Mommy for a Minute

Damn! This wasn't going to go well. Jack Mason shiftedhis almost-four-year-old against his shoulder as he rangthe bell at the Yellow Rose Lane fourplex. "Ally, I need you to be really quiet and stay next toDaddy this morning, okay?" "Okay, Daddy." Her voice didn't show any concern.She probably had no idea what he was asking, but he'dkeep her out of the way. He certainly didn't want herrunning into The Shark's sharp bite. The apartment door swung open and Jack wassuddenly face-to-face with the dreaded Shark. At leasthe thought he was. He sure hadn't expected her to openthe door with a smile. "I'm looking for Miss McNabb." Dark eyes flashed at him, darting from his face toAlly's and back again. "I'm she." "I'm Jack Mason. Judge Robinson recommended Icontact you about some cabinetry work you wanted done." "Yes, come in, Mr. Mason and..." She paused,staring at his child. "Um, this is my daughter, Allison. Her child-carefacility closed suddenly this morning and I couldn'tfind a sitter. But she'll stay by my side and she won'tcause any problems." "All right," the woman said calmly, swinging thedoor wide, as if bringing a child to work was normal.She indicated that he should be seated, so he settled ona white couch that made him a little nervous. He perchedAlly on his knee, whispering for her to be still. "I'm not sure exactly how you work, Mr. Mason, butJudge Robinson raved about the quality of your work." "That's very kind of him. I'd like to start by askingsome questions about what you have in mind, the kindof wood, the length of time available, things like that." "Of course." She watched him juggle the child whiletaking out pen and paper. "Isn't it going to be difficultto hold her and write?" Jack glared at her. He didn't care how pretty shewas. She had no business telling him how to do his job."I'll manage." She didn't argue with him, but her gaze remainedfocused on his child. "Are we only talking about one room?" he asked. "Yes. My third bedroom. I have a month off work andI'd like to be settled in at the end of the month." "All right. Do you have a particular type of wood thatyou'd like me to use?" "I believe you used oak in Judge Robinson's office.I liked that a lot." "I want to draw, Daddy,"Ally said, reaching for the pen. "No, sweetheart. Daddy has to write now." "But, Daddy--""No, Ally, not right now." Ally frowned but didn't protest again. He held her alittle closer. "Do you want something similar to Judge Robinson'shome office?" he asked Ms. McNabb in his best professional tone. "Yes, I do. Except I would like more storage space." "What kind of storage space?" "Some bins with sliding drawers. Nothing fancy.Why don't I show you the space while we talk. Thatmight make everything more clear." She stood,assuming he'd agree. He had to put the pad and pen in one hand and holdAlly in the other, but he eventually was ready to followthe woman. Standing behind her, he realized she wastall. Around five foot nine, he'd guess. To his surprise, she was wearing a polo shirt and jeans. And well-fitted, too. The denim fit like a second skin,hugging her curves. Very un-lawyer-like, he noted. Ofcourse, his impression of lawyers was tainted by personalexperience. The lawyers he'd dated in the past had beenpicky and difficult, always wanting to win every argument. After going down a hall, she opened a door andwalked inside. Following her, he stepped into an emptyroom, quite spacious for a home office. "Very nice." "Thank you." "It's good that there aren't already some built-ins.That will save me the time of ripping them out." "You have limited time?" she asked sharply. "No, but you might. Most of my customers seem tothink I can do my work overnight." He challenged herwith a direct look. "I wouldn't expect that, especially since you seemdeterminedChristenberry, Judy is the author of 'Mommy for a Minute ', published 2007 under ISBN 9780373751778 and ISBN 037375177X.