Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
T hey spent four solid hours going over Hudson Security’s current cases, with Matt giving his initial assessments of the information Gavin and Bean presented. He’d asked many questions and even questioned some of the intel that had been gathered. The time had flown by, and frankly, it had been amazing. Fucking exhilarating. His body was still buzzing with a level of excitement and energy that he’d forgotten existed.
God, he’d missed this—collaborating with a fierce team to put the various puzzle pieces together—and he was so damn grateful to have another opportunity.
Nodding along to the radio, Matt pulled into Cade and Poppy’s driveway and parked. He was looking forward to decompressing with his friends over steaks and beers after an already fulfilling afternoon. As he shut his truck’s door, he noticed a familiar car parked off to the side. An older-model white Corolla.
Scarlet was here.
Just like that, nerves sparked in his gut. What was it about this pixie that had him on edge? Shaking his head, he took the steps of the front porch two at a time and let himself in. The laughter and heckling of Poppy’s twins reached his ears. No doubt they were giving Cade shit about something. Following the noise, he entered the kitchen.
“Hey, Matt!” Carter said. “You’ve known Cade for forever, right? Is it true that in college he tried to memorize all the dance moves in Dirty Dancing so he could pick up chicks?”
Matt grinned at his friend. These kids had his buddy’s number. That was for damn sure. “Well, boys, I’m not at liberty to confirm or deny.” But he nodded at the twins, who howled with laughter.
“Asshole,” Cade muttered with a chuckle, knocking into Matt’s shoulder. “Glad you could make it, man. Grab a beer.”
Not needing a second invitation, he grabbed an IPA from the fridge, then scanned the full kitchen island. “Bottle opener?”
“Drawer behind you,” Cade replied, gesturing with his beer bottle.
It took a few seconds of rummaging through the obvious junk drawer before he found a Seattle Seahawks bottle opener.
“Was that Scarlet’s car out front?” he asked, turning back to Cade. He knew damn well it was, and by the look his friend was giving him, Cade wasn’t buying the bullshit he was spewing.
Cade smirked and gestured toward the hallway. “They’re in the TV room setting up Daisy with some movies. Do me a favor.” He grabbed a tray of steaks. “Poppy wrote up a list of the cat stuff, but I think she left it in the front room. Grab that and meet us out by the grill?”
“Sure thing.”
“Boys!” Cade called as he headed out the back door. “Grab the corn and start shucking. Your mom’s got a table all set up for you guys.”
Matt chuckled at the good-natured complaining the twins dished out. Beer in hand, he made his way to the front of the house—and then detoured to the TV room, which was basically a mini movie theater with kick-ass recliners and amazing surround sound. After all, it would be rude to not stop in and say hello to the ladies, right?
He grimaced. Yeah... that was too much bullshit, even for him.
Peeking inside, he frowned. A Disney cartoon was playing with the volume on low, but the room was empty. How had he missed them?
Turning toward the front room, he came to an abrupt halt. Daisy was kneeling on the sofa by the front window, with her back to him, playing quietly with Mr. Slothy and a stuffed unicorn. Mr. Slothy was in her good hand, and he appeared to be racing across the back of the couch. The bright-pink cast covered part of her right hand and ended just below her elbow, but that didn’t prevent her from holding the unicorn firmly by the scruff. Or was it a mane? Regardless, the way the animals crashed into each other looked like some kind of stuffed animal demolition derby.
“Hey, Daisy,” he said quietly, not wanting to startle her. “You didn’t want to watch the movie?”
She peered over her shoulder and stared at him for a few moments, her doe eyes wide, before shaking her head. “Mr. Slothy’s tired of Frozen .”
“Oh yeah?” Walking deeper into the room, he lowered himself onto the love seat across from Daisy, careful to give her plenty of space. While he’d been around the little girl countless times, he’d only interacted with her on a handful of occasions. He knew she was shy. Besides, he was a big guy, and she was a teeny-tiny little thing. He didn’t want to crowd her or make her uncomfortable. “What are Mr. Slothy and Mr. Unicorn up to?”
