Page 2 of Corrupt Obsession

He swallowed hard as his eyes stung with tears.

“We need to let people in.” She tipped her head to the side. “I think Isaac’s a good man and if you give him a chance, I think you’ll see that for yourself. Isaac and I enjoy each other, and we want to see how you and Violet get along. If it doesn’t work…” She shrugged. “Then it isn’t meant to be. But Violet may surprise you. From the stories Isaac’s told me, his daughter isn’t like the girls you’re used to.”

He frowned. “What does that mean?”

“You’ll have to see for yourself.” Mom scanned the park and then lit up. “There they are.”

He followed her gaze and saw a tall, burly man kicking a soccer ball across the grass to a girl who looked tiny from this distance.

“Ready?” Mom asked.

“Sure,” he said with a shrug, and pushed open his door.

He put his hands in his pockets as they approached the pair. The girl darted forward with a speed that made him blink. Hewas impressed with her control of the ball, but Isaac was no slouch and blocked her attempt to score a goal. Isaac was nimble for such a large man. When he darted toward Violet’s abandoned goal, she let out a banshee scream before she launched herself at her father’s legs in an illegal tackle attempt. Isaac’s laughter rang out as his daughter fought like her life depended on it.

“Oh, my,” Mom murmured, clearly taken aback by what they were witnessing.

Isaac grabbed his daughter who had both arms wrapped around his right leg to prevent him from kicking and tucked her under his arm as he scored. Violet’s angry bellow made several people who had been watching their antics chuckle.

“Youcheated!” Violet shouted.

“So did you.”

“I’m allowed because you’re ten times bigger than me!”

Isaac was about to reply when he spotted them. He strode over, casually toting his daughter under one arm like she weighed no more than a toddler.

“Lynne,” Isaac acknowledged with a smile before he extended his hand. “And you must be Jesse.”

He nodded and shook Isaac’s massive leathery hand.

“Dad!”

Violet’s impatient tone made Isaac grin before he set his daughter on her feet. She flung back a mane of tangled black hair. Her eyes were a striking hazel that sparkled with enthusiasm. She had pale skin, rosy cheeks, and her lips were a deep red he would have suspected was lipstick if she wasn’t dressed like a boy in long khaki shorts and a striped, green shirt that was two sizes too big. The girls he knew wouldn’t be caught dead in such an outfit, but Violet didn’t seem to care about her appearance. He hadn’t decided what to make of her when she smiled at him. His lips curved in response, his bad mood and the reason they were here in the first place, forgotten.

Violet switched her attention to his mom. “You’re Lynne?”

“It’s great to finally meet you.”

Violet didn’t shake hands. Instead, she gave Mom an exuberant hug and exclaimed, “I’ve never met one of Dad’s girlfriends before!”

Jesse blanched at that label. He knew Mom dated, but he’d never thought about the men she dated as her boyfriend. He resisted the urge to stick out his tongue and looked at Isaac, who was staring up at the sky with an embarrassed expression that made Jesse feel better.

“Is that so?” Mom said, clearly pleased with this information. “He didn’t tell me that I’m the first woman he’s introduced you to.”

Isaac removed his hat to run his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t think there was any need to mention…”

“I’ve been trying to set him up with these women from churchforever,” Violet interjected. “But he’s so…”

“That’s enough.” Isaac clapped a hand over his daughter’s mouth and asked, “Are you two hungry? There’s a food truck nearby.”

“That sounds great.” Mom nudged Jesse to get his attention. “Son? Would you like something to eat?”

“Sure.”

He was disconcerted when Violet broke away from her father and grasped Mom’s hand as if they’d known each other for years instead of two minutes.

“Dad says you’re a teacher,” Violet said.

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