Right from the Start by Jeanie London Read Free Book Online Page A

and beans as a
distraction to avoid answering her question. Will wasn’t sure he knew himself.
But Kenzie had bugged him. He hadn’t expected her to be so...unapproachable.
    Guadalupe knew he was dodging her question. Setting a glass of
iced tea in front of him with a sniff, she left the kitchen to check on the boys
again.
    Will dealt with people. Always had. He could read them. Win
them over if he put his mind to it. Even the tough ones who took some time and
effort. Not that he was God’s gift or anything, but people had always come
easily to him.
    Not Kenzie James.
    She had some sort of invisible wall around her. As if right
from the start she’d decided to keep her distance. She’d been polite and
businesslike and remote. Only once had he gotten
even close to an unguarded response from her. He’d told her his name and they’d
connected for an instant, one fleeting interaction when he saw humor twinkling
in her hazel eyes, heard amusement in her sudden laughter.
    She was a lovely woman, fresh-faced and a lot younger than he’d
expected a divorce mediator with such a stellar reputation to be. But when Will
thought about it, which he hadn’t had time to all day, he realized she was
likely good at what she did because she had such a gentle, unflappable calm
about her.
    Was that what he hadn’t been able to get around?
    Maybe her distance had nothing to do with him personally and
everything to do with a career that dictated she be the calm in the middle of
storms. By definition when a couple needed mediation, they weren’t agreeing on
something. After two divorces Will knew that firsthand. In order to be an
effective mediator for people who were at each others’ throats, Kenzie James
probably had become an expert at wielding her calm the way he wielded his charm.
Like a weapon.
    Only he hadn’t wielded enough to make a dent this morning, the
one time in his life it really counted.
    Guadalupe returned and dropped into the chair adjacent to him
with a sigh. “You were hungry.”
    “The meeting this morning put me behind. I spent the day
running from job site to job site playing catch-up.”
    “You should pack a lunch.”
    He supposed he could have thrown a few slices of leftover pizza
and an ice pack into one of Sam’s lunchboxes. Cold pizza from a superhero
lunchbox. Better than starving.
    “This is really good. Thanks.”
    She leveled her dark gaze at him. “What’s bothering you?”
    He shrugged. “Meeting went okay. I guess I wanted more than okay. Maybe some indication she was going to
sign on and solve a big problem.”
    “Is there something wrong with this lady? Why wouldn’t she want
to help us?”
    Guadalupe lived to care for people. A born nurturer, so
obviously her thoughts were about helping and that’s how she would have talked
to Kenzie. But Will hadn’t slanted his presentation that way. He’d been all
about what she could get out of the deal. He didn’t think he would have gotten
any further had he appealed to her charity and asked her to help a bunch of kids
and their families. Not when it meant relocating her business.
    “Maybe she will. We’ll know in a few days, anyway, so no more
fretting.”
    But, like the rest of the parents, grandparents and caregivers
of Angel House’s kids, Guadalupe would continue to worry until Angel House got
on solid financial footing or shut its doors, whichever came first.
    “Well, if the lady turns down that big building, we can find
someone else who’s not so silly.”
    “Sounds like a plan.” Will wished the solution was that simple.
Despite what he’d told Kenzie about moving down the list of businesses
interested in Family Foundations, the truth was that list consisted of one
name.
    Positive Partings .
    The criteria were just so damned specific. And if he didn’t get
to work on that building yesterday, there would be no earthly way to make the
deadline.
    “I’ll light a candle at church.” Guadalupe pushed up from the
chair. “It’s the