Free Her Dakota Summer by Dahlia DeWinters Page B

hand back.
    Isabel and Malcolm were whispering behind Ruth’s back.
    “Mommy.” Isabel touched her mother’s arm. “Can Malcolm come with us?”
    “Oh, no, Malcolm, you can’t—”
    Ruth put a hand on her arm, her eyes twinkling. “It’s not a problem, Celeste. Isabel hasn’t seen Malcolm in a while.” She winked. “You know how much they like each other.”
    Celeste grinned. The two had been close friends since kindergarten and she and Ruth had often joked they would sit together at the wedding. “If it’s all right with you, Ruth. We should have made the rounds in about…” She turned to Dakota, raising her eyebrows in question. “An hour?”
    “Why not two? It is summer vacation.”
    Celeste nodded. “I think two would be just right.”
    She turned back to Ruth, catching a glint of gleeful suspicion in her eyes. “Is two hours okay with you, Ruth?”
    “Sounds good to me. Come on, kids.”
    “Wait.” Celeste dug into her purse and handed Malcolm two tens. “Don’t spend it all in one place. In fact…” She gave him another ten and leaned forward to whisper in his ear, “Don’t spend it all on yourself. Be nice.”
    Malcolm smiled. “I will, Mom. Thanks.” He shoved the money into his shorts pocket.
    Celeste directed her attention to Ruth. “Thanks, Ruth. We’ll meet back here in about two hours or so.”
    “All right then.” Ruth smiled and tilted her head. “You…have fun.”
     
    * * * *
     
    “My goodness,” Celeste said after the woman had ushered the two children away. Jackson was looking at a display of hand-sewn teddy bears at a booth. “She acts as if she already knows something.” She shrugged. “More power to her.” She turned to Dakota, her expression shy. “I hope you didn’t mind me introducing you as the nanny. I…didn’t want to assume.”
    “That’s what I am until the end of the month.” He smiled at her, wanting to slip his arm around her waist but knowing he couldn’t in public. She looked anxious. “Celeste, please, don’t worry.”
    Jackson ran up to them, waving a hand in the direction of a booth decorated with red and yellow bunting. “I like those teddy bears over there, Mommy.”
    Celeste crouched down to her younger son and put her hands on his shoulders. “We’ll see, maybe on our way out.”
    Jackson frowned, then looked up at him. “Dakota, I want one of those teddy bears. The one with the blue shirt. He can sit on my toy box in my room.” Celeste stood back up next to him and he could smell her aromatic fragrance.
    Dakota matched his frown. “Your mother said maybe, right?”
    Jackson nodded.
    “Then maybe it is. Let’s walk.”
    The night’s air was perfect, not too hot and not too cold, perfect weather for an evening stroll through the sights and sounds of the fair. A high school band played in one area and there were games for adults and children alike. A water gun game attracted Jackson’s attention and he pointed.
    “Dakota, can I play this game?”
    He cast a questioning glance at Celeste who nodded. “You two go. I’ll look around over here.”
    “Let’s go, little dude.” He took Jackson’s hand and led him over to the game.
     
    * * * *
     
    Celeste wandered over to a booth that displayed handmade quilts, admired the meticulous design and handiwork. Too bad that they weren’t for sale, only display. From the corner of her eye, she watched Dakota and Jackson at the game, astonished at how well they got along. It hit her then that besides the teacher at school, they had had no consistent daily male influence in their lives since she and Charles had divorced. Dakota had formed a deeper bond with the boys than she had expected.
    “Mommy!” Jackson’s shout lifted her out of her reverie. “We won this for you!” He dashed around the crowds of people and strollers to shove a medium-sized pink bear into her hands. “She can sit on your dresser.”
    “Oh, thank you, Jackson!” She bent down to kiss him on the cheek