Page 37 of Want You Back

“Thanks for taking Willow shopping.” Colt leaned against his truck. He was still in uniform, and I wouldn’t ever get used to how freaking hot he looked in khaki.

“No problem.” I restrained myself from drooling over how his shoulders pulled at his summer uniform shirt. “I should be thanking Willow, not the other way around. We needed to shop for certain…girl things.”

“Say no more.” Colt gave a knowing chuckle. Unlike me, he’d been surrounded by sisters and aunts and such and been a girl dad long enough to not be as uncomfortable as I was in the feminine hygiene aisle. “You’re a good uncle. You doing okay?”

“No.” With anyone else, I’d lie. Hell, if Hannah were there, I’d lie. But alone with Colt, I could be honest in a way my soul dearly needed. “Faith needs help, but I have no idea how to get her to take it. Hannah needs structure Faith isn’t giving her. Grayson needs money answers for fall, which means another meeting feeling unprepared with the trust people.”

Colt whistled low. “That’s a lot.”

“Yeah.” I studied my dusty shoes. “Sorry for the word vomit.”

“Hey.” Colt lightly doffed my shoulder, forcing me to look up. “I’m here. Spew at me anytime. That’s what friends are for.”

We were so much more than friends, but all I could do was swallow hard. “Thanks.”

“Tell you what, Tiffany called earlier, wanting to know if Willow could babysit Friday night. She said it was fine if Hannah came along.” Colt paused, then nodded. “Why don’t you and I do something?”

“What do you have in mind, Sheriff?” I’d waited a hell of a lot of years for Colt Jennings to ask me out, so I was going to enjoy this moment, including the way his tanned cheeks turned dusky.

“I’ll come up with something.” His tone was more resolute than playful, but I liked the take-charge attitude. “You’ve got enough on your plate.”

“Can it include some privacy?” I offered him a heated look to make him blush further.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Chapter22

Colt

I knewprecious little about romance as most of its presence in my life had happened accidentally, with others taking the lead. But I’d volunteered to come up with a distraction for Maverick, so I’d try my best.

He’d looked like shit the other day, face lined and weary, shoulders slumped, the weight of his problems apparent with every step. I wished I could solve Faith’s problems for all of them, but absent that, I could be a good friend. Or at least decent. Friday was crowded with work meetings, leaving me scrambling to make it to the store with Willow, shower, change, and be ready on time for Maverick and Hannah to meet us at my house.

Willow was excited enough for all of us, bouncing up and down and rushing to greet them at the front door.

“You’re here!” She hugged Hannah before dragging her to the couch where two decorated cardboard boxes sat. She’d been busy while I’d been at work, repurposing some of her old art supplies, books, and toys from when she was younger. “Look! I made us babysitting kits!”

“Just like in the books!” Hannah squealed and hugged her back. “I love it.”

“And we went to the store, so we have special snacks to share.” Willow gestured at a nearby paper bag with some kid-friendly treats. Money was always tight at Tiffany’s place, and I didn’t want the girls gobbling up all their food. “Dad got some for him and your Uncle Maverick too.”

“I get special snacks?” Maverick looked decidedly bemused. He wore what I considered California nice—a pair of cargo shorts paired with a crisp button-down and leather sandals.

“Dad’s doing a picnic for you!” Willow was never good at keeping a secret, and she’d enjoyed helping me pick out a variety of snacky things at the small local store that might add up to a dinner.

“Wait.” Hannah’s eyes widened. “Are you guys going on a date?”

“Don’t be silly. They’re best friends. My dad doesn’t date.” Willow waved a hand dismissively. Neither girl seemed particularly put out, but Willow’s smile dipped slightly. She picked up one of the boxes and the bag of groceries. “Let’s walk to Aunt Tiffany’s now.”

I followed the girls to the front door, watching as they crossed the street and passed my mother’s house. Tiffany and I had lucked into houses on the same street where we’d spent a lot of our childhood, and now that Willow was old enough to walk between the houses, I appreciated the closeness even more.

“So, I get a picnic?” Maverick joined me at the door, resting a hand on my back. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” My voice said otherwise, so I exhaled before continuing, “I hadn’t thought about the girls possibly thinking we were dating.”

“Like Willow said, we’re friends.” The way Maverick rubbed circles on my back wasn’t particularly friend-like. “Doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.”

“You know it is.” My mood had turned sullen.

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