Page 36 of Captivating Mr. Second Chance

“Well, how big do you want it?”

“Uh.” He threw some Italian dressing on the lettuce and mixed it up with tongs. “As big as it can be, I suppose. The more people, the more money, right?”

She bent over, methodically tapping her fingernails on the counter, talking to herself. “Let’s see, it’s the end of February now. Six weeks would take us to mid-April.” She stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth, looking at dates on her calendar app. “I’m thinking beginning of May would be good since Passover and Easter are in April, and those who celebrate may not be available. We want to hold the event at a time when as many people as possible could come.” She typed something in her phone then lifted her face to him. “Remember when you were Jesus in living Stations?”

Ethan shook his head at the memory of acting out the Stations of the Cross, a weekly prayer that Catholics did on Fridays during Lent that commemorated Jesus’s death. “Kinda hard to forget.”

She snorted, lightly slapping the countertop. “That red paint.”

“Don’t remind me.” He grabbed some plates, thinking of how that red paint took days to wash out of his hair and from under his fingernails. They had really gone all out to make the passion of the Christ look believable.

“Catholic school is crazy, man,” she mumbled, and he dragged his hand down her back to get her attention.

“Dinner’s ready.” His Catholic education was crazy, with all its arbitrary rules and awful priests as administrators and teachers, sometimes cruel or creepy, but he’d met his best friends there. He’d met Laney. So he couldn’t discount it as a whole.

Ethan paused the movie and ushered Trace into the kitchen so the three could sit at the small table to eat. Trace chowed down on the lasagna, happy to play with the red sauce as he regaled Laney with the gossip from preschool. Apparently, Emery did not like Preston, and Charlie forgot his show-and-tell yesterday so he cried.

“What did you bring for show-and-tell?” Laney asked, smiling so warmly at Trace that Ethan had trouble eating. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

“A saber-toof tiger.” Trace pawed at the air in her direction. “It is a prehistoric animal!”

“What’s your favorite animal?”

Trace tilted his head to the side. “Favorite?”

“Yeah, the one you love the most.”

“Oh.” He moved to his knees. “Um. Ah. Ah.” He tapped his finger on his chin, ever the showman. “Woolly mammof!”

“Woolly mammoth? You have one of those?”

“Yeah, at home. Uncle Efan doesn’t have one.”

Ethan smiled. “I’ll work on it for next time you stay over, buddy.”

“Okay. Is it sprinkle party time?” He folded his hands in front of him. “Pleeeeease.”

“Are you finished eating?” Trace had made a pretty good dent in his lasagna and licked a piece of lettuce, at least.

“Yeah! Time for sprinkle party!”

“Okay, let me clean this stuff up first.”

After Ethan got the leftovers put away, he pulled out the tub of chocolate and vanilla ice cream from the freezer. He dished some out for his nephew and looked to Laney, who was helping to make sure Trace didn’t spill any of the rainbow sprinkles. “None for me. Dairy doesn’t always agree with me.”

“I saw a video somewhere saying that if a girl has GI problems, you gotta wife her up.”

Laney flattened her growing smile. “I don’t know if you’d like my GI problems.”

Trace pumped his spoon in the air. “G.I. Joe! G.I. Joe! Oooh! Laney, look.” He held up a blue sprinkle. “Blue like your eyes. Here, you have it.”

“Thanks, Trace. You’re very sweet.”

Trace nodded, and that little bugger was scoring more points with her tonight than Ethan was. “Now, time to dance!” He jumped down from the chair and grabbed Laney’s hand. “Play da music, Uncle Efan!”

Ethan picked a random song from the music on his phone, “Fred Astaire” by Jukebox the Ghost, apropos, and Trace twisted under Laney’s arm, swinging his spoon in the air. Ethan pumped his fist, not a great dancer but loving the show Laney and Trace put on, bopping around together. When she grinned over at Ethan, he reached for her hand, tugging her close as Trace jigged off on his own.

She tossed her head back, laughing as Ethan twirled her in a circle before dipping her backward. Despite his nephew being only a foot away, he bent to place a quick kiss on her throat then stood her back upright. Out of breath and eyes alight, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, ever would see.

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