Regan giggled and clapped her hands. “Iss!” She puckered her lips.
Dani gave her daughter a smack on the lips. “There, are you happy?”
“Gan, iss!”
Logan tapped his cheek. “Lay one on me, pumpkin.”
Regan obliged him with three kisses, screaming “Gan, iss!” between each one.
“I think we’ve created a kiss monster,” Dani observed. He was so good with her daughter, and she almost wished he wasn’t. She meant it when she’d told him she didn’t want to fall in love with him, but it didn’t seem her heart was listening.
Standing, he held out his hand. “Let’s go play.”
Dani sank into the bath until her chin floated just above the bubbles. She had sand in places she didn’t even want to think about, but oh, what an afternoon. A smile lifted her lips. It was a coin toss who had played harder, her daughter or Logan. Regan had gone out like a light after a bath and dinner and would no doubt sleep until morning.
She reached for her shampoo, the one that matched the peaches-and-cream scent of the bubble bath. The apple pie one was tempting, but she didn’t want Logan to get bored. Maybe he would want to lick this one off her as well.
Deciding what to wear took a few minutes, but she finally chose a little cotton sheath with spaghetti straps. She painted her toenails glittery yellow because it matched the flowers on her dress, and Logan had seemed to like the color. After blow-drying her hair and letting it curl naturally, she decided to keep the cosmetics to a minimum, putting on nothing more than mascara, a little blush on her cheeks, and lip gloss.
Now, what shoes? None of the ones she brought appealed to her. “Barefoot it is, then.” Hopefully she wouldn’t scandalize Mrs. Jankowski too much by appearing for dinner shoeless and in a dress about five inches above her knees.
Since Evan had died, she’d dressed for herself, preferring jeans or shorts and T-shirts, or bulky sweaters if it was cold. Tonight she dressed for Logan. She checked herself in the mirror and chuckled. Well, she should probably say, barely dressed for him. Anticipation hummed through her.
She skipped down the stairs to the kitchen. “Oh, hello,” she said, disappointed to find Mrs. Jankowski the only occupant.
“Don’t you look pretty,” Mrs. Jankowski answered, eyeing her up and down. An amused smile appeared. “Our boy’s going to have trouble thinking straight tonight, I think.”
Heat crept up Dani’s neck to her cheeks. She felt half-naked. She was half-naked. “I should go change.”
“Don’t you dare. Do him good to pant after a woman. He never has, you know.” Mrs. Jankowski grinned mischievously. “I probably shouldn’t have told you that.”
No, she didn’t know. “Surely he’s had girlfriends. I mean, just look at him. He could have any woman he wanted.” It was a strange conversation to be having with a woman she hardly knew, especially with the one who’d practically raised him.
“No one he’s cared about. Why you’re different, I don’t know, but I’m glad for it.” She poured wine into two glasses and set one on the counter in front of Dani. “Have a seat. He’ll be down shortly.”
“Thanks,” Dani said, climbing onto a bar stool. This woman had known Logan since he was fifteen, and curiosity got the best of her. “What was he like when you first met him?”
Mrs. Jankowski took a sip of wine, her eyes turning distant. “Angry. Half-starved. On a one-way road to prison, and that was if he was lucky and didn’t get himself killed first. Has he told you about his mother?”
Dani nodded. “As a mother myself, I have a lot of trouble understanding how you could treat your child like that.”
Although Mrs. Jankowski busied herself wiping off an already sparkling counter, Dani caught the surprise in her eyes. “It’s interesting he’s told you anything, but I doubt he’s told you the worst of living with Lovey Dovey. Maria experienced a little of it, but he protected her as best he could. When they tumbled into my life, I like to think I played a small part in helping them. I couldn’t love either one more if they were my own children.”
“They were very lucky to have found you,” Dani said softly. “Why did you decide to help them?”
“It was the boy’s eyes. They were the saddest eyes I had ever seen, but there was so much intelligence in them. When I caught him stealing, he lifted his chin, all pride and fierce determination on his face. ‘My sister needs this more than you’ were the first words he said to me. Here he’d just been caught red-handed, and most kids would be crying or begging me not to tell their parents. Not Logan. I only thought to take him home and have a word with his mother or father, but when I saw where and how he lived, I did the only thing I could to help and not destroy his spirit. I put him to work.”