Chapter 7
HUDSON
Her startled gaze lifted to me.
Why had I admitted that I liked seeing her in sexy lingerie?
Thankfully, we'd already reached the doors to the diner, and Ayla was waiting to go inside. I pulled open the door, and they preceded me inside.
Ginger pulled out two menus, then raised her brows when she saw me standing behind Angela. "Do you have a guest?"
"Make that three, Ginger." I flashed her a smile, and she grabbed another menu. "Right this way."
I placed a hand on Angela's lower back, feeling the tension in her muscles. She was worried about what people would think, but I didn't care.
Ginger set the menus on a booth by the window, and Angela slid in next to Ayla.
I sat across from them.
"I'll be right back to get your order," Ginger said before flouncing off to help a family who'd just entered the diner and were waiting at the hostess stand.
Angela gave me a look which I took to mean I shouldn't stand so close to her and I was not under any circumstances to be touching her in public.
For some reason, her anxiety about the situation had my shoulders lowering and my lips pulling into a teasing smile. "What do you ladies want tonight? It's my treat."
I figured I'd get that out of the way.
Angela's lips pressed into a straight line. "We can pay for our meal."
I leaned my elbows on the table, moving closer to Angela. "Then it wouldn't be a treat, would it?"
Her eyes narrowed on me.
If she was wondering if I was flirting with her, I most definitely was. There was something about seeing her in that outfit earlier that made me forget all the reasons why we weren't a good idea.
"I want pancakes," Ayla said, closing her menu and crossing her arms on the table, clearly oblivious to the tension between me and her mother.
"I love pancakes."
She pointed at the picture on the glossy menu. "You have to get the ones with chocolate chips. Not the ones with fruit."
"Mmm. That does sound good." I closed my menu, content to get exactly what Ayla wanted.
"Maybe we can order a bowl of fruit for the table then?" Angela murmured.
"Are you saying our dinner choices aren't healthy?" I snuck a can you believe this? look at Ayla.
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Angela agreed, still perusing her menu.
Ayla covered her giggle with her hand.
I enjoyed sharing something with her. It wasn't a good idea to side with Ayla against her mother on big things, but surely some teasing at dinner was allowed.
Ginger returned with a notepad. "What can I get you?"
We rattled off our orders, and I handed Ginger the stack of menus.
"Are you going to the trail tonight?" Ginger asked Ayla.
"Yup. Can't wait," Ayla said.
"You'll love it. I'm sure," Ginger said as she moved to the next table.
"I didn't realize that Eve built a light trail. I guess I've been so busy with everything; I missed the flyers," Angela said.
"It sounded like a last-minute kind of thing," I said.
"Miss Clara told me," Ayla said.
"Are you friends with the other shop owners?" I asked her.
Ayla nodded eagerly. "Reina gives me sweets, and Meg makes my hot chocolate with extra marshmallows."
"I suppose this town is like a playground." I would have loved to have free rein here as a kid.
"Most people are quick to help out with Ayla. I can let her roam the stores and not worry about her," Angela said.
I gave her a look. "We'll get your shop up and running again."
"Eve said Bill is insisting on a town-hall meeting to discuss the 'future of my business.'" She put air quotes around the phrase.
"That guy needs to mind his own business," I muttered, irritated with the man who'd dared to verbally assault a woman with her child on a sidewalk.
Angela's eyes widened in surprise. "I wish he would."
"Eve seems to have your back."
"Yeah, but will she bow to pressure from someone who's been around longer than me? It would be easier for her not to renew my lease at the end of its term."
"From what I know of Eve, easy isn't something she does."
Angela looked out the window where shoppers walked by with their bags full of presents for the holidays. "We'll see how it goes."
"You have your online shop," Ayla said as she colored the kids' menu with a red crayon.
Angela sipped her tea. "I will once it's up and running. I have to take more pictures and set up all the product pages."
"Why don't you post the products that you have images for, then continue to add on as you go?"
Angela stilled, her gaze lifting to mine. "That's not a bad idea."
"Get the basics up first." I figured it would take the pressure off, and she'd have something to sell. But now I had visions of her posing in barely there bra-and-panty sets.
"I just need to research how to handle packaging and shipping. I should use small packages that will protect the product but also make the recipient feel like they've bought something special."
"You want something labeled with your logo?"
She winced. "I'm not sure I can afford that yet."
