, but as she studied the baby, Allison saw plenty of his mother in him, too

"Oh, Cecilia, he’s adorable," she whispered, giving Aaron her finger to hold The infant immediately clutched it with one tiny hand, and she was surprised by the strength of his grip

"He’s already spoiled," Cecilia said, sh that I’m at his beck and call, but you should see Ian You’d think the sun rose and set on this baby"

Because Cecilia and Ian’s first baby had died shortly after her birth, Allison kne precious this child was to her friend Aaron started to fuss again, more loudly this time Cecilia lifted him out of the carrier and sat down at the table "I think I’d better nurse hi the blanket over her shoulder while she unfastened her blouse and expertly arranged her son

"Sit," she ordered Allison, gesturing with her head at the chair beside her

Allison willingly complied "I’ve wanted to talk to you so badly," she said Thankfully, no one had coh the staff was, they seemed to know that Allison needed this time with Cecilia, just the two of them

"You can call me whenever you need to," Cecilia assured her "I worried about you when I didn’t hear anything"

"I couldn’t--"

"I know," Cecilia said as she nursed her infant son Her gaze was focused on Aaron With her free hand, she stroked the wisps of hair at his temple