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

weekend, so I can slip out of here for the morning mass. Now,
you take some of my apple bread home. I baked it this morning. Sam ate two
pieces after school today.”
    Fickle taste buds came with the territory. Rafael had already
transitioned to a gluten-free diet, which was encouraged by Angel House’s
nutritionist. But Sam wasn’t even close, compliments of Will’s epic failure.
They’d failed every time Will had tried to introduce and transition Sam to new
foods. Time was the biggest deterrent. No time to cook. No time to deal with
Sam’s behavior when he didn’t want to eat something. Texture was a big issue, so
until Will could make the time to consistently travel the long road to behavior
modification, Sam’s taste buds would dictate the menu. At the moment, they were
both lucky they didn’t starve.
    Will scarfed down the last few bites then grabbed his bowl and
glass from the table. He set them in the sink then dropped a kiss onto the top
of Guadalupe’s head. “There’s a halo under that kerchief, isn’t there? Don’t
know what we’d do without you.”
    “Starve for sure.” She waved him off, a fierce-looking gesture
as she held a knife to cut the bread, but she beamed. “You know if you need
extra time to work on the building or to find another business to help us, Sam
can stay here. Even overnight. Gabriella and Jorge don’t mind. They like when
Rafael has friends over.”
    “Thanks, my little Cubanita.” Will only hoped he would get to
take Guadalupe up on her generous offer.
    For all their sakes.
    * * *
    W ITH SO MUCH at stake and so much
to gain, Kenzie had enlisted the aid of almost everyone she valued in her life
to help her make an informed decision. With only seventy-two hours to gather
research, answer questions and assess the consequences of becoming a part of
Family Foundations, she’d needed help.
    So she’d put both her parents to work even though they were
still wintering in Punta Gorda. And Geri, who had recommended Positive Partings
for consideration. And Nathanial, her lifelong best friend and sweetheart. And
Lou, her proficient administrative assistant.
    On the surface the decision was a no-brainer. Opportunity
knocked, too good to pass up even for the few months overlap with her current
lease. That overlap would enable her to move her offices around her current work
schedule, which was a plus.
    Classes were scheduled in advance, so she would have plenty of
attendees to contact about the move, which was a minus. But the overlap gave her
the option of working between the two buildings while Will and his company
renovated—another plus.
    Unfortunately this move was not a surface decision. And some of
her most basic questions required ridiculous effort to answer because her
seventy-two-hour window fell on a weekend.
    Had Will Russell intended for her to be challenged by the
inability to talk to her bank or easily access public records or consult with a
real estate agent? Or had the timing simply been an oversight on his part? She
supposed the reason didn’t matter when the end result meant more work for
her.
    But there was the real problem—Will Russell. Her opinion of his
integrity and her unexpected reaction to him had muddied the water of her
decision.
    All weekend Kenzie had operated like the president being
briefed on the issues by an attentive staff. The fax machine churned out
documents for her perusal. The phone rang constantly with calls and texts coming
in during other calls and texts.
    Geri had been in charge of providing information about Family
Foundations. As a close personal friend of the mayor, she was in a unique
position to get the inside scoop. Through her, Kenzie had learned that not only
was Will the mayor’s representative for Family Foundations, but he’d actually
conceived of the original proposal as part of his platform to run for city
council.
    “I knew it,” she said to Geri late on Sunday during one of
their many phone conversations. “He’s