Starting Over (Paradise Place Book 3)

by Natalie Ann

  “Medium rare is good for me.”

  “The same as us. Grab a drink and have a seat. I’ll be right back.”

  So she did and then she let him cook the rest of the dinner while she and Livi set the table. When the food was all done, they ate their meal like a family she always dreamed she’d have one day.

  They talked and they laughed and they cleaned up together. By seven Livi was yawning and rubbing her eyes.

  “Are you tired, sweetie?” Blair asked her.

  “No.” But it was obvious she was.

  “Livi goes to bed at eight, but she had an exciting day today. Why don’t we let you go play in the tub for a bit and get you into bed early?”

  “But I want to stay and talk with Blair,” Livi argued and yawned again.

  “I should get going, Livi. You need to get ready for bed. I’ll see you again soon.”

  “You don’t have to go,” Philip said back to her. She’d been hoping he would offer for her to stay. “And, Livi, you’ll see Blair again, she is only in the backyard. I’ll go run your bath now while you talk with Blair. How’s that?”

  “Okay.”

  While Philip was upstairs, Blair and Livi talked about TV shows that she liked to watch and all the animals she wanted one day. Poor Philip. No wonder he said no to a pet. She suspected that Livi would want an entire zoo if she got one animal.

  Philip came back down ten minutes later and said, “Let’s go get you washed up. Head up there and get undressed and I’ll be there in a minute to take care of your hair.”

  “I’ll come back down after my bath and say goodnight,” Livi said to her.

  “You do that.”

  Once Livi was out of the room, Philip walked into the kitchen and came back with a bottle of wine. “I get the feeling you aren’t much of a beer drinker, but I could be wrong. How about having a glass with me while Livi is in bed?”

  “I’d love to have a glass of wine with you,” she said back. She must have read him right—why else bring out wine and ask her to stay for a glass? It was a date of sorts in her mind now. Maybe in his too.

  8

  His Groove Back

  Philip was upstairs washing and rinsing Livi’s long locks. “Can I play for a little bit or do I need to get out now?”

  “You can play for a few minutes. Are you okay if I go down to check on Blair quick and make sure she isn’t bored?” Or hasn’t left.

  “I’m fine, Daddy. I’m seven. I won’t drown in the tub. And I know how to swim.”

  He laughed. “See that you don’t. No drowning your toys either.”

  “Can I have my crayons? I’ll just write on the tub.”

  He groaned because he hated those soap crayons. They always made a mess. Even if they wiped and rinsed off well, they left a film in the tub that he’d have to scrub out later. He normally did it as soon as Livi was out of the tub, but he didn’t have time tonight and was terrified if he left it until morning it’d be even harder to remove.

  “How about you do that another night? It makes a mess that I’d have to clean up and leave Blair all alone even longer.” And take any bit of romance away while he was Mr. Clean upstairs.

  “No, we don’t want that. I’ll just play with my animals,” she said, smiling.

  He was so thankful his daughter was as agreeable as she was. That she was as well adjusted too. It made life easier when it seemed like it’d been so hard for him lately.

  He went back downstairs to check on Blair and didn’t see her anywhere, then felt a panic he hadn’t felt in a long time thinking she’d left. That she’d spent enough time with the two of them and everything he was thinking that he’d read in her eyes had been completely wrong.

  But when he walked by the deck doors he saw her sitting out there looking around. “I thought you left,” he said.

  “No. I’d never do that without letting you know. I just came out here to enjoy the night air. I do that often at home. I was checking emails on my phone. No worries about me. I’m fine if you need to finish up with Livi.”

  “Thanks,” he said, appreciating that she understood. He always worried that when it came time to date again women wouldn’t understand that his daughter had to come first. He’d been right with that worry in the past year. Not that he dated because it never seemed to get that far once he said he had a child.

  He ran back upstairs and got Livi out of the tub, her hair towel dried as best as he could, then put it in a braid for her to sleep in. She liked the waves it created when they took the braid out the next day, though he might just keep it in since her hair got all tangled while she played.

  And here he was thinking Daddy thoughts when he had a woman on his deck waiting for him with a bottle of wine. A hot woman at that. Double bonus and making him feel like he might be able to get his groove back at some point.

  Livi followed him back downstairs, said goodnight to Blair, giving her a hug and a kiss and thanking her for the fun they’d had. Philip went and tucked Livi into bed and turned her TV on, set the timer for thirty minutes, then went back to have a nice glass of wine and some adult conversation.

  “Now we can have a bit of peace and quiet,” he said, laughing while he walked to the deck with two glasses of wine.

  “She’s fun to be around, but I’ve got to imagine she can tire you out pretty fast.”

  “She can, but I’m used to it. It’s harder to keep up, being by myself.” He wished he didn’t say that though. Not when he saw the curiosity in her eyes this time.

  “I think most parents could say that.”

  He’d give her credit for not asking, but felt maybe he should talk about it. To just get it out there. Full disclosure before it went any further.

  “You know my wife died, right? Livi told me she told you about the locket on her neck.”

