LITMIR.BIZ

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mother clearly disagreed with him, but as Elizabeth’s father, it was up to him to decide who should provide care for her. What kind of father would he be to trust his child to someone as flighty as Haley? He couldn’t even understand why his mother had suggested it, except that Haley was her best friend’s daughter.

      His obligation was to his own daughter, whose needs he would always put ahead of his own or anyone else’s. Elizabeth deserved better than a child-care provider who might desert her without looking back. Might do exactly what his ex-wife had done.

      “She isn’t Stacey, you know,” his mother said.

      Matthew blinked. His mother was bringing out the big guns if she was mentioning his ex. He’d declared that name off-limits, and usually his family abided by that rule. Before he could call out his mother for breaking the rule, though, Jenna pushed through the door, carrying an armful of dishes. Haley followed right behind her, but she only had dishes in one hand because his daughter was holding the other.

      Matthew glanced surreptitiously at his mother, who caught his attention and grinned. He started shoving dishes into the dishwasher, hoping the others hadn’t overheard their earlier conversation.

      “I was just telling Haley that when I get back from the florist tomorrow, we can go shopping for some new outfits,” Jenna said. “There are so many cute styles for spring.”

      “Jenna, I don’t think—”

      “Aw, come on. It’ll be fun.”

      Their mother and Caroline entered the kitchen, stopping just inside the door.

      “You know…shopping therapy,” Jenna continued. “Haley will want to look her best when she gets back out there.”

      “Back out there?”

      The dread in Haley’s voice couldn’t be missed. She didn’t sound anywhere near ready to be out there again. Matthew knew what that was like, and he could also relate to times when relatives’ well-meaning help felt too much like pressure.

      “Shopping therapy might work for some, but are you sure that’s what your sister wants to do?” Matthew turned to Haley. “Haley, what do you want to do?”

      “That is the question of the day.” Haley shook her head, appearing overwhelmed with the thought. “Haley Scott, what do you plan to do with the rest of your life?” For the last, she took on a game show announcer’s voice.

      “I’m not talking about the rest of your life. Just tomorrow.” Matthew had been searching for a way to help, and now it seemed obvious: He could give her something to do to take her mind off her problems. She probably needed a temporary distraction even if he doubted she would accept that distraction from him. They hadn’t exactly parted on the best of terms the last time they’d seen each other.

      “Oh, tomorrow. I hadn’t really thought about it.”

      “Well, I have an idea if you need one. Something fun.”

      “Like what?”

      Her answer surprised him since he expected an automatic “no.” He cleared his throat before giving his pitch. “I’m chaperoning a youth group road rally at church, and I thought you might like to tag along.”

      “Sounds to me as if they’re short on volunteers.”

      “No. That’s not it,” he began, but he stopped when the side of her mouth lifted. “I just thought—Anyway, it’s a photo scavenger hunt, and I’m one of the drivers.”

      Matthew placed a few more glasses in the top rack of the dishwasher, giving her a chance to answer. When she didn’t, he hurried on. “The youth group kids are great. I’ve chaperoned several of their trips, and they’ve been a lot of fun.”

      He didn’t know why he was selling the plan so hard. Chaperoning a youth group trip wasn’t one of his favorite things, but the youth director was always begging for volunteers, and Matthew helped whenever he was available.

      “I don’t know,” she said, finally.

      “It’ll be an adventure.”

      She lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t you think the whole dumped-at-the-altar thing is enough of an adventure for one weekend?”

      “She’s right, Matthew,” her mother said as she scooped leftovers into plastic containers. “She has too much on her plate right now to be chasing off in a car with teenagers. Caroline might like to go though.”

      “Me working with teenagers?” Caroline shook her head. “That’s not going to happen.”

      Matthew turned back to Haley. “I just thought you would like to forget about the wedding business for a few hours.”

      Haley had already opened her mouth, probably to decline, but she closed it again, appearing to reconsider. “You know, maybe I will go with you. I could use a break from my life.”

      Trina Scott turned and rested her hip against the counter. “Now Haley, are you sure you want to do that?”

      “It will be better than sitting at home feeling sorry for myself. Besides, it will give Elizabeth and me the chance to get to know each other better.” She patted the child’s head, and Elizabeth grinned up at her.

      “She won’t be there.” Matthew had spoken too quickly, and from the women’s expressions, he could tell he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. Just because he didn’t want his daughter to spend too much time with Haley didn’t mean he needed to be unkind. “I mean…younger kids aren’t included in this event. Elizabeth will be spending the night here.”

      “Oh. It’ll be fun anyway, I guess.”

      Haley appeared disappointed, and Matthew didn’t know what to think about that.

      “Daddy, I want to go, too,” Elizabeth whined. “Why can’t I go with Miss Haley? It’s not fair.”

      Matthew sighed inside, preparing himself for his daughter’s meltdown. This was a new stage for her, one he was determined to put to an end quickly. But just as he started toward Elizabeth, Haley lifted her up on her hip.

      “You get to spend the whole night here with Grammy? You’re going to have so much fun.”

      “That’s right. You’ll have a blast,” he agreed.

      Matthew didn’t have to look to know his mother was watching him again, sending him another one of those knowing looks. Just because Haley had averted one tantrum didn’t mean she was qualified to care for his child. She was still Haley Scott—and all that implied—and he was still Elizabeth’s father.

      Those truths didn’t stop him from feeling badly for Haley though. She’d been through a lot today, and the coming weeks were sure to be difficult. Maybe it was a bad idea for him to invite her to join him in chaperoning, but he would never be so cruel as to withdraw the invitation.

      That didn’t keep him from wanting the whole event to just be over with. Then he would have completed his good deed for the day by helping out a woman he’d known since childhood get through a couple of rough days. After that, he could wish her well, and he and Elizabeth could get on with their lives.

      Chapter Three

      Haley stepped back from the front door, gesturing for Matthew to come inside. She felt strange inviting him in like a guest when he’d visited her mother’s new house more times than she had. In fact, everything felt peculiar about her going on this outing with Matthew now, though it had sounded like a good idea last night.

      Already she’d spent the morning hanging her incredible wedding gown on the consignment rack at the bridal store and arranging storage for her possessions back in Michigan. Next, she’d “enjoyed” an afternoon of writing thank-you notes for gifts she had to return. Now the idea of accepting an invitation—probably given out of pity—felt like one dose of mortification too many.

      Oblivious

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