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“Thanks. Where’s my welcome basket?” I asked, slipping the cigarette butt between my lips. I leaned in for the light.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not as charitable as you.”
I snorted. “Noted. I didn’t know you smoked.”
“I don’t. Well, at least, not usually. I’ll have one every once in a while, when I’m thinking of him.”
“Was Rory a smoker?”
Kierra chuckled and ashed her cigarette. “He smoked like a chimney. If this job didn’t claim him, then the cigarettes would.”
“You never know. Some people lived to be well in their nineties and smoked two packs a day.”
“There are always exceptions to the rule.”
“True. Any other vices I should be aware of?”
“If I told you no, would you believe me?”
I squinted at her and blew the smoke out of the side of my mouth. “Your eyes say one thing, but your lips say another.”
“What do they say?” she challenged.
“Your eyes are saying trust me, but your lips are saying I have a secret. Don’t worry. I’ll get it out of you.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Not to toot my own horn, but I can get a little aggressive with my cross-examinations.”
Kierra’s lips wiggled as she attempted to hold in her laughter. She held her cigarette between two fingers and slowly slid the butt between her perfect lips. Our eyes locked, mine exploring the depths of those melancholy eyes I’d quickly grown accustomed to.
I hate to be that guy, but she’s pretty when she cries. In a world where everyone acts so fake, it’s refreshing to see something so real. Her grief is very real—nearly tangible.
“Is that so, Jonathan Baker, Esquire?” she inquired, blowing a perfect smoke ring.
I raised a questioning brow. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she was flirting with me.
“That’s so,” I affirmed. She smirked and stubbed out the cigarette. The butt was stained burgundy from the leftover lip gloss she had worn throughout the day. She stood and dusted off her ass with her hands. I looked away, not wanting to commit the shape of her supple ass to memory. I was in trouble. It hadn’t been a full twenty-four hours, and I was already lusting after my children’s nanny.
I need to get laid.
It’d been nearly two years since I had sex, and I was well overdue. I was desperate to the point I was seriously considering downloading a hookup app or meeting a nice woman at a bar who didn’t mind a one-night fling.
“I guess I better walk a straight line then.”
“It’d be wise to do so.”
“Noted,” she said, laughing.
“Are you okay? I know today was an emotional day for you and Kiyah.”
She shrugged casually, her lips forming into a pout before saying, “I’ll be okay one of these days. I want you to know that I’m happy to be here.”
“You are?”
She nodded. “It’s better than being alone. Plus, I think it’s good for Kiyah to be around happy children.”
“This isn’t a bad thing, but you always talk about Kiyah. It’s okay for you to focus on your happiness.”
