LITMIR.BIZ

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Six

      After Angie left, Toby went into the bathroom to take a shower and spotted her wet workout clothes hanging over his towel bar. He’d assumed she’d taken them with her, along with her purse and the wet shoes she’d left outside by the door, but apparently, she’d forgotten them after she’d changed.

      He’d return them, of course, which would give him an opportunity to see her again soon.

      That was a good thing, right?

      Less than twenty minutes ago, he’d been tempted to kiss her. In fact, he’d been tempted to do more than that, right there on his living-room sofa—and despite having a house full of kids.

      But that wouldn’t have been good. He blew out a sigh.

      As long as those three children were depending upon him, he’d better not even think about having a woman spend the night. And since he hoped they’d be living with him until they each went off to college, he’d better get used to sleeping alone—unless he tied a cowbell around each of their necks.

      The image of him doing that was actually kind of funny, and he might have even chuckled out loud if being twenty-six and facing the possibility of ten years of near celibacy wasn’t downright unsettling—and unthinkable.

      Surely it wouldn’t come to that.

      He ran his hand through his hair, then turned on the water in the shower, adjusting the temperature to warm—hoping cold sprays wouldn’t be the only ones in his future.

      Something told him this was going to be a long night, and that sleep would be a long time coming.

      And he’d been right.

      The next day, as soon as school let out, he surprised the kids by driving to the Superette and telling them they could each pick out a snack. As they unbuckled their seat belts, he reached for the plastic bag holding Angie’s now-dry workout clothes.

      Then he herded the happy kids into the mom-and-pop grocery store, riding pretty high in the saddle himself. No matter what he told himself, being with Angie always brightened his day.

      Trouble was, once he got inside and the kids took off, he didn’t see her at any of the checkout registers.

      Where was she? He could’ve sworn that she worked at the market on Thursdays. But it was tough keeping up with her schedule. Had he been wrong? Was she working for Sawyer and Laurel today?

      Dang. Was this what his life would be like if he were to actually date her? Would she always be working at some odd job, changing shifts frequently, possibly moving to another city?

      She didn’t have a history of stability, and no matter how many family conversations she livened up or how many heated looks passed between the two of them, nothing was going to change that fact.

      Just when he began to realize he’d have to take the plastic bag back to his truck, Justin ran up and asked, “Can I have one of Angie’s cupcakes? She put little race cars on top and everything.”

      “Slow down, Justin. What are you talking about?”

      “I’ll show you.” The boy turned and dashed off toward the bakery section.

      Toby followed him to the display case—and to Angie, who stood behind it, wearing a white apron tied around her slim waist.

      “See?” Justin said, imploring Toby to tear his gaze from Angie and to look at the tray of cupcakes behind the glass enclosure, each one blue and topped with candy sprinkles and a tiny toy race car.

      “You’re a baker, too?” Toby asked her.

      “It’s a long story. The baker called in sick, so I stepped in. And when I spotted the toy cars stashed in one of the cupboards in back, I thought they might add a little more pizzazz. Apparently, the customers agreed because we sold the first batch already and the second is going fast.”

      “So can I have one for my treat?” Justin asked again.

      “I want the one with the purple car,” Kylie chimed in.

      “All right,” Toby said. “We’ll take ’em.”

      “Do you want to eat them here?” Angie asked. “Or should I box them up for you?”

      Justin, always one for instant gratification, said, “I want to eat mine right now.”

      Toby laughed. “I’ll never hear the end of it if I make them wait.”

      Angie carried the cupcakes to one of the two small bistro-style tables, where the morning customers enjoyed their doughnuts and coffees. She set them before Justin and Kylie, then passed out a couple of napkins, just as Brian walked up with a highly caffeinated energy drink in his hand.

      “I’m gonna just have this instead of a snack,” Brian said, as he sat down at the table.

      “Oh, no, you won’t.” Toby snatched the can out of the boy’s hand. “Kids aren’t supposed to drink this crap. It’s not good for you.”

      “Mike Waddell drinks it all the time at school,” Brian argued.

      “Maybe so,” Angie said, as she set a cupcake in front of the boy. “But Mike Waddell got detention last week for jumping out of his seat seven times during that movie in science class. He also had eight cavities at his last dentist appointment.”

      As the kids dug into their cupcakes, Toby followed Angie behind the bakery display case and lowered his voice. “How did you know that about Mike Waddell?”

      “We live in a small town, Toby. People talk. Especially Brian’s teacher, Mrs. Dawson, and Wendy Cummings, the dental hygienist.” Angie glanced at the plastic bag he still held. “What’s that?”

      “The clothes you left in my bathroom.” He handed them to her.

      She flushed, then scanned the area as if they were making a drug deal and she didn’t want to get caught. Then she stashed the bag in one of the drawers near the cash register.

      Was she embarrassed? Whatever for? It wasn’t as though she’d spent the night at the ranch and left her panties behind, although the thought of her doing that made him smile.

      She lowered her voice. “And that’s another thing people have been talking about and why I’m really back here in bakery and not out in front.”

      Because people thought she and Toby were...sleeping together?

      “What are you talking about?” he asked.

      “Several people who came through the checkout line asked me about the incident at the pool. They’d heard from a neighbor, who’d heard from a cousin, who... Well, you know how small towns are.”

      Yes, he did. And there wasn’t much he could do to stop a rumor like that from getting out. But heck, if he was going to be the subject of gossip, it was too bad he couldn’t have had a night to remember it by.

      “Finally, around ten this morning, I asked Mrs. Tierney if she could man the cash register for a while,” Angie said. “And so she let me work back here instead.”

      “All because of a little misunderstanding?” Toby shook his head. “That reminds me, though. How is Mr. Murdock?”

      “He was here this morning, having coffee and holding court. He gave everyone a firsthand account of what happened. He...uh...also mentioned to Mrs. Rhodes, who was on her way to The Cuttery for her shampoo and set, that I’ve been helping you out a lot with the kids.”

      Should that be a secret? Toby wondered. Apparently Angie thought so because the pink flush on her cheeks deepened.

      “Actually,” he said, “you’ve been a godsend. And I really appreciate your help more than you can imagine.”

      “Even after yesterday?” she asked.

      He laughed. “I told you before. I’ve had my share of bad days, too. It happens.”

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