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Macy walked through the aisles of major stores like a celebrity; salesmen followed her aimlessly with large flats, grabbing and reaching for everything she pointed at and said she wanted. Shopping with Macy was interesting, to say the least. Duke was completely unprepared for it.
At noon, they stopped and had lunch. Duke insisted they sit down and take a break from the hustle and bustle. Macy chose a small bistro called Nicole’s. The restaurant was pleasantly placed just outside Lake Ella, which was near the downtown area. Together, they dined, seated across from each other at a wrought-iron table with a green
umbrella shading them from the afternoon sun. Ducks quacked on the water, while children ran toward the edge to throw whole pieces of bread into the lake. Duke took a long drink of his sweet tea.
“Tired yet?” Macy taunted him.
He had yet to see her break a sweat. Meanwhile, his feet were hurting. “No.”
It was a lie. He knew it. She knew it.
Slowly she smiled, held her red straw between her fingers and guided it toward her glossy lips. “It’s okay if you are. I’m surprised you haven’t crashed by now.”
“I don’t see how you do it.” Duke sighed in relief and relaxed against his chair.
Macy shrugged her shoulders. “It’s a lot easier when my kids are with their father. Otherwise, I’m dragging them around with me and putting them to work.” She held her hand in the air before he could even think to say anything. “And before you say anything, yes, Gia is old enough to watch MJ, but if I left them alone, then my cell phone would ring off the hook over the two of them fighting.”
“I had a hard time getting my brothers and sisters to listen to me when we were growing up.”
“How many do you have?”
“I have three brothers who are older than me—Bobby, Sandino and Erik. They live in the States. And then my two younger sisters, Ana and Theresa, both live back home near my folks.”
“So your folks are still alive?”
“Yeah.” Duke stretched, not sure how comfortable Macy was talking about parents, considering she’d lost hers in the bombing attacks when she was a teenager. “My parents still get around. One of these days I’m going to get them to come to the States for the holidays. Tell me more about your kids. MJ’s eight, so that’s what? Second grade?”
He liked that she beamed when she spoke of her kids. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. Her dark eyes softened, and any trace of tiredness was gone. Her cheeks gave a slight hint of pink as she blushed.
“Third. And Gia is in ninth grade.”
Duke winced. “Oh, sorry. I remember when my sisters went through high school.”
He still recalled their tears due to rejection from boyfriends; the mood swings were just teenage angst. There was also the embarrassment Ana and Theresa had dealt with, not only from their parents, but their brothers, as well.
“Should I assume they were sweet little girls until they hit high school?”
“Exactly. But it’s all about knowing how to talk to kids.” Duke relaxed in his seat.
Their waitress arrived with their lunches. Macy had ordered the grouper sandwich with seasoned fries, which sounded so wonderful Duke got the same. They ate quietly for a few minutes, just enough time to satisfy their hunger, and then Macy cleared her throat. He was glad for that, because he liked a woman who could carry on a conversation.
“So with your vast experience with kids, teenagers in particular, you think you know how to handle them?” She was playing coy. A dimple popped out in her cheek when she tried not to grin at him.
“Of course. I think kids just appreciate honesty.”
“Like outing Santa?” she interjected with a lopsided smirk and a raised eyebrow.
He bowed his head for a moment and then lifted his eyes toward hers. She’d bitten the corner of her lip again. “I’m sorry that slipped out. You know I wouldn’t do something that cruel on purpose.”
“Mmm-hmm.” He eyed her suspiciously. The more she sat grinning at him with her Cheshire Cat smile, the more he wanted to lean over and kiss her.
Kissing her yesterday had kept him fueled during the day and night. His body had been so wired from spending time with her that he barely slept. He’d actually tossed and turned in his bed last night until he just lay on his back with his hands behind his head and thought about her lips against his.
“Seriously, if I have to re-create the North Pole myself, I will do so if it means helping you prove to MJ that Santa still exists.” He reached across the table and touched the back of her hand. Her skin was soft, like the petal of a rose.
Macy scoffed and rolled her eyes, but didn’t move her hand. “No need to go all extreme. As a matter of fact, you don’t have to keep working with me if you don’t want.”
