Page 52 of Games We Play

Or it could’ve been the little boy running up to show off a book about trucks. Daryl told him to sit and read it while he talked to his “friend.”

“How you doin’?”

Leah’s fingers curled into the book against her chest. “Okay. How about you? What are you doing these days?”

His friendly smile couldn’t betray how awkward this was for him as well. “Not too bad. I’m now a foreman for Justice & Roe Construction. We just got done with a big contract down in the southwest, so I thought I’d take the kids shopping for books.”

“These are both yours?”

“Say hi, kids.”

The boy waved, his smile identical to his father’s. “Nice to meet you! I’m David.”

“This is Chastity. She’s really shy.”

The girl buried her head so deeply into her father’s sleeve, that he commented that she was going to suffocate herself.

“You still doing cooking stuff?”

Leah cleared her throat. “Yeah. I work at Rose City Bakery. I mainly decorate cakes.”

“Whoa. Like on those TV shows?”

“Sort of like that. I’m not quite up to that skill level, though.”

“I remember those cupcakes you used to make and bring to school. The ones you decorated to look like flowers and cartoon characters. I can only imagine how much better you are now.”

“It’s a small niche to rank up in, but I’d like to own my own place one day.”

Daryl nodded. “How’s the family?”

Time might as well have stopped in the bookstore, though kids continued to run around and their parents chased them with as much gusto as hurricane winds. “They’re doing fine.” Leah choked on her words. “My parents are the same as always.”

She waited for him to ask the question she had been dreading since she heard his voice in the children’s section of the nation’s largest independent bookstore.

“How’s… your sister?”

They broke eye contact almost immediately. When Leah finally had the courage to glance back again, she met Chastity’s eyes instead of Daryl’s. The little girl shyly smiled at her dad’s friend.You’ve got her nose, little girl.Leah didn’t want to make Chastity uncomfortable, but did she have to look at her likethat?

“Karlie’s fine. She’s a senior in high school and about to go to college.”

“Wow. College.” Daryl sheepishly scratched the top of his head. “She pick out a place yet? Anyone accepting her?”

“She didn’t do early admissions, so she’s applying right now.”

“Tell her good luck on my behalf.”

You could tell her yourself…No. That would never work. No matter how many times Leah thought that in her life, it was never a practical response. Karlie wasn’t supposed to know that Daryl existed.

“I’ve gotta go.” Leah turned away. “I’m supposed to be meeting a friend in the café. It was nice seeing you. Your kids are cute.”

Leah should have waved at the kids to make sure they didn’t feel left out of their dad’s conversation, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. All Leah wanted to do was run away from Daryl as quickly as her feet would carry her through the crowds.

Melissa had secured them a small table in the café. Leah slammed down her book and then her ass into the chair, but all Melissa could say was, “This place sure is crowded for a weekday, huh? Is it a holiday that I didn’t know about?”

“After work crowd,” Leah said. “I should probably get going soon. I have to walk home.”

“Nonsense! I’ll drive you home. It’s not too far out of the way for me, anyway.”