“Yeah, that might have been because we gave him shit in the locker room when one of the guys found the epically bad poetry composed about your smile.”
“Language,” Holt growled.
Jonah winced, shooting a glance toward the sound of pattering footsteps from the back. “Sorry.”
“What ever happened to Lance?” Cayla wondered.
“I think Mama said he moved to Louisville and became a banker or something.”
“Didn’t he marry Jenny Sheridan?”
As the two of them continued to swap small town gossip, Holt just shook his head. This whole thing was so alien. He hadn’t grown up in a small town. Hadn’t played high school sports. He’d been too busy busting his ass, working, making sure his baby sister was taken care of and that his mom didn’t pass out and choke on her own vomit after her latest bender. His mom hadn’t handled single parenthood well—or at all—preferring to fall into the bottle whenever her latest shit choice in partners disappeared, as they always had. She’d been nothing like Cayla. She’d never once put her kids first. Hell, maybe that was part of his fascination with Cayla. He had mad respect for everything she juggled on her own and the good, solid life she’d built for her kid. She was a truly good mother, on top of being sweet, funny, smart, and beautiful. And Maddie was—
“Holt! Holt! Holt!”
She came running in, the iPad in hand. “It’s Maui! Do Maui!”
“Um.” It was his turn to avoid everyone’s gazes as Maddie held up the screen, paused at the key scene in Moana. He’d known singing for her a couple weeks back was going to come back to bite him in the ass. But he couldn’t help it. After all these years, all the work he’d put into it for Hadley, he was programmed to sing along to all Disney tunes, and she’d been watching Oliver and Company.
“We’re about to get to work, Bumblebee.”
“Oh please, oh please, ohplease! Just one!”
“Yes, please, Broadway,” Jonah smirked.
“Yeah, seriously. I’ve been hearing stories about this voice of yours,” Mia urged.
Holt looked back at Maddie’s pleading face and sighed. Damn it, she looked just like Hadley at that age. He was toast. “Ok, ok, I see what's happening here.”
Maddie giggled and danced as he rolled into the song. He kept his focus on the kid, on her effervescent happiness that was absolutely worth whatever crap Brax and Jonah would sling his way.
When he’d finished, Maddie clapped and bounced. “Again!”
“Another time, Munchkin,” Cayla told her. “As he said, we’re about to get to work. Say ‘thank you.’”
Maddie waved him down, so Holt crouched to her level. She pressed a smacking kiss to his cheek. “Thank you!”
This kid.
“You’re welcome.”
As she scampered back down the hall, he rose, rubbing at the little ache in his chest.
“Wow. I’ve really got to make it to karaoke night next time,” Mia observed.
Cayla was looking at him with amusement.
“You know she’s going to be like a dog playing an endless game of fetch now, right?”
“Yeah. I’m familiar.” And Holt chose not to think too hard about the fact that he didn’t mind it. “Okay then, where do you want to start?”
* * *
“Oh,my goodness! Look how much y’all got done today!”
Cayla joined her mom in a survey of the little house. With everyone’s help, the entire place had been primed and the first coat of cheery butter yellow applied. “We’re so close. Thanks for staying with Maddie tonight, so I can stay late and finish.”
Brax, Mia, and Jonah had packed up half an hour ago to head out to other obligations, but Holt was still at it, so Cayla made introductions. “This seemingly tireless saint of a helper is Holt Steele. Holt, this is my mother, Donna Black.”
“Ma’am.” He nodded a greeting and tipped back a fresh bottle of water.
Cayla tore her eyes away from the ripple of his throat as he swallowed. Why on earth should that be sexy?
Donna split an appraising look between them, clearly wondering about the nature of their relationship. “Nice to meet you. You’re one of the bakers from across the street?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Maddie tugged at her sleeve. “Mimi, did you know Holt can sing Maui?”
“Can he, now?”
“He can. He knows all the words.”
With suitable sobriety, Donna nodded. “That’s very impressive.” But it didn’t save Cayla from The Eyebrow.
Lord have mercy, her child was digging all kinds of holes today.
Better to quash whatever ideas that put into her mother’s head.