by SJ McCoy
“No. I didn’t.” He didn’t even dare risk looking at Elle yet. He needed to get himself back under control first or she’d no doubt see his desire for her written all over his face.
“You can share mine. Come on, Mommy.”
He finally looked up at her and her smile left him even more breathless than the sight of her ass had.
“Hi.
“Hello, Elle.”
Her cheeks turned pink when she met his gaze. “I’m glad you came.”
Wow. That was better than he’d hoped for.
“So, am I. But you didn’t need to doubt. I don’t give a cute girl my word if I don’t plan to keep it.” He’d let her decide which cute girl he was talking about.
Her cheeks flushed a deeper pink and for some reason that turned him on. What was wrong with him?
“Let’s go!” Skye tugged at his hand and then at Elle’s.
Donovan was hoping she might get back in the stroller so that Elle would have to fasten her in again, but she trotted on ahead. He fell in beside Elle as they went after her.
Now that she was here, he had no idea what he wanted to say to her. Do to her? Yeah, he had a few ideas about that, but he shouldn’t even be entertaining those.
She turned to him with a smile. “I knew you were a lawyer, but I didn’t think … it didn’t occur to me that you’d …” The way her gaze traveled over him made him glad that he’d chosen this suit today. Since he’d moved up here, he was getting used to dressing down with just slacks and a shirt, but most of his wardrobe still consisted of the suits he had to wear at the firm in San Francisco.
When she met his gaze again, she looked embarrassed, and he didn’t want to put her on the spot. Instead, he joked.
“Are you trying to say I’m overdressed?”
She laughed and looked down at herself. “Well, the alternative is that I’m underdressed. But since we’re at the park, I think I’m okay.”
He forced himself not to make any bad jokes about getting her undressed.
She shrugged. “But then jeans and a shirt are all I ever wear these days anyway.”
That gave him an idea. “How often do you get the chance to get dressed up?”
She shrugged again. “I don’t really. I haven’t been out much since I came back.”
He should probably wait, but he didn’t want to. “I heard that the restaurant over at Four Mile Creek is kind of upscale.”
She gave him a puzzled look. He’d understandably lost her with that complete non-sequitur.
He let out an embarrassed chuckle. “Sorry. I’m getting ahead of myself. When you said you only get to wear jeans and a shirt, I guessed that you’re the kind of girl who likes to get dressed up. I went straight to thinking that I’d like to see you dressed up. So, I wondered where I could take you …” He trailed off. He was making a complete mess of this.
No. Apparently, not. She was smiling.
“That’s so sweet of you.”
Hmm. He hadn’t been going for sweet.
She sighed. “It’s so sweet of you to offer. And I’d love to. But I can’t. You know what my deal is with Skye. I don’t go out much.”
He nodded, wondering how he’d blown that quite so badly. He was relieved when Skye started shouting and giggling as a bunch of ducks went waddling toward her.
“Mommy! Dondervan! Come feed the ducks!”
Elle hurried to her, fishing a baggie of bread out of her purse as she went. Donovan followed, hoping that he’d be able to do better when he regrouped and tried again.
~ ~ ~
The next hour flew by and Elle enjoyed every minute of it. Donovan was fun—and he was great with Skye. He kept her laughing, but he didn’t let her boss him around.
She looked at her watch when she noticed him doing the same. He’d said he had an hour for lunch, and as much as she didn’t want him to, she guessed he’d have to go.
“Thanks for coming. This was fun.”
He gave her a puzzled look. “Are you leaving?”
“I was thinking you’d have to. Don’t you need to get back to work?”
He pursed his lips. “I don’t have to go.”
She chuckled. “I don’t want you getting in trouble because of us.”
“I won’t. I said I might not be back.”
Her heart started to race. Did that mean that he thought … that he wanted …? No. Even if it did … she inhaled sharply. She’d told him that they came to the park before Skye’s lunch and her nap. He didn’t think that her naptime could be … bedtime, did he?
He watched her face as he lifted Skye out of the swing and kept hold of her hand as he brought her back to Elle. “Did I just do something wrong again?”
She shook her head. Of course, he wasn’t thinking that. She needed to stop thinking that all guys were as bad as Tristan. Tristan was Skye’s father—and Skye wouldn’t be around if he weren’t one to get a girl into bed every chance he got. Donovan was nothing like him, she could already tell that when she stopped to think about it.
She shook her head. “No. Not at all. It’s sweet of you. But we have to get back. She needs her lunch and I need to put her down.”
She was grateful that Skye didn’t put up any protest when she fastened her back into her stroller and started heading back to the parking lot.
Donovan walked beside her, the air between them thick with so much left unspoken. But Elle thought it was probably better left that way. He was a great guy, and he was gorgeous. But no matter how much she liked him, he wasn’t for her. He couldn’t be.
When they reached his truck, he stopped. “I know I’ve already got it wrong a couple times, but I’d like to see you again.”
She shook her head. “There’s no point.”
He didn’t look disappointed. He didn’t even look surprised. He must know. He was a smart guy. He must get it.