She held up the unicorn. “She isn’t a boy, silly. She’s a girl.”
“Sorry,” he said, holding up his hands. “My bad. I hope I didn’t hurt her feelings.”
Daisy giggled, and warmth bloomed in his chest. He wasn’t the best with kids—not because he didn’t like them, but because he didn’t come across many in his daily life—so he was thankful Daisy wasn’t scared of him.
“What’s her name?” he asked.
“Baby Unicorn.”
He grinned. Of course it was. “Are they pretending to be race cars?”
She shook her head. “Mr. Slothy and Baby Unicorn are running, but Mr. Slothy falled down, and now he’s hurt.”
“Oh no. Is Mr. Slothy okay?”
Daisy shook her head again, and her shoulders slumped. “His arm hurts, and he’s crying. He’s sad. He’s scared, and he wants his mama.”
As her lower lip jutted out and began to tremble, worry crept up his spine. “Can I see?”
She looked up at him and nodded. His breath caught in his throat. The sweet girl’s eyes were glassy with unshed tears. Holy shit, this kid was breaking his heart.
Hurrying closer, he sat on the coffee table between them and held out his hand. “Can you show me where Mr. Slothy is hurt?”
She held out the stuffed animal’s arm.
Matt didn’t know what the hell he was doing, but he was going to make this kid smile if it killed him. “Just as I thought,” he said, carefully turning the stuffed animal’s arm left, then right. “It looks wonky. I think Mr. Slothy’s going to need a cast just like yours.”
Daisy gasped, and her blue eyes went wide with excitement. “He does?”
Matt nodded, thankful her sadness seemed to be forgotten. He jiggled the stuffy’s arm. “I think so. We should put his arm in a cast just to be safe. You’re his mama, so what do you think?”
She grinned. “To be safe.”
“Do you know if Mr. Slothy likes the color blue?”
Her head bobbed up and down. “It’s his favorite color.”
“Nice. It’s my favorite color, too.” He pursed his lips in thought. “Can you make sure Mr. Slothy doesn’t move? I have to get the cast supplies, but I promise I’ll be right back.”
“Okay,” Daisy said, pulling Mr. Slothy into an embrace that reminded him of how Scarlet had held her daughter earlier this morning. When the little girl patted the stuffed animal’s back and softly shushed, his chest squeezed tight.
Holy shit, this kid . . .
Matt rose and rushed to the kitchen. Yanking open Cade’s junk drawer, he grabbed what he’d spied earlier. He was back beside Daisy in under thirty seconds.
“All right, Otter Pop, you hold?—”
“Otter Pop?” Daisy giggled. “My name is Daisy.”
“Huh.” He pointed at her mouth. “Well, you have blue Otter Pop all over your face, so I think I’m gonna call you Otter Pop from now on.”
“Mr. Matty, you’re silly.”
He winked at her. “Right back at ya, Otter Pop. Now, you hold Mr. Slothy still, and I’ll put the cast on him. It’ll be just a quick procedure. It won’t hurt him at all.” He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from chuckling as Daisy hung on his every word. He lifted Mr. Slothy’s right arm. “Is this the arm Mr. Slothy hurt?” After she nodded with that darling smile on her face, he said in his most serious tone, “Be sure to hold him really still, Otter Pop.”
Tearing a length of the blue painter’s tape he’d stolen from Cade’s junk drawer, Matt carefully wrapped the stuffed animal’s arm, making sure to explain every little step to Daisy. He also made sure to add a little strip over the top of its paw, just like her cast.
Once finished, he lifted Mr. Slothy and inspected his work. “What do you think?” he asked, presenting Daisy with her blue-casted stuffy. “You guys match now.”
She took the toy from his hands and gave it a hug. “Thank you, Mr. Matty!”
He chuckled. If Mr. Slothy had been real, all his bones would have broken from her squeeze.
“Mama, look!” Daisy held her stuffy in the air. “Me and Mr. Slothy match!”
Matt turned, and heat rushed over his face. Scarlet stood in the room’s entryway, leaning against the wall. The soft smile on her face made his heart beat double time.
Holy shit, he was in trouble.
