A Brief Moment in TIme by Jeane Watier Read Free Book Online

to her about what had happened, especially now that they’d discussed the reason for his fear. But he was a little anxious, given her quick disappearance. He couldn’t help but wonder if she suspected that he had feelings for her.
    He filled his tray and joined the other men at his usual table. Stubby welcomed him with a friendly slap on the back, and others made uncharacteristically polite remarks about his recovery. Their behavior surprised him. He had expected to be the subject of their jokes after rumors inevitably spread that he’d had a panic attack.
    He was curious to know what their response had been to the news of Ryan’s suicide. No doubt they were happy to hear it, but Gavin found himself distressed as he glanced at the table Ryan had once occupied. He wasn’t heartless. He’d come to know the kid, worked with him, talked with him. Despite Ryan’s strange manner, he’d gotten to Gavin somehow, and it seemed tragic and utterly pointless that his life was over.
    He wasn’t in the mood to hear the guys joke about it so decided not to bring it up. As he listened, however, all he heard was the usual gossip, dirty jokes, and speculation about which movie would be showing on the weekend. It seemed as if life was back to normal.
    Unfortunately, normal was far from what Gavin was feeling. He didn’t even know what the word meant anymore.
     
     
    “GOD WHERE DID YOU get that dress?” Adele gasped as Kathryn walked into the adjoining hotel room. “A paper bag would have been more flattering.”
    “Flattering is not the look we’re going for,” Kathryn retorted, noticing her colleague’s black dress pants and sensible blouse, wishing she’d chosen something similar. “Most of those men haven’t seen women in a long time. We don’t want to send the wrong message.”
    “Sorry,” Adele laughed. “But I’ve never seen you look this frumpy. You’re not wearing makeup, and your hair—I hope it’s not going to cut off the circulation to your head, with it pulled back so tight.”
    “Are you finished?”
    Adele nodded, still smiling.
    Kathryn had just spent the last half-hour stressing over what to wear, and now it was too late to change. Besides, her primary goal that morning was to be heard. She didn’t want the men looking at her as anything other than a professional. She had a program to offer that could change their lives, and she wanted to be taken seriously, wanted to make a difference. As she thought about the morning ahead, she subconsciously twisted her rings.
    “Kathryn…your wedding rings?” Adele looked at her questioningly.
    Kathryn had reluctantly stopped wearing her wedding rings several months earlier. It had been almost four years since her husband passed away, and her friends and family wanted her to move on. In their opinion she’d grieved long enough and at forty-two was still an eligible woman. But dating was the furthest thing from Kathryn’s mind. She’d poured herself into her work, and now all that hard work was finally paying off.
    “It sends a message,” she said simply.
    “Yes,” Adele replied. “It does.”
    Kathryn heard the tone in Adele’s voice. She knew she was being judged again for her choice to refrain from taking part in the dating game. But for Kathryn, the choice had been easy to make. She’d loved and been loved in return by a wonderful man for nearly twenty years. A love that deep and that special, though it had ended abruptly, was something to be treasured and remembered.
    A relationship with someone new would defile the memories she held dear. It would obscure them, maybe even cause them to fade away altogether. The very thought scared Kathryn, because time itself was starting to do those things despite her efforts to keep it from happening.
    “Well, let’s get this show on the road,” she said abruptly, wanting to put a stop to thoughts and feelings that had come crashing in unbidden and unwelcome. “We’re meeting with the warden for a short