Pinky Promise (Riverbend Romance 2) (3 page)

This was a slippery slope. He might not be asking her for a date, but this was almost more serious. The way those two little girls had latched onto each other, somebody’s heart was likely to get broken if she said yes. Possibly multiple hearts, including hers.

Yet how could she decline, knowing he was out of options? It would be far easier to have a buddy for Elena than have her moping around the house by herself. And a bit of pocket change would not go amiss.

Dear God, how did I get in this situation again? Is this really the right thing to do? I don’t need a broken heart.

“I’m sorry to ask, Kelly. I fully intended to get to know you more slowly. Take our time.”

He said
what?
Oh, man. He was attracted to her. The slope was more than slippery, and the toboggan was poised at the top. “Ian, I don’t know what to say.”

He bit his lip but kept his gaze steady.

“If I didn’t work here—” she swept her hand around the greenhouse “—it might not be an issue. But you’re my boss. It all seems so awkward. I don’t want anyone to have reason to think I’m trying to... you know.”

“I scanned the town employee guidebook this afternoon.”

She blinked. “Pardon me?”

“There is nothing in there saying two town employees can’t date each other. Uh, not that I’m asking for a date.”

Talk about a mixed message. “Oh.”

“At the moment.”

She heard the grin in his voice and glanced back up into his warm eyes.

“Today’s question is about Sophie, though. I’d probably be asking you about next week regardless of the dating question. It’s separate. Intertwined, maybe, but separate.”

Kelly opened her mouth and closed it again. Everything in her screamed a protest at being pushed. No, he wasn’t asking for a relationship. It was much,
much
too early for that. And yet, wasn’t this the first step? She’d get to know his daughter. She’d see him every day away from Public Works.
 

Was this wise? She wasn’t responsible for Sophie. She should tell him no. Surely he’d be able to come up with a different solution.

“I think we can make it work.” Apparently her mouth — and heart — had made the decision for her brain. “I know Elena will be delighted.”

Relief was evident on his face. “Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“I think I do.” She shrugged. “I’m a single parent, too.”

Chapter 3

“Can Sophie come over and play? Pleeease?” Elena batted her pretty little eyelashes and clutched her new best friend’s hand.

Kelly clenched her teeth. “Not today.”

“But, Mommy, she’s my bestest friend. And she’s my twin.”

Sophie nodded.

This wouldn’t be so bad if Ian wasn’t standing right beside them at the edge of the school sidewalk. But he was. Kelly crouched down. “Look at me, baby girl.”

Elena rolled her eyes then obeyed.

“We have a rule, remember? You don’t get to tell Mommy what to do. You ask me, in advance, and don’t nag. If you nag me, I get to say no without any other reason. That’s our rule.”

“I’m sorry, Mommy.”

“So, the answer for today is no.”

Elena’s face fell, but she stayed silent.

Kelly could ignore the tear wending its way down the freckled cheek. She glanced up at Ian, who gave a quick hand spread and raised his eyebrows. Hopefully that signaled it was up to her whether she mentioned the deal right now or not. But there was little to gain from putting it off.

She put a hand on each little girl’s arm. “You know next week is spring break, right?”

Two little heads nodded.

“And Elena, remember Mommy is taking next week off work to spend time with you?”

Another nod.

“How would you like it if Sophie came to our house every day next week while her daddy is at work?”

Elena squealed and threw herself in Kelly’s arms. “Really, Mommy? Really truly?”

“Really truly. Is that okay with you, Sophie?”

Sophie looked up at Ian, who nodded. “Yes, thank you,” she said in a wee voice.

“Okay, it’s settled then. Now, today is Tuesday, and it is a long time until Monday. Six days. I know that’s a really long time for you two to wait to play together, so how about if Sophie and her daddy come for a little visit Thursday after school? That way they’ll see where we live.” It also gave her time to tidy their place. Two days wasn’t long enough to get rid of shabby, but it would help.

The girls twirled in circles together.

Probably putting them together all of spring break was a bad idea. But she couldn’t be that mean to Ian or the girls just to guard her heart. She was an adult. She’d deal with it, one way or another.

“Thanks, Kelly. I look forward to visiting.”

