Part 17 (2/2)
Serena nodded, making her blond curls bounce. ”I'm four.” She held up four fingers to prove it.
”That's definitely old enough for a chocolate.” Cecily smiled. ”What's your favorite?”
”Milk chocolate!”
Cute. The girl already knew her chocolate. ”You know, we just happen to have some here with your name on it,” Cecily told her. ”Would a piece spoil her appet.i.te?” she asked Bernadette.
”Not at all,” Bernadette said, and opened her purse.
”No charge for any of the Sweet Dreams family.” She donned a plastic glove and fished a good-size piece from the jar of seconds they sold by the pound, while Serena jumped up and down with antic.i.p.ation. She handed it to the child, who took it eagerly.
”What do you say?” Bernadette prompted.
”Thank you,” Serena sang. She studied the candy and her brow furrowed.
”What's wrong?” Cecily asked.
”I don't see my name on it.” Serena held it out for inspection.
The three women smiled. ”That's an expression, honey,” Bernadette said. ”It means Miss Cecily was saving that piece just for you.”
Serena beamed and popped the whole thing in her mouth, fearlessly going where no grown-up would dare to go. ”Good,” she said, and a little trail of chocolate dribbled down her chin.
”Oh, Serena Hope,” Bernadette said, taking a tissue to her granddaughter's chin. ”What will your daddy say if he sees you all covered in chocolate?”
”He'll say, 'Another satisfied customer,'” a male voice said.
Cecily turned to see Luke entering the shop from the hallway that led to the factory. He was a large man with fair skin and hair, blue eyes and a round face-not good-looking enough to win a Mr. Dreamy contest, but nice. In fact, nice seemed to sum up Luke Goodman. He was the boy next door, the perfect big brother, the friend who sat beside you in homeroom.
And that was about all the chemistry Cecily felt looking at him. A hard-working, loyal family man was every woman's ideal. Why, oh, why didn't her stupid hormones wake up at the sight of him the way they did every time she saw Todd Black?
”Daddy!” Serena squealed, and ran to him.
He scooped her up in his arms and kissed her cheek. ”You smell like chocolate,” he informed her. ”I'm going to eat you all up.” He gobbled on her neck, making her giggle and squirm.
”Don't, Daddy,” she protested halfheartedly.
He gave her one more kiss, then set her down and turned his attention to Cecily. The look in his eyes told her that his hormones weren't snoozing. ”Hi, Cecily. It's been a while since we've seen you.”
Who wouldn't want a man like this? Wake up in there!
Her hormones dozed on.
He's big. You like big men.
Zzzz.
Give up, she told herself, you were obviously meant to be single.
Todd Black's swarthy face came to mind. Or stupid.
No. No more stupidity. She was done with men like Todd Black. She was done with men, period. After two years of running a dating service she'd had too much opportunity to study them up close. She has to be a D cup.... What? I never said I was interested in marriage, just a relations.h.i.+p. (Translation: s.e.x.) Oh, yes, she'd had enough of the male of the species to last her a lifetime.
Not every man who came to her service was like that, she reminded herself. This one surely wasn't. She smiled back at him. ”How's it going?”
”Can't complain,” he said. ”I heard you were back.”
Apparently everyone in town had. ”And busy,” she said, pointing to the Mr. Dreamy pictures.
He shook his head. ”Whatever brings in business, I guess.”
Okay, so it was a little cheesy. And maybe just a little hypocritical, considering how judgmental she'd been of some of her clients. She quickly s.h.i.+ed away from that last thought.
”Daddy, I'm hungry,” Serena said.
”Right. We're off to Herman's,” he told Cecily. ”Would you like to join us?”
Herman's Hamburgers was one of the most popular spots in town, famous for its Herman the German hamburgers, which were almost more than any human mouth could get around.
It would be interesting to see little Serena try, but Cecily didn't want to give Luke the wrong idea. ”Actually, I've got to get back to the house,” she said.
His smile looked a little less jovial now.
”But thanks for the offer,” she added, trying to soften the blow to his ego.
”Sure, no problem.”
”Let's go, Daddy,” Serena urged.
He shook off his disappointment like a big dog shedding water. ”Right. Come on, girls. We're gonna go take on Herman the German and some garlic fries.”
”Lovely to see you again,” Bernadette said as they left the shop. ”Come by for coffee sometime.”
”I'll do that,” Cecily lied.
”What a nice guy,” Heidi said as the door closed after Luke and his family.
”He is,” Cecily agreed. There had to be some perfect woman out there for him.
You're out of the matchmaking business, she reminded herself. Luke would just have to get along without her.
Chapter Fourteen.
<script>