Midnight Caller - By Diane Burke Page 0,11

I won’t. She watched from across the parking lot as Tony and Jack inched their way toward the front of the bus line. It had never been more evident to her than now that she couldn’t be everything her son needed. He needed a dad in his life. A dad she had been unable and unwilling to provide. Sadness threatened to overwhelm her. A lone tear escaped and slid down her cheek.

Tony paused before boarding the bus and looked over his shoulder. His eyes locked with hers. He winked, just as he had when they met, sending her a silent assurance that he understood and everything was going to be okay. Then, he lifted Jack to carry him up the steps.

Erin shook her head when she looked at Jack. His cowlicks stood at attention no matter how hard she had tried to gel, mousse and spray them into place. But it was Jack’s grin, so wide it barely fit his face, that clenched her heart.

“Bye, Mom,” he yelled, waving furiously. His contagious excitement made Erin bounce and wave in return despite the tears that stung her eyes. Her baby was growing up.

From the second they had passed through the turnstiles, Erin had understood why they named it the Magic Kingdom—from the quaint gift shops, the incomparable anima-tronic rides, the fireworks behind Cinderella’s castle and the parade down Main Street. The day had been long but exciting and memorable. Tony had been great with Jack. Never losing his patience with the ever-talking, constantly-in-motion boy as they waited in lines or made their way through the crowds. It had been more than Erin expected, much more. For just today, she had allowed herself to pretend they were a family and realized that Jack wasn’t the only one who missed having a male figure in their lives.

Tony elbowed his way through the restaurant. “Where do kids get their energy?” he asked as he placed their trays on the table.

Erin helped Jack position his wheelchair and then slid on the bench beside Tony. “He doesn’t look energetic now.”

Jack, stuffing chicken fingers and fries into his mouth, looked like he could fall asleep chewing. His eyes were heavy and even the din of people talking and bustling past their table didn’t faze him.

Erin’s legs throbbed and muscles she didn’t even know she owned screamed in protest from the hours they had spent racing from one side of the park to the other, not wanting to miss a single thing. She leaned down and rubbed the painful knot in the back of her calf.

“You okay?” Tony asked, nodding his head at her calf. “I can get rid of that cramp for you.”

“No, thanks. It’s okay.”

“Look, trust me.”

Trust him? He had no idea how impossible that would be.

“Pull your toes toward your nose. It releases the cramp. When you get home, massage your calf and put a warm compress on the muscles. It should help.”

She pulled her toes upward and the seizing pain subsided.

He hid his grin at the surprised look on her face.

“So how do you know so much about leg cramps, Detective?”

Tony shrugged. “Played football in college. Dealt with a couple dozen of them.”

She smiled up at him and the bright sparkle of her green eyes stole his breath away. Wispy red curls framed her oval face, cascading in waves over her shoulders and down her back. Full, rosy lips drew his attention. To his surprise he found himself wondering what they’d feel like pressed against his own.

Tony gave himself a mental shake. He was here to do a favor for a boy. Nothing more. He had no time in his schedule or a place in his life for a woman—and most definitely not a single mom with a kid. He needed a distraction and he needed it now. When he glanced across the table, he laughed out loud. Jack, his head propped on his elbow, his mouth hanging open, was sound asleep.

“Looks like Jack’s down for the count.” Tony grinned. “I thought if he didn’t wind down soon, I’d be the one sitting in that wheelchair with him on my lap.”

Erin laughed and the delicate, musical sound made him think of wind chimes in a gentle breeze.

“Maybe we ought to call it a day and head back toward the buses. What do you say?” Tony asked.

“My thoughts exactly.” She gathered the empty food containers and stacked them on her tray.

Tony didn’t want to be but he was drawn to her. Despite his internal alarms