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“I know, I’m not mad.”
“Honest?”
“Honest.”
“Then why don’t ya want to sit in here with me?”
The kid was way too perceptive for comfort. “It’s not that. I just—Shit.” Sighing, Zane sat in the easy chair flanking the sofa, ignoring the clutch in his chest at Casey’s gleeful grin.
“You said the ‘S’ word!”
“Yeah.Crap.I mean … uh … sorry.”
“Who’s your favoriteStar Warsguy? Mine is Han Solo, he’s a super brave pilot!”
Zane didn’t mind watching Princess Leia prance around in her scanty slave girl rig, but he could hardly tell the kid that. “I’ve never actually watched the movies all the way through. Only glimpses here and there.”
Casey’s jaw dropped, aghast. “What?They’re the bestest stories, ever!”
Jillian emerged from the kitchen carrying a loaded rattan tray which she set on the coffee table. Along with Casey’s crackers and glass of Pedialyte, she’d brought steaming bowls of homemade chicken noodle soup and crispy grilled cheese, bacon and tomato sandwiches. “Really late lunch is served.” She smiled at Zane when his stomach muttered again. “And warm peach pie a la mode for dessert.”
“Aunt Jelly, Zane has never got to watchStar Wars!”
Violet irises twinkled. “Well, he has been deprived, hasn’t he?”
“Poor, poor Zane,” Casey intoned gravely. “Aunt Jelly, could you start the first movie over—not number one, but number four, the first one with Han Solo in it? I slept through it all anyways, and Zanehasto watch from the beginning.”
Jillian sent a questioning glance at Zane, and he lifted a shoulder. He’d planned to retreat to his room, or maybe the secluded beach with his e-reader. But what the hell, he could think of worse ways to spend the afternoon.
As it turned out, he ended up spending more time covertly studying Jillian’s face than the TV screen. Her elegant, expressive features as she lost herself in the magical story captivated him.
Casey kept down his food and stayed awake until the end of the second movie, which, according to Jillian was actually the fifth installment, before he crashed.
Zane went for thrillers over fantasy, but surprised himself by thoroughly enjoying the expertly-crafted classic of good defeating evil.
Jillian glanced at the clock on the DVD player. “Almost eight.” She shut off the TV and picked up the sleeping child.
“Jillian, I’m the first to admit I know jack about kids, but aren’t these movies somewhat … intense for a five-and-a-half year-old?”
“Yes, they wouldn’t be my first choice for kindergarteners, either. But he actually watched one of them for the first time when he was staying at Donnie and Robbie Ray’s house, and Deb had no idea. Darth Vader did scare him, until Deb explained it was only a man wearing a mask. After that, he was fine … and now the stories are almost an obsession with him, especially Han Solo. Boys his age are usually way more into dinosaurs than sci-fi, but Casey is definitely unique.”
He studied the little boy’s slack body and too-familiar face, peaceful and still slightly peaked in slumber, and his heart twisted. “I hope he feels better soon.”
“I’m sure he’ll be much better by morning. Luckily, this crud seems to run its course in twenty-four hours. I’ll put him to bed, then we need to finish what we started last night.”
The memory of kissing her, touching her last night made his dick leap to attention, and lava flooded his veins. “Last— Ah, I—”
Jillian tilted her head, eyes bright with merriment … and speculation. “Our discussion, remember? About Deb.”
Jesus, what was wrong with him? Sure, sex was great, but he’d never been a freakin’ maniac about it.
He cleared his throat.Down, boy.“Right. While you’re doing that, I’ll fax your custody docs to my attorney.”
“The folder is in my room on the dresser.”
Once he was done with the thick file, he arrived back downstairs at the same time Jillian emerged from the kitchen with her tray carrying a bottle of white wine, two crisp, hearty chef salads, and a basket of home-baked crusty rolls. “It’s a perfect evening, let’s eat outside.”
They shared the delicious meal at the bistro table on the patio while watching a pink-and-orange sunset splash the sky over the undulating blue-green Pacific. A hurricane glass holder with a lit pillar candle flickered on the table, along with a baby monitor tuned to alert her if Casey needed anything.
