“Do they gots kittens?”
“Maybe some really big ones.”
“I wish Uncle Jeff had kittens.”
“I know you do, sweetie, but he doesn’t.” She hesitated, not sure how to find out if her daughter was comfortable without scaring her by the question. “Do you miss our apartment?”
“A little.”
Maggie drank her milk. The clips Jeff had put in her hair that morning were still crooked. Still, it had been very sweet of him to try.
“I like staying here with Uncle Jeff,” Maggie volunteered. “He’s very nice.” She gave her mother an innocent smile. “Uncle Jeff likes cake. We could make him one.”
Ashley couldn’t help wondering how much her daughter’s generosity had to do with her own affection for the dessert. Although baking something would be a nice gesture, a small thank-you for his kindnesses. She could even make dinner. Her car had been delivered earlier that afternoon. They could make a quick trip to the store and get everything they’d need.
“You know, munchkin,” she said, lifting her daughter down from her chair and tapping the tip of her nose, “that’s a very good idea. Let me call Jeff’s office and see what time he’s going to be home. Then we can make a special cake and a special dinner for him.”
She found the business card he’d left her and called his office. When she was put through to Brenda, she asked his assistant what time he would be heading home. Brenda put her on hold while she checked with him. As Ashley listened to the soft music, she had the sudden thought that this was all too weird. Would he think she was cooking for him to capture his interest? The way to a man’s heart and all that?
Heat flared on her cheeks. She longed to hang up, but it was too late for that. Brenda already knew it was her on the line. She would have to say that she was offering a thank-you and nothing more.
“He said he’ll be home at six-thirty,” Brenda announced cheerfully.
“Ah, thanks.” Ashley wanted to explain but doubted Jeff’s assistant cared one way or the other. She hung up and started her shopping list. She would make sure that Jeff understood everything when he got home.
* * *
The chocolate cake turned out perfectly. Maggie insisted on helping with the frosting, which meant there were uneven patches and more sticky chocolate on her arms and face than on the cake itself. Ashley had settled on meat loaf for dinner. It was easy and something most people liked. Plus she had a limited supply of cash that wasn’t going to cover anything expensive, such as steaks.
She checked the potatoes and steaming green beans, then glanced at the clock. Jeff was due any second.
“Just enough time to get you cleaned up, young lady,” she said, taking the rubber spatula from her daughter’s hand and urging her toward the sink.
Just then Ashley heard the door to the garage open. Unexpectedly her heart rate doubled and her throat seemed to close up a little.
His footsteps sounded on the wood floor. She froze in the center of the kitchen, not sure if she should dash for cover or brazenly stand her ground and greet him. The confusion didn’t make any sense. Why was she suddenly nervous? Nothing had changed.
Jeff entered the kitchen. He glanced at the pots on the stove, at the cake, then looked at Maggie, covered in chocolate frosting and grinning.
“We made you a surprise,” the four-year-old announced.
“I can see that,” he told her, and turned his attention to Ashley. “How do you feel?”
She swallowed. It was as if he could see through to her soul, she thought, wondering if she would melt under the intensity of his attention. Heat flared again, but this time it wasn’t just on her face. Instead her entire body felt hot. As if she’d just stepped into a sauna.
“Better, thanks,” she said, hoping her voice sounded more steady thanshefelt. “I, ah, slept a lot, and studied. The worst of the virus is over.” She forced herself to smile, then motioned to the stove. “I made dinner.”
“You said you were going to when you called Brenda.”
She ducked her head. “Yes, well, I didn’t think before I called. I’m sorry. That was really dumb.”
“Why?”
She glanced at him from under her lashes. She had a sudden awareness of him as a man. Had his shoulders always been that broad? Why hadn’t she noticed before? Was it her illness? Had the flu blunted his effect on her, and if so, how could she get immunized against Jeff Ritter’s appeal?
“Ashley?”
She blinked. Oh. He asked her a question. Yeah. Dinner. Why cooking it was dumb. “I didn’t want you to feel obligated to come home.”
