Until We Touch (Fool's Gold #15)

They reached the park and started along the path. The morning was warm and clear. Larissa was spending her days doing work she loved and her nights in Jack’s bed. Percy was excited about studying for his GED, and she’d helped rescue dogs in need. How could anything be better?

“Tell me about the house you’re buying,” Larissa said. “You’d said you were thinking about it but I didn’t know it had gone further.”

Bailey smiled. “It’s so cool. There’s a program in town where people can apply for a grant that gives them the money for a down payment. I had to fill out a bunch of paperwork and then be interviewed by this lady at the bank. The amount of the down payment depends on my salary and credit history. Chloe and I qualified.”

“That’s great,” Larissa told her. “So you’ve found a house you like?”

“Maybe. There’s a cute little Craftsman in the older part of town. It needs fixing up, but I’m okay with that. There’s a darling upstairs bedroom that Chloe completely loves, and there’s a small study for us to share as an office.”

“Congratulations.”

“Don’t congratulate me yet. I’m still thinking about it. A mortgage is a big thing to take on by myself. It’s scary to think about.”

“It’s a lot of responsibility,” Larissa said, impressed by her friend’s willingness to handle so much on her own. For a second Larissa wondered when she’d been inclined to take on anything close. Her involvements tended to be fleeting. She gave intensely, then moved on. Dyna was her first ever pet. She certainly didn’t have a child to care for and her family’s needs were minimal. The only person she really had to worry about was herself.

The realization took a little joy from the day.

“Ladies.”

She turned and saw Kenny jogging toward them. Her pleasure at seeing him was tempered by the memory of what he’d done to Jack. Of course, he’d done it for her, so could she really be mad at him?

“Hi, Kenny,” Chloe called and hurried toward him. “I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

“Hey, munchkin. How’s your knot tying?”

“Excellent. I have my bead. I can show you.”

He stopped and squatted down to pat the dog. “I’d like to see it.”

Bailey cleared her throat. “Hi. Chloe told me you helped her last spring. With the knots. Thanks for that.”

He waved away her words. “No problem. So who’s this pretty girl?”

“She’s one of Larissa’s chiweenies. We’re walking them today. They don’t have homes.” Chloe stared at her mother. “It’s sad when puppies don’t have a home.”

Larissa winced. “Sorry,” she muttered.

Bailey shrugged. “I’ll deal.”

Kenny stood. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

“Are you going to help with the walking?” Larissa asked, thinking that Bailey and Kenny looked good together. And he was great around children. Now that she thought about it, he’d never been married. Maybe it was time for that to change.

Kenny glanced at the little dogs sniffing his running shoes. “Not if I don’t have to. They’re not exactly my size.”

“They’d be a chick magnet,” Bailey said, then flushed. “Not that you need help with that sort of thing, I’m sure.”

Was that flirting? Interest? Larissa was frustrated to realize she was much better at finding stray animals a home than figuring out random boy-girl attraction.

“Bailey’s thinking of buying a house,” she blurted.

Both Bailey and Kenny stared at her.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “Congratulations.”

“She’s worried about all the responsibility, what with being a single mom and all. You could help.”

Bailey frowned. “Larissa, I’m fine. You don’t need to get him involved.”

“Kenny’s bought a lot of property. You could ask him questions.”

“Our situations couldn’t be more different.”

“Still—”

Bailey shook her head and faced Kenny. “There’s nothing for you to do. I’m fine. It was nice to see you. Run while you can.”

Kenny glanced between them, nodded once and took off. Larissa watched him go. The man really did have some speed on him.

She turned to Bailey. “Sorry. Was I meddling too much?”

“Yes, but I know it comes from love so I forgive you.”

They started walking again. Chloe and her dog ran ahead.

“So Kenny,” Larissa began.

“No,” Bailey said firmly.

“But he’s—”

“No. He’s gorgeous—I’ll admit that. But so out of my league. Trust me on this. I have a beautiful daughter and maybe a new house, not to mention the possibility of a dog. The last thing I need is a man.”

* * *

LARISSA WROTE DOWN item numbers for some new oils she wanted to try. She’d been doing some reading about their healing properties and thought the guys would like them. She closed the browser window just as Kenny walked into her office.

He’d showered after his run and dressed in work clothes. He crossed to her desk and stared at her. As Kenny was well over six feet, it was a long way to look down.

“Don’t do that,” he said firmly. “Don’t set me up. Don’t try to get involved in my personal life.”

She blinked at him. “Okay,” she said slowly. “I thought—”

“No.”