Maren giggles, and Penelope cracks a sheepish smile.
“What does that mean?” I ask, trying to keep my tone as light and casual as possible—the exact opposite of how I’m feeling.
I’m dying for any shred of information about Connor, something beyond the tiny hints and sparks that have flared up between us. I have to know what his deal is. And even more than that, I have to know if he’s into me. A hungry little ball of need forms deep in my belly every time I lay eyes on him, and something tells me it’s not going away anytime soon.
Scarlett grins. “Penelope? Would you like to give our new friend a little history lesson on your brother?”
Penelope’s small smile spreads into a smirk. “I thought we were having a girls’ night, not a let’s-talk-about-my-brother night,” she says innocently.
“I just want to know a little bit more about the man I’m working for, that’s all. He’s not a serial killer or anything, right?” I ask, keeping my voice as deadpan as possible.
That gets a good laugh out of the group.
Penelope smiles, a slight wine flush on her cheeks. “Nah, Connor’s a sweet guy, especially since Marley arrived. She’s really changed him.”
“You can say that again,” Scarlett says with a snort, and Maren almost shoots wine out of her nose.
“Was he not sweet before?” I ask. Visions of a darker bad-boy version of Connor swirl through my mind. I’m not going to lie, I’m into it.
“Connor’s always been sweet,” Maren says with a pointed look at Scarlett. “He was just a bit of a playboy before the baby was born. Even before then, really. There wasn’t anything romantic between him and Marley’s mom, but he took good care of her. He went with her to all the doctor’s appointments and birthing classes. He was just super involved and supportive.”
“And he bought everything. Cribs, car seats, you name it. That baby became his whole life. He became a totally different person overnight. He grew up,” Penelope says with a wistful look in her eye. “I’m super proud of him.”
“He’s risen to the challenge,” Scarlett says reluctantly, “I’ll give him that much. Sold his motorcycle. Stopped dating around. Got his priorities straight. I wasn’t sure he had it in him.”
I might not know her that well yet, but I can already tell it’s high praise coming from Scarlett.
A brief silence falls over the table, but I feel a question rising in the back of my head, and I can’t keep myself from asking it.
A crease forms in my brow. “So, when you say he was a playboy . . .”
The three women exchange weighted glances, but it’s Scarlett who responds.
“Total manwhore.”
My windpipe tightens, and I suppress my look of shock.
I try to imagine an immature playboy version of Connor, one who would have taken one look at the young, single girl moving in next door and found a way into her pants that same night, but I can’t picture it. I like this version of Connor. The responsible caretaker who does what’s right for his daughter, who puts her needs before his own.
But let’s be honest. In my imagination, this responsible version of Connor still finds his way into my pants. Okay, fine . . . I’d invite him in.
God, I have to get this under control. Just thinking about him makes me feel all hot and bothered.
I take a long gulp of wine to help cool myself down. It doesn’t work, of course. Ever since I met him, my libido has been cranked in overdrive. It makes zero sense.
Penelope continues about her brother, a thoughtful look on her face. “What Connor really needs is a nice woman who’s good with Marley. Someone who can match his level of responsibility, while also being able to handle the fact that he runs a sex-toy store.”
“Might not be as hard as you think.” Maren winks. “We’re here, aren’t we?”
“Hayes didn’t have a two-month-old when you started dating.”
Maren shrugs. “I’d like to think I could have handled it.”
“Oh, please. You could barely handle the potential disapproval of your big brother,” Scarlett says.
We all laugh, but I don’t laugh quite as loudly as the other three.
Could I be that woman for Connor? I’m definitely good with Marley, and the chemistry between Connor and me is hard to deny. Images of the life we could have together scroll through my mind . . .
Connor and me feeding Marley in his kitchen. The three of us going for beach days by the lake. Connor and me stealing kisses in the front seat while Marley dozes in the back of the car. It could be so simple, so easy, so sweet.
Except for the fact that I won’t be here in a few months.
Reality tears through my brain like a category five hurricane, obliterating any trace of the fantasy I’d just had.
I’m leaving the country, and that’s that. No more lake days, no more flirting with neighbors. I’ll be thousands of miles away from here, helping people who look different from me and speak a different language. Connor and Marley will be distant memories—except there’s a small part of me that worries they really won’t be.
My attraction to Connor doesn’t matter, despite how much it might be growing. I can’t hurt him, and I can’t hurt his daughter. I stuff my feelings away in the same dark place I put the fantasies, somewhere they won’t resurface. Somewhere they’ll wither away and let me get through this summer in peace.
If they don’t, I don’t know how I’ll survive.
5
* * *
CONNOR
“So, what do you think? It’s too big, right?”
Hayes slides a new kind of sex toy across the desk in my direction. We’re all gathered in the stockroom, huddled around the toy like a bunch of little kids looking at a bug. I take the device in my hand, raising my eyebrows at the heft of it.
Wolfie crosses his arms over his chest. “It might be too much for our usual crowd.”
We’re demoing the product for the week, deciding if we want to bring it on for good. It’s a new brand for us, one we’ve never carried, and the product has some serious action-packed features.
“This conversation is interesting and all,” Caleb says with a waggle of his eyebrows. “But we all know what needs to happen. One of us takes it home, gives it a go, and then reports back his findings.”
“Well, it won’t be me,” I say with a grunt. This dad isn’t going to be getting any action anytime soon.
Suddenly all eyes are on me, the guys’ expressions varying from concerned to skeptical.
“What?” I grumble, silently cursing for drawing attention to myself.
A slow smile unfurls on Hayes’ lips. “Usually you’re the first to jump on a take-home demo.”
I shrug. Yeah, maybe the old me. Things have changed this past year. How does he not recognize that?
The bell on the front door rings, and we all turn our heads. When I move to go and greet the customer, Hayes catches my shoulder. “Caleb, can you—”
“On it.” Caleb gives Hayes a mock salute, hopping over some cardboard boxes on his way out.
Wolfie grunts, slides his laptop under his arm, and makes himself scarce.