Return to Love. Yasmin Sullivan Y.

she was carrying. It was shaped like a butterfly, its various quadrants plastered with pastel shades of glaze.

      “I’m finished with mine. Kyle is still working on his.”

      “Did you get the bottom, honey?”

      “Yup. Look.”

      She turned it over for Regina to inspect, all the while smudging little fingerprints of paint from one color to another.

      Regina took her back to the table in the classroom.

      “Let’s just set it here to dry for a few minutes before we add a topcoat.” She turned to the little boy, still vigorously applying paint to the baseball-shaped bisque platter he was working on. “How is yours going, little one?”

      “Uh-huh.”

      Regina could see that Kyle was fully engrossed, and so she turned back to Tenisha.

      “Once we add the topcoat, we can put these in the kiln and head upstairs to have something to eat. Okay?”

      “Okay.”

      “You sit here and keep Kyle company while he finishes his. Is that okay?”

      “Okay.”

      Regina turned and walked back to the register. Nigel had popped up thinking...whatever he was thinking, but it wasn’t going to work on her.

      “I’ve had enough, Nigel. There is no us, and there will be no us.”

      When the corners of his lips twisted into a smirk, Regina’s temper stirred again, and she seethed. She’d wanted to be calm, but he wasn’t going to let that happen.

      “Get out. Get out, and don’t come back here.”

      “Reggie, I—”

      “No. Get out.”

      When the chime at the door sounded, neither one looked over.

      “Get out,” she said again.

      Neither moved.

      “Hey, hey. Is anything wrong here?”

      Regina knew Jason’s voice immediately and was relieved when he came over to stand next to her. He was over six feet four inches, and he worked out religiously. It was clear to all three that Nigel, despite his new height and weight, couldn’t take Jason even if he tried. There was nothing left for him to do but withdraw.

      Only he wasn’t going to back down easily. He held his ground and gave a brief nod to the other man, as if sizing up his competition. Yes, he must be a formidable adversary in the business world.

      “Nothing’s wrong. This man is just leaving,” said Regina.

      Nigel didn’t move right away, and when he did, it wasn’t in the direction of the door. He casually searched one of his inner coat pockets and took out a silver case—a business-card holder.

      “You asked if I have a card.”

      He took out one of the cards and stepped up to the register, handing it in her direction.

      When Regina didn’t move to take the card, he laid it on the counter. She glared at it as if it had leprosy and then glared at Nigel.

      “I’ll get that item out to you as soon as possible,” she said in a professional tone, stifling her hostility.

      Nigel bent his upper body toward her.

      “This isn’t over, Reggie.”

      She picked up the business card and put it in the pocket of her jeans.

      “It will be soon enough.”

      * * *

      Regina watched as Nigel slowly walked out of the studio. She was completely shaken.

      Jason, holding Kyle on his hip, sat down at the workstation in the back of the shop.

      “You need to talk?”

      “No. Yes.”

      Regina walked over to the table, glancing in on Tenisha before sitting down. Tenisha was blowing on her plate to get it to dry, and Kyle squirmed down to go get his piece.

      “It can wait until tomorrow.”

      “I got time now.”

      “No. Really. It will be better said tomorrow.”

      Kyle returned with his baseball platter. “I made this for you, Daddy.”

      “I can see that you did.”

      Jason smiled down at his son and took the plate from him before lifting him back onto his lap.

      “Here,” said Regina. “Let me have the platter so that I can topcoat it and get it in the kiln.”

      “But I made it for Daddy.”

      “I know, sweetie, but it’s not finished yet. We want it to be hard on the outside so that you can use it. Come, let me show you.”

      Regina was almost finished applying the topcoat when the bell at the door chimed. He wouldn’t have come back, would he? How dare he show up out of nowhere—twice?

      Luckily, it was only Ellison, who had come to look for his partner and child.

      “Hey. What’s the deal with leaving me in the car?”

      “My bad. We’re in here,” Jason called to him. “The pieces aren’t done yet. You want to wait or come back another time?”

      Before he could answer, Regina offered, “I have some lasagna upstairs. You can eat while you wait for the kiln to fire them.”

      “We can wait,” Ellison replied, picking up Kyle.

      Regina set the cones and started filling the kiln. Nigel had had the nerve to throw money at her like she could be bought.

      “It’s set. Let’s lock the front door and head out back.”

      Gathering Tenisha in her arms, she climbed up the back stairs and let her down to unlock the apartment. She was glad for the company but couldn’t keep her mind focused on the random conversations that popped up between them.

      Keeping her hands busy wasn’t a problem. She heated up and dished out the lasagna, got them all soda and bread, got the adults salad, found an animated movie that the kids could watch and ran down to check on the kiln.

      Quieting her mind was another story. What had happened when he’d started to kiss her? Why hadn’t she thought to push him off right away? It was because she hadn’t known what he was going to do. But that would not happen again.

      She heard a car pull up out back, and her pulse quickened. But it was only Tenisha’s mom, as expected. Get a grip, girl. He won’t have the nerve to just show up again anytime soon, and if he does, I’ll be ready for him.

      While Jason opened the door, Regina moved into the kitchen to fix another plate of lasagna. She stopped and pulled out the business card from her pocket. It was a local address. Damn.

      That was okay. She had what she needed to send him the item. No use worrying about it now. In fact, she would be rid of him for good soon enough.

      Chapter 2

       “Get out. Get out, and don’t come back here.”

      He knew the moment she opened her mouth that he shouldn’t have gone. And though he’d taken his time leaving, it was clear that he’d been outgunned.

      If he had any hope at all, it was that fraction of a second during his kiss when he felt her lips part beneath his, felt her body arch ever so slightly against his chest. But her arms never came around him, and then he saw the reason why.

      He had heard the little boy call out “Daddy” and come running, wrapped in a paint-splattered garbage bag just like the little girl. It had gotten