Scarlet’s heart was in her throat, and she was teetering on the edge of melting into a puddle of mushy goo. She was also pretty sure the wall was the only thing holding her upright. Because the way Matt stared at her, with that blush washing over his cheeks, fell somewhere between adorable and smoking hot.
When she’d realized Daisy wasn’t in the TV room, she’d gone looking for her. And come across this moment: big, tough Matt Alvarez making an arm cast for Mr. Slothy. To match her daughter’s. Holy wow, be still my freaking heart!
She should have announced herself, but she’d stood transfixed, watching him carefully wrap the blue tape around Mr. Slothy’s arm. He’d explained to Daisy how it wasn’t going to hurt her beloved stuffy. How she was doing a great job holding him still. How she was an amazing mama to Mr. Slothy. And just like Scarlet, Daisy had been mesmerized by each and every word.
Her chest squeezed tight. No one had ever done something like this for Daisy. Ever. And the way her little girl’s face shone bright with joy had tears prickling the backs of her eyes.
“See, Mama!” Daisy said. “His is blue and mine is pink. It’s our favorite colors!”
Blinking the tears away, she smiled at her daughter. “Wow! You and Mr. Slothy are basically twins now!”
Daisy scrambled off the couch with Mr. Slothy tucked under her arm. “Thank you, Mr. Matty,” she said, rushing out of the room. “Mama, I gotta show Poppy!”
“Walk, please!” Scarlet called out, smiling when Daisy slowed.
Alone with Matt now, she took a deep breath in for courage. Holy crap, she totally felt like a loser middle schooler striking up a conversation with the most popular boy in high school. Looking anywhere but his face, her eyes caught on his enormous hands. His long, tan fingers were fiddling with.. . Baby Unicorn?
Her gaze swung to his, and that blush on his cheeks deepened. Though it must’ve been a trick of the light because, holy shit, there was no way he was embarrassed. Either way, there was something seriously swoony about this giant, muscular man holding a pink unicorn.
She cleared her throat. “Thank you for doing that for Daisy. Getting a pink cast made it fun for her and distracted her from what happened, but now that Mr. Slothy has a matching blue cast, she’ll be even more excited.”
“It’s not a problem. I figured the way she was crashing her stuffies into each other, there was bound to be some damage to one of them.” He shot her a grin that had her stomach doing somersaults.
Good lord, that’s a lethal smile.
“Well, it was really kind of you. And I hope you don’t mind that I texted you that picture of Daisy earlier.” His head tilted to the side, so she rushed on, “I got your number from Poppy. I wanted to thank you for all your help this morning and show you that Daisy was doing good.” Holy crap, if she didn’t take a breath soon, she was going to pass out. But still, her mouth kept on blabbing. “I hope that’s okay. Getting your number and texting you, I mean. I didn’t want to overstep, but I really did appreciate all your help?—”
Matt held up a hand, and her words came to an abrupt halt. “You’re fine, Scarlet. Really. I appreciated your text, actually. The blue Otter Pop smile was great.”
She finally took that breath, tucking her fists into the pockets of her denim shorts. She never knew what to do with her hands. “Yeah, she’s pretty cute. I usually don’t let her have more than one. She gets a little crazy with all the sugar, but today was...” She shrugged. “And to top it off, the twins were in charge of the popsicles.”
“Are they really popsicles?” he asked, tone light and teasing. “They don’t have sticks.”
Scarlet stared at him for a moment, and the corners of her lips twitched. “They’re stickless popsicles. But popsicles nonetheless.”
He pursed his lips. “We may have to agree to disagree on that.” He smiled, and again, her stomach flipped. “Judging by the amount of blue on her face, which may be permanent at this point, I assume she was able to con a few more Otter Pops out of the twins than they actually admitted to you.” Leaving Baby Unicorn on the sofa, he stood and ran a hand through his closely cropped black hair. His tan, tattooed forearms were strong and corded, the veins popping just so.
She lost all train of thought. Her mouth might have even dropped open.
