turned seven on October tenth. You should have come to my party. It was fun."
"I'm sorry I missed it," Mac said. He rose to stand beside her.
Carolyn became aware of how tall and muscular he was. The entrance hall felt smaller than ever with the three of them standing there.
"Do you want to see my gerbils? Mom gave me the greatest cage. It's got a wheel that they run around and everything."
Suddenly, she wasn't comfortable with Terri giving Mac a tour of her bedroom. She suspected her own bedroom would be the next spot Terri would want to show him. No way was Carolyn ready for that.
"Maybe some other time, Terri," Carolyn urged. "Mr. Macdonald just came in to say hello, and it's time for you to get ready for bed now anyway. Tomorrow's a school day."
The child groaned. "I hope you'll come back soon," Terri told Mac. "I don't have a daddy. Do you have any kids?"
"No, honey. I don't," Mac said, grinning broadly. When Terri followed up her question with another one asking if he was married, he laughed. "No, I'm not. Are you?"
Terri giggled. "No. I'm too little. And my mom's not married either."
The temperature of Carolyn's cheeks rose sharply. "Bedtime, sweetie."
Terri's smile disappeared as she turned to Carolyn. "I'm going," she said dully. But her face brightened once more when she looked back at Mac. "He's nice, isn't he, Mommy?"
Carolyn smiled and put her hands on Terri's shoulders to turn her toward her bedroom. "Yes, Mr. Macdonald is a nice man, Terri. Now you scoot. Go get ready for your bath."
Terri said goodbye to Mac over her shoulder and scurried down the hall to do as she was told.
"Good night, Terri," Mac called after her. He shook his head and looked back at Carolyn. "Another ten years and she'll be a knockout."
"Don't remind me," she responded, rolling her eyes upward.
Mac smiled and then shook his head. "I haven't had much experience with a kid like her. The ones I've run into were mostly delinquents."
Carolyn didn't know what to say. She bit down on her lower lip.
"Well, I'll be going. Thanks for sharing my pizza."
"I'm the one who should thank you–for all your help at the shop." She leaned toward him and added in a whisper, "and for not mentioning to Terri what happened."
"No problem. So, what about going out for a real dinner?" he added, looking down the hall where Terri had disappeared.
"Well, I'll have to get a sitter," Carolyn said hesitantly.
"We'll go for something better than a cold pizza. You can tell me where the good restaurants are in the area."
"Are you taking my mommy out to dinner?" Terri asked from the hall where she appeared suddenly. She'd apparently made no progress toward getting ready for her bath except removing her shoes. Carolyn felt certain she'd been listening to her conversation with Mac.
"I will if she'd like to go."
"Oh, yes!" Terri said excitedly. "Mommy wants to go. I know she does. Don't you, Mommy? Please! "
"Whoa!" Carolyn told her. "I'd like to make up my own mind, thank you very much, Little Miss Social Secretary."
"Don't you want to go out with him, Mom? You said he's nice."
"Yes, he's very nice. Now you–"
"And I think he's handsome. Don't you?"
Carolyn looked at Mac to see he was enjoying every minute of the dialogue between Terri and her embarrassed mother. She groaned. " Yes , he's handsome," she said to Terri before she turned back to Mac. "I give up, Mac. I'd love to go to dinner with you, but can we decide when and where at another time?"
Mac lost his struggle for composure and laughed. "Sure, Carolyn. Bye, little one. Sweet dreams." Mac's gaze moved over Carolyn. "Sweet dreams to your mommy, too."
Carolyn returned his gaze and couldn't look away. "Thanks," she said, feeling butterfly wings fluttering in her stomach.
He was the one to break the tenuous bond between them by opening the door and stepping out on to the stoop. "Be sure to lock your door."
"I will," she promised. He nodded and walked toward his car. "Good night," she
"I'm sorry I missed it," Mac said. He rose to stand beside her.
Carolyn became aware of how tall and muscular he was. The entrance hall felt smaller than ever with the three of them standing there.
"Do you want to see my gerbils? Mom gave me the greatest cage. It's got a wheel that they run around and everything."
Suddenly, she wasn't comfortable with Terri giving Mac a tour of her bedroom. She suspected her own bedroom would be the next spot Terri would want to show him. No way was Carolyn ready for that.
"Maybe some other time, Terri," Carolyn urged. "Mr. Macdonald just came in to say hello, and it's time for you to get ready for bed now anyway. Tomorrow's a school day."
The child groaned. "I hope you'll come back soon," Terri told Mac. "I don't have a daddy. Do you have any kids?"
"No, honey. I don't," Mac said, grinning broadly. When Terri followed up her question with another one asking if he was married, he laughed. "No, I'm not. Are you?"
Terri giggled. "No. I'm too little. And my mom's not married either."
The temperature of Carolyn's cheeks rose sharply. "Bedtime, sweetie."
Terri's smile disappeared as she turned to Carolyn. "I'm going," she said dully. But her face brightened once more when she looked back at Mac. "He's nice, isn't he, Mommy?"
Carolyn smiled and put her hands on Terri's shoulders to turn her toward her bedroom. "Yes, Mr. Macdonald is a nice man, Terri. Now you scoot. Go get ready for your bath."
Terri said goodbye to Mac over her shoulder and scurried down the hall to do as she was told.
"Good night, Terri," Mac called after her. He shook his head and looked back at Carolyn. "Another ten years and she'll be a knockout."
"Don't remind me," she responded, rolling her eyes upward.
Mac smiled and then shook his head. "I haven't had much experience with a kid like her. The ones I've run into were mostly delinquents."
Carolyn didn't know what to say. She bit down on her lower lip.
"Well, I'll be going. Thanks for sharing my pizza."
"I'm the one who should thank you–for all your help at the shop." She leaned toward him and added in a whisper, "and for not mentioning to Terri what happened."
"No problem. So, what about going out for a real dinner?" he added, looking down the hall where Terri had disappeared.
"Well, I'll have to get a sitter," Carolyn said hesitantly.
"We'll go for something better than a cold pizza. You can tell me where the good restaurants are in the area."
"Are you taking my mommy out to dinner?" Terri asked from the hall where she appeared suddenly. She'd apparently made no progress toward getting ready for her bath except removing her shoes. Carolyn felt certain she'd been listening to her conversation with Mac.
"I will if she'd like to go."
"Oh, yes!" Terri said excitedly. "Mommy wants to go. I know she does. Don't you, Mommy? Please! "
"Whoa!" Carolyn told her. "I'd like to make up my own mind, thank you very much, Little Miss Social Secretary."
"Don't you want to go out with him, Mom? You said he's nice."
"Yes, he's very nice. Now you–"
"And I think he's handsome. Don't you?"
Carolyn looked at Mac to see he was enjoying every minute of the dialogue between Terri and her embarrassed mother. She groaned. " Yes , he's handsome," she said to Terri before she turned back to Mac. "I give up, Mac. I'd love to go to dinner with you, but can we decide when and where at another time?"
Mac lost his struggle for composure and laughed. "Sure, Carolyn. Bye, little one. Sweet dreams." Mac's gaze moved over Carolyn. "Sweet dreams to your mommy, too."
Carolyn returned his gaze and couldn't look away. "Thanks," she said, feeling butterfly wings fluttering in her stomach.
He was the one to break the tenuous bond between them by opening the door and stepping out on to the stoop. "Be sure to lock your door."
"I will," she promised. He nodded and walked toward his car. "Good night," she
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