“Fine.” I let go of her and held up my hands. “I’ll take the blame.”
She handed me the plate and a wood-handled metal spatula. “Good thing I enjoyed it.”
“Then I’ll take the credit too.”
She turned me around by the shoulders and gave me a shove toward the patio. “Go put those on the grill for three minutes and then flip them over.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes. I’ll be out in a sec with cheese.” She glanced at the oven timer. “The French fries will be done in a minute, and as soon as I pull them out, I’ll stick the buns in there to warm them up. Do you like lettuce and tomato on your cheeseburgers?”
“Yes. Do I have any?”
She laughed and pulled the fridge open. “No. But I do. I’m going to run back home real quick while you get those burgers on the heat.”
I went out to the patio and did what she said, carefully timing the three minutes with my phone, then turning them over. Winnie came through the sliding door a minute later and placed a slice of bright orange American cheese on each of them.
“Sorry I don’t have anything fancier,” I said. “You probably eat your burgers with Brie or something. And make fries with real potatoes instead of from a bag in the freezer section.”
“Listen, you’re talking to a girl whose favorite dessert is a Frosty.”
I smiled at her. “True.”
She lifted her hair off her neck as if she was warm, and I noticed how the sunset gave it copper-penny highlights. I recalled my hands tangled up in it, my cock sliding between her perfect pink lips, and my stomach muscles contracted. I wanted her again tonight, and it wasn’t a good idea.
Quickly, I looked out toward the pool.
Dropping her arms, she fanned her face. “Whew. It’s hot out here, isn’t it? Want something cold to drink?”
A beer would have tasted good and maybe numbed some of what I was feeling, but I had to work in the morning. “Just water, I guess.”
“Okay.” She put a hand on my shoulder before heading inside, and it took a lot more strength than I’d have liked for me not to grab her arm and pull her back to me for a kiss.
I felt like a fucking teenager.
We ate side by side at my kitchen island.
“So the girls will be here this weekend, huh?” she asked.
I nodded. “I’ll pick them up on Saturday morning, right after my shift ends.”
“That’ll be fun. Last weekend before school starts, right?”
“Yes. I take them back to their mom Monday, and they start school Tuesday.”
“What’s your plan for the weekend?”
“Plan?” I picked up my water glass and took a drink.
“Dex! You have to do something fun for the last weekend of summer!”
“We’ll have fun.” I shrugged. “I’ll take them swimming. We’ll go for ice cream.”
“That’s fine, but you need something more than that.” She thought for a second, munching on a fry. “I know! Bring them over to Cloverleigh Farms for horseback riding. My dad used to take us when we were kids and it was the best.”
I gave her a look. “Whose horse?”
“We have a few there that belong to family. My cousin Whitney has one, my cousins Sawyer and Elsa have one, and the farm itself usually keeps at least two. We do hayrides in the fall and sleigh rides in the winter.” She grew more animated as she talked. “Do they like horses?”
“They like all animals.” I took a bite of my cheeseburger, which was definitely the best one I’d ever made. Too bad the girls weren’t here for this meal. “They’re still after me about a cat.”
Winnie laughed. “Just get the cat. I told you, I’ll feed it on your work days. It’s not a big deal.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“I think it’s good for kids to have a pet,” she went on. “It teaches them responsibility and respect for living things.”
“You sound like Hallie. Just older—barely,” I teased.
She nudged me with her leg. “It’s all true. Your daughter is smart. She’s probably done the research.”
“She does love research,” I said. “Asking questions is her favorite activity.”
Winnie picked up her water glass. “What does she do with all her knowledge?”
“She writes stories. You should see all the notebooks she’s filled.”
“I love that. A curious, creative soul who loves to learn.”
“Almost as much as she loves socks.”
Winnie laughed. “I saw her swimming with her little aqua socks on. She really hates being barefoot, huh?”
“She really hates it. Just makes her too anxious to enjoy herself.”
“Hm. I wonder what she’d do if I offered to paint her toes for the last weekend of summer.”
I shrugged. “Not sure. I’ve never offered that before.”
“So let’s try it. I have to work Saturday evening—I’m helping Millie with a wedding—but I’ll be around earlier in the day. And I have tons of colors she can pick from. Maybe if she was excited about showing off her fun polish, she’d be less anxious about going barefoot?”
“Maybe. But don’t be hurt if it doesn’t work.”
“I won’t at all, I promise. Let’s try it.”
I was touched by her offer. “Thanks. That’s nice of you.”
“My little sisters used to let me give them pedicures all the time. I’ll give Luna one too.” Then she laughed. “You want one?”
“No,” I said firmly. “I have big ugly man feet and they’re going to stay big ugly man feet.”
She laughed. “Fine, be that way. And if you’re too busy, it’s not a big deal.”
“I’m sure if I mention it to them, they will be knocking on your door at eight a.m. Saturday morning.”
“Perfect,” she said. “I like getting up early. And if you want to bring them over to the barn this weekend, we can do that too.” She ate her last French fry. “Maybe Sunday would be good for that. Let me check with my cousin.”
