Page 25 of Silver Fox Single Dad

“But the fact that he came into the office means he wants to see his dad now. Like, what if things progress?” I snapped my mouth shut after that, thinking I must be going insane.

I never wanted things to progress with anyone. Ever. Why was I thinking about it with Brad?

It was just because he was so good. So,sogood. Scary good.

CHAPTER11

BRAD

“Daddy,can I go see Cassie now?” Camilla asked the next afternoon when she’d just come out of the bathroom at the lab.

“Yes, honey, I’ll take you to the door. She’s expecting you.”

At least I hoped she remembered. Or maybe the incident from yesterday whipped it from her brain. I was having trouble concentrating on anything, and I also had my son’s return to contend with. Camilla and I walked down the hall, hand in hand, and I dropped her off at the door.

When I opened it for her, I glanced in briefly, caught eyes with Cassie, and she looked away to smile at Camilla.

“Ready, Camilla? Got some good stuff for you today!”

Camilla went rushing in, and I shut the door, hurrying back to my office. Okay, so I might have wanted to not do the whole tail between my legs thing, but I was totally giving off that vibe today.

Damn it.

I spent another hour working, and then I went to collect Camilla. She looked just as excited when she came out as she had the first time.

“Daddy, Cassie showed me how to use the dropper! And how to place things on the slides! She even showed me where the eyewash sink is, in case you get something in your eye.”

“That’s great, honey.” I couldn’t help but smile at my daughter’s enjoyment. “You wore your safety glasses though, right?”

“Yes, don’t worry. Tony did too.”

“Oh, did he learn all the same stuff?” I asked.

Nodding, Camilla said, “Yeah, he did, but I was better.” She clutched Tony to her side as we walked back to the office, and I called Andrea to come pick her up.

“Camilla,” I asked, knowing that I was doing something wrong, but I couldn’t help it. “Tell me, did Cassie seem okay to you?”

“Okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, like, was she tired or sad? I think she left sick yesterday, so I wanted to check.” I still felt bad about that, but I couldn’t fault her.

“Yeah, she seemed okay. But she likes me, remember?” Camilla poked me in the shoulder as we sat on the couch in my office and laughed.

“Right. Good.”

Half an hour later, Andrea came for Camilla, and as she kissed me goodbye, she said, “Be nice, Daddy. Because you’re nice.”

I gave her another squeeze, and then she was gone, and I sat on my own for a bit, thinking about my young daughter’s words. Again, I was shocked at her precocious wisdom, and her genuine love for me that I always felt I didn’t deserve.

I hadn’t told her about Jason yet, and I was worried. How could I explain to her all that had gone on between him and me in the past? How could I tell her why he had not been there acting as her brother all this time? I didn’t want to think about that.

Checking the clock, I saw that it was five o’clock, and so I left my office, wandering around the lab as I used to do before the Cassie kiss. I liked to make sure that the scientists left things clean and proper, and I also liked to see when and if certain researchers stayed late. As I passed Cassie’s lab, I peeked through the window and saw her still there, sitting on her own.

My heart pounding in my chest, I pulled back. It was no surprise that she was staying late. From all I had observed of her in the last few weeks, she was a hard worker, and she cared about what she was doing. It was not so much about time; it was more about getting the results she wanted.

Back in my office, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to stay there and wait for her to get out. I was an adult. I didn’t want to shy away from her, especially not after what happened. And there was more. I wanted it to continue. After touching her in my office on the desk, I was hungry for more. With Cassie, it felt easy, like something deep inside me was finally opening up.

I didn’t know what it was, but I knew I wanted more of it. Propping my door open, I sat back at my desk and finished my work for the day when I heard the footsteps. Confident, determined, the footsteps of the woman I was growing to both respect and crave at the same time. She was one of those people that drew you in quickly and didn’t let go of you.

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