“This is Lincoln,” she introduced, patting his shoulder. “We were picking out donuts. He likes powdered ones like you do.”
I waved like an idiot, but the little guy offered a handshake.
A little kid was giving me a handshake.
A scared little kid that looked like he wanted to run away and never stop.
I shook his hand, his little limb trembling in my grasp. “That’s because they’re the best, right?” I smiled, but he didn’t return the gesture.
He nodded, his eyes locked on my tattoos. As soon as the handshake was through, he snatched his hand back to his chest, scared shitless.
“Sorry about that.” I glanced back at Josie, who was flushed but didn’t look homicidal despite my crash landing. “Old habit.”
“Forgiven,” she muttered, reaching down and tugging at her shorts with her free hand.
“They’re fine, California,” I joked. I hadn’t meant to make her self-conscious. I was just messing with her. I peeked in her cart, spying hot dogs and a bunch of fresh vegetables. “Big plans for the holiday weekend?”
“We’re going to the parade and the fireworks show,” she replied, squeezing her son’s hand.
He was still looking up at me with wide eyes, not sure what to make of me. I didn’t blame him either. If I’d seen someone like me at his age, I probably would have been just as scared. Briar was full of polished yuppies, not tatted woodsmen.
“The brewery opens tomorrow at five. You should come.”
What the fuck was I saying?
She smirked, rubbing a hand over Lincoln’s hair. “I’m not sure a brewery is a place for a little boy, but thanks.”
“There’s a restaurant, Josie. I’m not suggesting he do a keg stand. Best barbecue in town. Guaranteed.”
She continued to fidget with her shorts, covering up precious bits of skin I wanted to savor, not hide. “Maybe.”
I offered my most disarming smile. “Come on. Free food.”
Lincoln glanced at their cart and squeezed her hand a few times, the tiny knuckles flexing.
Damn, I was ready to give the kid whatever he wanted with the level of cute he had going on.
She stood firm, not giving an inch, immune to his adorableness. “Maybe.”
“Suit yourself. Pretty much everyone will be there.”
She nodded stiffly. “I know. It’s a big deal for Briar. Congratulations.” Her words were kind, but her tone was anything but.
“Josie Roberts, are you getting spicy with me?”
“It’s Josie Cross,” she corrected. “And I’m always spicy.”
My eyes dropped to her hand, no wedding ring hanging out. “Is that so?”
Damn. Divorced with a kid.
I didn’t see any men’s stuff in the cottage. I didn’t think you could up and leave with a kid when there was another parent in the picture.
She stood her ground, chin tilted high and shoulders back. “Yes, that’s so.”
I tested the waters for the hell of it. “You can invite Mr. Cross too. There are plenty of spicy things on the menu.”
“Linc,” she said, dropping her eyes to her son. “Adult talk.”
He dropped her hand, his own flying up over his ears.
Once she was sure they were covered, she glanced at me, cheeks burning. “Mr. Cross passed away. If you would please refrain from the back-and-forth bullshit in front of my child, I’d appreciate it.”
I swallowed hard, each word a punch to the gut. “Sorry.”
Holy fuck.
“We clear?” she asked, still smoking with fury.
I nodded, and she tapped the boy’s shoulder, his hands falling to his sides.
“Nice to meet you, bud.”
He stared at me for a long moment, his tiny eyebrows snapping together. “You’re our neighbor.”
I nodded, surprised he noticed. Then again, there weren’t many men that looked like me. “That’s right.”
“Can I play with your dog?”
Josie stiffened, not hiding her disdain.
“You’ll have to ask your mom,” I replied, not wanting to risk life and limb to answer for her.
He glanced at her, and she crushed his dreams with the classic mom reply, “we’ll see."
“Jos-” I started. She shouldn’t punish the kid because of our issues.
She shook her head, stopping me in my tracks. “Maybe we’ll see you tomorrow night.”
"Okay,” I muttered, still flustered. “Don’t freak if you see strange faces around my place either. My brothers are visiting this weekend. It might get a little noisy, but we’ll try to keep it down.”
“Thanks. I appreciate the heads up.” She grabbed Lincoln’s hand and her cart. “See you around, Luke.”
“See you later,” I echoed, watching her and her sexy ass walk away.
To my surprise, Lincoln turned as they did, giving me a small wave. “See ya, Mr. Luke.”
Josie
The cottage still smelled like lost causes and broken dreams, a funky odor that was as depressing as it was disgusting.
Liv joined in the fight first thing to start the assault against the funk, not needing to be at work until noon. As usual, her help came with iced coffees and a side order of bitching about Mom and Dad, not that I minded. I appreciated the help and caffeine.
So far, we’d scrubbed most of the downstairs, cleaner and elbow grease not touching the smell. Years of being closed off likely allowed the stench to permeate to the studs, but I wouldn’t admit failure without a fight. It was our new home, dammit, and it would not smell like mothballs forever.
I’d already scrubbed the loft after Dan’s creepy confession, not that it seemed to make a dent in the smell or the memory of what he’d said. His constant attempts to connect went unanswered, his calls sent straight to voicemail where he’d babble on about grabbing coffee together.
Linc was playing with his tablet on the back deck away from the fumes, his occasional grumblings of frustration drifting in the open windows. It was one of the few places he’d sit willingly, lounging in an Adirondack chair for hours if I let him.
“So Dad doesn’t want to pay for a DJ,” Liv huffed, dunking her rag into the bucket of sudsy water. “And he doesn’t like the song I picked out for our Father-Daughter Dance.”
“It’s your
