“Did I tell you about Steve’s new TV? It’s huge!” Big green eyes grew wide with excitement at the mention of her best friend Brittany’s, new stepdad. “We watched Jurassic Park on it and it was so cool! Brittany was scared later though, and I let her share my sleeping bag.”
“That was nice of you.”
Lila shrugged it off like it was no big deal, and I loved that she was nothing like my ex-wife who only thought about her own wants and needs.
“She’s my best friend,” she said easily. “And she kept talking until I let her share with me.”
Another laugh escaped and I stood. “Hungry?” One of the perks of working from home was that on days like today when the teachers had one of those in-service days, I didn’t have to worry about childcare. I could work from home while I kept an eye on Lila. “We should start thinking about lunch.”
She bounced up from her knees with a smile so wide I could barely see those familiar eyes. “Pizza?” My little girl had a mild addiction to pizza, and she wasn’t ashamed to ask for it at least twice a day.
“Maybe.” No red-blooded American man could resist the pull of pizza, but as a dad it was my job to make sure she ate a few vegetables each day.
“That means no,” she said with an adorable pout.
“No, it means maybe. Have I ever lied to you?” My lips twitched when she tilted her head to the side, to give my question serious thought.
“No.”
“Then why would I start when it comes to pizza?”
A knock sounded at the screen door before she could answer and Oliver’s smiling face appeared. “Did somebody say pizza? I could go for pizza. I’m starving.”
“Uncle Oliver!” I might have felt slighted about her joy at seeing Oliver if I didn’t know it was equal parts affection for the man and double teaming me on pizza for lunch. “You want pizza too, don’t you?”
As soon as Lila flipped the latch he stepped inside and patted his belly. “I always want pizza, little girl. Don’t you know that by now?” Oliver winked and turned his gaze to me. “What’s up, writer boy?”
“Figuring out lunch, which I guess means pizza.”
“Yay!” Lila bounced up and down. “Wait, I need to change first!” Anxious like the young woman she was becoming, too damn soon for my liking.
Pilgrim Pizza House was packed. But I managed to find us a table while Oliver placed our regular order, extra meat, extra veggies and extra cheese, while Lila made her way to the mini arcade in back, armed with ten quarters.
“There’s a twenty minute wait, so I got mozzarella sticks and fried mushrooms to hold us over.”
I shook my head. “Where do you put it all?”
“It’s all the sex. Burns tons of calories, if you can remember that far back.” Oliver laughed when I flipped him off and looked over his shoulder to make sure Lila wasn’t watching. It didn’t matter how many times I told her she couldn’t do what adults did, my little girl would argue that if it was okay for me, it was okay for her.
“It hasn’t been that long.” In fact, it was probably longer, because I hadn’t put much effort towards dating since we moved to Pilgrim almost two years ago.
“Yeah? Are you measuring it in months or years? And,” he held up a hand with an amused laugh, “don’t give me any of that baby age counting crap. If you say sixty-two months, I’ll kick you in the nuts.”
“I’m not counting,” I said defensively.
“Bull. Every man counts. I’ll bet you know down to the hour. Possibly the minute.”
He wasn’t wrong, but he didn’t need to know that. “How are wedding plans coming along?”
Oliver groaned and dropped his head onto the table. “Don’t talk about it. I love Eva, but if I have to look at three identical invitations that she insists are different colors, I’m gonna run into traffic during rush hour.”
“Rush hour in Pilgrim is like three cars, man.” I laughed when Oliver flipped me off.
“You think it’s funny, but it’s not.”
“I’ve been there,” I told him, and that was all I planned to say about the over the top wedding my ex had insisted on. Planning the wedding and the event itself felt longer than the marriage.
Oliver shook his head and groaned. “How’s writing going?”
“Good, actually.” It was nice to have something positive to say about my work again. Even though I hadn’t written one word of the new series, I felt energized. Happy to create again. More than that, I was happy to have an adult to share the details with. Plus Oliver read my books and knew what to expect. He was a surprisingly good sounding board. “What do you think?”
