Chapter 4
4
SCOTT
T he hot new single dad, eh?
Nice.
Less than two days in Small Town and I’ve already made quite the impression on the local single ladies.
Granted, I knew what I was getting into by moving to Small Town. I grew up in Big City, so I’m no stranger to the romance of Kiss County. But I’ve got more important things to worry about right now than that. Moving into a new home. Opening my new shop. And Sonya, of course.
There’s no room in my life for another woman, especially not that new neighbor from last night.
Lottie Linney.
The single mom across the street.
I glance at the basket of muffins on the counter. Abandoning my laptop, I walk over to pick it up, then I make my way out of the kitchen and into the hallway. Dodging stacks of boxes waiting to be unpacked, I walk to Sonya’s room down the hall and silently stand in the open doorway. She’s on her floor with her dolls, several of them brand new because… well, anything to cheer her up, right?
“Hey, kiddo,” I say. “You want another mini muffin?”
She says nothing. Just shakes her head.
I exhale hard. She’s never been so quiet in her life.
I step into the room and lower myself to the carpet to sit beside her. “You missing your mom?” I ask.
Sonya nods.
“Yeah. Me, too. But she’s coming to see you next week. You guys get to have a whole girly day together. Doesn’t that sound fun?”
She doesn’t answer.
“You know, Suny...” I shift a little closer to her. “My parents got divorced when I was your age, too. So, if you have questions or if you want to talk about it... you can talk to me. Or your mom. We both love you so much. You know that, right?”
To that, she nods.
“Good,” I say, relieved. I grab the basket and set it down by her dolls. “You sure you don’t want another mini muffin?”
Sonya eyes it.
I smile. I reach in and take one for myself. “Well, if you’re not gonna partake…” I peel off its paper cup and toss it into my mouth, not really expecting much, but... damn.
That’s a good muffin.
“Mmm!” I say, chewing. “Delicious!”
Sonya picks one up and does the same, slowly pulling at its paper.
“What did you think of the new neighbors?” I ask, getting a shrug in return. “Liam seems like a cool kid. Maybe you two will be friends.”
“Will you two be friends?” she asks, taking me by surprise.
“Me and Liam? I don’t know. He seems a bit young to be a drinking buddy.”
She just looks at me.
“Oh, you meant that woman?” I ask, laughing involuntarily. “I don’t think so. There’s... some complicated grown up stuff happening there.” I grab another muffin. “She’s a good baker, though. I’ll give her that. Pretty, too. She has some really big… qualities, but no. No.” I shake my head. “I don’t think we’ll be friends.”
Sonya enjoys her muffin.
I do, too.
Damn, that’s a good muffin.
Why is it with every box I unpack, the pile never seems to get smaller?
And when did I accumulate so much stuff?
Remember when I was a bachelor with a mattress on the floor? That was fun.
Still, I endure. I unpack books and stack them next to pieces of bookshelves I still need to put together. I carefully remove plates from packing foam and pile them in the cabinets next to drinking glasses and cereal bowls.
All the while, I keep one ear on the hallway, listening as Sonya plays in her bedroom. She’s supposed to be unpacking her clothes today, but… I won’t hold it against her. Laundry is boring.
Through my other ear, I hear a sudden roar outside, somewhere in the neighborhood. First at a distance, then closer and closer.
A motorcycle.
I walk to the entryway windows and look out, spotting it as it tears down our street. There’s a man on it, sans helmet, and I roll my eyes at that. Then I notice the smaller person in a little pair of overalls sitting in front of the rider, barely holding on.
Liam?
I plant myself at the window and watch as the biker rolls into Lottie’s driveway across the street. He parks the bike and stands up, helping Liam down. The two of them step onto the porch. The man knocks. He rings the bell. No answer.
He knocks again, this time harder. He shouts for Lottie, impatiently running a hand through a mane of hair in desperate need of a trim. Another round of bell ringing and he gets visibly frustrated.
After barely a minute, he says something to Liam and walks off, leaving the boy standing on the porch alone.
No.
He’s not just gonna…
He gets back on his bike and rides off.
Nope. He’s gonna.
His bike roars again as he tears through the neighborhood, the sound fading off into the distance.
Liam sits down on the porch stairs and I curse under my breath.
Well... that’s not good.