over again tomorrow and the day after and the day after that.
A quick glance at the clock proved it was only nine o’clock. Despite the early hour, all he could think about was getting her back into his bed. She was a comfortable companion and he couldn’t help but wonder why she’d never remarried.
Before he could think better of it, the question left his lips. “How come you never dated after Drew’s
death?”
Grace took his question in stride, shrugging lightly. “Actually, I did try dating once. About a year
after Drew’s accident. Don’t you remember? His name was Bill and he was a realtor. We went out a few
times.”
Jamie felt the niggling of a memory. “I sort of remember that, but it wasn’t anything serious and I
don’t remember it lasting very long.”
She nestled closer, taking one of his hands in hers, idly toying with his fingers. “Oh no, nothing
serious. Maddie was thirteen and at the beginning of her teen angst years. She strongly disliked Bill.”
“You stopped dating the guy because Maddie didn’t like him?”
Grace shook her head. “I don’t think it was Bill she disliked as much as the idea of me being
unfaithful to her father’s memory. Maddie adored Drew. She was the epitome of a daddy’s girl and she had Drew wrapped around her little finger. She was devastated by his death.”
Jamie frowned. “Maddie wasn’t the only one who’d lost someone, Grace. Don’t you think you
deserved the chance to try to find some happiness?”
“I think there’s a difference between an adult losing a spouse and a child losing a parent. Maddie
needed me. She needed me to be stable, strong, consistent and reliable. She’s my daughter and there’s
www.samhainpublishing.com
Mari Carr
Happy Hour
nothing I won’t give her if I’m able to. Bill came along too early in the grieving process for Maddie. I can see that now. My little girl was broken and I wasn’t about to do anything that might scatter the pieces she was struggling to glue back together.”
“That was years ago. Don’t you think it’s safe to say the hurt healed a while ago?”
Grace sat up and he didn’t stop her, knowing she wanted to have this conversation face-to-face. “Time
moves so quickly and it’s easy to fall into routines, patterns. By the time Maddie was old enough to accept the idea of a man in my life, I wasn’t in the mood to go look for one.”
Jamie laughed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I was old enough to know I didn’t want to prowl around the nightclubs searching for Mr.
Right, which limited my choices to colleagues and available fathers of my students. Neither of those
choices seemed right.” Her words pierced his heart a bit until she added, “I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined this weekend.”
“Didn’t Maddie try to fix you up with Rhonda’s father?” Jamie asked.
“Ugh. Have you met Mr. Scott? There’s a reason he’s been divorced three times. Infidelity seems to
rank at the top of that list.”
“Ah, I see.”
She leaned forward and kissed him gently, her tongue lightly running along his lower lip. “Twenty
questions over?”
He wasn’t finished talking about her feelings toward a relationship, but her kiss managed to scatter his wits and he decided they’d have plenty of time for talk later. The image of her pile of barely used sex toys floated through his mind and just like that, his cock stole all the blood supply from his brain.
“Let’s go upstairs. I want to tie you to my bed and do all sorts of naughty things to you.”
She licked her lips and he was struck again by the realization he wouldn’t have to hold back with her.
He watched Grace respond to his words with heated interest and he knew she was a kindred spirited—
adventurous and up for anything.
“Have you ever been restrained in bed?” he asked, pleased that he’d been able to introduce her to so
many new experiences already.
She shook her head.
“Good.
A quick glance at the clock proved it was only nine o’clock. Despite the early hour, all he could think about was getting her back into his bed. She was a comfortable companion and he couldn’t help but wonder why she’d never remarried.
Before he could think better of it, the question left his lips. “How come you never dated after Drew’s
death?”
Grace took his question in stride, shrugging lightly. “Actually, I did try dating once. About a year
after Drew’s accident. Don’t you remember? His name was Bill and he was a realtor. We went out a few
times.”
Jamie felt the niggling of a memory. “I sort of remember that, but it wasn’t anything serious and I
don’t remember it lasting very long.”
She nestled closer, taking one of his hands in hers, idly toying with his fingers. “Oh no, nothing
serious. Maddie was thirteen and at the beginning of her teen angst years. She strongly disliked Bill.”
“You stopped dating the guy because Maddie didn’t like him?”
Grace shook her head. “I don’t think it was Bill she disliked as much as the idea of me being
unfaithful to her father’s memory. Maddie adored Drew. She was the epitome of a daddy’s girl and she had Drew wrapped around her little finger. She was devastated by his death.”
Jamie frowned. “Maddie wasn’t the only one who’d lost someone, Grace. Don’t you think you
deserved the chance to try to find some happiness?”
“I think there’s a difference between an adult losing a spouse and a child losing a parent. Maddie
needed me. She needed me to be stable, strong, consistent and reliable. She’s my daughter and there’s
www.samhainpublishing.com
Mari Carr
Happy Hour
nothing I won’t give her if I’m able to. Bill came along too early in the grieving process for Maddie. I can see that now. My little girl was broken and I wasn’t about to do anything that might scatter the pieces she was struggling to glue back together.”
“That was years ago. Don’t you think it’s safe to say the hurt healed a while ago?”
Grace sat up and he didn’t stop her, knowing she wanted to have this conversation face-to-face. “Time
moves so quickly and it’s easy to fall into routines, patterns. By the time Maddie was old enough to accept the idea of a man in my life, I wasn’t in the mood to go look for one.”
Jamie laughed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I was old enough to know I didn’t want to prowl around the nightclubs searching for Mr.
Right, which limited my choices to colleagues and available fathers of my students. Neither of those
choices seemed right.” Her words pierced his heart a bit until she added, “I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined this weekend.”
“Didn’t Maddie try to fix you up with Rhonda’s father?” Jamie asked.
“Ugh. Have you met Mr. Scott? There’s a reason he’s been divorced three times. Infidelity seems to
rank at the top of that list.”
“Ah, I see.”
She leaned forward and kissed him gently, her tongue lightly running along his lower lip. “Twenty
questions over?”
He wasn’t finished talking about her feelings toward a relationship, but her kiss managed to scatter his wits and he decided they’d have plenty of time for talk later. The image of her pile of barely used sex toys floated through his mind and just like that, his cock stole all the blood supply from his brain.
“Let’s go upstairs. I want to tie you to my bed and do all sorts of naughty things to you.”
She licked her lips and he was struck again by the realization he wouldn’t have to hold back with her.
He watched Grace respond to his words with heated interest and he knew she was a kindred spirited—
adventurous and up for anything.
“Have you ever been restrained in bed?” he asked, pleased that he’d been able to introduce her to so
many new experiences already.
She shook her head.
“Good.
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