She let out a long breath and looked up at Ian. Did he have to be so good looking? And so nice? She smiled. “No problem. It will be fun.” She reached for Elena’s hand. “Time to come home now, baby girl.”

“Okay.” Elena squished Sophie. “Bye, Sophie.”

“Bye. You’re my favorite twin.”

Kelly dragged Elena down the sidewalk, purposefully not glancing back to see which direction Ian went. He had probably driven over from the office, unlike her.

“Mommy?”

“Yes?” She peeked over her shoulder. No Ian in sight. Whew.

“Sophie would really like a mommy, and I’d like a daddy. Can you be Sophie’s mommy?”

“Baby girl, this isn’t something kids decide. For kids to get a mommy or daddy, their parents have to get married. That means they have to love each other a lot. They can’t become a mommy or daddy for someone else’s daughter without loving each other first.”

“But—”

That didn’t sound pouty. Kelly glanced down to see her daughter chewing her lip, obviously thinking things through.

“How about if you love Sophie’s daddy?”

Kelly dropped to her knees on the sidewalk and gripped Elena’s shoulders. “Listen to me, sweetie. I just said this is something for grownups. Kids can’t decide this for their parents. It takes a really long time for grownups to fall in love and get married. Even grownups can’t always decide who that other person will be.”

She knew that all too well, plus the pain of going too far, too soon, and dealing with the consequences. Not that she could ever regret Elena.

It was like her daughter read her mind. “Did I have a daddy before?” she asked wistfully.

How to answer? When was it time to talk about the birds and the bees? “What is a daddy?” Kelly asked instead.

Elena dipped her head and scowled. “You know what a daddy is.” She poked her toe at the edge of the sidewalk.

“Tell me.”

“A daddy is somebody, like a man, who plays with his daughter. Maybe he takes her on bike rides and gets her ice cream, like Sophie’s daddy. And he tucks her in at night and reads her stories.”

Kelly’s throat closed. “Then you never had a daddy,” she whispered. “But your mommy does all those things for you. I love you very, very much, baby girl.”

“I love you, too.” Elena wrapped her arms around Kelly’s neck, her shoulder digging into Kelly’s throat. “But I still want a daddy.”

“There is something you can do.”

Elena pulled back, a hopeful expression on her face. “What?”

“You can ask Jesus for a daddy.”

“Will He give me one?”

Kelly lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know. Sometimes He says yes to prayers, and sometimes He says no. And sometimes, like Mommy, He says to wait a while. Like when you wanted Sophie to come visit, and I said not until Thursday.”

Elena nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll ask Jesus
lots
.”

A vision of Elena running around the playground at school and shouting out her prayers popped into Kelly’s mind. “There’s another rule. I’ve told you that you can talk to Jesus anytime, anywhere, and He’ll always hear you. But this is a special kind of prayer, and you’re only allowed to pray it out loud at bedtime. Otherwise it has to be a quiet prayer in your head.”

“Why?”

“It just does. And one more thing.”

Elena sighed. “
What?
”

“Remember when we talked about pinky promises?” Kelly held up her hand and stretched out her little finger. “I want you to pinky promise me you won’t talk to Sophie’s daddy about it. That you won’t ask him to be your daddy.”

“I don’t want to pinky promise that.”

“I need you to.”

“But—”

“Elena, please obey me.”

How could such a small body come up with a sigh the size of an elephant? Elena twined her finger around Kelly’s. “Pinky promise.”

~*~

“Elena is my bestest friend in the whole world, Daddy.”

Ian smiled at his daughter as they walked toward the Jeep. “I’m glad you made a friend so quickly, Sophie. I know you were sad to leave Willow behind.”

“I like Willow, but Elena is my twin.”

Who could argue with that logic?

“Can I really go to her house every day?”

“During spring break, yes. I couldn’t find anyplace else for you to go, so I asked her mom.”

Sophie clung to his hand and skipped. “I’m glad. I don’t want to go anywhere else, except maybe heaven.”

Ian’s heart clenched. “We can’t visit heaven. When we move there, like your mommy did, we can’t come back here and visit.” Sophie was only two when her mother passed away. She didn’t even remember Maria. Only a few photos tied them together. If Ian could help it, it would be a long time — if ever — before Sophie found out her mother had left them months before she died in the plane crash.

