Page 31 of Summer with a Single Dad

“Maybe he’s scared too. Think of everything he has had to deal with. Losing a wife. Raising a kid on his own. Being a single dad. That’s not easy. And now he has you. I’m sure he’s just as afraid of things going wrong as you are.”

“They invited me to family dinner tonight,” I told her.

“Yet here you are, hiding at my house.” She shook her head.

“Well, I missed you.”

“If you think for a second that I’m going to buy that line of horse poo, you’re sorely mistaken.”

“Fine! I’m hiding,” I admitted.

She smirked.

“But I really did miss you,” I added.

“Of course you did,” she said with a grin. “I’m amazing.”

“Yes.” I nodded emphatically. “Yes, you are.”

“Do you want to knowhowamazing I am?” The gleam in her eyes said she was up to something.

“Not really, no,” I joked, wiping my mouth.

“You’re going to take that chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream over there and have dessert with them.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Sure you can. Text him right now and ask.” She folded her arms and waited until I picked up my phone. “Go on, then.”

When Chris replied immediately, asking when I’d be over, Cassie shooed me out of her house.

“You owe me a cake!” she yelled as I rushed to my car.

“And ice cream!” I yelled back, waving goodbye.

I hated leaving her, but her smile let me know there were no hard feelings about me leaving.

Chapter Fourteen

Chris

“Now that we’re done, what do you want to do?” I asked Hudson, throwing the last of Luke’s dog shit into the trashcan.

I left work an hour early today because my parents and Savannah headed back home. It was the end of the week, and I doubted anyone at work even missed me. While I got along with every employee at the branch, no one misses the boss when they leave.

Everyone cried when we said our goodbyes. The empty feeling of being without my family hit harder than when I left to come to Love Beach. While I wished I could have stayed and continued working, being home for Hudson meant more to me than money. Hudson and I were lumps on a log. It took an hour to get Hudson into a happier spirit. Playing with Luke in the backyard took both our minds off of missing my parents and Sav.

“Can we go to the park?” he asked, one hand resting on Luke’s head.

“The park?” I asked.

“For Emily and the dogs.”

As if in complete understanding, Luke cocked his head. Two pairs of big, brown eyes looked at me. “She’s not at the park right now, buddy. But we can go to the class tomorrow if you want.”

“Okay!” He moved his hand over Luke’s head the same way I used to rub his back when he was fussy.

“Do you think Luke likes it here?” I asked.

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