"You could probably find pink bubble mailers or something that would already match your branding that isn't too expensive. You can always add on the name of your business later."
Ginger set our plates of food in front of us, and I exchanged an amused look with Ayla. Our pancakes were stacked high and covered with whipped cream and chocolate chips.
Angela pointed her fork at my plate. "That's a dessert."
I licked my lips. "One I'm going to enjoy."
Her eyes narrowed on me, but I saw the flare of heat in them. She'd had the same thought I had. Dessert could be many things, like me feasting on her.
I wasn't going to be able to turn the clock back and forget about what I'd seen this afternoon. It only fueled my desire for her.
I cut into my stack. I was starving, and this sweet treat wasn't a substitute for the woman I wanted.
Cooper would be pissed if he knew I was lusting after a client, especially one tied to our biggest source of business. Another voice reminded me that she wasn't my client. That was Eve and Natasha.
Angela didn't own the building. She was merely a tenant. My heart soared at that conclusion. But then any thoughts of pursuit were stymied by Ayla, who had whipped cream on her nose.
Everyone knew you didn't get involved with single moms. They were complicated and deserved extra care. They were a package deal, and if I wasn't sure I wanted everything that came with it, I shouldn't even be thinking about her.
"Are you excited about Christmas?" I asked Ayla, thinking it was a good topic of conversation for a kid.
She nodded seriously. "Santa always brings me presents."
"Because you're a good girl," I said easily.
"Most of the time," Angela interjected.
"What did you ask Santa for?" I asked, wondering if she still believed. I remembered that my oldest brother, Ford, ruined the fantasy of Santa for us when he was in fourth grade. Mom was not happy about that.
"I asked for art supplies, books, and stuffies. And a bike."
"That's sounds doable." Soon she'd be asking for electronics, but Ayla was still very much a kid.
Angela smiled. "She loves arts and crafts."
Ayla took another bite of her pancake. "I'll make you a bracelet. What are your favorite colors?"
"Blue," I said easily.
She tipped her head to the side. "Blue and—"
"Green."
Ayla nodded. "I can add your name too."
"That sounds nice." If she gave me a friendship bracelet, I'd have to wear it, and the guys would never let me hear the end of it. But I was starting to think that any flack I got for it would be worth it to see this little girl smile.
"We need to get a tree," Ayla pointed out.
"I'm not sure how long we'll be living in this house. There's no point in putting up decorations," Angela said.
That made me pause. "Feel free to decorate it however you wish."
Ayla gave her a look as if to say, See?
"I don't know. It seems like a lot of work for a temporary home," Angela said, and I could see the stress in the crease in her forehead.
"We'll get a tree for you." And I'd call my brothers in to decorate the outside of the house. I still had the decorations in the shed from when I lived there.
"A real one?" Ayla said as if it was something they'd never had.
I gave her a look. "Of course we'll get a real one. What other kind is there?"
"Ayla, I told you that a real tree is harder to get. You have to secure it to the car and then carry it into the house. I have no idea how to manage that."
"I can help," I said gently, not wanting to overstep but wanting to make things easier for her. Angela wanted to give her daughter everything but was overwhelmed with the logistics. "I'll show you how to put it in the tree stand. That way, you can do it yourself."
Angela wanted to be independent. I figured that showing her how to do things for herself would be the perfect way to get her to relax her rules about letting me help her.
"Please, Mom," Ayla said, her mouth covered in chocolate and whipped cream now.
Angela handed her a napkin. "Okay."
"Yes." Ayla pumped her fist.
I hoped I wasn't causing trouble between mother and daughter, but I was enjoying giving this little girl everything she wanted. I might not be her father, but I could make their lives easier.
I paid for dinner, and we headed outside. I should have made an excuse saying I couldn't go to the light trail, but as soon as we were on the sidewalk, Ayla put her hand in mine.
My heart skipped a beat as I looked down at her. Her straight hair peeked out of her knit cap with a ball on the end, her eyes wide and hopeful. "You're coming with us to the light trail."
It wasn't a question.
"Of course." I caught Angela's gaze over Ayla's head, hoping I conveyed how helpless I was to resist her daughter.
"I'll get tickets," Angela said, and I didn't argue with her. She wanted to pay her way, and I'd give in on this one thing. I'd taken a peek at the prices, and they were very reasonable, given that all proceeds went to the local firehouse.