Page 17 of Moonstruck Kiss

Brax leans forward. “It does, doesn’t it? Do you think he needs to learn some techniques?”

I smile, glad that he’s more interested in his son than Candy. “That can come later. Right now, he’s finding his own style, and he’s doing really well.”

“Thank you,” says Ollie, not looking up. “But my river is not good. Can you help me make it better?”

“Sure.”

With Brax focused on watching me teach Ollie some techniques on how to paint his river, Candy leaves and stomps back to her stool.

I hide my smile. Slick gets a point for ignoring Candy.

Not that I’m suddenly weighing up his pros and cons. I’m just…

Okay, I can’t stop thinking of him as someone who’d be great for my sexual adventure. I don’t know why when I’d hate to associate with someone who’s very much like my stuck-up, arrogant, hurtful city-slicker ex.

And that’s partly why Braxton Quinn is still in my bad books.

Chapter

Four

BRAX

“Dad! Look at me!”

I glance up from my laptop. As soon as my eyes are on him, Ollie jumps into the pool and starts to swim. His grandpa and the floaters on his arms ensure he doesn’t sink.

“Good job, bud!” I call out. Man, I’m just so proud of my kid. He’s definitely come out of his shell since arriving here in Moonstruck Cove.

He’s loving life here. Even the locals are spoiling him with toys, food, and attention. Thankfully, he also constantly talks via video calls to his “Uncle” Sawyer and “Auntie” Brooke so that he knows he has people who love him back in Manhattan, too.

Mum comes out with cold drinks for all of us. “I hope you don’t have to work all day again today,” she says to me. “Is your boss paying you overtime?”

I let out a laugh. “I’m getting paid enough, Mum. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Why do you need to work when you’re on holiday? It’s not your fault that your old boss resigned so suddenly that your new boss doesn’t know what’s going on. If they have to keep asking you, why didn’t they just promote you instead of hiring someone from the outside?”

“Because,” I say patiently, “Lando is a big star in our industry. He’s certainly much more qualified than me for that VP position.” I don’t mention that I’m sweating bullets about the upcoming restructure. No point getting them concerned about that, too.

I guess this thing about not wanting to worry loved ones runs in the family.

“If he’s so good, why are you doing his work for him?” Mum demands. “During your holiday with your son, no less.”

“Only until he gets up to speed with everything.” Lando’s somewhat shady reputation floats in my mind, but I ignore it. Nothing has ever been proven against him, and most people, including me, believe that others are just jealous of his ability to win contracts.

“Dad!” Ollie calls while his grandfather helps him float face up. “Can we see Joey today?”

“There’s no art class today, remember?”

“I know. But I just want to ask her something.”

“I’m sure she’s busy today. Some other time, maybe.”

“Well,” Mum says, “I ordered two of those choc-fruit baskets earlier today. I’m sure Joey would appreciate you picking them up rather than her having to deliver them here.”

Oh, here we go again. Since hearing me call Joey Dimple, my mother keeps looking for reasons to put me and Joey in the same room together. She’s even stopped introducing me to other single women, obviously hoping something might be going on between Dimple and me.

“Isn’t it part of your agreement with the Barkers that they deliver?” I ask. “They’re a business, and you shouldn’t have to do them favours.”

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