She thought she was kidding. He chuckled to himself as he pulled on his pants and headed out shirtless in flip-flops.
She was waiting with the slider open, barefoot, her body braced against the doorframe. Those blue-green eyes were low and lazy. She looked a little wobbly, like she needed the doorframe to keep her from slithering to the floor. “Did I ever mention that you look really good without your shirt?”
“Thanks.” He took her by the shoulders, kissed her forehead and turned her around. “Bedtime.”
“I don’t know. My feet are tired of walking.”
He bent and scooped her up against his chest. With a soft little sigh, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head under his chin. He carried her to the bedroom.
“It’s fun to have sisters,” she said when he laid her on the bed and set to work undressing her. “We talked about starting a business together, Harper, Hailey and me. Creating kids’ parties. We would play clowns and magicians, provide the entertainment, you know? Oh, and we’re keeping it quiet, that I’m a Bravo, for the time being. News like that would put the paps in a frenzy. We don’t need that. I told them I was quitting acting. They might even have believed me. Unlike some people I could mention.” She fell silent. Unresisting, she let him turn her this way and that to get her out of her clothes. Eventually, she piped up with, “At the Sea Breeze, we did Jell-O shots. They were too sweet. But it’s a funny thing about Jell-O shots. The more you have, the better they taste.”
He had her down to her bra and panties by then. “Sleep shirt?”
“Yes, please. Top drawer, left. Gimme the black one. It’s really soft.” She was wiggling around trying to unhook her bra as he went to get it.
When he returned, she’d gotten rid of the bra. On her back, naked from the waist up, she stared dreamily into the middle distance.
“Can you sit up and raise your arms?”
“I’m not incapacitated,” she replied with great dignity and popped to a sitting position. Fisting her hands, she shoved them high in the air. He eased the shirt on, smoothing it down over her gorgeous body. “Thanks.” She scrunched up her face. “Tomorrow, I prob’ly won’t feel so good.”
He went to the bathroom and came back with a couple of aspirin and a full glass of water. “Take your medicine.” She downed the pills and drained the glass.
He put the glass on the nightstand. “Come on. Under the covers.”
“‘Kay.” She dropped back to the pillow. He settled the blankets over her. “You come to bed, too,” she commanded.
As if he could tell her no.
He kicked off his flip-flops, got rid of his jeans and slid under the covers with her.
“There we go.” She rolled to her side and assumed the small spoon position. He wrapped himself around her. Peace settled over him and he drifted toward the sleep that had eluded him all night.
“I love you, Sten,” she said in a near-whisper and snuggled in closer.
The words sounded unbearably sweet. He almost returned them. But that wouldn’t be wise.
Chapter Eleven
Three days later, in the afternoon while Sten was still at the Boatworks, Coco knocked on the glass door of the cottage. She had a temporary tattoo of a butterfly on her left cheek and a plastic pail in either hand, each containing shovels, scoops and rakes of various sizes.
“Ben’s at soccer practice,” she announced when Madison slid open the door. “Grandpa said I could come over and see you but not to be a pest.”
“You are never a pest.”
Coco beamed. “That’s what I said.” She held up the pails. “You want to go make a sandcastle, maybe?”
“What a stellar idea.”
“Here.” Coco handed her one of the pails. “Look.” She peeled down her lower lip. “I lost a tooth.”
“Wow.” Madison admired the empty space where the baby incisor had been. “Your first?”
“Yep,” replied Coco proudly. “C’mon. Let’s go.” She headed for the stairs. Madison followed her down to the sand.
Several feet from the shore, they dropped to their butts and removed their shoes and socks, leaving them there, away from the waves.
Barefoot, they got to work, hauling wet sand up to the spot they’d chosen near their shoes, packing it down, then going for more. Madison enjoyed Coco’s chatter as well as the sound of the waves and the misty sweetness of the wind that kept blowing her hair into her face.
