Page 8 of Declan
“You’re too gorgeous for my peace of mind, Deputy Cavanaugh,” she murmured then headed for the bathroom.
Chapter Two
“Did you have a good time today?” Declan asked his niece.
“Yep, I like Elise. She’s a good teacher, but sometimes she doesn’t teach. Brandy does,” she replied with a small smile.
“But you like it?”
“Yep!”
“Well, that’s good then,” he responded.
“I like ballet, but I want to take dancercise too, but I don’t think Elise will let me,” Frankie declared with the earnest enthusiasm of a five-year-old.
“Isn’t ballet enough?” he inquired, his tone teasing yet curious.
“No. I want to know how to dancercise and do ballet, so if I take both dancercise and ballet, I’ll know them both,” Frankie explained with a shrug, grinning as if unveiling a brilliant secret.
“That was quite a mouthful for a five-year-old,” he chuckled, and she giggled.
Declan pulled into the driveway of his sister and brother-in-law’s home, where the porch sat beneath a canopy of flowering vines. He parked beside the wooden steps, stepped out, and carefully opened the back door. Helping Frankie from her car seat, he set her down. Frankie giggled and bounded up the steps, Declan removed the car seat, cradling it as he carried it inside.
Before he could reach the door, it swung open, revealing his brother-in-law standing with a welcoming grin.
“Hey, Declan. We appreciate you picking up Frankie,” Dan Weaver said, his tone warm.
“No problem, Dan,” Declan replied as he set the car seat down on the bench beside the door.
“I had fun today, Daddy,” Frankie announced brightly as she dropped her backpack and rushed into her father’s open arms,her excitement lighting up the room.
“Good,” Dan replied, then turned to Declan with a teasing glint in his eye. “I’m wondering how long this will last.”
Declan laughed. “Well, she is a female, so don’t be surprised if she changes her mind,” he said, a playful shake of his head.
“She’d better not,” came his sister Mona’s voice as she stepped into the kitchen. Wrapping her arms around Frankie in a tender hug, she then turned to Declan and asked, “Did you meet the ballet teacher?”
“Yes, why?” he replied, his curiosity mingling with amusement.
“She’s pretty, isn’t she? Her hair is so black and those dark eyes of hers are exotic looking,” she teased, her eyes twinkling as she let the question hang in the air.
Declan narrowed his eyes mischievously. “Did you have me pick her up for that reason? So, I’d get a good look at the teacher?”
“Would I do that?” she retorted with a sly smile.
“Yes. Yes, you would. Forget it. I’m not interested,” Declan said firmly, though his tone carried a note of playful resignation.
“You’re not blind, Declan. Elise is a beautiful woman,” his sister insisted.
“I didn’t say she wasn’t,” he said, his voice a blend of firmness and amusement.
“One day, you’ll need to settle down,” she pressed, confidence in her tone as if speaking a well-known truth.
“Why?” he asked, raising one eyebrow in lighthearted challenge.
“Because Mom and Dad want grandchildren,” she declared, the hint of a playful scold mingling with warmth in her voice.
“I think you have that covered, Mona,” Declan replied with a teasing smirk.
