Page 58 of Single Dad Dilemma
She grinned. “You’re not too busy? I, um, I saw you come and go a lot the last few days.”
Robin gave me a soft smile.
“I was playing tourist,” I told her. “I was feeling a bit cooped up in the house, so I decided to see a few of the sights.”
“We’ve seen a bunch of cool stuff. Mostly in the summer, though. Dad’s not at work quite as long during the spring and summer, so we actually see him more then.” She smiled. “Do you want to come after lunch? You can tell me about everything you saw while we’re baking.”
Robin gave her granddaughter a look. “Your dad—”
“Won’t care if Lily is coming over,” Maggie finished. She turned and gave her grandma a guileless look. “He invited her over on Christmas Eve, didn’t he? Tomorrow’s just a random weekday. Why would it bother him?”
I pushed my tongue against the inside of my cheek and decided now wasn’t the appropriate time to list the multitude of reasons why he wouldn’t want me there.
Robin stared at Maggie for another second and then sighed. “I suppose you’re right. He’ll be just fine with it.”
I smiled. “Great. After lunch, then?”
Maggie nodded. “What kind of cookies do you want to make?”
“How about I surprise you?”
Her face lit up. “Okay.”
“I’ll go to the store in the morning and get everything we need. Do you want to learn baking more or how to decorate?”
“Mmm, how about baking right now? Maybe we could do decorating next time?”
Next time.I had a feeling this girl would keep me busy until the day I was scheduled to leave.
Robin must have seen something in my face. “We can talk about that tomorrow, Maggie Moo.”
A big black truck came down the street, slowing as it reached their house. My stomach flipped around when the window opened and Barrett’s face appeared. His eyes weren’t even on me, and just the sight of him felt like someone laid a big, warm hand on my throat and squeezed. Just a little.
A good kind of throat squeeze. The kind that came with kisses and naked bodies and multiple orgasms. I slicked my tongue over my teeth and prayed to every deity in existence that my face wasn’t flaming red.
“Where’s your coat, Maggie?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes. “That’s what Lily said too.”
I didn’t look up at first, studiously fixated on the tuft of hair on the top of Larry’s head. He really needed a good brushing or something. Finally, I raised my eyes, and he was watching me, face expressionless.
Maybe mine was too.
Yes, avoidance was best. Avoidance was great. Who needed to act like things were different? Just because he’d done the arm thing and I’d tried to goad him into kissing me, and then I’d told him about one of my tattoos. There was no need to pretend like any of that existed.
It didn’t feel like my face was expressionless, though. My cheeks were warm—tellingly warm, a spotlight on all my biggest vulnerabilities. What did he see now, when he looked at me? Did I give too much away?
There was the slightest flicker in his eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly. Barrett pulled his gaze from mine, and I felt a tear in my chest when he did.
“I got pizza for dinner,” Barrett said. “If you don’t want it to be cold, you better come inside.”
Maggie turned to me. “Do you want some pizza?”
“Maggie, we should—” Barrett said.
“Oh, I don’t—” I said at the same time.
My eyes locked on his again. What was he going to say?
