Shoved (Moonlit Lake Matchmaker #4)

Chapter 21

STORM

Guilt wracked my mind and had me shifting uncomfortably in my recliner for the rest of the night.

That kiss replayed in my mind on an endless loop. I should have pulled away. She was sick, delirious with fever, and didn’t know what she was doing. I didn’t have such an excuse.

But when she drew me in and pressed her lips against mine… well, a lightning bolt could have struck me down and I wouldn’t have been as affected. That simple touch of her lips to mine rocked my entire world. I’d never experienced anything so powerful.

It was probably just a heat of the moment thing, after taking care of her and Sadie, right? Possibly. But something told me this was something else. Something I wasn’t ready to admit, even to myself.

The protectiveness I felt for the two of them was way beyond my norm. Rivaling what I felt for my family. But she wasn’t family, she was a client. I always wanted the best for my clients, but it was never like this. I wanted to throw my body in front of Serena and Sadie as their human shield or hide them away to keep them safe from whoever was after them.

Who could be following them?

It made no sense for the grandparents who had filed the custody suit to try to intimidate them or kidnap Sadie. It would completely ruin their case if they did anything like that, and with the high-powered legal team they had, that was highly unlikely.

Maybe Serena had some disgruntled ex that was after her. My chest seized at the thought. Of course, she had a past. I did too. But the thought of her with anyone made my blood boil and my jaw clench.

I’d had plenty of dates over the years. But I’d always been married to my job and never needed anything else. Long-term relationships held no appeal for me. After spending time with Serena and Sadie, my stance might be wavering. I still didn’t think I’d ever get married. The success rate wasn’t high enough for me to commit to something bound for failure like that. But if I did, I’d want it to be with someone like Serena.

What if, for her, that kiss had been just a perfect storm of stress, fever, and proximity? She might not even remember that it happened. Or she might be humiliated that she did something so bold while she was out of her mind.

Even though I heard her mumble something about me being a walking Greek god—yes, I’m sure that’s what she said, and I couldn’t help how my chest puffed when I heard it—all that showed was that she was attracted to me. It didn’t mean she’d ever want more than a professional relationship with me. Did it?

Not that I wanted more.

Casual was all I was capable of—all I could offer her—but casual seemed impossible with Serena. It would be confusing for Sadie, and I didn’t want to do anything to hurt her. It was all or nothing with these two.

Unless I could figure out how to be Serena’s friend. Then I’d have a right to protect them without giving Sadie hopes for gaining a father. Maybe we could add a friendship to our professional relationship. I could handle that.

Unfortunately, friends and professionals did not kiss. That fever-induced kiss would probably be all I’d ever get from her.

Sadie stirred first. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, then looked around the room with her faced twisted in confusion. “Where am I?”

Lulu woke and stretched next to Sadie, reaching her head close enough to the little girl’s cheek to slather her with kisses and make her giggle.

I sat on the coffee table in front of her. “This is my house. You had a slumber party here last night.”

Her eyes widened. “We did? I don’t remember doing anything fun at the party.”

“No. You got sick as soon as I opened the door, and then you fell asleep on the couch. Not a very fun party.” I placed my hand on her forehead, was relieved to feel a normal temperature. Finally. “How do you feel hungry.” Sadie pushed herself to sitting.

“Good morning, Sweetpea,” Serena mumbled as she stretched and extended her arms to Sadie. “Come, give Mommy a hug.”

Sadie crawled along the couch to her mom and snuggled into her arms.

“Do you feel better?” Serena asked, placing a kiss on Sadie’s forehead, not unlike the one I gave Serena last night.

I’m not sure what possessed me to kiss Serena’s forehead. The idea of me becoming a tender-hearted forehead-kisser was laughable. Good thing my siblings weren’t here to witness it. My whole life, I’d never done that before, not even to my sisters when they were sick or crying. Somehow taking care of Serena last night opened up a caregiving side of me I didn’t know existed. Besides that, being the one she trusted to watch over them when she was vulnerable felt intimate, even though it wasn’t.

I distracted myself by starting the coffee pot. A definite necessity this morning.

Sadie nodded. “Mm-hmm. Can I have some breakfast?”

“You need to talk to Storm. It’s his house.”

Sadie looked up at me with puppy dog eyes that I was hopeless to resist.

I leaned against the counter, trying to think of what I had that would be good for sick people to eat. I didn’t want to give them anything that might upset their stomachs again. “My mom always made us cinnamon sugar toast when we were sick. Serena, would it be okay if I made her some of that? Or do you have other ideas?”

Serena shifted her gaze from me to Sadie and back. “Yeah. Toast should be good. Let’s see how that goes before eating anything else.”

Sadie climbed up onto a barstool at the counter in front of me.

“Do you want cinnamon sugar on your toast, Sadie? Or would you prefer butter or jelly?”

“Cimmin sugar, please,” Sadie said, with more energy than me and Serena combined.

“Coming right up.” I put a piece of bread into the toaster. “Serena, how about you? Toast, bagel, yogurt, an egg. Sorry, I don’t have more choices to offer you.”

“I think I’ll go with toast, too. My stomach still feels a little queasy.” She leaned her head against the back of the couch, and then she looked up at the clock. “Oh. I better call Marlys and see if she can cover for me at the shop.”

She picked up her phone and made her call. Which reminded me I should call someone to come and pull her car out of the ditch so we could both get on with our day. But that could wait until after breakfast.

I made cinnamon toast for all of us. It had been years since I’d eaten that, and it just smelled so good, I couldn’t resist. Made me nostalgic for mornings on the farm with my family. Though those were never quiet like this. With six kids, it was a perpetual circus.

Most of the time, I loved my solitude, where I could think and work as long of hours as I wanted. But there were times when I missed the noise of home.

Serena joined us in the kitchen. “My will take care of the shop today. That woman is a godsend. So we have time to get my car out of the ditch and get out of your hair.” She sat on a stool next to Sadie, and I slid a plate of toast in front of her. “Storm, I appreciate all the trouble you’ve gone through for us.”

“Glad I could help. It’s not a big deal. And no hurry, I have nothing pressing to do today.” I poured myself a cup of coffee and took a sip. “Did you want some coffee?”

Serena bit her lip as she considered it, then shook her head. “I think I better wait on the coffee to see how my stomach handles this. The toast looks great, by the way.”

“Mmm. Cimmin toast is my favoritest,” Sadie said, with her mouth full, spraying crumbs and sugar as she talked.

Serena ran her hand over Sadie’s head to smooth out her curls. “Would it be okay if I gave her a bath after breakfast?”

“That’s fine. I folded up her clean clothes and set them on the table over there.” I pointed to the end table where I’d piled their things. “I’ll set out some shampoo, soap, and towels in the bathroom for you.”

“Thanks.” Serena took a bite of her toast and chewed it slowly before speaking again. “And while she’s in the tub, there are some things we need to talk about.”

I nodded and put my dirty plate and knife in the dishwasher. Yes, we needed to talk. I knew that. But tell that to the bowling ball of guilt in my gut. Did she remember the kiss? Did she regret it? I was about to find out.