Page 29 of The Summer House

Mandy bit her tongue. She wanted to say something about lessons and Eva learning, but she didn’t. She didn’t want to get the girl’s hopes up.

Around them other families ate and talked together. She caught the occasional stare aimed their way. One little boy of four or five had loudly asked what was wrong with Eva. Before Mandy could do anything, Rick had stepped between Eva and the family, pointing out a display of brightly colored fish.

Down syndrome children were often the object of stares. Mandy understood why, but that didn’t make her like it. Still, far from being upset or uncomfortable, Rick had simply gone with the flow. She appreciated that. She turned her attention back to the conversation at hand.

“Daddies have the babies?” Eva asked, sounding doubtful.

Rick read from the brochure he’d picked up by one of the displays. “Apparently that’s common with all sea horses. Here at the aquarium there have been successful transfers of eggs—”

He broke off and saw Eva’s blank expression. He laughed and touched the tip of her nose. “Sorry. Yes. Daddies have the babies.” He scanned the paper. “They carry the eggs on the underside of their tails.” He looked at Mandy and winked. “Sounds a bit fishy to me.”

She chuckled. “I don’t know. I think most women like the idea of the male of the species being more involved with the birth process.” She turned to Eva. “Mommies like daddies to help.”

Eva nodded. “Daisy tells Frank to get off his butt sometimes. He kisses her when he thinks we’re not looking.”

“Good for him,” Rick said. “Ready for the sea lions and seals again?” he asked.

“Yes, yes!”

Eva jumped to her feet. Her milk went flying. Rick caught the container easily and dumped it into a trash can without saying a word.

Mandy followed them. They’d already spent time watching the aquatic mammals in their exhibit, but Eva wanted to see them again. Rick didn’t seem to mind the repeat viewing. He even held Eva high in his arms to give her a bird’s-eye view.

This was how it would be if she found someone, Mandy thought, feeling both happy and unsettled. This was what she wanted for Eva and for herself. A family. But if that wasn’t possible…

She didn’t have an answer for that. Not yet. She loved Eva, but the responsibility terrified her. What if she didn’t do it right? What if she messed up Eva forever? Having someone else around would give her support, a sounding board and another opinion of how things were going. Plus Eva deserved all the love she could get.

As in many other aspects of life, there weren’t any easy answers.

They finished their outing with a stop at the gift shop. Rick insisted on buying them each a stuffed animal. He also bought Eva a brightly colored book about the various creatures at the aquarium, then adopted a weedy sea dragon in her name.

“Why are you being so nice?” she asked as they walked back to the car.

“I’m not. I’m having a good time. Aren’t you?”

She nodded.

Eva stumbled over a crack in the pavement. Mandy reached for her, but Rick got there first. He caught the child up in his arms and carried her toward the car.

“No skinned knees today,” he said lightly as they went. “I remember them and boy do they hurt bad.”

“You could kiss it, make it better.”

“Yes, I could. But maybe it would be nice if you didn’t get a skinned knee at all.”

“Okay,” Eva said. She glanced over his shoulder and beamed at Mandy. “I had fun today.”

“Me, too.”

It had been a revelation. All week she’d been fighting against her physical attraction to Rick. The more time they spent together, the more she found to like about him. But something else had happened today. Something far more dangerous than simply sexual attraction.

Today she’d seen a side of him that she didn’t know existed. He’d been patient, kind and completely accepting. What made the combination even more devastating was that she knew he’d done it without conscious thought. He’d simply been himself. In his mind, they’d taken Eva out for the day, so the best of all possible scenarios was that everyone have a good time. It had been as simple as that.

Only it wasn’t simple for her. Not when her insides felt exposed and raw. He could seduce her body with just a look, but it took a lot more to seduce her heart. Somehow he’d made both happen today, which meant she was in more trouble than she’d first thought.

Chapter Seven

The beachfront restaurant had a small dance floor that extended out over the sand. A three-piece combo offered quiet accompaniment to the dinner conversation, while a few brave couples took a turn around the floor.

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