“I’m trying to tell your kid—” the man started, still using that condescending tone that made Trevor’s skin crawl. It must have done the same to Lacey, because she cut the moron off before he had a prayer of finishing.
“See, that’s the problem,” she shot back. “You shouldn’t be trying to tell her anything. It was one thing when you decided to tell me what I already know. That was bad enough. Jade, though, she was just calling you out on what was basically a lie. You definitely don’t get to act like a jerk with her. Not ever.”
“Miss, if I need to get a manager—” the guy said, leaning forward in an intimidating way.
“Please, I wish you would,” Lacey snapped, calling his bluff. “I would love to tell him about our experience here today.”
They stared at each other for a moment, each waiting for the other to look away first. Trevor hung back where he was, his curiosity over what she would do next overriding his desire to step in and take command of the situation.
The know-it-all sales guy was the first to look away. He mumbled something in response, so low that Trevor couldn’t catch a word. Lacey turned from the counter with a bag and a smile on her face. She winked at Trevor as she walked past him but didn’t say a word. He hurried after her, feeling like a puppy dog trailing at his master's heels.
He was, frankly, stunned. The version of her he'd witnessed going up against that jackass was unlike anything he'd seen from her before. That damn fool messing with Jade had made Lacey go all mamma bear, and it was about the sexiest thing Trevor had ever seen. All of a sudden, he was thinking about what a good mom she would make. It was a foreign thing for him to think about at all, but the fact that he was witnessing her loving a girl that wasn't her own hit him even harder.
What if his beliefs about his own parents had been wrong, all these years? He'd been sure that they didn't love him as much as his brothers, that they couldn't possibly love him as much because he didn't really belong to them.
Watching Lacey with Jade, though, he wasn't so sure about that. As a matter of fact, he wasn't so sure about a lot of things, and as they drove back to the bed and breakfast, he stared out the window, the smile slowly fading from his face as he realized just how much danger he was in of becoming entangled.
9
"Sing me a song!" Jade demanded, crossing her arms stubbornly. Her elbows were still dimpled with baby fat, and her pouting lips looked like a perfect little bow. Lacey was impressed when Trevor kept a straight face. He sat on the edge of the child’s bed, and she saw by his profile that he had put on a serious look as if to give the request due consideration.
"Aw, honey, I'm telling you right now, you don't want me to do that. I mean, I will, if you twist my arm, but I bet you ain't gonna like it. I've got the kind of voice that could strip paint off a barn."
"I want a bed song!" Jade insisted, giggling now. She seemed perfectly delighted by the attention she was commanding, and Lacey couldn't say she blamed the little girl. This version of Trevor, happy and cracking jokes, was about the most irresistible person Lacey had ever been around. He had a dangerous level of charisma, making Lacey think the kind of thoughts she'd never entertained about a man before.
“Sheesh, you hear this, Lacey?” he asked, glancing at her over his shoulder with an expression of mock horror. “She wants a bed song. Doesn’t even care that it’s going to make you both wish you had your ears stuffed with cotton.”
"No, it sounds like that doesn't bother her a bit," Lacey agreed, smiling and winking at Jade. Jade winked back, a comically large gesture that even a blind person wouldn't have missed, but Trevor pretended not to see it all the same. He was a natural with kids, despite his early insistence that he didn't have a clue what to do with them. Something told Lacey his skill would only get better with time and practice.
"Stop it," she mumbled to herself, shaking her head as if it would clear the thoughts away. Unfortunately, her brain wasn't an Etch A Sketch, and the gesture did nothing but earn her curious looks from Jade and Trevor.
“Sorry,” she said quickly, glad for the dim light of the nightlight to hide her blush. “Thought there was a fly.”
“Well, what do you say, Lace? You think I could risk it? Think I should give her the bed song?”
“I think we both know you’re going to,” Lacey grinned.
Trevor shrugged, then nodded before turning his attention back to Jade. He began to sing, and just as Lacey knew it would be, his voice was rich, almost hauntingly melodious.
He sang a Dylan song about staying young, and despite never having heard it before, Jade was enraptured.
Lacey stood apart and watched, her eyes shining with tears. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been really, truly moved, but Trevor's voice achieved the effect handily. Even after all the bedtime rituals were done, and she and Trevor had relocated to the living room, her legs still felt wobbly.
“Whew!” Trevor said, blowing out a rush of air. “These days are long, I’ll tell you that. Think they’re some of the longest days I’ve ever had.”
“They really are,” Lacey agreed, smiling shyly as she headed toward the bar cabinet in the corner. “Which is why I don’t feel guilty about pouring myself this glass of wine. You want one?”
“Wine, huh?” he said, wrinkling his nose and eyeing the bottle she picked up with obvious skepticism. “You know—why not? I guess I could give it a try. Been doing plenty of unexpected things lately, haven’t I? No reason I can’t add drinking wine to the list.”
Lacey nodded her approval and poured them both generous glasses, well past the six-ounce mark. She handed his over and settled on the couch beside him, keeping enough distance between them so as to be considered respectable, but not enough to stop her imagining she could feel the heat radiating from his body. She ignored the notion and took a long, satisfying sip. When she lowered her glass, she saw Trevor watching her intently.
"What?" she asked self-consciously, glancing down at herself to make sure she hadn't spilled half the glass down the front of her shirt. "What are you looking at?"
“I guess I’m looking at you, aren’t I?” he asked, chuckling in that low, rich voice that made her want to squirm. “Just wondering if a goose walked over your grave.”
“If a...what? What are you talking about?” Lacey laughed uncertainly.
"You know, a goose." He chuckled again, taking a sip from his own glass and sinking lower onto the couch. He sat with his legs open wide, and all Lacey would have to do was reach out a hand to touch him. That thought made her shudder again, and Trevor raised an eyebrow at her.
“See? There it is again. What’s got you shivering, Lacey? It’s not exactly cold in here.”
“No, it definitely isn’t,” she agreed, though she was talking as much to herself as she was to him. Somehow she felt like she was sitting in a sauna. She’d been noticing the same effect more often lately when close to Trevor. That, or when it was just the two of them, no Jade to cut the tension and keep Lacey’s thoughts where they ought to be.