Kickstart My Heart (Burgers and Brew Crue #1) - Lacey Black Page 0,32

nothing of real substance. I’m not trying to starve myself. I’m not on a diet, though I think I could afford to lose a few more pounds, but my priority will always be my daughter.

I pull out the fries and the burger, irritated by Walker. At his insistence at getting us food and his white knight tendencies that showed brightly today. And then I get annoyed at my irritation, because I know he was just trying to be nice. I mean, he’s fixing my battery, for God’s sake! He didn’t have to do that. He could have called me an Uber and went about his day, but he didn’t. He also was super sweet to my daughter, which is a side of him I wasn’t expecting.

“Mommy eat too,” Lizzie says between fries.

I give her a smile and stick a few of my own fries into my mouth. They’re not very hot now, but still taste like heaven, all salty and rich. I find myself eating them, two at a time, until they’re gone before I even touch the sloppy double burger. It looks nothing like the ones I serve at Burgers and Brew. These are flat, with condiments seeping from the sides, while ours are huge, with quarter or third pound patties and fresh produce. They even handmake the fries.

When our food is gone, I get Lizzie cleaned up and put a movie on in the living room. She chose Dora today and is happily watching it and playing with toys while I clean up the kitchen. Walker returns to my mind, front and center, and I know I’m going to have to talk to him about today. While I appreciate his help, I don’t want him to feel like taking care of us is his responsibility. I’ve been working my ass off to make a better life for Lizzie and me, and I will continue to do it.

Without a man dictating and running the show.

When the clock hits seven, I help Lizzie into the bathtub and get her washed up. I start to worry about my car too. He’s been gone for more than two hours, which tells me there was something else wrong with it. And it’s probably going to be expensive.

Trying not to cry, I get Lizzie dressed in princess pajamas and brush her blonde hair. The curls straighten as I brush them, but it won’t last long. They’ll pull up as they dry, soft little ringlets like an angelic halo.

Just as I finish, there’s a knock on the door. “I’ll be right back, sweetie,” I tell her, getting up from the floor. A quick glance through the peep hole confirms it’s Walker. “Hey,” I say, after unlocking and opening the door.

“Hey, sorry it took so long,” he starts to say, stepping into my small apartment, which feels like it’s getting smaller and smaller by the second. He’s a large man, tall and muscular, and takes up a lot of real estate wherever he goes.

“Walk!” Lizzie yells, jumping up and running for the man standing in the living room.

“Lizzie Lou, how are you?” he asks, picking her up one-handed and resting her on his hip.

“I watch Dora and Backpack,” she tells him, placing her tiny hands on his cheeks and giggling as the stubble tickles her palms. This is actually the second time she’s done that today.

“Sounds interesting,” he says, carrying her to the small table. He glances up at me. “Do you mind if I eat? Jasper made me and Jameson burgers before we took off.”

“Oh, not at all,” I insist, realizing it’s the least I could do, letting him sit at my kitchen table to eat his dinner.

He sits down in the only seat that doesn’t have a booster strapped to it and positions my daughter on his thigh. She helps him pull the Styrofoam lid off the burger and dumps the fries out on it. Lizzie reaches for one and takes a bite. “Lizzie, that’s not nice. That’s Walker’s dinner.”

Her big green eyes look up at me and then at Walker. “You can have as many fries as you want, Lou,” he insists, holding out a second one for her other hand.

“What do you say?” I ask.

“Tank you,” she replies sweetly before shoveling the fried potatoes into her mouth.

“You’re going to need another bath,” I mumble, smiling and shaking my head.

“Sorry,” Walker says, those ocean blue eyes locking on mine.

I wave a hand and lean against the wall. “Don’t worry about it. You get