Free Love and Leftovers by Lisa Scott Page A

yet."
    She waved off the idea. "It's just my daughter and me for the summer, and we like apple juice with dinner."
    He couldn't help but notice the small beads of water still clinging to her arms.
    "Just the two of you?"
    She unhooked a towel hanging over the nearby railing and blotted her wet hair.
    "Yes. My friend is letting us stay here for the summer. But Alexa will be spending a week with my ex-husband soon. She's inside napping right now."
    So she was single. He cursed the happy feeling that was dancing inside him. "I look forward to meeting her."
    Lucy wrapped the towel around her shoulders. "Why don't you come over at six?"
    "Shall I bring a bruised fruit salad?"
    "Sure." Her laughter sounded just like the tinkling wind chimes hanging from her deck.
    This could be a long summer, he thought as he went back to the front door of his house and felt the key easily slide into the lock.

    * * *
    Lucy frowned at the closet in the airy master bedroom. Her clothes only took up a fraction of the walk-in closet. Her friend Cory had insisted she bring a few nice things to wear in case she went out, but who was she going to go out with? And who'd watch Alexa? So now she only had four casual sundresses to choose from. Nothing cute enough for the gorgeous guy with the gray eyes and the dark hair and the voice that made her shiver.
    She settled on a strapless red sundress that she sometimes used as a beach cover-up. After brushing out her damp hair and leaving it to air-dry, she searched her suitcases for her makeup. She'd been here a week and hadn't unpacked her cosmetics yet. Once she found them, she dabbed on lipstick and mascara and put on a pair of dangly earrings - then quickly took them out. Too much, she thought. What you see is what you get. That was her motto these days, hot guy or not.
    "Mama, I'm hungry." Alexa padded into the room, still in her bathing suit. Long days of playing at the beach had her sleeping an hour or two each afternoon, which was a good thing. For a five-year-old, Alexa had the drama thing down pat. Extra sleep kept her from going full-on diva.
    Lucy tousled Alexa's dark curls. "I'll be making dinner soon and we're having company."
    "Daddy?"
    Lucy frowned. "No, not your daddy. We have a new neighbor next door for the summer. He's coming over for dinner."
    "Can Daddy come over some day for dinner? He loves the beach." Alexa spun in place until she got dizzy and tumbled over.
    Lucy got a dizzy, nauseous feeling too. It was the same feeling she got whenever Alexa pined for her father. "He's picking you up next week. Go get changed, then come downstairs. I need your help cooking."
    "Yay!" Alexa scampered to her room.
    Lucy frowned at the trail of sand Alexa left behind her and went downstairs to the kitchen. She took out the ground beef left over from hamburgers the day before, along with three grilled cobs of corn. Alexa barreled into the room, wearing the princess costume she'd insisted on bringing. Her mermaid ensemble had made an appearance the night before.
    "That's the perfect outfit because it's magic meatloaf night. What do you want to add?"
    Alexa ducked under Lucy's arm and surveyed the refrigerator. Alexa grabbed a bottle of salsa and set it on the table, then came back for leftover cooked bacon and jelly.
    "Strawberry jelly in our meatloaf?" Lucy asked.
    "Yep."
    "All right. We'll see what Mr. Tate wants to add. He should be here any minute."
    Lucy found a mixing bowl and baking dish and set them on the white quartz counter. She looked out the window at the stunning view of the sea. Wispy clouds painted the sky while gentle waves sloshed on the shore. It was going to be very hard to go back to their tiny apartment in Providence when the summer was over. Cory had offered Lucy a place to clear her head after her divorce, since Cory and her family were spending the summer in Greece. So far, her time here was only making her realize how much she dreaded going back to her old life. She was living in a