Chasing Shadows (First Wives #3)(22)

“But still late for you. Nice diversion. Does she have a name?”

Liam picked up the two-by-four he’d predrilled holes into for his screws. “She does, and I’ll tell it to you when I’m ready.”

“I knew it.” She giggled like a schoolgirl. “Are we going to meet her?”

“It’s new. I don’t know.” Yes. He wanted to say yes. Introducing Avery to his sister he could deal with, but not Cassandra. She wouldn’t understand if it didn’t work out.

“You should bring her to Sunday dinner.”

“Michelle!” Her name was a warning.

His sister turned back around to go inside. “You’re still okay with watching Cassie tonight?”

Two Saturdays a month, he watched his niece so Michelle could do an all-nighter on the crisis hotline.

“Of course. We have a date planned.”

“Please don’t stuff her with sugar. She was a pill the last time.”

He saluted his sister and revved his drill bit.

“Liam!”

“Don’t worry, sis. I got it figured out.”



“That hot fudge sundae is bigger than you.”

Liam sat across from his niece in the restaurant portion of the arcade, where they’d finished their cheeseburgers and fries . . . or at least he had polished off the fast food–type meal while Cassandra saved room for desert.

Whipped cream and fudge were stuck to the corners of her mouth.

“Your mom’s going to kill me.”

His niece giggled.

The kid had him wrapped around her little finger. He didn’t know how to say no to her.

“We won’t tell her,” Cassandra pretended to whisper.

Liam reached over, dipped his clean napkin in her water, and wiped fudge off her pink shirt. “I think she’ll figure it out.”

He cut her off halfway through the sundae with the lure of games and miniature golf.

Liam found himself receiving the attention of several women in the arcade who were entertaining their children. He was used to the attention whenever he was out with Cassandra alone. When he was with Michelle, he knew people assumed he and Michelle were a thing. Once he got over the yuck factor, he realized it was an easy assumption. But when alone, he was the poor single dad, or maybe the weekend dad . . . the results were the same. Women emerged, flirted.

Assumed.

Like the brunette smiling at him from across the room.

Nope, nope, nope . . . he was into blondes these days.

Liam leaned against the wall next to a row of Skee-Ball stations and tried not to make eye contact. Only the woman had caught his scent and was working her way to his side.

It was his shot with the ball, so he turned his back on her just as she approached. He purposely tossed the ball to the side and scored low.

“No, Uncle Liam. Throw it in the middle,” Cassandra instructed.

“Do you need some help with that?”

It was the brunette, and she was standing right behind him.

Cassandra, not catching on to a female on the prowl, shook her head and invited conversation. “He’s bad at this game.”

Liam saw the woman’s eyes light up. “I can show you a few pointers.”

“I’m sure you could, but I’m here with my niece tonight.”

She smiled at Cassandra for all of one second. “That’s sweet. Maybe another time.”

Her voice was hopeful, her eyelids fluttered.

Liam didn’t add to the conversation with the stranger. Instead he focused on Cassandra. “Show me how you do it again.”

The woman walked away and Liam sighed in relief.

At eight o’clock sharp, his phone rang. He answered without looking at the number. “Hello, Michelle. Before you start . . . yes, we’re still out, but I’ll have Cassandra home by nine . . . maybe nine thirty.” His sister always gave him the same rundown every time he had his niece.

“Liam?”

Not Michelle.

The arcade made it difficult to hear.

“Who is this?”

“It’s not Michelle. And who is Cassandra? Or do you have a harem you want to add me to?”

Liam closed his eyes. “Avery.”

“Glad you could get the name right.”

Liam felt panic crawl up his spine. “It’s not what you think—”

“It’s okay. I get it. One kiss and an exchange of phone numbers . . . I don’t need to know who Michelle or Cassandra is. Obviously I’ve called at a bad time.”

She was going to hang up . . . he felt it. “Avery!”

Yup, the line went dead.

Cassandra tugged on his pants and looked up at him. “Who is Avery?”





Chapter Ten



Avery tapped her phone against her chest as the conversation from the previous night ran through her head. Liam had made it sound like he wanted to start something. Something that included predetermined dates and maybe the occasional plus-one event.

For one night and most of the day, Avery actually considered it. It wasn’t like she was doing anything else with her love life. Liam seemed harmless enough, even for the size of the man.

And damn, the man could kiss. She didn’t think her brain cells started circulating until after he was on the freeway headed home.