A horrible sinking feeling tightened Debbie’s chest, and she pushed her half-full plate away. Austin regretted kissing her. She could see it on his face and in his body language.
What did you expect?
He said he refused to get mixed up with another wealthy woman. So why did he kiss her?
In Debbie’s mind, telling someone you find them attractive then kissing them the way Austin kissed her was getting mixed up with them.
In fact, Debbie felt all kinds of mixed up.
As soon as the kids were done eating, she started clearing the table. A few minutes later, she found herself at the kitchen sink beside Savannah.
“So, did you talk to my dad?”
“Of course we talked,” Debbie said defensively. Savannah didn’t think she and Austin were making out in the pantry that whole time, did she? Not that Debbie would have minded.
“And what did he say?” Savannah bounced on her toes.
“About what?”
Savannah frowned. “About me going to prom with Caleb.”
“Oh that.” Debbie sighed. “We didn’t get a chance to talk about that.”
Savannah’s face fell. “Right, because you were too busy kissing.” She turned and walked away.
“Savvy, wait!” Debbie dried her hands and stood in front of Savannah who stopped in the middle of the kitchen. “It wasn’t like that, I swear.”
“We all saw you guys kissing, so don’t try to deny it.”
Debbie put a gentle hand on Savannah’s arm. “Yes, your dad kissed me, but it was only at the very end and for a brief moment.” A moment Debbie would never forget. “I’m sorry if that bothers you. It’s not likely to happen again, so don’t worry.”
“Why not?” Savannah’s brow furrowed.
Did that mean Savannah would be okay if something developed between her and Austin?
Stop it! Don’t get your hopes up.
“I think he regrets kissing me, so we’ll probably forget it happened.”
“What happened?” Austin asked as he walked into the kitchen.
Only the most amazing kiss Debbie had in over a decade. Had he forgotten the whole thing already?
“Nothing.” Debbie grabbed Savannah’s arm and pulled her down the hallway. “Listen, your dad and I talked about…you kids and how hard it is for him when I interfere. I planned to talk to him about letting you go to prom, but I didn’t get a chance.” She tucked a lock of hair behind Savannah’s ear. “Even though he doesn’t like me getting involved, I’m still willing to talk to him for you.”
Savannah smiled. “Really?” Then her face fell. “I don’t want him to get mad at you again, though.” She wrinkled her nose. “But I don’t want him to be upset with me either.”
Debbie patted Savannah’s arm. “Why don’t you herd the boys out to your dad’s truck and give me a few minutes to talk to him. If nothing else, my mentioning it will help pave the way for you to talk to him.”
Savannah nodded. “Okay. Text me, though, so I know how it went.”
They walked back into the kitchen to find the boys headed to the door with their backpacks. Savannah grabbed hers and rushed after them.
“Austin, wait.” Debbie grabbed his arm as he was about to follow his kids out the door.
He sighed, closed the door behind Savannah, and turned to face Debbie. “Listen, I know I shouldn’t have kissed you.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I don’t want you to think I’m leading you on or anything because I don’t have any intentions of getting involved with som—”
“Someone like me?” Anger flashed in Debbie’s chest and stung her eyes.
