Page 71 of Her Christmas Wish
He’d promised her he’d never walk away again.
Scott’s car was in his spot as Gray pulled in the empty space next to it. The cottage was empty. Friday, early court day. Scott was already out on the beach bringing in November with Morgan’s long walk. Or, he’d finished it and was hanging out four houses down, nursing a beer and enjoying the company.
A private, low-key gathering of friends any night of the week. All dog lovers, too.
Ocean Breeze was most definitely a one-of-a-kind neighborhood.
He couldn’t find anywhere else to live that even came close to it. And hadn’t mentioned buying the cottage at the end of the road, either. Not even to Scott.
He’d inquired about it, though. Knew it was still available. At a way higher price than the building was worth, in its current state. But he’d pay twice as much to be able to come home to it every night.
Gray changed out of his suit and into casual, dark cotton pants and a short-sleeved lighter pullover. He was just reaching for a beer when he heard a knock on the door.
His stomach sank a notch. Harper.
He liked the woman. But he didn’t need adult female companionship at the moment. Even just the friendly version.
He went to the door, though. Doing so was just who he was. You didn’t turn your back on...
It wasn’t Harper looking at him through the glass. Gray had to look a lot lower down to meet the wide-open and very serious and determined big, blue-eyed gaze of his visitor.
Figuring Scott for being within hearing distance, maybe watching Morgan on the side of the cottage, he slid open the door.
“Can I come in?” the child asked.
Sage would not have put her daughter up to the visit.
Would she? She’d clearly been set to show him a thing or two about life, just before her colleague had interrupted them that afternoon.
At least that had been his take on her expression. Her firm stance.
Didn’t matter one way or the other. No way he’d reject a four-year-old.
“Of course,” he said, standing back. Glancing out again to see who was out there listening in. Who’d be coming around the corner to the porch steps any second.
Leigh, in leggings, a long-sleeved purple T-shirt to match and tennis shoes, took one step inside. Peered up at him and asked, “Mr. Buzzing Bee, are you mad at me?” And before Gray could do more than kneel down to her level, she continued. “Sarah got mad at me at school today and she stayed on the other side of the room and wouldn’t come over and play with me and you don’t come play anymore, neither. And I thinked about it on the way home ’cause Mommy was busy in her head.”
“Busy in her head?” He tended to the least minefield-feeling part first.
“Yeah.” The child nodded, looking a little less severely focused. “When she’s got work in there and doesn’t always hear me and I have to say it over and over.”
Gray managed to choke back the chuckle that burst up through him. But couldn’t prevent the smile that split his lips, and he said, “No, Miss-Leigh-who-pays-attention-to-everything. I am not mad at you. And don’t think I ever could be.” He told her something that just seemed clear in that moment. “You are kind, and caring, and you’re very good with dogs,” he told her, words coming up out of him.
“Then why didn’t you come out to play all these days? I saw dolphins and petted a monkey and met a elephant doctor and been waiting to tell you ’bout that last part.”
She’d met an elephant doctor...
“Leigh!”
“Leigh?”
“Leigh!”
Screams, at least two female and a male, all hit him at once, from farther up the beach. Instilling instant remorse. Scott wasn’t around the corner. Sage hadn’t put her up to...
He should have checked.
“Uh-oh.” The little girl’s voice hit him hard, too.
