Mistletoe Mommy

“All right. Well, since you should also listen when he talks, it helps if you have some common interests. And if he’s funny.”

The girl frowned. “Bobby likes to talk mostly about Camaros and himself. Hearing about him was interesting at first, but…”

“Did he ever ask about you?”

“Not really.”

“Find a guy who does. But there’s no hurry,” she stipulated.

That earned her another eye roll, but Eliza’s expression was much brighter than it had been. She set River aside and got to her feet. “Is dinner almost ready? I think I’m hungry.”

Brenna figured that doing a victory dance would be inappropriate-or make her look like an idiot, at any rate-but the impulse was there. While she wasn’t naive enough to think that Eliza would go forth and never suffer boy troubles again, helping the adolescent past this hiccup was far more rewarding than she could have predicted.

At the door leading back into the main house, Eliza paused. “What about you, Ms. Pierce? Is the reason you don’t date much because you’re still holding out? You haven’t found a guy who’s funny and respectful and a good listener?”

Brenna blinked, surprised to find herself the topic of conversation again. “Oh. I’ve been lucky enough to find a couple of guys who fit that description, but none of them were quite…I don’t have that much time to date. I work a lot.”

Eliza’s mouth thinned. “Like my father.” She clearly didn’t mean it as a compliment.

“He does an important job.” She experienced an uncharacteristically self-conscious moment when she compared their occupations. Scooping kitty litter and sprinkling fish flakes into an aquarium sounded a bit less impressive.

“People are important, too.” Eliza crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. “Maybe you aren’t as smart about relationships as I thought.”

Chapter Ten

Wanting to ensure that he didn’t undo everything his kids had learned about good manners in three weeks, Adam made it clear that they were responsible for the dishes this time. Of course, that only consisted of throwing empty containers in the garbage and scrubbing five plates.

“Before we go, can we play with River and Zoe for just a few minutes?” Morgan begged. The three of them were endlessly entertained by the way the cat chased after toys just like the dog.

He deferred to Brenna, glancing her way with raised eyebrows.

“Ten minutes,” she said.

Not wanting to waste any of that, the kids disappeared into the backyard with a stampede of footsteps and the back door banging shut.

He’d been dying to know how her conversation with Eliza went-was the girl difficult with all adults, or was it just him?-but hadn’t been able to get specifics until now. “So-”

“Do you want coffee?” Brenna asked brightly. “I could make us some coffee.”

“Didn’t we just give the kids a ten-minute warning?” He was pretty sure they couldn’t brew and subsequently chug a hot beverage in that amount of time. Was this Brenna’s way of demonstrating that she was reluctant for their evening to end?

“Right.” She cast rather desperate looks about her small kitchen. “It’s really too hot for coffee, anyway. What we need is something cold. Ice-cream floats?”

“Brenna, are you trying to find something to do because you’re…nervous? About being alone with me?” If that was the case, should he be flattered or appalled? He didn’t want to scare her.

She took a deep breath, shoving her hands into the pockets of her shorts. “You caught me. I am a little apprehensive that…”

“That I might kiss you again?” Nice going, Varner. You’ve driven the woman to an anxiety attack.

Brenna’s gaze collided with his. “No, that I might kiss you.”

Her words, delivered with such artless sensuality, seared him. “I would be okay with that. Just so you know.”

She laughed, but it had a hoarse, husky edge to it. “But would your kids be okay with it?”

He wanted to say that they were irrelevant to the discussion at hand, but he was a father-his children were never irrelevant. And he guiltily recalled the questions he’d fielded on their very first day in Mistletoe, when he’d all but promised them he wouldn’t seek out any romantic connections while they were here. Fresh on the heels of Sara’s marriage, it was natural for the kids to be curious about his dating. Morgan already adored Brenna; it would be dangerous to encourage that. Eliza, on the other hand, was thawing toward him bit by bit and would no doubt freeze up in betrayed disapproval if he got too close to Brenna in their limited time together.

And it would be limited. He hadn’t been able to retain a strong relationship with his own family who lived under the same roof as him. He didn’t delude himself that he was cut out for the rigors of a long-distance relationship. Not with his job and three children who deserved as much time as he could give them.

Frustrated, he plowed a hand through his hair. “I wish things were different.”

“Oh, you have no idea how many times I’ve had reason to think that.” She gave him a bittersweet smile. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you kissed me the other day. I just don’t think it’s a good idea…”

“I agree.” In practice, if not in spirit.

Silence descended on them.

Brenna rocked back on her heels. “If we’re gonna spend the next five minutes in painful awkwardness, we might as well get comfortable. Want to join me in the living room?”

They both sat on the same sofa, but curled up at opposite ends with an entire upholstered cushion separating them. Even the strictest chaperone would approve. Adam tried not to be depressed.

“Did I tell you that I looked into that idea you had for Morgan’s party, at a salon? I even tested it by asking if she likes to have her nails done.”

“And?”

“She was practically giddy about the idea. There aren’t many places here in town, but I called all of them. The only stumbling block is that I can’t drop the girls off. One woman said she might accept a twelve-year-old being there alone, but no way would she be comfortable taking responsibility for two kids, especially when one is so young.”

“You should go with them,” Brenna said.

He couldn’t tell if she was kidding or not.

“Ask for Linda at Beautiful Day,” Brenna added, wiggling her fingers. “She gives a great hand massage. I’m not suggesting you get sparkly decals-”

He shot her a look that let her know what he thought of that possibility.

“-but you could get your nails, I don’t know, buffed or something.”

Eliza and Morgan would probably find that hysterically funny. It didn’t mesh with his original idea of making use of one-on-one time with Geoff, but why not? “I guess Geoff’s mature enough to read in the waiting area. Because there’s no way he’ll agree to participate.” Adam grinned, imagining how his teenager would react to such a suggestion.

Tilting her head back, Brenna addressed the ceiling. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this…What if I hired Geoff for the afternoon?”

“What?”

She shrugged. “He might have mentioned something about wanting to earn cash this summer. Take Morgan and Eliza out to a daddy-daughter lunch. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed about Geoff, it’s that he isn’t picky about food. He can eat a couple of hot dogs here. I’ll pay him for a few hours of filing and light office work while the girls