“I think I can’t wait to get an advance copy when you finish it,” he said with a laugh. “And I think you might actually meet a woman, one you can date out here in the real world.”
That was the last thing on my mind. My ex had done a good job on souring me on relationships and marriage. She barely remembered she had a daughter most of the time, and I refused to let another woman get close to my Lila, only to walk away. “My plan is to treat this as real for the sake of authenticity, but I’m not looking for a wife. Or a girlfriend.”
“Who’s got a girlfriend?” Lila’s eyes wide with excitement. “Is it you, Daddy?”
I glared at Oliver, who was too busy laughing to be properly intimidated. “Not yet, but we’re working on it, aren’t we Lila?”
She gave an exaggerated nod, her lopsided ponytail bouncing in all directions. “Yep. I want her to be tough ‘cause dad is grumpy sometimes. She’ll like cupcakes and pizza and football, but she’ll also play dress up with me.”
“That’s an excellent list, kiddo. Did you write it down so I can give it to Eva?”
“Oh, will you?”
He nodded, mischief gleaming in his eyes. “Absolutely. It’s her job to help find everybody a match.” Oh, he was really enjoying himself at my expense. “Anything else? Does she have to be pretty, or smart or funny?”
“No, but if she knows how to do makeup, I’d like that. Don’t all girls know that stuff?” Her gaze bounced between me and Oliver in search of an answer.
“I don’t know a woman who doesn’t know how, at least a little bit, but if she doesn’t, I’m sure Eva or Sophie will teach you.”
Her eyes lit up with excitement that I hated to squash, but I had to. “You have plenty of time until you’re sixteen,” I growled.
“But I have to learn before then Daddy so I don’t look like a clown.” Another groan escaped at her eagerness to grow up, pulling a laugh from Oliver, the traitor.
“Still, we have plenty of time. Don’t be in such a rush to grow up. Enjoy being a kid.”
Lila thought about it and nodded. “Okay. Can I have more quarters please?”
I happily gave her twelve more quarters in hopes it would make her forget this conversation immediately. “Have fun and don’t wander off.”
“Okay, Daddy!”
As soon as she was gone I turned to my so called friend. “Don’t encourage her.”
“Believe me, she doesn’t need much encouragement from me. That little girl is hungry for some female attention. The kind only a mother, or stepmother, can give.”
He was right, I knew that. Of course I knew that, she brought it up more and more with every passing day. “I’m not interested in that kind of commitment. I need to protect Lila.”
“You’re protecting yourself man, at least be honest about that. Lila is a strong little girl and she’ll be able to handle it, whatever happens. She needs a mother, unless you plan to become better at doing makeup. And ponytails.”
I looked back at Lila, happily playing arcade games, her blond ponytail hanging crookedly to one side. It had been four years, and still, I was no better at doing her hair than on day one.
Maybe Oliver had a point.
Tara
“And what do we do when we see someone breaking the law?” Even though it was the butt crack of dawn on a Saturday morning, I had a big smil
e on my face as I posed the question to the group of ten and unders who showed up for FOTS, a future officers training session. It was an outreach program Xander started for kids at risk of becoming lifelong criminals, but he’d sold it to the town on the basis of kids interested in a career in law enforcement.
“Tell an adult!” Ten year old Casey Brown wanted to wear the uniform more than anything.
“Arrest them!” Lila Jacobs had an interest in the business of policing, but I doubted she really knew what she wanted since she was only eight.
I couldn’t help the smile that blossomed at Lila’s words. The girl definitely had a spark about her. “And how would you arrest a grown man?”
“Easy, my dad will help. Or Uncle Oliver. Or Uncle Rafe, he’s big and tough, pretty much a superhero.” Lila certainly thought a lot of the men in her life, and I couldn’t fault her. They were all pretty good guys.
“All right, well tell an adult is the more reasonable answer to avoid conflict. Or danger.”
