AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes! You knew it. Believe in yourself, Simon. Now putPwith…” she scanned the paper plates lying in a semicircle around them and picked one up the letterO, “this sound.”
“P-o, po.”
Amos slowed his approach to take in Grace’s reaction.
Her face lit up with wonderment. “How are you so smart? Now guess what happens if we have twoO’s.”
“What?”
“I’ll give you a clue. TwoO’s makes anoo-sound.” She widened her eyes at him.
Amos froze, waiting to see if his son could make the mental leap.
Simon’s forehead wrinkled “Poo?” Both his tone and his face were disbelieving.
“Yes,poo.”
He broke into gales of laughter, flopping backward onto the grass and clutching his stomach. Amos had never seen him act so silly. Children were supposed to behave in school. He opened his mouth to reprimand him, but Grace stopped him with a sharp glance.
“Now, let’s spellDad. Ready?”
Simon sat up again, caught sight of him, and sobered. “Dad?”
“Yes. Let’s see. Which one of these letters makes thed-sound?”
Simon swept an anxious eye over the array of whipped-cream letters. “I don’t know.”
“Let’s sound them out together. Stop me when you hear thed-sound.”
She started sounding out the letters, beginning withA. That was when Amos realized there were twenty-six paper plates laid out around them. Good thing it wasn’t a windy day.
“You said it!” Simon cried suddenly.
“This one?Dmakesd?”
Simon nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes! Now what sound do we need next? Say Dad slowly.”
“D-a-d.”
“So, what’s next? We haveD.”
Simon sounded out dad again, stopping on the vowel.
“And what makes thea-sound?”
Simon’s attention flickered to Amos. It hit him then that his presence was a distraction. Moreover, he might be the expert at teaching someone to swim, but Grace was clearly the reading expert. His son was having a ball and had learned to spellpooalready. That was more than Amos had expected in just a few hours.
Sending Grace a nod of approval, he swiveled and walked away. By the time he reached the houseboat, Simon was shouting, “D-A-D,” after him.
Amos whirled and sent him a thumbs-up, then headed back on board, where he checked the oil level in his engine, then stripped and washed the sheets on his bed. An hour later, he mounted his sunning deck to see Grace holding a book with Simon in her lap.
The vision made him stop and stare. Grace’s chin brushed Simon’s dark head as she read. Simon, engrossed in the story, was stroking the leather weave of one of Grace’s sandals.
Amos swallowed hard. He had been looking for his son for what had felt like an eternity, and there he was. He’d also been looking for a woman who was the antithesis of Candace, and thereshewas—loyal, selfless, strong-willed, and so incredibly appealing to him that it was all he could do not to grab her and kiss her whenever they stood near each other.
She’d started haunting his every waking thought. He was beginning to think they belonged together. Aye, he was certain of it. Grace Garrett would be part of his life from that day forward.
