“Thank you… for everything, Bart. You don’t know what that means to me to see her smile like that. She’s taken the divorce pretty rough.”
He nods his head and finally looks from the door Katie ran through and back to me. His gaze is curious, and I know he probably has a thousand questions. “Go ahead. You can ask.”
He clears his throat. “So you and David. I’m just wondering, well, it seems that he’s still in the picture…”
“He’s not,” I say and then backtrack. I mean, I just went on a date with him last night and even though I regret it, I still went out with him. “Well, uh, we were trying to—”
“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business. You don’t have to tell me,” he interrupts me.
“No, it’s fine, really. Uh, like I said, Katie’s had a rough time with the divorce, and David and I were going to give it another try for her sake. But well, after last night, I know that’s not an option. It was stupid of me to believe he’d changed.”
“You’re not stupid, Chrissy. It sounds to me like you’re a good mom.”
I realize as soon as he says it how much I needed to hear those exact words. Lately, I feel that I’m screwing everything up. I think instead of sticking to my guns and going with my gut, I did the opposite. Now I’ve brought David back into our lives, and obviously that was the wrong decision. “Thanks. It sure doesn’t feel like it.”
His hand goes to my shoulder, and I can feel the heat from his hand on my skin. It’s always been like this. Any time I’ve been around him, there’s an attraction that builds inside me. I can feel the pull in my lower belly just being this close to him. His voice is deep and gravelly. “You’re too hard on yourself. It’s obvious that Katie’s a happy child.”
I stare up at him and get caught in his gaze. The blues of his eyes darken, and his lips pull tight across his face. I can almost feel the chemistry sizzling between us, but the only thing that forces me to drop my gaze is remembering that this is Bart. I’ve had a crush on him forever, and of course I’m going to feel this way. It doesn’t mean he does too.
“Uh, thank you for coming by and well, saving the day.”
He drops his hand from my shoulder and reaches into his pants, pulling out his wallet. “Here’s my card,” he says, handing me a business card. “I want you to call me if you or Katie need anything.”
I take the card, making sure that our fingers don’t touch, and tell him thanks, even though I know I’m not going to call him. I’m not going to bring him into my drama. He’s already witnessed enough.
He holds on to the card, and he stands there until I meet his eyes questioningly.
“I mean it, Chrissy. Call me anytime.”
Only once I nod my head does he let go of the little piece of paper, and I hold it in my hand.
His hands go to his front pockets, and he tilts back and forth on his shoes. “I’m meeting Carrie tomorrow for drinks. She wants me to get to know the sheriff. Want to go with us?”
“Uh, I don’t know. I have Katie.”
“You forget I know your mom. I’m sure she’d love to watch her.”
I shrug my shoulders, not committing either way. He of course is right. My mom will watch Katie any time I need her to. “I’m sure you don’t need me tagging along with you.”
“I want you there. Plus, you know Carrie would appreciate it. She seems to think I’m going to give Scott a hard time or something.”
“He’s good to Carrie. Really good to her,” I tell him. And even I can hear the wistfulness in my voice, and I want to kick myself for it.
“I know he is. Look, come with us, and I won’t even be worried about giving the sheriff a hard time. You can keep me occupied,” he bargains as he walks toward the door.
When he turns back to me, awaiting a response, I finally give in. “Well, I guess I better. It sounds like my best friend needs me tomorrow—even if she doesn’t know it.”
He looks as if he wants to say something, but instead just nods his head. “I can pick you up—”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll need to take Katie to my mom’s. I’ll meet you at the Roadside.” I name the only restaurant in town that has a bar.
He walks out, and I watch him all the way to his car. He turns to me before he gets in and waves, and I can feel my face heat being caught watching him.