Avery internally cringed. “Weeeellll. It might be too small.”
“And too ugly. Can you imagine wearing this in the locker room to change for gym? I’d rather die.”
Avery tugged the smile that threatened to escape back into place. “Dying over underclothing might be a tad dramatic.”
“Not this.” Savannah glared at the offensive fabric. Her tears were drying up. She had more fire inside than she’d let on the other day. She was also funny. Her face made a hundred different expressions in under a minute.
Avery visually combed the area. She didn’t see a man standing around. Perhaps he’d sat down on one of the benches. Poor guy having to take his daughter bra shopping. Her father would have had a stroke if she’d asked him to go anywhere near the women’s section, let alone stand at the counter to pay for her underthings. She had to give Savannah’s dad props for coming, even if he’d wandered off to fortify his resolve.
She spied a solution to Savannah’s dilemma. “Why don’t you give me that? The leprechaun probably wants it back.”
Savannah giggled and flipped the hanger around as she placed it in Avery’s outstretched hand.
“And try this one on instead.” The bra was white with a small bow in the middle and a tiny bit of lace at the edges. It was conservative and yet cute enough to appeal to a preteen. “If you like it, we’ll get a couple in different colors.”
Savannah’s whole face lit up. “That’s perfect. Thanks!” She happily trotted off to the changing room.
Avery scanned for Savannah’s dad once again. She walked around a few clothing racks, and checked under them as if this were a game of hide-and-seek. When she couldn’t find him, she got on her tiptoes to look for Evelyn. Her shopping partner had wandered off and was nowhere to be seen. She could be in men’s shoes, for all Avery knew. Thank goodness for cell phones.
Just as she was about to call Evelyn, she spotted a familiar face. Crazy Walker Wilaby! Ducking behind the display of D cups, Avery held her breath. What was he doing in women’s underclothing? Oh, yuck! He wasthatguy? She should have known. Never blind dating again!
She crept to the edge of the display and peeked around the corner.
“Avery?” asked a deep, completely recognizable voice from behind her. She whirled around and lurched to her feet.
Walker Wilaby stepped back as if he expected her to throw something at him. After what had happened on their date, she probably should. Instead, she gripped the leprechaun bra in her hand. “Walker.”
He rubbed the barely discernible stubble on his chin, and she was caught off guard by the warmth swirling through her belly. “I didn’t expect to see you again. Small world.”
Avery bristled. That’s what he had to say to her after sending her home smelling like—well, she didn’t want to think what she’d smelled like. “Too small for the two of us,” she said, blurting out a line fromIndiana Jones. As angry as she was at Walker, she secretly bounced on her toes and squealed. She’d been waiting ages to use that line in real life. How often does a woman get the chance to quote a classic movie? This was totally excellent!
Walker grinned a Harrison Ford smile. To her surprise, her knees went weak at the sight of it. Not many men could pull that off, and Walker did it with style. “This is thefirsttime I’ve had to reclaim my property from you.” He may have adapted the next line from theIndiana Jonesmovie to fit the situation, but he also took the bra out of her hand.
Which was weird. She stepped back, remembering where they were and that he was the enemy. “You going to wear that?” She arched an eyebrow.
“No, I—” He flipped around in a circle, flustered. Which was also kind of cute, because his eyebrows puckered. “My daughter—”
A warning voice whispered in Avery’s head that she needed to proceed with caution. Her brain skittered across the available information. “Savannah?”
“Yes.” He pulled away from her, wary that she knew his daughter’s name.
Just then, Savannah bounded over, her arm wrapping around Walker’s back as she leaned into him. “Thank you, Mrs. Croft. Did you have more? I want to try them all on.”
Avery came to herself and gathered a selection of colors, which Savannah skipped with back to the changing rooms.
Walker cocked his head. “Did I miss an introduction? Do you work here?”
Avery grunted. “I’m a secretary at Royal Belfast Academy.”
“Ah.” The light of understanding made his brown eyes all the more intelligent.
Avery reminded herself that no matter how smart, no matter how … attractive Walker was, he was not dating material. A man who wasn’t dating material was not marrying material. “So.” She pointed to the unicorn-and-rainbow monstrosity. “That was your pick?” Her voice rang with superiority.
“What?” he asked innocently. “She’s like five. And she likes unicorns.”
Avery shook her head sadly. “I wish they stayed that sweet. My son won’t let me hug him in public anymore.” She clamped her lips shut. Walker didn’t need to know that.
He smiled easily, like the small factoid had been an offering of forgiveness. It wasn’t, and Avery was irked she’d let it slip out. “Hug him anyway. He’ll thank you one day.”
