Sweet as Candy - Karla Doyle Page 0,48
for some treats, Macy had bounced into his arms. Now she was voluntarily holding his hand. Apparently, Candace wasn’t the only one falling for Jake Campbell’s charms.
“There’s one more place I’d like to stop before we go back to your house. See the store with the fancy mannequin in the front window?” Using their linked fingers, he pointed to a shop ahead, near the city hall square. “They sell stuff you might like for your dress-up box. Ever been in there?”
Macy shook her head. “Mommy likes to drive a long time to go shopping.”
“London has better stores, what can I say?” No need to explain her true motivation for traveling an hour to shop. Jake would know the real reason—to avoid encountering men she’d serviced while out with her daughter. Yet here she was, risking that very thing because she trusted Jake to keep her safe. More importantly, to keep Macy safe.
“Hey. You’re good,” he said, reaching across to squeeze her shoulder. The contact ended with the simple touch. He’d promised to behave as Candace’s friend, nothing more, around Macy. So far, he’d kept his word. As he always did.
She smiled a thank you and he nodded, accepting what she gave him, even if it wasn’t enough. Another thing he always did.
He ushered them toward the store’s entrance. “Let’s go in and look around. Maybe we’ll see something I can buy for your dress-up box.”
“It’s not my birthday until October.”
“It doesn’t have to be your birthday to get presents.” He pulled the handle, holding the door open and motioning the ladies to enter first.
An awestruck gasp slipped through Macy’s lips as she passed beneath Jake’s outstretched arm, into the store. “Wow…”
“Wow, indeed.” Candace didn’t know where to look first. Clothing and accessories of all kinds seemed to explode from the walls and floor racks. Not because the place was overfilled with inventory, but because no two items were the same and each piece was a visual treat. “I didn’t realize this was a vintage shop.”
“Yeah, it’s a pretty cool store.”
She surveyed his tan pants, topped by a navy t-shirt with a sporty logo on the left chest area. “Yes, I can tell you do a lot of your shopping here.”
“Hey, I’ve bought stuff here. More than once. Just not for me.”
“Oh.” That’s all she could bring herself to say. What right did she have to be jealous of anything Jake had done in his personal life? None. No right at all.
“Can I go look at the jewels?” Macy’s question pulled Candace’s attention from Jake’s grinning face.
“Yes, baby girl, you may. But don’t touch anything or wander where I can’t see you.”
“Okay, Mommy.”
She sighed while watching Macy skip to a glass case containing tiaras and other showpiece trinkets. Her precious little princess.
“She’s great,” Jake said. “Like her mom.”
“She’s better than great. And a thousand times better than me, obviously.”
“I’d tell you all the ways you’re amazing if I thought you’d believe me.” He stroked her arm where it hung between them, ending the subtle touch by gently squeezing her hand. “Maybe one day you will.”
A lump blocked her throat, preventing her from speaking. Probably for the best. She wasn’t about to agree with him and he didn’t deserve an argument.
“If she finds something that catches her eye, is it okay if I buy it for her? I should’ve asked before I offered.”
God, this man. Dating a sex worker who hadn’t had sex with him, willingly spending quality time with a child who wasn’t his…he was too good to be true, yet he was the real deal.
She didn’t know why he’d been so determined to make this relationship work, but her life was fuller now that he was part of it. So was her daughter’s. “Yes, it’s okay. Don’t spend too much.”
“No worries there. My disposable income is significantly less than it used to be since I started paying for massages I don’t get,” he said, winking.
“That’s your fault entirely. You’re the one who refuses to collect what you pay for.”
“I have no regrets.” Another wink came her way. “Just a lot less cash.”
Self-control abandoned her, as it often did in his presence, and she swatted at him, taking a chance Macy wouldn’t notice the playful exchange.
Playful changed to intimate as he caught her hands and pinned them against his broad, hard chest. The action brought them face-to-face, with negligible space between them.
“Jake,” she whispered, when he dipped down, as if to kiss her. “We can’t let Macy see us like this.