Free One Night with a Star (Second Chances Book 2) by Merry Farmer Page A

he said. “I only knew one of my grans, but she was the best thing in the world. I’m glad Daniel has family he can rely on. Let’s go see him.”
    “Now?” Her face was dark with suspicion, but the pull of her son was definitely there.
    “That’s what I’ve been saying,” he teased her. “Come on. Daniel is waiting.”
    She shook her head. “Simon, I can’t just drop everything in the middle of the day to take you on a play date with Daniel.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because it’s not what grown-ups do,” she growled.
    Getting under her skin was the most fun he’d had all week. If he got under her skin deep enough, maybe he could find his way back into her heart.
    “I have yet to be entirely convinced that I am one of the grown-ups,” he said with a smile to prove it.
    “I can believe that,” Jenny muttered. She planted her hands on her hips. “There’s more to it than just that. I’m already on my boss’s bad list. I don’t want to tempt fate further. And besides, my dad is home today for—”
    She stopped. Her mouth twitched. If Simon wasn’t mistaken, a flash came to her eyes. It hit him with the pulsing tickle of something explosive about to happen. For that one instant, the Jenny who he’d fallen so hard for last summer was back.
    “All right,” she said, voice unusually calm. “Let’s go home and get Daniel.”
    “Really?” Simon smiled.
    “Of course.” Her answering smile was entirely too cunning. “You want to be a part of your son’s life, after all, right?”
    “I do.”
    “Then let’s go.” She packed up all of the loose papers and shoved them back into her bag. They started around the porch to the front drive. “I’ll drive. I hope you don’t mind the mess.”
    “I’m sure I’ve seen worse,” he said.
    She could have had her car piled with dirt and rusted nails for all he was concerned. He was with her, they were going to pick up Daniel. Things were playing out exactly as he hoped they would.

 
     
    Chapter Six
     
    Her dad was home. As far as Jenny was concerned, that was all that mattered. If Simon thought he could mess with her, he had another thing coming. She wouldn’t even mind the collateral damage that would inevitably come with what she was about to do. It would be worth it. She didn’t bother to suppress her grin as they pulled into the drive. Yep, her dad’s SUV was parked right where it usually was.
    “We’re here,” she told Simon with a deceptively pleasant smile.
    “It’s nice,” Simon replied, getting out of the car and surveying the house.
    The big house in Saco had been in her family for three generations now. It had a hint of the distinctive Victorian design of Sand Dollar Point, but with more of a utilitarian, sturdy feel. The house had been through more storms than Jenny wanted to think about. She felt bad that she had brought another one under the roof.
    “I moved here a couple of weeks after Daniel was born,” she explained as they walked to the front door’s covered entryway. She didn’t know why she was telling Simon. The words just came out. “I wanted to keep my apartment and raise Daniel without any help, but a newborn is a lot more work than you’d think.”
    “I can imagine,” Simon said.
    Yeah right. There was no way.
    “By two weeks, Mom was over at my apartment so much she told me I should just move home. Then things started going south at work and….” She left off the rest, pausing at the door. “My little sister, Kim, was more than happy to move out of the house and switch places with me. It worked out.”
    “So you’re happy here?” Simon asked as she opened the door and stepped into the front hall.
    “It’ll do for now,” she said. Really, she wanted to get out and land on her own two feet again as soon as she could. If Simon bought a really expensive house, that just might happen. “Mom, Dad,” she called out. “You home?”
    Under any other circumstance, she would have been as quiet as possible