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It’s just dinner.
“I’m ready!” Penny shouted from her room, so I exhaled and headed her way.
She met me in the hallway and my smile widened. She wore high-top sneakers, a silver tutu, and a T-shirt from Halloween with Frankenstein’s monster below the wordsLet Me Be Frank.
“Bloomers?”
Penny inelegantly lifted her skirt to reveal the bike shorts she wore under dresses and skirts. “Yup.”
I laughed and ruffled her hair before calling up the stairs. “We’re out of here. Stay out of trouble!”
Footsteps pounded down the stairs as three of my top athletes practically fell over themselves to get to us.
Kevin made it down first. “We’re coming with.”
I looked at their eager faces.
Joey shrugged. “Free food.”
I shook my head at them. “You always have free food. I feed you.”
“Will Lee be there? I was going to talk to him about the service.” Michael had lowered his voice, and I clamped a hand on his shoulder and nodded. Michael was smart. He was a great athlete, but he also knew pro football wasn’t always something that panned out—even for the best players. He was hedging his bets. My chest pinched for him. Of all my players, he had the most raw talent, and I wanted his football dreams to come true as badly as he did.
“Yeah, he’ll be there. Load up, guys.”
I watched as they razzed each other and messed around, Penny tucked between them and looking up as if they’d collectively hung the moon and stars. I didn’t know how it happened, but somehow our quirky little family was growing.
After closing the front door, I looked up the barn steps to watch Lark’s hand glide down the banister to join us. On the last step, she made a little bounce and looked up. “They’re fixed.”
The muscles in my cheek flickered, happy she had noticed. “Yep.”
A part of me wanted to point out that the light was also working now, but I kept my mouth shut and opened the back car door for Penny.
“Can I ride with them? Please, Daddy?”
Penny’s hands were folded under her chin, her big brown eyes full of hope.
“Fine with me.” Michael shrugged.
I reached into my car and grabbed the small booster seat she still needed. When Michael reached for it, I paused. “No hotdogging.Underthe speed limit.”
He smiled. “You bet.”
I sighed. “You know what? Just follow me.”
They piled into the car, Penny nestled safely in the back, her little sneakers kicking with excitement. I rounded my car and opened the passenger door for Lark.
“Thank you.” Her voice was soft, and her perfume’s notes of cinnamon and citrus floated over me. My entire body ached. I still wasn’t used to how good she always smelled. Suddenly the thought of being alone in the car with her on the drive to Tootie’s house, even though it was short, was unbearable.
Lark smiled as I got behind the wheel. Her fingertips toyed with the hem of her dress. It was a soft, fluttery thing. Deep, navy blue with large wooden buttons that went from the hem all the way up to the scooping neckline. Her arms were bare, and a bright-green belt was tied at her waist.
Lark was gorgeous, and I knew the short drive was about to kill me.
I focused on the road, my eyes constantly flicking from the smooth skin of her thighs to the rearview mirror, ensuring Penny and the boys were safe. Lark was unfazed, and she made the conversation easy and light as we drove the few miles to where Aunt Tootie lived.
As we pulled in, both Lee and Duke were already there, which likely meant my dad would be joining us too. It would be a full house, which normally would make me itchy, but it also meant lots of opportunities to avoid looking at Lark.
Since the moment I hired her, she had ingrained herself more and more into our everyday lives. It felt effortless. I started looking forward to her smiles, the tiny adjustments to my calendar, notes she’d leave on the counter about Penny’s day. I craved even the smallest moments where our shoulders would brush or I was close enough to see the golden light dance in her hazel eyes.
