Hearts on Fire by Roz Lee Page A

prevented her from watching him leave, but from the place where she crumpled to the floor, she listened to the sound of the powerful engine growing fainter in the distance.
     
    ~~~
     
    “Daddy!”
    “Huh?” Steve focused on his daughter, who sat next to him at his mother’s breakfast bar, a bowl of soggy cereal in front of her. An adorable mess in pink kitten-print pajamas, her hair even more tangled than usual. The crusty bits in the corners of her eyes attested to the full night of sleep.
    “Can we go back to the faire today?”
    A blast of images rushed through his mind, none of which he could share with his daughter. He turned his head, coughing into his fist, buying time for the flush of arousal to leave his face before he answered.
    “Why don’t we do something else? How about a bike ride?” She loved to sit behind him while he peddled them around the wide path along the beach. “We could take a picnic.”
    “We’re going over to see Aunt Patty.” His mother entered the kitchen. She wore her usual summer outfit, short pants—capris, she called them—and a sleeveless button up shirt. Her short, graying hair was neatly styled, thanks to a standing appointment she kept, no matter what. She glanced at him then made her way to the new-fangled coffee maker. “What are you doing here so early?” she asked, popping a single serving cup into the brewer.
    “I wanted to have breakfast with my two favorite girls.” He tweaked Meggie’s nose, earning a giggle from the little girl. God, he loved to hear her laugh. Seeing his daughter happy and carefree filled his soul.
    His mother leaned against the opposite side of the wide island, coffee cup in hand. “Patty is meeting us at the mall for lunch. I thought I’d do some shopping, maybe get a few things for the munchkin here. I think we’ll get our nails done while we’re out, too.” She turned to her granddaughter. “What do you say?”
    “Can I get my toes painted, too?” Meggie was all girl, something he found frightening and adorable all at the same time.
    “I don’t see why not. Steve?”
    He hated that his mother bought most of Meggie’s clothes, but he’d given up arguing with her about it long ago. His mother and his aunt loved to spoil his daughter. He gave his mom a disapproving look before conceding defeat. “I can’t compete with those plans.” He stood. “You need anything before I go?”
    “Not a thing. You go. Enjoy your day off. We’ll be fine.”
    Taking his daughter in his arms, he hugged her tight. Her little arms wrapped around his neck, and the sweet smell of Ivory soap on her skin melted his heart. He placed a kiss on the top of her head then set her back on the barstool. With an unnecessary reminder to be good, he headed out the door.
    The sun-warmed cab of his pickup seemed empty as he drove down Main Street toward his tiny house on the other side of town. He’d needed to see his daughter this morning—needed to remind himself of who he was. Meggie came first. In order to preserve his sanity, nights like the previous one were a necessity. Over the years, he’d managed to see to his baser needs without taking anything away from his daughter. Anything more than a one-night hook-up would disrupt the most important relationship in his adult life, and he’d never let that happen.
    So, why was he turning toward the ragtag camp behind the faire instead of going home? He wasn’t going there to fuck, he knew that for sure. They’d put a serious dent in his small stash of condoms, including using the one he kept in his wallet for emergencies that he hadn’t thought to replace before he left the house. He’d have to work up the nerve to buy more in the town’s one drugstore, where the woman working the front cash register was friends with his mother. Or he’d have to toss a box into the cart the next time he went to the grocery store, and that wouldn’t be any better since Meggie usually went along on those trips.
    They had