  “She did mention it, but I didn’t ask. It wasn’t my place, nor would I question a child.”

  “Thanks for that. She doesn’t know all the details. I mean she knows enough, but not everything.”

  “You don’t have to talk about it,” she said.

  “I want to. I mean I should. I should give you some background.”

  “I’d like to know, but please don’t feel pressured to share.”

  He wasn’t sure how to take her comment, but decided to tell her anyway. “It’s simple enough but yet not. My wife, Mandy, was at work. She was a case manager at a human services agency. They dealt with people addicted to drugs. A client, not one of hers, came in high one day waving a gun around. He wanted to see his case manager, who wasn’t there. He wasn’t happy that he was reported and would be going back to jail. He just started shooting randomly. Mandy was in her office with the door shut, but the bullet went through the wall. She was killed along with three other staff.”

  “I’m so sorry, Philip. That is horrible.”

  “It is. It was. When I got that call I was just in shock. I always knew her clients were unstable and could be dangerous, but I guess I never thought that would happen.”

  “Is that why you moved? To get away from the memories?”

  “Mainly. I just couldn’t keep driving by her office and dealing with it, and I drove by every day on my way to work. Then coming home and seeing the life I had. It was time for a change.”

  “Where did you live before here?”

  “Oneonta. I taught at Hartwick. I just started looking for any job anywhere. I didn’t care where I went. My parents and Mandy’s parents both live in other states. Not close enough and nowhere I’d want to move, so it didn’t matter where Livi and I went.”

  “You didn’t end up moving far though, just a few hours.”

  “A few hours is enough to start over.”

  “And what is it you are looking to start?” she asked, tilting her head.

  He reached his hand over to hers and laid it there softly. “I don’t really know. I haven’t dated anyone since Mandy died three years ago. I don’t even know the first thing about the dating world and
how it might have changed since I got married eleven years ago.”

  “Not that much has changed, at least I don’t think so,” she said, threading their fingers together. There was a sudden heat going up his arm. His chest that was tight when he was talking about Mandy now loosened up with Blair’s touch. Even the pressure behind his eyes was diminishing. Imagine that. Guess he missed a woman’s touch to make it all better.

  “Why do you say that? Someone like you must date a lot. Of course I should have asked that before I touched your hand. Are you dating someone now?”

  She laughed. “I’m not dating anyone now. I haven’t in a while. I don’t have a lot of time to date or get out to meet people.”

  “I’m sure you’ve dated more than me in the past three years though.”

  “I probably have, but nothing serious,” she said.

  “So am I crazy to think that maybe this is kind of a date?” he asked. “It’s the second dinner we’ve had together. But of course admitting that I thought it was a date with my daughter here is sort of embarrassing.”

  “Don’t be embarrassed. I thought it was a second date too, if you want to be honest.”

  “Then you won’t be put off if I kiss you?”

  “Not at all,” she said, putting her glass down and leaning closer to him.

  He did the same, then slid his chair right next to hers, wrapped his hand around the back of her head and yanked her in. He didn’t devour her like he really wanted to do, rather started out soft. Started out slow. Then she opened her mouth and he swooped right in tasting the light tangy wine on her tongue and lips.

  He could get lost in this kiss and didn’t know if it was because it’d been so long since he’d kissed a woman or if it was because it was Blair.

  He was thinking it was Blair and since she now had her other hand around his neck, his heart started to thump like sprinters in the blocks waiting for the gun to fire.

  She was kissing him deeper and harder than he’d intended and he had no plans on stopping anytime soon.

  God, how he missed feeling a woman, tasting one, touching one.

  He didn’t want this moment to end with just a kiss, but he knew it would. His daughter was in the house watching TV. Maybe she was sleeping, but it didn’t matter. He couldn’t do anything tonight. Nor would he even ask Blair. He didn’t think she was that type of a woman no matter how badly he was wishing she were.

  So he ended the kiss, leaned back and looked at her face, saw the sweet smile on her lips and the glaze in her eyes and knew this was the start of something he’d been waiting for.

  9

  Riding A Bike

  “That was nice,” Blair said, running her hand along Philip’s cheek. She liked the rough texture of his facial hair that was starting to grow. She’d always found that sexy on a man.

  “Only nice?” he said back, a big grin on his face.

  “More than nice. You kiss real well for someone who says he hasn’t done it in a while.”

  “Kind of like riding a bike.”

  “I giggle when someone says that statement. I haven’t been on a bike in years and, to be honest, I’m terrified I’d fall off if I got on one. Yet I’m not terrified about kissing a man. Kissing you,” she said.

  “Good to know. Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course.”

  “Your employee. Nikki. She asked me how it was living in Paradise? Is that asked a lot? I kind of thought it was funny, the name, but most developments have names.”

  “I think it’s a local joke about the area. When people think of paradise they think of palm trees and beaches and here we’ve got trees I don’t even know half of the names of and snow that I can’t stand. No water in sight unless you’ve got a pool. Which you don’t.”

  “Nor do I want one. You don’t have one either.”