“Film them breaking the law, and then call the cops and collect the reward money.” Todd Williams had turned twelve last weekend, but due to his on-again, off-again relationship with petty crime, Xander refused to let him level up. “Duh.”
Wherever the kid ended up, he would be an asset. I just hoped he chose to work for our team. “All right future officers, let’s check out your attention to detail. This is the most important skill you’ll learn and it will help you for the rest of your life. Follow me.”
Lila was at my side in an instant, as she had been for the past hour. “You mean like remembering lots of stuff? I have a good memory. Daddy says my memory is like an elephant.” How her little legs kept up with my stride as I led them to a room filled with mundane, everyday items I have no idea.
“Not just remembering, but noticing small details and things that seem out of place.”
“Like that ash on the clean table?” Lila turned her nose up in disgust. “Smoking is gross.”
“Exactly like that,” I told her with a smile, more than a little impressed. “But let everyone figure it out for themselves, okay?”
Lila nodded, her crooked ponytail bobbing haphazardly. “Oops, sorry Officer Beechum.”
“It’s no problem, Lila.” She smiled and ran off, her pink and purple notepad with the glittery cupcake on the front clutched in her hand as she wrote notes on all she observed. Casey, of course, had a plain black notepad and a half-pencil, probably because she saw it on Law & Order or some other crime show. Todd looked bored, but his crisp blue eyes took in everything. “Okay, are we all done?”
“Yes, Officer Beechum.”
I smiled at the group of youngsters. This was one of the most rewarding parts of the job, reaching out to the kids in the community. It was even worth getting up early and teaching two back to back sessions, every other Saturday.
It worked for me, because unlike some of my other fellow officers, I hadn’t dated much since my ex. Okay I hadn’t dated at all, which meant no late Friday nights. Few weekend plans that couldn’t be canceled or postponed. Pretty much because I had no life, which Gretchen and the girls at Time for Love were determined to change. My phone had buzzed no less than a dozen times this morning, Eva’s way of reminding me that I’d better get my butt into the office today or she’d hunt me down.
I was an officer of the law, not easily threatened, but I knew Eva would see it through, so while the kids finished up their notes, I sent a thumbs up to confirm.
Might as well get it over with. “Who wants to go first?”
Lila and Casey were the only two who volunteered and I let them go first, pointing out all the things that stuck out to them and why. It was a fun activity that took advantage of their abundance of energy, but I hoped it gave them a greater awareness that would keep them safe while out in public. It was all you could hope for from kids this young, no matter how much promise they showed.
At noon on the dot, parents and older siblings began to appear, ready to cart their future officers home or, in some cases, to another activity. As each little kid ran to their loved ones, I felt a pang of something unfamiliar. Something that grabbed hold of my heart and squeezed, left an uneasy churning in my stomach.
Longing.
I wanted a family. A cute little boy or girl with curious eyes and lots of questions. A smiling father to greet them and love them and teach them things. My ex had stolen that from me too when he packed up and left town with less than twenty-four hours notice, with no thought of inviting me along to share his new life. He didn’t steal it, you gave it to him. I could still hear Gretchen’s voice in my head, nudging me to move on with my life. To stop blaming him and just get on with achieving my goals.
She was right, of course. That didn’t mean I needed a matchmaker, dammit.
“Daddy is late. Again.” Lila’s voice brought me back to the present where it was just me and her left. How I’d managed to both daydream and interact with each adult before they left, was beyond me.
I looked down at the little girl who didn’t seem all that worried so much as resigned to her fate. “Should we give him a call in case he forgot?” I guess the life of a famous mystery writer was too important to worry about things like picking up your kid.
“No. Daddy never forgets, sometimes he just gets caught up in a story and loses track of time.” Those words sounded like ones he’d said to her on more than one occasion. “He just started a new story.”
“What does that mean?” I didn’t know Chris Jacobs well, hardly at all, in fact. He’d only been in town a year or so and he mostly kept to himself aside from his friendship with a few of the men in town.
