“Aren’t you gonna miss school?”
“No, because Mrs. Ryan says we’re coming back after the summer.”
My son is pretty easygoing, generally happy, and obviously enamored with his kindergarten teacher. I’m actually surprised at how well he seems to be adjusting, other than the occasional bad dream during the night.
My little girl, on the other hand, appears to be struggling and I’m not sure how to help her. I watch as she disappears inside the house and hope Taz had enough time to get some clothes on.
Fuck me. Just the thought of her, soft and naked against me, her lips hot under mine.
I’d come home a little early, hoping I could catch her before she started on dinner and found her upstairs hacking at her hair instead. It pissed me off. Why in hell she would suddenly want to get rid of something that’s so uniquely her? I have no idea. The implication she was doing it to better blend in hit me hard. I may well have been a contributing factor, but that would end right then and there.
So I kissed her.
No doubt in my mind while my mouth was on hers, but seeing Sofie’s closed-off face is a sobering dose of reality. We need to keep whatever is happening between Taz and me between us for now. We’ll have to be discreet because there’s no way in hell I’ll be able to shove that particular genie back in its bottle. Not after tasting her.
I almost trip over the schoolbag Spencer tosses in front of my feet when I walk in the door. Before I have a chance to call him on it, he throws himself on the living room floor where Sofie is already playing with the dogs. Neither pays me any attention, so I head straight for the kitchen. There I find Taz with her head in the fridge, her jeans-covered ass sticking out, making for an enticing picture.
“Hey.”
I realize my mistake too late as I see her body jerk and hear a distinct thud.
“Shit.” She backs out of the fridge rubbing the back of her head where she must’ve banged it.
“Let me see.” I immediately close the distance and start probing her scalp, but she bats my hands away.
“Stop. I’m fine. I have a hard head.” She shuts the fridge and turns to face me, not quite looking me in the eye. “I was trying to find something to make for dinner.”
“About that. I was going to suggest we take the kids to that Mexican place on the north side of town. Dos Rios?”
“Mexican?” Her face lights up. “Since when is there a Mexican restaurant in Eminence?”
“Not sure. I think it opened maybe five, six years ago.”
“Do they serve margaritas?” she asks wearing a grin. “I haven’t had a good margarita in forever.”
“Pretty sure they do.”
“Then I’m game. Should I change?” She looks down at the worn bib overalls and faded T-shirt she’s wearing.
“No,” I assure her, thinking of the Western saloon-style log building that houses the restaurant. The inside is colorful but with utilitarian furniture, which makes it a great place to eat with the kids. There’s nothing to break. “It’s nothing fancy, but the food is excellent. The kids love it. It’ll give us an opportunity to talk to them.”
“About?” The smile on her face is replaced with a look of concern.
“Relax. I mean summer vacation. I got a call from Mom this afternoon. Apparently Dad is responding well to the new meds, and they’re talking about taking the RV down to your cousin’s farm in Kentucky. They want to take the kids.”
“For how long?”
“She’s not sure, but she thinks maybe ten days, depending how the kids do being away from home.”
“What do you think?” she asks carefully. “It’s ultimately your decision.”
“I think if the kids want to go, it might be good for them. Fun, even. Your cousin has kids only a little older than Sofie, and there’s tons to do there for them.”
I considered Sofie, hoping some time away from the everyday reminders might help her. I won’t share the next thought I had was the time alone it would give me with Taz.
“When would they go?”
I fight to keep the grin off my face when I answer, “The weekend after next.”
Chapter Fifteen
Taz
It’s surprising how many people are out and about on a weeknight for such a small town. You won’t see that many come July or August, they’ll all be hiding out inside. Eminence has the reputation being the hottest place in Missouri during those months.
The quaint little restaurant looks like something from the early settler days. A simple log façade, Dos Rios painted over the entrance with hitching posts on either side, makes it feel like we stepped through a time warp.
The kids aim straight for a booth opening up by the window and I follow behind, feeling the brush of Rafe’s hand in the small of my back. Already, in the few hours since he scorched me with that kiss, he’s found more reasons to touch me than in the previous months. It both excites and terrifies me. Especially with the many curious heads in the busy restaurant turning to watch our entrance.
I try to beat Spencer to the seat next to his sister, but I’m too slow and therefore relegated to the window seat on the opposite side of the booth. Rafe seems pleased as he slides in beside me, effectively boxing me in.
“A margarita, please,” I order, when the waitress stops by the table for our order of drinks. I’m not normally a big drinker but I have a feeling I’m going to need the reinforcements tonight. When she leaves us with the menus and toddles off to fetch our drinks, I cautiously peek around Rafe’s bulk to take in the restaurant before quickly averting my eyes to study the menu. As I feared, we seem to be drawing quite a bit of attention.
“Thirsty?” Rafe mutters under his breath, when I gulp down half my drink the moment the waitress sets it in front of me and turns to the kids to take their orders.
I ignore him and in as even a voice as I can manage, with his leg pressing against mine under the table, I place my order of enchiladas rojos.
Looking across the table at Sofie, I’m pleased to note she seems a little more animated tonight.
“I’m starving,” Spencer announces dramatically.
“They have to cook the food first, dummy,” his sister educates him.
“No name-calling, Pipsqueak,” Rafe quickly intervenes. “While we wait for dinner, we have summer vacation to discuss anyway.”
Sofie’s eyes dart between her father and me with worried anticipation.
“Not camp,” I reassure her.
“No,” Rafe confirms. “I think this’ll be more fun than that. Grandma and Grandpa are going on a little road trip to Kentucky with the RV, and they’d love for you guys to come with them.”
“Yay! Do we get to sleep in the RV?”
“I think that’s the plan, Spencer,” I contribute with a grin at his enthusiasm. Sofie, on the other hand, is not so easy to please.
“What’s in Kentucky?” She aims the question at me.
“A farm. We have a cousin who owns a horse farm there. He also has kids about your age.”
“Dad, have we ever been to Kentucky?” Spencer asks.
“We’ve never been anywhere,” Sofie bumbles under her breath.