Pinky Promise (Riverbend Romance 2)

by Valerie Comer

  “Ian Tomlinson, has anyone ever told you you’re a brat?”

  He winked. “Not since I was ten, but you can tell me anytime you like.”

  “Oh, you. Once again, I see I’m outnumbered. Why don’t I put together a tossed salad while we wait?”

  “Sounds good.” Ian tugged out his phone and tapped the Panago Pizza number on his favorites list. He’d placed Kelly’s number there, too.

  Kelly’s hands dropped to her hips. “How often do you get pizza, anyway?”

  Ian held up his hand to silence her as he recited the order and gave Kelly’s street address. He slid the phone back in his pocket. “Uh... it’s a working single dad’s best friend?”

  “You get off work at three-thirty,” she pointed out. “You have plenty of time to make a real dinner.”

  She had a point there. “I cook on weekends,” he offered. He glanced at Sophie. The kid knew exactly how often he was in the kitchen. “Sometimes, anyway.”

  “My daddy makes yummy pancakes,” announced Sophie. “And bacon and eggs. And he hardly ever burns the toast.”

  “Hey now.” Ian tickled his daughter to silence her. “Don’t give away all my secrets.”

  “I like pancakes.” Elena looked from one to the other.

  “One of these days I’ll make you some.”

  Kelly shot him another one of those looks. “Come on inside, girls. Wash your hands and you can help me make salad. What kind of dressing do you and your daddy like, Sophie?”

  “We like ranch.” Sophie tucked her hand inside Kelly’s as they went down the steps to the door of the basement suite.

  “Then it’s handy we have some in the fridge.” Kelly grinned down at Sophie.

  Elena ran down the steps behind them.

  Oh, yes. Ian could totally get used to this. The door shut behind the threesome, and silence descended on the backyard. He looked up at the blue spring sky, where a few fluffy clouds scuttled across as though they were in a hurry to go somewhere. Like if they stopped moving, they’d fall.

  “Lord?” whispered Ian. “I do want You to guide Kelly and me. Don’t let me pedal so fast I don’t hear Your voice. You know how much she warms my heart. How attached Sophie is getting already. I commit everything to You, Lord. But can I just say please?”

  Chapter 7

  Ian’s vehicle pulled into her driveway at eight on Saturday morning. Kelly peeked through the curtains to see his new bike mounted on a rack. He’d likely be taking Sophie’s wheels home with him at the end of the day as spring break was over. He opened the back door, and Sophie slid from her booster seat onto the pavement. Both of them reached into the Jeep for grocery bags then headed toward the gate.

  “Mommy? Is Sophie here?”

  “Yes, baby girl. They just got here. Run, put on your clothes. Remember we have a busy day planned.”

  She’d hit the shower at five-thirty, as usual. Too bad she couldn’t sleep in a bit on weekends, but Elena had cured her of it as an infant and she’d never gotten back into the groove. But it was only in the past week or two she’d had trouble sleeping. A certain man — tall, dark, and handsome — kept invading her dreams.

  The same man now stood at her door, knocking.

  How had Kelly agreed to let him make breakfast in her kitchen? One of these days she needed to see his place, but hers was closer to the park. The girls weren’t up to long bike rides yet.

  Kelly opened the door wide. “Come on in!” She knelt, and Sophie walked into her arms for a hug.

  “Where’s Elena?” asked the little girl after hugging her back.

  “Getting dressed. She’ll be out in a minute.” Kelly glanced up at Ian then back at Sophie. “Are you helping your dad cook?” She couldn’t let her eyes linger on Ian. All week he’d arrived after a day at the office, dressed in business casual. Today’s jeans and Vancouver Canucks T-shirt looked good on him. Too good. All she needed was one more Ian to parade through her dreams with the others.

  Sophie shook her head. “I don’t know how.”

  Kelly squeezed her. “We’ll find you a job.” No wonder it was easier for Ian to get take-out. Kelly enlisted Elena’s help every day. There was always something a six-year old could do, even if it was just setting the table. She’d been flipping pancakes at three.

  Ian set his bags on the kitchen table. “Do I get a welcome hug, too?” His dark eyes danced.

