Page 20 of Dagger

What was I doing? This was crazy. I rushed around the house, tidying up little things like the stack of books that was perpetually on my coffee table, straightening up the throw pillows on the sofa, and changing out the towels in the kitchen. Why? Because my bright idea to help Dani and Dagger reconnect was to come to my house for an evening of cookie baking and movie watching.

It was ridiculous. First of all, I would never get rid of the memories of having my home filled with a child’s laughter. With the masculine scent of a sexy man. When combined with the cookies it would be the scent of family, which was a lie because I didn’t have a family.

Not anymore. It was just me on my own now since Dad had died a few years ago. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a bad bet gone wrong or a debt left unpaid, it was merely a lifetime of bad habits and bad decisions finally catching up to him. So, no matter what it felt like tonight—or any other night for that matter—I wasn’t part of their family unit. I was an outsider who was given a chance to step inside the circle for just a little while. I would enjoy it while it lasted and then later I would think about the time fondly.

No more. No less.

“Get it together, Sinclair.” The house was as tidy as a small cottage could get while also looking well lived in, so I shrugged off any lingering anxiety and went to double check thatI had ingredients for cookies. We could make chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies, whatever Dani liked.

“Coming!” I shouted at the ringing of the doorbell, smoothing both hands down my sides and blowing out a shaky breath. Pasting on a smile, I opened the door. “Hey, guys! Welcome to my home, come on in.” I stepped back and kept my smile fixed in place.

“Hi, Miss Bronson.” Dani waved and stepped inside before turning to hand me a bouquet of wildflowers. “I got these for you.”

Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them back and smiled even wider. “Thank you! They’re gorgeous.” I inhaled the perfume of the flowers and let the scent wash over me. Calm me. “Come inside.”

Dani rushed to my bookshelves. Dagger moved slower, taking his time as he took in the details of my home visible from the front door. “Are you sure this is all right?”

I looked at him in confusion. “Second thoughts?”

“No, but it occurred to me too late that you might not want to give up one of your evenings for a clumsy dad and his shy daughter.”

“Dagger.” I said his name in a firm tone and placed one hand on his steely bicep. “If I didn’t want to help, I wouldn’t have agreed to help you. I wouldn’t have taken my time to think about it. I did all that just to make sure I was sure. Got it?”

“Yeah,” he said with a grin. “I got it.”

“Good. Let’s go.” I clapped my hands and joined Dani in the living room. “Who wants to make cookies?”

“I do!” She spun around quickly, smiling wide. “What kind are we making?” She was so excited, just like a kid her age should be, and I knew I was doing the right thing.

“That’s up to you,” I told her, and motioned for her to follow me into the kitchen. “We can make peanut butter or chocolate chip. Or white chocolate chip. The choice is yours.”

She bounced up and down in front of the kitchen counter. “Can we make peanut butter chocolate chip, or is that too complicated?”

I shook my head. “It’s super simple, so don’t worry about that. Chocolate or white chocolate chip?”

She smiled. “White chocolate chips, please. They’re so good but I never get to have them.”

I laughed. “You’ll appreciate that on your next visit to the dentist, I promise.” My gaze went to Dagger. “Come on, this is a team effort.”

Father and daughter stood at the sink, quietly washing their hands. They were awkward with each other, but once they got started, they quickly became more comfortable.

“Dry ingredients or wet ingredients?” he asked through a grunt.

“What’s that?”

I laughed and found two sets of eyes on me. “Go ahead, answer her.”

Dagger dried his hands and blew out a breath. “I don’t know shit about making cookies except there are dry ingredients and wet ingredients. Right?”

“Yep, that’s right.” I tapped the tablet that was set up on the counter. “That’s the recipe. Read it over and then we’ll come up with a game plan. Together.”

It started out smoothly, Dagger and Dani working well together. They both communicated well, asking for tools or reading directions aloud when necessary.

“Now we have to add the flour mix to the peanut butter.” Dani read the instructions slowly, sounding out the words she was unfamiliar with likesifted. “Ready, Dad?”

“I’m ready, kid.” He held the mixing bowl high over his head, smiling wide when Dani realized what he was doing.

“It saysslowly, Dad. We have to add it slowly.” Her tone was firm but patient. “That means a little at a time. Right, Miss Bronson?”

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