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She paused, the smile freezing on her face. Glancing down, she asked, "Why? What's wrong with my outfit?"
"There isn't one; that's what's wrong. Now go inside and put some damn clothes on."
Shoulders sagging, she sent him a dry look. "Dad, it's like a million degrees outside." She rolled her eyes, emphasizing her annoyance. "I know you always want me to be covered from neck to ankle, but seriously, I'll melt to death if I put on any more than this."
"Then go inside and stay in the air conditioning until the weather cools," he suggested, just as dryly.
"Can't." She looked smug as she skipped closer. "Noel's going to be here any minute to pick me up."
Raith went very still. "Who?" His mood, which had been wonderful a minute before, altered from sour to downright ominous. But the very name Noel tended put him in a bad temper. "Just where do you think you're going with him?"
"There's an ice cream social on the square this afternoon."
Folding his arms over his chest, he arched an eyebrow. "We talked about this, Tessa. No dating until you're sixteen. And last I checked, that's still three months away. If you think I'm going to allow you out with some boy any earlier, you're—"
"It's not a date." Her impatient sigh sounded excessively like her mother's. "I'm meeting a bunch of friends there. Noel just happens to be going too. He said he could stop by and give me a lift." Crossing her own arms over her chest, she mirrored his intimidating stance. "His sister's going too. She'll be in the car with us the entire time. And besides, Mom already said I could go."
Raith gritted his teeth. Damn Willow, anyway. She was too much of a pushover, always letting Tessa run wild in the big, bad world. He hadn't sweated through fifteen years of raising their one and only daughter, just to let her prance off and get herself hurt by some dirty-minded boy. He knew exactly what kind of thoughts ran through the minds of horny teenagers. They were exactly like the very thoughts running though his own mind when the front door opened again and his wife stepped outside, wearing about as little as his daughter wore.
After fifteen years of marriage, she was still heart-stoppingly beautiful.
Willow quirked a brow when she saw the hose in his hand. "Are you playing with your new truck again? I swear that hunk of metal sees more attention than I do." Though she set her hands on her hips in a stern manner, the twinkle in her eyes revealed her teasing.
He opened his mouth to tell her he'd give her some attention when a car pulled into the drive behind his truck, its loud bass pulsating through the air and vibrating the windows of his new Ford. Already prepared to despise whatever he saw, Raith turned slowly. The tiny souped-up foreign car with tinted windows, lightning stripes painted up the sides and a lowered frame, did not ease his reservations in the least.
"Oh, hell no," he repeated, swallowing because he already knew he'd be outvoted no matter how much of a stink he made.
"Relax, Dad." Tessa patted his arm, though her glowing smile was all for the Mazda as the driver's side door opened. "He's an honor student."
Raith didn't much care if Noel was a rocket scientist. Einstein had probably spent his fair share of time chasing tail and trying to get laid, too.
The kid who appeared from behind the tinted window of the opened door made Raith
growl under his breath. A little disappointed the boy didn't sport a rash of tattoos, clothes that advertised green-leafy substances, or hair dyed all colors of the rainbow, Raith grew even more upset. Damn it, the little shit actually looked like an honor student with his pressed khaki shorts and collared shirt. He made it hard for Raith to find a reason to complain.
Tessa skipped toward him, looking way too eager to ease her father's worries. Noel glowed in return, his face lighting up with utter adoration.
Raith wanted to remove the boy's pearly white teeth.
One at a time.
With pliers.
"Ready?" Noel asked Tessa.
She nodded and skirted the car to the passenger side just as the door opened and Noel's twelve-year-old sister slipped out to crawl into the back seat. About to settle herself in the front, Tessa paused when Raith called her name sharply.
"Theresa."
Willow touched his elbow, probably warning him not to cause a scene.
His baby girl lifted her head. "Yes?"
His throat burned. But he forced himself to say, "Do you have enough money?"
Relief showed in Tessa's eyes, and her shoulders relaxed. "Mom gave me some."
His nod was stiff. "Have a good time," he murmured even though the words tasted like sawdust in his mouth.
