Busted by Cher Carson Page A

together.”
    She busied herself setting the children’s last period art
projects in a neat pile on the corner of her desk so she wouldn’t have to look
at him. “Maybe we do.”
    He reached across her desk, trapping her hand under his.
“You don’t really believe that.”
    After forcing herself to look him in the eye, she said, “How
do you know what I believe?”
    “Honey,” he whispered, “he can’t give you what you need, but
I can. If you’ll just let me...”
    “Daddy, why are you holdin’ Miss McCoy’s hand?” Cassidy
asked, skipping up to the desk. “Are you two in love ?” She covered her
mouth and giggled as Cole withdrew his hand.
    “Come on,” he said, getting to his feet. “It’s time for us
to go home, Princess.”
    “Awww,” Cassidy said, stomping her feet. “You told me you’d
take me to the store after school today. You promised to get me that new
Barbie.”
    Cole tugged on his daughter’s ringlets. “How could I forget?
Okay, let’s go.” He looked at Charlene a long time before he asked, “Think
about what I said?”
    She couldn’t allow herself to go there. If she did, she’d
just invite trouble. “Have a good weekend, you two.” She smiled at Cassidy.
“I’ll see you bright and early on Monday morning, and don’t forget to practice
for the holiday concert.”
    “I won’t. I promise.” 
     
     
    Cole had never been so frustrated. He knew he and Charlene
had a unique connection. He felt it every time they were together, but he
couldn’t act on it because he knew she would reject him. She was too worried
about what people thought to consider putting her own happiness first. He knew
he could make her happy, in and out of the bedroom, but that wasn’t an option
as long as her pseudo-boyfriend was in the picture.
    He knew she was using Paul to hide from her feelings for him,
but Cole couldn’t call her out on it as long as his daughter was in the room.
He was getting tired of dancing around their attraction. He wanted to act on
it. Again. He hadn’t been with a woman since the school year started. He
told himself that he’d been too busy, but the truth was, no one else interested
him. He wanted Charlene. Period. Even in the year since they had sex, the few
women he slept with made him crave her even more. He was so screwed.
    “Daddy, what are you doing?” Cassidy squealed. “You drove
right by the store.”
    He swore softly under his breath as he pulled into the drug
store parking lot to turn around. “Sorry, sweetie, I guess my mind was
somewhere else.”
    “You were thinking about Miss McCoy again, weren’t you?”
    Cole looked in the rear-view mirror to see his daughter
looking sadder than he felt. “What makes you say that?”
    “You always get real quiet after you see her.” She sighed
and crossed her arms. “I wish she wasn’t going out with Kelsey’s daddy. She
says they’re gonna get married, you know.” She frowned. “Then Miss McCoy will
be her mama.” She kicked the back of the seat with her fur-trimmed boot. “It’s
not fair! Kelsey always gets everything she wants. Why should she get Miss
McCoy, too?”
    Cole tried to breathe to ease the knot in his stomach as he
gripped the steering wheel. “You don’t know they’re gonna get married, Cass.” Please,
God, don’t let her marry him. 
    “She said her daddy asked her how she would feel about it if
he proposed to Miss McCoy. She thinks he’s gonna buy her a ring for Christmas.”
Her blue eyes brimmed with tears when they met his in the mirror. “It’s not
fair. I love Miss McCoy. I want her to be my mama.”
    Cole swallowed the lump in his throat. He’d denied the void
in Cassidy’s life for too long. He told himself she was happy that it was just
the two of them, but his mother was right. His little girl was missing out, not
having a woman like Charlene in her life, and he intended to do something about
it before it was too late.
    “How would you like to have dinner with your