False Pretenses - Kathy Herman [124]
“When you want anudder match?”
Tex laughed. “You kiddin’? Let’s go.”
Hebert reached in his bag and pulled out the checkerboard and the box of checkers and started setting it up.
“I’ll see you guys later,” Zoe said. “I’m rooting for both of you.”
She walked into the kitchen and spotted Savannah. “I’m going to take my morning walk. I’ll see you in an hour.” She waved to Pierce, who was up to his elbows in flour. “I’m going down to the park, cher.”
He smiled and blew her a kiss.
Zoe walked through the dining room and out the front door and was instantly hit with the crisp February air and warm sunshine—a combination she loved. She walked on the sidewalk under the galleries, shoulder to shoulder with tourists, peering into shop windows and enjoying the delicious smells of warm pastries, ground coffee, and something spicy wafting under her nose.
The postman, his leather pouch strapped to his shoulder, waited for the horse and carriage to pass by, then zipped across rue Madeline.
Zoe strolled to the end of the block and crossed the street into Cypress Park, savoring the sunlight that filtered through the trees thick with Spanish moss.
She ambled around the duck pond, her hands tucked in her sweater pockets, and walked up on the wooden bridge. Below her, six black-necked stilts waded in water a few inches deep, their red legs catching the sun. On the far side of the pond, a lone great egret high-stepped through the shallow water, stalking its prey.
The bells of Saint Catherine’s began to toll as she looked up in the bluebird sky and watched a flock of white ibis flying in a V formation, southward toward the rookery. How close she had come to losing this amazing place that she had fallen in love with a decade ago.
She glanced at her watch. Where had the time gone? She felt a tiny thud as if a finger had flicked her tummy. And then another.
She fumbled to pull her phone out of her sweater pocket and punched in Pierce’s speed-dial number.
“Hey, babe. What’s up?” he said.
“Grace finally kicked! There was no doubt this time. It was more than a flutter. It was a thud. Two thuds actually. It was so amazing!”
Pierce laughed. “I love it. Where are you?”
“At Cypress Park. I’m on my way back.”
“Hurry. Maybe it’ll happen again.”
“I’m coming.”
Zoe started walking briskly. She crossed the street and headed up the sidewalk on the south side of rue Madeline, this time zigzagging around the people and hoping she didn’t run into anyone she knew.
She was vaguely aware of the clip-clop of a horse’s hoofs, the street vendor’s mantra, and Japanese tourists posing for pictures in front of the Peltier Hotel. Finally she spotted the hanging sign above the front door of Zoe B’s.
She broke free of the crowd, laughing out loud when she saw Pierce standing out front, still wearing his chef’s hat and dusted in white flour. She ran to his arms, and he picked her up off the ground, then set her back down.
Zoe grabbed his hand and pressed it tightly to her abdomen. “My heart’s beating so fast.” She was almost out of breath and giggling like a schoolgirl. “I’m not sure you can feel her kicking.”
“That’s okay. Relax. We’ll have plenty of chances.” Pierce brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. “To tell you the truth, babe, I’m getting a bigger kick out of seeing the wonder on your face.”
… a little more …
When a delightful concert comes to an end,
the orchestra might offer an encore.
When a fine meal comes to an end,
it’s always nice to savor a bit of dessert.
When a great story comes to an end,
we think you may want to linger.
And so, we offer ...
AfterWords—just a little something more after you
have finished a David C Cook novel.
We invite you to stay awhile in the story.
Thanks for reading!
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• A Note From the Author
• Discussion Guide
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17)
Dear reader,