The Daddy Project by Lee McKenzie

Author:Lee McKenzie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-09-09T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

The mall parking lot was busier than usual for a Saturday afternoon. People must be getting ready for summer vacation, Kristi thought as she scanned the row ahead for a parking spot.

Jenna’s cell phone buzzed. “It’s a text from Abbie. She’s meeting me at the main entrance. You can drop me off there.”

“Is she already here?” Kristi asked. “If not, I’ll wait with you till she arrives.”

“Mom! You’re treating me like a baby. I can be on my own for two minutes.”

“What if something happens and she doesn’t show up? I don’t want you hanging around the mall on your own, and I don’t want to have to come back for you. Sam and I have a lot to do this afternoon.”

“How much longer do you have to work there?”

“Another week or so. Why?”

“’Cause he’s a jerk. No way am I babysitting for him again.”

Kristi let the remark about Nate slide. “He pays you, and I thought you liked the girls.”

“Yeah, they’re cute. But Nate totally flipped out about me putting makeup on them. What’s that all about? It’s not like I got them tattoos or had their ears pierced.”

He had overreacted, no question about that. “I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding,” Kristi said, even though she didn’t really believe it. “I’ll talk to him when I get back, smooth things over.”

“Whatever.” Jenna’s phone buzzed again. “It’s Abbie. There she is, right over there.”

Kristi pulled into a loading zone and waved to her daughter’s friend. “Her mom’s picking you up, right?”

Jenna was already out of the van. “Yup.”

“What time?”

“Four-thirty.” The door slammed.

“I’ll be home by five,” Kristi yelled.

Jenna’s wave didn’t indicate whether or not she’d heard.

Kristi scanned the shoppers streaming past Abbie. There was no sign of the two boys they’d been hanging out with, but that didn’t mean they weren’t waiting inside or planning to show up later.

“She’s a good kid,” Kristi said out loud. She did a quick shoulder check before pulling away. She could trust Jenna to make good decisions, but they still needed to have that talk. “And you need to do it soon.”

She would talk to Nate, too. She couldn’t understand his being annoyed about the makeup. After all, he was fine with the dress-up clothes. Something about the makeup had set him off, and she wanted to find out why. Partly because she wanted to get to know him better, especially if they were going to keep up this charade of dating but not dating, but mostly because of the way he’d treated Jenna. She was just a kid, after all. She’d meant no harm, and caused none as far as Kristi was concerned. Nate owed Jenna an apology, and Kristi didn’t mind telling him.

* * *

“THAT’S BETTER,” NATE said to the girls after their faces were clean and their hair brushed and put back into little-girl pigtails. As usual, Molly’s were a little lopsided because she wouldn’t sit still.

Martha was still pouting. “We were playing. We weren’t being bad.”

“I know, sweetie.

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