“Jackson,” I said as an introduction, holding out my hand.
She stepped forward, her multicolored skirt swishing as she moved. The many bangles around her tiny wrist jingled as her hand met mine. Her chocolate brown eyes looked directly into me, warm and inviting, as she smiled.
She is breathtaking.
“I apologize. My secretary had to leave suddenly—food poisoning. It wasn’t pretty. So, I have absolutely no idea what is going on or who is coming in. I have a friend coming in to help, but it will be a few minutes. Please bear with me through all the confusion.”
Her gaze drifted over to Noah, who had taken a seat on the plush green sofa. His phone was laying on his lap, but his attention was focused on the woman in front of us.
“And who might you be?” she asked, walking forward to sit next to him.
“Noah,” he said.
“I like your haircut, Noah. It’s pretty cool.”
“Thanks,” he replied. His cheeks reddened slightly as a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“So, do you want to hang out for a little bit?” she asked.
“Uh…” His eyes roamed around, and he hesitantly looked at me.
“Don’t worry. We’re just hanging out today. We can do whatever you want—just you and me. I’ve got a sweet Xbox in my office. Wanna see?”
“Really?” His expression shifted to pure adoration.
Hippie girl had all sorts of surprises up her sleeve.
Liv
Xbox worked every time.
I looked down at my new young client and smiled. He was cute with sandy-blond hair and light-blue eyes that lit up when he spoke. His dad wasn’t bad-looking either.
“Yep. Why don’t you go in there and set everything up for us? I’ll be along in just a second,” I suggested.
Noah jumped off the couch in search of the video games, relief clearly written all over his boyish face. He’d probably been afraid that I was going to drill him for an hour straight.
That was not my style, especially with kids.
I liked to get down to their level and hang out with them. Once they felt comfortable, really comfortable with the environment I’d created for them, they would open up naturally. Nothing closed people off and clamped down their walls faster than forcing information out of them.
“So, Xbox, huh?” Jackson said, as he rocked back on his heels in front of me.
His accent was thicker than what was considered typical for Virginia. It was full and rich, and the words Southern charm came to mind when I heard him speak.
“Yeah, it seems to help—the boys at least,” I said. “I have half a dozen dolls and other things in there, too, if the Xbox fails, but it’s usually quite the crowd-pleaser.”
He nodded silently before finally opening his mouth again. “I’m here because I want to know why—”
I quickly held up my hands. “Stop,” I advised.
His head tilted to the side, and I watched his left eyebrow arch. It was quite cute, and I had to fight the grin threatening to make an appearance.
Damn it. It wasn’t cute. It was sexy.
Jackson—whatever his last name was—was hot.
I hated when the dads were good-looking. It made it so much harder for me to concentrate.
I quickly glanced down, noticing the lack of a wedding ring on his hand.
Double damn it. I also hated when they were single.
“I don’t want to know anything at this point. I like to go in blind,” I insisted.
“What?”
“I’ll have you complete paperwork while you’re waiting for us. During the first session, I like to have one-on-one time with your child to get to know him and learn about his life from his perspective. If you front-load me with information about him, it will make me biased. Right now, he’s a blank slate to me, and at least for today, I want to keep it that way. After all, isn’t that how everyone meets?”
“Huh. Isn’t that dangerous?” He folded his arms across his broad chest.
The crisp green button-down shirt stretched beautifully, making me wonder exactly what lay beneath all those buttons.
He caught me mid-wander and grinned.
“Dangerous how?” I asked, my eyes jumping up to meet his silvery gaze.
“What if the kid has a single word that makes him go bonkers? Or what if he instantly goes into seizures if he sees a clown on TV?”
I gave him a doubtful look. “Do any of those things happen to Noah?”
“No.” He smiled.
“Well, I think we’ll be just fine then. Besides, most kids and families who come to me aren’t that severe. If you are curling into a ball when you hear the word tiger, you should probably see a doctor.”
I thought he was about to offer up another flirty comeback when the door jingled, and Mia stepped inside.
“Hey,” she whispered, tiptoeing behind the front desk.
“There’s my backup,” I said. “She’ll get your paperwork for you. I’m going to go play a game on the Xbox.”
I felt his eyes on me as I turned away.
“Are you any good?” he asked.
I swiveled back around, smiling. “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”