One in a Million by Susan Mallery Read Free Book Online Page A

head. "That would be me. The queen of the wrong answer. It was all that do-this first stuff that made me crazy. Why can't you just do an equation from left to right, like reading?"
    “ You can. Sort of. Like this problem here." He pointed. "You do what's in the parentheses first, then go from left to right."
    “Why?”
    “ Because that's how the steps work. If you're building a model car and you glue down the hood before you put in the engine, it's not going to look right." She groaned. "Is this where I tell you I can't put a model together, either?" Brett tapped his pencil on the table. "Can I have my book back, please."
    “ Sure." Nash handed it over. At that moment Adam claimed his attention to discuss what color green would do best on his mountains for his report on Wyoming . As Nash checked out the various options, he saw Brett read the first problem again, then start writing on his paper. When he'd finished his cal culations, he plugged the answer back into the orig inal equation and quickly solved it. His wide smile told Nash that he'd gotten it right.
    Nash handed Adam a colored pencil, then caught Stephanie's eyes. She mouthed "thank you." Ap parently she'd picked up his attempt to help Brett without actually helping. Her gaze darkened slightly as several emotions skittered across her face.
    He tried to read them, but they came and went in a heartbeat. He was left with a sense of sorrow, as if she had something she regretted.
    Of course she did, he told himself. Everyone did. Regrets were a part of life. But for the first time in a long time, he wanted to ask another person what was wrong. He wanted to learn more about her, to understand what she was thinking. He wanted to connect.
    His interest was more than sexual and that scared the crap out of him. Feeling—getting involved— would be a disaster.
    He told himself to get out of there right now. To leave before he got trapped. Before it was too late. But even knowing it was wrong to stay, he couldn't seem to force himself to stand and walk away.
    It was just a couple of hours, he told himself. What could it possibly hurt?

    Chapter Four

    Nash stayed through dinner. Stephanie had no idea why, nor could she decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing. The man was nice enough, the twins already adored him even though Brett remained standoffish. She appreciated the opportunity to con verse with an adult for a chance. So the situation should have been a big plus.
    Except she didn't know what was in it for him. Why would a good-looking, intelligent man want to hang out with her and her kids? She opened the refrigerator and put the milk and butter back in the door, then frowned. That didn't sound exactly right. Nash's appearance and mental state didn't have any thing to do with her confusion. Why would any man not be running for the hills? Weren't guys supposed to hate other men's children in a relationship? Not that he had any designs on her. Despite the fact that he made her long for satin sheets and champagne, she doubted he saw her as much more than an ef ficient hostess. After all, her luck just plain wasn't good enough to hope for more.
    So why had he stayed? Why hadn't he retreated to the quiet and privacy of his room or gone out somewhere for dinner? You could ask, a small voice in her head whis pered.
    Stephanie nearly laughed out loud. Sure she could, but that was so not her style.
    “We're done," Brett said.
    She turned around and saw that the table was in deed cleared, the dishes scraped and neatly stacked by the sink and the table wiped off.
    “ Very nice job," she said. "Everyone finished his homework, right?" Three heads nodded earnestly.
    She smiled. "Then I guess this is a TV night.”
    “ All right!" Brett pumped the air with his fist. The twins tore out of the kitchen. She heard their footsteps on the hardwood floor and was able to guess their desti nation.
    “ Stop right there," she yelled after them. "We have a guest. Use the TV