Free Falling for Mr. Wrong by Inara Scott Page B

Julia and nodded to Kelsey. “Of course you can go. Have fun. I want to hear all about it when you come home.”
    …
    Kelsey brushed back a long, damp handful of hair and retied her ponytail. After a tired shake of her head, she pulled her T-shirt away from her back, fanning the sweaty skin with the cool air-conditioning of the house. She’d never had air-conditioning before—had never seen any need for it—but now she relished the obscene use of energy. Life was different when it wasn’t just you who was hot, but three pouty, unhappy kids.
    She began to fill water bottles from the spout on the refrigerator, while inside, she seethed.
    She’d been set up. The bastard had set her up. The bastard with the achingly blue eyes that followed her wherever she went. The one with the hands she couldn’t forget, and the voice that sent shivers up and down her spine.
    That bastard.
    “Can I go up to my room now?” Luke, the devil with glasses and glowing red cheeks, glared at her.
    She nodded. “Absolutely.” Even though she was more than ready to have him disappear, her better instincts wouldn’t let him get dehydrated. “But first you’ve got to drink this.” She held out the first bottle.
    Luke eyed it with disdain. “No thanks.”
    “Sorry,” she replied, maintaining a cheery smile. “Refusal is not an option. You drink it or no DS.”
    With a mutter, he took the bottle and sucked down a few gulps. Then he turned and pounded his way up the stairs.
    Kelsey realized as she watched his retreating back that she’d come a long way. On Monday, she would have second-guessed their interaction and tormented herself with the fear that she had been too strict. Things were different now. She knew how to say no and how to ignore Luke when he was in one of his moods. She had learned how to tune out his grumbling and trust her instincts when it came to managing him.
    If only she could do the same with his father. She had no idea how to manage him . Or more precisely, her reaction to him.
    Julia tugged on her sleeve. “What should I do?”
    Her dark braids were plastered to the sides of her head. She’d gamely tried to bike up the hill to the house, but had given up halfway. Kelsey was proud of her for getting that far. It was pushing ninety degrees outside, and the park had offered little in the way of shade—not to mention that Julia had ridden hard for nearly an hour, and it was late afternoon, and everyone probably needed a nap. Kelsey had hoped to get out in the morning, but she had discovered that every single task—from making breakfast, to packing a lunch, to applying sunscreen—took ten times as long when you had to do it with a collection of unruly kids.
    Kelsey handed Julia the second bottle of water. “First, drink some of this. Then you can go upstairs to read.” She indicated a stack of picture books, which Marie had taken out from the library and delivered to Kelsey at the park. “You can take these up with you to your room.”
    She was more than ready to have a break. The battle with Luke had started raging the moment she mentioned the bikes. Still smarting from Ross’s concern about her taking the kids on something as simple as a bike ride, she’d called the kids together and suggested they go to the park as soon as Ross disappeared into his office. Matt and Julia had been thrilled.
    Luke, not so much. Once they started out, she realized exactly why he dreaded riding his bike. Luke rode like he was terrified that he’d fall down at any moment. He wove back and forth on the sidewalk, stopped abruptly at curbs, and had a hard time starting on an incline because he was so tentative. He banged his shins on the pedals, scraped his leg on the chain, and even fell over onto the grass once when he slipped off the concrete.
    She’d convinced him to come with them only by promising that he could play his video game for an extra half hour when they got home. Once at the park, he’d done nothing but complain