“Hello.”
“Harper, we have good news.” I instantly recognize the receptionist’s voice. I cover the phone and tell Emma it’s Rita.
“You have a match?”
“We do. How would you like to bring Gavin in tomorrow to meet with him?” Her voice is full of sing-song excitement.
I consider my schedule for tomorrow. I work at the pet store in the morning, and then have to walk a few dogs in the afternoon. “Would three o’clock be okay?”
“Perfect, see you then.”
I end the call and glance at Emma. “They found him a match. That was crazy fast.”
She puts her hands on the table and stands. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it’s Liam. But not my legs. Jared is coming over later, and I believe I’ll be thinking about hot daddy when I take him to my bed.”
“How are we even friends?” I ask with a laugh. Honestly though, Emma is the best friend a girl could have, and she gives good advice. Should I take it where Liam is concerned? Should I see about matching him with my child?
See about matching him with me?
Wait, what! I am not going to get emotionally tangled with the guy who’s going to mentor my son. That would be wrong on so many levels. But what about a quick hook-up? Sex only, no emotions. Would that be wrong?
Yes, it would!
Then again, all this is moot. They just called to say they had a match, and Liam is just getting processed in the system. It could never happen that fast. Right? Unless, he’s already been cleared. He does, after all, spend time with kids in the children’s hospital. I’m sure he’s already had every criminal background check they needed.
“You just keep thinking about what I said, Harper.”
I blink my mind back into focus and find Emma staring at me with a knowing look on her pretty face. “Goodbye, Emma,” I say and point to the door as she laughs.
“Later, babe,” she says.
Once she’s gone, I head in to check on the boys. “Mommy, can Holden stay for dinner?” Gavin asks.
My heart pounds harder in my chest as I look at my sweet boy and his best friend. “If it’s okay with his mom?”
“It is,” Holden says barely sparing me a glance as he maneuvers the game controller and I just laugh.
“I’ll check in with her.” I step back into the kitchen, and call Violet. Emma, Violet and I go way back to junior high, and while we’re all so different—Violet is married and has Holden, Emma has no desire to settle down, and I’m a single mom—we’ve all remained friends. After Gavin and I left the Big Brothers organization, we stopped to pick Holden up. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without Holden and his family in my life. With the amount of babysitting they do for me, it’s the least I can do to have Holden for dinner.
Violet answers the phone with, “Is my tater tot giving you trouble?”
I laugh. “No trouble at all. Apparently, he has your permission to stay for dinner.”
“That kid,” she says with a laugh. “He’s going to be the death of me when he becomes a teen.”
“We both have eight more years before we have to worry about that.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, my throat tightens. Honestly, all I ever do is worry about Gavin. By the time he reaches thirteen, I want him to be a respectful young man. I’ve been doing my best to be both Mom and Dad, but sometimes it’s not easy. Sometimes? Okay, pretty much all the time. Emma was right about getting him a big brother. Was she right about me getting back out there, getting myself a big daddy?
Am I really considering this?
Oh God, I am.
“Sure, he can stay,” Violet says, her voice pulling me back. “I’ll come pick him up later.”
“Sounds great.” I’m about to end the call when she clears her throat, the way she always does when she’s about to take center stage and climb on her soap box. “What’s up?” I ask.
“Don’t you have something to tell me?”
“Ah, nope.” I can just visualize her standing there, tapping her manicured nails on the countertop. Her name might be Violet, and she’s well kept, but she’s no delicate flower. None of us are. I glance at my nails, chipped with half the paint peeled off. I am so not put together like my friends. But I’m a pet groomer, and walk dogs for a living. Someday though, I’ll have my own pet store and grooming business. “Not that I can think of.”
“Okay, that’s it, former best friend,” she says, and I’d be worried, but I hear the lightness in her tone. That’s when I realize where she’s going with this, and I groan. “Oh, yeah, I hear that groan, and if you knew what was good for you, you’d be making those same noises with Liam Dalton on top of you.”
“I’m going to kill Emma.”
“Did you really think she wouldn’t tell me? And I’m mad that you didn’t.”
“It’s nothing. It’s no big deal. We ran into him. That’s all that happened.” Maybe that’s not all that happened. I can’t deny that I caught him checking me out. His gaze going from daisy to daisy on my dress, lingering over my breasts and legs. A warm shiver moves through me, and my traitorous nipples tighten, just like they did when he flashed me that panty-melting grin. God, no wonder women are all over him. He’s the hottest guy I’ve ever set eyes on and I really hope he didn’t notice my reaction to him.
“You should have said yes. He’d be an awesome big brother, and anything else you might need him for, and yes, I’m talking about your beaver canoe.”
The fact that she’s always called a woman’s private parts their beaver canoe never fails to make me laugh.
“Are you sure you’re not saying that because you and