Gah! Focus, girl! Yanking her gaze away from the arm porn, she took in his wide shoulders and strong torso. There was no ignoring the way his T-shirt hugged his powerful chest. The guy was straight-up ripped and— gah! Stop eye-molesting him!
“Um,” she squeaked before clearing her throat. “The steaks are almost ready. We’re all outside if you want to join us.” Ohmygod, she could feel the warmth washing over her face.
His lips split into a broad grin. “All right. I’m going to grab another beer. Can I get you anything?”
“I’m good, thanks,” she said, back to squeaking. “I’ll meet you outside.”
More than anything in the world, she wished that the ground would magically open up and swallow her whole. No such luck. Apparently, her steady voice was a thing of the past. But holy crap, in her defense, she’d never seen Matt smile like that. And when he’d helped Daisy earlier, he’d been so soft and sweet—and so, so sexy.
Good god, she wanted to clobber herself in the head. This crush had been fine when she hadn’t really known the guy. But now? When she’d gotten a glimpse of the man behind the somber expression and growly, one-word replies? Now, it was a bad, bad idea.
An hour later, they had finished the simple but amazing dinner of steaks, corn on the cob, and baked potatoes. Once the dishes were loaded in the dishwasher and the kitchen was clean, everyone gathered around the gas fire pit, relaxing while the twins entertained them with tales from their first year at college.
Scarlet laughed at their antics, though a small part of her was envious. The twins were only four years younger than her, yet it felt like a lifetime separated them. Their stories seemed so foreign. As did their easygoing attitudes and exuberance. It was like watching a movie about the charmed college experience. She knew their lives hadn’t been silver spoons and luxury—Poppy was like her big sister, so she knew about their struggles—but their obvious confidence left her in awe.
Daisy squirmed in her lap, and she tightened her hold, inhaling her daughter’s fruity scent. For the millionth time that evening, she wondered what she was doing here with these amazing people. How the hell had she gotten so lucky to land in their orbit?
She’d moved to Hudson Island nineteen months ago. And yes, she knew the exact day. Hell, she could probably narrow it down to the exact hour she’d stepped foot off the ferry. Coming here was the best thing she’d ever done. She’d immediately started working at Ray’s Diner, and within a week, Poppy had befriended her. She’d cherished their relationship ever since.
Poppy had given birth to the twins at sixteen and spent the following years fighting and struggling but had come out on top. The twins, who were kind and kick-ass in their own right, were thriving in college, and Poppy owned and ran one of the most successful boutiques on Hudson. More recently, she’d found blissful happiness with a great guy who, as Scarlet’s favorite gossip train ladies liked to say, wasn’t at all hard on the eyes. The woman truly was her role model. If Scarlet could be half as awesome as Poppy, she’d die happy.
She smiled as the twins switched to teasing their mom about her new cats, Ripley and Bishop. While their crew was going to be away in London, Matt had agreed to watch the two felines. Apparently, her friend was a bit neurotic with the cat-care plan. Two bullet point pages of the cats’ daily activities and feeding schedules. It was a bit extra, but also so very Poppy that Scarlet had to laugh.
“Poppy?” Daisy asked, her tiny voice quieting the group.
“Yeah, sweetie?”
“Can I play with the kitty cats when you’re not here? I think they’ll be sad.”
“Of course, sweetie,” Poppy replied.
Matt, who was seated next to Scarlet, reached over and squeezed Daisy’s foot. “I think you’re right, Otter Pop.”
Scarlet furrowed her brow at the nickname, but when Daisy giggled, her stomach did that flipping thing again.
Holy shit. Matt Alvarez and her daughter had an inside joke.
“How about,” Matt began, “when you want to play with the cats, you let your mama know, and then she can let me know? Then we can get you over here to make sure the cats aren’t sad. Sound like a good plan?”
Daisy nodded, then yawned and leaned back into Scarlet’s chest. “A good plan, Mr. Matty.”
Scarlet had been acutely aware of the man sitting beside her for the last hour. It actually helped that he was so close. It meant she didn’t have to make eye contact. It also helped that Daisy was sitting on her lap, growing more tired by the second. She knew she shouldn’t use her daughter as a buffer, but she couldn’t resist.
