“I’m not interested in convenient.”
“You’re not interested in anything.”
He took another sip of beer. “Maybe I should be like you and have several lovers.”
She smiled. She made a fist and gave him a mock punch in the upper arm. “You’re not the type, Hamilton. You couldn’t handle the pressure to perform.”
“I’m flattered,” he said dryly as she crossed to the small table in front of the window and collected her purse.
“Don’t take it so personally.” She headed for the door. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
He stared after her. “Kiki?”
“Yes?” She paused.
“I’ve been thinking of asking Erin to extend the visit. Would you mind?”
Her smile was blinding. “Finally. Of course I don’t mind. It would be terrific to have Christie here. Plus you’d have more time to work on her mother.”
“Erin is off limits.”
“Where did that rule come from?”
“I just made it up. I don’t want to complicate my relationship with Christie by getting involved with Erin.”
“Sure.” Kiki nodded. “Falling in love with Erin, marrying her and living with the two of them forever would be a real complication. I can see why you’re determined to avoid it.”
He let her sarcasm wash over him. It didn’t matter what she said, he couldn’t change his mind. After Robin, he’d sworn never to risk love again. The price was too high for everyone involved.
“I hear them coming this way,” Kiki said, then opened the door. “Ask her. I’ll be expecting good news in the morning.”
Ask Erin now? “I was thinking of mentioning it later in the week.”
“Figures. Just like I said, Parker, you can’t perform under pressure. Bye.”
The door slammed behind her just as Erin walked into the room. “Was that Kiki?” she asked.
“Yeah. She’s got one of her dates.”
“Oh, which one?”
“Skip.”
Erin grinned. “She won’t be back until morning.”
Her humor was contagious. “I wouldn’t count on it. You want a beer?”
“Sure, I’ll get it.” Erin opened the refrigerator. “She mixed up some corn bread and left it in here. If you tell me what time you want to eat, I’ll heat it up.”
“Say a half hour?”
“That will make Christie happy. She’s in your study watching a cartoon program that ends in-” she glanced at her watch “-twenty-seven minutes.”
After slipping the corn bread into the oven, she sat on one of the stools by the center island. Parker took the one next to her. Erin uncapped her beer and took a sip, then glanced at him.
“I have to admit I admire Kiki. She knows what she wants, and she does it.”
“Is this specifically about her having three lovers or are you talking in generalities?”
Erin ducked her head but not before he saw a faint blush stain her cheeks. “Oh, I just meant her philosophy about life. Not having regrets.”
“What regrets do you have?”
She thought for a moment. “None where Christie is concerned. I don’t regret what I had to give up to keep her or be a good mother. But sometimes I wonder if I needed to give up everything I did. Maybe I could have made a few compromises.” She shrugged. “It’s hard to say now.”
She turned back and forth on her stool. Her blue sweater twisted with her, alternately tightening, then releasing around her torso. When it tightened, he could see the shape of her breasts and the slender line of her rib cage. He tried to convince himself his interest was simply male appreciation of the female form, but he knew it was more. The heat slowly licking up his body felt suspiciously like desire.
“You could make some changes,” he said.
“I’ve been thinking that, too.” She tilted her head and her hair brushed across her shoulders. “I’ve really enjoyed spending time here. I’ve been able to relax and think. You’ve been a very gracious host, Parker.”
He picked up the beer and downed a large gulp.
Oh, hell. “Erin, I’d like you and Christie to stay with me for the rest of the summer.”
“What?” She spun the stool toward him and stared. “Stay here?”
He nodded. “You don’t go back to work until September. That’s nearly eight weeks away. There’s plenty of room. I think Christie likes it here, and I enjoy having her. You, too, of course.”
“Of course,” she murmured, her delicate eyebrows drawing together. “Stay here for the rest of the summer? I had no idea.”
He put the beer bottle on the counter and resisted the urge to wipe his suddenly sweaty palms on his jeans. “I like being with my daughter. I want to have more time with her before she has to go back to school.”
She stared at him and he stared back. Her hazel eyes were wide like Christie’s, and fringed with dark lashes. Her skin was smooth and soft looking. They were close enough for him to smell the sweet scent of her perfume.
He wanted to hope she would say yes. He wanted to beg. He wanted to promise he would never hurt her or Christie. Instead he waited.
“Christie would like it,” she said at last. “She loves this house and being with you. I wasn’t sure what kind of father you would be, but I’m very impressed.”
“Thank you,” he said quietly, the anticipation building. “I don’t have a clue what I’m doing, so I’m winging it.”
“You have good instincts.” She tilted her head again, then smiled. “I don’t really have anything to go home to. Summer in Palmdale is hot and windy. Staying here is like being at a vacation resort. You must promise to let me know if either Christie or I get in the way.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah?” He stood up and grinned. “Great. Thanks.”
Without thinking, he pulled her to her feet. She came willingly, and then she was standing very close to him. She was smiling, too, and her hands rested on his chest.
He could feel the heat from each of her fingers. His heart rate increased. The need and the relief got tangled up together, feeding each other until they both exploded into a raging fire. His humor faded and he wanted to kiss her.
He placed his hands on her shoulders. Her sweater was as touchably soft as he had imagined it would be. He could feel her shoulders and the thin strap of her bra.
“Erin,” he breathed as he lowered his head to hers.
The kitchen door popped open.
“I
Parker released Erin and took a step back. Christie was staring at him. “Are you going to kiss Mommy?”
He didn’t know what to say.
Erin solved the problem by going to her daughter and taking her hand. “Don’t be silly. We were just talking.” As she led the girl out of the room, she gave him a quick glance over her shoulder.
He wasn’t sure what she saw on his face. After all, he wasn’t sure what he was feeling at this moment. He was glad they were staying and he
But as Erin looked at him, he knew exactly what emotion she was experiencing. Regret.
What he didn’t know was why. Was she sorry they hadn’t kissed or sorry that he’d tried at all?