Chapter 6
SIX
Anthony tosseda load of wet towels into the newly-repaired washing machine before heading back out to the kitchen. He wasn’t surprised to find Kaylie cajoling Cecelia to clean up so they could leave.
“Mr. Anthony, you said you would play!” The little girl’s memory and pleading skills were well-honed.
He looked at Kaylie, the exasperation evident on her face. He ran a hand over the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, princess. I think your mommy needs you to go home.”
Lia stuck out her lower lip. “But I wanna stay with you,” she said pitifully, turning her dark-brown eyes up at him.
Tank’s heart clenched at the sight. He’d never been close enough with anyone with kids to understand the “wrapped around their finger” concept. But with Lia? Yeah, he was beginning to understand how a three-and-a-half-foot tall pixie could have a grown man happy to bend to her every whim.
But another glance at Kaylie had him convinced that taking Lia’s side and ganging up on her mom wouldn’t be the best move. He crouched down, meeting the little girl’s hopeful face, trying to find a way for them both to have what they wanted.
“How about I give you a piggyback ride to the bus stop?”
Cecelia’s face lit up. She squealed and scrambled to shove her toys into the backpack. Tank felt a small smile creep across his face.
He looked back at Kaylie. “I hope this was okay… I didn’t want to disappoint her, but I figured you wouldn’t want to stay and let me drive you back.”
Kaylie took the bag from Lia. “No, it’s fine. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to play with her. She’s not your responsibility…”
Tank didn’t say anything, but he kept his gaze laser focused on the woman across from him. She was in stretchy gray pants and a loose sweatshirt. The bottoms of her pants were darkened with the water from the laundry room. Tendrils of hair had escaped from her ponytail and framed her face. Her eyes were bright and her cheeks red, as though she’d been outside in cold weather.
“But,” Kaylie continued, “she seems rather attached to you, and fighting a temper tantrum is really not on my list of desired activities after a day like today.” Her voice was weary, with a hint of humor hiding something else.
“A day like today?” he asked. He couldn’t help but be curious. Tank found himself wanting to know everything about this woman.
She waved her hand. “Let’s just say a broken washing machine wasn’t the worst part of my day.”
Tank frowned. He definitely didn’t like hearing that she’d had a hard day. Had something else happened? Could he fix it?
Lia tugged on his hand. “Pick me up!” she demanded.
Kaylie’s eyes flashed in irritation. “How do you ask, missy?”
Lia’s face transformed in an instant, apologetic and sweet. “Can you pick me up, please?” She drew out the last word dramatically, and Tank hid his smile behind his hand.
“Let’s get outside first so you don’t hit your head,” Kaylie said.
“Good call,” he added, wrapping Lia’s hand in his and leading her outside.
He swung her up onto his shoulders, letting her wrap her arms around his neck and tucking his arms under her knees. He bounced on the balls of his feet, jostling her enough to earn a loud giggle.
“Giddy-up,” she yelled, kicking her legs.
“I’ve been downgraded from prince to horse,” he muttered. A sidelong look at Kaylie revealed her stifling a laugh. In the sunlight, her eyes darn near sparkled. He spun in a circle, Lia dissolving into laughter. Kaylie’s attempts to hide her enjoyment of the moment were quickly forgotten and she grinned. The expression transformed her entire face. The weariness was still there, the circles under her eyes still too pronounced.
Admittedly, he thought Kaylie was beautiful every time he saw her. But with the carefree smile she wore now? She was downright stunning.
They walked the first block, Lia chattering from her perch on Tank’s upper back. He shifted her up so she sat on his shoulders instead, instructing her to hold on to his head with one arm and one of his hands with the other.
He couldn’t keep his eyes away from Kaylie. There was work waiting for him at Black Tower. He and Marshall were actually heading to Florida in a few days. But he couldn’t think of a more enjoyable way to spend the afternoon than with Kaylie and her little girl.
“Oh,” Kaylie said. “I left you some Cajun shrimp pasta and some chicken lo mein. I hope it isn’t too spicy. Oh, I should have asked if you like the heat.”
She paused for a moment, but Tank didn’t say anything.
She tugged on her lower lip with her teeth. Tank’s eyes were drawn to the movement, and he quickly lifted his eyes to the sidewalk in front of them.
“But you should probably eat the shrimp first, just so it doesn’t get fishy. I love shrimp, but it doesn’t last as long. I think it works best if you heat the noodles separately first. You can throw the shrimp in at the very end, so they don’t get overcooked.”
How had they gotten here? Tank’s mind was spinning trying to follow her instructions.
“It’s amazing how quickly a microwave can turn them rubbery, and there is nothing worse than rubbery shrimp. Well, there is. Obviously, I mean, people out there are digging through the garbage for their next meal.”
The realization struck then. She was nervous. The woman was prattling on about shrimp because he made her nervous. He stopped walking, keeping his eyes on her as she stared at her feet and kept moving.
“So in the grand scheme of things, rubbery Cajun shrimp isn’t a catastrophe or anything.”
“Kaylie.”
She stopped, realizing he wasn’t next to her anymore. Slowly, she pulled her eyes up to him. Her face flushed, an expression he couldn’t read flashing in her eyes.
“Yeah?”
“I’m sure it’ll be delicious.”
Tension seemed to drain from her body at his words. “I’m sorry. I’m just… I tend to ramble when I’m nervous.”
He stepped forward, closing the distance between them slightly.
“Why are you nervous?”
For a moment, their eyes locked. Her face was tilted up toward him, and if the weight of Lia on his shoulders hadn’t shifted at that moment, he might have very well given in to the temptation to touch her. Instead, he pulled his hand to rest on Lia’s legs, so she didn’t lose her balance.
Kaylie blushed and stepped back. “Just not used to going on walks with my boss,” she said cheerfully.
The moment was broken and they kept walking, but thankfully Kaylie no longer felt the need to fill the silence with small talk or instructions for the meals she made him.
Tank preferred the companionable silence. Although Lia was always reliable for a few well-timed questions about whether he’d rather be able to fly or be invisible.
The answer was invisible, obviously. For a large man like himself, he dreamed of being able to walk into a room and not have every eye turn to him. Lia didn’t care about the details of his answer though, simply moving on to explaining why she would fly.
At the bus stop, he gently set Lia down so she was standing on the bench.
“Thanks for walking with us, Mr. Olson,” Kaylie said. “The bus will be here in about ten minutes, so we won’t keep you. I’m sure you have things to do.”
“I don’t mind,” he said, disappointed that she still wasn’t calling him Anthony. “I’ll wait with you.”
“Really, we’re fine. You should go,” she insisted. “Lia, say good-bye to Mr. Olson.”
Well, that was a pretty effective dismissal, wasn’t it. He couldn’t exactly undermine Kaylie’s parenting authority by not leaving.
“Bye-bye, Mr. Anthony!”
At least one of the Richards girls would say his name. He leaned down and let Lia give him a sweet hug.
With one lingering glance at Kaylie, he turned around and walked back toward the house. It was a short walk and though he did, in fact, have things to do, instead, he climbed in his SUV and drove back to the bus stop. He parked half a block away, then watched them climb onto the city bus.
Then he followed it into traffic. They got off about twenty minutes later and he frowned. No wonder she didn’t want to walk home after dark. At least the late-afternoon sun was still high in the sky.
He parked again, watching Kaylie and Lia as they strolled down the block hand-in-hand. When they turned the corner, he pulled to the end of the block, staying just out of sight until they turned into the yard of a small house.
Then, he drove past the house and turned the SUV back toward the highway, knowing the girls were home safe.