Page 41 of Accidentally Sliding Into A Second Chance

“Makes them. Emmy has been his new taste tester,” Scarlett continues as if her dad hasn’t said a thing. “He says she’s not very good, though, because she eats everything.”

I hear the front door close and I look at the porch to find Duncan scrubbing his face, and Ava Norris with her arms around his waist shoulders shaking.

“Dunky, huh?” I ask, as Ava laughs out loud and Duncan scowls, his cheeks flushed. My lips curl up. Same old Duncan—prickly on the outside, soft on the inside.

“Oops,” Scarlett covers her mouth, but her eyes shine without a hint of remorse. “I’m not supposed to say that in public.”

Pressing my lips together, I turn my gaze toward David. His expression is stern, but the twinkle in his eyes belies how he really feels about his daughter’s antics.

It’s taking everything within me not to laugh at her. How does he do it?

Ava, on the other hand, isn’t hiding her amusement. She whispers something to Duncan, and he grunts before kissing her and heading back into the house.

“Scarlett, why don’t you head in and help Uncle Duncan get everything set up?” Scarlett opens her mouth, but Ava doesn’t lether say anything. “It’s the least you can do after embarrassing him in front of our guest.”

Scarlett’s face falls, and Ava gently runs a hand down her hair before dropping a kiss on the top of her head. “Take your mini-me with you and feed her dinner.”

Emmy’s ears perk up at the ‘D’ word, and Scarlett’s face lights up. She grabs the leash from David and whispers something in Emmy’s ear, making her tail wag slowly.

I watch the two of them take the stairs at the same time and chuckle at the similarities between them. I glance over at David to find his gaze on me, chills dance down my spine.

“Cat!” Ava’s voice rips my gaze from David and pulls it toward her. My pulse leaps, and excitement fills me. I barely notice the apple crisp being taken from my hand or David’s light snicker, as Ava gets closer. “I’ve heard a lot about you, but what I really want to know is how long you’ve really known David.” Her eyes sparkle with curiosity. “I can’t wait to get a chance to talk one-on-one.”

“I loved you in all your movies, butKiss Me Maybe?was my favorite!” I say, breathlessly, then my cheeks burn. “I’m sorry. I’m just such a huge fan.”

David’s hand hovers over my lower back. The heat radiating from him fills me. “She’s used to it,” he whispers near my ear, making my heart skip a beat.

“Meeting fans never gets old.” She smiles brightly and gently taps David’s arm. He pretends to flinch like she punched him. Then she pulls me in for a hug and softly says, “But I think in this instance I’m more excited to meet you.”

Shock ripples through me, and I laugh nervously, glancing at David. I silently ask if they know anything, and he shakes his head.

“My niece has been talking non-stop about how amazing you are since meeting you the day they brought Emmy home,” Avasays, still holding onto my arms. Her smile is brilliant. She’s even prettier in person.

The tension in my shoulder eases. “Aww, I love that. But honestly, I didn’t do much.”

“According to Scarlett, you saved the world.” Ava chuckles. She looks over at David, and I swear a silent message passes between them. “I’ll take this inside, and the two of you can talk for a minute. Alone.”

“Thanks, A,” David says, handing her the apple crisp.

My mouth gapes as I watch her walk back into the house. The weight of David’s gaze is heavy on my face, and I turn to see his mouth twitching.

“You could’ve warned me,” I hiss, only to have him grin at me, snickering.

“And miss that entire scene?” He steps closer, his woodsy scent spanning the space between us, making my pulse race. “Not on your life!”

Heat creeps up my body, and I shake my head, pulling on my bottom lip. “You’re awful.” I giggle.

A door closes, and I look up to find us alone on the front lawn. “What do they know?” I nod toward the house.

“Just that I invited you over so Scarlett would stop hounding me.” He shoves his hands in his front jean pockets and shrugs. “I’m surprised they didn’t bring upTea Timeyet, honestly. I know they’re curious.”

I suck in a deep breath and slowly blow it out.

“Do you want me to take the lead?” Glancing up to meet David’s gaze, my stomach flutters. It’s the first time in a long time I’ve had someone willing to take care of me. I chew on my inside lip, and David lifts his hand to my upper arm. “We’ll just start with the truth and go from there. Okay?”

Pushing out a sigh, I nod and place my hand over his.

“I’m giving you fair warning though, all of them will be asking lots of questions. Especially my daughter.”

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