Page 16 of Temptress

“See? Then even though this is all new and a little scary for you, it’s actually a really good thing you’re here with your dad, because it means your mom got the chance to be there.”

She blinked down at the flowers before turning to look at me. “Yeah. I guess you’re right. My dad said kinda the same thing, but he didn’t word it like you did. Your way makes a lot more sense.”

I winked at her. “What do you say you give him credit for it then and we’ll just keep this our little secret?”

She smiled conspiratorially. “Okay. Yeah. Our little secret,” she whispered like she didn’t want anyone else to hear us. Man, she was cute.

“You know,” I started, hoping my offer would loosen her up a bit more, “If you don’t have anything else going on right now, I could use some help in the garden here.”

Her eyes widened just a bit, excitement flaring in the deep denim blue that I didn’t miss was the exact shade as her father’s. “Really?”

“For sure. No matter what I do, the weeds just keep coming back. It’s a constant battle.” I reached into the gardening tote on the ground beside me and pulled out a second pair of gloves. What do you say? Help a woman out?”

“Sure!” she chirped, snapping the gloves up and eagerly sliding them on. “I’ve always liked flowers and stuff, but we never really had any at our house because my mom kept killing them.” She smiled at the memory, adding, “She said she has a black thumb.”

We laughed together as we started pulling weeds and tilling the soil. “Yeah, I’ve known a few people like that in my lifetime. It’s hard keeping these temperamental things alive. They might be beautiful, but some of them are really needy. If you want, I’d be happy to teach you what I know.”

“Yeah?” she asked brightly.

“Absolutely. And who knows? By the time your mom gets back, you could be so good at gardening, you can plant flowers around your house and keep them alive yourself. Give her something to enjoy looking at without the worry of killing them.”

“She’d really love that,” she said in a quiet voice, the melancholy of missing her mother ringing clear in those four words.

My heart broke for her. I couldn’t imagine how scary all of this change was. I didn’t know what it was like to have a loving, caring mother, but it sounded like Darcy did, and that had to be painful. I wanted to make her feel better, wanted to see that smile as often as I could. “Then it’s settled.”

She grinned happily, only to deflate a moment later. “Oh, but... I start school next week,” she said dejectedly.

“Hey, that’s okay. I’m pretty flexible. We’ll work around your schedule.”

We talked as we worked side by side. She told me about the classes she was excited about and the ones she was dreading. She talked about her old friends and the fun things they used to do.

“I was going to try out for the cheerleading squad with my best friend Kelsey this year, but since I’m not there anymore, she’s trying out with Jeanie,” she announced, her lip curling derisively on the last girl’s name.

“I take it we aren’t fans of Jeanie?”

Darcy sighed heavily, like the weight of the world was resting squarely on her shoulders. Or, in other words, like a teenage girl.

“No, she’s fine. It’s just that... at my old school, I really liked this guy, Ryan. I was so sure he was gonna ask me out, but then I moved here so he asked Jeanie out instead.”

“Oh, honey. I’m sorry. I know it sucks when that happens.” My expression grew sympathetic. “I hate to tell you this, but it’s an unfortunate fact that this won’t be the last time your feelings are going to get hurt over a boy. I know we just met, but my gut tells me you’ll have no problem bouncing back from those.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “You really think?”

“Oh, for sure. You’re going to be just fine. And you know, you could always try out for the cheerleading squad here.”

She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down. “I don’t know,” she said with uncertainty. “The thought of going in there by myself scares the crap out of me.”

I placed my hand over hers, giving her glove a comforting squeeze. “Hey, you can’t let being scared stop you from doing the things you really want to do or you’ll miss out on so many great things. If you really want to be a cheerleader, you should try out.”

“So... you really think I should do it?”

“Absolutely. And when you make it, I’ll be right here to congratulate you.”

Her cheeks took on that pretty pink flush again, and the single thought filtering through my brain was that Silas was seriously screwed when he finally decided to allow her to start dating, because the boys were going to be beating down his door.

A short while later, I heard the sound of a car engine and twisted my head around just as Silas’s big, black SUV turned into the driveway next door.

My breathing accelerated at the sight of it, my heart beating faster, harder, banging against my ribs. I couldn’t pull my eyes away as he shut the car off and climbed out. He rounded the hood, his eyes aimed in my direction.

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