Page 12 of Firefly Effect

With that, Lucy picks her head up from Lincoln’s chest, eyes growing wide. “Did you sleep in my bedroom too?”

I let out a light laugh. “I don’t know. Does your bedroom closet have blue, pink, and purple flowers all over it?”

Lucy squeals and claps her hands together. “Yes! Daddy put glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling too.”

“Did he? That was so nice of him.”

“What can I say?” Lincoln grins. “I’m a nice guy after all.”

I bite down on my smile. “I never said you weren’t.”

“Fooled me.”

He’s teasing, but I can’t help but feel a pang of guilt for giving him a hard time at J.D.’s office. All he had done was offer a free consultation to give me a chance to work with him if he was the right fit. And I turned him down without even hearing him out.

Before I can say another word, he turns to the woman who’s chugged nearly half of the beer he bought. “This is Lucy’s grandmother, Francine.”

The way he phrases it feels odd. Why wouldn’t he just say his mother-in-law?

I smile at the woman. “It’s nice to meet you, Francine.”

She nods without cracking a smile, but her eyes are friendly in a way that tells me she’s still assessing me. “Nice to meet you as well.” She squints at Lincoln as if to remind him that he didn’t finish introducing us.

He startles a little as he realizes it then says, “This is Evelyn Vaughn, Patrick’s niece. Evie manages the Firefly bar on Main Street and is handling things for Patrick at his rental properties while he’s away.”

Francine perks up slightly. “Hi, Evelyn. Would you happen to know how to get the furnace to turn on in the guesthouse? Linc’s been trying to figure it out for days with no luck.”

Lincoln visibly cringes, causing me to smile.

I turn to Lincoln, amused. “There’s a trick to it. Can I stop by Monday morning to show you?” Then I smile. “It’s an old furnace. Don’t feel bad.”

When Lincoln doesn’t answer, Francine steps in. “Of course you can stop by when you can,” she says, shooting a glare at Lincoln. “Thank you, Evie.”

Lucy grips Lincoln’s shirt, distracting us all from the conversation. “I wanna look at the sunflowers, Daddy.”

“You do? Well then, let’s get to it.” He touches his nose to hers before setting her back on her feet and turning to me. “Thank you for th?—”

Before he can finish, a little voice chimes in. “Come with us to look at the flowers, Evie.”

“Me?” I ask before having time to think.

Lucy nods emphatically while her father and grandmother stare back at me, waiting.

If anyone else had asked, I would have declined the invite easily. But it’s Lucy, and the way she’s staring up at me eliminates all possible answers but one. “I’d love to.”

Another squeal from her lights up my insides as I try hard to ignore Lincoln’s intense stare.

“Come on.” Lucy takes off, dragging Francine along with her.

I say goodbye to Armando and Janessa then walk around the bar. Lincoln and I fall into step, following close behind Francine and Lucy.

“I couldn’t say no,” I admit, feeling sheepish.

“Trust me—I know the feeling.” He glances over at me. “She’s got me wrapped around her little finger. Francine calls me a sucker daily.”

“That just means you’re a good father.”

He pauses, a hesitation I don’t quite understand. “I hope that’s true.”

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