Mommy Loves The Military Man

“Yes, M-ooooo-mmmm.”

“What about under your bed?”

Lizzie’s mouth pressed into a line. Busted.

Cameron scanned the kitchen and added clean the stove to her list. But where was “have fun with her daughter”? Shouldn’t that be on the list, too? The laundry would be there tomorrow. So would the dirty stove. But one day, Lizzie would be grown and Cameron didn’t want to regret not spending more time with her.

“How about you clean under your bed at super-speed while I tackle the stove and then we’ll go. We’ll make it a mother/daughter day.”

Lizzie looked suspiciously pleased with herself. What was she up to now?

Cameron got her answer when she and Lizzie walked up to the only theater in St. Judith… and saw Alex and Mariana coming from the other direction. Cameron stopped short and turned her back on them, lowering her head so she was right in front of Lizzie. “Did you and Mariana plan this?”

Lizzie shrugged. “Mariana and I have been talking about this movie. I guess today was a good day for them to go, too.”

Cameron didn’t believe that for one minute. “Hand it over.”

“What?”

“The cell phone.”

Lizzie pulled her cell out of her pocket and slapped it into Cameron’s hand. Too quickly. Like she knew there would be no evidence of her conspiring with Mariana. A scan of her text history netted nothing. Cameron felt bad for suspecting her daughter, but if Alex hadn’t occupied way too many of her thoughts the past few days, Cameron wouldn’t be so on edge.

It was one thing to get to know the parents of Lizzie’s friends. That was good parenting. It was another to think about kissing the parents of Lizzie’s friends.

Those dang butterflies were warming up for a symphony in her belly again.

She returned Lizzie’s phone. “Okay. I’m sorry, honey. I’m just, uh, I don’t know what I am. Let’s go see the movie.”

Lizzie squealed and rushed up to Mariana, throwing her arms around the other girl like she hadn’t just seen her at school yesterday.

Alex followed behind his daughter at a slower pace, his gold-flecked eyes highlighted by the deep green of his polo shirt. The color was perfect for his skin tone and his dark black hair. Stop it, Cameron. Do not fall for the man. Remember, he’s in the Army. Why couldn’t he be short… and fat… with a receding hairline and a comb-over? Except that wouldn’t have mattered. She would still be drawn to him because of who he was. His good looks were just a plus, a bonus she couldn’t stop noticing… and she wanted to. Stop, she meant. Not notice. She shouldn’t notice.

“Hey Cameron.”

“Hi, Alex.” She dredged up something to say. “What are you guys doing here?”

He smiled, and the dimple that she’d tried to forget about in his cheek popped out. “Mariana had been talking about this movie all week and convinced me this was the showing she absolutely couldn’t miss.”

“Oh, is that right?”

They turned to where the girls had huddled near the door. They smiled back at their parents, as innocent as the day they’d both missed the bus. This was no coincidence.

Cameron might have to step up her cybersecurity measures because her little schemer had learned to conceal her tracks.

But she was here now. And she wasn’t going to let her irrational attraction to Alex prevent her from seeing this movie with her daughter.

“Shall we go in?”

Focus on the movie, Cameron. It was just two hours… in a dark theater… with Alex.

No, not with Alex. Near Alex.

When they walked into the building, Alex’s hand rested on the small of her back.

“No touching.”

He raised his hands and stepped back. “What did I do?”