The Doctor and the Single Mum. Teresa Southwick

a problem—until he left. And he would. Like she’d told him, they all left. She should be used to men walking away from her by now, but apparently one never quite got the hang of having one’s hopes crushed into dust. It still smarted. But she was a big girl and understood what was going on. Her son was just a little boy and she wouldn’t stand by and allow a good-looking tenant to trample on C.J.’s feelings again.

      Speaking of her son …

      Jill pushed away from her desk and rubbed her eyes after looking at a computer screen for so long. This economics assignment for her online class had taken more time than anticipated. “C.J.?”

      There was no answer and the house was too hushed and silent. He was a six-year-old boy, not a cat burglar, and quiet wasn’t hardwired into him.

      “C.J., are you hiding?” She stood, then listened for the giggling, a clue there was an unannounced game under way.

      The only sounds came from overhead—faint footsteps and a thump. Doctor Dazzling was putting things away. Should she offer to help? Not if she was smart.

      She walked down the hall to her son’s room, which was where she’d last seen him, playing with action figures now abandoned on the beige area rug. His bed was made, the lumps and bumps in the superhero spread evidence of the small hands doing the big job. The boy attached to those hands was nowhere in sight.

      “C.J.?” Jill opened the closet to make sure her mischievous little man wasn’t playing with her.

      The interior looked as if a clothing and toy store had thrown up. When he was ordered to put his stuff away, this was where C.J. stashed everything. But if he were hiding in here, there would be giggling and wiggling. His skill level for holding still was on a par with keeping quiet.

      Now she was starting to get concerned. He couldn’t maintain the cone of silence for very long, but sneaking out of the house without being heard was something he was pretty good at. If he’d left the premises, she knew where to find him.

      She walked over to her desk, picked up the phone and hit speed dial. It rang several times before the man who worked her marina business on the lake answered. “Blackwater Lake Marina and Bait Shop.”

      “Brewster? It’s Jill.”

      “Hey, boss. What’s up?”

      “Tell C.J. it’s time for him to come home. And he’s in big trouble.” She half sat on the edge of her desk.

      “I’d be happy to except he’s not here.”

      Her stomach knotted with worry. “Are you sure? Maybe he sneaked in quietly. You know how he loves to jump out and scare you.”

      “That’s a fact. But I’ve been out front all afternoon straightening up. No way he could get by me.”

      “Okay. Thanks.”

      “You want me to look for him?”

      “No. I’m sure he’s in the house somewhere. Bye, Brew.”

      No need to panic. This was probably a new unannounced game, something he did frequently. But from the moment he was born she’d used all her senses to keep tabs on her little guy, and sight was the one that brought her the most comfort. Seeing him safe and sound always made her breathe a sigh of relief. She badly wanted that sigh now.

      Overhead she heard more footsteps followed by another thump. Her eyes narrowed as a thought formed. “He wouldn’t dare—”

      Jill walked out her front door and turned right, then went up the stairs and knocked on her new tenant’s door. Moments later he opened it and smiled. Her stomach boomeranged down to her toes and back up. It had happened the first time she saw him, but she’d been sure the reaction was a one-time deal and was now under control. Apparently it needed some more work.

      “Hi,” he said. “What’s up? Do you need more money?”

      “Not until next month.” In spite of the niggling guilt she smiled. Might as well be friendly. No way she could avoid dealing with him. “Are you settling in okay?”

      “Yeah. Thanks for asking.” His gaze sharpened a fraction as he studied her. “Is something wrong?”

      Jill figured either he was superobservant, or she should never try to improve her financial situation by playing poker.

      “Actually,” she said, “I was wondering if you’d seen my son.”

      “Is he about this high?” Adam put his hand about C.J.’s height. “Curly red hair? Wearing jeans, sneakers and a Spider-Man T-shirt? Looks a lot like you.”

      “A perfect description. That means you’ve spotted him recently.” The knot of anxiety in her stomach loosened.

      “Yeah. He’s been helping me put things away.”

      “You should have sent him home.” The anxiety snapped back, but for a different reason. “He knows better than to pester our renter.”

      Adam folded his arms over his chest. There was something so blatantly masculine in the movement that her mouth went dry. Until that moment, Jill hadn’t considered how long it had been since her last date. Apparently too long. Might be time to do something about that.

      “By ‘knows better,’ do you mean he had specific instructions not to come upstairs?”

      She nodded. “The exact words were that there would be dire consequences if he bothered you.”

      “Then he’s off the hook.”

      “How do you figure?” she asked.

      “Because he’s not bothering me.”

      Adam Stone was covering for C.J., she realized. It was protective and sweet. Unfortunately, she couldn’t afford to give in to that “aww” feeling. It would open the door for the “oh, damn” feeling when he left. She was the only one C.J. could count on. It was her job to protect him.

      The sound of small sneakers running sounded just before the little guy appeared beside the big guy. “Hi, Mom. I didn’t sneak out and help Brew at the dock because I had to help Adam.”

      There were so many things wrong with that statement she didn’t know where to start, but he was gone before she could say anything. And that was classic C.J. They needed to have a conversation, but before that she needed to set boundaries with Adam. When she did, it would be best if her son was out of earshot.

      “He didn’t tell me where he was going,” she started.

      “You were worried.”

      “Of course.” It was probably an educated guess, because her background check confirmed he was a bachelor without children. He had no frame of reference to empathize with a parent.

      “I should have asked if he had permission.” There was annoyance in his expression that looked to be self-directed. “It won’t happen again. You have my word.”

      “That’s very much appreciated,” she said sincerely. “But here’s the thing. Probably it’s better for C.J. if you don’t encourage him to hang out with you at all.”

      Adam leaned a broad shoulder against the doorjamb. “Are you telling me to stay away from him?”

      “No. Not exactly.” Unable to meet his gaze, she looked down at the wood floor on the landing outside his door. “Kind of.”

      “I expect you’ve got a good reason.” The deep tone dripping with sarcasm said he didn’t believe there was such a thing.

      “I’m a single parent—”

      “So you said.”

      “And C.J. is an active, outgoing little boy.”

      That made him smile. “He’s a really great kid.”

      “I know.” She smiled, too. Then grew serious. “He’s a great kid who