Thad replied with a proper army salute. “Nice day to you too.”
Ashanti rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of both men.
“Thanks for saving the parking spot for me, but please do not take chances like this once we get to New York,” she told Thad.
“Can’t make any promises. Have you ever met a New Yorker?” He shook his head. “Give me a minute to get Puddin’, then we can go see Grams.”
She followed him to his truck and was pleasantly surprised to find that he’d bought Puddin’ a proper car harness. He reached behind the seat.
“Can you hold this for a minute?” he asked, handing her a blue-and-white box withCANDIES FROM AROUND THE WORLDprinted all over it.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“It’s for my grandmother.” He hooked the leash onto Puddin’s collar and helped the poodle alight from the passenger side seat. “Back when I was in the Army, I would ship candies to her from wherever I was deployed. I signed up for this subscription box now that I’m permanently stateside. This way she doesn’t have to miss out on her sweets.”
If one’s heart truly could melt, hers would be a puddle in the middle of the sidewalk right now. Was he for real?
Thad took the box from her and handed her Puddin’s leash. They started up said sidewalk, toward the metal gate.
“I already told Grams we can’t stay long,” Thad said.
“Does she know about New York?”
“She knows we’re going, but I didn’t tell her why, exactly.” He glanced at her. “I figured you can do that. She’ll get a kick out of it.”
“She’s going to explode,” Ashanti said.
“Let’s hope not. I wasn’t planning to change out of these clothes before the flight.”
She paused for a moment before she burst out laughing. “Did the UPS driver deliver a better sense of humor along with this box of candy, or have you purposely been hiding it from me all this time?”
His charming grin was heart-stopping. “I’ll leave you guessing.”
Ashanti took a step back and concentrated on taking deep breaths as Thad pressed the button on the speaker attached to the gate. She did a quick mental rundown of the reasons she should not allow this man and his alluring smile—and this sense of humor that had come from out of nowhere! Umm… hello!—affect her.
She refused to backtrack on her vow to swear off dating until the girls were off to college. Even though she could already tell that Thad was a thousand times more responsible than her ex-boyfriend, Simon, she wasn’t about to give Anita fodder for another custody battle.
But that wasn’t the only reason. She was on the precipice of taking her business to a level she could not have fathomed reaching. Distractions were kryptonite. And Thaddeus Sims was the very definition of a distraction.
Thad explained to the person on the other side of the speaker why they were visiting, and a moment later, the lock clicked. He held the gate open for her.
Frances Sutherland was waiting next to a column in front of the facility’s entrance.
“Mrs. Frances,” Ashanti called, hastening her steps.
As usual, the older woman looked as if she were on her way to a Saks Fifth Avenue catalog photo shoot, despite the early hour. Her pressed caramel-colored slacks, burgundy, navy-blue, and brown striped silk shirt, and designer navy ballet flats fit like they were custom made. Even the wooden cane she held—a new addition to her wardrobe—was fashionable.
“It’s all my favorites,” Mrs. Frances said. She gathered Ashanti in a hug, gave Thad a quick peck on the cheek, and then lavished her attention on Puddin’.
The reunion between the two brought tears to Ashanti’s eyes. She hated being away from Duchess for just a few hours—yet another reason she resented being stuck at home baking instead of at the daycare. She could only imagine how difficult it had been for Mrs. Frances to have to give up Puddin’.
“The rocking chairs are free,” Mrs. Frances said. “Let’s sit before one of these old folks comes out here and snatches one up.”
They climbed the steps to the facility’s wraparound porch and walked over to a set of rocking chairs that faced Esplanade Avenue. Thad propped himself against the wooden porch railing while the women sat.
In total disregard of her fancy attire, Mrs. Frances allowed the poodle to put his dusty paws in her lap.
“How are you doing today, my baby?” she asked, pressinga kiss against Puddin’s head. “Thaddeus isn’t being mean to you, is he?”
