That Blue Gibson

CH 94

Liz shifted her weight onto one leg and rolled her shoulders, anything to distract herself from the feel of Dave's eyes on her as she waited to pick up Jack from school. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she gave it at least thirty seconds before looking at it. 

You look really pretty today.

She turned just enough to see him standing several feet back in his cargo shorts and band shirt with one of her trucker hats sitting backward over his pulled back hair. He had struck up a conversation with Paul Stanley and they both flashed her the smuggest grins she had ever seen before she turned back to her phone. 

And you look like you're about to hop on your skateboard and ask if I'll buy you a case of beer.

She heard his laugh and smiled herself, but kept her eyes straight ahead at the brick school building. They had spent the day together knowing they would have to maneuver picking up the kids from the same school separately since she still hadn't formally met his daughters. That particular event was scheduled for the upcoming weekend at CalJam when Jordyn was to bring the girls Thursday afternoon before things got too festive, but all the waiting gave Liz too much time to think. What if they hated her? What if they didn't get along with Jack and Owen? What if-?

The school bell jarred Liz from her thoughts and she hurried over to the front doors just as Jack limped out on his crutches. 

*

Dave watched Liz struggle a little to get Jack into the back of her pickup and had to turn away to keep himself from running over to help. The last thing he wanted was an accidental run in between Violet, Harper, and Liz, especially in the school parking lot where they couldn't have any sort of meaningful interaction without distraction. He and Liz had discussed her meeting the girls that morning as they waited for the coffee to brew and she had insisted that Jordyn be there in case the girls needed her. She wanted the girls to have a safe place to figure things out and get used to the idea that their father had found someone new, and though it shouldn't have surprised him that Liz was already so directly concerned with his daughter's feelings, it had made him lean across the kitchen island to kiss her. He smiled down at the sidewalk as he thought about her reaction. 

"What the hell was that for?" she breathed when he finally let her and slipped around the counter to be even closer to her.

"I love you," was all he could think to say, his thoughts consumed with how she was once again putting his daughters above her own needs. 

Her head turned to glance at the clock giving him a face full of her hair, smelling like yesterday's perfume and the bed they had slept in together the night before. "When does Owen wake up?"

"Twenty minutes," she grinned then squealed when he scooped her up and carried her to the living room couch.

He stared at the concrete below him with a dreamy smile on his face, only coming to when he heard Harper. 

"Dad?"

"Yeah!" he snapped up to find her watching him with a bemused look on her face. "How was your day?"

"Fine," she shrugged and walked into his arms, finally cracking a smile when he shook her shoulders. 

"Just fine?" he teased loudly. "I'm paying these people more than just fine, Harper. Should we just say screw it and put the money into a private island instead?"

Her grin grew brighter, revealing the new spacers the dentist had put in in preparation for her braces and Dave knew he was on the verge of getting a belly laugh out of her.