Page 106 of The Manny

“Wait!” She grabbed the hem of my shirt. “I wanna hug before you go.”

I smiled and crouched down, wrapping my arms around her. “Did I forget to say goodbye properly?”

“Yes.”

“Sorry, Mia. I was distracted. I’ll see you in just a bit, okay?”

“K.” She sighed and her little hands clung to my shirt. “Don’t get hurt.”

“Of course not. I’ll be very careful.” I hated that she was always anxious whenever anyone left her behind. For obvious reasons, she’d been traumatized by her mother’s untimely death. I hoped eventually she’d stop thinking leaving the house meant never returning.

“Promise you’ll be extra, extra careful?” she asked softly.

“Absolutely.” I held her worried gaze. “How about I buy some ice cream for dessert? Would you like that?”

“Ice cream?” She let go of me, looking excited.

“Yep. Which flavor should I get?”

She wrinkled her brow. “Can I have strawberry?”

“So long as they have it, absolutely.” I ruffled her hair.

“Yay.” She seemed a little calmer. “I like strawberry-flavored things.”

“Me too.” I stood.

Jack watched our interaction with a funny expression. “What about me?”

“What about you?” I frowned.

“Don’t you care what flavor I want?”

I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. “Uh… sure.” I laughed, rubbing the back of my neck. “What flavor do you want, Jack?”

“Mint chip.”

“Then I’ll get some of that too.”

He nodded approvingly. “But get the green kind. I don’t like mint chip that has white ice cream.”

He looked so serious, I couldn’t help but laugh. “You take your mint ice cream very seriously.”

“I take everything seriously.”

Ain’t that the truth?

I opened the door. “I should be back in about an hour.”

Mia waved, looking forlorn, but Jack didn’t even glance up. One minute he was being nosey about my private life, or wanting my attention, and the next ignoring me. No wonder I felt confused where he was concerned.

He probably had no idea he was sending me mixed signals, but I felt that he was. It was a bit of a strain, if I was honest. I was continuously trying to read between the lines. That needed to stop. Jack wasn’t timid. If he’d wanted to be with me, he’d make that happen. That was reality, and I needed to remember that.

Chapter Nineteen

Jack

When I walked into the La Cabana Mexican Restaurant, Scott stood up and waved me over to a red vinyl booth in the corner. His cheeks were flushed and his pupils dilated, cluing me in to the fact that he was already several margaritas ahead of me.

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