Page 22 of Sweet Thing

“No, I live in a shack under the bridge.”

I chuckled because that did sound stupid. “I meant, versus a condo. Just thinking about your square footage.”

He raised an eyebrow. “My square footage?”

My cheeks heated. I couldn’t win here.

I caught his reflection in the mirror. That was exactly how he interpreted it, and look at us, joking around. Ah, progress.

“My square footage is more than adequate.”

I rolled my eyes, which earned me another Lars laugh, warm as whiskey and twice as potent.

“How come you’re doing this, Adeline? Did you fall for my hard luck story back there?”

“Maybe I’m curious to see where you live. And if you can turn your bachelor pad into a suitable home for a kid.”

He sighed. “This is madness, isn’t it?”

“A little. But guys find out they’ve knocked someone up all the time. Witness the Great Love Story, Trademark, of Theo and Elle Kershaw.”

“The Great Love Story, Trademark?”

“Just a family joke. Like this epic love they have is so unique it has to be trademarked.” I paused a second, so my curiosity didn’t come off as too rabid. “What happened with you and Mabel’s mom?”

“Boy meets girl, girl neglects to mention she’s married, boy and girl have a whale of a time, boy’s left thinking he’s in the clear but then his world implodes over a year later. Definitely not a great love story, trademark or otherwise.”

“And her solution is to drop the baby off at the Empty Net after a game?” I gave a low whistle. “That’s one way of handling it.”

“She’s not in a good place. The mom, that is. I have people looking for her. Given her marital situation and the desperate measures, I’d like some assurance that she’s safe.”

I would never have thought of that. This woman had lied her ass off, landed him in hot water, and upended his life, yet he was concerned for her well-being. Point to Nyquist.

“You don’t think she’s going to do something stupid, do you?”

“No, nothing like that. If anything I got the impression that she was doing this to save her marriage. But if this guy told her it was the baby or him, then that makes me concerned for her safety. He might be violent or abusive. Also, I’d like to talk to her. Tell her that we can figure out a plan. I have resources.”

“That’s probably why she dropped her off—because you are the ultimate resource. Financially, anyway.” That came out harsher than intended.

“True, I can throw money at the situation but I’m not sure I can do much else.”

I didn’t have a chance to respond because we’d turned into the driveway of a townhouse. It was faux Tudor style, and I could tell the square footage would be just fine.

As for the man beside me, I wasn’t so sure about that.

This was a huge change for him. Luckily Mabel seemed like a good-natured kid, but still, she was barely seven months old. She needed twenty-four-seven care.

Not your problem, Adeline. You’re here to get him set up and go on your way.

Leaving Lars to figure out unstrapping the car seat, I gathered as many supplies as I could and started stacking them at the door. By the time I was beginning the third trip from the car, Lars had freed Mabel and was carrying her up the steps.

“Leave the rest of the stuff. You’re not a porter.”

“You’re going to have your hands full for a while, so I’d take all the help I could get if I were you.”

He shook his head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like an ingrate. Thanks for being here.”

He sounded so sincere, and my heart fluttered a little.Enough of that, silly girl.

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