“Maybe not,” he agreed. “But let’s say I asked you out. Would you wear something like this? A little dress that showed off your shape? Or would you go back to those stuffy clothes that scream CEO?”
She swallowed. “I’m not a CEO.”
Jackson leaned in and whispered, “I like this Livie better.”
“Olivia,” she murmured.
“Not to me.” He eased back. “I’m going to get the booster seat from my truck and put it in your back seat. You think about when you want to discuss the airport plans.”
He walked away and Olivia turned to watch him go as if he hadn’t just flirted, came within a breath of kissing her, and told her she looked beautiful. She seriously couldn’t keep up with that man.
“I’m ready, Livie.”
She spun around as Piper came bounding down the steps, her pigtails in perfect position today and even tied with little blue ribbons. The image of Jackson using those big strong hands to tie something so dainty and feminine did nothing to squelch her fascination and attraction.
Jackson put the booster seat in the back of Olivia’s car and propped his arm on the top of the open door. “Come on, hot shot.”
Piper climbed into the back of the car and sat the gift bag beside her. “Bye, Daddy. Love you.”
He leaned in, fastened her belt, and kissed the top of her head. “Love you, baby girl. Have fun and be good for Livie.”
When he closed the door, he turned to Olivia. “I’d tell you to have fun, but you look like you’d rather do anything else. It’s not too late to back out.”
Piper stared out the window, a wide grin spreading across her face. There was no way Olivia would back out. She knew exactly what it was like to be let down, to not be able to depend on someone. Even though Piper wasn’t a permanent part of her life, Olivia would never purposely disappoint such a sweet child.
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “I’ll bring her back once the party is over.”
He nodded and stepped aside. “I’ll be here. Just text me if there’s any problems.”
She nodded and slid into the driver’s seat before he could say anything else or touch her. Not that he’d do much with little eyes watching, but Olivia wanted to get the car started since it was so hot.
As she backed out of the driveway, she tried to focus on not looking at Jackson staring at her. She did give him one final wave as she headed in the opposite direction.
“Thank you for taking me,” Piper said from the back seat. “I know you probably had other things to do—”
“Actually, I had nothing to do today.” Olivia steered toward town where the party was at a salon owned by the birthday girl’s family. “I have never been to a spa party, so I’m super excited to spend this day with you.”
“Daddy said you didn’t care, but he also told me I should thank you.”
“Your daddy is teaching you manners.” Olivia glanced into the rearview mirror and smiled. “You’re lucky to have him.”
“Can you fix hair?” she asked, suddenly into another subject.
“I suppose I can. I do mine every day.”
“Would you do mine?” Piper asked, her eyes locked onto the mirror. “One of my friends always wears hers curly and she looks like a princess.”
Olivia’s heart went out to Piper. How could a four-year-old know exactly how to make the largest impact with just a few simple words?
“I’m sure I could curl your hair.”
“Today?”
Olivia gripped the wheel and thought of how she should approach this. Jackson may not want Olivia spending a bunch of time with his daughter. Olivia completely understood not wanting to give the wrong impression. At the same time, Piper was only asking for some girl time and there was no way Olivia could deny her.
“Of course,” Olivia answered. “How about after the party? I have some friends at my house and we could just continue spa day with them.”
Olivia glanced to the mirror long enough to see Piper’s eyes light up. “Really? I love you.”
Emotions threatened to overtake Olivia. Were all children this expressive? Did they all have their barriers down, ready to welcome the life that surrounded them? Had Olivia ever been that innocent and ready to pull people into her life?
“I’ll text your daddy to make sure it’s okay first.”
“He won’t care. He likes you.”
Okay. Definitely not something she wanted to chat about with a four-year-old, but at the same time the inner high school girl in her came out and she wanted to know exactly what he had said, the tone he used, and how often he spoke of her. That wasn’t immature . . . was it?
“Your daddy is a good friend.” Okay, that didn’t sound convincing, but her audience was a toddler, so . . . “I like him too.”
Yeah, that sounded convincing because it was completely true. He made her feel all giddy, which was ridiculous. She was a grown woman with a very prestigious position in a marketing firm. She didn’t do giddy . . . or at least she hadn’t before coming back to Haven.
She resisted the urge to groan. How could she even entertain the idea of getting tangled with Jackson—“just call me Jax”? He was much younger than her and . . . well, there were several other reasons. Many reasons, in fact, and she didn’t have the mental stamina to list them all.
“I heard him telling Cash and Tanner that he kissed you.”
Olivia completely failed at keeping her expression blank. How did she respond to that?
“They thought I was asleep,” Piper went on. “They do that all the time. They come over for dinner or cards and then they tell me it’s time for bed. But babies go to bed early and I’m not a baby.”
“No, you’re a big girl,” Olivia agreed, wanting Piper to move back to the portion she overheard. “Maybe you misunderstood what your daddy said.”
“I
