Page 5 of Prospect Year

“Whoa,” he said, stepping toward her, catching her hands in his. “Do you have a problem going?”

He chuckled at the way her eyes grew, and her head jerked like a spasm side to side. “Slow down and let me figure it out.”

Mia pushed out a breath and glanced toward the sink of dishes, then toward him.

“Okay. The dishes can wait until we return.” He released her hands, and with a faint laugh, he flipped the light switch and walked with her toward his Jeep.

Lola had no sooner put the Jeep in park than Mia jumped to the ground. “That baby’s not going to grow up in a day. What’s the rush?” he asked, catching up to her quick stride. “Besides, I would have helped you down like the gentleman you think I am.” He grinned, and she slapped his arm without missing a step.

Ghost swung open the door with Mia passing him by and heading straight toward Maeve, settling next to her on the couch.

“Good response time,” Ghost commented, pushing the door closed.

“Too slow for her,” Lola laughed.

“Lil Bit misses seeing Mia and not being able to talk to her. Come kick your feet up while they oh and ah. Before we leave.”

Lola followed Ghost, dropping into a chair nearby. “Where we going?”

“We—” Ghost swung his hand between himself and Lola “—are not going anywhere.” He grinned, nodding toward Maeve. “I’m taking her to lunch. Just the two of us.”

Just the two of us? Lola’s chin dropped. What? Surely, he had misheard.

“What?” Maeve’s head shot up.

“You haven’t been out of this house since bringing the baby home from the hospital. We’re going to lunch,” Ghost told his old lady.

“But Mia just got here.”

Lola chanced a look at Mia. Just as he suspected. She was excited.

“She can spend all the time she wants holding and rocking while we’re gone to eat,” Ghost told her.

“You didn’t ask,” Maeve complained in her usual sassy way.

“I don’t have to ask,” Ghost reminded her. “He does what I say. You do what I say. Mia just happens to be a happy casualty of the situation.”

“I do as you say?” Maeve repeated, cutting a look of accusation toward her husband.

His only reply was a cocked head with a slight half-smile.

“Oh, fine. If I’m to be whisked away against my will, I need to look presentable. Come on, Mia, we can visit while I dress.”

Lola watched the women leave the room, Mia carrying the infant.

He turned toward Ghost, immediately turning back and dropping his gaze to the floor. The words to refuse were burning his tongue, begging to leave his mouth. Only the rules of prospecting reined them in.

“I’d love to read your mind about now,” Ghost chuckled.

Lola shook his head, biting his tongue. “No, you wouldn’t.”

That brought a full-out laugh from Ghost that Lola should have expected but failed to. “Talk about killing more than one bird. You just knocked another one from the sky.” Ghost stood, jerking his head for Lola to follow. “Come on, I’ll give you the crash course.”

Lola’s jaw ached from the pressure of holding in the rebuttal as he pushed to his feet and followed Ghost into the kitchen. Forcing those feelings away, he intently listened about feeding and burping, changing diapers, and sleeping.

“Don’t worry. Mia will keep my child happy until I return, which in turn will keep you breathing another day,” Ghost assured him with a smirk.

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