  Sophie rolled her eyes. “Daddy needs lots of hugs.”

  “Oh, does he?” Kelly straightened. “Scoot and tell Elena to hurry.”

  “I’m right here, Mommy,” said Elena from the hallway. “I’ll give Mr. Ian a hug if he needs one.”

  “I sure do.” Ian squatted as Elena pitched herself at him. He picked her up in one arm and strolled back to Kelly, eyes fixed on hers. “Good morning, beautiful.” He pulled Kelly into a side hug.

  Elena leaned between them, peering into Ian’s face. “Did you call my mommy beautiful?”

  “I did. It’s true, isn’t it?” Ian’s hand rubbed Kelly’s arm.

  The little girl tipped her head. “Yes. Mr. Ian, will you—”

  “Elena.” Kelly clipped the one word, and her daughter sighed.

  “Will I what?”

  “I can’t say.”

  Kelly pulled away and cupped her hand behind Sophie’s head. “Why don’t you two wash your hands, so you can help in the kitchen?”

  Ian set Elena down and the girls ran down the hall. In seconds, splashing water could be heard. He stepped closer to Kelly, his dark eyes intensifying. “You look great today.”

  The space between them seemed to buzz. “So do you.”

  His eyes twinkled. “Canucks fan?”

  Kelly grinned. “I wouldn’t admit it if I wasn’t. Not anywhere in British Columbia.”

  “Good girl. Now you know why I had to move to Riverbend. I couldn’t cheer for the Calgary Flames anymore.” He tugged her into his arms and planted a kiss on her hair. “I’m looking forward to spending all day with you and Elena.” Then he let go and grimaced as the sound of running water ended. “Time’s up, I think.”

  Two little girls ran into the room.

  Kelly laughed. “You’re right. Now, what have you got there? What can we do to help?”

  Ian hesitated. “Fixings for pancakes. Bacon. Butter. Syrup. I wasn’t sure what all you had, so I brought everything. At least, I hope I did.”

  She peered into one of the bags. Organic, whole-grain pancake mix. Of course he didn’t cook from scratch. What had she been thinking? It did look a step up from generic, though. “I’ll get out my electric frying pan and set it up here at the end of the counter. That way the girls can flip pancakes.” Kelly had cleaned everything off the counters to make room. She pointed to the other side of the sink. “That’s a good spot for mixing. There are bowls in the cupboard below. And, oh.” She opened the drawer under the stove and pulled out a cast iron skillet. “This is good for bacon. Anything else?”

  “Uh, no. I think I’m good.”

  The girls clasped hands. “Do you know how to flip pancakes?” Sophie whispered.

  “Yeah, don’t you?” Elena whispered back.

  Sophie shook her head.

  “Today’s a great day to learn,” announced Kelly. She opened the under-stair storage space off the hallway, the perfect place for bulky things like electric frying pans. She brought it back, set it on the counter, and plugged it in.

  Ian measured pancake mix into one of her stainless steel mixing bowls. The girls stood in the middle of the floor and watched the kitchen invasion.

  Kelly shifted from one foot to the other. Shouldn’t someone start the bacon? She set the one remaining grocery bag in the sink. “Here, girls. I’ll get the plates down and you can set the table. By the time you’re done, it will be time to start cooking the pancakes. Okay?”

  They nodded. A few minutes later the table was set and the frying pan hot. Elena dragged a kitchen chair to the counter and pulled a flipper from the jar at the b
ack. “I’m ready, Mr. Ian.”

  Sophie copied Elena with a second chair.

  Ian shot Kelly an indiscernible look before handing her the mixing bowl. “I was planning on doing everything.”

  “And spoil their fun?” she replied lightly. Had he always been this controlling and she only now realized it? Kelly got a third-cup measure out of a drawer and handed it to Sophie, being as Elena had the flipper. “Here’s what you do. You put four scoops in this pan, okay? One close to each corner. Be careful not to touch the pan. It’s hot.”

  Sophie pulled back a little and shook her head.

  “Do you want Elena to do this part?”

  The little girl nodded.

