Touch of Fire Read Free Page B

We’ve really been working on the knocking thing. She doesn’t quite have it down yet.”
    Nicole rolled up the long sleeves of the shirt, then picked one of the combs up from the counter. “Do you mind?”
    “No. Go on.” He leaned against the doorjamb.
    “She’s beautiful.”
    “She looks like her mother.”
    Nicole’s eyes connected with his in the mirror. “She has your eyes.”
    An awkward silence filled the room. Garrett shoved his hands into his pockets and studied the floor. “I should look at your foot.”
    “You aren’t going to put the stinging stuff on her boo-boos, are you?” Sam asked as she bounded back into the hallway. “Which is better, the pink or the yellow?” Dressed only in a pair of panties, she held up two otherwise identical sundresses for Nicole to inspect.
    Nicole smiled. “I like the yellow.”
    Sam placed the dress over her head. “Me too! Can we play later? When I get back from the zoo? I’m going to meet the new panda.” Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t seem to find the hole for her head. “Dad, the dress is winning again! I can’t find my way—”
    Garrett knelt down beside her and tugged the dress into place, then guided her head and neck through. “There you go.” He smoothed down her mussed hair. “Go get your bag with your hat and your sunscreen. And no ice cream unless you have real food first. Got it?”
    Sam looked up at him hopefully. “Does popcorn count as real food?”
    Garrett touched the tip of her nose with his fingertip. “No, but good try.”
    Sam frowned then walked back to her room.
    “You’re good with her,” Nicole observed.
    Garrett slipped his arm around Nicole’s waist, offering her support. “You’re just buttering me up so that I don’t use the stinging stuff. I wasn’t born yesterday, Miss Brooks. I know this trick.”
    “How’s it working?”
    “Not very well, I’m afraid. We’ve got to get that glass out.”
    “Maybe it’ll just work its way out on its own?”
    “Doubtful. Let’s go out on the back deck where the light is good. Then I’ll get the first aid kit.”
    *****
    As they moved slowly down the hallway, Nicole took in her surroundings. Directly across from the bathroom was a small linen closet. To the left of that was the doorway to what appeared to be a fairly large kitchen. There were two bedrooms, as far as she could tell, the one at the end of the hall where Sam had disappeared and the one adjacent to the bathroom. The living room that they’d entered through was back down the hallway to the right. Drawings almost completely covered the walls of the hallway from floor to ceiling.
    “You have quite the budding artist.”
    “You have a keen eye.”
    “I should. My mother adored art. It was her passion.”
    “What about you?” he asked, unlocking the French doors to the back yard. “What’s your passion?” He gestured to one of the deck chairs.
    Nicole limped outside. The morning sun had already warmed the wooden boards beneath her feet. “I don’t think I’ve found it yet,” she said before taking a seat.
    The space outside was small and intimate. A rustic fountain bubbled away in one corner. To the right of the table, a set of steps led to a built-in hot tub. In virtually every direction she turned, there were pots filled with lush, green plants and vibrant flowers.
    Garrett emerged carrying a large, plastic box.
    “You really have a first-aid kit?”
    “Firefighter,” he replied, as if that should explain it. “Got an earthquake kit too.”
    “Like with jugs of drinking water and cans of Spam? I thought those were just some urban legend.”
    He set the kit down on the table. “Spam? No. I went with Evian and cans of Alaskan King crab.”
    “I’m moving in.” Nicole smiled. “Your home is lovely.”
    “I put a lot of work into this place. More than I should have.”
    “Why do you say that? Everything’s beautiful.”
    “Had I known then what I do now, well, my priorities would