Micah. Then I forced my gaze back to Dewayne. “Thanks for dinner. It was delicious.”

I turned and walked toward the hallway.

“You barely ate any of it,” Dewayne called out to me.

“Don’t want to gain any weight and dip below that average line I’m walking,” I replied, then

slammed my bedroom door behind me.

Squeezing my eyes closed, I took several calming breaths, then began to strip. I was ready for a

long soak in the tub with the new bath salts Hillary had given me to try out. She wanted her employees

to sample products she carried at the salon so we could recommend them. I loved that idea because I

would never let myself splurge on things like bath salts.

Micah’s laughter in the living room reminded me why Dewayne was here, and I let my anger and

frustration with him go. He had come to see Micah. He was protecting Micah. As insulting as it was

for him to question my choices, I was glad he wanted to be a part of Micah’s life. I needed to learn to

take the bad with the good.

From now on when Dewayne came to visit Micah, I would just take really long baths. I could eat

more in here too. It was a win-win situation. The good thing about Dewayne being a jerk was that at

least I wasn’t going all silly around him. His beautiful body and face didn’t get to me anymore.

Well, almost.

* * *

“Momma, I’m taking Dewayne outside to show him Daddy’s star. Okay?” Micah called through the

door a long time later.

I had gone outside with him last night to help him find the biggest star we could see. He believed it

was Dustin. So I let him believe it.

DEWAYNE

When Sienna had called out good-bye to me last night through her closed bedroom door, I knew I’d

really screwed up. For starters, I was going to have to explain the ‘average’ comment to her, because it

was bothering her. She kept bringing it up.

Then I needed to remember that she had done a damn fine job of raising Micah on her own.

Trusting her was important. I did trust her. It was this Cam Dodge I didn’t trust. I was going to fix

that, too. I would talk to him. See what I thought about him. If he was a good guy, then I’d encourage

this dating thing with Sienna. If he wasn’t, I’d make sure he stayed the hell away from her.

Last night when Micah took me outside to see the star he believed was Dustin, I should have had a

moment with him. It should have been the only thing on my mind. But it wasn’t. I’d been planning

this visit to Cam Dodge. Fucker messed up my night. I had to make sure he was worth it. Sienna

deserved the best.

Pulling my truck into the visitor parking at the high school, I decided this was the best idea. The

man couldn’t ignore me if I showed up at his job. I’d ask for a meeting with him and then we’d talk.

Sienna wouldn’t know about it, and I could hopefully step back and let her date.

Maybe she’d smile at me again. And fucking eat something around me.

I stepped into the school office, and Mrs. Quinn looked up at me. She broke into a smile as she

stood up. The short little secretary was older than my momma, and her white hair was always curled

up tight, her bangs pinned back with a bow like she was seven instead of seventy. Couldn’t help but

love the woman.

“Well, if it ain’t Dewayne Falco come to pay us a visit. I’ve heard that you cause less trouble these

days now that your buddies have all been tamed by their women.”

Leave it to Mrs. Quinn to know about everyone’s lives. She may be stuck sitting behind that desk

and dealing with teenagers all day five days a week, but she when we graduated, she didn’t forget us.

People like her were who we needed in education.

“I came to see that pretty smile of yours,” I told her, then winked just to watch her blush and bat

her eyelashes.

“Still a charmer, I see,” she replied, beaming at me. I was sure she didn’t get flirted with often,

given that she was as wide as she was tall. Still, she deserved some attention.

“Yes, ma’am. I always think a pretty woman needs to be told just that.”

She waved me off and giggled, which was hilarious coming from someone her age. When she

retired, it would be a sad day for Sea Breeze High.

“I know you didn’t just come here to flirt with me. Now, what can we do for you, Mr. Falco?” she

asked, still smiling.

I nodded at the door I knew belonged to the vice principal. Back when I was in school, the vice

principal had been Old Man Warldo. He was grumpy and mean as hell. It was good news for kids in

Sea Breeze when the man retired two years ago.

“I need to see Mr. Dodge,” I told her, trying to be as respectful as possible. If I could get through

Mrs. Quinn, then I was home free.

She looked unsure, then picked up her phone and pressed a button.

“Mr. Dodge, are you available to meet with Mr. Dewayne Falco, sir?”

The man wasn’t going to know who the hell I was. “Tell him it’s concerning Sienna Roy,” I told

her. That would pique his interest.

Mrs. Quinn’s eyes went big, and I knew she recognized that name too. My brother’s death had been

a tragedy this whole school had suffered. And Sienna’s leaving had shocked everyone.

“Uh, it’s concerning Miss Sienna Roy,” she added, studying me while she said it. “Yes, sir. I’ll

send him right in.”

He was curious. Good.

She hung up and raised her eyebrows. “Is Sienna Roy back home?”

I nodded. “Yeah, she is.”

Mrs. Quinn let out what looked like a sigh of relief. “Well, glory be. It’s about time. That sweet girl

was shipped off, and I knew it wasn’t right. Worried me sick. Glad she’s been able to come home.

Reckon her father’s passing made that possible.”

How this woman knew so much, I didn’t know. But she did. She seemed to know a lot. I just

nodded.

She waved her hand toward Cam Dodge’s door. “Go on in. Mr. Dodge said he would see you.”

I thanked her and headed for the door before he could change his mind.

Cam Dodge stood up from behind his desk when I opened the door. He was young. I was expecting

someone older, and that had bothered me. But he was young, and fuck it all if that didn’t bother me

more.

His button-down shirt and pressed slacks were part of the uniform, but he looked like he was

comfortable in that fancy shit. He was smiling, but his smile was very unsure. The name Sienna Roy

had been the reason he’d agreed to see me. So now he wanted to know why.

Well, he’d have to wait. I had some things I wanted to know first.

“How old are you?” I asked, not sitting down but standing on the other side of the desk, crossing

my arms over my chest and meeting his curious gaze. I liked that I had to look down at him. He was a

good two or three inches shorter than me.

“Excuse me?” he said, his forehead wrinkling.

“I asked how old you were,” I repeated. If he wanted more information from me, he’d need to

answer that first.

“Twenty-eight,” he replied, still watching me with an unsure expression.

“You normally pick women up at the grocery store?” I asked.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “No,” he replied. “Who are you, exactly?” he asked, clearly being

careful.

“Mrs. Quinn told you who I was. You ever been married?”

His eyes went wide with surprise, then he narrowed them in agitation. “I don’t see how that is your

business, seeing as I don’t know who you are. I was told your name, but all I know is you are someone

connected to the woman I have a date with tonight. I’d like more information from you if you intend

to grill me.”

He spoke like a principal. I watched him fiddle with his tie and stick his hands in his pockets while