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“Don’t tell me you’re sorry, you little imp. Tell Miss Ginger.”
“I will. ‘Morrow.”
“Tomorrow, then.” He turned to Joey. “And you, young man—”
Joey’s expression fell. “I’m sorry, too.”
He pulled the boy into a short, fierce hug. “This is hardly the end of the world, guys. It’s only that the school is so big, you can’t just go running off.”
“I know, Uncle Trenton. I’ll apologize after Amber.”
“Good enough. Now, who wants to go with me to Kidstravaganza?”
Melodie rolled her eyes, thinking he might as well have asked who wanted to meet Mickey Mouse. Amber and Joey went into hyperactive mode, jumping and screaming enough to hurt her ears.
Amber suddenly stopped and turned her head from Uncle Trenton to Melodie and back again. “Can Miss Melodie go?”
“Oh, no, honey—” Melodie tried to break in.
“Pleeaase, Uncle Trenton?”
“Honey, I can’t—”
“She read your letter and told me she was gonna call you about the video. You could talk while Joey and I play,” Amber suggested innocently, her eyes as wide as she could make them.
Trenton looked at her and Melodie felt her breath catch.
“Miss Allford?”
“Melodie, please. And really, I can’t. I’m hardly dressed—”
He arched an eyebrow, once again taking in her leggings—pigs and all. “Oh, I think you’d be right at home.”
Darn, and she thought he might not have noticed her attire in the momentary confusion. But as she thought about it, it was her turn to arch a brow. She perceived a challenge in his voice. She could always plead that she had a class to teach, but it would be a lie. And she never lied. She might not always volunteer the whole story, but she never lied.
“Be that as it may, I’m not—”
“Pleeaase, Miss Melodie. Please go with us. It’ll be tons of fun. Please say you’ll go.”
If she hadn’t looked into Amber’s eyes, she might have held her ground, but Melodie rarely stood a chance against a child’s plea or a puppy’s whine. Which was why she avoided pet shops at all costs…
“Oh, all right.”
She knew the effort to have a meeting would be futile. An indoor playground was hardly conducive to business discussions, but she decided Amber’s hug would make the wasted afternoon worthwhile.
“You know Terminator-1, don’t you, Miss Allford?” Trenton asked, ruffling Joey’s hair.
Joey shied out from under the offending hand, trying not to show he liked the gesture.
“And I’m T-2,” Amber piped up, grinning from ear to ear.
Melodie smiled. “Yes, Joey and I have met, and we get along pretty well. Even if he does think dance is for sissies.”
“Really, Joey? I like to dance.”
“That’s not the same, Uncle Trenton. You do real dancing.”
Trent chuckled as he slipped his suit jacket back on, snapping the lapels neatly into place. “I have a feeling that postadolescence will alter your conviction on the subject, but for now, let’s go. We don’t want to take any chances on them running out of pizza.”
Melodie felt another heart tug as Trenton hefted T-2 into his arms. She realized she was holding her breath, waiting for him to scold Amber for wrinkling his suit, and was pleasantly surprised when he didn’t even seem to notice. She glanced down to snap her hip pouch around her waist, thankful her ducked head would hide any revealing expression on her face.
Everyone said goodbye to Serena and moved to the parking lot. A wave of the late June heat rolled off the concrete and hit Melodie like a slap. She stopped in her tracks and heaved a disgusted sigh. She wiped at the sweat already forming on her forehead, betting herself a nickel Mr. Perfect would never be so crass as to perspire in public.
“Hey, Trent. You know that old saying, ‘It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity’?”
Trenton stopped as well, turning toward her. “Yes?”
“Baloney. It’s the heat.”
His laugh was another thing that took her by surprise. It was deep and mellow and wrapped comfortably around her like a soft blanket. She mentally shook her head. Scratch that simile. Make that a cool breeze.
“Would you like to go in one car? That is, if you can stand being in confined quarters with these two miniature whirlwinds.”
She declined politely. “I think I’ll follow. Thanks anyway.” She felt no need to explain to him that one of her rules was to never allow herself to be dependent on another person.
“Do you know where the establishment is?”
“They’re only running advertisements on the television every five minutes. Yes, I know where it is.”
“Good. Shall we meet there in…say, twenty minutes?”
She had the absurd urge to affect an English accent and say, “Right ho, old boy.” Instead, she said, “That sounds great.”
He stopped again and looked at her. “Miss Allford—”
For heaven’s sake, didn’t the man know how to loosen up? They were going to a playground and he was acting as if she were his teacher instead of Amber’s.
“Look, if you keep calling me Miss Allford, you’re going to regret it.”
A mocking smile played at the corner of his mouth. “That sounds vaguely threatening, Miss Allford.”
“There’s nothing vague about it at all, T.J.”
Trenton winced. “I concede the point. Melodie.”
