Luke's Daughters. Lynnette Kent
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Название: Luke's Daughters
Автор: Lynnette Kent
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
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He held out his hands, palms up, in an open, generous gesture. “How could a little dinner between friends possibly hurt?”
DADDY MATT TURNED OUT to be more fun than Erin expected.
He bought her a Goofy hat and a Minnie Mouse nightgown and cotton candy. When they went to Sea World, he let her have a Shamu cup with a curly straw, filled with strawberry punch. And he never ran out of money for the games in the kid’s club room at the hotel.
Sometimes Mommy went out with Daddy Matt by herself, which was okay, because the hotel had good baby-sitters with lots of videos and snacks. Even Jenny didn’t mind going to the baby-sitter’s room—she got to watch Cinderella as many times as she wanted.
Erin knew she didn’t have a real reason to be sad. She could have just about anything she wanted. What more could a kid ask for?
Like now—here she sat in the fanciest restaurant in the world, wearing a dress that she’d picked out all by herself and which didn’t scratch, and she’d just eaten a whole plate of really good spaghetti. They were going to have dessert in a few minutes, just as soon as Daddy Matt and Mommy came back from dancing.
“Mommy’s pretty,” Jenny said. “Like a princess.”
“A queen,” Erin corrected. That would make Daddy Matt the king.
Erin watched them dance. Mommy’s red dress swirled around her. She looked up at Daddy Matt, smiling. And he smiled down at her.
Maybe, Erin thought, she wouldn’t have dessert after all. Her stomach felt funny.
Back in their hotel room, Mommy was still smiling, still humming the dance music. She stopped long enough to get Jenny undressed and read them both a story. Jenny, as usual, fell asleep before the story ended.
But Erin stayed awake, listening, even after kissing Mommy good-night. She heard Mommy and Daddy Matt talking in the other room, and then laughing. And then there was music again. She didn’t have to see through the door to know they were dancing.
Erin turned over and put her pillow on top of her head. That drowned out the music. But she felt like she heard it in her head. And she saw Mommy dancing, even with her eyes closed.
In Erin’s head, though, Mommy danced with the right person. She danced with Daddy.
But Erin was old enough to know that if her dream could come true, she wouldn’t be crying herself to sleep.
CHAPTER FOUR
ERIN AND JEN were due back on a three-thirty flight. Luke knew his mom and dad would want a private reunion with the newlyweds and the girls, so he filled in the time baking a batch of his special cookies. At five, he headed for his parents’ house on the beach.
When he arrived, Kristin’s green van was parked in the driveway. Luke deliberately relaxed his grip on the handlebars. The girls were still here. He hadn’t missed them.
Taking a deep breath, he switched off the bike and removed his helmet. He only wanted to see his daughters. Everybody could manage to stay cool for their sakes. Right?
Just as he put his hand on the doorknob, Luke decided to ring the bell instead of walking right in. Which was smart, he realized, when his mother opened the door.
Her blue eyes widened. “Oh…Luke. Hello. We weren’t…expecting you.”
“I wanted to welcome the girls home—”
A rush of footsteps sounded in the hallway behind his mother.
“Daddeee!” Jennifer launched herself into his arms. “We’re home!”
“Good to see you, Jenny Penny.” He hugged tight, trying to keep the bag of cookies intact, squeezing his eyes shut against tears.
Someone else tackled him at waist level. “Daddy, me, too. Me, too!”
So much for the cookies. “You, too, Bear.” He stooped to lift Erin up as well. “How was Mickey Mouse?”
“He’s big! This big!” Jen opened her arms wide. “I like Goofy better.”
Erin stared at him, frowning. “Where’s your hair, Daddy? What happened to your ponytail?”
“I got a haircut, Bear. I’m back on my regular job for a while.”
“It looks funny.”
Luke laughed. “Thanks. What did you do at Disney World?”
“I got my picture taken with Aladdin and the Genie, and Pinocchio and Hercules!” Erin counted on her fingers. “And Donald Duck!”
“Very cool.” His mother had closed the door and disappeared. Luke carried the girls into the living room, sat down on the couch and perched one of them on each knee. “What ride did y’all like best?”
That answer involved a serious discussion of all the rides they’d taken and the high points of each. Luke studied their faces as the girls traded ideas. They were a little browner than last week. The outfits they wore looked new.
He touched a bandage on Erin’s knee. “What happened here?”
Erin laughed. “We went on the teacup ride and it went ’round and ’round and ’round. And when I got off I was so dizzy I couldn’t walk, and I bumped into the edge of a bench.”
“You cried.” Jen pointed out.
“Just a little. You cried when the whale splashed you.”
“Well, you cried when—”
“Hold it.” Luke squeezed them both around the waist. “I get the picture. Did you go on Peter Pan’s Flight? That was your favorite when we went to the Magic Kingdom, Erin.”
“We went to Disney World before?”
“Sure, you and your mom and me. Jen was still a baby, but she came, too. We have…had pictures, remember? You and me in the boat, getting ready to fly?”
She shook her blond head. “Uh-uh. But we rode it this time. Jen was scared we would fall.”
Luke chuckled. “That’s what you thought when we went, too.”
“So there.” Jennifer stuck her tongue out at her sister.
“Jennifer Irene Brennan.” Kristin stood in the doorway, hands on her hips. “That’s rude and unkind and you will apologize to your sister.”
“I’m sorry,” Jen muttered.
“Ha-ha,” Erin taunted.
Luke shook her gently. “You don’t hit somebody when they’re down, Erin. You know that.”
She hung her head. “I know, Daddy.”
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