7
Icursed Sierra for the rest of the week. Silently and in the privacy of my own mind because her red hair might come from a bottle, but her temper was one hundred percent natural.
To my surprise, Brody continued to text me at random times throughout the week. Asking me questions about the town or observations about people we both knew.
It was the kind of stuff friends would talk about.
But I couldn't help the flutter in my stomach every time I saw a text message from him. I blamed Sierra for that because she'd put such a stupid idea in my head.
By Friday, I'd given myself at least three stern lectures. It was ridiculous to get so excited about a few messages from Brody. I wasn't in high school anymore.
Then there was the fact that up until a few days ago, I hadn't gotten along with him. I had to remember that.
It wasn't like Brody had been secretly in love with me for years.
I'd spent so much time thinking about Brody that week that I thought my imagination had conjured him out of thin air when I turned around Friday afternoon to see him standing at the counter.
It wasn't until Jacks started speaking, her happy voice ringing out, that I realized he was real and he was there.
"Hi, Ms. McClane."
I smiled at her and shook my head. "Call me Cam, remember? Ms. McClane is my mother."
She grinned back at me, revealing a dimple in her left cheek, and glanced up at her father as if asking for permission. He nodded, which made her smile even wider.
"Daddy and I are having an all-day date!" she announced.
Oh, shit. Dammit all to hell.
That was adorable. And my resolve to keep my feelings toward Brody platonic took a massive hit.
"I love date day. Dad always has the best ideas! A couple of weeks ago, he took me on a food crawl. And before that, we went to the county fair."
I was officially toast. I loved that he made an effort to not only spend time with her but to do things that she enjoyed. However, I had one question.
"Okay, what's a food crawl?"
"We went to all these different restaurants and tried one or two things. I was so full that I thought I was going to get sick." The last was said with such glee that I couldn't contain my urge to laugh.
Brody's smile was huge when I looked at him. "Where in the heck did you come up with that idea?"
"Ever heard of a pub crawl?" he asked. "It was my inspiration. It was just as much fun but without the hangover."
That made me laugh even harder. "I don't know about that. Both will cause you to be sick to your stomach."
Jacks giggled.
I had to change the subject because this was too much cuteness for words.
"I'm just guessing, but I bet you're here to try some ice cream."
Jacks' hazel eyes lit up and she immediately bounded over to the freezer case that held all the ice cream flavors I offered. Her nose was nearly touching the glass as she gazed at each and every label.
"Try not to leave drool marks on Cam's glass, Jacks," Brody teased his daughter.
Her eyes met mine and the expression on her face revealed her exasperation with her father. I bit back a smile because I didn't want to encourage her to rebel too early.
I'd wait until she was twelve or so before I helped her make Brody's life a living hell.