  Elena took the scoop and plopped batter off to one side. A few drops dribbled along the way. She frowned and reached for the flipper. “I wanted it in the corner.”

  “You can’t move it now, baby girl. Not until it’s brown on the bottom, remember?”

  “But I can’t fit four.”

  “Three is fine this time. Don’t worry.” Behind her, the bacon began to sizzle on the stove.

  Elena bit her lip and dropped another load of batter, then another.

  “That doesn’t look like pancakes.” Sophie peered from a safe distance.

  Kelly braced her foot on the chair and leaned closer, encasing Sophie. “They will. Give it a minute. Do you remember how to tell when they need to be turned over?”

  Elena frowned. “Bubbles?”

  “Right. Bubbles all over.” They waited a minute, while the aroma of cooking bacon wafted over the kitchen. She glanced at Ian, but his back was to her as he stood at the stove. “Smells good, Ian.”

  He glanced at her with a little grin, but it didn’t seem to reach his eyes. Was he really so perturbed she and the girls were helping? That didn’t seem right.

  “Can I turn them over now, Mommy? Look at the bubbles.”

  Kelly nodded. “You can do two of them. Then Sophie can do one if she wants. Remember the pan is hot.”

  Sophie shook her head and backed closer to Kelly. “You do it.”

  Elena’s face scrunched in concentration as she got the flipper under the first misshapen pancake. It landed partly on top of one of the others. “Oh, no.”

  “It’s okay. Flip the other one. Then we can scoot this guy over and turn his buddy.” Kelly became aware of Ian close behind her. She glanced up as he watched Elena, a little crease on his forehead. She leaned back a centimeter until she touched his chest.

  He massaged her shoulder — the one furthest from Sophie — and gave her a little smile.

  “I did it!” announced Elena.

  Kelly turned her focus back to the pancake-making operation. “Good job, baby girl. I’ll get a plate you can put those on, and you can start the next pan-full. Want to try this time, Sophie?”

  Ian’s hand stopped rubbing.

  Whatever. She stretched to reach a plate from the cupboard above the frying pan then set it on the counter.

  Elena transferred the pancakes to the plate with a satisfied glint in her eye.

  Kelly’s back chilled. Ian had returned to his spot by the stove. “Okay, now more batter. Can you get them closer to the corners this time?”

  Her daughter set her jaw and nodded. Blobs of batter landed more-or-less in the pan’s four quadrants.

  “Good job!” Kelly raised her hand and high-fived Elena.

  ~*~

  Ian cycled at the back of the parade. He tried to focus on the two wobbly little bikes single-file in front of him, but it was hard not to stare at Kelly’s trim backside as she leaned over her handlebars and led the pack.

  He liked his life orderly. The most spontaneous thing he’d ever done was move to Riverbend, and that hardly counted because he’d been looking for an opportunity like this one for a couple of years. Especially recently.

  Kelly was not orderly, but she was a lot of fun. Oh, it wasn’t that her place was dirty, but it certainly looked lived in. Maybe that’s because it was, compared to his. Ian suspected it wasn’t just that she’d been home over spring break and that he’d barely moved in. It had that lived-in look the first time she’d invited them over.

  She was so good with little girls. Sophie had even gotten up the nerve to flip the last pan of pancakes with Kelly’s hand guiding hers. Not a single one of them were close to a circle. That hadn’t affected the flavor. Why had he kept thinking Sophie was too young to help? Maybe perfection wasn’t as necessary as he’d always thought.

  His mind veered from that thought. Not perfection, exactly. But talent for detail and order were necessary for his job.

  Kelly made free-form look appealing, but how would he feel about it in a year or two? A sudden shot of insight rocked him. Would he squelch spontaneity in Kelly as he had in Maria? He’d known the kind of mother, housekeeper, and cook Maria should be — which hadn’t matched up to her own vision of herself.

  No wonder she’d left him.

  Chapter 8

  The girls ran from the swings to the monkey bars to the slide.

  Kelly glanced over at Ian. He seemed to be keeping a bit more distance than he had all week, but that was likely because they were in full public view. She was just as glad. A person never knew whom they’d run into at Riverside Park on such a beautiful late-March day. While she was fine with introducing him to people, she didn’t want anyone she knew jumping to conclusions.

