The proximity was driving me nuts.
I tried to ignore it as we sat and talked with the kids about the castle and then about school. While the rest of us were eating scones with our tea, Eilidh had, of course, decided on a piece of messy chocolate cake. “You’ll spoil your lunch.” I tried to tell her.
“It’s Daddy’s birthday. There should be cake,” she argued.
“Fine, then you can share a piece with your dad.”
Thane’s lips had twitched at having been given no choice in the matter, but we both knew Eilidh would be sick if she ate the entire thing. As it was, she got most of it on her face. Trying to avoid cake crumbling onto her new red coat, I pulled baby wipes from my purse and swiped at her face as she continued talking about the argument she’d had with a boy in her class over how Marvel films weren’t for girls.
“But I said, I watch all the Malver films with Lewis—”
“Turn your face to me, sweetie,” I murmured, tilting her cheek.
She did as I asked but kept talking. “—and how can it not be for girls when there’s one with a girl called Captain Malver!”
“It’s true,” Lewis agreed, for once engaged in one of Eilidh’s many retellings of her school-day “discussions.”
As I got the last of the chocolate off her face and tenderly brushed a stray curl behind her tiny ear, I felt heat on my cheek. Glancing at Thane, I found him watching me with an intensity that made my breath catch.
“Ree-Ree, I need a wee-wee!” Eilidh announced loudly, breaking our staring match.
Thane pressed his lips together to stop his laughter at the answering titters around the tearoom, but his gorgeous eyes glittered with amusement.
Lewis giggled around a bite of scone, and I cut Eilidh a half-amused, half-stern look.
She grinned with her teeth comically pressed together.
“Eilidh Adair, we do not call it wee-wee, especially since it rhymes with my name.”
“But that’s why I should call it wee-wee.”
I narrowed my eyes, and she mirrored my expression. This kid! “If you need to use the restroom, what do you say?”
She opened her mouth, and I just knew she was going to repeat the Ree-Ree/wee-wee thing.
“Not that,” I cut her off and heard her father choke on his amusement. Shooting him a quelling look only made his shoulders shake harder.
Eilidh sighed like a world-weary eighty-year-old. “Fine. Ree-Ree, I need to use the restroom even though I don’t need to rest, I need to wee-wee.”
Thane coughed into his fist to cover up his laughter.
I couldn’t look at him. “Okay.” I stood, dropping my napkin on the table. “You’re too smart for your own good, kid.”
“I know.” She hopped up from the table and took my hand.
“We call it a restroom because it’s a polite word for it,” I told her as we made our way through the tearoom, following the sign for the ladies’ toilet off the entrance.
“But I like the word wee-wee.”
“You do now. However, believe me, when you’re my age, calling it that is not cute.”
She continued to argue about this the entire time we were in the bathroom. I waited outside her stall door, interrupting her thoughts on how funny the word wee-wee was to ask how she was doing. She’d answer and then continue her monologue. If I never heard the word wee-wee again, I wouldn’t be sorry.
Though she was hilarious.
“Do you think Daddy will have ate the rest of my cake?” Eils asked, her brow furrowed as we washed our hands and stepped out of the restroom.
“Eaten, sweetie,” I corrected. I was so busy looking down at her, I missed the person crossing our path and collided with him. My head flew up as the hand not holding Eilidh’s hit a hard chest. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”
Green eyes stared into mine, and familiarity hit me. “Regan, right?”
“Jared, hey.” I stepped back a little, tightening my grip on Eilidh’s hand.
Noting her, the yummy young farmer looked down and asked, “And who’s this?”
Turning uncharacteristically shy, Eilidh pressed into my side and buried her face in my coat. Huh. “Uh … this is Eilidh. Eilidh, this is Jared, Farmer McCulloch’s grandson.”
She nodded and lowered her eyes to the floor.
Surprised, I looked up at Jared.
He just grinned. “Shy one?”
Not usually. “Uh … what are you doing here?”
“Oh, just dropping off some produce for the kitchens. You showing the kids the castle?”
“Yeah. And having cake.” I ruffled Eilidh’s hair lightly. She still didn’t look up.
Jared searched my face for a second. “I was hoping we’d bump into each other again.”
I smiled noncommittally.
“I have to get back. I have other deliveries to make, but … can I have your number?”
Oh my God. I had not been expecting that. No messing around with him, huh?
Uh …
He gave me a sexy half smile. “I just want to take you out for a drink. No pressure.”
I thought of Thane waiting for me back in the tearoom.
About the tension still crackling between us.
Or was it all in my head? Thane had made it clear where we stood.
But once he apologizes, you move on. Thane goes back to just being your boss, and you take care of those kids. I remembered my sister’s advice.
Move on.
Right.
“Sure.” I grinned, nodding, even though my stomach was in knots.
Jared pulled out his cell, and I rattled off my number. He tucked the phone back into his work pants, stared at me like he had a lot more than a friendly drink in mind, and backed away. “I’ll call you.”
“Great.” I gave him a little wave and then led a strangely quiet Eilidh back to the tearoom.
“All good?” Thane grinned at us, and I felt a stupid prickle of guilt.
“Yeah.”
“Ready to go, then?” He stood. “I’ve already paid.”
I frowned. “I was going to pay for your birthday.”
He gave me a look as if to say “nonsense.”
Letting it go, we gathered our things and walked back to the car. I should have known by how quiet Eilidh was that she was stewing over something. But I was so distracted by what had just happened, I wasn’t paying enough attention. It wasn’t until we were all in the car and Thane was about to turn on the engine that Eilidh asked loudly and somewhat sullenly, “Why is that pretty man going to call you, Ree-Ree?”
I squeezed my eyes closed for a second as silence descended over the car.
Ignoring Thane’s stare, I looked over my shoulder at Eilidh, who looked confused and upset. She clearly didn’t understand what had passed between me and Jared, but she knew she didn’t like it. Shit.
“What’s Eils talking about?” Thane asked quietly.
I flicked him a look. “We bumped into Jared McCulloch in the hall. I gave him my number.” I met Eilidh’s gaze. “It’s what friends do, sweetie. We exchanged numbers so we can hang out.”
“Like you and me hang out?”
“Sure!” I knew my voice was too high with my lie.
She frowned. “But … I’m still your best friend. He can’t be your best friend.”