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“Fifty?” Brady asked, but got a head shake. “Fiftyfive?” He sighed and said, “I give up.”
“Already? Okay, I’ll tell you.” Hunter leaned in close but whispered loudly enough that I could hear him say, “I’m sixty eight.”
I rolled my eyes through a smirk as Brady giggled again. “You’re teasing me!”
“I would never,” Hunter insisted, pushing his nose up into the air. “Ready for the next game?” At Brady’s nod, the man dug a quarter out of his pocket. “Try and guess which hand it’s in,” he said as he put his fists behind his back to hide the coin before extending them in front of him. Brady slapped one of his hands and squealed when Hunter revealed the quarter.
The duo played that game for quite some time while I waited on tables and filled the orders of the people who fluttered in and out of the shop. When my boy got tired of that, he and Hunter challenged Talon and Brandon to a competition of stacking all of the coins in their pockets on the countertop.
Hunter and Brady built the highest tower and won, but I wasprettysure it was cheating when Hunter reached over and flicked his friends’ tower over, to Brady’s delight.
Hunter taught my son how to play tic-tac-toe on a napkin, and then the three men took turns playing ‘I spy’ with him, guessing every item of every color in the dining room.
Before I knew it, all of the patrons had cleared out of the cafe and it was time to close up for the afternoon. I wiped down all of the counters, placed the mugs in the dishwasher, and flipped the door sign to ‘closed’.
I walked up to the bartop, where Hunter had Brady laughing so hard that I was worried he may fall…until I noticed that Hunter had his hand floating behind my boy, at the ready in case he tottered.
“Thank you so much for keeping an eye on him so that I could finish my shift,” I told Hunter as I approached. “That was a huge help.”
“It was our pleasure,” he replied while Talon and Brandon nodded their agreement.
“Aw, you’re donealready?” Brady whined, making me chuckle.
“I’m all finished.” I dramatically placed the back of my hand on my forehead. “I guess that means you’ll be forced to play with your chopped liver Daddy.”
“You’re not chopped liver,” Brady argued. “I just really liked playing with Hunter.” He looked at the man and asked, “Can you come play with me again tomorrow?”
“If it’s okay with your dad,” Hunter told him before he looked at me. I swear the pair of them gave me matching puppy dog eyes.
How could I say no? For one thing, I doubted that Hope would be feeling better by the following morning. She was my only babysitter, and I had to work to pay the bills. Hunter had been a godsend, and Brady looked the happiest I’d ever seen him.
“That would be wonderful, if you don’t mind.”
Brady cheered and Hunter’s eyes sparkled as his grin stretched from ear to ear. “I’d be happy to. What time does your shift start?”
“Six..”
“I’ll be here,” he promised, and I couldn’t stop a smile of my own. He turned to Brady and told him, “I’ll see you in the morning, bud,” before giving him a high-five and helping him down from the stool.
When he stood up himself, Hunter leaned across the counter toward me and whispered, “My offer is always open; anytime, anywhere.” He winked as he pulled away, leaving me breathless.
He and his friends gave Brady one last wave before they left through the door, and it took everything inside me not to chase after him.
Chapter Three
Lance
My heart fluttered in my chest when I saw Hunter’s SUV pull into the parking lot of the cafe, just as it had done the past three mornings at six o’clock sharp. He came in alone every day during my shift to talk to me and to play with Brady.
Hunter was amazing with my son. He kept Brady entertained while I worked, which was fantastic since Hope was still sick. But better yet, both of them seemed to really enjoy themselves. Hunter kept Brady laughing with jokes and games, and my rambunctious four year old never once complained of boredom, which was a miracle in itself. It was a beautiful thing to watch them together.
And it was a difficult thing to pretend that I wasn’t interested in getting closer to Hunter. He kept making offers of taking me out on a date, but he didn’t push, keeping the ball in my court. I was tempted, but I reminded myself that I was better off not getting close to anyone. I was grateful for his friendship, but I couldn’t let it progress beyond that.
And then I would catch Hunter gazing at me from across the dining room, or he’d give me a smile that made my soul shiver, and I wanted to say ‘screw friendship’ and run into his arms. He’d shown that he was a good man, but in the past I had thought other men were good too, and I was proven very wrong. It wasn’t just my heart at risk; I had my son to protect too.
Hunter climbed out of his vehicle and waved with a bright smile. I was glued to the window, watching him like a creeper, but I had a good excuse; Brady was standing at my side impatiently waiting for his friend, so I could play my presence off as the kid’s excitement, even though mine matched it. I was always excited to see Hunter’s gorgeous face.
“I wonder what he brought me today,” Brady said as he bounced on his toes. Every day, Hunter showed up with a different toy or game for the two of them to play with, and always left it for Brady to enjoy after he went home.
