Page 66 of Singled Out

“I’ll take that as a yes. We have to make a quick stop first, okay?”

I carried him over to my bag under the food awning and dropped my phone inside of it. I lowered Danny next to me and said, “I can’t swim in this silly skirt, can I?” I slid it down my legs and stuffed it into my bag, then slipped my flip-flops off. “I’m ready if you are, Danny boy.”

I picked him up again, a smile stretching across his face as he studied me. Impulsively, I kissed his forehead because he was so damn cute, and then immediately realized what I’d done.

I’d kissed Max Dawson’s kid with a level of familiarity that might lead people to think Max and I were closer than we were. As if I were angling to be Danny’s new mommy. My mouth went dry at the thought of the M-word. That was not my jam and wouldn’t be any time soon, no matter how lovable this little boy was.

No one appeared to have seen my slip-up. There was no taking it back anyway. With a shrug and a little more caution, I carried Danny to the waterline and set him on his feet.

We waded, his hand in mine, stopping frequently for him to bend down, splash, and giggle. That giggle was everything. How anyone could be around it and not feel better about the world was beyond me.

When we neared the volleyball court, where the game was in progress, Danny pointed and said, “Boy bah.”

“That’s right. Volleyball. Aren’t you the smartest boy ever?”

He’d stopped, entranced by the game. When Max’s team scored a point and cheered, Danny pulled his hand away from mine and clapped awkwardly, beaming. “Dada!”

“You want to watch Daddy?” I asked. Looking at Danny’s face, I didn’t need a verbal answer. He was animated and engaged, joy emanating from him.

This was the excuse I needed to watch Max in action. Thank you, Dad.

We ended up sitting in shallow water, at Danny’s insistence. I sat crisscross applesauce, and Danny plopped on my lap, kicking his feet from time to time.

Max on a volleyball court was a thing of beauty. And then he took his shirt off. Yes, I’d seen his stellar chest and abs before, but I’d never get sick of that view.

The sun sank in the sky enough that Danny seemed to get a little cool before the game was over. I pulled him out of the water, got towels for both of us, and dried him as his lips chattered. A search through his bag produced a set of dry pajamas, so I changed his diaper and put on the cat pj’s.

By the time the game ended and Max extracted himself from his team’s victory celebration, Danny was dry, warm, and mellow, content to sit on my lap and watch the action from a distance.

“Good game,” I said to Max as he packed up the rest of their belongings and prepared to leave.

“Thanks.” He didn’t even look at me.

I stood, holding Danny. Once Max had his bag over his shoulder, he took his son from me, seemingly extra careful not to touch me. Smart, but it made me want to touch him even more.

“Come here, Danny boy. Looks like you’re ready for bed.”

“Dada.”

Max’s math teacher friends had gathered around us and were packing up as well.

“I’ll see you all tomorrow,” Max said to them, his normal Mr. Social tone in place. Before he walked off, he looked right at me, then said with less warmth, “Thanks for watching Danny, Harper.”

“Good night.”

When he didn’t reply, I did my best to keep a blank expression on my face, but inside, I was screaming WTF?

As I went to find my dad and make sure he didn’t need anything else, I couldn’t get two things out of my mind. One, Max hadn’t had the courtesy to say goodbye to me. Two, I was pretty sure he didn’t trust me with his son.

Neither one sat right with me.

Chapter Twenty

Max

Once I got Danny to bed, I had nothing to keep me from going over the barbecue in my head. More specifically, the end of the barbecue.

I knew damn well I hadn’t handled anything right with Harper, but if I’d had a conversation with her or looked her in the eye—or allowed myself another eyeful of her in that bikini—it would’ve been all I could do not to kiss her.