Truthfully, Matt made her nervous. He was just... a lot. Handsome, intelligent, and surprisingly kind. It was intimidating. She didn’t know what to say to him and constantly worried she’d make a complete fool of herself.
It was easier to talk to him when she was at the diner, taking his order. She was well-practiced at that kind of small talk. But this kind? Where everyone was sitting around, shooting the shit? It was completely different. She didn’t know how to do this. At all. So, like the coward she was, she hid behind her sweet little girl.
Daisy twisted and looked up at her. “Mama, we have to make sure Ripley and Bishop aren’t sad. Poppy said I can visit them, and Mr. Matty will take me.”
“I heard, baby.” Giving Matt a smile, Scarlet ran a hand over her daughter’s head. “I’m sure Ripley and Bishop would love to see you while everyone’s gone.”
“Maybe they can come live with us?”
Soft laughter filled the air as hopeful blue eyes gleamed up at Scarlet. “I think Ripley and Bishop would be happier here. This is their home, sweet girl, but we’ll come visit.”
“Promise?” Daisy asked, bottom lip sticking out.
She nodded, and Daisy let out another yawn. “On that note, I hate to break up the party, but we should be getting home.”
Rising, Scarlet adjusted her hold on Daisy, who’d snuggled into her like a little monkey.
Everyone stood, and Poppy made her way over, enveloping both Scarlet and Daisy in a hug. “Even though our flight to London isn’t until Friday, we’re planning to head over to Seattle on Wednesday. Cade needs to check in at the Seattle gym, and we’re going to see his folks before we take off. But I’ll check in with you tomorrow, okay?”
“Please do.” She returned her friend’s hug. “I’d love to see you before you take off.”
“Thanks again for coming out, Scar,” Poppy said, shifting her attention to Daisy and gently bopping her on the nose. “And you, missy. You make sure to take care of that arm of yours, okay?”
Following the group into the kitchen, Scarlet helped Daisy wave goodbye to the guys. “Thanks for having us, Cade. The steaks were divine.”
“I’m glad you liked them,” he replied. “And you two are welcome any time.”
“Oh, come on, Scar,” Carter protested. “Forget the steaks. Have you ever had better shucked corn in your life?”
“Impeccably shucked corn,” Dylan added. “Not a husk thread in sight.”
She chuckled. These two never failed to make her laugh. “Pardon me. The steaks were okay, but the corn was amazing. Thank you, guys.”
“That’s right, girl,” Carter said, holding out his fist.
With a shake of her head, she bumped her fist against his. “If I don’t see you two before you leave, have fun in London.”
In the living area, she spied her things on the floor by the fireplace. “Hang on, sweet girl,” she murmured, bending to reach her purse and tote bag.
“Here, let me get that for you,” Matt said, suddenly next to her. He picked up both items. “I’ll walk you out.”
And just like that, the nerves were back.
“Um, thank you,” she said, trailing him to her car.
With Daisy’s cast, maneuvering her into the car seat was a bit of a task. As Scarlet finally got the buckle to click, she nodded at the front seat. “Hey, Matt? If you could put my bags up front, I’d appreciate it.”
“You got it.” He rounded the hood and deposited her things on the passenger seat. After closing the door, he held up a hand. “Hang on a sec,” he said, then rushed into the house.
By the time Scarlet had her driver’s side door open, he returned wearing that grin that did something to her insides.
Opening the back door, he peered in and said, “Can’t have you forgetting Baby Unicorn, now can we?” He tucked the stuffy next to Daisy in her car seat.
Scarlet bit her bottom lip to keep from sighing. Who is this guy?
“Thank you, Mr. Matty,” Daisy said, giving him a tired smile.
“Any time, Otter Pop.”
Scarlet had no clue where the Otter Pop thing had come from, but damn if it wasn’t the cutest thing she’d ever heard. Clearing her throat, she got in her car and paused to meet his gaze. “Thanks again, Matt. For everything.”
Grabbing the frame of her door, he said, “You’re welcome, Scarlet. You in?” At her nod, he closed the door and tapped the roof twice. “Drive safe.”