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Authors: Christy Hayes
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you.”
***
“I thought you said practice ends at five,” Craig goaded
Leah as she put her lacrosse bag into the back of the truck and leaned inside
to give Blackjack a pat on the head.
“It does. I was talking.”
“So I saw.” He’d arrived early so he didn’t have to listen
to another lecture on how she needed a phone. He couldn’t believe how many
conversations they had that led back to her needing a phone. “I didn’t know you
had boys on your team.”
“What?”
“I saw you talking to a boy carrying a lacrosse stick. I
assumed he was on your team.”
“Funny, Uncle Craig. That was Brody. He’s Cassidy Mizer’s
brother. He plays on the eighth grade team.”
“An older man?”
“An older brother.” She rolled her eyes. “So how was your
day?”
Craig thought back. He’d had a good day. Davis had gotten
Stacy to sign off on his kitchen design and he’d met with his cabinet guy to
work up a quote. He’d sheetrocked the newly created great room after the
electrician had rerouted the wiring. “All in all, not bad. I got a good bit done.”
“Me too. I got an A on my math test.”
“Did you?”
“Yep. That ought to make Dad happy when he calls tonight.”
“You’d think,” Craig said. He was sick of Mark calling,
harassing him about putting himself out there, going out with women. His
brother didn’t know when enough was enough. Didn’t he have better things to
think about on his honeymoon?
“So what’s for dinner?” Leah asked.
“Some chicken casserole your dad made.”
“Are you asking Allie to stay?” Before Craig could answer,
she said, “I really want her to stay.”
He’d thought about it. Wasn’t that why he’d pulled the damn
casserole out of the freezer? It was a lot harder to invite a woman to join you
and your niece for left over pizza. “I’ll ask, but don’t be surprised if she
says no.”
“She hardly ever said no to dad.”
“Your dad’s a lot nicer than me.”
“To her he sure is.” Leah looked out the window and tried to
put her feet on the dash when Craig tapped her leg and shook his head no. She
sat up straight and slapped her hands on her knees. “Why don’t you like Ms.
Allie? She’s so nice.”
“I never said I didn’t like her.”
“You didn’t have to say it.”
Craig blew out a breath. Weren’t twelve-year-old girls
supposed to think about boys and their friends and…phones? “I like her fine.
She’s…” Too damn pretty. And he’d spent too much time feeling bad about the way
he’d treated her last week. “Fine.”
“Good, because I want her to stay for dinner.”
Craig turned the radio down and cleared his throat. “Is this
about what happened last week? I mean, have you felt okay since…since it
happened?”
“Yes,” she said quickly. “No. I mean yes, I feel okay and,
no, that’s not why I want her to stay. I like her. Besides, if I’m going to
have a woman living in the house starting next week, I could use some practice
of having one around.”
“Practice? You think of Allie as stepmom material?”
“I think she’s a woman and if she’d married my dad, she
could have been my stepmom.”
Why did the thought of Mark and Allie sharing cozy dinners
suddenly make his hands fist on the wheel? “I don’t know Allie real well, but
she doesn’t seem much like your new stepmom.”
Leah considered his question as she bopped her head to a
tune. “Actually, she kind of is. They’re both pretty—in different
ways—and they’re both shy.”
“Shy?” Craig choked out the word. “You think Allie’s shy?”
“Yeah, sort of.”
“I wouldn’t call her shy.” A beautiful pain in the ass is
what he’d call her.
“She’s been staying for dinner for a couple years now and I
get the feeling she’s lonely.”
Craig looked over at his niece, but she’d recognized a song
on the radio and had turned it up loud. Lonely? He certainly knew what lonely
felt like. Staying with Leah, having someone to
***
“I thought you said practice ends at five,” Craig goaded
Leah as she put her lacrosse bag into the back of the truck and leaned inside
to give Blackjack a pat on the head.
“It does. I was talking.”
“So I saw.” He’d arrived early so he didn’t have to listen
to another lecture on how she needed a phone. He couldn’t believe how many
conversations they had that led back to her needing a phone. “I didn’t know you
had boys on your team.”
“What?”
“I saw you talking to a boy carrying a lacrosse stick. I
assumed he was on your team.”
“Funny, Uncle Craig. That was Brody. He’s Cassidy Mizer’s
brother. He plays on the eighth grade team.”
“An older man?”
“An older brother.” She rolled her eyes. “So how was your
day?”
Craig thought back. He’d had a good day. Davis had gotten
Stacy to sign off on his kitchen design and he’d met with his cabinet guy to
work up a quote. He’d sheetrocked the newly created great room after the
electrician had rerouted the wiring. “All in all, not bad. I got a good bit done.”
“Me too. I got an A on my math test.”
“Did you?”
“Yep. That ought to make Dad happy when he calls tonight.”
“You’d think,” Craig said. He was sick of Mark calling,
harassing him about putting himself out there, going out with women. His
brother didn’t know when enough was enough. Didn’t he have better things to
think about on his honeymoon?
“So what’s for dinner?” Leah asked.
“Some chicken casserole your dad made.”
“Are you asking Allie to stay?” Before Craig could answer,
she said, “I really want her to stay.”
He’d thought about it. Wasn’t that why he’d pulled the damn
casserole out of the freezer? It was a lot harder to invite a woman to join you
and your niece for left over pizza. “I’ll ask, but don’t be surprised if she
says no.”
“She hardly ever said no to dad.”
“Your dad’s a lot nicer than me.”
“To her he sure is.” Leah looked out the window and tried to
put her feet on the dash when Craig tapped her leg and shook his head no. She
sat up straight and slapped her hands on her knees. “Why don’t you like Ms.
Allie? She’s so nice.”
“I never said I didn’t like her.”
“You didn’t have to say it.”
Craig blew out a breath. Weren’t twelve-year-old girls
supposed to think about boys and their friends and…phones? “I like her fine.
She’s…” Too damn pretty. And he’d spent too much time feeling bad about the way
he’d treated her last week. “Fine.”
“Good, because I want her to stay for dinner.”
Craig turned the radio down and cleared his throat. “Is this
about what happened last week? I mean, have you felt okay since…since it
happened?”
“Yes,” she said quickly. “No. I mean yes, I feel okay and,
no, that’s not why I want her to stay. I like her. Besides, if I’m going to
have a woman living in the house starting next week, I could use some practice
of having one around.”
“Practice? You think of Allie as stepmom material?”
“I think she’s a woman and if she’d married my dad, she
could have been my stepmom.”
Why did the thought of Mark and Allie sharing cozy dinners
suddenly make his hands fist on the wheel? “I don’t know Allie real well, but
she doesn’t seem much like your new stepmom.”
Leah considered his question as she bopped her head to a
tune. “Actually, she kind of is. They’re both pretty—in different
ways—and they’re both shy.”
“Shy?” Craig choked out the word. “You think Allie’s shy?”
“Yeah, sort of.”
“I wouldn’t call her shy.” A beautiful pain in the ass is
what he’d call her.
“She’s been staying for dinner for a couple years now and I
get the feeling she’s lonely.”
Craig looked over at his niece, but she’d recognized a song
on the radio and had turned it up loud. Lonely? He certainly knew what lonely
felt like. Staying with Leah, having someone to
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