Page 16 of An Unexpected Match

“You drove your station wagon?” he asked as she paused by the dusty old car. “I have a car in the garage. I thought Ella told you to use it.”

“She did. But I prefer driving my own. It may be old, but the engine is in perfect condition. My aunts would never let me drive something that wasn’t totally safe.”

“And who tuned it up last, you or them?”

Arden opened the back door and waited while Hailey scrambled inside.

“I did the last time, under Aunt Eugenia’s close supervision. It runs like a top. Come on and be daring. I’ll drive to Micky D’s and you can see for yourself. Another advantage is its size. If we were to get in a wreck, it’s old and heavy and sturdy. It’ll handle a lot of impact before being damaged.”

“I hope you aren’t planning any wrecks,” he said, leaning over to place Avery in her car seat beside her sister’s and buckling them both.

Arden laughed softly. “Nope. And if you’d check out the car, you’d see while it’s old, there’s not a dent to be found. That should tell you something about my terrific driving record.”

Brendan liked the banter in Arden’s tone. He made a production of studying the car, and acting surprised when he found her words to be true. There wasn’t a mark on it. He met her eyes over the top when she rounded to the driver’s door.

“Looks okay.”

She laughed again. He noticed she did that a lot.

“It’s in perfect condition, and you know it.”

Vague feelings of guilt swept through him as he slid into the passenger side. He studied Arden as she pulled on her seat belt and started the engine. She wore another pair of stretch pants today, the soft white material hugging her long legs. The top she wore was a rich blue, which deepened the color of her eyes. Her hair was pulled back, the only way he’d seen it. When did she release it to flow around her shoulders?

Snapping on his own seat belt, he faced the front, banishing the thought. Flirting with the hired help was not something he even wanted to contemplate, much less start.

Lunch had been a bad idea. They looked like a family. But not the family he’d thought he’d always have. Lannie was gone. Instead, he was standing in line with a tall, leggy blonde with eyes the color of the blue Atlantic on a sunny day. Her laughter was infectious and even people standing near them smiled when they heard it.

She bent over Hailey, listening intently to the little girl’s request for lunch. He held Avery again, glad for the warmth of her little body. He couldn’t be intrigued by Arden–he refused to be.

The girls ate quickly, more interested in hurrying outside to the play area. As soon as they could, they dashed from the table to the slide and other equipment designed to delight children.

Brendan ate steadily, glancing at his watch. He had plenty of time before he needed to return to the office, but the sooner they were finished, the sooner he could leave and get back to work. He needed something to take his mind away from Arden Glover.

He watched her nibble on a long French fry. He could almost feel her savoring the taste as she dipped it into ketchup again, and took a small bite.

“Are you planning to finish lunch before dinner?” he asked when he realized she ate more slowly than he and his daughters.

She grinned and nodded.

Brendan felt a kick in his gut. She was as pretty as sunshine and the fact that he even noticed concerned him.

“I like enjoying my food, even at a fast-food restaurant. The tastes and textures are to be savored. The flavor relished.”

Sensuous, that was the word that popped into mind when he watched her. She seemed to relish everything in life and every aspect, from the visual to the tactile. In the short time she’d been watching his girls, he’d noticed how often she touched them, brushing back a strand of hair, patting them on a shoulder, or hugging them when they said something she liked.

If he said something she liked, would she hug him?

Brendan stood abruptly and gathered the trash.

“I have to get back to the office.”

“Already? The girls just began to play.”

“I’ll walk back to the bank to get my car. It’s not far. You stay and take them home when they’re finished.”

“Yes, sir.”

That grin was infectious. Just like her laugh.

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