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“Want a bath? Never mind. That’s not a question.” Tate carried him into the bathroom and turned on the tub faucets. “Gonna clean you up a little, first, though.”

The bath was a genius idea. Jamie giggled and splashed with a plastic cup for a toy while Tate folded the playpen, set it by the door, then packed all their things he could, peeking in at his nephew multiple times.

He dragged a chair to a spot where he could see Jamie and opened a mystery novel on his phone. He might as well let the boy stay in there as long as he wanted. It was still early, though the adjacent restaurant opened at seven.

Finally, there was a knock at the adjoining door, and Stephanie’s voice filtered through. “Tate?”

He chuckled. “All clear. Come on in.”

She did, already looking like a million bucks as though she’d had a back door to the bathroom and its wide mirror.

You’re gorgeous. He managed not to say the words. Instead, “did you have a good sleep?”

“Not bad. And you?”

“I’ve had worse. Jamie did okay, though. He’s in the tub. I’ll get him so you can have the bathroom.”

“Okay.” She set her overnight bag on a chair.

Tate wrapped Jamie in a towel and brought him out.

“Mama!” Jamie reached for Stephanie.

She kissed his damp hair on her way past. “Good morning, buddy. I’ll give you a proper hug in a minute.”

They were all ready at about the same time, and Jamie ran to Stephanie and clung to her legs.

“Let’s get breakfast before we load the SUV. Maybe by then your car will be ready to drive.”

“Sounds good.” But her smile in his general direction seemed forced, relaxing only when she hugged Jamie.

Was it possible she didn’t want this interlude to end any more than he did? But that was a ridiculous thought. She’d careened into his life — literally — and she’d careen right back out. She had her own life to live. She wouldn’t want to be wrapped up in Tate’s juggling act any longer than it took her to disentangle herself.

They lingered at the table with their coffee, since Jamie was still bent on destroying the scrambled egg on his tray.

Tate’s phone rang. “Hello?”

“Carlsbad Car Repair. I hate to tell you this, but the car we towed in yesterday has a cracked axle. It’s not safe to drive. It will take us a few days to get the part and replace it.”

Tate studied Stephanie across the table as she laughed with Jamie. The little guy grinned back, his eyes dancing in delight. “How much are we talking?”

The guy gave him a number that seemed reasonable.

“Do we have any other options?”

“I’m not sure the car is worth fixing, honestly. It needs some bodywork, plus the tires, and with the axle…”

“I see. I’ll talk to the owner and get back to you in a few.”

Stephanie fixed her gaze on Tate. “Was that the car repair place?”

“It was.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Out with it.”

“It’s not drivable with a cracked axle. The mechanic isn’t sure it’s worth repairing, since it’s pretty old.” Tate had little knowledge of older vehicles unless they were vintage, but he’d guess that car was at least fifteen years old.

“Nooo. This can’t be happening.” Stephanie’s head tilted forward, and she massaged her temples with both hands.