  Elena and Sophie had done all the jumping anyone needed to. Okay, maybe she’d been guilty of it herself, even while trying to hold Ian off a little. Or was it their daughters making everything feel claustrophobic? Did she and Ian even have a choice, or were the two little matchmakers so bent on success true romance wasn’t an option?

  There was always a choice. Heartbreak for Elena now was better than heartbreak for both of them later. Kelly had to be sure. The merry-go-round the girls now rode pushed bodies outward with centrifugal force. The merry-go-round her life had become shoved her closer to the center with similar unrelenting power. Closer to Ian.

  She stole another peek. He sat with arms looped loosely around pulled-up knees, watching their daughters. He had thick biceps for a guy with an office job. Brown hair curled close to his T-shirt’s ribbed neck and around his ears. Was it soft or wiry? She didn’t even know. She’d never touched it.

  He must’ve felt her gaze on him, because he turned to her. This time he seemed to truly look at her with more dispassion. Not as Elena’s mom, not as Sophie’s caregiver, not as a woman to flirt with, but as though he’d seen her for the first time.

  It nearly chilled her. What was he thinking? That he’d been crazy to spend so much time with her this week? That he couldn’t wait for spring break to be over and normal life to resume?

  “Ian?” She didn’t realize his name had escaped her lips until the question hung between them, all but visible.

  The lines around his eyes crinkled as a slow smile curved his lips. He shifted position, bracing himself on an arm that angled behind her. Not quite touching, but she could feel the warmth from his body. This was what she wanted, right? To be closer to him?

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  Her heart warmed along with the side of her that was nearest him. She quirked him a grin. “Hey.” She couldn’t bring herself to give him a nickname. Not yet. And even though she didn’t feel beautiful when she looked in the mirror, she didn’t doubt he said what he saw.

  Now that she had his attention, she couldn’t think of a thing to say.

  The girls ran back to the swings. Several other children from their class trooped alongside them.

  “I’ve been thinking about their birthdays,” Ian said in a low voice. “What kind of party do you usually do for Elena?”

  Was he expecting a joint celebration? Well, it only made sense as they shared the day, and Sophie was new to Riverbend. Kelly’s heart squeezed. In just over a month, her baby girl would be seven. How had so much time gone by already?

  “I don’t usually do
anything big,” she replied at last. “We invite a few little friends over. Last year they played dress-up while I made pizza and cake in front of a Disney movie.” She studied his face. “What do you usually do?”

  Ian shrugged. “Last year I took Sophie’s friends to the zoo for a Canadian Wilds party. Sophie wants to do that again, but Calgary is too far for a day trip.”

  Kelly kept forgetting that Ian’s job paid probably double hers. She could only imagine what an event like that might run.

  “You and Elena ever been there?’

  She shook her head. “No, but I’m sure she’d love to go sometime.” As would Kelly. When was the last time she’d been to any zoo? She’d been just a little kid, probably not much older than her daughter. “The closest thing we’ve got around here is a farm where they offer parties. If you can pretend farm animals are zoo animals, it’s all good.”

  “Oh, that sounds fun. Do they offer horseback riding?”

  Kelly frowned. “I think so. I’m not sure. You’d have to look them up online. It’s Holiday Hobby Farm.”

  Ian poked his chin toward the girls. “If there are horses, those two will be thrilled, don’t you think?”

  She shouldn’t have mentioned it. Even a party at Holiday’s was out of her price league, and she couldn’t assume Ian would happily pay double. Besides, that wasn’t fair. He could do what he wanted for Sophie, and she’d do the usual for Elena. It wasn’t like they were a family.

  Maybe someday? But she couldn’t hope too much, no matter what his eyes said. He didn’t really know her. Something was bound to scare him off sooner or later. With most men she’d met, that was Elena. She stifled a grin. Well, that certainly wasn’t the case this time around.

  “What are you thinking?” He nudged her shoulder with his arm. “I saw that smile.”

  He’d said something before that. Her brain scrambled to catch up. Right, horses. “Yes, Elena is into horses. Most little girls their age seem to be. She talks about le...”