She’s skeptical of my having ulterior motives. Which, of course, I do. But two things can be true. It really would be best for both of our busy schedules to co-parent, and it would be my way of getting her into my day-to-day life. More than she’s ever been willing to be.
She picks up the pup in her lap, kissing her on the nose before placing her in the box with her brothers and sisters. “Bye, sweet girl. I’ll come see you again soon.”
She stands and brushes the fur off her T-shirt and jeans. I follow her lead and do the same.
“Thanks, guys. Have a good day,” Daisy says as she exits.
I give them a wave as we make our way out into the summer sun.
“So what should we name her?”
“You really have lost your mind, haven’t you?” I catch her eye roll just before she covers her gorgeous eyes with her sunglasses.
“Just admit you’re contemplating the idea.”
“Stay hydrated at practice, Coach. I think the heat is getting to you.”
She steps around the front of her car, and when she pulls open the driver’s side door; she slides her shades down her nose to look at me and then shakes her head with a smile big enough to bring out her dimples.
A spike of adrenaline jolts through my heart. “Ha! I knew it. You’re thinking about it!”
She groans in frustration, then gets in her car and starts the engine. But when I press my face to her passenger side window, I can see the smile is still on her face.
Oh, this is gonna be so much fun.
Chapter Five
Daisy
“Here you go, ma’am,” the floppy haired teenage boy says, handing me my ice cream.
"Since when do we look like ma'ams?" I ask Mia as we walk away from The Shack, the legendary soft-serve truck in Goose Hollow Park. I’ve got Sawyer’s pudgy little hand in mine while his mama carries both of their ice creams.
“Right? What about us says, ma’am? Neither of us looks over twenty-three.” She winks at me. “Charlie is a Shack regular, and she has forbidden the kids that work there to call her anything but Charlie. She scares the crap out of them.”
“I love her,” I state, taking a lick of my vanilla bliss.
We find a spot in the grass near the splash pad so we can stick Sawyer in the water to get rid of the sticky mess that will undoubtedly remain once he finishes his cone. Watching my best friend's little boy attack his ice cream with such intensity is adorable. I’m so mesmerized by him I don’t hear a word Mia is saying.
“Earth to Daisy.”
“Sorry, but have you watched him eat an ice-cream cone? It’s like an episode of National Geographic. Toddlers in the Wild.”
I slide my phone out of my crossbody bag to get a video of the moment.
“Yes, he loves to eat. And ice cream from The Shack is his favorite. It won’t keep him busy long enough, though. So, talk to me. What’s going on with you?”
“Not much. Just work.” I stop recording Sawyer and toss my phone onto the grass.
“No, I mean what’s really going on with you? You’ve seemed distracted since we got back from New York. Did I miss something?”
“Nope, I’m fine. Nothing to report.”
I hate lying to her. I hate not telling her everything that’s been going on between me and Owen all these years, especially what happened last weekend. At the same time, I want to keep him all to myself for as long as I have him. My feelings for the man are so jumbled and confused I wouldn’t even know where to start.
“You sure?”
“Yep.”
