“Whatever. I hope you and your sophisticated investment banker have a very nice life together.”
Luca hung up and grunted his frustration. What did he ever see in her? Yeah, she was hot, and the sex—when he could get it—was great, but you can’t base a life on that. She was shallow, spoiled, and selfish.
How did his brothers manage to find such wonderful women?
He snorted. If his brothers could read his mind, they’d say, “You’re still young.”
Reading minds… Hadn’t Dawn said she couldn’t do that when they had coffee the other day? And last night when he had watched her come out of her house in her penguin PJs, he’d just wanted to wrap his arms around her…
“I’m such an idiot.”
* * *
“Are you Tansy?”
“Honey, do you see any other six-foot-tall, half–African American, half–Irish wolfhounds around?”
Dawn chuckled. “I suppose not.”
Tansy was the very picture of casual glamour. Her impossibly long legs looked like they went on forever in her blue denim skinny jeans and black pumps.
An olive-and-gold top set off her creamy mocha complexion and startling hazel eyes. With her sleek, long dark hair in a high bun, she looked like she should be strutting down a catwalk instead of running a community center in a poor neighborhood. Tansy was quite possibly one of the most stunning women Dawn had ever met.
“You must be Dawn Forest.” Tansy smiled back. “WW told me all about you.”
“WW?”
“Wonder Woman,” Tansy said with a wink.
Dawn nodded. “Ah, Lynda. Yeah. Well, I’m here to help in any way I can.”
“Let me show you around.” Tansy escorted Dawn to the back office, passing the kitchen and games room. There were three main areas where the kids could hang out: a quiet computer room for doing homework and getting extra help, a gymnasium where they could play various sports, and they even passed by a room that said POOL.
“Is there really a pool here?”
“Well, it’s not an Olympic-size pool. It’s about half that. Just a place where they can learn to swim.”
There was also a restaurant-size kitchen and dining room.
“We teach them some basic cooking skills, and that provides a hot meal. We all eat together.”
They finally reached the back offices for the staff, including a room with a sign that said CLINIC.
Dawn pointed to it. “Clinic?”
“A retired nurse practitioner volunteers every Tuesday and Thursday and on Saturday afternoons. She’s here for wellness checks, plus confidential advice regarding health and sex education. I’ve seen her slip some condoms to the teenage boys.”
Dawn was impressed at the setup. If a place like this had existed when her mom was a kid, she might not have lost her way. Then again, Dawn might not be here had her mother received sex education.
“This is such an amazing place,” Dawn said. They settled at a table in the dining room with two cups of coffee and a plate of two oversize churros dipped in white and dark chocolate on either end.
“We’re pretty lucky here,” Tansy said. She pointed to the pastry. “Have one. They’re damn good.”
“Thanks.” After one big bite, Dawn nodded in agreement. “Mmm.”
“You’re a tiny thing, but I like the way you eat.”
Dawn felt her face heat up.
