Page 64 of Tattered (Lark Cove 1)

“Logan!” Charlie shouted as she flew down the sidewalk and into my arms.

“Happy Birthday, peanut.” I wrapped her up and spun her around. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” She leaned back and her smile melted my heart. “You’re back.”

“Of course I’m back. I made you a promise. Besides, I had to deliver your present. The mailman said it was too big.”

Her eyes sparkled. “What is it?”

“I guess you’d better go look in the back of the car.” I tipped my chin toward the black Suburban parked on the street. My assistant had arranged for the SUV to be at the airport last night, ready and loaded with Charlie’s gift.

She squirmed out of my arms and ran to the back, pushing the button to open the hatch. I followed, standing behind her with a stupid smile as the box came into view. It wasn’t wrapped, so she could see the pictures on the cardboard.

“A Jeep!” she yelled. Her voice was louder than I’d ever heard.

“Your very own Jeep.” Her excitement was contagious. I couldn’t wait to get the toy set up and see her driving it around the yard.

The Jeep I’d picked out was red with black trim. It had an open top, seats for two kids and a row of spotlights on the roll bar. It was top-of-the-line, the best toy vehicle on the market. I hadn’t even thought about asking Thea if the gift was too expensive. I’d missed five birthdays already, so if I wanted to spoil my daughter on her sixth, no one, not even her mother, was going to tell me no.

The door to the cottage opened and Thea and Hazel came down the sidewalk, joining us by the car.

“Mommy! Gran!” Charlie frantically waved them over. “Look what Logan got me.”

“A Jeep.” Thea smiled as she took in the box. “This is awesome! Did you say ‘thanks’?”

Charlie stopped admiring the box to wrap her arms around my hips. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Happy Birthday.” I bent and kissed the top of her hair. “Come on. Let’s get this thing unloaded and then I want to take you somewhere.”

“Where?” She and Thea stepped back, joining Hazel on the curb.

Since Thea was doing her best to avoid eye contact, Hazel and I shared a smirk. Whether Thea liked it or not, we would be talking about last night soon.

But for now, I was spending the morning with the birthday girl.

“We’re going on a birthday adventure.”

“Hey.” I walked into the kitchen and found Thea at the sink.

“Hi.” Her eyes tracked my hands as they set down the screwdriver I

’d been using to build Charlie’s Jeep. She was still refusing to look me in the eye. “All done?”

“Yeah.” I went right to her side and leaned against the counter, making sure to get close enough that I could bend and talk into her ear, but not so close that we were touching. “She’s driving it around.”

She was doing her best to act unaffected by my presence, but I heard the quick hitch of her breath as she washed a bowl. She’d been setting up for the party ever since Charlie and I had come back from our adventure.

“Sounds like you two had fun this morning.”

I smiled. “We sure did.”

The first place I’d taken Charlie this morning had been the lake house to meet with a realtor and get a tour. I’d assured her that I was buying the home for myself and she wouldn’t have to move but that I needed her help to decide if it was a place she could come for visits.

Charlie explored the house from top to bottom, inspecting every inch of the five-thousand-square-foot home. By the time she declared it was acceptable, the realtor—a man who’d stood by patiently the entire time—had earned his commission.

After we left my future Montana home, I took Charlie to a boat store about ten miles outside of Lark Cove. We went straight to the showroom where I told her to pick one. Just like with my house, she gave every boat a thorough inspection before deciding on a blue ski boat. And I’d handed the salesman my credit card.

From there, we’d returned to the cottage for lunch and to get Charlie’s Jeep assembled before the party.