She really needed to get out more. This was what nerves did to her. Made rational thinking not the priority.
Also, and this wasn’t one of those good things about meeting Jack—he observed everything, therefore he caught it. Her squirm. Clocked it. And clearly filed away her body’s response to him, because his crystal-blue-tidal-pool eyes sparkled.
His ability to make her body act like she’d never seen an attractive man before was ridiculously unreasonable. Her cheeks flushing wasn’t the only thing he heated inside her with the eye glitter he was tossing around with his testosterone-fueled gaze. There was not one doubt that he freaking knew the effect he was having on her hormone fluctuations.
“I like your shoes.” Harmony gave a pointed glance to his loafers. “Do you still like my green shoes?”
“Uh…” Jack looked to April for help but seemed to recover quickly. “I do still like your green shoes. And…uh…thanks for liking mine.”
“Are you going to fire my mom now?” Harmony asked. She looked up at him with the innocence of a meddling second grader.
April choked on saliva.
Jack’s eyebrows raised. He studied Harmony. Then April.
“No,” he said, the word measured. “Because your mom doesn’t work for me.”
Semantics. Right. Got it. He was pacifying the child. But April wasn’t born yesterday; she understood who held the power in this dynamic, and it wasn’t her.
It might, however, be Harmony. That much was still up for debate.
Simone took that pregnant moment to stroll through the back door. This sort of pop-in-unannounced visit was not abnormal, given that they’d added a gate between their backyards.
The kids could go back and forth at leisure and April, Simone, and Yelena could visit without using the front doors. Though Yelena worked long hours frequently, so she wasn’t as likely to be the one to pop in to April’s kitchen unannounced.
“Simone. Hi.” April turned to Jack. “This is my friend Simone. She lives next door.” April made her eyes go wide in the direction of her best friend in what she hoped was a what-the-heck-are-you-doing-here-when-you-knew-he-was-coming stare.
Simone made her eyes go wide right back at April. Not subtle at all. “I’mhereto invite your children over to have apple cider with us.”
Oh, okay. That was nice.
She twisted the thin ring Harmony had given her for her birthday. It smooshed against her skin. She bent it back into place.
April wasn’t a superstitious person, but Harmony had promised the ring was lucky. Right now? April could use all the luck in the world. And look, here was Simone offering a dose of luck.
“So you two can talk without munchkin interventions,” Simone continued.
Jack held his hand to Simone, tossing a good dose of eye glitter at her, too. “I’m Jack.”
“I know.” She gave his hand a solid shake before giving him a once-over and letting it go.
“Your timing is exceptionally suspicious,” April said to her friend, tilting her head slightly to Jack.
Simone could’ve come over ten minutes ago to invite the kids for cider. That actually would’ve been even more helpful.
“I know,” Simone said again, her sly smile unmistakable. She turned her attention to Lola. “What do you say, sweet cheeks? Want to come hang out with me?”
Lola released her grip on April’s leg. Rohan took her other hand. They headed toward the door.
“Harmony?” Simone asked. “You coming?”
Harmony hadn’t budged. She didn’t look like she was going to, either. She pinched her overly painted lips together.
“This is going to require negotiation, isn’t it?” Simone asked, zeroing her focus on Harmony.
Jack tucked his aviator sunglasses into the pocket of his jacket. “I’m good with negotiations.”
“Yes, you are,” April whispered.Well, it’s a given, right?That was pretty much his job.
