I didn’t answer for her. I just watched Charlotte’s face, ready to step in if she needed me to.
Charlotte glanced down at Braden. He stood there scowling, clearly unimpressed with the idea of hugging a girl.
Cooties phase, most likely.
“Okay,” she said after a second.
I helped her back onto her feet, stepping aside as Braden’s mom nudged him forward with a quiet word. He shuffled closer and gave Charlotte a brief, stiff hug, like it was a chore he intended to finish as quickly as possible.
“Thank you for doing that, Braden,” his mom said, patting his head. “You can go play with Dante now.”
He didn’t need to be told that twice because the second he was released, he bolted toward the swing set where Lia’s son was waiting.
The woman turned back to me and offered her hand. “I’m Amanda. I’m really sorry about all of that. I took my daughter inside to use the bathroom and missed what happened. Braden and Charlotte usually get along great, so I don’t think it was intentional.”
“It’s okay,” I said, realizing now that this must be the woman Lia and Romeo had wanted to introduce me to.
“And I’m Theo. Charlotte’s dad.”
“I figured,” Amanda said with a small smile.
I took her in properly, then. Shoulder-length brown hair. Warm brown eyes. About my age. Pretty, with the subtle curves that came from motherhood.
“This is the friend I was telling you about,” Lia said, reappearing at my side. “Her kids go to the same playgroup Charlotte’s nanny has been taking her to.”
“That explains how you seemed to know my daughter,” I said, turning back to Amanda as I held out my hand. “It’s nice to officially meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” she said, slipping her hand into mine.
Herpalm was warm. Soft. Feminine.
Then her smile shifted, turning a little playful. “Sorry about the first impression. I promise I didn’t tell Braden to crash into Charlotte just to have an excuse to talk to you.”
“It’s fine.” I chuckled, a little caught off guard.
She was flirting with me, right?
9
NORA
“Okay, everyone.”Lia clapped her hands, the sharp sound cutting through the low hum of conversation and laughter drifting across the yard. “I thought it might be fun to play a few games. We’ll need to split into teams of four.”
A few groans rose immediately, followed by laughter.
“Relax,” she said, waving a hand. “Nothing intense. Just a little friendly competition.”
“Friendly competition?” Miles said under his breath, like the two words didn’t belong in the same sentence.
Which, honestly, tracked since the man made a living throwing a football while other grown men tried to flatten him for it.
“You’ll split into teams of four,” Lia continued, gesturing toward the lawn where a few stations had already been set up. “Complete the task at each station. The fastest team wins.”
“Wanna be on my team?” Miles turned toward me, his signature easy smile already in place.
“Of course.” I grinned. “Who else do we recruit?”
“Someone competitive.” He twisted in his chair, scanning the backyard.