Read Online Capturing the Single Dad’s Heart by Kate Hardy - Free Book Online

are. Or we could go to Abbey Road and do THAT pose on the crossing.
    All things he’d love to do. Georgina had only really liked posh restaurants and parties where he’d been just a tiny bit bored. And she definitely hadn’t had the patience to deal with a troubled teen.
    But Erin was his friend, he reminded himself. Even though he’d like her to be more than that, it wasn’t going to happen. He needed to sort his life out, first, and he really didn’t have the right to ask her to wait for him.
    I’ll check with her, he texted back. Maybe we could go and see a movie. Or a show.
    Or Madame Tussauds™, she suggested. Depending on what sort of music and movies she likes. She could take great selfies with the waxworks to send to her friends at home.
    Clearly she realised her gaffe as soon as she’d sent the text, because a second one swiftly followed.
    I didn’t mean it like *that*. I meant to her friends. Her home’s with you.
    I knew what you meant, he texted back.
    The problem was, what she’d written was true. Caitlin didn’t think of London as her home. And he didn’t know if she ever would. Talk to you later. And thanks.

CHAPTER FOUR
    A FTER   SEVERAL   MORE   false starts, Nate and Erin decided to take Caitlin trampolining on Saturday morning. ‘Even if she’s not in a good mood to start with,’ Erin said, ‘bouncing about will get her endorphins going. And it’s not just jumping on a trampoline. There’s an obstacle course and an airbag, and you can play dodgeball—so she can enjoy chucking a ball at you. In fact, she can have a competition with me about who can score the most hits on you.’
    â€˜You’re a big kid at heart, aren’t you?’ Nate accused with a grin.
    â€˜Oh, yeah.’ She grinned back at him. ‘And if the trampoline place is as good as I think it’s going to be, I’m so organising a departmental night out there.’
    â€˜Sounds good. We’ll meet you at the Tube™ station tomorrow at ten,’ he said. ‘What do you have to wear?’
    â€˜Anything you can bounce in, so jeans would be a good bet,’ she said. ‘No jewellery, and you have to wear special jumping socks for safety reasons.’
    He grimaced. ‘That might be a sticking point.’
    â€˜Nope. No socks, no chucking a dodgeball at you. That’s the rules,’ she said with a wink. ‘Trust me on this. She’ll do it.’
    But when Saturday dawned bright and sunny, Erin was filled with doubts.
    Was she doing the right thing?
    OK, so this wasn’t a date date. This was helping out a friend.
    But would it help Nate to bond with his daughter, or would she be making things worse?
    There was only one way to find out. And please, please, let this work out, she begged silently.
    She changed into jeans, a neutral T-shirt and flat shoes, tied her hair back in its usual ponytail, and decided not to bother with make-up. By the time they’d bounced round on the trampolines for an hour, she’d be red-faced and glowing; besides, this wasn’t the same as if she was dressing to impress a boyfriend. She didn’t need to impress Nate. She knew he wasn’t interested in a relationship. Even if he was, she was the last person he needed in his life.
    Nate and Caitlin were already waiting at the Tube™ station when Erin arrived. It was the first time she’d seen him dressed casually—at the hospital he was always in a suit or scrubs—and her heart skipped a beat. Right now he looked younger. More approachable. Touchable.
    Oh, for pity’s sake. How inappropriate was that? Today was friends only, not a date, she reminded herself sharply.
    Like her father, Caitlin was tall and had dark hair, but her eyes were deep brown rather than blue and she had a slightly olive complexion, which Erin guessed she’d inherited from her mother.
    â€˜Caitlin, this is my