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“Tandy, honey, we can’t. We don’t have bathing suits. Or your floaty wings.” I hate to tell her no but she’s not going anywhere near a pool without those little floats that go on her arms. No matter how much she pouts, and she really pouts.
“Why don’t we do that another time, Tandy? I’m gonna need your help in just a minute setting the table if you don’t mind and I could also use a hand making the salad.”
“Ohh! Okay. I love helping. I help Bonny sometimes when she bakes things. They smell so good. She’s a great baker. Are you going to date my sister?”
“TANDY!” My cheeks start to burn with the blush I’m sure is all over my face as I talk myself out of making a grab for my sister and running back to the car. Here I was so worried about Grayson when it’s going to be Tandy that kills me tonight.
Chapter Eight
Grayson
I can’t help but look up at Bonny who looks like she is about to make a grab for the kid and shake her. The blush on her cheeks is pretty and makes me wonder where else it might be flushed since it disappears under her sweater.
“I think maybe me and your sister should talk about that first before I say anything to anyone else. I wouldn’t want her to be mad at me.”
“She won’t get mad. She never gets mad. One time I used one of her bras as a…”
“Oh my God!” Bonny slaps her hand over Tandy’s mouth. “Tandy, let’s find out how we can help, okay.”
I lead them into the kitchen and show Tandy where the salad stuff is. I reach behind Bonny and show her my phone, “You want to help me make dessert?”
“Sure.” She moves closer to me, “Sorry about Tandy, she…she can be a lot sometimes but she’s really the sweetest thing.”
“Not the sweetest. Pretty sure that title goes to you.”
She blushes again. “Do you, um… have children?”
Her question kind of throws me. Why is she asking if I have children? “Not yet.”
“Oh,” she seems confused, “I… thought, well, I thought maybe you invited us over so… Tandy could… well, I thought maybe you wanted to set up a playdate with Tandy and your… I shouldn’t have presumed anything.”
“You thought I asked you to dinner because I wanted you to… babysit?”
“No! No, I thought your daughter might have been having a hard time making friends, and Tandy…”
I step closer, “Bonny, I don’t have a child. I asked you to dinner because I wanted to get to know YOU better. I invited Tandy so you would be more comfortable and just in case you might be watching her for your mom tonight. I didn’t want you to feel like you had to leave her to come spend time with me. It helps that she’s a sweet, smart kid though.”
“You… want to get to know me better?”
I nod and take a step back to give her some room to process the information I’ve given her. For the next thirty minutes, we work together to get the dessert done while Tandy entertains us by telling us about her day, about her, her mom, and most importantly, her sister while fixing the salad. By the time we sit down to eat together, Tandy has me rolling with all her stories and her sister’s cheeks are in a kind of perma-blush.
I enjoyed the hell out of making dinner with the two of them and can only hope they enjoyed it as much as I did.
“You guys want to watch a movie with me before you leave?”
Bonny looks at her phone as I hold my breath. Tandy has my back though. “Please, Bonny, can we?”
“I… I don’t know, hon. I have to go in pretty early tomorrow.”
I offer her a solution, “We don’t have to finish it. We can start and finish it another time.”
She starts nibbling on her lip as she tries to decide.
“No pressure though. If you have to get up early tomorrow, I understand.”
The last thing I want her to feel is like I am pushing for something as simple as a freakin’ movie. I want her to look at me as someone who understands and supports her, not as a spoiled child who needs to get their way. If I can’t convey that to her with this, how am I supposed to do it when it’s really important, like her choice of saying yes or no to me when I want to make love to her? I want to spend time with her but not at the expense of her thinking I’m not supporting her decision.
“No, I guess another hour won’t matter so much.”
