Take Me Home by Nancy Herkness Read Free Book Online Page A

overwhelming. Matching bookshelves held framed photos and knickknacks scattered among the thick legal tomes. None of the photos showed what might be a wife or children, which surprised Claire.
    She’d occasionally wondered what Paul had done with his life. Seeing her high school friend well established professionally was satisfying, especially after the time she’d seen another schoolmate—one of the smartest boys in her class—bagging groceries at Kroger. The man had barely raised his head when she said hello. The incident reminded her of the reasons she’d done everything in her power to leave Sanctuary behind.
    Claire forced her attention back to the process required for divorce in West Virginia. A few details were different from her New York experience, but most of it sounded depressingly familiar. However, her old school chum was handling Holly’s questions and concerns with a gentle clarity that kept the ugliness to a minimum.
    “Have you ever held a full-time job?” Paul was asking Holly. “Do you have any professional training?”
    “Just waitressing at Joe’s Drive-In. Frank and I got married before I finished college, and then Brianna came along.”
    “Frank has a good job, so that shouldn’t be an issue,” Paul said, but there was a line between his brows as he jotted something on his legal pad.
    Claire remembered the statistics about the drop in the standard of living for divorced stay-at-home mothers. She thought of Holly’s cozy little house and the unicorns dancing across Brianna’s walls. She leaned forward. “Paul, I’m counting on that killer instinct that made you a nationally ranked foosball player to get the maximum child support and alimony for Holly. Frank’s the one who’s walking out, so he needs to suffer the consequences financially.”
    Paul sighed. “Unfortunately, the courts don’t much care why a couple is divorcing. It’s all about dividing up the assets equitably and making sure the children are reasonably well provided for. I’ll do my best, though.”
    As they stood to leave, he came around in front of his desk and said, “Claire, can I talk with you privately?”
    “I’ll be right there, Holly.” As soon as her sister closed the office door, Claire turned. “What is it? Is there a problem?”
    “No, no, nothing like that.” Paul drummed his fingers with machine-gun speed against his thigh, a nervous gesture she remembered from the old days. “It’s just really good to see you, and I wondered if you’d like to have lunch one day this week. To catch up on things.”
    “That would be fun, but I need to be sure Holly’s okay before I schedule anything.”
    “Of course. Let me know when you’re free.”
    He seemed oddly constrained, but Claire put it down to the passage of so many years. Even though she felt as though they could pick up their easy friendship right where they’d left off, he might not. On an impulse, she rested her hands lightly on his shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m happy you’re doing so well. I’m sorry we lost touch.”
    “I expected it. I knew after what happened to Mr. Van Zandt, you’d never look back.”

    Having Paul stir up painful old memories made Claire long for the comfort of Willow, but she didn’t want to leave her sister alone. As she drove Holly through town, inspiration struck. “Let’s grab some grilled-cheese sandwiches at Joe’s and eat them at Healing Springs Stable, if you feel up to it. Maybe Sharon can find you a whisper horse too.”
    “A what?”
    “I’ll explain when we get there.”
    “Well, I was thinking of picking up the girls for lunch,” Holly said, looking at her watch, “but all right. I wouldn’t mind some french fries.”
    Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in Sharon’s office, tearing into hot sandwiches that almost dripped butter and slurping extra-thick milk shakes through wide straws.
    “Christ, I can feel my arteries clogging,” Sharon said as she wadded up her