Wren beamed. “Should I bring my colored pencils?”
“You sure can. Or you can try using some of the pastels I brought.” Delaney climbed into her small four-door hatchback. “Enjoy the rest of your weekend.”
“You too.” The pig snout dangled from my fingers as I stepped back and she pulled away.
“Wow. I didn’t think Miss Delaney could hog call like that.” Eli shook his head. “I wonder if she can teach me to do it too.”
I led them to the truck and held the door open for Wren. The shock and awe from witnessing Delaney’s performance hadn’t quite worn off yet. “I’m not sure anyone can learn how to do it exactly like she did.”
“Can we have dinner with her again?” Wren tilted her head and bit down on her lip as she buckled her seatbelt.
I let out a deep sigh. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, sweetie.”
“Why not?” Eli asked. “Don’t you like her?”
How could I explain the complications of getting too cozy with a co-worker to my ten-year-old? We’d spent entire summer days with Ranger Rhonda and her husband out by the lake. The fact that Delaney and I worked together wasn’t the core issue. The problem wasn’t Delaney, it was me. Being around my other co-workers didn’t make me want to lean over and brush my lips against theirs to see if they tasted half as sweet as they looked.
Wren crossed her arms over her chest. “Why’s your face turning red like that, Dad?”
Dammit. I pushed off the side of the truck and climbed in behind the wheel. “I think that hot sauce has finally burned its way down to my belly. Give me a sip of that water you brought?”
Wren handed me her pink water bottle from the back seat, and I made a big show of downing a huge gulp. “Thanks. That helped.”
Like a hound dog hot on the trail, Eli wasn’t ready to give up on his line of questioning yet. “So, do you like her, Dad? She’s really nice. I know we’re only learning about nature journals next week, but she said we could talk about fishing the week after. Maybe we can even show her our secret fishing spot.”
“Maybe we should get home so you two can feed the dog,” I said. “Brutus is going to lose his mind when he smells all that sauce on your shirt.”
Eli looked down at the barbecue stains dotting his white t-shirt. “It’s Wren’s turn to feed him.”
“I did it this morning,” she argued.
Thankful for the change of topic, I pulled out of the parking lot. “We’ll check the chore chart when we get home. If you both shower and get ready for bed right away, we might have time for a game or a movie tonight.”
The two of them started talking about what they’d rather do, watch the latest Marvel movie or pool resources and try to beatme in Monopoly. I tuned them out and let my mind wander back to Delaney.
I’d seen a different side of her tonight. She’d proven she was capable of leading summer camp, at least the first week. Tonight, she’d shown me she knew how to let go and have a good time. She’d fit right in with my kids and didn’t shy away from the challenge of making a fool out of herself to win them a trough full of ice cream. Away from the office she’d seemed more comfortable and didn’t even hesitate to boss me around a bit.
And damn if I didn’t like that a whole hell of a lot more than I should.
CHAPTER 7
DELANEY
It had beentwo weeks since I’d had dinner with Jace and his kids. Two weeks of watching him while he wasn’t looking and trying to tell myself there wasn’t anything between us. I’d felt it though. That night at the Hog & Hickory, there’d been a spark when we touched. And a whole lot of heat coursing through my veins when he’d let loose and smiled.
Since then, it was like something had worked its way free inside him. Though I hadn’t heard him laugh again, his gruff facade had softened. He actually smiled at me from time to time and more than once I’d caught him watching me. Not in a creepy way, either. More in an I-wonder-if-there’s-something-between-us way.
I needed to pull my head out of the clouds though. My stay in Big Wood was temporary. Just a steppingstone to a bigger, better rung on that ladder that would take me back to New York.
“Good morning, Delaney.” Jace stepped into the office with Wren and Eli right behind him. The edges of his mouth curled up in a soft smile.
“Hey.” My cheeks heated, caught in the act of thinking about him, even though he didn’t have a clue. I tried to distract myselfby focusing on the kids. “Did you bring your journal pages to share today?”
“Sure did.” Wren stood up straighter. She’d been coming out of her shell over the past few weeks, and I was so happy for her. I knew what it was like to grow up in the shadow of my siblings. Even though she and Eli were so close they could practically read each other’s minds, they didn’t have the same interests. She gravitated more toward quiet observation while her brother couldn’t wait to get hands-on with all the activities.
“How about you, Eli?” I asked.
He scrunched up his nose, a dead giveaway that he didn’t have anything prepared. “I’m gonna finish them today.”
