Love on Beach Avenue (The Sunshine Sisters #1) - Jennifer Probst Page 0,34
while? You can’t leave the office, but you can read or play your games.”
Zoe nodded. “Will Carter read Fancy Nancy with me?”
“I love Fancy Nancy,” he said solemnly.
Bella looked back and forth between them, then made her decision. “I owe you big-time,” she said, hurriedly grabbing his phone and exchanging numbers. He noticed she studied his ID carefully, then took a picture of it with her phone. Good. He was glad she was being thorough. She gave Zoe a hug and kiss goodbye, warning her to behave, and then disappeared in a frenzy with Taylor at her side.
The door banged shut behind them.
Carter stared down at his new charge. Her bright-blue eyes studied him with the open curiosity of the very young. “Do you really like Fancy Nancy?” she finally asked suspiciously.
He smothered a laugh. Damn, she was adorable. “I really do. Why don’t you open it up and I’ll read. Want to sit on the couch?”
“Sure.” She scrambled up, fishing her pink Kindle out of her PAW Patrol backpack. He stretched out his legs, crossed his ankles, and hit the button to put the cover in full size.
“I like her outfit, but yours is nicer,” he said, tapping the screen.
“Thanks! Pink is my favorite color, even though I’m mostly wearing blue today.”
“I can tell because you had pink cupcakes today with sprinkles, right?”
Her eyes widened. Her soft voice came out in a hush. “How did you know that?”
His lips twitched. “I have some magic powers, but I don’t like to use them often.”
“Do you have a wand?”
“Nope, I just use my mind. Should we read?”
“Oh yes.” She crossed her legs, rearranged her dress, and leaned her head close to see the pictures. The scent of strawberry shampoo made him smile.
Carter read the book, using his funny voices like he used to do when Ally was little, and got lost in the moment. Kids were good for that. And dogs. It was too bad he wasn’t keen on having a child alone—after raising Ally with no support, he knew how difficult being a single parent was. That’s why he believed in a two-parent household if at all possible. He had no desire to get married, though, or engage in a serious, committed relationship. Therefore, kids weren’t in the picture for him.
A sudden flicker of regret cut deep at the thought, but he pushed the feeling away and concentrated on the story. He rarely allowed any messy emotions to throw him off-balance. There was no point, so it was much easier to push them away until they disappeared.
They’d gotten to book three in the series when the door flung open and Avery rushed in. She threw her purse on the table, kicked off her heels, and began tearing through a huge pile of thick folders stuffed with papers and mismatched fabrics. He looked down at Zoe, who was grinning at the fact her aunt hadn’t spotted them on the couch.
“Hi, Aunt Avery!” she shouted.
“Holy crap!” The files flew from her hands and scattered on the floor. “Wh-What’s going on?”
Zoe gave a deep sigh. “She says bad words, too, but I can’t say ’em ’cause I’m too little. Aunt TT says when I’m old, I can say all the bad words.”
“At least seven,” he said, nodding.
“At least.”
“What’s going on?” Avery demanded again, this time much louder. She stared at them in shock. “Carter, why are you here? Zoe, where’s your mom?”
“Your sisters had to both run out, so I told them I’d watch Zoe until you got back. It’s lucky I stopped in, since I would have missed the appointment at the bakery.”
The surge of pink in her cheeks confirmed her attempt at treachery. “How did you know about that?”
“Taylor looked up your schedule. She was kind enough to give me a printout so I can be aware of any future appointments. I’ll be honest, I expected more organization and follow-up from my sister’s wedding planner.”
She winced. “It’s not a big deal. I intended to overnight a few samples she can taste with Jason and make her final decision.”
“Ah, but what samples? What if you give her the wrong three choices because I wasn’t there, telling you what she likes and doesn’t like?”
“Can I have cake, too?” the little girl chimed in. “I like chocolate and vanilla and pink cupcakes with rainbows.”
“I think we should all have cake. It’s been a disappointing day.”
Avery looked like she was going to scream, but Zoe reached over and patted his hand. “At least we got