Page 18 of Rescued by the Single Dad

“It means she’s brought her troubles to our doorstep,” Bennett countered, his tone verging on stern. “To our children’s doorstep.”

As they were arguing, three sets of little eyes ping-ponged between them.

“I want to help the mermaid,” Talia said.

“Me, too,” Aya and Emme echoed in unison.

“We’ll see what she wants to do once she gets out of the shower.” Clint pinned his gaze on Bennett. “But you can’t argue that this is a pretty safe place to hide out. Nobody knows she survived. We have the space and the privacy. Aside from patrons coming to the front of house in the pub, and the guests in the cabins, nobody bothers us. She can stay up here on the hill, and nobody will know. Besides us, the only person who knows she’s here is Grayson, and he treated her so he’s bound by his Hippocratic oath.”

“The mermaid can have my bed,” Talia piped up. “I can sleep on the floor.”

“She’s not a mermaid,” Clint replied, casting another eye roll his daughter’s way, followed by a smirk.

Talia’s button nose wrinkled. “I know that. Doesn’t mean I can’t hope that maybe she is.”

“We have a spare bedroom,” Clint said. “I’m sure she’d rather stay there than in a room with a wiggly eight-year-old.” He walked up behind her and tickled the nape of her neck, which made her squirm to prove his point that she was wiggly.

Talia giggled.

Bennett flipped the pancakes, and the five of them chatted about benign things until the stack of flapjacks reached twelve inches high. A creak on the stairs alerted them to Brooke’s presence before they saw her, and a moment later, the Hollywood starlet who washed ashore like Ariel, emerged in the kitchen dressed in Clint’s black tank top and board shorts. Just like the T-shirt and sweats, they were too big for her. But she looked more comfortable. She wore socks again and kept her braid. The puffiness around her green eyes drew his attention, and the way everyone’s demeanor changed said they knew she’d been crying.

Brooke forced a smile. “Hello.”

Aya and Emme leaped off their stools and went over to Brooke, taking her by the hand and leading her over to the kitchen table.

“You’ve been through so much,” Emme said. “Sit down. Can we get you a coffee or tea?”

Brooke smiled at the girls, but her gaze pivoted to Clint. “Tea would be wonderful.”

“Dad,” Aya said. “A tea for the merma—I mean, for this lady.”

“Call me Brooke, please,” Brooke said.

Talia made her way over to where her cousins were standing in front of Brooke, ogling her like some artifact in a museum, or more accurately, Ariel, at an amusement park.

Bennett filled up Clint’s electric kettle and turned it on. “Tea coming right up.”

“Come on, girls. Breakfast time,” Clint said. “Leave Ms. Barker alone.”

“It’s quite all right,” Brooke said. “And, please, everyone, call me Brooke.”

“Are you hungry, Brooke?” Talia asked, climbing onto one of the chairs at Clint’s kitchen table just as Aya set the table, and Bennett plunked the stack of pancakes in the center on the lazy Susan.

“I’m starving, actually,” Brooke said with a weary sigh, her eyes focused intently on the pancakes.

“Well, come join us,” Bennett offered. “There’s plenty to go around.” He cleared his throat and came around the counter to offer Brooke his hand. She took it. “Bennett McEvoy, one of Clint’s brothers. And that’s Aya, and the taller one is Emme. He pointed to his daughters who beamed with pride.

Aya pointed to the extra place she’d set and nodded excitedly. “You can sit here, Brooke.”

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Brooke said with a small but genuine smile. Bennett released her hand, and she moved slowly because she was probably achy from all the swimming, and pulled out the chair, sitting down.

A bowl of cut up fruit was set next to the pancakes by Bennett, and Emme grabbed the syrup and whipped cream from the fridge.

The kettle beeped, and since Clint felt like a freeloader in his own house, he made sure that he poured Brooke’s tea.

“What kind of tea would you like?” he asked, fixing his gaze on her.

She smiled sadly. “I’m not picky. Whatever you have.”

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