The Groom's Little Girls. Katie Meyer

      “Isn’t he a little young to be worried about all that macho stuff?”

      “Nope. Boys his age want to be seen as fearless. I’m not saying you can’t talk to him about it, but just let him take the lead, okay?”

      “Fine, let’s just go.” Moving past him she went out the same door Kevin had used.

      Tyler followed her onto a mulch path that ran alongside the building and out toward what must be the animal enclosures. To the left was an enclosed space similar to a barn. To the right were open pens ringed with chain-link fencing. At the farthest one, with his back to them, was Kevin.

      Dani’s footsteps quickened, but at least she didn’t run up and hug the kid. Instead, she positioned herself next to him, looking into the enclosure. Tyler joined her, flanking Kevin’s other side. For a minute the three of them just stood there, watching what seemed to be a very relaxed, very large panther grooming itself in the sun.

      Dani spoke first. “That’s Simba, the panther I was telling you about. You’d never know it now, but he used to be really nervous—in fact, he was terrified of strangers. My sister Mollie’s done a lot of work with him to help him build up his confidence.”

      Kevin blinked in surprise. “The panther was scared of people? Doesn’t he know he could just eat them if he wanted?”

      “I guess not.” Dani shrugged. “He used to be a pet, sort of. A mean man kept him locked up all the time in a small cage, and it wasn’t very nice. When he was rescued and brought here, he didn’t know if the new people he met were going to be mean to him, like the place he came from. It took time, and lots of people being nice to him, before he was able to relax and enjoy his new home.”

      Tyler watched Kevin take that in, no doubt relating it to his own experience moving from foster home to foster home. “That makes sense. I’m glad the people here are nice to him.”

      “Me, too.” Relief flooded Dani’s face. “Now, do you want to see the rest of the animals? Some of them have had hard times, like Simba, so if that makes you sad, we could do something else.” She glanced over at Tyler and smiled. “Like go get ice cream or something.”

      Kevin looked at Simba for another minute before speaking, his voice so soft Tyler could barely hear it. “Are the other animals happy now?”

      She smiled. “Yeah, buddy, they are.”

      “Okay, I’d like to see them then. I like happy endings.”

      * * *

      After seeing all the other animals, which were thankfully deemed happy by Kevin, they ended up at the ice-cream parlor after all. It wasn’t like she could say no, not after how badly she’d messed up earlier. She’d half expected Tyler to veto the idea, but he’d readily agreed and had even insisted on treating them all. Every time she thought she’d started to figure him out, he’d change things up on her.

      In court he’d been cold and distant, almost clinical in his description of what had happened. In the park he’d been patient but firm in his convictions. At the rehab center he’d surprised her by letting her take the lead while he mostly observed. And now he was chatting casually with Kevin, each arguing the merits of their preferred ice-cream flavor. Dani hadn’t been able to get a word in edgewise. Which was fine; it was good that they were starting to bond. And Kevin was smiling, which was awesome. She had a feeling she’d feel guilty about the incident with the orphaned possum for a long time, but he seemed none the worse for it.

      The real reason she couldn’t seem to relax had nothing to do with Kevin and everything to do with the man sitting across from him, extolling the virtues of mint chocolate-chip ice cream. Not that he was doing anything wrong. He was just...confusing. She couldn’t get a read on him, and that was making her crazy. As a lawyer she had taught herself to be good at reading faces, at knowing what people were thinking even when they weren’t saying it and be able to grasp what was going on inside someone’s head. But with Tyler, she was at a loss. And damn if it didn’t make her want to spend more time with him, if only to satisfy her own curiosity.

      And curiosity was all it was. No way was she ready to date. On her good days she felt like she’d made a lot of progress since she’d come home, but she couldn’t kid herself: she was gun-shy and with good reason. Besides, he wasn’t her type. She tended to date lawyers and bankers, men who wore suits and read the stock report. She wasn’t a snob; she just found that she enjoyed dating men who had similar goals and interests, ambitious men who understood her own drive and dedication to her career. Tyler Jackson was a small-town shopkeeper and single dad who drove a minivan, of all things. So if she couldn’t take her eyes off of him, it was just because she was trying to figure him out. That’s all.

      Kevin stood up abruptly, nearly knocking his soda over in the process. She grabbed the cup as he waved at someone behind her. Turning, she spotted his foster parents walking through the door. She’d called earlier and arranged for them to pick up the boy here. Tyler followed her gaze and then stood, offering his seat to a tired-looking Mrs. Cunningham.

      “You must be the Cunninghams. I’m Tyler. Can I get you anything? A cold drink, or some ice cream?”

      “No, thank you, but we won’t be staying. I’ve got dinner to make still, and need to be getting home. I would have stayed in the car, but I wanted to thank you personally, and apologize on behalf of Kevin for what he did. My husband and I were so upset when we found out. I still don’t know what got into him...”

      “Now, Nora, let’s not get into it again. What’s done is done. If Mr. Jackson here can see past things, I suppose we can, too.” He held out a grizzled, arthritic hand to Tyler. “I’m Tom Cunningham. Nora and I appreciate the time you’re spending with Kevin. We adore him, but two old people like us aren’t much fun, I’m afraid.” He turned to Kevin. “Ready to go?”

      “Yes, sir.” He shoved the last bite of his chocolate-waffle cone in his mouth and swallowed. “’Bye, Dani. ’Bye, Tyler. See you next week?”

      Tyler nodded. “You bet.”

      “And can Dani come again?”

      Uh-oh. That hadn’t been part of the plan. She looked at Tyler, who nodded good-naturedly. “Um, sure, I guess. If that’s what you want.”

      “Cool. ’Bye!”

      Dani sighed, and sank back into her chair. “Well, that was quite the day. Sorry about him inviting me along for next time. I didn’t know he was going to do that.”

      Tyler sat beside her and took a sip of his drink. “It’s fine. Having his energy level back up can only be a good thing.”

      “Good point.” She sobered. “Speaking of which, I’m starting to worry he’s too much for the Cunninghams. They’ve done foster care for a long time, but they look more tired than I remember. More...well, old. I’m not sure how much longer they’re going to be able to do this.”

      Tyler frowned. “I don’t know what they were like before, but given how energetic kids Kevin’s age are, I understand what you mean. I’d hate for him to have to move to yet another foster home, but it might be inevitable.”

      Dani’s stomach clenched, the ice cream that had seemed such a good idea earlier now a cold weight in her gut. “I just want to make things easier for him, you know? But I have no idea how—I couldn’t even schedule an outing without upsetting him.”

      Tyler reached across the table, laying his hand on hers. “Hey, don’t beat yourself up. You were trying, and he knows that. That’s what counts. That’s what he needs, people that care enough to try.”

      Her hand tingled, a warm feeling where his skin touched hers. Tugging it back, she fisted her hands in her lap. “I just wish I could do more, something to really help him.”

      “Well, if you mean that, you could talk to his case worker about getting him some counseling. A therapist could help him work through his feelings about his mom, and help