Lila’s face lit up, her hazel eyes dancing with excitement. “It means he’s getting to know his characters and their lives. Like moving to a new place.”
“Have you moved a lot?” I didn’t want to interrogate the girl, but asking questions kind of came along with the job.
Lila shrugged. “No. I dunno, what’s a lot?”
“I don’t know, I grew up here.” I was a small town girl and I planned to keep it that way, probably why my ex up and moved with no notice. He knew I wouldn’t leave Pilgrim, and apparently, I wasn’t enough of a reason for him to stay.
“Can you show me how to tackle a suspect?”
A laugh exploded out of me and I tried to cover it with a cough, but Lila was too smart for that. “You mean taking down a suspect? You’re too young for that training session.”
She pouted and it was adorable. “I’m too young for everything. Please?” When she started to bounce on her toes, hands clasped together, I knew when I was beat.
“Fine. But if I catch you doing this to anyone, or even if I hear about it, you’ll be in big trouble. Got it?”
“Yes!” She did a little victory dance that made me smile before she schooled her expression and grew serious. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Hazel eyes took in every detail as I slowly went through the procedure, including the pat down and cuffing. “You want to make sure the suspect has no weapons or other contraband that could place you or your fellow officers in danger.”
“Okay. Now me.” She did exactly as I said and that’s how her father found us. Twenty-two minutes late.
“Excuse me, little girl.”
Lila gasped and looked up, but to her credit, she didn’t break her hold on my wrists since I refused to let an eight year old cuff me. “Yes?”
“What has this woman done to get arrested?” I’d seen Chris around town, at The Bread Box and The Mayflower, but up close like this, he was handsome. Tall with thick brown hair and hazel eyes that matched Lila’s. His good looks went beyond classically handsome and firmly into obscenely good looking. Thick lips looked perfect for kissing and the day old stubble that lined his jaw gave him a sleepy sexy look that my body, apparently found irresistible. He was tall, well over six feet, and fit with biceps that tugged at the fabric of his t-shirt, and thighs that could barely be contained in well-worn jeans
. “Well?”
Lila giggled. “I’m not arresting her Daddy. I’m practicing.”
“You did good,” I told Lila and she easily let me go and went to wrap her arms around her father. “Tara Beechum.”
He took my offered hand, brows pulled down into a scowl. “Chris Jacobs. Don’t you think eight is a bit young to know how to use handcuffs?”
Ah, so that’s what was wrong with him. He was one of those men who always thought he knew better. “Do you see handcuffs anywhere, Mr. Jacobs?”
“Fine, what about a pat down and-,”
I held a hand up to cut him off, because there was no way in hell I’d listen to some writer tell me how to do my job. “If you have a problem with anything that goes on here, you should have read the agreement before signing up. And before you tell me how to do my job, maybe you ought to learn how to read a clock.”
He looked properly apologetic then, as he raked a hand through thick wavy hair that, of course, flopped back into place easily.
“Sorry, I was caught up in my new story.” Yeah, that charming, gorgeous smile probably made many a woman forgive his absentmindedness. But not me.
“Funny, I hear phones these days come with all types of reminders to make sure you get where you need to be, when you’re supposed to be there.” Chris’ brows dipped in confusion, as if he couldn’t understand why I might be upset.
“But you didn’t forget me, did you Daddy?”
His smile was back for Lila. “I’d never forget my best girl, munchkin. Never. How about pizza for lunch?”
“Yes, please!” She turned to me, a happy smile lit up her face. “Do you like pizza, Officer Beechum?”
“Who doesn’t? Lots of cheese and lots of veggies.” It was why I’d never be smaller than a size ten, no matter how many times I hit the gym, but I was okay with that because pizza was a gift from the heavens.
“Ew, veggies. Do all grownups like veggies?”
I laughed and shook my head. “Not all of them, no, but if you don’t eat your veggies you’ll be a little bitty thing like this for the rest of your life. Is that what you want?”
Misbehaving Curves: A Boss Romance Page 16