“I think there is. I’d like to hang out with you and Skye again. I’d like to take you out.” His full lips curved up into his gorgeous smile. “Even if you say no, you know I’ll be there whenever everyone goes out together and I’ll only keep asking.”
She had to smile. He was sweet. But she blew out a sigh. “If I were a different person in a different life, I’d love to go out with you. I really would. But …” She looked down at Skye. “She’s my life.”
He nodded. “I get that. And I …” He shrugged. “I’d still like to see you again.”
She stared at him, wishing that she could see a way to say yes, but it wouldn’t be fair to anyone. It wouldn’t be fair to Skye to let her get attached to someone who wouldn’t be around for long. It wouldn’t be fair to him to … it just wouldn’t.
“Are you coming out with everyone this weekend?”
“No. My dad’s coming to visit.”
“Okay. Well, since I have your number, do you mind if I keep in touch?”
She smiled. “Of course not. I’m sure we’ll end up being friends. This town’s too small not to. But you don’t need to be wasting your time on me.”
“I don’t see it as a waste.”
She shrugged. “You know what I mean. I should go.”
“Okay.”
“Bye bye, Dondervan.”
Elle panicked and grabbed his arm and whispered. “Please don’t say goodbye! Say see you or anything, but don’t say goodbye.”
He squatted down and smiled at Skye. “I’ll see you again, Skye.”
Elle’s chest flooded with warm gratitude. He couldn’t know it, but that was exactly the right thing to say.
He straightened up and looked at her. “I’ll let you get going but can I ask you something?”
“You can ask.”
“Next time we talk will you explain that to me?”
“Sure.” She needed to explain it to him. They’d no doubt bump into him around town all the time. And like her mom had said last night, Skye seemed to have a thing for him.
“I’m hungry!”
“We’re going now, Skye.”
Donovan got into his truck and waved as he passed them. She was sad to watch him go, but it was for the best.
Chapter Four
“Time to shut down.” Brayden stuck his head around the office door with a grin. “Do you want to come over to our place? Alex and Isaac are coming, and Ally said that she and Jade should be around. They were talking about all going over to Four Mile Creek later. Apparently, there’s a band playing at the café, and everyone wants to check out the new wine bar.”
Donovan blew out a sigh and nodded slowly. He should go. He didn’t much feel like it, but he should. It was a hard rule in the office that everyone left at four on Fridays. He and Leanne had ignored that rule when they’d first arrived, but Dan had put his foot down recently and insisted that they had to leave like everyone else.
It was only until they went live. Once they were up and running and everything was operational, Donovan had no doubt that there would be plenty of late nights—no matter which day of the week they might fall on.
“Come on. You have to come. Your house is our new place to crash over on that side of the lake.”
Donovan had to laugh. “You mean you want me to come out so that you can all have a drink and stay at my place and not have to drive back?”
Brayden smiled. “You know it makes sense.”
“I guess. But if that’s the case, I might just go straight home, and you guys can call me when you get over there. I’ll walk down and meet you all at the café.”
“Are you sure? Jade was asking if you were coming to our place first.” Brayden raised his eyebrows—as if implying that Jade was interested.
“So? She was probably asking about everyone, wasn’t she?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve told you enough times, Brayden. There’s nothing there. I mean, yeah, she’s good-looking. And she’s fun. She’s a good laugh. But she’s not my type, and I’m not hers. We figured that out straight away. It’s cool of you to try and fix me up, but I’m not looking.”
Brayden came inside the office and jerked his chin at the computer. “Shut that thing down, so that I know you’re not going to try and stay here. Then you can walk out with me and tell me what changed.”
“Nothing changed. I told you—”
“Shut down first.”
Donovan smiled to himself as he logged out of his computer and gathered his things. Brayden was about as mild mannered a guy as you’d ever meet, but when he got an idea in his head, there was no deflecting him.
They walked out across the parking lot together and stopped by Donovan’s truck. They both smiled when they saw Dan coming to his Jeep that was parked in the next space.
“Have a good weekend, guys.”
“Thanks. You, too.” Donovan still found it hard to believe that he was working for Dan Benson—the guy was a legend. He glanced at Brayden. If Donovan was a little star-struck, Brayden was in full-on hero-worship mode.
They watched Dan pull away before Brayden turned to him. “And now you can tell me what changed.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that a couple of weeks ago, you were happy—eager even—for me to set you up with one of my sister’s friends. And now you’re telling me that you’re not looking.”
Donovan shrugged. “I told you. Jade’s cool. But there’s nothing there.”
“I get that. What I don’t get is why after one failed date, you’re not even looking anymore. It wasn’t bad enough to put you off women, was it?”
“No. Of course not.”
“But something has—put you off other women.”
Donovan knew where he was going.
“Are you going to tell me, or do I have to force it out of you?”
“There’s nothing to tell. You know that I met them in the park on Monday and we hung out for a while. I asked if she was busy this weekend, and she is. Her dad’s coming up to visit.”
“So, you’re just going to sit home and pine?”
Donovan laughed. “No! I told you I’d come out.”
“Yeah, with about as much enthusiasm as if I’d asked you to come to a dentist appointment.”
“It’s fine. I like hanging out with you and the other guys. You know that.”
