Karen Rose - Count to Ten

Beth beamed. "We made it in Consumer Tech."

"Home Ec," Lauren supplied. "He's right, Beth. This is terrific." She lifted a teasing brow. "I might just be replaced as cook of the household."

Beth laughed. "I don't think so. Besides, this was homework. I get points when you fill out the questionnaire." She pulled two pens from her pocket. "If you gush too much,

Mrs. Bennett'll think you're lying, but be nice enough so that I get an 'A." Nines will be good, but give me a ten for cleanliness. Bennett's a neat freak."

"And here I thought you were trying to weasel something out of me," Reed murmured, scanning the questionnaire. "Or perhaps to apologize."

Beth scrunched her mouth in a frown. "Da-ad."

He'd leveled the worst punishment he could think of. No weekend party. "What?"

"I thought you might let me out this weekend. Just to go to Jenny Q's house."

Reed reached over and tapped her nose. "You don't have to bribe me, Bethie. Just say the words. I'm… sorry." He drew them out and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry." She snapped it out, fast and far less sincerely than he'd wanted.

"For what?"

"Dad!" She bristled, looking so much like Christine in a snit. A dramatic sigh rustled the papers on the table. "I'm sorry I was difficult last night."

"You weren't difficult, Beth. You were downright rude. And in front of a guest."

Her eyes went sly. "New lady partner. Does this mean Foster won't be coming for dinner anymore? That would be a real shame."

"Sure he will. Detective Mitchell is a temporary partner. Why worry about Foster?"

"I dunno. He's kind of hot in a… artsy kind of way. Cameras. Film. Maybe he can take some shots of me. For my modeling career." Then she laughed as his jaw dropped. "Just kidding." She propped her chin on her fist. "So how about the dame?"

Lauren was laughing by now. "Yeah, Reed, how about the dame?"

Reed drew a breath, still reeling from the "Foster hot" comment. "Just to be straight, were you kidding about Foster being hot or you having a modeling career?"

She peered over at his paper. "Ten on cleanliness and nine on taste?"

His eyes narrowed. Women and their deals. Thoughts of facing Holly Wheaton across a table left him nearly as cold as the thought of Foster being hot. "Deal."

Beth smiled. "Both." She looked down at her plate, then back up. "I'm sorry, Dad. I was rude. I was just so mad you wouldn't let me stay over Jenny's house that I…" She trailed off when he lifted his brows. "I'm sorry. That's all."

"Accepted." He filled out the questionnaire and handed it back to her. "And done."

She brightened. "So I can go to Jenny's for a sleepover this weekend."

Lauren put a cup of coffee next to his plate, her expression saying she was ready to take cover over what was coming next. "No." he said. "The punishment stands."

Beth's mouth dropped open. "Dad!" She lurched to her feet. "I can't believe this."

" Sit down ," he said and was shocked when she obeyed. "You were insufferably rude. You raised your voice to me and slammed the door so hard you knocked a picture off the wall upstairs. I'm usually so proud of you, but last night I was ashamed."

Her eyes dropped to the table. "I understand." When she lifted her eyes, they were calm. 'That science project that Jenny and I have been working on is due tomorrow. Can I at least go to her house to finish it? It's not fair that her grade suffers, too."

Reed looked over at Lauren who shrugged. "All right," he said. "Get your things. I have a meeting to go to, so I'll pick you up when I'm done."

Her jaw clenched, Beth nodded and walked away.

Reed sighed. "I'm a sucker, aren't I?"

"Yep. But you love her. I'm so glad she has this life, but sometimes I wish she could understand how much harder it is to say no. My birth mother didn't care enough to."

"Mine, either." Reed brooded into his coffee. "She was never sober enough."

Lauren's face scrunched with worry. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you remember."

"It's okay." He looked up- "It's just that Mia and I had to visit juvie today."

"So now she's Mia. So, Reed, to quote Beth, what's the deal with the dame?"

"She's my partner, Lauren."

Lauren's mouth curved. "But no 'that's all.' I call that progress."

"I'm ready," Beth said from the door.

Reed stood up. "Then let's rock and roll, kid."

Wednesday, November 29, 7:45 P.M.

Dana eyed Mia's clean plate, then nodded. "You're done. Finally." They were the last two sitting, Dana's foster kids having cleaned their plates long before.

Mia rolled her eyes. "You're a bully. I hate vegetables."

"You come here because you want me bully you. I'm always glad to oblige."

Much of her temper over Holly Wheaton's call had dissipated over dinner. Being around Dana's kids made it hard for her to stay mad. But she still had enough mad left for a final jab. "You'd make a good dominatrix," Mia grumbled and Dana laughed.

"Dana the Dominatrix. I like the sound of that."

"So do I." Dana's husband, Ethan, wandered into the kitchen and kissed the back of her neck. "We could have some fun with that. Gives me ideas."

Dana smacked him playfully. "You don't need any new ideas." She pulled his head down for a kiss and Mia felt the pang she always felt when she saw them together. Except tonight, it wasn't the same. It was sharper, somehow. Darker. Normally the pang was happiness for Dana and sometimes wistful longing for herself.

But tonight it was jealousy and… resentment. Troubled at herself, she cleared her throat. "Guys? For God's sake, do you mind already?"

Ethan was the first to pull away, looking puzzled at her harsh tone. "Sorry, Mia. I'll take care of overseeing homework tonight, honey. You two can talk." Tenderly he ran the back of his fingertips over Dana's face before he left the room and Mia couldn't block out the sensation of Reed Solliday's thumb brushing against her jaw.

She'd run tonight. She'd gotten scared and run like a little girl. Wheaton's phone call was just an excuse to be angry with him. It was easier than dealing with what she'd felt when he touched her face. He'd done it last night as well. She'd pulled away then, too.

"I'm ready whenever you are," Dana said quietly.

Mia slid a nickel across the table and Dana smiled. "It's a quarter now," Dana said. "Inflation. But I'll just put it on your tab. Go ahead. Talk to me."

"I'm a stupid idiot."

"Okay."

Mia scowled. "You're not earning your quarter."

Dana's laugh soothed. "Point me in the right direction, Mia. I'm not psychic." She sobered. "I'll make it easier for you. A, it's the woman you think is your half sister. B, you're ripped up because two people are dead and you can't bring them back to life because you're not God. C, you were almost killed last night, which you haven't mentioned once by the way, or D, Reed Solliday."

"How about E, all of the above?"

"Mia."

Mia sighed. "E, all of the above, but at this moment mostly D?"

"Is he being mean to you?" Dana asked, as if she were comforting a five-year-old.

She opened her mouth to say something snide, but her repository of comebacks was suddenly empty. "No, he's been a perfect gentleman. He opens doors, pulls out chairs, holds umbrellas over my head."

"He should be shot," Dana drawled in a deadpan voice.

"I'm serious, Dana."

"I know, honey. So besides making you feel awkward by treating you with the respect you deserve, what else does he do?"

"Ooh, you're good."

"Thousands agree. Stop stalling."

"Last night he followed me to the prison. I went to tell Kelsey about Liam and her ."

"That's interesting. So how is Kelsey?"

"Stubborn as ever about the parole board. And she knew about Liam and his mother, but not the woman. Oh, and she said you could keep your crabs."