“Just because you’ve sworn off men, doesn’t mean there aren’t any handsome ones around. Even if you’re not interested, doesn’t mean they aren’t. Besides, there’s no harm in looking.”
Warming to Celeste’s teasing, Amy played along. “Actually, you should see my boss, the sheriff.”
“Ooh, tell me more, girl.”
Amy told Celeste about Robert’s long eyelashes and how nice he looked in a uniform, but thoughts of Ben’s dimple and beard caused her voice to take on a breathless quality.
“You say you’ve sworn off men, but your voice says otherwise.”
Amy grew quiet. Why did thinking about Ben excite her? And why didn’t she want to tell her best friend about him? She told Celeste everything. The last time they’d talked, she did tell Celeste about Ben and what happened to his wife and daughter. But she didn’t tell her about his sapphire-blue eyes or the jealous twinge she’d experienced when he accepted Debbie’s lemonade with a smile.
Her attraction to the mechanic didn’t sit well with her. Ben wasn’t ready to move on with his life, and she refused to get involved with a man who couldn’t commit to her.
“I will not get mixed up with the first man to come along. I think I want to go back to school.” She’d been almost finished her associate degree at the community college and was ready to apply to culinary school when Lance sidetracked her life.
It would be a long time before she could afford culinary school, but she wanted to do more with her life than wait tables in a bar. She couldn’t afford to get mixed up with the first man—or the second—to come along. Kallie deserved better. She deserved a mom who put her daughter first.
After she ended her call with Celeste, she took Kallie on another walk to explore more of Providence. Amy had yet to find anything undesirable about the quaint, all-American town that already felt like home.
A familiar red Porsche came to a crawl next to them as they entered the cul-de-sac, the engine humming a low purr.
Debbie lowered her window and sneered at Amy. “Still here, huh?”
“Excuse me?”
Debbie rolled her eyes. “I guess I can’t blame you. I mean, you’ve got it pretty nice here.”
Amy’s hands tightened on the stroller. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Except she did.
“Don’t you? The Young’s are very charitable, but I’d hate to see them taken advantage of.”
Heat filled Amy’s body. “Theyarevery hospitable, but I assure you I have no intention of abusing their generosity.” She’d offered to pay rent, but they’d refused. So, Amy had been diligent in helping with the cleaning and cooking, to try to assuage her own guilt.
Debbie studied Kallie. “She’s cute. Too bad she’s illegitimate.” She turned hard eyes on Amy. “You may be living with Ben’s parents and working with Robert but don’t, for one minute, think either of them would be interested in a poor, little, cast-off, nobody like you. You don’t belong here.”
With a rev of the car’s powerful engine, Debbie shot out of the cul-de-sac, leaving Amy feeling more out of place than ever.
She’d found something she didn’t like about Providence.
Debbie.
* * *
“Book,”Kallie said, not quite pronouncing the “K.” She stood in front of Ben holding a small book, waiting for him to take it. Everyone else in the room waited as well, watching him.
Ben had joined his family for Sunday dinner, and since Paige was home but would be leaving soon, he’d attempted to connect with her. He’d mostly just teased her about her social life at college, but she’d seemed pleased with his effort. After he and his dad finished the dishes, they joined the women in the family room.
Now, Kallie stood in front of him.
“Yes, book.” Ben took the book from Kallie and set it on his lap, expecting her to bring him other toys like she had the last two times he’d been here. But Kallie stood in front of him as though expecting something. She put her hand on his knee and stood on tiptoe, letting him know she wanted to be picked up.
Ben’s breath caught in his chest. He hadn’t held a child for almost a year, not since before Cassey disappeared. Kallie’s blond hair and blue eyes reminded him so much of his daughter. The physical reminder was painful, but when Kallie smiled at him with sweet innocence like she did now, he couldn’t help smiling back.
With tightness lingering in his chest, he picked her up, aware of four sets of eyes on him. Powerful sensations coursed through him as he held the friendly toddler on his lap. Her hand on his arm was the softest touch he’d felt in ages, and her curly blond hair smelled fresh, clean, and oh so familiar. Holding her felt both foreign and wonderful.
As always, when he saw this little angel, he wondered where his princess was. Who held her? Did they read her stories? Was she as vocal as this little girl, who repeated “Book, book”?
Ben cleared his throat, opened the book, and started reading to his demanding, pint-sized audience. A collective sigh from the others whispered across the room.
