Page 10 of Merry on the Mountain
“Hey.” He gives me a sheepish grin. “I have a few things to do upstairs, is it okay if I work for a bit?”
“Hi,” Izzy says, gripping her backpack straps as I step around her to close the door. “Can I pet Maya?”
“Yes, you don’t have to ask when she’s at home and not working.”
Drew smiles down at her, watching while she talks to Maya before turning his attention back to me. “I’ll bring her upstairs with me, so she doesn’t bother you. Today isn’t a school day for her.”
“She can stay down here with me.”
“Really? We don’t want to impose.”
“Really.” I look down at the sweet girl who is fully intent on spoiling my dog. “I don’t have anything going on, and it’s the least I can do for letting me stay here.”
“I will be able to get everything done quicker if my attention isn’t divided.” He looks away from me for a moment, perhaps weighing leaving his daughter with a stranger. “If you’re sure, it’s fine with me.”
“I’m totally sure.” I crouch down to be eye level with Izzy. “What’d you bring over in that backpack of yours?”
Her brown eyes light up with excitement. “My iPad, Go Fish, and some coloring books.”
“Go Fish? Who were you going to play that with?”
She shrugs. “It’s always in my backpack.”
“Well, I love a good game of Go Fish. Let’s do it.”
She struts past me and into the living room. “Bye, Daddy. No boys allowed.”
His lips part in surprise as he watches her go.
“Damn,” I say quietly. “She told you.”
“That she did. Thank you, I promise to work as quickly as I can.”
“Honestly, it’s fine. I really enjoy her, she’s got sass.”
He snorts. “You have no idea.”
I watch as he ascends the stairs, trying not to notice how nicely his jeans hug his ass. It’s too hard to miss, though, when it’s perfectly framed by his tool belt. He turns at the top of thestairs and catches me checking him out. I don’t bother trying to hide it, not when he caught me like that. Instead, I give him a short wave and walk into the living room, sitting down to play cards with his daughter.
We play countless rounds of Go Fish before my joints start to scream from sitting on the hard floor for so long. I stand up and stretch, and she watches me with those expressive eyes of hers.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” she asks.
“No, I don’t. Why?”
“You should make my daddy be your boyfriend.”
I chuckle. “Why do you say that?”
“He just has me. I think he’s lonely.”
Jesus, is she a preschooler or preteen? How does she even know what it means, let alone know how to apply it to her dad. And how the fuck do I respond?
“And you’re really pretty and nice. Plus, you have a dog.”
“Well, thank you. You’re very pretty and nice, too.” I look over at the dog in question. “Maya does earn me bonus points, doesn’t she?”
She wags her tail and walks over to sit beside Izzy.
