The Reunion Read Online Free

without him.
    He carefully set the picture frame on top of his metal box, then thought about poor Heather sitting all alone in that trailer in Lot 31, afraid that jerk boyfriend of hers might come back any moment. Aaron thought it was entirely possible Karen or Steven might have children Heather’s age.
    His grandchildren.
    He liked to think if they did have kids Heather’s age, and they got in some kind of trouble, someone like him might be there to look after them. He decided he’d do whatever he could to help Heather out. No way he’d let that young man hurt her again. He’d get the police involved next time or else take care of things himself if he had to.
    Just then, the walkie-talkie crackled to life. “Hey, Aaron, have you clocked out yet?”
    He picked it up off the charger. “I’m in the storage room, Sue. Whatcha need?”

5
    T hey weren’t thirty minutes into the date and Karen Miller already knew she wasn’t eating with Mr. Right. He wasn’t even Mr. Maybe.
    Oh, Ken was handsome enough. More than handsome. He had just gotten up and excused himself to use the restroom. As she turned to watch him walk through the restaurant, words from a distant comedy floated through her head. Ken was “really, really ridiculously good-looking.”
    The problem was, he knew it.
    They were eating at Haverty’s, a fine dining establishment in Southlake, Texas, an upscale suburb in the Fort Worth area. The dining room had several mirrors mounted on different walls to enhance the décor. There were five of them between their table and the restroom. Karen knew this because she’d counted each time Ken had looked at himself as he walked by.
    Even that . . . his name was Ken . Ken Morrow.
    Karen remembered playing with Barbie and Ken as a little girl. Five minutes ago, she’d made a rather nuanced joke about his name, connecting it to that famous male doll.
    Karen was the only one at the table who’d laughed.
    She lifted her glass of Diet Coke to take a sip, wondering what her friend Gail had been thinking, setting her up on a date with this guy. He had to be in his early thirties, at least ten years younger than she was. Karen had always enjoyed the compliments that followed when someone learned her real age. In the rare moments when she felt good about herself, even she believed she looked years younger than her age.
    But she had seen herself walking next to the ridiculously good-looking Ken in at least a few of those mirrors on their way to being seated. Her youthful looks didn’t come close to shrinking the gap between them, and she wasn’t about to become anyone’s cougar story.
    Karen looked up and saw Ken returning. She calmed herself with the thought that they both attended a solid megachurch in the Fort Worth area, and he really had been a perfect gentleman so far. There was a better-than-average chance he wouldn’t make any embarrassing moves on her before the night was out. At least there was that.
    “The food’s not out yet?” he said as he sat down.
    “Not yet, but I think they—”
    Ken motioned to the waiter. Karen was about to say that she thought the pace was about right for Haverty’s. It was known for its elegance and atmosphere, not speed. The waiter came over. Ken said something. The waiter nodded and walked off toward the kitchen. She guessed that was supposed to impress her; Ken was a take-charge kind of guy.
    “The food should be here any minute,” he said, turning his full attention back on her. “So, where were we? That’s right, we were just starting to get to know each other better.”
    We were?
    “So Karen, I’ve been dying to know something,” he said. “Your last name is Miller—is that your maiden name?”
    “Yes.” What kind of question was that?
    “I thought it was. So, you’ve never been married?”
    Uh . . . duh , she thought. That’s usually what that means. “That’s right.”
    “I just find it hard to believe someone your age, who looks like you do, has