bill.
“Thanks, squirt. You did good.”
“Mommy, are you okay? You scared me when you screamed.”
Sam wrapped her arms around Michy in a reassuring hug. “I’m fine, sweetie. It’s just a little owie that’ll be better in no time. And, for the record, I didn’t scream.”
Michy giggled and Kevin grinned. “Yes, you did, and it was loud, too.”
“Great.” Sam sighed and rolled her eyes to Kevin. “The other thing you asked about… Apparently, it’s the only thing I didn’t do.”
She’d fallen, screamed, nearly cried, had mustard on her nose, sand on her skin, grit in her teeth, and an ankle the size of a basketball—all in front of the sexiest man she’d ever met, the man she fantasized about the night before… the man she hoped to seduce.
Despite her shortcomings and the accompanying drama, he was still here, using a feather-light touch to drape the towel over her ankle and foot, and readying the ice. He didn’t drop the bag in place, but instead, let it hover for a moment, giving her time to adjust to the weight and sensation of the cold before settling it in place.
“We’ll leave that on for about thirty minutes, then figure out where to go from there.”
Sam didn’t do well being nursed, and she hated to disrupt Kevin and Spencer’s afternoon. And a little privacy to spit and scratch would be awesome.
“Thank you for your help, but I’ll be fine. There’s no need for you and Spencer to hang around here. I don’t know how much time you get to spend with him, so please”—she shooed him away like a stray—“go do whatever you had planned.”
He leaned against the wooden pillar behind him and crossed his arms. “Spencer’s my nephew, and I have him all the time.” He said the last few words in a heavy, dragged-out nature, like being with his nephew was a major burden, but the grin on his face and the warmth in his eyes said otherwise.
Michaela and Spencer, with their beautiful five and six-year-old tendencies, had gotten on with the business of having fun and were playing in the sand by the seawall.
Unable to spit, Sam sipped from the straw in her cup and swished the soda around in her mouth. She eyed the chilidog, considering another bite… or twelve. But at the rate she was going, she’d end up choking and need Kevin to do the Heimlich. She rested her hands on the bench behind her and leaned back, while Kevin carefully shifted the bag.
“So, it’s true,” she said through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the micro-bursts of fire accompanying each shift of the ice.
“What’s true?”
“You really are a nice guy.”
He grimaced. “So I’ve been told.”
She smiled at his discomfort. “You’re humble, too. I heard lots of good things about you, but… somehow, I missed those qualities yesterday.”
He laughed and ran a thumb across his brow. “Yeah, sorry. Yesterday wasn’t one of my finer moments.”
“I understand. That’s why I—” The discomfort of the ice pushed beyond her tolerance level, cutting off her thought and causing her foot to jerk. “Holy sh—” She snapped her mouth shut and glanced to the seawall, making sure her pint-sized police officer hadn’t caught the near slip. She blew out a breath and let the pain radiate outward, then dissipate.
She hated to make Michy leave, but she couldn’t keep an eye on her with this ankle. Scratch that. She could keep an eye on her, but that’s all. If Michy got in trouble in the water, Sam would be at the mercy of the lifeguard and strangers. Should a stranger decide to snap up her little cutie pie, Sam would be helpless.
Chalk up another Mommy Fail of the Year nomination. At this rate, she’d have such a huge advantage on any other candidates, she’d have the award wrapped up by the end of the weekend.
She cut her eyes to Mazze, who watched her way too closely. Given the circumstances, it seemed odd to enjoy his company, but her pleasure wasn’t important. One disappointed child was more
“Thanks, squirt. You did good.”
“Mommy, are you okay? You scared me when you screamed.”
Sam wrapped her arms around Michy in a reassuring hug. “I’m fine, sweetie. It’s just a little owie that’ll be better in no time. And, for the record, I didn’t scream.”
Michy giggled and Kevin grinned. “Yes, you did, and it was loud, too.”
“Great.” Sam sighed and rolled her eyes to Kevin. “The other thing you asked about… Apparently, it’s the only thing I didn’t do.”
She’d fallen, screamed, nearly cried, had mustard on her nose, sand on her skin, grit in her teeth, and an ankle the size of a basketball—all in front of the sexiest man she’d ever met, the man she fantasized about the night before… the man she hoped to seduce.
Despite her shortcomings and the accompanying drama, he was still here, using a feather-light touch to drape the towel over her ankle and foot, and readying the ice. He didn’t drop the bag in place, but instead, let it hover for a moment, giving her time to adjust to the weight and sensation of the cold before settling it in place.
“We’ll leave that on for about thirty minutes, then figure out where to go from there.”
Sam didn’t do well being nursed, and she hated to disrupt Kevin and Spencer’s afternoon. And a little privacy to spit and scratch would be awesome.
“Thank you for your help, but I’ll be fine. There’s no need for you and Spencer to hang around here. I don’t know how much time you get to spend with him, so please”—she shooed him away like a stray—“go do whatever you had planned.”
He leaned against the wooden pillar behind him and crossed his arms. “Spencer’s my nephew, and I have him all the time.” He said the last few words in a heavy, dragged-out nature, like being with his nephew was a major burden, but the grin on his face and the warmth in his eyes said otherwise.
Michaela and Spencer, with their beautiful five and six-year-old tendencies, had gotten on with the business of having fun and were playing in the sand by the seawall.
Unable to spit, Sam sipped from the straw in her cup and swished the soda around in her mouth. She eyed the chilidog, considering another bite… or twelve. But at the rate she was going, she’d end up choking and need Kevin to do the Heimlich. She rested her hands on the bench behind her and leaned back, while Kevin carefully shifted the bag.
“So, it’s true,” she said through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the micro-bursts of fire accompanying each shift of the ice.
“What’s true?”
“You really are a nice guy.”
He grimaced. “So I’ve been told.”
She smiled at his discomfort. “You’re humble, too. I heard lots of good things about you, but… somehow, I missed those qualities yesterday.”
He laughed and ran a thumb across his brow. “Yeah, sorry. Yesterday wasn’t one of my finer moments.”
“I understand. That’s why I—” The discomfort of the ice pushed beyond her tolerance level, cutting off her thought and causing her foot to jerk. “Holy sh—” She snapped her mouth shut and glanced to the seawall, making sure her pint-sized police officer hadn’t caught the near slip. She blew out a breath and let the pain radiate outward, then dissipate.
She hated to make Michy leave, but she couldn’t keep an eye on her with this ankle. Scratch that. She could keep an eye on her, but that’s all. If Michy got in trouble in the water, Sam would be at the mercy of the lifeguard and strangers. Should a stranger decide to snap up her little cutie pie, Sam would be helpless.
Chalk up another Mommy Fail of the Year nomination. At this rate, she’d have such a huge advantage on any other candidates, she’d have the award wrapped up by the end of the weekend.
She cut her eyes to Mazze, who watched her way too closely. Given the circumstances, it seemed odd to enjoy his company, but her pleasure wasn’t important. One disappointed child was more
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