Her sweet eyes filled with heavy tears threatening to spill over. It was disconcerting to say the least. “Does it have to be today? Maybe you could—” He broke off when Paige swung her face to his, eyes wide, brows raised. “Oh. Right. Of course it has to be today. You have an appointment, but…” Shit. The sight of Casey’s tears made his stomach twist.
When they reached her car, Paige put Casey down and started the engine to get the air going. “But on the bright side,” she said, sending Casey a pointed look, “tomorrow is her actual birthday, and we’re going to do something really fun.”
Casey sniffed. “Like what?” Her tone implied she didn’t think anything could make up for the torture she was about to endure.
“I don’t know, I was thinking the park. The one we passed with the big green slide.”
Casey wiped at her eyes. “Can Jake go?”
“No, honey.” Paige opened the back door and waited for Casey to climb into her booster. “Jake’s not going to the park.”
“If I get my shots, he can want to go,” she cried with her big blue eyes beaming up at him. “It’s my birthday and he’s my friend.”
He opened his mouth to say he could go if that’s what Casey wanted. That he’d do anything she asked if it would make her smile.
“Honey, getting shots for school is not optional. Come on, climb in.”
Casey obeyed and Paige closed the back door and faced him, blowing out a long breath. “One more strike against school. I hope the doctor’s office is ready for this.”
There was a touch of amusement in her voice, but also an underlying worry. He’d wondered about the weight on her slight shoulders, now he knew.
Paige glanced back at the car, then at him, biting her lip. “Thank you again. She didn’t want to do anything in there, or not anything with her prosthesis, until you got there. I should have gotten her into a playgroup, maybe a group of kids with prosthetics, but I didn’t think she needed it. I don’t know.” Her gaze fell and she shook her head slowly. “I should have gotten her into some kind of playgroup.”
“I think she’s great.” Paige’s eyes came back to meet his and, God, she was so beautiful, even with the little frown between her brows that he wanted to smooth away.
Casey slapped her hand against the window, then mashed her open mouth to the glass, which made them both smile.
“I could go. To the park,” he added quickly. “If that’s what she wants. Maybe if I watched her walk around more, watched her move, I’d get a better sense of what the problem might be.” His instinct said there was nothing wrong with the prosthesis, but he kept that to himself for now. Paige had enough weight to carry for the day. He had an idea forming that might help. And maybe if he spent more time around Paige, he’d get a better sense of what he was doing there too. Even though his head told him it wasn’t a good idea, the rest of him couldn’t seem to stay away from her.
“You don’t have to do that just because she cried. Anyway, I’m sure you’re busy.”
Actually, he wasn’t. Other than work, or screwing around with Simon. He smiled in Casey’s direction, now making slobbery faces against the glass with enthusiasm. He wanted to see Paige again, both of them. And he wanted to help. Not just Casey, he wanted to help Paige too. “The park would be fun, but I’ve got a better idea.”
Chapter 7
Jake’s better idea was going to a citrus fair in the neighboring county. She’d invited Jenny, who’d already planned to spend the day with them for Casey’s birthday, and Jake had said Simon would most likely join them. It’d be a group. No big deal. No reason for her stomach to be a ball of nerves.
Paige paused at the doorway of their tiny bathroom and watched her cousin carefully apply eyeliner. “We’re going to a fair, Jen, not a club.”
“This is my norm, plus you said Jake might bring a friend.” Jenny finished the other side, then met Paige’s eyes in the mirror. “And I guess your flirty little sundress and perfectly styled hair are for the Twirly Bird?”
Paige ran a hand over the hair she’d left down for once. “I wouldn’t call this styled. All I did was brush it.”
“Don’t tell people that. They’ll hate you.”
“Ha. Not likely.”
Jenny raised a brow, giving Paige an up-and-down perusal.
“What?” She looked down at the pale blue fabric hanging a few inches above her knees. “It’s comfortable and it’s cool.”
“Uh-huh.”