“Oh, bring it on. My ten-year-old hasn’t managed to do that, and I swear he was born with hollow legs.”
I chuckle. “Boys. They keep us on our toes.”
“And at the grocery store, it seems,” she says with a laugh.
“That too. I’ll let you go. I’m sure you’re busy.”
A flash of disappointment crosses her gaze. “Yes. I have to get home in time for hockey practice, then back here for the dinner rush. But please, Rhodes. Do come back, try the food. I’m a bit biased, but I promise it’s good. And it’ll fill even the most ravenous growing teenage boy. Make sure to call ahead and I’ll tell my maître d’ to put you at my table.”
“I’ll pay my way though, Dee.”
She opens her mouth to protest but shuts it when I continue.
“But you can repay me by joining me for a meal.” I put myself out there. That’s progress.
Dee bites her lip and studies me, as if weighing up her options. For a moment, my heart lodges itself in my throat. Maybe I misread the signs—or she’s just not that into me.
Then she rolls her eyes. “Oh, I suppose I could be persuaded,” she says, a gorgeous, cheeky grin transforming her already beautiful face. “But you better be as charming at dinner as you are now, Mr. Hero. Otherwise, I’ll have gotten my hopes up for nothing.”
I wouldn’t be able to fight my smile even if I wanted to. Flirting with Dee might be my new nighttime dream fodder. “I’ll try my best, Ms. Duncan.”
She smiles and starts walking toward the restaurant. “I look forward to seeing you again, Rhodes. Hopefully, next time, there’ll be no police officers involved.” She shoots me a wink then disappears inside the building, leaving me standing on the sidewalk playing back the last thirty minutes to make sure that really just happened.
When my cell starts vibrating with my best friend Marco’s name on the screen. I bring the phone to my ear and walk along the sidewalk. Marco is going to have a field day with this since Jake has already told him I watch Dee’s cooking videos and going by how soon he’s calling me, it looks like Gio is already spreading the word. “Hello. Look, it’s not what you—”
“You saved Dee Duncan from a mugging? Damn, Rhodes. You sure know how to make an impression on a girl, don’t ya?”
Kill me now.
Chapter 2
Dee
I’m about to leave for dinner with my brother, his wife, and my two nephews when Flynn—my ex-husband and still roommate—walks into the kitchen, having just arrived home.
“Hey,” I say, slinging my purse over my shoulder. “How was work?”
“Busy, but good.”
Flynn used to work crazy hours, but after experiencing burnout at thirty-five, we did some traveling with Harvey while he took a much-needed hiatus. The bonus being that we got to experience different cultures, and I was able to learn from a ton of top international chefs, expanding my food knowledge and my palate. The downside was that it made us realize we were better friends and parents than partners and lovers. But to keep a steady ship for Harvey, we decided we’d still live together, and life has kept moving on. In many ways, we’re better now without the relationship and sex stuff between us than we were when we were married. That’s not to say I don’t miss dating, lust, and that butterflies-in-the-tummy feeling. Oh, and sex.
“You’re home early . . .” I add, turning my ear to the second floor and frowning when I don’t hear our ten-year-old bounding down the stairs.
“Yeah. My last two appointments canceled, so I decided to come home and see Harvs before you guys left.” It’s then that Harvey bursts into the room, stopping midway to me before turning toward Flynn and changing direction.
“Dad!”
“Hey, buddy,” Flynn says, bracing himself before the boy tackles his waist.
“You said I wouldn’t see you tonight.”
Flynn ruffles our son’s hair. “I thought I’d surprise you before you two go to Uncle E’s. How was school?”
“Sooo good. We started to plan our science fair projects.”
“Oh yeah? And what are we doing this year?”
Harvey shifts and looks around the room for his backpack before running over to it, rummaging inside, and pulling out his science folder.
“Baby, have you brushed your teeth?” I ask.
“Yeah, Mom,” he replies, totally distracted by the task at hand. “Here it is.” He bounds over to his dad. “See? I’m going to test the friction of shoe soles on different textured surfaces.”
“Ah,” Flynn replies, glancing up at me. “A physicist, then.”
Harvey’s brows bunch together. “What’s that?”
“Well, your mom’s cooking is like chemistry, right? Mixing lots of things together to create something else.”
Harvey nods.
“And I’m more a biologist, except I work with kids who I need to make better.”
“Yep,” our son replies, accentuating the P.
“So, you can be the family’s physicist. They look at energy and forces and structures and how they affect the world.”
Harvey tilts his head, making me smile because that’s a mannerism he only has me to thank for. “So, energy is like power?”
“Yep. And speed. Then there’s force. The friction of shoes on different surfaces for example.”
Harvey’s eyes go wide before he grins and fist pumps the air. “Awesome. Billy Nelson can kiss my butt, ’cause I’m totally gonna beat him now. He’s just doing a boring old volcano.” Harvey rolls his eyes like that’s the most dull project ever.
“Hey. Don’t knock a good volcano creation. You seem to love my lava cake. That’s like an eruption, isn’t it?” I say, leaning a hip into the kitchen counter and narrowing my eyes at him in mock annoyance.
“Nah, Mom. That’s a food explosion. That could never be lame.”
I glance over at Flynn, who’s struggling not to laugh at our son’s logic.
“Thanks, Harvs. All I’m gonna think about tonight is your mom’s lava cake. And since you two are out for dinner, I’ll have to make do with . . .?” He quirks a hopeful brow my way.
I sigh dramatically, but it’s all for show. “I brought some spaghetti Alfredo home for you from the restaurant. I’ll even let you steal a glass of the Syrah in the pantry to have with it.”
“Nice. I knew I lived here for a reason,” he muses.
I push off the counter with my arm and huff out a breath when I tweak the bruise coming up on my arm.
“What’s wrong?” Flynn asks. I have the attention of both father and son now.
“She was rubbing her arm when she picked me up from school too.”
I wave them off. “It’s nothing.”
“Didn’t sound like nothing. Want me to check you out?”
Rolling my eyes, I try distraction. “I just knocked it.”
Flynn turns to Harvey. “Hey, champ, I’ve got a book for Uncle Ezra in my room. Can you go grab it? It’s the one about European architecture.”
Harvey looks to me and then his dad. His gaze is skeptical before he shrugs and runs to the kitchen doorway. “For the record, A, I know you’re about to talk about something I don’t need to hear. I’m ten, not an idiot. And B, this is totally the last time I run up those stairs. Sheesh.” Then he spins around, and all that can be heard are his heavy steps up the stairs .