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“I’ll make it work.”
“The plan is for Allison to quit her job,” Erica told Killion. “She’ll be with him full-time until the baby comes.”
“How will you deal with little kids underfoot?”
“I’ll be fine.” She picked up her wine and smiled at him. “I’m actually very good with children.”
“It’s true,” Mara said. “If there’s a crying baby at the salon, Erica’s the one to calm him. Babies and toddlers adore her.”
“Yes, it’s not until they turn into teenagers that I get into trouble.” Erica was mostly kidding, but she watched her daughter as she spoke.
Summer looked at her. “Oh, Mom.”
“A secret skill,” Killion teased. “You’re a constant surprise.”
“But only in a good way, right?”
“Of course.”
She laughed. “I do enjoy babies. Not that I advertise that. I like to keep my softer side hidden.”
She was joking, and yet telling the truth at the same time. She always had felt the need to protect herself. When she’d been growing up, she’d been different. A fifteen-year-old with a career plan. She’d been more interested in learning about business than trying out for cheerleading. Later, there had been the whole problem of finding a man who could be happy for her success rather than frightened of it or resentful.
After the divorce, she’d put up all kinds of barriers to keep men at bay. Peter had hurt her. She didn’t want to take any more emotional risks, which was why her relationship with Killion worked so well. They were friends who slept together and were each other’s plus-one. There wasn’t any expectation of love or commitment. She liked him and respected him, but she didn’t need him. He couldn’t touch her heart.
“How are you doing?” Killion asked Summer.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been through a lot. You’re coming up with plans for keeping Allison safe. You’re worried about her and Jackson, you have school and it’s softball season and your dad’s sitting in jail. You must be scared and worried. So I’m asking, how are you doing?”
Summer stared at him blankly. “I’m fine.”
Killion didn’t say anything, obviously waiting out the teen. Unfortunately that gave Erica plenty of time to think about her own behavior...or rather lack of behavior. She’d been so quick to call out Allison for leaning too hard on her stepdaughter, but she’d never once sat down with Summer and asked if she was all right. She’d never thought to go into detail about what was happening with her father. Summer was so confident, so sure of what she was supposed to do next, that it was easy to forget, as she’d told Allison, she was still a child.
The teen ducked her head. “Stop staring at me.”
“I will as soon as you answer my question.” His tone was soft and encouraging. “Do you need anything? You know I always have a guy who can help.”
That earned him a smile. She glanced from him to Erica and back. “It’s hard,” she admitted. “Like you said, scary. I don’t know what to think about what’s happening. About my dad. If he’s a criminal, what does that mean?” She shook her head. “I really don’t want to talk about it.”
Erica glanced at her mother, who nodded.
“Was that the timer?” Mara asked brightly. “Summer, be a dear and help me with the casserole. Sometimes your mother pushes it so far back, it’s hard for me to pull it out.”
Summer stood and reached for her plate and her mother’s. Mara took Killion’s and her own. When they’d both left, Erica turned to him.
“Thanks for getting into that with her,” she said quietly. “I haven’t been asking the right questions.”
“There’s been a lot going on.”
“None of it is more important than my daughter.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. She’s doing okay.”
“Because of who she is, not because of anything I did.” She held in a sigh. “I hate when I’m a bad mother.”
“That’s extreme and inaccurate.”