She smiled as she turned, shrugging a shoulder at him. “Good. See you in a few.”
Melodie opened the door to her aging compact and let some of the blisteringly hot air dissipate. Not that it mattered much. Without air-conditioning, the car was always on the wrong side of miserable from June until October. But no use complaining about it. A new car was just going to have to wait until she paid off the new air conditioner she’d bought for the house, figuring driving in the heat was preferable to sleeping in it.
She felt a moment of envy as Trenton and the kids flashed by in a dark blue luxury car, windows rolled up tightly. Then she reminded herself that if the price of owning a nice vehicle was being like Mr. Stodgy, she didn’t want to pay it.
Of course, it was easier to be smug in December…
As they headed out of the parking lot, Melodie pushed away a fleeting wish that she could have changed into something a little less dramatic. But that was water under the bridge. Better to make the best of it and get this over with.
Two (#ulink_5c493195-8600-5ead-bf1d-9d24f9d702f7)
Trenton nodded as the quartet claimed a table in one of the large eating rooms. It appeared they had arrived at a most propitious time. The majority of the day-care groups were leaving, and the after-work crowd had yet to arrive as it was only four o’clock.
The ambiance was exactly as he had expected, which pleased Trenton. He didn’t like surprises.
Behind sound-reducing sheets of clear Plexiglas, parents and other nonparticipants could watch the fun being had on the giant plastic activity centers, each one a different, brilliant primary color.
What made Kidstravaganza unique was its policy of encouraging parents to play with their kids. Of the three sections, only one was designated exclusively for children. The other two were built on a larger scale—still inviting to small folk, but with tubes and entries large enough for an adult to join in.
Amber and Joey were almost beside themselves to go into the play area. Miss Allford…um, Melodie…looked decidedly less enthusiastic than the children, but he sensed mixed signals from her. He could swear that she would love to dive into the vat of plastic balls right behind the first child, so he assumed it was his presence that had her twisting the hem of her tie-dyed T-shirt with a purple-tinted fingernail. He noted absently that the ring finger of her left hand was bare, but he knew in this day and time that didn’t mean much.
He assured himself that his perusal for a wedding band was simply habit, for although Melodie was a beautiful woman, she was a little more…flamboyant than he was used to. He was still surprised at the evolution of his reactions to women over the past year. His criteria had changed into something quite different than when he’d been merely dating. Now that he was almost forty, he was looking for more than a fun evening with a woman. He wanted to find that special someone to love and build a family with.
He noticed that habits barely recognized before bothered him now. For instance, when a woman wore too much perfume. He decided that would upset a baby. Or when someone was too thin. The mother of his children had to be health-conscious, not consumed by dress size. In fact, one of his recent patterns was to take his prospective candidates to functions where children would be present to see how they reacted. He wasn’t vain, but neither was he coy—he knew that in the dating game all parties tended to put on their best fronts and he didn’t want to waste precious time with someone who claimed she loved kids, when in fact, she didn’t.
Looking at Joey and Amber, he knew one thing for certain: he wanted a couple of towheaded imps running around his house, causing general chaos and filling his life the way these two did his sister’s. He had stepped in and helped Bridgette these past few years, but the fact remained that although Amber and Joey loved him, he was only their uncle, not their dad.
Now that Bridgette had reclaimed her confidence and joy, he was sure she wouldn’t stay in Austin forever. He expected an engagement announcement from her and Glen any day, especially with Glen making noises about moving with his job. Trenton liked the guy, and it didn’t hurt that Glen adored Bridgette and doted on Joey and Amber.
He glanced at Melodie and wondered how she felt about kids. He had every reason to guess she adored them or she would hardly have picked teaching them as a profession. But, then, he knew appearances could be deceiving. She might just as easily be locked into a job she hated because she didn’t have any other options. Millions of people went to work every day fitting that description. Watching her, though, he didn’t think she was one of them. She looked at Amber with too much tenderness, and her fingers were so gentle when she brushed his niece’s overlong bangs out of her face. Even with Joey, who had so indelicately insulted dancing as a whole, Melodie seemed amused.
It spoke well of her, but only added to his confusion. His picture so far was incongruous. He assumed that would change when they got a chance to talk. She had such a delicate face, her eyes a haunting mixture of caution and joy, as if she wanted to greet life with open arms but had been taught to keep her hands carefully at her sides. She was a soft touch with the kids, but she looked at him now and again with a hard reserve, as if preparing to do battle. If he’d seen a picture of her from the neck up, he would have expected to find her in a soft, flowing dress that dipped in front in a delicate heart shape. Instead, she appeared in leggings that had pigs embroidered on them.
Pigs!
But those pigs marched down an incredible set of legs. They clung to thighs and calves that were long and sleek, with muscles that were toned and taut.
