a whole lot more safe. At least for her.
“I can figure it out as we go,” he told her, his dark eyes bright with amusement.
Gabe picked up the dice. “Here,” he said. “You can go first.”
“Very nice,” Jesse whispered.
“He’s new,” Gabe whispered back.
“I can hear both of you,” Matt grumbled and threw the dice.
Five minutes later, Gabe laughed as both she and Matt slid down chutes while he just kept going up and up on ladders.
“He’s going to win,” she told Matt.
“I can see that. It’s because he has more practice.”
“Maybe. Or he’s just really good at the game.”
Matt threw the dice and groaned as he landed on yet another chute.
He was being a good sport about it, she thought, pleased with how the evening was going. There was a lot less tension and while Matt wasn’t exactly talking directly to Gabe all that much, they seemed more comfortable together.
When Gabe ran off to look out the big window, she turned to Matt.
“How are you doing?” she asked.
“Fine.”
He looked comfortable enough, stretched out on his side on the rug, his head propped on his hand.
“Is he less scary or are you faking it better?” she asked.
“I’ve been doing some reading online. On his age group. What they like, where they are developmentally.”
Did that mean he was starting to see Gabe as a person and his son? Was it too soon for that? Before she could figure out a way to ask, Gabe returned to her side and threw himself on her.
“I love you, Mommy,” he said as he landed on her stomach.
She rolled, taking him with her, landing with him on his back. All the easier to tickle him. “I love you, too,” she said as she wiggled her fingers against his side.
He shrieked with laughter and rolled closer. She laughed, too, then pulled him against her. They hugged and she breathed in the little-boy scent of him.
Her heart kept growing and growing, she thought. It had to be getting bigger, otherwise it couldn’t possibly hold all the love she felt for her son.
She turned and saw Matt had sat up. He was a little apart from them, looking slightly tense and out of place. There was something in his eyes, an emotion she couldn’t read. Guilt? Concern? Then he blinked and it was gone.
Without warning, Gabe lunged for Matt’s foot. He grabbed it and tickled. Matt pulled back so fast, he nearly tumbled over. Gabe’s mouth fell open.
“Mommy, he’s ticklish!”
Apparently, the news was nearly as exciting as the inside rain had been. A grown man who was ticklish? Was it possible?
Gabe lunged for him. Matt held out his arm, even as he continued to move back. “Wait a second. This isn’t a good idea, Gabe. Tickling someone can be dangerous business.”
Gabe wasn’t listening and Jesse couldn’t decide if she should intervene or not. She kind of liked the idea of Matt less than in charge and maybe on the run. When her son grabbed at Matt’s toes, Matt scrambled to his feet.
“Who wants brownies?” he asked. “I stopped by the bakery and picked up some.”
Jesse stood and pulled Gabe into her arms. They all went into the kitchen.
“I got both kinds,” Matt was saying as he opened a familiar Keyes Bakery box. “Gabe, would you like milk with yours?”
“Yes, please.”
“Jesse?”
He was acting so casual, she thought, feeling a little wicked. As if nothing had happened. As if he hadn’t scrambled away like a little girl. She made a clucking sound.
He looked at her. “Are you all right?”
She clucked again. “Chick, chick, chicken.”
His gaze narrowed. “I’m not a chicken. I have strong reflexes. I didn’t want to risk hurting Gabe by accidentally kicking him.”
“Uh-huh. You’re ticklish and you didn’t want him touching your feet.”
“It’s about reflexes.”
She clucked again.
Without warning, he grabbed her arm, hauled her against him and stared into her face. His mouth was inches from hers. Heat burned everywhere they touched and wanting exploded.
“Say that again,” he instructed, his voice low and very much in control.
“Are you daring me?” she asked, a little breathless.
“Absolutely.”
“Can I have my brownie now?” Gabe asked, tugging on her shirt.
Reality crashed into her. She pulled back from Matt, who seemed to let her go just as quickly.
“Sure, honey,” she said, picking him up and putting him on one of the tall seats by the high counter. “Without walnuts, right?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You want milk with that, right?”
They worked in the kitchen, getting Gabe settled. Jesse asked Matt where the napkins were. He moved Gabe’s chair closer to the counter. They acted as if nothing had happened, although she was desperately aware of every move he made.
Her body ached with need. She wanted-
Her cell phone rang.
She grabbed her purse and pulled it out. The number was local, but unfamiliar.
“Hello?”
“Jesse? It’s Claire. You have to get down here right away.” Claire sounded frantic.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“It’s the bakery. Oh, God, I can’t believe it.”
There were noises in the background. Loud noises and screams.
“What do you mean? What happened?”
“There’s a fire. It’s all on fire.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
JESSE STOOD WITH HER sisters in front of the still-smoldering ruins of what had once been the Keyes Bakery. Most of the flames had been put out but the smell of smoke lingered in the air.
Over the past few hours, the building had been reduced to a pile of rubble. Nothing had been saved. When Jesse had arrived, flames had climbed toward the sky, like some frightening form of entertainment. The heat had kept them back. Now there was nothing but embers and ashes.
“I can’t believe it’s gone,” Nicole whispered, sounding as stunned as Jesse felt. “Just like that.”
Claire stood between them, her arms linked with theirs. “No one was hurt. That’s the most important thing. The rest is just stuff and can be replaced.”
Jesse didn’t bother fighting the tears that flowed down her face. “
Small business destroyed by fire. Who cared about that?
“It’s not the end of the world,” Nicole said. “We can fix this. We have insurance. We’ll rebuild. It will just take some time.”
