"You're a natural."
Something had changed. She no longer looked at him like he was a buffoon, but grinned at him like he was a white knight.
Chapter Eleven
Mercy hadn't smiled that much in a long time. After yesterday's picnic, she couldn't stop.
Seeing Alex embrace his relationship with Maddie was like seeing a triple rainbow. The way he bolted from his place on the blanket to rescue his daughter from Otis, who wouldn't hurt a thing, made her heart warm.
Today she had some extra time, so she made cookies. Maddie would be upset that she didn't get to help, but eating them would ease her agitation.
As she folded the dry ingredients together, she considered her time with Alex's daughter. Though she spent hours every day with children in her job, she didn't get the opportunity to have quality one-on-one time with them. Spending days with Maddie made her want a child of her own even more. Motherhood was another thing Randy had stolen from her.
She went about mixing the ingredients.
The eggs, butter, and oil went into the mix, and she took her frustration out on the dough. How damn selfish could a person be? He wanted his cake, which was her and everyone else's cake too. How many affairs had Randy had in their short marriage?
Her phone rang, shaking her from her mind meandering, and she reached to put it on speaker.
"Hi, Mom." Outside of bill collectors, no one else called. Then there was the ringtone that gave her away.
"Tell me about your rock star."
"He's not mine." That might be true, but it didn't mean she couldn't razz her mom. "But he did sleep here the other day?"
"You were safe, right? I mean sexually safe. You know what I always told you."
Mercy scooped spoons of dough onto a baking sheet. "I know, no glove, no love."
"That's my girl. Now give me the details."
"Oh, brother. I'm watching his daughter, and he had a rough night with her and was dead on his feet, so I told him to sleep in my bed." She didn't elaborate and say she'd been smelling his cologne since that day, so in her mind, she slept with him nightly. "I guess I didn't get your wild gene. I'm more laid-back, like Dad."
"Every relationship needs a responsible party. Your father is mine."
Mercy thought about Randy, again. She was like her father and was Randy's safe, boring place to land. She was the steady Freddy, and that was probably why he cheated on her. He loved home-cooked meals, a clean house, and pressed shirts, but he needed more in bed. She wasn't a freak in the sheets. Wax belonged in candles and rope on a clothesline.
"I'm glad you and Dad complement each other."
"Your prince will come, sweetheart. Until then, toads can be fun."
There was a knock on the door. "Maddie is here. I've got to go. Tell Dad I said hello." She started for the door.
"Honey, try to live a little. You know I'm teasing about the rock star, but don't make all men pay for Randy's misdeeds."
"I won't." She hoped that was true. How was she ever supposed to live her dream of being a wife and mother if she punished all men for another's stupidity? "Love you." She ended the call and opened the door.
Alex stood on the porch with Maddie. On his face, he had faded flowers and smiley faces. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, he stood in front of her wearing mismatched shoes and an endearing smile.
"Maddie picked out my clothes."
Just then, Mercy fell a little in love with Alex. She touched his cheek and glanced at Maddie. "What did you use to decorate your daddy's face?"
Maddie grinned. "Purple marker."
"Come on in. I was about to put cookies into the oven." She led them into the kitchen and pulled out a chair. "Do you want me to see if I can get that off your face?" She popped the tray in the preheated oven and set the timer.
He chuckled. "While I love the upgrade, it would be nice to have it gone." He took his phone out and pulled up his photos. "I've got it captured for posterity. I don't need to keep it in place."
Was this the same man who confronted her about the panties in the diner? No, … this was a softer, kinder Alex.
She got Maddie started on a workbook, then went to the bathroom to get her makeup remover.
"Have a seat." She wet a cotton ball with remover and leaned in close. His cologne wrapped around her like a hug. "I like you in smiley faces and flowers. It softens your edgy demeanor."
"You think I'm edgy?"
She tilted his head to the side and wiped at a flower. "We met on less than friendly circumstances."
He smiled, and her heart stilled. "Are you ready to admit to leaving something on my fence?"
"I am not. It's not because I'm dishonest, but that I'm embarrassed. I'm not a groupie, and my mother told me to do something daring, so … there's that."
"You need some excitement in your life?"
A smudge of purple remained that she wiped with her thumb. "As you can see, I'm a simple woman with an unremarkable life."
"I can help you spice things up."
Her adrenaline surged. Was he flirting? "What did you have in mind?" She was sure it wasn't a come-on, but the thought of doing something exciting with Alex made her ovaries dance.
"I'll figure it out." He bit his lower lip, and she was convinced that was what did it for most women he met. A gnaw here and there, and they'd be stripped down and ready for his pleasure.
"Should I be excited or terrified?"
"Maybe a little of both."
"I'm not jumping out of planes or wrestling alligators."
His low rumbling laugh vibrated the air. "No risk of that. I'm not doing either of those, but we'll find something
