Charity Case - The Complete Series - Piper Rayne Page 0,21

live with her full time, it made me realize that there’s no longer any reason for me to be so far away. I wanted to be here to help her when she needed it.

“She’s just tired. We had a long day yesterday.” My mom and I took Jade down to the lakefront for a picnic and to see the fountain. Twenty minutes into our journey my mom looked exhausted.

“Will she pick me up today?” Jade asked.

“Maybe. If not, I’ll be here.”

“Can I come to your office?” Her eyes light up. She’s the only girl I know who’s excited about the prospect of sitting in an office and coloring. Then again, Chelsea sneaks her candy and Hannah lets her play on her computer. They spoil her more than her dad. Sad but true.

“We’ll see.”

I’m at the edge of the tree-lined sidewalk when I spot the little boy climb out of an Uber car. A tingling sensation rushes through my body, as anticipation swirls with dread over seeing him again. My feelings are somewhat conflicted, to say the least.

The door on the other side of the car opens and my eyes refuse to look in any other direction. The dark strands of his hair are gelled in place this morning. His tie is knotted and laying over his light blue shirt, and his teeth hold a silver tie clip as he adjusts the tie and puts it in just the right spot before taking it from his mouth and clipping it on.

“Mommy.” Jade pulls on my hand and I stumble forward until I catch my footing.

“Sorry,” I mumble, my gaze still on him as he smiles and nods to the moms and dads coming back down the stairs after dropping off their children.

“Henry!” Jade screams next to me and Reed turns in our direction.

Shit. I’m frozen in place as if I was touched in a game of freeze tag.

The little boy waves and Jade waves back. Reed’s lips tip up and if I hadn’t sworn off men for the time being, I’d melt into a pile on the sidewalk.

“You know that boy?” I ask.

“Yeah, that’s Henry. He’s kind of quiet but really nice.”

“Is that his dad?”

Her face scrunches. “Henry doesn’t have a dad.”

Boyfriend?

Jade skips and stops where we usually say our goodbyes. “Please take me to your office after school.” She clasps her hands together and her voice holds the whine she’s used to get her way most of her life.

“If not today, then Friday, okay?”

She seems halfway appeased and wraps her arms around my middle. I kiss the top of her head. “Have a good day. Love you.”

“Love you.”

Then she’s gone, trampling up the steps talking to anyone and everyone who will talk with her. I’m so fixated on her I don’t notice Reed approaching me.

Soon the new rain smell of a spring morning in Chicago is replaced with his scent—musky and manly. All my other senses fall to the sidelines while my sense of smell hijacks all others. For a brief millisecond, the entire world blurs like the backdrop of Jade’s school photos.

“Do you remember me?” Reed’s deep voice draws me from my revelry and switches my auditory sense back on.

“You hung on my wall for years.”

I place my hand in his outstretched one. His hand is soft but callused and swallows my smaller one. Something happens when our skin connects. Something I’d only ever read about in books. Something I didn’t think was real.

But I can’t deny the electric feeling that surges up my arm or the feeling of connection we share when our gazes lock.

I swallow hard, hoping I’m not too obvious, urging my brain to help my body get a clue.

This guy is the enemy.

He chuckles, but there’s nothing egotistical or condescending about it. “Past tense?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know,” I say wryly.

He looks chagrined and bows his head slightly. “I was sorry to hear about you and Pete.”

He seems genuine and I suppose I shouldn’t judge him yet, but it’s hard given my history. He hasn’t been a part of Pete’s life as far as I know for quite a long time.

“So, Jade knows Henry?” he asks, moving off the subject of Pete and me.

How on Earth does he remember her name?

“It appears that way.”

His smile grows. Did I just see a sparkle glimmer off his teeth?

“Henry has a hard time making friends. It says a lot about you that Jade is so welcoming to him.”

“Me?” I rock back on my flats, trying not to