A Face in the Shadows. Lenora Worth

call me back. It’s obvious you don’t want to be bothered.” She stood up. “I’d better just go.”

      Parker stood, too. “No, sit down, please. I said I’m sorry if I was rude earlier, but I have some pretty obsessive fans and you have to admit you went to extreme measures to get to me. But you’re here now, so talk.”

      She looked embarrassed. “I was desperate.”

      He rubbed a hand down his chin. “Oh, that sure makes me feel better.”

      “No, I didn’t mean it that way,” she replied, her blush becoming. “I—It’s for Brandon.”

      Parker gently pushed her back into her chair, his entire stance changing. “What do you need?”

      Her expression changed, too, at that simple statement. “You like children, don’t you? I mean, you must since you write comic books geared toward children. And your characters are so vivid, so…inspiring. The lessons in your stories are universal and simple, but good examples.”

      He did like children, but more importantly, he liked Kate, and now that he knew this favor involved Brandon, he really wanted to help her son. And he appreciated that she got his story methods, that she’d even read his stuff. But he wasn’t used to people reaching out to him unless they needed something from him. And apparently, Kate needed something pretty badly.

      So, to hide his own treacherous feelings, he turned abrupt again. “Get to the point, Kate.” Lowering his voice, he added, “Please?”

      She sighed, then crossed her legs. “Brandon’s birthday is in a few weeks and we’ve been trying to plan something fun and different. You see, his daddy stayed in Nashville and well, Dexter isn’t the most dependable man in the world. He’s already called to tell me he won’t be able to come the weekend of the party. Brandon was so disappointed.”

      Parker sat still, his fingers templed together over his lap as he thought about what it was like, not having a father around. He certainly knew that feeling. He also knew all about disappointment. Disappointment and disgrace sliced through him each time he reached for a cane. “What can I do?”

      She looked at him then, really looked at him, her eyes so full of thankfulness and gratitude, Parker almost hated the light shining in them. He’d never want to disappoint Kate.

      But her next request was going to make him have to do that very thing. Even as he listened to her soft plea, Parker knew he’d never have the courage to help her. He was still so afraid of letting her down, of being that disgrace he’d always known he was.

      “What do you want?” he asked again, his voice low.

      “Well, Brandon wants to have his party here in your yard, but I know that’s out of the question. So I was just wondering if you could at least make an appearance at the party instead. It would mean so much to Brandon. He has all your comic books and most of your toy characters, too. But to have you there at his party, well, I don’t think anyone could top that. Would you be able to come for just a little while maybe?”

      Parker sat there with the sun shining down on his face, with the woman he so often thought about sitting across from him asking him this one simple request, and felt his world shifting. He didn’t want to turn her down, but he had to. He wasn’t ready for that kind of exposure, that kind of public scrutiny.

      So he looked directly into her eyes and decided it would be better to hurt her now than to wait for her to hurt him later. “I’m afraid I can’t help you, Kate. I’m sorry, but the answer is no.”