  “Too much work. My hands are full with my gardens and my shop. Anyway, don’t think anything of it.”

  “How is the neighborhood here?” he asked. “The realtor said it’s a hard place to get into and I was lucky to snatch this house up, but it’d sat on the market empty too so it couldn’t have been that desirable. Makes me wonder if I got taken on it.” He shook his head. “I’m probably ruining the afterglow of that kiss with this conversation….”

  Blair laughed. She figured it might be nerves and he needed to switch topics. She was fine with that. “But it’s only going to be a kiss. I get it. No worries. Anyway, I think the owners were greedy. Paradise Place is a very desirable area, but we live in the older section of it and most want the new section. Your house was recently renovated for the most part. Or done in the past few years. I think they felt they could get more for it than they were offered.”

  “My realtor told me the price had just been dropped when I saw it. I thought it was a good deal. She’d said it’d go fast. If I wasn’t in a hurry myself to get a place I might have continued to look.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t. I bought my house about four years ago and the yard and garage in back had the appeal for me more than anything. It would have been way out of my range, but thanks to my mother’s life insurance policy that my father had put aside for me I was able to buy it outright.”

  “I’m sorry about your mother,” he said.

  There she was talking about her personal life again. She was so used to it and figured why bother to stop at this point. It’s not like she was going to mention anything about her dreams, but she was going to tell him about her mother and fathers. Best to know now what he thought of it before she got any more involved.

  “Thanks, but I don’t remember my mother. She died when I was one.” She got comfortable in the chair and poured herself some wine. “I figured I should tell you about my history since some men have an issue with it.”

  “That your mother died when you were young? Geez, if people have an issue with that then I’m not sure what the heck to do with Livi.”

  “Not really that. But I guess I wanted you to know that I was raised by a single father too for years. Well, two fathers actually. Anyway, I can relate to Livi is what I’m trying to say.”

  “Two fathers?” he asked.

  She took another sip of her wine. “What some more?”

  “Sure,” he said and held his glass out to her.

  “So my father—my adopted father, Tyler McKay—and my mother were best friends in college. My father is gay. My mother and he were always close and remained so. My mother was in her early thirties and all about her career. She was a lawyer and spent a lot of time and effort to make a name for herself. Finding a man took a backseat.”

  “How do you know this?” he asked.

  “Because my father told me. He was there when I was born. Right in the hospital holding my mother’s hand while she pushed me into this world.”

  Philip looked confused. “And your biological father?” he asked. “Did he pass away too?”

  “No clue who or where he is. I came out of a petri dish,” she said and started to laugh. She still found it hilarious when many others didn’t. Too many people didn’t have a sense of humor in life.

  “Oh,” he said.

  “Yeah. My mother wanted a baby and decided she didn’t need a man for it. So she bought me. Or bought the sperm. Anyway, you get the idea. My father was there through it all with her. As I said, they were best friends.”

  “How did your mother die?”

  “A client’s ex. She was a divorce attorney and probably thought that it wouldn’t be that dangerous. Her client’s ex was a psycho and shot my mother and his wife the night before the final hearing.”

  “And your father adopted you?” he asked. “Your mother didn’t have any other family?”

  “Nope. She was an only child and her parents had passed away a few years prior. My father knew he was named as my guardian, but he never really believed he’d end up raising me alone.”

  “You said fathers, so it wasn’t alone?”

  “No. My father’s life was prett
y hush hush as it was back then. But people talk and I’d heard things. I’ll never forget the day he told me that when someone was in love it didn’t matter what their race or gender was, it only mattered that the love was there.”

  “I’ll have to remember that when Livi’s time comes for talks like that. Not that I want to have it anytime soon.”

  “It doesn’t bother you to hear this?” she asked.

  “Why would it?”

  “Because I can’t tell you the number of men who say it’s fine, but it really isn’t. I mean I can tell if it’s not. I get it might be odd or uncomfortable, but it is what it is.”

  “In this day and age it shouldn’t be uncomfortable to anyone.”

  It was then she knew that she could let her guard down with Philip in a way she hadn’t been able to do with other men.

  “I agree. Glad to know you do too. Anyway, my father had dated over the years, but I didn’t know of many of them. I never met anyone until Jake. I was eight when he introduced me to him.”

  “How did you feel about it?”

  Funny that no one ever asked her that before. “I don’t know. I just thought of him as my father’s friend even though deep down I knew it was more than that.”

  Now wasn’t the time to say how she had a dream her father was kissing a man two days before he brought Jake home. Before he even told her that he wanted her to meet Jake. It wasn’t a friendly kiss either but one where they were hugging and whispering words to each other.

  “So Jake was the first guy your father brought home for you to meet?” he asked.

  “And the last. They didn’t live together for a long time. Again, one of those things. But Jake stayed the night on and off. I would spend the night at Jake’s with my father too. I guess little by little it wasn’t much of a secret. My father’s family all knew. His sister and brother, their spouses and all my cousins. My grandmother.”

  “Your family sounds pretty accepting.”