Kickstart My Heart (Burgers and Brew Crue #1) - Lacey Black Page 0,29

does that thought not set right in my gut?

“Thank you for hanging out with her for a few minutes,” she says, breaking through the silence.

“No problem.”

“I promise this won’t happen a lot.” Mallory rushes on to add, “My sitter had plans today, and I wasn’t quite finished with work. Isaac said she could drop her off here for a little bit.”

Isaac. Clearly he knew she had a child, and readily agreed to hang out with the little girl while Mal finished up her shift. The thought that my friend knew about Lizzie and I didn’t really grates on my nerves.

“It’s fine,” I reassure her, leaning back in my chair.

Lizzie takes the coloring book and holds it up to her mom. “Done!”

“All done?” Mallory says, her eyes lighting up with love as she takes the coloring book. “Are we taking it home to put on the fridge?” The little girl shakes her head no and points to me. Mal seems shocked as she looks across the desk. “This is for Walker?”

Lizzie nods.

When Mallory rips the paper out of the coloring book, the little girl walks over and hands it to me. “This is for me?”

Again, she nods, sticking her finger in her mouth in a shy manner. “Well, how about we go downstairs and hang it up?”

Lizzie smiles and reaches out her hand. I take it in mine, my hand looking gigantic wrapped around hers, and head for the stairs. We take our time going down, her little legs stopping on each step. Mallory trails behind us until we reach my office.

“Where should we put it?” I ask the little girl, who looks around at my bare walls. Then, she points to the place directly in front of my desk. “Good choice. Then I can see it every day when I’m working.”

I lift her up and set her down on my office chair and grab the tape. I put a piece on all four corners and head for the empty wall. “Here?” I ask, making sure it’s in the right position. Lizzie nods eagerly and watches as I stick her masterpiece up on my wall. “There. It’s perfect,” I tell the little cutie.

She agrees with a grin.

“Okay, well, we should get going, Lizzie. Walker has work to do, so we better let him get back to it,” Mallory says, walking over to pick up her daughter.

I shove my hands into my pockets and find myself saying, “I’m off work now.” Not sure why I volunteered that info, but I did.

“Well, I had a big day today and I thought maybe we could grab a Happy Meal on our way home,” Mallory says to her young daughter. The delight that fills the little girl’s eyes is enough to make me smile.

“Willy?”

“Yes, really,” she says, shoving the small bag of fruit snacks into her purse. “Do you want a cheeseburger or chicken nuggets?” she asks as they head for my office door.

“Nuggies!” Lizzie exclaims.

Mallory and I both laugh. “Well, thank you for watching her for a little bit. Will you tell Isaac thank you too?”

“I will.” I step forward, wanting to volunteer my services again, but I’m not sure that’s wise. Even though this little girl has already melted through that thick block of ice I call a heart, I know it’s not a good idea to position myself in their lives. Not while Mallory works here.

“Bye, Walk!” Lizzie hollers, waving over her mom’s back, as they leave my office.

I drop down onto my chair and pull it up to my desk. However, the moment I glance up and see the art on my wall, I find myself grabbing my keys and calling it a day. Locking my office door, I decide to head home. I could use a workout or a run—anything to get my mind off Mallory and Lizzie.

The problem is the moment I step outside, I see Mallory’s little SUV still in the lot, trying to turn over. I bypass my Jeep completely and head for her car. She startles when I knock on the window and reach to open her door. “Sorry to scare you.”

“It’s okay,” she mumbles, her cheeks a little flushed.

“What’s the problem?”

She glances down at the steering wheel. “Won’t start.”

“Crank it so I can hear,” I instruct, listening to the engine’s slow attempt to turn over. “Sounds like the battery or the alternator.”

Her face falls. “Oh. That sounds expensive,” she mumbles.

“We can start with a battery and go from there. If it’s not the battery, I