Free Crossing the Line by Sherri Hayes

of the word closely. Ch. Ch. Can you do that?”
    “Ch.”
    Megan smiled. “Good. Now add it to the rest of the word. Ch-eese.”
    Chloe repeated the word exactly how Megan said it. “Ch-eese.”
    “Great job!” Megan handed the little girl the apples and cheese, and gave her a kiss on the top of her head, before taking a seat on the other side of the kitchen island.
    Chloe dug into the cheese and apples, holding one in each of her little hands. “Meg-an, why doesn’t my daddy have a girlfriend?”
    Megan choked on the drink of water she was swallowing. “Um. I don’t know.”
    “Allie says that her daddy has a girlfriend. And Debbie says if there is no mommy that daddies have to have a girlfriend to take care of them.”
    Not knowing how to respond, Megan said nothing for several minutes.
    “You take care of me and Daddy. Are you Daddy’s girlfriend?”
    Megan’s chest clenched. “No. I’m not.”
    Chloe frowned. “But . . . what if I want you to be?”
    Strolling over to Chloe, Megan brushed the hair back over the little girl’s shoulders, tucking it behind her ears. “It doesn’t work that way, honey.”
    “Why not?”
    Megan sighed and gave Chloe a small smile. No matter how much Megan wanted to be exactly that, Paul’s girlfriend, it wasn’t only up to her. “It just doesn’t.”
    Chloe opened her mouth, ready to ask another question, but luckily the phone rang, interrupting the inquisition. It was Marilyn Daniels, Chloe’s grandmother. After a brief conversation with Paul’s mother, Megan handed the phone over to Chloe. Within minutes, the two were involved in a conversation that revolved around summer vacation. 
    Giving them a little privacy, Megan busied herself cleaning up the remains of Chloe’s snack. Chloe was set to spend a month this summer with her grandparents—two weeks with Paul’s parents, and two weeks with her mother’s parents. Paul had brought it up a couple of weeks ago, letting Megan know she’d be free to visit her sister or go on vacation herself during that time. 
    Megan had thought about it. She had a little money saved up since Paul paid for almost all of her living expenses. Even if she didn’t have money, she knew Gage, her new brother-in-law, would pay for a plane ticket if she asked. 
    Money wasn’t the problem. The problem was that she didn’t want to leave Paul. Sure, she’d love to spend some time with Rebecca, but her sister had Gage. Megan knew he’d take care of Rebecca and make sure she had everything she needed. He practically worshipped the ground Rebecca walked on. Plus, the two of them were like a couple of animals. She wasn’t sure she could take being in the same house with them for a month while they were all over each other. Especially when she was currently sex deprived herself. 
    Chloe hung up the phone and raced over to stand beside Megan. “Can I go play?”
    “Sure.” Without wasting another second, Chloe took off up the stairs, leaving Megan alone.
    Tossing the rag she’d been using into the sink, she followed Chloe. Maybe come the end of May, Megan wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not she should leave and give Paul his space or not. Maybe, just maybe, a certain five-year-old would get her wish and her daddy would get a girlfriend. 
      
    Paul pulled into his driveway a little before six. He could have worked longer. He could have worked all night, since they were no closer to solving the case than they had been this morning, but he didn’t want Megan to think he was running away. Again. That, and he’d only missed tucking Chloe into bed a handful of times over the last four-and-a-half years. He wasn’t willing to sacrifice precious time with his daughter because he didn’t know how to deal with his sudden attraction to her nanny.
    Megan was in the kitchen prepping dinner when he ambled through the door. He cleared his throat to get her attention. “Hey.”
    She looked up, smiling, the same as she always did