Made a man think he just might not mind being a pig.
And the T-shirt would have been painful to look at for long stretches, except that the material was soft and lay against her feminine curves in a gentle caress. It might be loose fitting, but he was confident it hid firm, high breasts that begged to be kissed. Her nipples would be rosy and would harden instantly when his tongue—
Trenton shook his head. Good heavens, what had gotten into him? It took an effort to pull his thoughts back on track and remind himself that although his first impressions were favorable, she was not an appropriate candidate for consideration as a future wife so he could stop the preliminary interview that instant.
Besides, he had the distinct impression that Melodie Allford defied categorization. “Can we go now?”
Amber was dancing from foot to foot. She had dutifully removed her shoes and glanced longingly into the play area. Joey stood just as eagerly at her side. He smiled indulgently. “Sure. You guys go ahead.”
Amber stopped in her tracks. “Aren’t you going in with us?”
“Not right now. I need to talk to Miss Melodie, remember?”
“You got plenny a time. Come on, Uncle Trenton. You promersed.”
Trenton looked at Melodie, giving her the chance to put in her two cents’ worth. She smiled wryly and shook her head, obviously seeing the uselessness of arguing.
“Maybe after pizza we can send them off alone,” Trenton suggested.
“One could always hope.”
He wasn’t quite sure what she meant by that, but Amber and Joey weren’t giving him time to dwell on it. Joey stuffed his shoes into a cubby before bringing a basket to the table for keys, loose change, cuff links and cellular phone. Amber was determinedly making a knot out of Trenton’s shoelace as she tried to “help,” but he didn’t have the heart to stop her just yet.
A look in Melodie’s direction as he rolled back his sleeves had him noting that she was still standing by the viewing window, but she was looking at him as though he were an experiment under glass. She kept glancing at his bare forearms, then his socks, then back at his face as if she couldn’t put a picture together.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he asked to break her concentration, glancing pointedly at her athletic shoes and then at her hip pouch.
She started. “Me? Oh, no, I’m not—”
“Come on, Miss Melodie,” Amber said, abandoning her uncle to run over and grab Melodie’s hand. “You gotta come with us or it won’t be no fun.”
“Any fun.”
“Right,” Amber agreed, the soul of reasonableness.
Trenton had finished the job Amber had begun and had moved over to her side. “You might as well give in. You know you can’t win.”
With an exaggerated sigh, Melodie put her hipsack in the locker and took the rear of the short line headed toward the nautical area. The “gangplank” led to a series of jungle gyms designed as ships. The ball bin had been done in blues and greens, and the climbing vines were thick, knotted ropes.
“Argh, maties, and welcome aboard,” an eye-patched attendant greeted them out of the side of his mouth as they stepped onto the deck. “I’ll be remindin’ ye to have fun, but be careful. The high seas are no place for high jinks, ya’ know.”
Melodie felt a tug at the hem of her shorts. “What are high gins?” Amber asked in a loud whisper.
The attendant went down on one knee and motioned Amber closer. Cautiously, Amber inched forward.
“High jinks, me wee lass, are things such as pushin’ and shovin’ while yer playin’, and running pell-mell without watchin’ where yer goin’.”
“Oh, we won’t do that,” Amber promised solemnly, shaking her head.
“All righty then, that’s a good lass. Now hurry aboard so’s I can get the lines cast off and we can set sail.”
* * *
Melodie didn’t know when she’d had so much fun.
Or been so confused.
She laughed herself silly when Amber and Joey engaged in a “water” fight with their uncle, showering him with brightly colored balls until he was buried to the neck. She clapped dutifully when Amber cried, “Watch me, watch me,” as she “walked the plank” and “splashed” into the “ocean.” Joey climbed the “rigging” like a monkey, taunting his Uncle Trenton to catch him if he could. Of course, Uncle Trenton gave a valiant effort, but was no match for the agile seaman Joey.
She felt the oddest tug in her stomach when Amber decreed that they were a family taken captive by awful pirates and were going to make a desperate escape through the “hold” of the ship. Amber bravely led the way through the plastic tunnels, twisting and turning through the maze. Melodie had a hard time keeping her mind on the game with Trent right behind her. She sighed when they finally reached the “escape hatch” and the foursome slid down the long slide one by one to end up in the “ocean” again.
The successful escapees finally returned to the “dock.” The adults slid into their chairs, and worked at restoring their breathing to normal. Melodie wanted to frown when she noticed that maybe it was just her who was out of breath, and she was in pretty good shape. Trenton was already fixing his cuffs and slipping his jacket back on. She tried to deny it, but she was disappointed. The afternoon had been fun. She didn’t want Trenton to return to being Perfect Man—Defender of Decorum, Protector of Protocol.
The miniature pirates, legs swinging wildly, began chanting, “Pizza! Pizza!”
