Page 29 of One Hot Daddy

Fletcher shakes his head as Josuha sneaks up behind Charlotte to surprise her.Then Fletcher turns to me."I've been too standoffish, I can see that now.But I have no reason anymore to pretend I don't want to leap into the water cannonball style just like my children, and even the grandparents, have done."

He aims a wicked grin at me, then does exactly what he suggested.

Fletcher Murgatroyd, the always calm single dad, takes a running start toward the pool and launches himself into the air with the most spectacular cannonball I've ever seen.The splash is enormous.Water erupts in all directions, soaking nearby sunbathers who shriek and laugh.

When he surfaces, gasping and grinning like an idiot, the kids are staring at him with their mouths hanging open."I haven't done that since I was twelve!"

"DAD!"Henry screams with pure delight."DO IT AGAIN!"

Even Amelia is laughing unabashedly as she wipes water droplets from her face."I can't believe you just did that, Dad!"

"Your father's gone completely mad," Florence declares, but she's smiling too.

I dip my toes into the water, lingering at the edge of the pool."That was quite the entrance, Mr.Murgatroyd."

"Oh, I'm just getting started.Try a cannonball, pet.It's invigorating."

His new attitude has infected me too.I scuffle backward, then sprint toward the edge of the pool, leaping into the water to execute my own cannonball.The cold water hits me like an electric shock, but when I surface, I'm laughing harder than I have in months.Fletcher has a playful glint in his eyes as he splashes me.

"Not bad for a nanny," he teases.

"I'll show you what 'not bad,' really means."Then I launch myself at him.

Suddenly, we're embroiled in an all-out water war.Henry trots up beside us and unleashes whooping battle cries as he dunks his father.Charlotte joins in, ganging up on me with surprising stealth.Even Amelia wades over, pretending she's too cool to participate while secretly splashing Joshua when he's not looking.

"This is a madhouse!"Patty laughs from the shallow end where she's been watching our antics.

"Absolute bedlam," Robert agrees, but he wades in anyway, making his way toward us with the determination of a man half his age.

The ruckus escalates when Edmund produces an inflatable beach ball."Water volleyball, anyone?"

"Where did that even come from?"I gasp, treading water beside Fletcher.

"My father is mysteriously prepared for everything," Fletcher quips, his wet hair plastered to his forehead in the most ridiculously attractive way."I've stopped questioning it."

Henry immediately claims the ball, hugging it to his chest like it's made of gold."Teams!We need teams!"

"Kids versus adults!"Charlotte shouts.

"That's hardly fair," I protest."There are more of us."

"Yeah, but we're faster," Amelia exclaims with a smirk that reminds me exactly where Henry gets his mischievous streak.

Fletcher moves closer to me, his arm brushing mine in the water.Droplets cling to his eyelashes."I'll be on your team, Jennifer."

The sultry tone of his voice sets off a fluttering in my stomach.I clear my throat."Good.I'm extremely competitive."

"Are you now?"His eyes dance with amusement."That doesn't surprise me one bit."

Before I can respond, Henry is shouting about positions and rules he's clearly making up on the spot.The pool has become our battlefield, with the inflatable ball flying back and forth over an imaginary net.

Florry hovers at the edge, perching primly on a deck chair, reluctant to join in the madness."I'll keep score."

"Oh no you don't," Fletcher says, wading over to her."Everyone plays."

To my shock, he gently but firmly pulls his mother into the water.She exclaims "oh!"and sputters, her carefully styled hair now dripping wet.

"Fletcher Ralph Murgatroyd!"she gasps, but there's laughter in her voice."You absolute menace!"