Page 43 of Due North
Her brow went down in question for a moment. “I thought you had an infusion this afternoon.”
“I do, but it won’t take more than an hour. I still have to eat dinner.”
“But,” she said, pointing behind her. “I have Poppy now.”
I took her hand in mine and lowered it to our sides. “I know you have Poppy. I asked Amity to watch her for a few hours so you can enjoy a nice dinner, and then I’ll bring you right back to her. If you think she’d be okay without you for that long.”
Cece bit her lip in a moan-inducing motion that had my groin tightening. “She would probably be okay for a few hours, but you know I’ll have to be there for bedtime.”
“Better yet. We’ll have dinner after Poppy is asleep, and then you can stay longer without worrying about her.”
“What if she wakes up and I’m not there?”
“Amity would call you immediately, and you could be at the farmhouse in under three minutes from my place.”
“Your place?”
I held up my hand. “I was going to bring dinner back from town. You know I can’t cook,” I said with laughter. “Unless you want pizza, beans, or burgers.”
“I could cook,” she said instantly, and I shook my head.
“You could, but then you aren’t enjoying a nice dinner without work or a child to worry about.”
“So, is this like a date?” she asked, her other brow going down to her nose in concentration.
My shrug was not as nonchalant as I had wanted. “Only if you want it to be. If you don’t want it to be, then it can be two friends having dinner.”
Her silence was enough to tell me that she didn’t know what she wanted either. The war was visible in her eyes, and I leaned in, pressing a kiss to her lips before she could think too hard about it. When I leaned back, she blinked twice.
“Why did you do that?”
“I thought it might help you make the decision.”
She turned and walked away from me, leaving my heart in a vice grip with the knowledge that she didn’t even want to have dinner as friends, much less as a date. I blew out a breath and hung my head. Well, at least I knew the answer to who Caleb North might be with Cecelia Douglas. No one.
I was turning back to the door when I heard the sweetest sound. “Ba!”
I spun back around and grabbed her tiny body as she threw herself at me. Her arms went around my neck, and she snuggled against me, her little hands patting my back. I swung her side-to-side, glad I felt strong enough to hold her while standing up. It wouldn’t last for long, though, so I lowered myself to a chair at the table and let her sit on my lap. “I didn’t know you were here, little Poppy,” I said, playing patty cake with her.
“I heard her when you were kissing me, and I didn’t want her to start crying. She’d been resting in the playpen.”
“I didn’t hear a thing,” I said, smiling at the little girl. “Must be that mom intuition.”
“I’m getting used to it,” she admitted. “As for dinner tonight, I’d love to enjoy a nice meal that I don’t have to cook with someone I enjoy spending time getting to know. Is that good enough for now?”
I glanced up at her and smiled. “That sounds perfect to me.”
Fourteen
“Poppy, please,” I sighed with frustration, wrangling the little girl in my arms who wanted to get down and walk but didn’t have her boots on. “Just another few feet,” I begged, knowing she couldn’t hear me but talking to her anyway. I was sure she could feel the vibrations in my chest when I spoke and sensed my joy or frustration depending on the vibration. Tonight, I was sure my frustration was loud and clear.
The walk to Caleb’s cabin was short, but my worries were long. Was I making the right decision for him? Was I making the right decision for Poppy? I already knew I was making the wrong decision for my heart. I liked Caleb North way more than was good for me, considering we worked together. We won’t even talk about being a single mother. He should be with someone who could devote themselves to him. Case in point, tonight. We were supposed to be having a quiet dinner alone, but it wasn’t going to be quiet or alone. We weren’t even going to have dinner.
I planned to stop in, explain the situation, and then take Poppy home to bed. I could have called, but I knew he went to the trouble of getting dinner, and I wanted him to see that I wasn’t lying about Poppy being difficult. She flopped sideways over my arm, and I grabbed her at the last minute, laughing when I wanted to cry. The door to the cabin opened on her squeal as Caleb stuck his head out.
“Cece? What’s going on?” he called into the darkness as I struggled toward him with a floppy three-year-old in tow.
I flipped Poppy back up and turned enough that she could see Caleb standing in the door, backlit like an angel on this Friday night. Dammit, he was perfect. His kisses, touch, and depth of understanding all made me want him, but it wasn’t fair to him. Nothing that happened to him was fair. In good conscience, I couldn’t add more unfairness to his life. Poppy was my responsibility, not his.
