Tangle (Dogwood Lane 2)

Dane laughs, rubbing a hand over his head. “It doesn’t matter to me as long as he pays my invoices.”

“Lucky for you, my father’s wife is a bit of a diva. I have a stack of additional projects that will result in a lot more invoices for you.”

Haley cuts in. “Don’t mind me, but your father’s wife would be your stepmother, correct? Or am I missing something?”

“I have a hard time calling someone anything with the word ‘mother’ in it when she would’ve been eight when I was born.”

Her head goes back and forth as she does the math. “Ooh, I see.”

“Yeah. So I stick with ‘my father’s wife.’ It doesn’t seem as weird that way.”

“That makes sense,” Dane says. “So what kind of extra projects are we talking about?”

I suck in a breath and look at the sky. “Have you ever built a poodle spa?”

“A what?” Haley asks, unable to hide her laugh. “A poodle spa? Did you seriously just say that?”

“That’s what she called it,” I say, lowering my chin. “Sounds ridiculous, I know, but she’s kind of . . . What do the kids call it these days? Extra? Yeah. Meredith’s kind of extra.”

Dane groans. “Mia says that.” He looks at me and realizes I have no idea who Mia is. “She’s my daughter. She’s almost ten. Sometimes she’s extra.”

I can’t help but chuckle at the look on his face, like he’s in way over his head with a little girl. “She’s ten, though, right? I bet she gets extra-extra when she’s twenty.”

“Dane is completely screwed with Mia.” Haley elbows him in the ribs.

I take a step back as I witness Dane and Haley exchanging a knowing look. It’s one of those looks that people who know each other intimately share.

Maybe I’ve misinterpreted her reactions to me. Is that possible?

Surely not.

“Dane has made me tell Mia boys are bad her whole life. You know how some people base their parenting strategy on a religion or a learning technique or something like that? When he hired me as Mia’s nanny, my guiding principle was ‘boys are bad.’”

“Yeah, you’re the nanny.” Dane groans. “I hate when you act like you’re just an employee or something, cousin.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she says, bumping him with her shoulder.

I keep the relief washing over my features unnoticeable. “Cousin” is good. Logical. Keeps her available.

“Probably a good idea, teaching her boys are bad,” I say.

“Oh, it’s totally a good idea,” Haley agrees. “Just like your dad’s wife’s poodle spa.”

Dane shakes his head. “I’ll be honest. I don’t even know what that is.”

“Me either, but she hashed it out on pink, scented paper, just for you,” I say.

Haley’s smile lights up her face. “I know, or presume, you aren’t her biggest fan, but I think I’d love your dad’s wife. I think I’d love anyone that wants to build a spa for their poodle. How sweet is that?”

“I have lots of ways of describing it, but sweet isn’t on the short list,” I tell her. “I don’t get her obsession with dogs. She has their toenails painted and these little bows put in their hair. It’s so strange.”

Dane looks at me in horror. “You aren’t kidding, then. She really wants a spa for her dogs?”

“Apparently. I have no idea why.”

“I do,” Haley says. “Think about it. It’s smart. If you have a dog, you have to take it to the groomer’s and have it washed and treated for fleas and stuff. It would be a lot easier to have that done at home.”

“It would be easier to not have a dog,” I say. “They’re too much of a commitment.”

She huffs. “Well, that says a lot about you.”

“Your road rage says a lot about you.”

“Oh no,” Haley says, jabbing a finger my way. “You instigated that.”

“How did I instigate anything when you flew up behind me?”

“And you slowed down to a crawl.”

“A safe crawl,” I toss her way.

Bantering with her like this is a game I could play all day. Not just because the way her eyes light up makes everything seem sunnier or because the way her lips turn toward the sky makes me want to laugh for no apparent reason. But also because it’s not going to end with her feelings being hurt and I’m not going to be made to feel like a dick for joking around. Hell, she gives as good as she gets.

“And how do you two know each other?” Dane asks. “Because this is obviously not the first time you’ve met.”

“I gave Haley a doughnut this morning,” I say, as if that explains everything.

Dane chuckles. “Well, you may not have known her your whole life, but now you’ll be friends forever.”

“I’m not sure,” I say, turning my head to the side. “I think she’s kind of irritable. And definitely argumentative.”

Haley scowls. “No, I’m not. But I’m not going to stand here and let you act like what happened on the road back there was my fault.”