I began to laugh.
Apparently neither of us were good at cover-ups.
“Thanks, Jordan,” I muttered, grateful for his friendship, humor, and understanding.
He grinned and went back to work.
“A coffee and a snack wouldn’t go unnoticed,” he said.
I stood.
“On it.”
Liv’s mom was an older version of her. In fact, watching the three of them across the table was like seeing the same person at three stages of their life. They shared the same body type, hair color, mannerisms, and smiles. And although the shape of their eyes was the same, the main difference between them was the color. Liv’s mom had hazel-colored eyes, Liv had the gorgeous golden-brown, and Mouse’s eyes were a deep chocolate. I had to assume both Liv and Mouse had inherited their father’s eye color. I enjoyed watching them together. It was easy to see their closeness.
Liv’s mom, Eleanor, or Elly, as she insisted I call her, was intelligent, direct, and blunt. I liked her. She refused the hand I held out to shake, instead enveloping me in the kind of hug only a mom could bestow. I had a feeling she and my mom were going to get along well.
Dinner was a loud affair, Mouse excited to have a captive audience at her disposal. She was lively and chatty, often making me laugh with her drollness. She watched me eat, her eyes wide with amazement.
“Are you sure you’re not a giant, Mr. Van? You eat like one.”
Liv groaned and Elly chuckled.
“Nope. But your mom’s cooking is awesome and a big treat.”
Mouse stared at her plate, mystified. “Treat? It’s meatloaf.” She poked at the meat, pursing her lips. “A treat is a chocolate bar.”
I laughed and helped myself to more of the meatloaf from the platter on the table. “Not for me, Mouse. I live alone, so meatloaf is a huge treat.”
Her eyes grew even bigger. “You should eat here all the time, then. Mom makes stuff like this every night.” She sighed. “My best friend Sharon’s mom doesn’t cook. They order in every night.” She whined. “It’s so cool.”
Liv grimaced. “And unhealthy. Not to mention expensive.”
I leaned toward Sammy. “You know what, Mouse? I bet if I asked Sharon, she’d think having a mom who cooks is better than ordering out all the time. I know I do.”
“Really?”
I wiped my mouth. “Yep. Cooking is a talent. One of your mom’s many talents.” I winked at Liv. “I’d be happy to eat here anytime.”
She stared at her plate, then broke off a piece of meatloaf with her fork. “Yeah, Mom is pretty cool. And I like meatloaf.”
I locked my eyes on Liv. “Yeah, she is.”
Elly watched us, clearly amused. After dinner, she kept Mouse busy giving her a bath, while Liv came downstairs and helped me carry up the bookcase I’d made for Mouse. We got it into her room, and I stood back, brushing my hands on my pants.
“Damn glitter. Even sealed, it attaches itself to me.”
Liv agreed. “It goes everywhere. I live in a state of perpetual glitter.” She ran her hand over the bookcase, inspecting it. I plugged in the lighting I had added, making the glitter sparkle.
“This is beyond anything she ever dreamed of, Van. She’s going to go crazy.” She stepped back and placed her hand on my chest. Her eyes were tender and glowing as she spoke. “I can’t thank you enough for making it for her.”
I covered her hand with mine. “I wanted to. She’s an awesome kid. I like her, Liv. I like her a lot.”
“I know.”
“I like her mother too.” I snaked my arm around her waist, pulling her close. “I really like her mother.”
She rose up on her toes, brushing her lips over mine. “She likes you.” She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled herself tight to me in a warm hug. Her breath on my neck made me shiver. She felt so right nestled in my arms, fitting to me perfectly. “She likes you so much.”
I held her close, acutely aware of two things. How much closer I wanted her, and the fact that her mom and Mouse were ten feet away and would appear at any moment, so I couldn’t. But I held her tight, enjoying the sensation of her body pressed to mine. From down the hall, I heard Elly telling Mouse to go to her room.
Liv eased back, running her fingers across my jaw. “Are you ready for the squeals?”
“Bring them on.”
Liv chuckled. “You have no idea.”
I rolled my eyes. Sammy was a little girl. How bad could it be?
Mouse tripped in, her long nightgown trailing on the floor behind her. Her hair was damp, already curling into ringlets around her face. She beamed at us, then stopped, her gaze riveted to the bookshelf beside me. Her dark eyes widened to the point of hilarity, and she clasped her hands in front of her in delight but remained silent.
“Is it what you wanted, Mouse?”
I thought Liv was being funny when she warned me. But I swear, the sound that came from Sammy’s mouth could shatter glass. A shriek pierced the air, and she lunged toward me. Bending, I caught her, still reeling from the sound she’d made. She was laughing, pointing, talking, and somehow, still squeezing my neck at the same time. Even her voice was a higher pitch.
“Mr. Van! Look at the turrets and the lights!”
“Mommy, the glitter! All the glitter!”
She turned her head, calling loudly for Elly. “Grammie! Come see my bookcase! Mr. Van made it for me like our drawing!”
She turned to face me, her face anxious. “Is it really for me?”
“Of course it is, Mouse. It’s all yours. I made it for you.”
A thousand little kisses were plastered on my face before she kicked away, sliding down my torso and rushing over to her bookcase, running her hands over the turrets and shelves, excited and showing Liv everything she had asked me for.
“Can we put my books on it now, Mommy?”
Liv looked at me, almost pleading. I cleared my throat. “It needs to dry one more night, okay, Mouse? You can load it up tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she acquiesced easily. “May I leave it on for a bit to look at, Mommy, once you read me a story?”
Liv ran a hand over Sammy’s head affectionately. “Yeah, baby, we can do that. I think Mr. Van added the lights exactly for that reason. But you have to sleep soon. You’ll need to be well rested to fill it up tomorrow, right?”
Mouse touched the glitter on the turrets with adoration. She looked at me, her eyes shining in the light. When she spoke, her voice was as serious as I had ever heard Mouse.
“This is the best present I ever got, Mr. Van. Thank you for making it for me.” She darted forward, wrapping her arms around my legs. “You’re my favorite aside from Grammie and Mommy.”
I had to swallow a thickness that rose in my throat.
Shit, this kid was gonna kill me.
“You’re my favorite too, Mouse.”
Elly leaned against the doorframe watching us, her arms crossed. “I think Mr. Van needs another piece of cake and some coffee while Mommy reads your book, don’t you, Sammy?”
Sammy nodded hard.
“Say goodnight to Mr. Van,” Liv said.
Sammy held up her arms, and I lifted her, letting her wrap her arms around my neck.