Page 15 of The Manny

Her eyes were wide as one fat white duck waddled closer, quacking loudly. It was obvious Mia was a little scared, but she kept her hand stuck out regardless. When the duck nibbled the food, Mia started giggling and she snatched her hand away. “That tickles!”

“You did great.” I smiled down at her.

“More. More. I want to feed them more!” She jumped up and down, her eyes sparkling.

I put more feed in her hand and watched as she moved closer to the ducks. I made sure she didn’t get too close to the water, and I also shielded her from one large goose that wanted to hog all the food. At one point, a few other children came over, and Mia and the others laughed and made up names for some of the ducks. Some of the kids didn’t seem to have their parents around, but one little boy named Percy had his dad hovering.

Percy’s father was tall and broad-shouldered. He stayed back a bit, watching his son closely. He smiled politely when our eyes met, but he seemed in no hurry to come closer to strike up a conversation. He reminded me of how Jack would probably be, were he to bother bringing Mia to the park.

I stayed with Mia at the duck pond for about an hour, but around lunch-time decided we should go back to the house. Percy and his father left first, and then I coaxed Mia to leave with a promise of chicken nuggets for lunch.

When we arrived home, Jack’s car was still in the driveway. I didn’t know exactly where in the house he was though. I figured I’d worry about that later, once the food was ready. I got Mia some crayons and paper to keep her busy, while I set about fixing lunch. She was excited to draw the ducks from the pond, and I was happy her mood was so much better now. Going to the park had definitely been the right decision. Meeting those other children had brought some light back into her eyes.

Since I was just pulling food from the freezer and baking, it didn’t take long before the chicken nuggets and fries were ready. I set the table and decided to try one more time to find where Jack was hiding out.

I patted Mia’s head. “Stay at the table, Mia. I’ll go see if Uncle Jack is hungry and wants to join us.”

“Okay.” She climbed up in one of the chairs, staring at the food.

I left the kitchen and went room to room, searching for Jack. He wasn’t in the backyard either, and I scratched my head in confusion. When I re-entered the house, I heard a repetitive thumping sound coming from somewhere in the home. I followed the sounds to the door that connected the garage to the house. When I opened the door, I finally found Jack.

And what a sight he was.

He was sitting on a workout bench, shirtless, and wearing only black shorts. His biceps bulged as he did alternating curls, and his smooth tanned skin was slick with sweat. My mouth went dry, and I had to control my instinctive desire to freely drink in the sight of him. Jack might rub me the wrong way, but there was no denying he was a beautiful specimen of a man.

He glanced up, looking annoyed.

“Oh, there you are,” I said nonchalantly.

With a grunt, he lowered the dumbbells he held and they slammed the cement floor loudly. Breathing hard he held my gaze, still looking irritated. “I’m working out,” he rasped.

“Yeah, I can see that.” I was proud of my self-control as I somehow managed not to ogle him. It wasn’t easy though. There was so much bare skin on display, it was almost impossible to look away. “I wondered if you might want to join Mia and me for lunch.”

He sighed. “I’m kind of busy.”

Irritation spiked through me, and I closed the door behind me. I didn’t want Mia to overhear us. I moved closer to him, painfully aware of the intoxicating scent of his cologne mixed with sweat. Why did he have to be so damn sexy? “Listen, Jack, I know you’re uncomfortable about giving Mia a bunch of attention.” I sighed. “But this is her first day in your home. I think it’s important that, at the very least, you eat some of your meals with her.”

Wrinkling his brow, he said, “I’m covered in sweat. I can’t just go sit down at the table. I reek.”

“Take a shower. We’ll wait.”

“I’m in the middle of my workout.”

I chuffed. “So finish it later.”

He arched one brow. “That isn’t how weight lifting works.”

Clenching my jaw, I moved closer. “Come on, Jack.”

“Come on what?” He frowned. “I want to finish my workout. Why is that a problem for you?”

“Because instead of putting Mia first, you’re being stubborn.”

His gaze flickered. “This isn’t about me being stubborn.”

“Oh, really? You’re flat out refusing to join Mia and me for lunch.”

“I need this time to myself.” He sighed. “Look, if you wanted me to join you for lunch, you should have texted me and given me a heads up.”

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