“Can you get me a new mommy?”

He’d bet anything Kelly and Elena were having a similar conversation. Those little girls were both plenty determined.

“Maybe someday. It’s not quite like going to the store and picking out a new pair of shoes. It’s more complicated.” Although, he wouldn’t say no to a few dates with Kelly to see where things might lead. Wasn’t that like seeing if the fit was comfortable?

“Why?”

He blinked and shook the vision of dating Kelly out of his mind. “Why what?”

“Why is it com-pul-cated?”

“It’s a grown-up thing, Sophie.”

“Everything grown-up is com-pul-cated.”

He chuckled. “You got that right. But I’m glad you made a friend. How about the other kids in your class?”

“There’s a boy who makes faces at me and sticks out his tongue.”

Aw, young love. Ian bet Sophie didn’t see it that way. “Any other girls?”

Sophie shrugged. “Gracie is nice, but Elena is my twin.”

Ian would like to sit Miss Jamieson down and talk to her about putting ideas in these kids’ heads. Did the teacher have any idea what she’d turned loose with her simple words?

“Is it a long time until my birthday, Daddy?”

A calendar blinked into his mind. “Uh, not very long. Not quite two months.”

“And then I’ll be seven? And my twin will be, too?”

How the years had zipped by. He shook his head. “Seven. Yes, I guess you will be. You’re getting so big.”

She giggled. “That’s because you feed me good, Daddy. And I eat my veggies.”

“That’s right.” He grinned down at her as he opened the Jeep door for her.

“When I turned six you took me and my friends to the zoo. Can we go again?”

“No, I’m sorry. We moved, remember? There isn’t any zoo nearby that we can go to. We’ll have to think of something else.”

“I’ll think hard.”

“You do that.” At least she’d forgotten her quest for a mother, if only for a moment. He’d have to be careful not to ask her what she wanted for her birthday, at least in public. He could just hear the answer now.

“Did you have fun at work today, Daddy?”

“I did. I had a meeting and talked to all the people who work in my new office.”

Sophie snapped the buckles on her harness. “A meeting doesn’t sound fun.”

“A meeting is fun if you like the people who are there with you.” And he did like one of them quite a lot for someone he’d just met. He already knew he wanted to get to know Kelly Bryant much better. If only he could do that without planting ideas in Sophie’s head.

The kid was too observant for her own good.

Chapter 4

Elena and Sophie ran off down the sidewalk, holding hands, leaving their parents to walk along behind,
not
holding hands. Of course they weren’t. But this was weird. More purposeful than when they’d gone for ice cream on Monday.

When was the last time Kelly had invited a man over? Never since Elena’s birth, that’s how long. Telling herself this was a daycare arrangement wasn’t helping. She knew that wasn’t why her heart was skittering and her hands clammy. She was far too aware of the tall, good-looking guy beside her. Having his child in her home — getting to know and love Sophie — was only going to compound the problem.

If only a certain handsome man hadn’t kept her awake the past few nights. She needed all her wits about her to keep from saying the wrong thing, and lack of sleep wasn’t helping.

“Tell me about your church.”

Kelly blinked. Not the question she’d expected, but she’d rather talk about that with him than work. “It’s great. Pastor Davis has a way of making the Bible interesting and practical. There’s a broad range of ages, too. Lots of young families, teens, middle-aged folks, and seniors.”

“Sounds good. I think Sophie and I will give it a try Sunday.”

“It starts at ten thirty, and there’s children’s church during the service. Elena loves it.”

“Then I’m sure Sophie will, too.”

Because the two were practically joined at the hip like real twins. Whatever one voiced, the other immediately approved, like an echo. Was Kelly really up for this?

The girls waited at the street corner. “Can I push the crosswalk button, Mommy?”

“Hang on a minute.” Kelly glanced up at Ian. “Waiting is not Elena’s strong suit.”

A dimple creased his cheek as he winked at her.

“She has strong opinions. About everything.”

He bumped her arm. “Does she get that from anyone I might have met?”

Kelly’s face flushed. “Maybe. I guess I should ask my mother how she taught me tact. And appropriateness.” Given with whom she was speaking at the moment — and what they were saying — maybe her mom hadn’t managed to teach her anything at all.