Tempered (A Daughters of the People Novel) (Daughters of the People Series) by Lucy Varna

turning down a proposal from a little girl? “Don’t you think
I’m a little old for you?”
    Lali scowled,
her bow mouth curving down into a frown. “That’s what Levi said.”
    “Well, it’s kind
of a practical question.”
    “I don’t know
what that means, but I don’t like it.” She crossed her arms over her chest and
stared him down with a look that was pure Hawthorne. “Not one bit, mister.”
    “Aaron,” he
corrected. “Look, we could compromise here. How about we try friendship first
and see how it goes?”
    Her bow mouth
twisted into a skeptical frown. “Really?”
    “Sure.” He stuck
out his hand. “Shake on it.”
    She remained
stubbornly in place.
    Yup, she was
definitely related to Hawthorne.
    “I likes hugs
better,” Lali said.
    “Oh, well,
that’s probably not appropriate…” He oomphed as she leapt into his arms
and wrapped herself around him, nearly knocking him over. “Ok, then. Hugs it
is.”
    She buried her
face in his collar, muffling her voice. “You smell good. Will you be my puppy?”
    He stood
carefully, steadying her with one arm under her bottom and a hand on her back.
“Make up your mind, Lali. You want to marry me or keep me as a pet?”
    “Both,” she said
cheerfully. “I like puppies, too.”
    Two sets of
footsteps approached the open doorway, one the heavy thuds of a man’s boots on
wood, and the other a nearly silent swish of bare feet. A well-built man of about
Aaron’s age appeared on the threshold, his hazel eyes hard in a handsome enough
face. He stepped out onto the porch, his expression softening when his eyes
fell on Lali. “Thought you were my girl.”
    Lali leaned away
from Aaron, twisting to wrap her arms around the man’s neck while her legs
clung to Aaron’s waist. “You can be my other husband.”
    “Spoken like a
true Daughter.” He eyed Aaron from head to toe. “Bobby Upton.”
    “Aaron
Kesselman.” Aaron juggled Lali as she let go of Upton and wrapped herself
around him again. “I’m a friend of Hawthorne’s.”
    Bobby raised an
eyebrow at Hawthorne, who stood quietly in the doorway, her fit body clothed in
athletic wear that left little to the imagination. “Yeah?”
    “Aaron is a
co-worker,” Hawthorne explained. “Lali, please release Aaron. You must dress
now for our trip to the park.”
    Lali’s hands
squeezed tighter around Aaron’s neck. “Can Airn come with us?”
    “Perhaps,”
Hawthorne murmured.
    “Gotta run.”
Bobby lifted Hawthorne’s chin with one work-roughened hand and pressed a
lingering kiss to her mouth, then speared Aaron with a hard stare. “Kesselman.”
    Aaron’s mouth
dried up and his heart dropped through the floor. She hadn’t pulled away. Bobby’s
boots thudded heavily on the wooden porch as he walked by. Aaron nodded, the
only polite gesture he could manage while his tongue cleaved to the top of his
mouth and his hope of at least rekindling his friendship with Hawthorne
withered on the vine.
    “Lali, to your
room now. Mr. Kesselman and I must talk.”
    Lali scrambled obediently
down and raced past Hawthorne into the house, where she skidded to a stop. She
turned and said, “Are you gonna go to the park with us, Airn?”
    The truck roared
to life behind him, it’s engine settling into a low rumble as it moved away.
Aaron stuffed his fingers into the back pockets of his jeans. “If Hawthorne
says it’s ok.”
    “Ok.” Lali waved
cheerfully, then scampered up a set of steps just visible from where he stood,
her footsteps diminishing into silence.
    Hawthorne
speared him with a glare not much different from the one Upton had directed at
him. “Why are you here, Mr. Kesselman?”
    He sighed and
rubbed the nape of his neck. “So we’re back to that, are we?”
    “That was not an
answer.”
    Aaron dropped
his hand. Her expression hadn’t so much as flickered since she’d appeared in
the doorway. His heart dropped another notch. He was pretty sure it was close
to hitting bedrock. “I’m