Although Winnie offered to help me with the dishes, I refused to let her, since she’d done most of the work getting dinner together.
“I’ve got this,” I told her, placing both our plates in the sink.
“Are you sure?” She finished her water and set the glass down. “I don’t mind.”
“I’m sure. I’m used to it—at the station, they don’t let me near the food because I’m such a bad cook, so I’m always on clean-up duty.”
She laughed, leaning her lower back against the counter next to the sink. “I think a man who cleans is just as sexy as a man who cooks. Maybe even sexier.”
“I don’t think the guys at the station give a fuck about that,” I said wryly, turning on the faucet. “They just won’t go near anything I make.”
“It’s okay. Your talents lie elsewhere.”
I glanced over to find that wicked little grin on her face, the one that made the crotch of my jeans go tight. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” She touched my arm. “Well, I should head out. Thanks for—oh! I forgot to tell you about my job offer.”
“Job offer?” I rinsed our plates and put them in the dishwasher.
“Yes. For a position as event designer at a boutique hotel in Newport, Rhode Island. I got an email today from the new manager there—she interviewed me in New York last spring and remembered me.”
“Nice.” I dumped the ice from her water glass and put it in the top rack. “You gonna take it?”
“I’m—I’m not sure yet. But I’m definitely interested. I just have to reply to her email and tell her so.”
I nodded, unnerved by the way my gut twisted thinking about her moving to Rhode Island. Why should it make any difference to me? “Cool. Congratulations.”
“It’s too soon for congratulations, but I’m kind of excited.” She laughed self-consciously. “And maybe a little nervous.”
“Why?”
“I’ve bee
n asking myself that all day, and I think it’s just because it’s so far from home.”
I faced her, drying my hands on a kitchen towel. She looked so young with that apprehensive expression on her face. “Leaving home was the best thing I ever did.”
“Was it?”
“Yeah. I was restless. I felt cooped up here. I wanted to push myself, see what I could do.” I shrugged. “I had to prove myself.”
“Yeah.” She bit her lip. “I’m not sure I have that same kind of cooped-up feeling, but I do feel restless sometimes.”
“You should go for it. Don’t hold yourself back.”
“Thanks.” Smiling, she pointed a thumb toward the patio door. “Should I go out the back?”
“I’ll walk you,” I said, tossing the towel aside.
“Dex, I’m not a kid.”
I glared at her and headed for the back door. “Don’t argue with me. It’s dark. You know how I am.”
She sighed, but she followed me outside.
“Night,” she said, giving me a little wave. “Thanks for . . . everything.”
I folded my arms over my chest, wishing I had a reason for her to stay longer. Or at least touch her again. “You’re welcome for everything. Night.”
She headed across the small patch of lawn between my patio and hers. After I made sure she got in, I went back to the kitchen to continue cleaning up. That’s when I spotted her smoked paprika on the counter. Without thinking, I grabbed it and hurried out again.
Ten seconds later, I knocked on her sliding door. I could see her checking her phone in the kitchen, and she looked up in surprise before coming over to open it.
“What’s up?”
“You forgot this.” I handed over the spice.
“Oh—thanks.” She shook it and laughed. “Now I’ll always think of you when I use it.”
“Good.” We stood there for a moment, then I leaned in and kissed her softly. “Night.”
“Night.” She looked up at me, her expression a little bewildered, as if the gesture had taken her by surprise.
It had taken me by surprise too, and I quickly turned and walked toward my place.
Before I got there, she called out. “Hey, Dex?”
“Yeah?” I turned around, terrified she was going to ask me if I wanted to come in and knowing I’d say yes.
She was leaning out her doorway, a playful grin on her face. “I had fun tonight.”
“Me too.” And then I relaxed, because I knew what was coming.
“But I don’t love you.”
I grinned back. “I don’t love you either.”
Then she disappeared, and I could breathe again.
“So? Did you apologize?” Justin asked, climbing onto the stationary bike next to the treadmill as I approached my third mile.
“I did.”
“And?” he said, starting to pedal.
“And it was fine.”
“Fine?”
I shrugged. “I brought her a Frosty. She forgave me.”
“And that’s the end of the story?”
Increasing my speed slightly, I didn’t say anything.
“Because that doesn’t seem like the end of the story.”
“There may have been an additional chapter,” I admitted. “What do you call those things at the end of a book?”
“An epilogue?”
“Yeah. There may have been an epilogue.”
Justin laughed. “What happened during the epilogue?”
I wiped sweat off my face with the bottom of my T-shirt. “Pretty much everything.”
“Everything?”
“Yeah.”
“Because I’m imagining a lot of things.”
I nodded. “They probably all happened.”
“Well, fuck.”
“We did.”
He laughed. “So did you change your mind about her?”
I crossed the three mile threshold and slowed my speed to a walk. “What do you mean?”
“You said you weren’t interested in dating her because she was too young.”
“She’s still too young, and no—I didn’t change my mind. I’m not interested in dating her.” I wasn’t, was I? How come the answer felt a little muddy in my brain? Was it the blowjob?
