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“I know.” I hid a smile. His response should bruise my ego, but his caginess was strangely endearing. “But it’s the only gift I’ve gotten today.”
His lips pursed, and he looked squirrelly. “Don’t read anything into it. I’m grateful, that’s all. This isn’t romantic. You’re my daughter’s teacher, and I’m not interested in dating. Even if I was, you’re too young and—”
“And what?” I asked, mentally daring him to continue, because yeah, now my ego was bruised. I’d been making a stupid joke, and he’d taken it out of context and gotten his underwear twisted up over it. He’d said nothing could happen between us, and I respected that. But my teeth ground together because he clearly thought I wanted to be all over him. Plus, what was the deal with saying I was too young? What, so I was old enough to mess around with but not date? That was some bullshit logic.
“Aaaand I should get going.” He dragged a hand down his face and sighed. “I can’t seem to get anything right. I’m sorry if I offended you, but what I said yesterday still stands.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Do you see me asking you to change your mind?”
“No,” he conceded.
“I didn’t think so.” I looked at my computer, effectively dismissing him. “Have a nice night, Mr. Atwater.”
As he left, I couldn’t help but wonder which was the real Warren. The passionate man I’d met in Wellington? The doting single father? Or the iceberg who consistently pushed me away?
I shouldn’t care, but I did.
CHAPTER3
Warren
I’d been an ass. Again.
I just couldn’t seem to help myself around the woman. She drove me insane. I hadn’t meant to hurt her, and despite her snarky response, I knew I had. I’d read too much into something and overreacted. Story of my life. Usually, I had myself under control. For years, I’d compartmentalized work, home life, fatherhood, and who I was as a man. I’d never brought a woman around Ruby. As far as I knew, she’d never met any of my occasional hookups, so having Hannah suddenly occupying an important role in her life threw me for a loop. Everywhere I turned, she was there, intruding on my peace of mind.
My hands tightened on the steering wheel as I pulled up to my house, an old weather board place one street over from Destiny Falls Motors. Based on the lights shining through the window, Ruby was already there. She was a responsible kid, so I didn’t mind if she hung out at home for a while in the afternoon, as long as she followed the rules. No guests. No alcohol or drugs. Nothing that would require repairs to the house or for me to apologize to the neighbors.
I parked and got out of the car, a cool breeze nipping at the exposed skin around my neck and hands, then made my way to the door and tried the handle, pleased when it was locked. Even in Destiny Falls, bad things happened—as evidenced by the recent kidnapping of an actress who’d moved to the area—and I’d taught Ruby to always take precautions. I inserted my key into the lock and entered, smelling something delicious coming from the kitchen. Sometimes, Ruby cooked dinner. I rarely asked her to, but she knew it put me in a good mood and often cooked when she wanted to butter me up. My eyes narrowed as I followed the scent of spicy meat, wondering what she wanted.
“Hi, Dad,” she said, looking over her shoulder from where she stood at the kitchen counter, a block of cheese in one hand and a grater in the other. “Did you finish up everything you needed to at work?”
“I did.” I flicked the kettle on, figuring a cup of herbal tea wouldn’t go astray. I tried not to have caffeine after work. Ruby had been on my case about it being unhealthy. Much as I preferred coffee to tea, there wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for my baby girl. “What’s cooking?”
“Nachos.” She finished with the cheese and replaced it in the fridge, then washed her hands. “It’ll be done in a couple of minutes.” She noticed that I’d switched the kettle on. “I’ll have one too, please.”
I placed two mugs on the counter and added a teabag to each. When the kettle finished boiling, I added water. Meanwhile, Ruby served spicy ground beef onto two beds of corn chips, then added guacamole, tomato salsa, and sour cream around the edge, and lastly, sprinkled cheese on top. My stomach grumbled loudly, reminding me I hadn’t eaten since lunch.
Ruby rolled her eyes. “I swear you’re a bottomless pit.”
I rubbed my belly. “I’m a growing boy.”
“Outwardly, maybe,” she mumbled under her breath.
“Hey,” I protested. “Don’t take potshots at your old man.”
She heaved an overly dramatic teenage sigh. “I’m kidding. Mostly. You know all the mums think you’re hot.”
I pulled a face. It wasn’t the first time she’d said something like that, but I was pretty sure she was delusional and seeing me through the rose-tinted glasses of familial love. I wasn’t ugly, and I didn’t tend to get self-conscious around women because I knew I could have them screaming my name regardless of how I looked, but I was realistic. I had more lines and gray hairs than I used to, and my tummy had started to soften a little, a layer of padding over the abs I used to have from hours of hard labor. It wasn’t as if I was fending off the ladies with a stick. I’d given the best years of my life to Ruby, and I had no regrets about that.
“So,” she said as she carried our plates to the dinner table. I joined her, placing a cup of tea in front of each of us. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh?” I tried to keep my tone light, but inside, I couldn’t help wondering if Hannah had known this was coming, and it was why she’d asked me if I’d spoken to Ruby yet. “What’s up, Rubes?”
She hesitated, looking suddenly uncertain, but then she squared her shoulders. “I want to get my hair cut somewhere else.”
I sagged with relief. Thank God. She’d had me worried for a moment there. “Of course, sweetheart. I know we’ve used Destiny Falls Barber Shop for years, but if you want to swap to somewhere else, that’s absolutely fine. You just tell me where, and we’ll make an appointment.”
She beamed, her teeth appearing from behind her lips. My heart warmed. I loved to see Ruby smile. She could be an overly serious kid, and sometimes I worried my surly temperament didn’t help with that. “Thanks, Dad. And, um”—she drew her lower lip into her mouth, worrying it between her teeth—“next time we get new clothes, can we go out to Queenstown?”
