facing you two,” I murmured under my breath. “It’s much easier to notice these things when you’re looking at someone rather than standing next to them.”
The slight narrowing of her eyes told me she’d heard me. I heard a soft sigh coming from her as I released her hand to help Adi.
“If you like pineapple on pizza, I’d like to ask you a very important question,” I said, while tying her laces. “How do you feel about mint chocolate-chip ice cream?”
The girl lit up like a Christmas tree. “It’s my favorite.”
“Mine too.” I grinned and tightened the last knot before straightening up. “Ready to go?”
“Yes!” Adi bounced on her feet and ran past me.
April smiled softly as she watched her, then turned her gaze on me and nodded. “We’re ready. I just hope you are.”
“Kids, baggage, and working together doesn’t scare me,” I said.
She tilted her head and looked up as she fell in step beside me. “What does scare you then? Something has to.”
“Clowns, candy canes, and a few other things I’d rather not talk about on a first date.” We walked to their elevator but Adi was already there, jabbing the call button repeatedly.
She turned toward us with a gigantic smile on her face. “Can I have my own pizza?”
“Of course,” I replied and motioned for them to precede me into the elevator when the doors slid open. “I was thinking we get takeout and go have a picnic in the park. Sound good? We can get the ice cream from this great food truck I know near the park.”
“Two questions,” April said, leaning with her hip against the handrail and her arms folded. “How did you get into our building and do you know of a park that will definitely be safe after sunset?”
“The gate outside was propped open, and yes, I do.”
I hadn’t invented my therapy machine with the aim of making factories full of cash, but having the money was certainly useful at times.
April let out a string of inventive curses without using an actual bad word and leaned her head back against the paneled wood. “I can’t believe those fluffing, worm-brained dweebs left the gate open again.”
“Fluffing worm-brained dweebs?” My brows rose.
Adi giggled when she glanced up at me. “My aunt Luna doesn’t swear and Mom tries to keep it clean in front of me,” she said helpfully. “Aunt Luna said it sets a bad example. I know which words only adults are allowed to use but Mom’s trying to be good about it.”
“I think your mom and this aunt Luna are both right. You should be at least eighteen before you start hearing bad words.” I winked at April, who rolled her eyes in response. “Twenty-one, maybe?”
“Please.” She lifted her head again. “With the amount of TV and humanity kids are exposed to nowadays, they start hearing bad words before they’re even discharged from the hospital after birth. All I’m doing is trying not to use so many of them that Adi starts thinking they’re the only words in existence.”
“Luna doesn’t swear at all?” I asked when the elevator pinged our arrival in their lobby.
We piled out, but Adi twisted around to answer me, eyes bright as she nodded. “Nope. People tease her about it, but she doesn’t care. She doesn’t like swearing, so she doesn’t.”
“It’s good to have principles you believe in,” I said, darting past them to get the door.
The gate was still open. April kicked the brick holding it out of the way before glancing up and down the street. Her gaze came to a rest on my car. “I’m assuming that’s yours?”
“How’d you know?” I dug the key fob out of my pocket and unlocked the doors.
“No one who lives around here has a car that nice,” she said, taking Adi’s hand before we crossed the street.
I followed the same path her eyes had taken earlier. “It’s not that nice. Hunter keeps trying to convince me to get one of those fancy sports cars, but I don’t need that.”
“You mean you don’t need an extension of your d—” She cut herself off as she glanced down at her daughter, shaking her head at herself. “Never mind. You know what I mean.”
“I do.” I laughed as I opened the back door of my sedan for Adi. “For the record, there are other cars on this street worth a lot more than mine.”
She gave me a lopsided grin and rounded the car, opening the passenger door before I could get to