Page 57 of Her Christmas Wish
Right until she remembered that Morgan was with Gray, not Scott. Which meant that he’d be the one to collect the dog.
And she’d be fine. They’d seen each other several times on various porches and the beach since they’d decided to hold water rescue classes. The first one was due to start the following week.
“Really quick, while Leigh’s occupied,” Iris said, glancing down the right side of the beach as she took the empty chair beside Sage. “You have that fancy thing tomorrow night, right?”
“With investors, yes,” she replied, highlighting, for herself as well as Iris, that while the decor and trappings, the entertainment Marissa had arranged, were fancy, Sage’s part in the event was strictly business.
“Adults only.”
“Right. I’ve got Harper staying with Leigh.” And hadn’t told Gray. His first night on the beach, the sight of him and Harper on Scott’s porch had stung. Still did.
It shouldn’t. She was super fond of Harper. And wouldn’t accept Gray as more than a friend even if he asked, which he would not. Still...
“So, I’ve got this thing...” Glancing over toward the game and back again, Iris met Sage’s gaze. “I was going to ask you, but since you were busy, I asked Scott, since we’ll need a second chaperone for part of the time, but I really want to bring Leigh. I’m photographing behind the scenes at the San Diego Zoo. She’ll be able to be right close with dolphins, even pet them if she wants to, with a trainer right there, of course. And Scott. He said he’d ask you, but I need to know that you’re really okay with it...”
Leigh was addicted to dolphins the way a lot of little girls adored unicorns.
“I’m doing all the aquatics and monkeys tomorrow afternoon, and evening. And then some of the larger animals early Sunday morning before the zoo opens, so I’ve got a suite down by the beach. It would mean her spending the night. The suite has two rooms, of course, both with two queens, so Leigh could stay with me or Scott...”
Iris adored Leigh. Had had the little girl over to spend the night a couple of other times Sage had to be out late.
And once when she’d been on a date.
But, as uncomfortable as she was about Gray’s event, the thought of coming home afterward to a house without Leigh didn’t sit well.
What in the hell was she thinking? “Of course she can go,” she said, with force.
The day she started putting her own needs above her daughter’s opportunities was not going to arrive. Ever.
Scott was just getting home from work when Gray returned with Morgan to the cottage. The two men had managed to coexist, with their separate bathrooms, without running into each other all that much. A lot of the ease came from Scott’s schedule being pretty much set in stone, and Gray’s largely being fluid. He worked around the man who’d taken pity on him.
“Harper says to tell you hi,” he said, coming in to see Scott grabbing a beer out of the refrigerator. Sage’s brother handed one to Gray as well, without asking, as Scott passed Gray on his way into his room to change.
Scott had assumed correctly. Gray wanted the beer. Uncapping it as Scott’s door closed behind the prosecutor, Gray leaned against the kitchen counter and took a long sip.
Leigh had told him, when he’d walked her back up the beach, that Mommy had told her not to bother Mr. Buzzing Bee, but she didn’t think she was. “Am I?” the little girl had asked.
He’d quickly assured her that she was doing nothing of the sort. And went on to tell her that she could never be a bother to him, but he wasn’t sure she fully grasped what any of it had meant.
He’d grasped it, though. With a pin in his heart.
He didn’t want to be that guy...the one mothers thought didn’t like kids...or that kidsbotheredhim.
Yet, what could he expect? It was the message he’d inadvertently sent Sage. With what he’d said. And what he’d left unsaid, too.
He thought about changing out of his sweats. Sniffed his underarm.
It didn’t stink.
And sauntered out to the porch. Harper would be taking Aggie out. She might stop by. Giving Scott and the woman a chance to chat. He had a feeling the woman might be interested in the owner of the cottage.
It might be amusing to watch the interchange.
Lord knew he could use the distraction.
Scott, dressed in cotton pants, a short-sleeved pullover and flip-flops, made it out to the porch before Harper was out walking Aggie. Gray had heard his friend calling Morgan and knew that as soon as he left the porch, he’d be heading down Sage’s way.
Because he always did. Pretty much every night. The man took his uncle duties as seriously as anyone Gray had ever seen. A quality he admired immensely.
