“So, Xbox, huh?” Jackson said, as he rocked back on his heels in front of me.
His accent was thicker than what was considered typical for Virginia. It was full and rich, and the words Southern charm came to mind when I heard him speak.
“Yeah, it seems to help—the boys at least,” I said. “I have half a dozen dolls and other things in there, too, if the Xbox fails, but it’s usually quite the crowd-pleaser.”
He nodded silently before finally opening his mouth again. “I’m here because I want to know why—”
I quickly held up my hands. “Stop,” I advised.
His head tilted to the side, and I watched his left eyebrow arch. It was quite cute, and I had to fight the grin threatening to make an appearance.
Damn it. It wasn’t cute. It was sexy.
Jackson—whatever his last name was—was hot.
I hated when the dads were good-looking. It made it so much harder for me to concentrate.
I quickly glanced down, noticing the lack of a wedding ring on his hand.
Double damn it. I also hated when they were single.
“I don’t want to know anything at this point. I like to go in blind,” I insisted.
“What?”
“I’ll have you complete paperwork while you’re waiting for us. During the first session, I like to have one-on-one time with your child to get to know him and learn about his life from his perspective. If you front-load me with information about him, it will make me biased. Right now, he’s a blank slate to me, and at least for today, I want to keep it that way. After all, isn’t that how everyone meets?”
“Huh. Isn’t that dangerous?” He folded his arms across his broad chest.
The crisp green button-down shirt stretched beautifully, making me wonder exactly what lay beneath all those buttons.
He caught me mid-wander and grinned.
“Dangerous how?” I asked, my eyes jumping up to meet his silvery gaze.
“What if the kid has a single word that makes him go bonkers? Or what if he instantly goes into seizures if he sees a clown on TV?”
I gave him a doubtful look. “Do any of those things happen to Noah?”
“No.” He smiled.
“Well, I think we’ll be just fine then. Besides, most kids and families who come to me aren’t that severe. If you are curling into a ball when you hear the word tiger, you should probably see a doctor.”
I thought he was about to offer up another flirty comeback when the door jingled, and Mia stepped inside.
“Hey,” she whispered, tiptoeing behind the front desk.
“There’s my backup,” I said. “She’ll get your paperwork for you. I’m going to go play a game on the Xbox.”
I felt his eyes on me as I turned away.
“Are you any good?” he asked.
I swiveled back around, smiling. “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
~Jackson~
After I finished the unholy amount of paperwork, I shook my sore hand and walked back to the front counter to deposit my completed stack.
“So, you’re the friend, huh?” I said.
The woman took the papers and began sorting them into different baskets.
“Yep, that’s me.” She smiled. “I’m Mia. I sometimes fill in during the summer months when she needs an extra hand. I leave all the major stuff for the professionals, but I can sort papers and answer phones. It gives me an excuse to get out of the house.”
“Stay-at-home mom?” I guessed from her exhausted expression.
“Close.” She laughed. “I’m a teacher during the school year, but yeah, during the summer I become a stay-at-home mom. Who knew taking care of one infant would be ten times more exhausting than a classroom full of little kids?”
I chuckled, resting my arms against the counter. “Well, I’ve never taught, but I have had my fair share of experience with infants, and there were days when I swore I could sleep for a millennium.”
A small giggle escaped her lips, and then she lifted her hand to cover up a yawn. I moved around the room, looking at the art adorning the walls, and then I picked up a magazine.
“So, how long has she been doing this?”
“Who? Liv—I mean, Miss Prescott?” she corrected.
I nodded as I took my place back on the sofa.
“Well, she’s been on her own for about two years I believe.”
I started to flip through the fishing magazine, barely paying attention to it as I listened to Mia.
“Before that, she was a family counselor with a large organization downtown.”
“How come she decided to branch off?” I asked, digging for more dirt on the beautiful woman currently playing video games with my son.
“It was always a dream of hers, and she finally saved up enough money to do so.” She shrugged.
The door opened, and Noah and Miss Prescott reappeared.
“Hey, Dad!” he greeted.
“Hey,” I answered, amazed by his enthusiasm.
“Liv has a ton of games—even Grand Theft Auto. She totally beat me the first time around, but I won the second game.”
I was stunned stupid for a second or two before I came back online. “Awesome,” I replied, looking up at Miss Prescott for a reaction.
Her arms were folded across her chest as she leaned against the doorframe. She smiled sweetly down at Noah as if she’d just hung out with her own kid rather than a patient she’d been paid to see.
“Why don’t you hang out in there and play another round for a few more minutes? It will give me a little bit of time to meet your father.”
“Okay!” Noah disappeared back into the room behind her.
I watched her step forward, her long lean legs peeking out from a slit in her dress.
“Why don’t we go for a walk.” she suggested. “I have a little garden out back where we can sit.”
I suddenly had a picture of the two of us sitting in a garden, holding hands and chanting.
That’s not what we’re about to do, are we?
I looked at her with a bit of hesitation.
“Just talking.” She laughed, raising her hands in surrender. “It must be the long dresses or the tattoo, but I get a man in here with a Southern accent, and suddenly he’s looking at me like I’m going to sprout wings.”
Wait—did she say tattoo?
How did I miss that?
“We’ll be back in a few, Mia.” She said, briefly tapping the desk with her fingernails as she walked by.
As her flowery scent brushed past me, it was then that I saw it—an Indian floral design full of color and vibrancy running over her left shoulder and disappearing into the fabric of her dress.