Page 73 of Second Dance
She laughed and took my hand, leading me into the house and back to the kitchen. “You want coffee?”
“You’re an angel. Yes, please.”
“You still drink it black?” Gillian asked.
“Sure do.” I looked around the kitchen at the sunlight pooled against the tile. She had the French doors to her modest patioopen, letting in the scent of roses and lilies. A half dozen cleaning supplies were on the counter next to the sink.
“Where are the girls?” I asked.
“Upstairs getting dressed,” Gillian said as I settled at the kitchen table. “They want to go to the beach this afternoon.”
“I could be talked into that. We could go to my beach. Have a picnic.”
“You and Seraphina, with your own beach access,” Gillian said lightly, setting a mug of coffee in front of me. “If I weren’t so well-balanced, I might be envious.”
“My beach is your beach.” I drew in the nutty scent of dark brew before taking a sip and asked her about the cleaning supplies on the counter.
“My pipe’s leaking. I called the plumber, but he can’t get out here until tomorrow.”
“Let me take a look.” I got up from the table and knelt next to the cabinet under the sink. She’d put a bucket under the dripping pipe and a wrench lay on its side. Droplets of water jeweled the joint. Using the wrench, I tightened, tested, tightened again until the drip surrendered. “Okay, all good now.”
“You’re my hero.”
I straightened, wiping my hands on a towel. “I’d like to be that person you call for things like this.”
“What’re your fees like?”
“Very steep.” I pulled her to me, kissing her.
“How many kisses is fixing a leaky sink worth?”
“I’ll let you know when you reach the right number,” I said before kissing her again.
“How about a muffin?”
I raised my eyebrows. “Muffins. Is that what you call them?”
She laughed and punched my chest. “I’m going to ignore that.”
“You can’t blame a guy for flirting, can you?” I returned to the table and my mug of coffee.
She placed a muffin on a plate and brought it over to me. “I guess not. But the girls will be down in a minute, so we should behave ourselves.”
I sipped my coffee, which had already cooled, but I kept that to myself. Grace would immediately get up and pour me another if I said anything, and I didn’t want her to feel like she had to wait on me.
Footsteps thumped overhead and giggles spilled down the stairs. Grace and Bella tumbled into the kitchen, both dressed in shorts and a tee.
“Can we go to the beach later?” Grace asked. “All of us?”
Bella’s eyes flicked to me, hopeful. “Please?”
I looked at Gillian. “Can you get off work?”
“I’m going to text Mary and see if she can teach my afternoon Pilates class,” she said.
“Really, Mom?” Grace asked. “You never do that.”
Gillian shrugged. “Someone suggested we have some fun today.”
