The smile she gave me as she stepped forward was blinding. Her finger lingered on my chest as she moved past me. “Better be careful with that offer, Mr. Bennett. I just might take you up on that.”
As I followed her back down the hallway, I couldn’t help but thank the fucking universe for John Hart and high-waisted jeans.
OLIVIA
The familiar chimeof the bell sounded out as Duke, Harper, Charlie, and I stepped through the door of Lucy’s. Thankfully, it wasn’t nearly as busy as it was after Harper’s game.
“Sit where you like, sweeties! I’ll be right over,” Lucy called from the register.
The girls looked at one another with knowing smiles before running to the same booth as before. And just like last time, they sat on the same side, leaving Duke and me to squeeze in together.
Only this time, it didn’t feel awkward.
When I told Duke I needed to run errands, I was expecting him to bail. I wouldn’t have blamed him if he had. Instead, he jogged over to his truck, moved Harper’s booster seat over to my car, and told me to get in the passenger seat.
I had half a mind to argue, but then he draped his hand effortlessly over the steering wheel to back out of the drive, and I lost every coherent thought I had.
Duke wasn’t classically handsome. He was rugged.Ridiculously so. He reminded me of the videos I saw on social media of a lumberjack competition in Alaska, where every guy wore flannel, had a beard, and was muscled up to perfection. Sometimes, I caught a faint whiff of pine when he walked by, so it fit the bill.
Except this lumberjack wore a tight-fitting black t-shirt, had a mustache, and a permanent scowl stretched across his face. One I noticed slipping more and more lately.
Today alone, I caught him smiling at least four times. Not that I was counting, of course. That would be ridiculous. But it did make me curious to see if I could make it happen again.
For science, of course.
When we pulled up to the school and told the girls we were going to grab an early dinner, they giddily piled in the back of my SUV. I wasn’t sure they’d stopped talking since we picked them up, which warmed my heart.
Though Charlie and I had a rough start when I first showed up, we had settled into a groove. I was grateful for the co-parenting relationship Grady and I shared. He didn’t mind that she stayed with me most days. It let me see a side to her I never got to see in the stolen moments I was home before. Like how grumpy she was when I woke her up for school every morning, or the small burst of energy she got after dinner. Every now and then, I’d find her curled up in bed beside me without any recollection of when she’d crawled between the covers.
If I wasn’t careful, I could get used to this kind of easy life.
“Not that I’m complaining about such fine company, but it’s not a Saturday afternoon,” Lucy said, sidling up to our table with a smile. She sat two coloring mats and crayons on the table for the girls. “Are we celebrating something?”
“My uncle told Duke to get me out of the house,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Apparently, I’ve been driving him crazy, so we thought we’d take the girls out for a treat.”
Lucy’s eyes lit up at the use of the word ‘we.’ She glanced between Duke and me with a barely concealed smile. “Well, what a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. Are we gonna do the usual?”
“Burgers, fries, and shakes for the table, if you don’t mind,” Duke cut in before I could say anything. He turned to me. “Chocolate, right?”
I blinked, surprised he remembered. “Right. Is that okay with you girls?”
Both of them nodded before excitedly trading crayons.
“Perfect! I’ll put this in for y’all. Be back shortly.” Lucy winked and strolled off, leaving Duke and me to stare at the girls.
“Here. Y’all can do this one.” Charlie shoved the second coloring mat and crayon pack toward Duke and me. “We’ll see whose is best before we leave.”
I stared down at the page. I’d never been much for coloring books, not even as a kid, but I downright loathed them as an adult. Cleo tried to get me into it one night after one too many glasses of wine. By the end of the night, I’d nearly thrown her coloring book and fancy markers in the trash because I’d gotten so mad.
“Oh, I don’t need to do this to know yours will be better, sunshine,” I said.
Duke bumped my shoulder with his. His green eyes damn near sparkled with mirth. “What? You’re not up for some friendly competition?”
“Not when I know I’ll lose,” I muttered.
“Mom’s a sore loser,” Charlie added.The little shit.
I turned toward her. “So are you, dear daughter. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”