“How can you make a witch suspended on a cake?” Christian asked skeptically. He’d moved away from the end of the couch and was leaning over to get a better look at the drawing.
“On a broomstick,” Isla and Hallie said in unison.
“Duh.” Hallie added, shooting a teasing smile at Christian.
Another bad idea.
Her eyes were at exactly the right angle to study his chiseled jaw, which led to lingering admiration all the way down to the way his t-shirt pulled slightly against the muscles of his chest. That spicy scent she’d come to associate with him swirled around her head, giving her unrealistic notions of bottling the smell to enjoy it later. She’d call it Eau de Christian, said in a fancy French accent with extra phlegm.
Was that creepy?
Yes. Yes, it was.
Christian held his hands up in surrender. “My bad.” He smirked, though something sparked in those enchanting eyes as they passed from Hallie to his daughter and back. “You seem to have everything under control, so I’ll let you girls handle the planning.”
That’s probably wise.Having him on the same couch, even when theyweren’ttouching, was putting her heart in severe danger of cardiac arrest.
He slapped his palms against his thighs once before standing. “If you need me, I’ll be making dinner.”
The mention of food pulled Penelope from her play, and she abandoned the kitchen set to follow her father.
Except she didn’t follow him. Instead, she headed straight for Hallie. Climbing onto the couch beside her, Penelope reached her arms up to be held.
Hallie hesitated before lifting the child onto her lap.
“You stay for dinner?” Penelope’s voice rose in pitch on the last word.
Oh, the sweet girl. Hallie’s heart melted at the tender way the child twirled a strand of her blonde ponytail around her small finger. “Aww, that’s a nice invitation, but I think it’s up to your dad.”
Penelope bobbed her head once. “You stay for dinner.” Sweetandbossy.
Hallie held back a small chuckle, glancing at Christian who stood frozen in the doorway to the kitchen.
“I’m sure Hallie has other plans tonight,” he said.
“Please, Daddy?” Isla’s pleading surprised Hallie even more than the original invitation. Two weeks ago, the girl didn’t want anything to do with her. How quickly things changed, though Hallie wasn’t naïve enough to think she’d become Isla’s favorite person.
Christian ran a hand down his mouth, bringing Hallie’s unwanted attention to it. His jaw held enough sandy-colored scruff to give him that rugged, irresistible look.
Again … hot.
“I guess I’m outnumbered,” he muttered, pasting on a smile. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”
Hallie’s mind recalled the grandmother’s response inMulanwhen that question was asked of Li Shang.“Would you like to stay forever?”
Maybe not forever, but Hallie wouldn’t mind staying for a long time. Which meant she shouldn’t stay at all. But how could she leave when two little girls watched her with such hopeful expressions?
“Sure, I’d love to.”
“I still feel bad for the way my brother acted earlier,” Hallie said near the end of dinner, setting her fork across her empty plate. Although she’d already apologized, she wasn’t able to let her brother’s words go. And she couldn’t force away the curiosity to find out what he’d said to Christian right before he left.
Christian stopped cutting the last of Penelope’s noodles to look at Hallie from across the table. The child had spaghetti sauce smeared across her cheeks and more smashed in between her fingers.
Gross.
“You have nothing to feel bad about.” He slid the pink plastic plate back in front of his daughter. “Besides, He was very … illuminating.”
Okay, what did THAT mean?
