Page 2 of Promises & Pumpkins (Haunted in Hazy Cove #1)
Miles
“What are you looking at, Daddy?” I blinked a few times, barely turning away from the window that faced my new neighbor’s kitchen to look over my shoulder to where my daughter was picking at the bowl of cereal she had demanded I pour.
She scrunched her nose and lifted her little eyebrow with curiosity.
“Nothing, sweet pea.” Then I caught a glimpse of my too-young-for-me-to-be-staring-at-her neighbor, and I paused.
“Finish your breakfast.” I listened to her dig her spoon into the bowl but instead of watching to make sure she took the next bite, I watched while Harper bent down in her kitchen.
When her blonde hair fell over her shoulders and in front of her face, I struggled to look away.
I’d imagined running my fingers through it when she invited me in for tea yesterday.
Maddie sighed, swirling her spoon around her bowl so the milk got dangerously close to spilling over the side. “I don’t like it.”
“What do you mean you don’t like it? Fruit Loops are your favorite.” She had demanded them when we were at the store and again the second she woke up this morning. Just like a six-year-old to change her mind before the sugar-coated pieces had even gotten soggy.
“Not anymore.” She shook her head, pushing the bowl away from her.
I sighed, and she cocked her head to the side.
Her stubbornness was masked with a smirk.
“Can I dance?” When she asked, Harper’s front door opened, and I watched her step onto the front porch in a pair of tight leggings and a matching sports bra that accented the soft curve of her waist too well.
“Dance?” Harper skipped down the steps to her car, leaning in the front door. I stared while my daughter hummed in agreement. “Sure. We can dance after you finish your breakfast.”
She scrunched her nose like she considered the offer—things were so serious for a six-year-old. “Like a ballerina?”
Where had that idea come from? “Of course, sweet pea. You can be any kind of dancer you want to be.”
Maddie got excited, clapping her hands together.
“Yay, Daddy!” She wiggled in her seat, even less likely to remember the breakfast I had told her to eat.
I forgot about the new woman next door and the guilt I felt for staring at her—and for wanting to stare longer—and I walked over to the table.
Maddie pouted when I slid the bowl back in front of her. She crossed her arms. “It’s soggy now.”
“That’s because you didn’t eat it fast enough.” I watched her flip the cereal over in the bowl one piece at a time. When she rolled her lip out, I softened. “Do you want something else?” She shook her head.
When my phone started to ring on the counter, my stomach sank at the same rate that Maddie’s face dropped. Before I answered it, we both knew what it meant. “Oh no,” she said, sighing.
I ignored the two words that squeezed my chest like a vice. “Captain Hunter,” I said, bringing the phone to my ear.
Stanley sounded hesitant. “Hey, Captain, we got one for you down here. A breaking and entering.” I thought about Harper and the way she had prepared to break into her own house, and a small smile broke through the inconvenience.
“I know it’s your day off. This one is complicated.
Appears to be linked to a small chain of B&Es in a neighboring county. ”
“Gotcha.” I sighed, looking down at Maddie. For being so young, she was perceptive. “I’ll be there soon.”
“See you soon, sir. Tell your little girl we’re sorry for ruining her Saturday.” I swallowed the guilt—she was used to it. That’s the worst part.
“Will do.” I hung up the phone, shoving it in my pocket.
Maddie looked up at me, looking too mature for her age. “More bad guys?” she asked, blowing a loose red curl from in front of her face.
“Yeah, sweet pea. More bad guys.” I put my hand on top of her head, flattening the mess of curls.
“When you get back can we sign up for dance class?” A big smile pulled at her cheeks. She knew she could get anything she wanted from me at times like this.
I nodded. Where did one start with finding a dance class for a six-year-old?
It was one of those things that would have been easier with her mother.
“Yeah, when I get back, we can sign up for dance class.” I kissed the top of her head while she clapped excitedly, and my heartbeat raced to match her rhythm. “Now go brush your teeth so we can go.”
“Yes, Daddy.” Maddie danced off toward the stairs with her hands above her head. When she stepped up on the first step, she kicked her foot like she was already a professional dancer of who-knew-what style. I smiled and shook my head.
“Okay, okay, little miss ballerina. Get dressed. I’m going to drop you off at Grandma’s house on my way to the station.”