me. His eyes were as green as Phoebe’s.
“Lasagna.”
Everyone suddenly barreled toward me like I was handing out rations. Hannah grinned.
“Obviously dinner didn’t sustain them.”
Brushing the beautiful reddish-blonde strands away from her face, Phoebe’s smile lit the room. “They are always hungry,” she said to Hannah.
“Hannah, we’re going for a walk. Would you mind taking this to the kitchen?” I kept the dessert sack with me.
“Have you been crying?” Sloan asked Phoebe, Sloan’s eyes narrowed at me.
“Don’t, Sloan. I’m just fine.” She turned to me. “Ready?”
I nodded, forcing myself to look away from Sloan. I wanted to defend myself. Tell the girl I’d done nothing to her sister.
“Bye, Aushen,” Claire said, tapping my leg. Touched, I bent down and lifted her up. She had her sisters’ green eyes too. “Goodbye, you.” Her little arms plopped on each side of my neck and she laid her head on my shoulder. Phoebe stared at us, but Sloan came and took Claire from my arms.
Even though the sun had settled in the west, the heat was overwhelming. God did I miss Oregon on days like this. I followed Phoebe to a little park next to the apartment complex. She casually walked to a bench and sat down. I joined her.
“What’s on your mind, Freebie?” I asked. “Are you having second thoughts about this deal?”
“No. I need the money,” she laughed, but it wasn’t funny to me. “I promise I won’t pull out of this. I’ll see it through.”
The silence absorbed us but neither felt obligated to talk. Our situation wasn’t just unique. It was a sticky situation all the way around.
“Did you see how Claire responded to you just now?”
“Yes. She’s adorable.”
“That’s one of the reasons I’ve not dated much. They grow attached to people and then they get hurt too.”
“Too? Why would you be worried about getting hurt? This is about the money for you right?” I questioned her. Though I needed to pay heed to her words, knowing those kids would grow attached, I figured it would be inevitable at this point. They were going to see me.
Even through the blur of dusk, I watched her green eyes close in thought.
“You know that when this wedding is over, you are not coming by for dinner. Let’s not kid ourselves, Austin. I’m not trying to be mean, but we don’t run in the same circles. This is a job you’ve hired me to do. Correct?”
When she turned to face me, her red curls floated across my face inundating me with a pleasant, fruity smell. My entire body responded in a way that it shouldn’t have, or maybe it should have. Hell, our lines were already blurred, and we’d just gotten started.
“First of all, young lady. You don’t get to tell me who I can eat dinner with and who I can’t. I may come and eat dinner with Claire.” I grinned.
Rolling her eyes, she shot up off the bench and sat in a rubber swing a few steps away. “So not only do you exhibit serial killer tendencies, but you’re also wanting to have dinner with my baby sister. Creepy, Austin. Super creepy.”
With an ornery smile, I swept around her and began pushing the swing from behind. “I’m neither a serial killer nor a pedophile. But I assure you, I don’t intend to leave the kids hanging. Has someone done that before?”
“Nick. Motorcycle guy from the other night.”
“He hurt you?”
She leaned back. I pushed her again. “We dated on and off for a while. Sloan likes his brother. That’s why she doesn’t like you coming around. When I ended it, the kids missed him. I don’t want to do that again.”
Using my strength, I stopped the swing and walked around to the front of her. Jesus she was beautiful. I swallowed the words I wanted to say and opted with what I knew she wanted to hear. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. Would it be best if I didn’t come in the house anymore?”
Phoebe’s feet made contact with the dirt beneath the swing, and she stood. “Yeah. That’s fine.” Her curt words stayed in the vicinity longer than she did.
“Phoebe,” I called, following her. “I didn’t mean to upset you. Tell me why you were crying earlier.”
She spun around on the sidewalk and stared at me. “Don’t you get it? Or are you a complete and total moron?”
The rhetorical question made me smile.
“Don’t smile like the cat that just ate the canary, Austin Falsone.” Her finger jetted up as if she were