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“I’ll take you. It’s their grand opening, right? Live music?”

“That the kind of thing you’re into?” I asked.

“No,” he said frankly. “But how often do you get out of the house to enjoy yourself?”

“Who says I’d enjoy myself with you?” I asked.

His lips twitched up. “I never said I’d go with you. I was just offering a ride.”

I could practically hear the snow sizzling as it landed on my cheeks. I tightened my arms across my chest, staring Will in the eyes.

Just then the front door opened. “Dad?” Remy’s voice was laced with confusion.

“Hey, sweetie.”

“What are you still doing here?”

“Michelle had some car trouble.”

There was a pause. “Oh,” she said. “So… does this mean you don’t need me anymore?” she asked me. I could hear the disappointment in her voice. I remembered babysitting when I was a kid—especially when they were good, easy kids. And while of course I thought my kids were the best, it was an objective fact that they’d be very easy charges for her. They’d been awed into beatific silence when they’d seen her and her cool leather jacket. Her buzzed undercut.

“Are the girls in bed?” I asked.

“We were just reading stories. I can keep them up for you if you want?”

The whole point of this stupid adventure was to show my readers I could have fun. Maybe I could show them the pictures of my car in the ditch and then me still going out after like the fun person I was. The fun, happy person.

I glanced at Will. He was looking directly at me.

“Don’t you have your own plans on Friday night?” I asked, low enough that Remy couldn’t hear.

“I don’t know. Are you asking me out?”

I opened my mouth. The bugger!

His lips twitched once more, then, just as quietly, he said, “Listen, if I take Remy home right now, she’s probably going to call Draco on the drive home. You could spare me that pain.”

I tightened the smile away once more. Was I really going to do this? Go out with Will Archer? It’s not like it was a romantic date. Just taking advantage of having a babysitter.

“I think we’ll still go out, if that’s okay?” I called to Remy. “I’ll come back at eleven? Like I planned?”

Remy took a moment to answer and even though she was backlit, I could tell she was looking from her dad to me, running this through her head.

“Um… sure?” she said.

And just like that, I was going out with Will Archer.

8

Will

Ishould have been desperate to get home—to change into pants not caked in drying mud at the knees. To maybe have a shower and get the damp snow out of my hair. But I felt good—as good as I’d felt in years. Better, maybe.

I’d be lying through my teeth if I said it had nothing to do with the woman standing next to the open door of my SUV.

Michelle’s face was hidden by her soft curls as she bent down to brush her pant legs off—she was wearing jeans and sexy black ankle boots. But Michelle could be wearing gumboots and still be the sexiest woman I think I’d ever known.

It wasn’t just her looks—though she was everything that made me attracted to a woman. Soft, with a good amount of curves. Those heavy-lidded eyes.