Page 78 of Playing Mr. Perfect

“I was supposed to sleep at my friend’s house last night and play with her today, but she got sick,” the little girl says.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I say.

“My brother Sammy had a sleepover at his friend’s house,” she says as the woman behind the counter returns to the register. “I wanted to go with him, but Mommy wouldn’t let me.” She looks poutingly at the brunette waitress, whose name tag says Clare.

As Clare smiles at the little girl, I notice she looks to be about my age. “Trina, we talked about this. Sammy needs time alone with his friends.” She glances at us. “Sorry about that. My daughter has strong opinions.”

“That’s okay. I’d be upset if my sleepover plans got foiled, too.” I glance at Pepper, who’s looking at the little girl with a sweet expression. She’s a natural with kids, or at least with her niece. I wonder if she wants to have a family of her own one day.

Clare smiles at Pepper and says, “The usual? A French vanilla latte?”

“Yes. Nobody makes them better,” Pepper says.

“Thank you.” Clare glances at me. “And what would you like?”

“Four blueberry muffins, please.”

“Coming right up.”

As Clare goes to fill our order, Pepper says, “Running must make you really hungry.”

“The muffins aren’t for me. They’re for you to share with your team.”

“You don’t have to get them muffins. I’m sure they’ll eat breakfast before coming to work.”

“That’s okay. It shows appreciation and keeps morale up. Little things can make a big difference. You do still like blueberry muffins, don’t you?”

“Yes, but how did you know that?”

“We had breakfast at your parents’ house one time when I was visiting Dash, and you grabbed a blueberry muffin before running back here for a work emergency.”

“Okay, here you go.” Clare puts the latte and the box with the muffins on the counter and rings us up.

“Thanks, Clare. Have a great day.” I turn to Trina. “Be good for your mama. She’s working hard.”

“I will. Bye.” Trina waves.

“What a cutie,” I say as we head out.

“She is, and she’s a good girl. I’ve seen her here a few times.” We walk the half block to her office, and she tips her face up to the sun. “What a beautiful day.”

“Sure is.” I hand her the box of muffins. “Have a great day at work.”

She tilts her head. “What are you doing today?”

“I’ve got a hundred things on my plate. But don’t worry. I’ll see you later.”

“Okay. Thanks for walking me to work, and for the latte and muffins. I’m sure everyone will be happy to eat them.”

“My pleasure. See you later, girl boss.” I lean in and kiss her, and then I open the door for her, catching another sweet smile as she walks inside.

I jog back to the rental house. My phone rings as I’m walking down the long driveway. I pull it out and see Doogie’s name on the screen. “Hey, man. How was your honeymoon? I didn’t expect to hear from you so early.”

“I’ve got a lot to catch up on and figured I’d get an early start. The trip was fantastic.” He tells me about the resort and the things they did.

“Sounds like a great time. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Thanks again. I wanted to follow up on your last message. You said you were heading out of town, and you didn’t know when you’d be back. What’s the scoop? Where are you?”