“Bo has Lucy. I haf Zoey. She’s my baby girl.” “What?” Logan was standing very still. Hadn’t he heard Mason? “I haf a baby girl Zoey.” Logan stepped away from the truck and closed the door. Mason watched him bounce around the front of the truck and get into the driver’s seat. He didn’t know Logan could bounce. “Thass neat, Logan. Will you teash me to do that?” “Will I teach you to do what?” Logan sounded worried. Did he want to be the only one who knew how to bounce? “I wanna learn to bounce so iff I ever get to see Zoey I can show her.” Maybe Claire would be impressed and think he was worth something if he could do something special like that. “Zoey is your daughter?” Logan still sounded worried. “Shhhh.” Mason nearly hit his eye with his finger. “I can’t tell nobunny cause I don’t zerve to be her dad. I don’t zerve to lay one eye on her.” He poked his eye to make his point. “Ouch.” “I won’t say anything.” Logan was a good man. “Fank you, Logan. You’re my friend. You’re stupid cause you got Emly and don’t wanna get some ack shun, but you’re my friend. Tell her I danced wif you at Trimmle’s so she don’t get mad at me again. Okay?” “Okay. Now, why don’t you just stop talking?” Mason looked at Logan. “You haf pwetty brown hair, didja know that? I bet Emly likes your hair. I wunner if Zoey has back…black hair like me or blonde like her bomb…mom. “Why don’t you rest?” Logan reached over and pulled on Mason’s hair to lay his head back against the seat. “Okay.” That did feel better. Mason wished he could have shown that lady with the beautiful hands a picture of his baby girl. He wished he had a picture to look at, himself. Did she look like him or Claire? Maybe there was a little girl who looked like him living in Spencer’s house. A little girl without her daddy. Maybe she needed her daddy. He needed her.
“Will you get your sister ready to go to Louise’s?” Claire asked Spencer as she rushed through the living room. “I have to be at work in half an hour.” “I still can’t believe they called you in on a Saturday.” Spence, who was watching television as his sister got in her morning nap, didn’t move. Claire had explained this before. “I can’t afford to turn down the extra hours, and with the convention in town, the tips should be hefty. Christmas isn’t that far away, and we can use the extra money.” She fastened her watch strap. “Will you please put Zoey’s coat on her?” “I’m not going anywhere.” He turned down the volume. “I’ll just keep her here with me.” “That’s sweet, but don’t you have something you’d rather do than babysit your sister?” Claire picked up her purse and took out some money. “Yeah, Mom.” He grinned at her. “I’m going to watch reruns of stupid TV shows. Zoey can watch them with me.” He stood up and stretched, spreading his shirt tightly across his broad chest, and making his nearly six-foot frame look even taller. “Don’t worry about her.” She started to hand him the money, intending to let him have the rare treat of pizza delivered, but then she remembered what day of the week it was. “Don’t you have any plans with Mason?” She had to make sure the man wasn’t in this house. “Will he be here today?” Spencer’s eyes were troubled. “No, Mom.” His gaze searched hers. “What’s going on? Are you mad at Mason or something?” Maybe this was a chance to plant some seeds. “I just think it would be nice if you started doing more things with kids your own age. Maybe you shouldn’t rely on Mason so much.” “But then who will take me to ballgames?” Spence immediately became agitated. “How will I know how to handle those girls who keep pestering me at school? And you’re too busy to let me drive. He’s gonna have to help me, or I won’t get my fifty hours in before my birthday.” “Okay.” Well,