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Once outside, Christopher stops in front of me, cocking an eyebrow. "Are you trying to set me up with her?"
"No, I was just giving you some info for when you call her."
His jaw ticks, his eyes growing hard. "I'm not going to call her."
"No?"
"My incessant innuendos might have given you the wrong idea, but I don't flirt with everything that moves, Victoria. I only call a woman or respond to her advances when I'm interested. That's not the case with Donna."
Even though I know I shouldn't care, I can't help the sense of elation overcoming me.
"Okay."
Checking his phone, he says, "I’m going to grab a coffee before I head back to my office. Would you like one?”
"No time. . .and I can’t believe you're a coffee person," I say, feigning disgust. "I knew there had to be something wrong with you."
"Don't tell me you're a tea person. You were drinking hot chocolate when I met you. I have it on good authority one should never trust a tea person."
"Yeah, I like hot chocolate but hate coffee. I’m a tea person through and through. There you have it. We could never work. "
He shakes his head, squaring his shoulders, but then his face lights up. "Should I bring breakfast tomorrow?"
"No way. You're coming to my house to help Lucas. Breakfast is on me. Do you have any preferences?”
“I’ll eat anything.”
“Okay. I really need to go now, or I’ll be late for my next meeting.”
Christopher closes the distance between us, and his proximity is all it takes for my senses to come alive. We’d been closer than this inside the store, when I practically spun around into him, but this is different. The chilly air forms a stark contrast to his cologne, and the smell all but engulfs me. Raising his hand, Christopher touches the hinge of my jaw with the back of his fingers. It's a light touch, really, but the effect is devastating.
"By the way, is it okay if I use your shower tomorrow?"
My throat dries up. "What?"
"I plan on showing Lucas some moves, and I like to shower after a workout or a soccer game.”
"Sure. Of course. No problem."
“See you tomorrow, Victoria.” Dropping his hand, he steps back, winking once at me before taking off. As I walk to my car a few seconds later, I try hard not to think about Christopher in my shower.
Chapter Seven
Victoria
I'm full of energy after the meeting with Christopher, and on the way home, I debate whether to take the kids out to dinner, and possibly a movie too. My mood takes a deep dive when I arrive home because a familiar car is parked in front of the house. It belongs to Hervis Jackson, the social worker assigned to our case. I had hoped he wouldn't visit this month. Over the last three months, he's been doing the monthly checkups over the phone, and I hoped he'd stick to that method. Social and family services are supposed to help in cases such as ours, but from the beginning, it’s felt as if they’re against me.
Steeling myself, I climb out of the car and head inside. I find Hervis in the living room, talking to the kids. He's in his late forties with short hair and premature lines around his mouth. He's also a master at pushing my buttons, getting on my every nerve.
"Ms. Hensley," he greets me.
"I would have preferred for you to call me beforehand. What if we weren't home?"
He ignores my question, instead surveying the kids. "I'm done here, anyway."
"You won't mind if Lucas, Chloe, and I go in the front yard, then," Sienna says. She has as much love for Hervis as I do.
"Not at all," Hervis answers. Sienna and the little ones are out the door the next second. He turns to me. "The commute to the minors' schools is fairly long. That isn't much of a problem for the oldest one, but for the little ones, not the best."
