Page 77 of Hungry Hearts

I chuckle. She’s been learning to read clocks in school and now asks about the time any chance she can get. “He’ll be here by six.”

“Can he come at five forty-five?”

I hide my grin and towel-dry her hair. “I’ll ask him.”

When she shuffles out of the bathroom, I turn and jolt back. Flynn is standing at the bottom of the stairs, still shirtless. He holds up my toolbox.

“Faucet is fixed. Need anything else while I’m here?”

“Hopefully that’s all for now. Thank you, Flynn.” I take the stairs slowly. When I reach the bottom, he doesn’t back away.

“Anytime, Maia. You know all you have to do is call.” He pulls me in for a hug against his naked chest. I flinch, uncomfortable with the contact. We’ve hugged thousands of times, even with him shirtless and me in a bathing suit.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” He dips slightly away and massages my shoulders. “You seem tense.”

I avoid his gaze. “Nothing, Flynn. I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. Hey, I have an idea. Are you still seeing that Ryan guy?”

I close my eyes to avoid him seeing me roll them. He’s quite aware of Ryder’s name. “Ryder. Yes.”

“How about we double date sometime? If he’s going to be dating my best friend, I should get to know him better.”

Relief has my shoulders dropping. “Really? You’d do that? And who’s the woman you’re dating?”

“Let’s schedule a day and you’ll meet her.” He kisses my forehead and heads back into the kitchen for his shirt.

My worries were pointless. Laney was wrong. Flynn and I are just friends and he doesn’t see us as anything more. It would crush me to break his heart if he did have feelings for me. When he has his wet shirt on again, I give him another hug.

“Thank you again, Flynn. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Thankfully, you’ll never have to find out.” He kisses me again, this time on the cheek, and leaves.

It’s five-thirty the following night when lights shine in my front windows. Ruby has been giving me updates on the time every five minutes.

“He’s here!” She rushes to the door and swings it open. “Oh. Hi, Uncle Flynn.”

It’s not like Ruby rushes into his arms when he comes over, but she doesn’t ever pout. “Ruby,” I scold. “That’s not a way to greet your uncle.”

He brushes off her disappointment and leans over her to kiss my cheek. “Came by to check on the sink and to bring my favorite girls some dinner.” He holds up a paper bag and the smells of garlic, soy sauce, and ginger fill the air.

“That’s sweet of you, Flynn, but I already have dinner in the oven.” Roast chicken and potatoes that Ruby will find boring compared to greasy takeout Chinese food.

I wait for her to beg to have what Flynn brought, but she’s still standing in the open doorway letting in the cold air, waiting for Ryder.

“Ruby, honey. Close the door. You’re letting all the heat out.”

“I can put this in the fridge for tomorrow.” Flynn heads to the kitchen and starts unloading the take-out containers. “Want a chicken finger before I tuck these away, Ruby?”

He knows they’re her favorite. With her bird-like appetite, she’ll eat one and not be hungry for the healthy dinner I made.

“No thank you.”

I don’t miss the surprised disappointment in Flynn’s eyes. “Sorry about that. I guess she’s more excited about roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and salad than I thought.”

“Sounds and smells delicious.” He strips off his shirt and flings it to the floor.

“Um, what are you doing, Flynn?”

---