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Until his stomach growled again, longer and louder than the first time.
“Better give that thing a cookie,” she said, pointing toward a covered tray on the counter without giving him a glance.
“No thanks, I’m good.”
The girl paused whatever she was working on and looked up, squarely meeting his gaze. “Don’t worry, they’re free.” Totally deadpan. Saucy kid.
“All right.” He lifted the clear glass dome and plucked a cookie from the tray. “Thank you.” He bit off a third of the cookie to be polite, then inhaled the remainder because it was the best damn cookie he’d ever tasted.
The little girl continued watching him as he swallowed the last bite. “Guess you’d better have another one.”
“I think you’re right.” The second cookie went down as fast as the first. He wasn’t usually one for sweets, but if the kid turned her head, he could devour the rest of the batch in about sixty seconds.
Based on the girl’s smirk, she read minds in addition to drawing pictures. “I can get your order,” she said, setting her sketchpad aside and sliding off the stool. “What name is it under?”
“I haven’t placed an order yet.”
“Then I’ll get my mom to help you.”
“Actually, I’m here to see Leigh.”
“Same thing,” she said while walking to a door at the rear of the room. She pushed the swinging door open a crack and called, “Mommy…customer.”
At Leigh.
“You’re Lennox?” he asked when the girl hopped back onto the stool.
“Yup.”
Shit. All the times Leigh had referred to her kid, she’d either said “Lennox” or “my ten-year-old”. She’d never said daughter, and he’d always assumed son.
“Can I help y—” The voice sweeter than any cookies stopped short, as did the voice’s owner. “Sam. Hi. What are you doing here?”
“Hey. I came to buy something.” Smooth opener, not so much. Her kid—her daughter—being here had thrown him off his game.
“Okay.” Leigh’s gaze shifted to the girl, whose full attention had already returned to her drawing. “Honey, would you go in the back and keep an eye on the timer for me?”
“Sure, Mommy.”
Leigh patted the girl’s head as she passed. Alone with him in the front of the store, Leigh wiped her hands on an apron that was obviously utilitarian, not decorative, and came around to his side of the counter.
“You have a daughter,” he said.
“I do.”
“I always figured you had a son, because of the name.”
She shook her head, her lips curving into a shy smile. “From the beginning, we planned to use my surname as the baby’s first name, regardless of gender. It’s not a typical girl’s name, but if you knew Lennox, you’d see that it suits her.”
“I’m sure.” Nice response, idiot. Man, he was rolling on the suave today.
Thewe plannedin Leigh’s statement had thrown him for another loop. She’d never been married, he knew that much. He’d assumed her pregnancy had been an accident, or the product of a now-defunct former relationship. Her explanation made it sound the opposite of accidental.
He’d done way too much assuming where Leigh was concerned.
“So,” she said, fidgeting with her apron. “Tell me what you’re interested in and I’ll show you what I can do.”
He choked on a laugh, at which she shook her head. “Sorry. What can I say? I’m a guy, you’re hot, and that was one perfectly dirty offer.”