“Oh.” Justin was quiet for a minute. “And she’s cool with that?”
“Totally. She’s not interested in dating me either. In fact, she made it very clear she is only interested in me on a physical level.”
“Seriously? So is this like an ongoing thing?”
I gave him the side eye. “Mind your own fucking business.”
“I can’t. This girl has you messed up. I want to meet her.”
“No fucking way.” I stopped the treadmill and jumped off. “Were you even listening to me? We’re not a thing, Justin. I’m not introducing her to my family. That would give her the wrong idea—and you guys too.”
“But you already know some of her family, right? Your friend turned out to be her cousin?”
“That happened by accident. It was a coincidence.” But I frowned, thinking about Chip and wondering how he’d feel about me messing around with Winnie.
“Still coming over Monday for a cookout?” Justin asked.
“Yeah,” I said distractedly. “We’ll be there.”
“Feel free to bring a friend.”
I rolled my eyes and headed for the door. “Fuck off.”
“What? I said friend, not date! I just want to see this girl.”
“No.” If my sister and Justin saw how young she was, I’d never hear the end of it. I did not need to bring her around my family.
Better to keep her separate from the things that mattered.
Saturday morning, as I pulled up in Naomi’s driveway, Hallie came racing out to meet me.
“Daddy!” she shouted, throwing her arms around me as I tried to get out of my car. “You’re here!”
“I’m here.”
“We’re hungry.” She tossed her head back and looked up at me. “Can we go to that bakery again? Where Winnie’s mom works?”
“Maybe. Go get your stuff.”
As she went back in, Luna came hurrying out, dragging her little suitcase on wheels. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Hi, Loony Toon. Let me take that.” I grabbed the handle of her suitcase with one hand and scooped her up with the second, rubbing my scratchy jaw on her cheek. “How are you?”
She giggled and squirmed in my arms. “Good. Can we go swimming today?”
“Sure.”
“With Winnie?”
“We’ll see.”
Naomi came out, already dressed for work. “Hey. Got a second?”
I set Luna down, opened the back door, and told her to get in the car. After stowing her suitcase in the back, I faced my ex again. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to talk about October twenty-third. It’s technically your Saturday, but I wondered if I might keep the girls that night.”
“Why?”
“Bryce and I have decided to get married that day.”
“So?” I said, just to be difficult.
“Dex, come on. I want the kids there.”
“I thought you were getting married next summer.”
“We decided we didn’t want to wait.” She frowned at me. “And what do you care?”
“I don’t. You two can get married tomorrow if you want. But why should I give up one of my nights with my kids?”
“Really, Dexter?” She tilted her head. “You can’t do me this one favor? On this one Saturday night?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “That’s not what this is about. It’s about respecting the time I have with them—and you don’t.”
Her expression softened, and she nodded. “I’ll try to be better about that.”
“No more phone calls checking up on me. No more lectures about allergies or meals or how things need to be done. When they’re with me, they’re mine.”
She took a breath, briefly closing
her eyes. “Okay.”
“Seriously? Okay?” I wasn’t sure I believed her. “If I say yes to the wedding day, no more micromanaging from afar?”
“You have my word.” She held out a pinky and offered a tentative smile.
Reluctantly, I hooked mine through it. For a second, I remembered good times with Naomi, and it eased some of the resentment and anger in me. “Thank you. I know I’m not perfect, but I’m trying.”
“I know you are.” She tucked her hands into her back pockets. “And they’re so crazy about you. Honestly, it gets to me. I have to be the mean parent, and you’re the fun one. I take them to get flu shots and school shoes and teeth cleanings, and you take them for donuts and swimming and fire station visits.”
“So give me some of those responsibilities, Naomi,” I said. “I can handle them. Sometimes I feel like you hoard all that shit just so you can complain about me.”
She nodded. “Okay. I’ll make more of an effort to go fifty-fifty on that stuff.”
“Good.” I managed a half-smile. “And maybe let them have a fucking donut every once in a while. It won’t kill them.”
Laughing, she shook her head, her eyes wandering over my body. “I don’t understand how you eat that way and stay so fit. It’s not fair.”
“Have a good weekend,” I said, opening the driver’s side door.
“What are you going to do with them?” she asked.
I gave her a warning look, and she put her hands up.
“I’m just asking out of curiosity! I’m not micromanaging.”
“I’m not sure. We’ll go swimming, probably, and I might take them over to Cloverleigh Farms to go horseback riding.”
She looked surprised. “I didn’t know they had horseback riding there.”
“I don’t think it’s open to the public. Winnie invited us. She works there.”
“Winnie invited us where?” Hallie said, who’d come out with her bag in one hand, Rupert the penguin in the other.
“Horseback riding,” I told her, taking her bag. “Hop in.”
Hallie jumped into the back seat and immediately she and Luna started squealing with excitement.
“The girls talked about Winnie a lot this week,” said Naomi. Then she laughed. “It’s funny, when you first mentioned her, I pictured an old lady. Such an old-fashioned name.”
Ignite: A Grumpy Single Dad Romance Page 15