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“Leave Kylie with me,” Anu said. “I think I see her eye on a Fazer chocolate bar.”
Kylie’s eyes gleamed. “Yes, please.”
Smiling, Annie took the still-protesting puppy across the street to the park, where she set him in the grass to do his business. Keeping a tight hold on his leash, she glanced around for Jon. He was supposed to pick up his dad and meet them in town, but they hadn’t set a firm place or time. They’d planned to text and arrange a meetup to get ice cream and shop.
This should have been an afternoon off, but Annie’s thoughts kept running back to the strange case that had dropped into her lap. It was Mason’s responsibility, but she wanted to find out why a woman would rent a high-dollar condo and leave it empty. And the car situation was equally strange.
She spotted a familiar set of wide shoulders and waved at Jon, who was getting out of his red Jaguar in the parking lot by the park. The breeze ruffled his brown hair out of its usually smooth style, and he waved back and went to help his dad out of the passenger seat.
With his cane firmly in hand, Daniel Dunstan appeared more frail than the last time she’d seen him. Her palms went damp as she pasted on a smile and moved to greet them.
Would he blame her for Jon’s decision? Giving up a prestigiousmedical partnership wouldn’t be what he’d want for his son. This hadn’t been an easy decision for Jon, and she still wasn’t sure where their relationship was leading. Trust was slowly coming back, but the key word wasslowly. Jon had left her once, and she still half expected him to cut and run now that he knew Kylie was his daughter.
Mr.Dunstan’s green eyes crinkled in a smile below his bushy white eyebrows. “There’s the girl who upended my son’s life.” His voice was still a little slurred from his stroke.
Her heart slammed against her chest, and she stopped a few feet away from him. Her gaze made a quick detour to Jon’s face before landing back on his father’s. “I’m sorry, Mr.Dunstan. I didn’t know what he was going to do until he did it.”
“I think it’s a fine decision, Annie. He should never have left here in the first place. He hasn’t been happy, but I expect that to change now that he’s home.” His gaze slid over her shoulder. “Have you seen Martha’s booth? She’s selling pies, and I want to buy every one of them that are left so she has time to wander around with me.”
“The pastries are that way.” She pointed toward the Suomi Café.
“I’d better hustle then.” He patted her shoulder and made his way across the street.
“Is he okay by himself?” she asked Jon.
“He has to feel he’s got some independence. I think he’ll be all right.” His tanned fingers touched her elbow. “Where’s Kylie?”
She tried not to show how her pulse sped up at his touch, and she resisted the temptation to run her fingers along his square jaw. “At Anu’s shop. I brought the puppy over to potty. Have you told your dad about Kylie?”
“Not yet. I’m waiting for the right time. He’ll be thrilled.”
“I think it’s a good idea to wait. We have a lot going on.”
When the full story came out, she wasn’t sure what her friends and neighbors would think of her. Would Jon’s dad blame her that he had missed all those early years? This whole situation was such a mess.
***
The sweet aromas of waffle cones and ice cream wafted to Jon’s nose as he pushed open the belled door to the shop. Kylie had shot him a mutinous glare when he joined her with Annie at his side. She’d brightened at his suggestion of ice cream, but she didn’t have much to say to anyone except Milo on the way to get the promised treat.
“What would you like, Kylie?” he asked in front of the glass display.
Annie was chatting with the teenager behind the counter, and Jon realized the pretty brunette was Donovan O’Reilly’s daughter, Emily. Donovan owned the local hardware store and was married to Naomi.
Kylie took her time perusing the offerings. “Chocolate delight in a waffle cone.”
Maybe this hadn’t been a good idea. The place was a minefield for people with celiac disease. “Um, that has gluten in it. How about a chocolate sundae? Then you can choose the things that go on it.”
Kylie’s eyes filled with tears. “Before you came along, I could eat whatever I wanted.”
Annie turned around at her daughter’s distressed tone. “Jonhas a great idea. How about chocolate ice cream with hot fudge and nuts?”
“Can I have whipped cream?”
Jon spied the Reddi-Wip container. “All the whipped cream you want.”
He exchanged a long look with Annie. There was some truth to Kylie’s complaint. Itwashis fault she was dealing with this disorder. She’d inherited the celiac gene from him. Once she realized that, it wouldn’t endear Jon to her. The whole relationship was a swamp of possible pitfalls that could suck them into more anger and resentment.
He had no idea how to win over Kylie. Ice cream had seemed the way to her heart until the quicksand of her dietary restrictions opened in front of them. He watched Emily prep the sundae and ordered the same for himself. Annie chose a strawberry sundae and ordered a small cone for the puppy.