“Okay. I’ll leave it for now. But I’ve got my eye on you, buddy. You need to forget about Elle. She’s doing you a favor saying that she’s not interested. You don’t need to be tied down like that.”
Donovan shrugged. He didn’t see it as being tied down, even if everyone else did. And besides, she hadn’t said she wasn’t interested. Just that her dad was coming this weekend. She’d even said that she’d love to go out with him—he was choosing to ignore the part about if she were a different person in a different life.
“I’m going to head home. Call me when you’re on your way over to Four Mile?”
“Okay. I didn’t just piss you off, did I?”
He grasped Brayden’s shoulder. “No. We’re good. I suppose I am a little hung up on her, that’s all.”
“You’ll get over it.” Brayden smiled. “We should see if we can find you a distraction in the wine bar later.”
Donovan nodded and got in his truck without bothering to answer. Brayden didn’t get it. He wasn’t sure he got it himself. He understood that it’d be more logical to find himself another girl—one who didn’t have a child. But there was something about Elle. And he really didn’t see Skye as a problem. He hadn’t lied when he told her that he loved little kids. His eldest sister had raised his other two sisters and him. She’d had kids of her own by the time he was fourteen, and he’d helped out with all of them.
He took the long route out of town, driving all the way down Main. He smiled when he saw the sign, Mane Street Salon. Elle worked there with her mom. Hoping he wasn’t making himself too obvious, he peered through the window as he passed, wondering if he’d be able to catch a glimpse of her.
He gripped the steering wheel tighter when he saw her. She was putting a cape around a girl who’d just sat down in the chair by the window.
She was gorgeous. Her hair was piled up on top of her head and she was wearing a black top with straps that crisscrossed her chest and shoulders, leaving lots of tanned skin on display. He forced himself to drag his eyes away and focus on the road.
He wasn’t giving up. No way. Like he’d told Brayden, she was busy this weekend with her dad in town. He could wait. He had to. He smiled as a thought struck him. He’d asked if he could keep in touch, and she had said yes, of course he could. He knew he wouldn’t be able to see her. He shouldn’t even call her—not while she had company, but he didn’t see anything wrong with shooting her a text. Just to say hi. He’d have to wait until he got home, but he was going to do it.
~ ~ ~
It was six-thirty by the time Elle got home. She’d gotten out of the salon at six on the dot, but then ended up chatting with Jackie for ages when she went to collect Skye. Jackie was awesome. She watched a few kids and she’d been happy to help when she heard Elle was back in town and needed someone to take Skye so that she could go back to work.
Jackie usually had Skye on Saturday mornings, too. But she was making the most of not having her this weekend and going to see her mom in the city.
Elle blew out a sigh as she went through to the kitchen. She had a bad feeling about this weekend. It might just be that she was uncomfortable with her dad and Maddie coming up here. She’d seen them every now and then when she was still living in the city with Tristan. But her dad hadn’t been up to the lake in years. It was her fault that he was coming now. Her mom was being awesome about it—her mom was awesome about everything. But Elle still felt bad. She was bringing her dad and his wife into her mom’s life—into her home.
At least her mom had met Cal. She was going to stay over at his place—out of the way—for the weekend. Elle had a feeling that she’d be spending more and more of her time at his place. And she was happy for her. Cal was a great guy, and if anyone deserved a grea
t guy it was her mom.
“Can I watch TV, Mommy?”
“Okay. But only for half an hour.” She didn’t feel like trying to talk her into reading a book instead. They were both tired. Elle needed to fix herself something to eat. Skye had eaten earlier at Jackie’s. And then they had to prepare themselves for her dad to show up. She made a face. Papa Steve. She hated the way he made Skye call her that. It made her think of Papa Smurf! Did he seriously think that anyone would believe he wasn’t old enough to be her grandpa? It had backfired on him lately—not that he knew that yet, but Skye had started calling Cal Grandpa. She wanted to have a grandma and grandpa, like her little friends here did, and now she had them.
“Are you looking forward to seeing Papa Steve and Nana Maddie?” She should probably try to talk the visit up a bit. It’d be easier for everyone if Skye were excited about it.
Skye looked at her and gave a non-committal shrug. Elle decided to make herself a sandwich first before she tried to talk to her. Her phone buzzed with a text while she was making it. Hopefully, that’d be her dad letting her know he was on the way. She made a face. He could wait a few minutes.
She took Skye a drink of milk first and then brought her plate and a soda to the living room and sat down next to her on the sofa before she checked her phone.
She frowned when she saw that the text was from a San Francisco number, not her dad. Her heart started to beat a little faster. She would have thought that the collection agencies would have the decency to leave people alone over the weekend. She blew out a sigh. She was doing as much as she could. The credit counseling people had told her that she’d do better to ignore the calls. None of it was really her debt, it was all Tristan’s, but they’d let her pay if she accepted responsibility for it. She was hoping that she’d have some legal way out of it, but she didn’t know what that might be yet. She needed to find a lawyer, but it was hard with her mom around all the time. And if she asked anyone in town, her mom was bound to find out.
She took a bite of her sandwich and opened the text.
Hey. How was your week?
Did you and Skye have any more adventures?