The Bachelor Boss by Judy Baer Page B

“How was school?”
    “Boring. What’s Lily doing?”
    He asked that every day, Hannah thought with amusement. Lily apparently had a way of charming little boys.
    “She’s feeling a little sad. A friend of hers isn’t doing well. I was hoping you’d have something exciting to tell her about school today.”
    “Well, the rabbit in the sixth grade room had babies today. That was exciting.”
    “I should say.”
    “Especially since they’d named the bunnies Bert and Ernie. My teacher said that one of the bunnies was actually Ernestine.”
    He said this so innocently that Hannah held back a smile. “Lily would love to hear about that.”
    Danny grabbed a handful of trail mix. “I’ll go tell her. Besides, she told me that she had a plan for us, me and her.”
    “To do what?”
    “I don’t know. She acted like it was a big secret. She said I couldn’t tell you.”
    “But you just did.”
    “No, I didn’t. I don’t know what she’s talking about. Maybe it’s a birthday present for you or something.”
    “I don’t think Lily knows when my birthday is, honey. Now go upstairs and tell Lily about Bert and Ernestine.”
    He obliged happily, and Hannah sent up a word of thanks for her small son. Danny had turned out to be a special gift in this house, her secret weapon when Lily was cross. Then her thoughts turned to Trisha.
    Sometimes her sister didn’t act her age, she mused grimly. She certainly hadn’t been good about keeping in touch. Granted, Hannah hadn’t been away long, but Trisha hadn’t made any effort to call her. It was always Emma or Jane who answered the house phone when she called. What was Trisha doing with all her time?
    She picked up the phone and dialed her home number. Emma answered.
    “Hi, Emma, how are things?”
    “Good! We love living here.”
    “Have you had time to look for apartments?”
    “We’ve looked at a few. There are a couple we like. Of course, we’ll need to know when you’re coming back before we rent one.”
    “I’ll let you know as soon as I do. If you girls have to stay a couple extra weeks, that’s okay, too.”
    “You’re a doll, Hannah.”
    “Is Trisha around? I’d like to talk to her.”
    “No, I think she’s going to be late. She was on her way to the library. She planned to eat dinner out and then study at Jason’s for a while.”
    “Jason? Who is Jason?”
    “He’s a good friend of Jane’s. She introduced them. He’s a nice guy, I think.”
    “Could this have anything to do with why Trisha is impossible to catch at home?”
    “Have you tried her cell?”
    “It goes directly to voice mail.”
    “She hasn’t been good about picking up for us either. I know she’s been working a lot. Should I tell her to call you when she gets home?”
    “Yes, please. It doesn’t matter if it’s late.” Now she felt some urgency about talking to her sister. Trisha had never had a real boyfriend. Surely she wouldn’t fall in love now. She needed to finish school first. Then Hannah shrugged it off. She was being overprotective again. Her sister was a big girl. She’d spent so much time and money putting Trisha through school that she probably cared about it as much or more than her sibling. She just hoped this fellow wouldn’t distract her already unfocused sister even more.
    Here was an area where she and Tyler were alike. He hovered over Lily like she fussed about Trisha. Quite a pair, they were. They both needed to relax.
    Danny was still with Lily when Hannah started supper. Hannah had made a pan of enchiladas and was preparing Spanish rice when Ty walked into the kitchen.
    “Home already? I thought you were working.” Her mind flashed back to a time when Steve would walk into her kitchen and she would say those very words to him. Of course, he’d also taken her in his arms and kissed her soundly. Ty’s arms around her at the miniature golf course came to mind. She’d felt surprisingly safe and warm there, too.
    “I told my secretary to