Page 35 of Single Dad's Second Chance

I lost track of time as I danced, but when I noticed Henry looking at me oddly, I instantly realized my mistake. He watched me closely, wearing a strange, confused expression on his face like he was trying to puzzle something out.

Me.I realized with panicky clarity that he had to be thinking back to when I’d danced on stage at Danger. I was moving similarly enough. If he was so hooked on finding me as Gina said he was, constantly offering more money for the “mystery” dancer to come work at his new club opening in Miami, he’d recall exactly how I danced.

Shit. Shit. Shit.I didn’t want him to get too curious. I didn’t want him to ask. I had to keep everything separate.

“Daddy!”

Jason was there, running toward us, and I let loose a deep, long exhale of relief.

Thanks, kiddo.I had been saved by the boy. He’d shown up and darted toward us just in the nick of time.

“Hey!” Henry caught him and twirled him a bit. “Having fun?”

Laura eased up closer, sipping a drink and dancing toward us. “Heck yeah, we are.” She winked at me as she waved. “How about you, Mia? Having a blast?”

“Yes!” I took Jason’s hand, spinning him in a circle and bringing him closer to me. For the next hour or so, we danced, joked, and laughed as a group.

Despite a long yawn as his energy rapidly faded, Jason begged for another round of games.

Laura shook her head. “Look how late it is. We need to get you home and in the bath to get some of that cotton candy out of your hair before bed.”

“Can you come?” Jason asked me.

I tensed, just slightly, at his question. He’d been asking me to come over more and more lately, and I wasn’t sure if I could keep up these smiles and pretend all was well. Each time I came to Jason and Henry’s home, mostly for the sake of watching Jason in a pinch, I fell deeper into the fantasy of wishing I could stay there. That it could beourhome, together, where I could pick out onions in the prepackaged sandwiches or meals for Henry as he preferred. Where I could trail after Jason and collect his shoes that he always lost. And where they could let me settle into that plush chair by the fireplace when I wanted to read on rainy days. It was all too easy to envision us being together like that, and knowing it was nothing more than a dream cut my heart in half.

“Mia and I need to stay and help clean up,” Henry told him.

“Yeah. We need to finish with the picnic things,” I told him.

We had a crew coming in to do that, actually. They’d hired a company to take over the teardown and cleanup, but I imagined we’d need to at least check with the bar booth we’d sicced on Owen and Ann. Since we left them there, other scheduledvolunteers showed up. Oddly enough, I didn’t see Owen or Ann anywhere else for the rest of the night.

Maybe I was having too much fun to notice them. Or maybe Owen really was that good at keeping the determined woman away.

After we told Jason and Laura goodbye, we walked through the picnic grounds to check on everything. Crew members from the rental place were already in command, taking down tents and moving tables and chairs aside.

It seemed like we were in the way as we went through to pitch in with the cleanup wherever we could. In the end, we gave up and walked back toward the parking lot. I’d taken a subway and then walked here, but Henry drove and his car was waiting here.

“I had a lot of fun tonight,” he said as we walked.

The crowd had thinned out as the picnic ended. While we helped tear down and clean up, most had left. It was just me and him out here, alone. And it saddened me when he didn’t try to take my hand.

He shouldn’t. He’s your boss.

“You know…” He glanced at me, smiling. “Laura took Jason home already.”

“Uh-huh…”

“I’m not sure that I’m ready to call it a night.” He paused by his car, facing me with a slightly nervous expression. Like he was waiting with bated breath for what I’d say.

“Me neither.” I’d already told Gina in advance that I wouldn’t be working at Danger tonight. It was early yet, compared to my standards of dancing late several times a week.

He unlocked his car but didn’t get in. In the distance, another band played. It was likely set up at a bar near the park, but the music drifted to us.

“Then let’s keep the fun going.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me close, then let me out in a little spin.

“Sounds like a plan.” We danced once more, just the two of us, mostly alone in this parking lot with music playing live in the background. Despite the sunset and the darkness filling the sky, we had plenty of light to see each other and where to step on this gravel.

We drew closer and closer together, pulled toward the other in this inexplicable bond. Before I could stop long enough to wonder when it had happened, I was in his arms. He hugged me close, and I draped my arms over his shoulders to cling to him too.

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