Page 10 of Brazilian Fantasy
Lucas pulls into traffic and points out landmarks as we drive. Twenty minutes later, he parks at the mall and frowns as he kills the ignition.
“Don’t like shopping?” I ask. I glance at Maddie in the backseat. She’s busy playing with her teddy bear, which I hope to soon replace with something much more animated.
“It’s not my favorite.”
“Tell you what. Tonight, I’ll make you a special meal to thank you for taking us.”
“You’re here to take care of Maddie, not me.” I touch his hand, and he tenses, but this time I don’t pull away. His breathing changes, becomes deeper, as a new warmth, an intimate connection, arcs between us
I really like this guy.
“Don’t worry, Lucas. I’m not like those sharks. I’m not looking to walk into a ready-made family.”
“I didn’t think you were.”
“I’m just here in Brazil to have an epic vacation.” Where vacation and sex can be interchanged. But he’s a smart man, and he already knows that.
“So, I guess you’ll be heading downtown soon, to check out the nightlife. You know… For the pact.” His gaze sweeps over my face.
“I was thinking I’d do just that.” Tossing his words back at him, I say, “But I don’t really know my way around yet. I wouldn’t want to get lost. Maybe… Never mind.”
“What?”
I give an easy shrug. “I was just thinking maybe you could show me around.” I glance into the backseat. “But Maddie…”
“She goes to her grandparents’ house every second weekend.”
“Oh,” I say. “Then maybe you wouldn’t mind showing me a few of the local hot spots?”
“It’s the least I could do after springing a babysitting job on you.”
“The least?”
“I mean, I owe you big time. I might have ended up married at the end of the three weeks if you hadn’t shown up.”
I laugh and crack my door, barely able to breathe as the temperature in the car skyrockets. “You all set, Maddie?”
She nods and reaches for the buckle strapping her in. Lucas frees her from the backseat and holds her hand as we enter the colossal mall. I check the huge map and lead Lucas and Maddie toward the pet store.
Little Maddie’s eyes widen when I take her to the back, to the penned-in area full of puppies that are available for adoption. She gasps, and her eyes widen in delight. Beside me, Lucas stiffens
, and I reach for his hand to give it a little squeeze.
“Trust me,” I whisper.
He nods and drops to one knee beside his daughter. I go down next to him. “Maddie,” I say. “Which one is your favorite?” She looks the puppies over and points to a small Shih Tzu. “She’s perfect don’t you think?”
Maddie nods, and I go on. “She doesn’t get very big, and you could slip her right into your purse.” I hold open my bag to show how easily the pup would fit inside.
Maddie claps her hands, and her big eyes latch onto her father’s.
“Maddie, a puppy is a lot of work,” Lucas says.
“Exactly,” I whisper to him. Lucas looks at me. “I lost my mom, too. She didn’t die, but she left me.”
His face softens, and the genuine sadness in his eyes is like water washing over a rock, smoothing the edges of my bad memories. His knuckles brush mine in a soft, tender caress that catches me by surprise and warms me from the inside out.
“I’m sorry, Piper. I didn’t know.”
