feelings that Jasmine hadn’t actually shared herself, he forced a smile and said, “No, you’re right. A gift certificate isn’t the right way to go.”
“Jewelry,” Gareth said with a knowing nod. “Always the best bet when romance is involved.”
“Good call.”
Ryan texted about an hour later, letting them know he was at the house. Will collected Katie and thanked Gareth before they headed back home. He needed to get an update from the security specialist before he left for the ballpark.
Ryan greeted them as they entered the house and headed upstairs to use the master bathroom. Will wanted to get the chlorine rinsed off Katie and then do the same himself. Gump jumped up to greet them as though they’d been gone for days. He looked utterly forlorn when Will kept him out of the bathroom with his foot as he closed the door.
“Sorry, big guy,” he said. “We won’t be long. And don’t pretend you’re not going to try and sneak up onto the bed anyway.”
He ended up shampooing and conditioning Katie’s hair since it was snarled from the swimming. Then he wrapped her up in a towel and sent her down to her room to get changed while he showered. When he was done and changed into the clothes he planned to wear to the stadium, he headed back downstairs.
“Is Katie still in her room?” he asked Ryan, not seeing her in the family room.
“Yep.”
“Okay. I wanted to check in with you. Archer said he wanted to make sure Katie was safe through all of this video uproar, but I’m not sure he knew how long this might last.”
Ryan smiled. “Believe me, Archer knows how these things go. You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Are you sure? Is it normal for you to stay with a client for this long?” The specialist had only taken a few full days off, and he’d sent someone in his place to cover for him during those times.
“As long as I’m needed.”
Appeased, Will allowed that concern to fall off his plate. “Good to know. I appreciate it. I don’t think I’d be able to focus if I had to worry about Katie through all this.”
“That’s understandable. You’ve got plenty to handle without Katie’s security being part of the equation.”
Will figured he meant the situation with Carol Ann. “You’re right about that.”
“How’d the flowers go over?”
Smiling, Will said, “They were on point. Thanks for the advice.”
“Sure.”
The reminder of the previous day’s events brought Jasmine to the forefront of his mind as he headed to Katie’s room to check on her. Jasmine mentioned she wanted to discuss their relationship, but that was as far as the conversation went. While he hoped she meant that in a positive context based on how the evening had gone, there was always the possibility she had decided he wasn’t worth a relationship of any kind after how he’d responded to her after the concert. It was a fact he’d done his best to bury, not wanting to consider it.
Gareth’s comment made him desperate to clarify things with her. He hated that he had to wait another day to have that conversation.
Unsurprisingly, he found Katie practicing her positions in front of her mirror. She had dressed herself in a green floral sundress over a pair of bright orange and purple tights that he was pretty sure had come with her Halloween costume the previous year. He didn’t even know where she dug them up. The mismatched outfit made him grin as he stepped into her room and sat on the bed. Gump hopped to his feet and moved closer in anticipation of head scratches.
She met his gaze in the mirror. “Look, Daddy.”
Expecting to see her perform a dance move, he watched her reflection with increasing bafflement as she instead pushed against her top left tooth with the tip of her tongue. The tooth shifted the slightest bit.
He was equally repulsed and thrilled.
“Your first loose tooth,” he enthused. “Come here and let me check that out.”
She hopped to him—literally bounded twice with her feet together—and opened her mouth so he could examine the tooth. Giving it a little wiggle, he nodded.
“Yep. It’s official. Those baby teeth are about to start falling out fast and furious. You’re going to strike it rich with visits from the Tooth Fairy.”
She gasped and lifted her hands to mime taking a picture.
Amused by her excitement, he reached for his phone. “You want me to text it to Grandpa?”