Page 20 of This Time Around (The Can’t Have Hearts Club #3)

Jack laughed and ruffled his daughter’s hair. “Not totally. We were just talking about it at the barbershop. We were also talking about how some things are personal and not appropriate questions to ask, weren’t we?”

Paige gave a solemn nod and looked up at Allie. “That’s true.”

Jack gave Allie his slow, lazy smile, holding her gaze for a few beats too many before turning back to his daughter. “Did you need something, kiddo?”

Allie said a silent prayer of thanks that Jack had a talent for distracting his daughter. The girl nodded and held up an armful of clothing. “I wanted to try these on.”

“Looks like someone’s in the room next door,” Jack said. “You’ll have to wait your turn.”

Allie reached behind her neck, fumbling for the zipper. “Hang on, you can have this one. I don’t need to try on the rest of these. I know what I want.” Her fingers gripped the zipper and her shoulder creaked as she tried to pull down. “Just let me get out of?—”

“Allow me.” Jack grabbed her by the waist to hold her still, then tugged the zipper down with a bit less finesse than he’d used to slide it up. He stopped just above the small of her back, and Allie wondered if he was preserving her modesty or trying to keep his daughter from seeing the tattoo.

But the kid clearly had eagle eyes. “Is that fire on your back?”

Allie turned around, holding the back of the dress together with one hand as she stole a look at Jack. Discomfort was etched on his face, but he wasn’t meeting her eye. Allie looked at Paige.

“Yes, but I didn’t get it until I was a grown-up,” she said. “The decision to get a tattoo is a big one, so it’s not something you even want to start thinking about until?—”

“It looks just like one my dad has.”

Allie blinked. “What?”

Paige nodded and pointed to her father’s ribcage. “Right there. Beside his tummy. He has fire, too, only his has?—”

“Why don’t we let Allie finish getting dressed?”

Paige looked up at her dad and shrugged. “Okay.”

Something in Jack’s expression must have let the kid know he meant business, because the next thing Allie knew, he was pushing the door shut and murmuring quietly to Paige on the other side of the door.

Allie couldn’t make out what he was saying, though she thought she heard the word, private at one point.

Allie wriggled out of the dress and cast a quick look at the other ones she’d brought into the dressing room. She frowned. Was she deciding too hastily, settling on the very first one she’d tried?

Her mother’s words were a faint buzz in the back of her head. “You shouldn’t settle down with the first boyfriend you’ve had, Allie.”

“But that’s what you and daddy did, and it worked for you.”

“Trust me, sweetie—you’re going to regret it if you don’t spend some time spreading your wings.”

Allie shook her head and put the chosen dress back on the hangar. Hesitated. Then grabbed the next one, a green and black velvet number with cap sleeves and a swirly skirt. She pulled it on, adjusting the shoulders but not bothering to zip it up all the way.

She frowned at herself in the mirror. “You look like a kid getting ready for the school Christmas pageant.” With a sigh, she stripped the dress off again. She glanced at the rest of the dresses she’d brought with her into the stall, but none of them did anything for her. Not like the first one had.

“Dammit,” she muttered under her breath, not sure why that frustrated her so much.

She got dressed again and pushed open the door. Jack and Paige were standing a few feet away looking at a rack of shirts. Jack’s head was bent low, and he was talking to his daughter in a quiet voice.

“But Lauren wears a bra already,” Paige said. “So does Piper. She showed it to me on our last playdate before we moved. It had yellow and black stripes and looked super pretty.”

“And why exactly do you need your underwear to look pretty?” Jack mumbled. “Who are you planning to show it to?”

His voice sounded strained, and Allie took a step back, not wanting to intrude. But Paige looked up and shot her a pleading look.

“Allie knows! Tell him, Allie—tell him it’s important to start wearing a bra when you get to be ten.”

Allie opened her mouth to reply, then shut it. No way was she getting in the middle of this one.

But Jack had other plans. “Actually, that’s a good idea.” He straightened and folded his arms over his chest, and Allie did her best not to notice how impressively his pecs had aged. “What are your thoughts, Allie?”

She stared at him, then glanced at Paige. The little girl gave her an imploring look, so Allie directed her attention back at Jack. “You want my input on when a girl should get her first training bra?”

Jack frowned. “That’s another thing. What are you training them to do , exactly?”

“Dad!” Paige rolled her eyes and shot Allie another pleading look. “When did you get your first bra, Allie?”

Allie grimaced. “You sure like the personal questions, don’t you, kiddo?”

“We’re working on that,” Jack muttered.

Allie looked at him again, trying to gauge whether he was looking for an ally or the truth. His expression was steely, but he didn’t look like he was trying to communicate anything to her. Just like a guy who didn’t want to be having this conversation in the middle of a thrift store.

Allie chose her words carefully. “Well, I think I was in fifth grade,” she said, trying to remember exact details. “Let’s see, I was in Mrs. Schaffer’s class, so yes—fifth grade.”

“I’m in fifth grade now!” Paige announced, looking pleased with herself.

“Right, but there are other factors,” Allie said cautiously. She glanced at Jack, hoping like hell he wouldn’t make a jackass comment about his daughter not having enough to actually fill a bra. Allie would probably punch him in the nuts if he said it, even if it was the truth.

But Jack said nothing, and Allie silently commended his sensitivity as a single dad.

She took a few steps closer, not wanting to embarrass anyone.

“Look, there’s a certain age where things get a little tender and it can hurt to have your shirt rubbing up against you,” she murmured.

“Sometimes it’s about that, and sometimes it’s about wanting to cover up a little bit.

Like if other kids are starting to notice and tease.

And sometimes it’s just about not wanting to be the only girl at a slumber party who doesn’t have one. ”

Jack stared at her. “Wow.” He looked down at his daughter for a moment, and Allie saw him lift his hand as though to ruffle her hair.

But he stopped himself and looked back at Allie again.

“I didn’t—huh.” He lifted his hands in a gesture that looked almost like surrender.

When he met her eyes, his gaze was almost sheepish. “I guess I didn’t know that.”

“Most of that wasn’t in the book,” Paige said.

Allie looked at Jack. It was the first time she’d seen him so undone this week, and the fact that it was over underwear almost seemed comical. But Allie didn’t dare smile, not wanting Paige to think anyone was laughing at her. She glanced at the girl, who seemed to be studying her.

“Maybe you could help me buy a bra?” Paige’s voice was small, almost hopeful.

Allie bit her lip. “I think that’s something that you and your dad could?—”

“No!”

The father-daughter chorus was strong enough to make Allie take a step back. The fact that they’d answered in unison seemed like a pretty good indication they meant it. “Okay.” She looked at Jack. “Are you sure this isn’t a job for her grandma?”

Jack smiled a little at that. “My mother is convinced Paige still needs someone to cut up her meat and read her a bedtime story every night.”

“It’s nice and stuff,” Paige said. “But she still reads me The Very Hungry Caterpillar. ”

Allie laughed, which seemed to dissolve the tension somehow. Before she knew it, all three of them were cracking up beside a rack of Alexander McQueen shirts. “Okay then,” Allie said. “I’ll set up a time with your dad so I can take you bra shopping.”

Jack shot her a grateful look, then grabbed the green dress from her arms. “Please, let me get this. It’s the least I can do, since you’re taking my kid bra shopping and going with me to the reunion.”

She started to protest, then stopped herself. “Thank you,” she said. “I accept.”

The smile he gave her was enough to have Allie questioning exactly what she’d just agreed to.